Locations: Lee/ Kate's Flat, Pub, Clown workshop, Restaurant, art gallery,
Characters:
Lee - a juvenile and lazy slacker, who goes from one job to another, living off the good graces of his Californian landlady Kate, with whom he shares a flat in London. It is not long before they find that their friendship is changing into something more.
Tim - Lee's best friend, an accountant from Henley, and Kate's ex-boyfriend (they broke up when he cheated on her with 23-year-old Emma) and he wants to repair their relationship.
Kate - Lee's American Landlady/housemate and the Ex girlfriend of Tim.
Storylines:
- Lee is lazy and doesn't really do anything. He currently has got himself a job making christmas crackers from home but kate is trying to get him to do something more. Kate is asked to arrange a date for a client at work and she suggests Lee he initially refuses until he is told it will all be paid for.
- Kate has some leaflets for Lee about work including one about becoming a clown. Lee doesn't think he is suited and neither is kate but she decides to go on it to prove she is fun - something Tim left her for not being.
- There is a lot of romantic tension between kate and lee but is put to one side.
- We discover that lee and tim are best friends. Tim asks about kate at the pub and it is clear he wants her back. Lee wants to stay out of it as he is friends with both of them. Tim wants to apologise for cheating on kate and decides to do it this week.
- Kate goes to the clown workshop in full attire, something that the others at the workshop are not. When she is home she tells lee that when she is wearing her clown nose he should call her by her clown name - foo foo.
- On the date, Lee's date goes badly as the woman reveals all the details from her past which she wrote about in her autobiography. He is awkward but tries to make the best of it although he is very bored.
- While lee is on his date, tim visits kate at home. She is taking her clown make up off. Tim stays for dinner and tries to apologise but it goes badly when she sticks up for lee.
- Lee arrives home and complains to kate about the terrible date. When kate says its because he couldnt handle a serious relationship lee says he is going to ask her out again which seems to upset kate.
- Lee takes his date to a war gallery where she is as serious and depressing as ever. Lee lies and tells the woman he was adopted which seems to help her bond with him.
- At the pub lee discusses his dates with tim. Tim also subtly warns lee off kate. Lee says he isn't comfortable with sharing private information with his date but tim says they should go on another date and invite tim and kate along - a double date. He agrees but isn't happy. kate isn't happy about the double date but eventually caves and says she will be there after clown club.
- Kate throws a bucket of water over her instructor rather than a bucket of confetti because 'her clown is a maverick'. It doesn't go down well.
- Lee branches out in his cracker making and begins writing his own jokes for events including funerals, birthdays etc
- At the pub tim worries kate hates him. She buys them all chris and calls him a bastard which sort of confirms this but she has turned up on the date. Lee tries to help them become friends by using words his date used to describe his behaviour. It works and tim apologises to kate but they argue again about Tim's young fling. Kate is cross that lee is trying to get them back together but he insists he isn't which pleases kate but annoys tim causing lee to have an outburst and end up insulting his date.
- Kate is kicked out of clown club for throwing a pie at her instructor. It is revealed lee's date thought lee was too serious and is glad they aren't dating anymore. Lee is sacked from his cracker making job when one of his funeral jokes is found in a christmas cracker.
The reason i felt i should watch this show is because it is currently airing and is very popular in the UK. The other sitcoms i am watching are no longer on the air but this is so gives me a good idea of the kind of things that are successful currently. Also this show was cancelled but due to success of dvd sales and a petitions was brought back and has since had 4 more series made. I also find the relationship between the character of lee and kate is very interesting and wanted to look at how that progressed throughout the first season.
The interesting thing about this pilot is that it doesn't have a lot of the characters in it that will be in the series. Similarly due to casting changes and actor availability the main cast changes each season yet is still successful so i think the writing is key here and therefore a good reason to look at how they write the series.
So far the differences between this and the other shows are that this is very pun heavy and uses jokes that require the audience to have a certain understanding of pop culture. It also has a good heart to it with the relationship of the characters but i think there were a lot more joke elements in this pilot which seems to be a recurrent theme. I think they cant put to much heart into he opening episode as it takes time for people to invest in characters. So far Lee has plenty of unlikable traits - he is lazy and doesn't have a job but he is funny and aloof and his clear feelings for kate intrigue the audience just enough for them to want to come back. Similarly it is interesting to see how it could work if he gets together with her when she is tim ex. maybe tim will win her back... plenty of possibilities from a opening episode.
The one thing i did notice from this is that there is are 2 stories. the a plot - Lee's date and a b plot - lucy becoming a clown. Lee is able to link into lucy's plot and also bring her into his date plot through the double date which also brings in tim. This is something that was done cleverly in coupling but not something the imbetweeners did.
Stay safe,
Helen
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