Monday, October 20, 2014

GOGGLEBOX

This is the newest thing to hit our lounge-room. It's the most meta show ever. Clokes found out about it on a tv show about reality shows. The premise: install a camera in people's houses, that films them watching the same shows on the same night in Britain. Some of the people are fantastic and hilarious. Here are the funniest (probably); Stephanie and Dominic, B&B owner-operators in Sandwich:



Constantly pissed (it seems, especially him) they are the posh ones.




There are the Siddiquis, a father and son group (top left; but we have lost the son on the far right, he only appeared in first season); the Tapper family (top right; the wife has the shrillest voice you've ever heard. It makes you want to kill her. It makes you wonder how her husband can stand her. Their daughter is about 14 and sucks her thumb and regularly seems to spiral into hunger-rage); couple Christopher and Stephen bottom left, hairdressers and caustic, well Christopher is) and June and Leon bottom right, married more than 50 years. Leon gets a bit sleazey, keeps talking about seeing women's 'nicks' and wanting June to bring him a cracker to eat. He's been on a diet since we've been watching.)

Another favourite lounge-room is the one belonging to Sandy and Sandra,  long-time friends:



They often have a heap of take-away food and Sandra (on the right) gets very loud and shouty and occasionally has jumped out of her seat because there's a mouse or some other unwanted visitor in the room. In an episode we watched last night she used a shoe to squash something we couldn't see that was climbing on a wall. They are really entertaining.



We call this the 'German family' although it's only Ralph, the man above, who is German. He's married to the woman, and we think the daughter is hers only but aren't sure. You only get a slow drip-feed of background info across the seasons and I love that. You get to know them in the way you might get to know acquaintances in your real life, without the info dump which seems to be how we learn about people through the media nowawadays, including tell-all memoirs and blog posts. The funniest thing about this family is the way they all seem to wear metal t-shirts, and the boyfriend's face (and coif) which the camera zooms in on the most regularly. He never talks and is always just staring at the tv, and conversations happen around him. I think last night we saw him react with anything resembling animation, and he said something. We're in season 3.

The family we hate is this one:



Parents and son all living together in their overstuffed couch. They have no coffee table which is weird but the son has an even more annoying voice than the Tapper mother (it sounds like he is from Monty Python, like a put-on voice, but not funny). The father often falls asleep and the son often contemptuously corrects his mother's dumbness.

A recent couple just appearing in season 3 is Rev Kate and her husband, a man we think would prefer to be married to the dog. He is always fondling it, while the Rev lays her feet across his lap, tries to touch him all the time.



Oh, and also this couple, who have a painting of boobs right behind them:



It's all so funny.

You sit on the couch, like they do, and you get to see bits of what they are watching, plus their reactions and commentary, and often we find ourselves pausing so we can make our commentary. We react to the shows, like them, and we say things about the shows, like them as well.

If you think too much about it, you'll go nuts. But get on it, it's fabulous, I recommend.


15 comments:

squib said...

Wow this is so Baudrillard Hyperreal-ish like a copy of reality being reflected back by another copy of reality

Melba said...

It is pretty mis en abyme at times squibby.

squib said...

Posh guy looks like Shaun Micallef

Alex said...

This show was a topic of conversation amongst the family over the weekend. We had all seen the previews, we all thought it was a preposterous concept, and we all agreed that it looked like it could actually be bloody funny.

I'm sure I've brought it up before, but I'm an old fan of "Mystery Science Theater 3000", and I've been known to indulge in "bad-movie-riffing" nights from time to time; so I guess it's not completely strange that this would appeal to me.

But if I add it to the list of things to watch, it has to go below True Detective and Orphan Black, and probably Breaking Bad as well. How many seasons are there?

Melba said...

I don't know, there's three or four. Let's put it this way: it's not urgent that you watch it. You need to see the others first, well at least OB and TD definitely. BB wasn't my cup o' tea.

squib said...

The following order is better: TD, BB, skip OB :p

Alex said...

I'm committed to watching all three, it's just a matter of time. At least now I know that I definitely should be watching True Detective first.

suze2000 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
suze2000 said...

I'm going to check this out. Sadly my only source doesn't have any season one, but I suspect this won't matter too much?

Alex said...

To find videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, Daily Motion, etc. Change search term to s01e02, s01e03, etc, as needed.

For downloadable files.

They should be fine, but use at your own risk.

Melba said...

Also Alex, new season of Walking Dead has started.

Alex said...

My list is starting to get a mite intimidating.

Is that one even worth watching Melbs?

I think I saw the first 2 episodes at somebody's place, and did not get into it enough to watch any more.

Melba said...

That one being Walking Dead? I think so but depends if you're into that stuff. I didn't think I would be but was converted.

GS said...

I so wish I never saw this post! Only halfway through season 1 and I veered off to watch the day in the life of the NHS show they featured....and down the rabbit hole I go.
Posh couple are hilarious/scary. And the mum who is always eating, in the house where the son living away at uni paid a surprise visit.

Unknown said...

ANGKA JITU DAN AKURAT YANG BISA ANDA MENANGKAN HARI INI HASIL RITUAL DARI DUKUN TOGEL YANG DI JAMIN 100% TEMBUS CUKUP ANDA BAYAR BIAYA RITUALNYA SAJA HUB AKY PANGANDARAN DI NO <_0_8_5_3_1_9_4_8_6_0_5_9_>