Acknowledging Genius
The Harrowing
I understand that it’s odd for someone to review a late episode of a series, let alone the finale and skipping the previous chapters. Well let me clear something up;
Inside No. 9 is what British television has needed for a long time coming. With the long strands of story-driven programmes often suffering in quality due to failing to keep the audiences interest with the same essential characters and story for weeks bordering on months, a low-key anthology was a welcome entry to BBC2. Especially when it turns out to be the newest lovechild in the ever-growing family of unsung British comedy heroes Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.
When united with friends Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson, Shearsmith and Pemberton collectively form the much known and loved League of Gentlemen, the comedy show that with elements of gothic, macabre and just plain unnerving horror. I know I’ve yet to get the episode BUT BARE WITH ME because I need to establish how much J’adore La Ligue des Gentlemen. They manage to utilize many established horror tropes from recognizable classics yet somehow still come across as something new and original. When the group moved on to separate works, Reece and Steve (we’re soul mates) often co-create new shows with vastly different structures of storytelling to prove themselves as more than one trick ponies. They first made Psychoville, a dream-like whodunit with an insane cast connected to a dark incident from their pasts. And most recently No. 9, a “Tales of the Unexpected” style anthology series mixed with their traditional dark humour. And the gimmick is that each episode takes place in an area numbered nine, be it a house, room, gym locker etc...
While Big Blogger has already told you what to think of the previous five episodes, I will nonetheless quickly summarise my opinions of series 1’s run.
Sardines = A genius discomfort comedy with a terrific set and a perfect ensemble cast. Special praise goes to Tim Key’s award-deserving performance and a twist ending that left me shivering.
A Quiet Night In = An ambitious feat to modernise Laurel and Hardy pays off splendidly. Great set design, hilarious silent comedy form Reece and Steve and they, much like their previous work, show how low-brow, often tasteless humour can be done right.
Tom and Gerri = The previous episodes reassured me the two are still funny, but this episode made me realize how thoughtful and understanding they are under the hook-clown masks. A tragic commentary on human impulse and trauma led by two fascinating characters. Steve’s Migg fills me with bile and Reece’s Tom breaks my heart.
Last Gasp = The most tender of the entries. A compelling tale of greed and hypocrisy with an always welcome appearance from Tamsin Greig. Admittedly, this is the episode with the least “re-watchability” due to the lack of sensational drama but it’s definitely worth a watch.
The Understudy = The traditional “Macbeth production goes wrong oh how ironic” story has been done many times before. Thankfully, this episode is saved from being clichéd by three-dimensional performances from every actor involved and some top-notch lighting. Also, the sinister tremulous ambiguity helps the episode stand on its own terms from the others. And yes, “Fuck me, it’s a ghost!” is the best quote of 2014 T.V.
And now, my detailed review of the series one finale
The Harrowing = …well. I previously mentioned how in their League days, their writing would stop the laughs and hit you with no-holds barred horror. Well the ending of this episode is the most frightening thing these two have made since the League of Gentlemen Christmas Special.
The tale tells the aforementioned tale of teenage girl Katie( Amiee-Ffion Edwards), who has been hired by two odd neighbours to take care of their invalid brother, Andrass. The two brother and sister pair Tabitha (Helen McCrory) and Hector (Reece) tell her to never visit Andrass upstairs but to simply maintain the temperature and deliver him milk and biscuits from a mobilised chair, like some sort of maid for the uncanny. Without notifying the two, she soon invites her Goth BFF Shell (Poppy Rush) and the two gradually learn more morbid facts about their unseen client.
The notable homages to horror directors such as John Carpenter, William Friedkin, Dario Argento and numerous others are amazing to find on Television these days. You can tell this episode was written with love and care from Reece and Steve by the cognitively dissonant atmosphere that what you’re seeing is horrible yet jolly good fun. The nine-numbered house itself is one of my favourite sets of the series. Much like its residents, it tightropes between Carry On-esque cheese and a classical horror style in the vein of James Whale’s The Old Dark House. As for the residents themselves, they prove to be the beating heart of the duo’s trademark horror-comedy. Reece is at his most delightfully perverse as the quivering spectre of Hector, delivering his ridiculous dialogue with barely restrained glee and McCrory is equally having a ball with her larger than life character whilst never losing the gravitas of her usual thespian training.
Not to say that the protagonist is inferior. Edwards’ proves to be a surprisingly professional and convincing actor for her age, managing to convey a naturally confused and frightened response to the situation whilst keeping in sync with the comedic set-up of said events. We quickly sympathise with Katie as we would with Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardesty and other horror female leads not because of the comparisons with this episode and the films of those protagonists, but because Edwards is likable in the role and well written by Reece and Steve.
Also, props to Fields for assuming a role that could have easily been reduced to that of the “obnoxious sensitive friend” archetype we see in MANY slasher films before Wes Craven felt the need to point it out for us, because she turned out far better than I feared. Her character is far more layered and complex and Fields herself has great comic timing, particularly when her dialogue emphasises the poor grammar of our youth. The shame.
When I first heard that the two main leads of The Harrowing would be two teenagers I was slightly concerned. Two middle aged men attempting to capture the essence of young people not from their generation has often led to mixed to embarrassing results (see certain episodes of Doctor Who written by Steven Moffatt ). Thankfully, whether it be by thorough research into the demographic or the sheer magic dust that emanates from the two writers’ fingers, Katie and Shell are funny, engaging and realistic as both roles and as representations of homo sapiens youngsters.
The only mild complaint I have for The Harrowing is how when something particularly nasty happens, the madcap humour can be a little disingenuous, but that’s often par for the course for the stylings of the League, whether they be full, halved, quartered or just a standard Mark Gatiss episode of Who or Sherlock. On a petty note, it does feel odd with Steve’s absence from this episode but Reece wasn’t in Last Gasp so it all evens out.
I couldn’t have felt more satisfied or terrified as I did when the hilariously inappropriate end credits of The Harrowing played out. I would recommend that should you watch this show in no particular order, always finish series one with this, as the impact would be grossly diminished otherwise. The new series airs on March 26th, BBC2 at 10:00pm. Please watch it. I don’t care if you hate it; just show these two geniuses that their talents don’t go unacknowledged.
By Harri Davies
A Zoom Film Review
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