Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Spacing

By: Allyson Hamacher



Let’s get started with a very important question.
Do you like?:
a) Simon Pegg
b) Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz
c) Arrested Development
d) All of the above
If you aren’t sure what those are, or think you don’t like them, educate yourself. If you’ve done your research and still don’t enjoy any of the above, skip Spaced and stop reading this now.
Those of you who are still with me have excellent taste – congratulations! I can’t even begin to tell you what exciting things are in store for you when you watch Spaced. Think: Shaun of the Dead + Arrested Development + movie tributes + real characters + nerdy humor + British humor. Bake for two seasons, and enjoy.
The two main characters, Tim Bisely (graphic artist who works in a comic shop) and Daisy Steiner (writer who works nowhere), are twenty-something underachievers – but totally not in an annoying way. The two, who meet at a coffee shop. Coincidentally, both are looking for new living accommodations and pose as a couple to rent a flat whose landlord specifies, “professional couples only.”

Their neighbor, Brian Topp, is an artist who paints “anger, frustration, rage, fear” and is also a very nice guy. He’s the subject of not-so-subtle advances from their landlady, Marsha Klein, who has either a cigarette or drink in at least one hand at all times; in one episode she has a cigarette and glass of wine in both hands. Mike Klein is what John Goodman’s character from the Big Lebowski would be he were incredibly friendly.

There is a smattering of other characters, tributes to RoboCop, Star Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Sixth Sense, and likely more that I missed. Watch the first episode for the background, but wait for the second episode for it to get good. I’m on my second time around with the series, and I’m already finding new things to laugh at.

Allyson Hamacher lives in Phoenix, AZ with her husband, Jon, her dog, and multiple projects in varying states of doneness. She is starting a Masters of Science program at Arizona State University, and looks unsettlingly smug in her student ID picture. She and Jon strongly disagree about whether the word "filthy" means "dirty" or "extra dirty."

1 comment:

  1. I vote on filthy meaning extra dirty. Whose team does that put me on?

    ReplyDelete