Spaced: Meetings

I think that the above cover to the American version of Spaced says volumes. This series was conceived by Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) and directed by Edgar Wright, and it is clear that the members of this trio are products of a society that values nerdiness and revels in pop culture references. The show follows Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Stevenson), two twentysomethings who pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat (or apartment for our readers who don't understand English English). Tim is an aspiring comic book artist who currently works as the assistant manager in a comic book shop (though it's not that glamorous; the only other employee is the manager), while Daisy is a writer. While each has high aspirations, neither of them tend to act on them; Tim is terrified of rejection while Daisy is lazy.

The pair meet after each begins a hunt for a new place to live, and within days of meeting each other, they decide to move in together, since the only flat they find desirable is for professional couples only. Their landlady, Marsha, is a middle-aged woman who has her hands full with a wild teenaged daughter and two glasses of wine; she is in a near-permanent state of inebriation, causing her to make life uncomfortable for Brian, the artist living in the flat below Tim and Daisy. In nearly every episode, Marsha delivers her signature catchphrase, "Hello, Brian". Words cannot describe how brilliant this line is; the delivery is brilliant, and and Brian's reaction are hilarious (the line, as well as a few teasing flashbacks lead us to believe an uncomfortable sexual incident occurred between the two).

Tim and Daisy are each introduced to the best friend of the other; Tim's friend Mike (played by Nick Frost, who goes on to appear in the supporting role in Wright and Pegg's films) is a kooky gun nut who wants to join the army, but was involved in a childhood accident that makes it difficult for him. Daisy's friend Twist (her parents were hippies) is a shallow and passively cruel girl who works in fashion (a dry cleaners), and is sorely underdeveloped. While every other character is used well, Twist is (I think) the only character not in every episode, and never seems to get the good lines.

Despite Twist's shortcomings, the cast is amazing, and it is obvious that they had a great time working together. Nearly everyone in the cast at one point has to do some pretty outrageous things for laughs, and they go all out. These range from Brian's performance art past to Mike's outrageous exploits while performing security duty.

The character-based humor is wonderful as well (I will go into the more outrageous stuff in the next post). The depths of Daisy's aversion to working is explored both at home as she tries to write as well as in her temp jobs (she has a penchant for telling people to "Fuck off" in response to perfectly reasonable requests). Tim's obsession with Star Wars and his hatred of The Phantom Menace tend to get him in trouble every now and then, and Marsha's alcoholism and boundaryless lifestyle is equal parts hilarious and creepy.

Wright, Pegg and Hynes are clearly masters of the parotribute, but they are also great actors and writers. It's a shame that Spaced didn't get a third series and that this trio isn't as recognized on this side of the pond (and possibly even in England) as they should be (don't get me wrong; they are certainly well among people like me, of which there is a significant number).

Up next: The mundane mixes with the spectacular...