The Inbetweeners: Season 1 & 2 (E4, 2008)IMDB LinkThe one thing I’m getting tired of in British comedies is the fact that they really never have a happy outcome for their characters. It is okay sometimes, but this is one reason that the American comedies are more successful internationally. We want the characters, whom we watch in episode after episode, to once in a while, if not always, come to a happy ending. In a way, it also kills the comical aspect of it, because we know that no matter what the characters do, it won’t end well.
In “The Inbetweeners”, it never does. This series is about a group of high school teenagers. The show is narrated by Will who has just moved from a private school to a public one due to her mother’s financial difficulties. Will is a posh dork, one of those people that you pretty much understand why they are bullied. He quickly attaches himself to a group of average students and befriends them. The rest of the characters are Simon, Jay, and Neil. Simon is the most likable but he is still unpopular. Jay constantly exaggerates his stories and lies a lot and Neil is a bit dumb but happy. The show is like films such as “American Pie” about unpopular kid’s quest to be popular, liked, and have sex. Their plans never work.
I like the show and it is funny, and their banters are familiar to me, and there are many exchanges which remind me of my own school days. It also makes me miss the kinds of friendship one has and only has in school, before one mature. In the strange, confusing, world of being a teenager, one is only able to find refuge in the companionship of other teenagers.
If the show had a bit more love for its characters to make sure they do occasionally succeed (even Tom from “Tom and Jerry” would sometimes win over Jerry), then I would have loved the show more.
3/5
