The Inbetweeners began airing in May ’08, and gained an ever-growing following throughout the airing of its first two series; series’ that introduced the world to imaginative phrases such as ‘Briefcase Wanker’, ‘Bus Wankers’, and “Bum-der”, as well as bringing the word ‘Clunge’ into everyday usage; and is soon to have its third series released on DVD (following the final episode of the season showing on E4 this Monday at 10pm).
Just like the first two series’, The Inbetweeners focusses on the fairly ordinary lives of four sixth-form students who are distinctly average, and basically stuck in limbo; as they aren’t geeky enough to be labelled complete losers, but also lack the social skills, looks, and magnetism, to fit in with the cool kids.
In that respect following the exploits of Will (Simon Bird); a former private school kid who’s been reduced to slumming-it in a public school as a result of his parents’ divorce; Simon (Joe Thomas); a lovestruck, often angry, yet pretty average, kid; Neil (Blake Harrison, Re-Uniting the Rubins); the slowest member of the group, who’s extremely gullible, yet more successful with the ladies than any of his friends; and Jay (James Buckley, Rock & Chips); the loudest and most outspoken member of the bunch, who’s clearly socially insecure, and known for being a compulsive bullshitter; is just like looking at any group of friends, in any sixth-form, around the country.
And like most sixth-form boys, the lads spend barely anytime at, or thinking about, school, but spend almost the entirety of their waking lives discussing girls, sex, and the ways to get both; in-between planning random trips, and generally taking the piss out of each other (a pastime which they, like any sixth-former, have crafted into a vulgar, and ever changing, art-form), whilst they search for new and inventive ways to enjoy themselves, and get drunk; as they’ll try anything for a laugh.
And while the boys have got up to their fair share of outrageous antics in the past; including punching a fish to death, getting beaten up by a 12-year-old, insulting down-syndrome sufferers, skipping school, and literally shitting in an exam; this series brings a whole host of new adventures and situations that will once again ring true with countless high-school attendees around the country; including an embarrassing ‘wardrobe malfunction’ at a school fashion show, being introduced to the world of drugs, and having to choose whether it’s morally right to get ‘noshed off’ by a girl you don’t even like, as well as eating a bonsai tree, peeing the bed, wrecking not only each others things, but the neighbours flowers, and for one member, facing the possibility of becoming a young father.
All of which provide the appropriate platforms for the boys to not only embarrass themselves and each other, but get into some truly absurd situations, royally take the mickey out of one another, and slip down the social ladder another peg or two, as their peers get to see another glimpse of how strange they really are; something which, surprisingly, doesn’t stop Simon getting a girlfriend, and coming closer than ever to getting his end away.
But despite the appropriate platforms and embarrassment, the first few episodes of the series (which, like most other British sit-coms, only has a short, six episode, run) do feel like they are somewhat lacking in comparison to those of the previous seasons; it’s not that they are lacking in laughs, but that (possibly as a result of heightened expectations) your only laughing until you can’t breathe, rather than laughing until losing all bladder control; something that is swiftly and definitively remedied by the series’ utterly hilarious closing episodes.
And what makes The Inbetweeners even funnier than the infinitely quotable insults, and embarrassing situations, is that it’s all so clearly based on reality; as you’d be hard pushed to find anyone that doesn’t know someone like each of The Inbetweeners, or find a lad that doesn’t personally relate (on some level) with at least one of the main characters; and it’s the fact that all males can relate to the characters, emotions (of which there are only really three; boredom, ‘phwoar’, and ‘that should be fun’), and personalities, and that all ladies watching can not only laugh at how stupid the boys are, but gain a little insight into the mind of the teenage male, that make it such a resounding, and gender-busting hit.
Not only that, but all of the situations that the troupe find themselves in, are experiences which will also ring true for many of todays youngsters (and many of which come straight from the lives and exploits of the shows writers; Iain Morris, and Damon Beesley); such as going to a gig for the first time, wondering whether or not to experiment with drugs, going camping, having mates come round and trash the house when the parents leave for a night or two, and not only being ‘Facebook-raped’, and having inappropriate texts sent from your phone, but interacting with teachers similar to those shown, and struggling to get on in the world of romance.
There’s no denying that The Inbetweeners is a funny show, and it’s hardly surprisingly that it’s gone on to gain the highest ever audience for an E4 show; when considering that each of the lads totally embody their characters, and excellently pull-off the juvenile dialogue that’s so wonderfully and creatively written for the show, and that the lads manage to get into some outrageously funny, yet pretty recognizable, situations that forcibly induces fits of laughter that are utterly uncontrollable; but the main question on the minds of anyone that hasn’t caught the series on TV, is if it’s still as funny as the last two series? and while series three might have dipped slightly in the beginning, it has an impressive last few episodes that makes the answer is a resounding yes; the third series of The Inbetweeners is just as juvenile, absurd, and ludicrously brilliant as it ever was.
Picture:
In terms of picture quality, The Inbetweeners was never really going to strike that highly; as it lacks the budget and means of a major Hollywood production, or even that of many mid-level British movies; but as far as the image goes, it serves its purpose more than sufficiently; having accurate colour and fleshtone reproduction, black levels that are more than adequate, an acceptable level of detail, and an overall stable transfer that has no noteworthy print errors; making it an easily serviceable transfer, and acceptable platform to watch the series.
Audio:
Likewise The Inbetweeners audio track wasn’t likely to blow anyone away; especially seen as how it’s presented in only two channels, and contains no real ambient noise or effects worth noting; but is well leveled, and contains pitch perfect dialogue that’s exactly what is needed to drive the show, and ensures that all of the series’ funniest moments never go unnoticed.
Extras:
Unlike the picture and audio quality however, the special features awarded to this release of The Inbetweeners third series do make a clear attempt to stand-out from the crowd, and reward the show’s fans by beginning with a selection of outtakes; that are more than amusing, and range from messing up lines and fouling up props, to playing pranks to one another; and the return of the video diaries; where each member of the principal cast (and Greg Davis a.k.a. Mr Gilbert) films a typical day on the shoot for them (and as their camera skills are so bad it’s clearly not a feature for the travel-sick), each of which are amusing, and delve into on-set rules, food habits, toilet habits, and playing pranks on one another; as well as a selection of deleted scenes which are well worth a watch.
Also included is the series three prequel (which can be viewed here), and a behind the scenes section; which features a couple of shorts (one involving the filming of the infamous squirrel scene, and the other on the monotony of filming in a car), and a longer making of featurette which is amusing, informative, and well worth a watch.
One of the best inclusions however is the range of audio commentaries available, as there is at least one commentary for each episode (and even two separate commentary tracks for the season opener), containing input from a mixture of the inbetweeners themselves, Greg Davis, and writers Iain Morris, and Damon Beesley; who all provide a large number of amusing anecdotes, observations, and general banter that makes the wide-ranging tracks (which cover everything from sex-tips to weight gain, views on women to the acidity of Smirnoff Ice, and everything in-between; including whether or not margarine is better than butter) some of the easiest commentaries ever to listen to, being as they are so light hearted and funny; and manage to slip a few interesting behind the scenes pieces of information in almost unnoticed.
All in all the bonus materials included on the release are really something special (and more than one would expect from a cheaply made E4 sit-com aimed at teenagers who are generally too lazy or uninterested to watch them), and do a great job of giving fans those extra few laughs they crave (the inclusion of the prequel is particularly funny and a nice inclusion), and a reason to keep the series alive after re-watching it, as well as giving them a little bit of background information on the creative process, and an insight into the minds of those involved with the show (who are exactly like the inbetweeners, but slightly older).
The Bottom Line:
The third series of The Inbetweeners (which had a character featured in a recent survey trying to find the sexiest TV mum) seems to take a couple of episodes to really get going (probably due to expectations being raised by the previous series’ to an unobtainable level), but is consistently shocking, and funny, even at its lowest points, and brings back the entire cast (who are all extremely well placed in their roles, and easily able to give audiences the level of hilarity they demand of the show) for a series that matches what’s come before, and in some cases surpasses it; particularly in the impressive closing episodes.
And whilst the video and audio quality might not be up to the standard that many experts, and home-media aficionados, demand of top-notch releases, it’s at least as good as other similarly budgeted, and similarly themed television releases, and is always suitably clear enough to never distract from the programme itself, and contains no real problems whatsoever.
Also the extras included on the DVD are simply fantastic, and provide many more laughs, and much more information, than fans could have even hoped to ask for (even considering the similar level of input on releases of previous seasons); making them not only worth watching, and filler-free, but an excellent addition that will not only satisfy, but delight fans of the show.
All in all, The Inbetweeners is simply a comedy must, and easily one of the best comedy shows on British television today; as it’s ability to present such recognizable characters, and place them in such universally recognizable situations, whilst bringing more outrageous humour than you can pack into ten teen movies (or one scrotum choking speedo), makes it not only supremely funny, and extremely socially relevant, but gives the lads something to relate to, and girls a bit of a glimpse into the male mindset; meaning it’s a show that’s likely to be enjoyed by just about everyone (except maybe your nan, who mind find all the swearing and sex talk a little bit offensive); particularly if you’re under 30 (and can still remember a bit of that mindset), and enjoy teen-comedy movies, and shock-comedies, such as the American Pie films, There’s Something About Mary, and British sit-coms such as The Peep Show.
