The Nightmare of Milky Joe (30 Aug. 2005)

Abandoned on a tropical island, feuding Vince and Howard invent a series of improbable coconut-based friends, lovers, and confidants in a vain effort to maintain their sanity, which rapidly culminates in a Hitchcock-esque dramatic ending.

Director:

Paul King

Writers:

Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding

Stars:

Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Julian Barratt	...	Howard Moon / Milky Joe
Noel Fielding	...	Vince Noir / The Moon / Judge Coconut / The Hitcher Coconut
Michael Fielding	...	Naboo
Dave Brown	...	Bollo
Rich Fulcher	...	Sailor / Bob Fossil

Storyline

Abandoned on a tropical island, feuding Vince and Howard invent a series of improbable coconut-based friends, lovers, and confidants in a vain effort to maintain their sanity, which rapidly culminates in a Hitchcock-esque dramatic ending.

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Plot Keywords:

desert island | dream sequence | cockney | french | coconut | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Details

Release Date:

30 August 2005 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min 28 min (DVD)

Did You Know?

Quotes

Howard Moon: Well, who cuts people's hair in the middle of the night?
Vince Noir: I do! They call me the Midnight Barber.
Howard Moon: Yeah, well that's an infringement of people's liberties. So don't ever be doing that to me.
Vince Noir: I DO do it to you.
Howard Moon: ...what?
Vince Noir: Who d'you think cuts your hair, Einstein?
Howard Moon: My hair just doesn't grow very fast
Vince Noir: What, you think it stays that length naturally? I'm in there in the night, styling away.
Howard Moon: How dare you do that to me in the night, when I'm oblivious.
Vince Noir: I do my best work when you're oblivious. I lean you up...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Mighty Boosh: The Making of Series 2 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Isolation"
Written by Julian Barratt
Performed by Julian Barratt

User Reviews

The call me the midnight barber!

Out of all the episodes of Boosh, this is probably the one I've seen the most times, and it still remains one of my favourites. Full of great surreal imagery that deals with psychosis in a hilarious manner; 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe' is certainly one of the most memorable episodes to grace the series.

Perhaps the strongest element used here is the high focus on dialogue between Vince and Howard, which paves way for the episode's funniest scenes. Then again, I've always been of the opinion that this is what separates Boosh from other shows; not the imagery or the characters or anything else, just the unique style that Noel and Julian employ when writing their dialogue. The chemistry is just fantastic, overshadowing anything else that they do, and this episode is a clear example.

I also loved the character of 'Milky Joe' and the entire concept of the two guys slowly going insane… well, Howard mostly. It allows the characters to become higher versions of themselves, more poignant and hard-hitting than ever before, which is a complete joy to watch. Barratt specifically is hilarious as the exasperated and morbid Howard Moon, who is more disconnected with reality than ever. I'd also like to point out my nomination for one of the best delivered lines in Boosh history when Howard admits to Vince that Milky Joe 'is a complete ARSE!' It's a rather mundane line in itself, but within the context of the story and characterisation I found Barratt's delivery hilarious.

What lets the episode down however is a lack of appealing tunes, and a rather uneven pace as a result of the very dry (pun intended) plot. Nevertheless, 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe' is still a classic episode, full of great laughs and a very memorable set of scenes between Noir and Moon.