"Extras" The Extra Special Series Finale (2007)

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Directors:

Ricky Gervais
Stephen Merchant

Writers:

Ricky Gervais (written by) &
Stephen Merchant (written by)

TV Series:

"Extras" (2005)

Original Air Date:

16 December 2007 (Season 3, Episode 0)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Andy is unhappy with the fame he has achieved. When a new agent approaches him, Andy fires Darren and quits 'When The Whistle Blows'...

Plot Keywords:

Reference To Lindsay Lohan | Actor | Director | Sitcom | Workplace

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Ricky Gervais	...	Andy Millman
Ashley Jensen	...	Maggie Jacobs
Stephen Merchant	...	Darren Lamb
Shaun Williamson	...	Himself
Shaun Pye	...	Greg Lindley Jones
Clive Owen	...	Himself
George Michael	...	Himself
Gordon Ramsay	...	Himself
David Tennant	...	Himself
Gareth Hale	...	Himself
Norman Pace	...	Himself
Lionel Blair	...	Himself
Dean Gaffney	...	Himself
June Sarpong	...	Herself
Lisa Scott-Lee	...	Herself

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 | Australia:M

Quotes:

Greg Lindley Jones: I saw you was in Doctor Who as a slug. Very convincing.

Movie Connections:

References "Film '72" (1972)

Flat, dismal finale

This was the worst ever episode of Extras and a particularly feel-bad Christmas special.

Gervais appears to be able to set up a series which is brilliant and then let it disintegrate well before the end (the second series of The Office was many times worse than the first). Although constantly watchable, this was dismal stuff. Extras is meant to be a comedy – this wasn't funny and barely tried to be. What was the point of having the characters' lives collapse? What was achieved by it other than to be depressing?

How bad it looked to have Ricky Gervais, a rich and famous person who hangs out with the Heat crew and loves wealth and fame, to tell us how awful it all is. His criticisms carried no weight at all. He came across as a whining, joyless, navel-gazing, self-indulgent misanthrope.

One other thing that should be noted about Gervais shows is this: his characters do not act like normal people would in terms of considering others' feelings. People, particularly the English middle class, are incredibly sensitive to how the other person feels and go out of their way to not offend. In Gervais shows they do the opposite. To cite just one example, the Clive Owen character saying what he said in front of that female extra is simply not credible. No one is that nasty to another's face.

When so many of your characters behave in non-realistic ways, the show is robbed of its verisimilitude and ability to make us laugh through tapping into our everyday experiences. That and the fact that there were no virtually no jokes in it made Extras a show which ended with a miserable whimper.