Reynholm vs Reynholm

"The I. T. Crowd" is a fantastic show, not merely because of the brilliant performances but also because it's flawless writing and direction.

However, this one episode focuses clumsily on Mr. Reynholm, while putting our usuals Roy and Moss as mere punchlines within its dull and repetitive plot. Gone are the usual clever twists and quirky dialogue (barely seen); it's all in-your-face dumb writing and too many over-the-top moments.

All in all, this is by far the worst and most uninspired episode of the series. Almost a parody of itself. A real drag to watch, in spite of the slapstick routines they tried to pull for some amusement. Seems like a filler episode made under contractual pressure.

I think it is the funniest bestest episode in the show. I almost got choked trying to eat my pizza while watching it.

I was reading some of my comments on the previous seasons of this show and think it is pretty clear it is one that grown on me over time. In this 4th season I think I'm a lot more at home with the characters and the tone and have maybe accepted it a lot more on its own terms because, with caveats of course, I have found this season to be a lot funnier than previous ones. The setup is the same as before – the IT department getting into imaginative scrapes – while the outward appearance may suggest that this is a workplace comedy like The Office, The IT Crowd is definitely in the fantasy realm of Black Books and Father Ted, and it this aspect that it really embraces this season.

It has always been fanciful and exaggerated but season 4 seems to be pushing it more and more but yet at the same time just managing to hold back from being detrimentally silly – or at least most of the time. The plots are generally in several threads and most of them work – there is usually one weaker than others but mostly they work. This season we get an underground society of Countdown winners, Roy trying to figure out how his girlfriend's parents died in a fire at Sea World, Jen pretending to speak Italian ("spiders"), the management meeting closed to Jen, a man brought in to sack everyone (which doesn't really go anywhere) and Moss forced onto the wrong side of the tracks by one afternoon bunking off work. It is all imaginative and ridiculously exaggerated stuff but the key thing is that it is funny, very funny.

The canned laughter didn't bother me this time as it was mostly matched by my own thanks to the really good comic writing producing these silly scenarios but yet making them work by having them be imaginative and full of comic touches. Some threads are a bit obvious or don't work as well (the window cleaner one is one good/bad example of a part not coming off as it should) but mostly the tone is well maintained and the silly material is effective. The cast worked better for me again. Avoade continues to be my favourite and this season has plenty of good Moss-moments for him to work with. O'Dowd does the same as usual and he only seems weaker when the material lets him down – he can't really lift it with his delivery. Parkinson has some stronger stuff and I liked her better this time, while Berry just gets funnier and funnier – perhaps helped by Chris Morris fading in my memory – although when an entire episode relies on him (the final one) it is not quite as good as him in small mad doses.

Overall, the IT Crowd has always been good but this is the season I've found funniest. Pushed to the edges of silliness and kept funny by the imaginative and well written scenarios, it works although at times it falls the wrong side of the silly good / silly bad line or is a bit obvious but mostly I was laughing regularly. At first I wondered how many seasons the show in the shadow of Father Ted would get but now I would welcome a fifth if it came.

One of my favourite episodes. Just like a gripping court room drama

This episode contains one of the funniest scenes in the entire series - does it not??!