TV: Angry Boys - Episode 2

Lilley dials the serious up a little this week, as a turning point is reached for Dan when Nathan is sent away, while S.mouse enters the fray, in an episode that fails to work.




Hmm.

I know I said I didn't like Dan last week, and to a point I do dislike him somewhat still, and there's plenty of room for change. This week's episode saw the start of it, with his attitude beginning to shape of one who does deeply care for the wellbeing of his brother.

Dan and Nathan's parents have decided to move him to a school for the deaf away from Dunt in a bid to help him learn and become more attributed to his condition. It's a good play on both Dan and Nathan, as their representation begins to gain some depth and if you couple it with Gran's thoughts on Nathan's move then I'm sure there will be a change for the better.

Now I might be saying all of this change is coming and that the development of an emotional bond with some of these characters is going to be great. But it was completely flattened (I can't emphasise this enough) by the introduction of this wild star S.mouse and I must say the introduction of S.mouse really shook things up - and not in a compelling or funny way at all.

We were treated to cutaways of him taking a dump on a police car (after we see Nathan earlier doing the same thing, sparking the arrival of child services) and his general "fuck the world and haters" attitude, but none of the gags worked. The only remotely funny thing about his parts last night were his father who seems to understand what a ridiculous persona S.mouse really is. The charicature that Lilley has painted here encapsulates what a ridiculous turn hip-hop in the last decade has come.

When looked at a little more deeply, the personality emulates a little Kanye West pre "Twisted Fantasy" and also any hip-hop "star" that "crafts" raps about ridiculous things. However, I can see Lilley showing us how ridiculous it can get, none of it actually worked - it wasn't funny and S.mouse is a real, as Dan would put it, "dickhead."Maybe being under house arrest will change him, but at this point in time, the character just doesn't work and I don't see it working in the future.

We only saw Gran briefly this week and I must say, the emotions were a little higher here, with Lilley losing some laughs in place of some real character emotions, and that really works. As we find out Gran previously took a problem inmate under her wing only to witness their suicide. So I understand Gran taking Talib under her wing after his "initiation," and I think in the future, Gran's kind, strong heart will eventually change Talib for the good. I hope she does the same with Dan - who right now, is lost without his brother.

A very weak episode, light on the laughs, doused with some emotional stories from the Australian bunch but marred by a truly awful S.mouse. Without S.mouse, the emotional trials of Gran, Dan and Nathan would really have shone through a lot more poignantly... Oh well, fingers crossed for next week.