Early reports that MTV’s remake of The Inbetweeners is actually quite good may have been grossly exaggerated, as following the success of episode one, the second effort is inferior in every way, shape and form.
Once again taking its plot from an episode of the U.K. version of the show, the story revolves around Simon seemingly receiving the keys to the kingdom in the shape of his first car, or as the foul-mouthed four call it, a 'muff-magnet'.
But the sports car Simon is expecting actually turns out to be a yellow Ford Festiva, or Ford Celibacy, in the words of Jay. Yet while the car does little to improve his chances with sweetheart Carly, it does afford Simon and the rest of the guys the opportunity to follow her and her boyfriend to Sunshine Mountain to charm/stalk her.
And so, following the revelation that Neil works as a Poncho the Parrot at the theme park, the bulk of the action revolves around the boys suffering a series of mishaps at the Mountain, from Simon losing the door of his car to Neil losing his clothes, closely followed by his dignity.
The best joke is a rollercoaster gag that’s a direct lift from the British show, but falls flat as a pancake in this instance, the timing slightly off, and Will failing to nail his big moment.
Indeed at this early stage, Joey Pollari seems to be the weak link as Will, the actor lacking charisma and trying too hard to be funny when it just came naturally to his British counterpart Simon Bird.
As with the first episode, the show features a good paedophile gag, but all-in-all proceedings lack balls; the swearing bleeped out, the insults of the tame variety.
Bubba Lewis is still likably wet as Simon, and the show seems to be at its best when he’s embarrassing himself in front of Carly, which in this episode involves a water-pistol.
But aside from a gut-buster involving a mother and daughter in a Jeep, episode two is woefully short of laughs, so here’s hoping MTV up the gag quotient for their third effort.
Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com
