"Chipsticks or Frazzles", "Chipsticks or Frazzles"? "Chipsticks OR Frazzles"? Only Peep Show could begin a season premiere with one of our leads pondering over which flavour of cheap crisps will distract him from the painful truth that a few corridors down the mother-to-be of his first child is giving birth. A little over a year since we left lovable losers Mark (David Mitchell) and Jez (Robert Webb) racing to the hospital so Sophie (Olivia Colman) could deliver her and Mark's baby, Peep Show is back with the usual mix of hilarious weirdness and excruciatingly painful social-awkwardness. The first episode of the seventh series has been made available to watch at 4OD, one whole week before it premieres on t.v. screens. A returning season premiere which I have to say has so far been terribly undersold by Channel 4 who seem more desperate to showcase The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which surely is heading towards an early cancellation and can't hold a candle to this show. I'm stepping into our t.v. man Dan Owen's shoes here a little by reviewing this season premiere but I'm such a fan of Peep Show that I couldn't help myself. Of course now that we are at the dizzy heights of a Seventh season, there's more than a touch of familiarity and comfort with how the adventures of the El Dude brothers unfolds. I'm guessing this will both delight one section of fans who by now will have grown great affection for these characters, and equally frustrate others who might complain about the slow start, the almost one-location and one-note plot. It begins with Mark once again troubled by a major milestone in a man's life and just as in a previous season when he was debating over a moonlight flit from his wedding to Sophie, he's having the same 'exit stage right' thoughts about the birth. It's not all about the worry of pending fatherhood that is troubling Mark but more how useless he is in the whole process... he's never been one to provide much comfort or support to others and he feels like a spare part in the delivery room. Becoming a Dad at this point seems more of an inconvenience to Mark than anything else. And then there's the boiler which has burst back at the flat and is flooding which Super Hans (Matt King) has been given the task to fix. No wonder his mind is elsewhere...
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Meanwhile Jez, who we should remember just hours earlier was flat out pissed and had just told the lesbian fiancé of the girl (Elena) he was bonking that she was cheating - quickly finds himself seducing a new potential love of his life, Zara (Camilla Beeput), whose boyfriend is in a coma in intensive care. She's nerdy, clearly thinks of herself as super intellectual (Jez probably understands that it's English coming out of her mouth but probably not a lot else) and she obviously isn't THAT torn up about her comatose boyfriend because she seems oddly, well, upbeat. Or is she just oblivious to it all? She's able enough to read a pretentious novel whilst her boyfriend could be dying and flirt with Jeremy, anyway. From the looks of things, Zara isn't going to be a one episode arc and just like with Elena, Jez is going to find himself going down that familiar road and he'll know it too but that won't stop him...
As per usual with Peep Show, the first episode may be a little slow but for 25 minutes of side-splitting humour with superb characterisation and after seven whole series' - it's still required and rewarding Friday night viewing. There's plenty of gas left in this tank when the writing remains this funny... Here's a hint at What's Next for the El Dude Brothers - Channel 4 are devoting a whole night in celebration of Peep Show over Christmas which will include the documentary We Love Peep Show that goes behind the scenes of the show, along with the broadcast of the favourite ever episode as voted on by the viewers. SPOILER-ISH INFO HERE... As it's being broadcast on a Friday night for the next six weeks starting from the 26th - it means there will be episodes on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The Christmas Eve episode will be specially themed for the festive period and will mark for the introduction of Mark's family who come to visit Sophie and the baby. Sophie and Mark name they child Ian, and Mark genuinely gains much joy from the son he clearly loves. Jez begins an affair with Zara behind her recovered boyfriend's back. Said boyfriend gives Jez a job related to the music industry and he starts making some serious money. Tantalizingly, Mark will experience 'his darkest hour' - possibly in relation to his relationship with Sophie and the losing battle to win Dobby's affection from Gerard. One episode is based around Ian's christening, and a 'disastrous New Year's Eve party crawl culminates with Mark and Jeremy facing choices that could end their friendship - forever'. WATCH PEEP SHOW SEASON 7 EPISODE 1 HERE