Search - Extras - The Extra Special Series Finale on DVD

Very Funny but Dios Mio!

S. Lawrence | California | 03/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Poor Maggie...it was like the Perils of Pauline, all the things she had to go through! Still and all just one of my favorite comedies ever and this episode tied everything up nicely. The DVD is worth the price just for those few minutes of When the Whistle Blows, the gaggingly awful, pre-historic sitcom Andy stars in; it seems esp. moldy in these days of brilliant shows like Curb, The Office (UK and USA versions), and, of course, Extras."

The Extras special is extra special

DCT | Australia | 07/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The modern obsession with fame was explored by writers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in The Office in the form of David Brent, a middle manager who made an idiot of himself on a BBC documentary series and then paid for it by losing his job and spending nights making appearances at nightclubs in front of people who couldn't care less about him.

In Extras, Gervais and Merchant returned to the celebrity theme as Andy Millman, the character played by Gervais, discovered that the perks attached to starring in the very popular, albeit extremely lowbrow, comedy, When the Whistle Blows, made it difficult for him to commit to his oft-expressed desire for artistic integrity.

Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale starts with Andy sitting alone on a couch in the Celebrity Big Brother house as the other housemates bicker like emotionally illiterate cretins behind him. This brief scene reveals that when it comes to the conflict between fame and integrity the former is going to win out for Andy at some point during this chapter of Extras.

Gervais convincingly portrays Andy's frustration at his comedic lot and also his desperation when his star fades after he pulls the plug on When the Whistle Blows. "No, I told you a thousand times, I'm not going to play an alien in Dr Who", he asserts to his agent post-Whistle, but in the next scene he's playing an alien in Dr Who.

Andy's progressively more abrasive personality most movingly affects his relationship with his only friend, Maggie (a superb Ashley Jensen).

Maggie's life goes into freefall after she gives up supporting artist work after being degraded by one of her favourite actors on the set of a film about Lord Byron. Clive Owen does an uncomfortably amusing turn as the sexy bastard who insults Maggie.

Andy complains a lot about having to do awful television programs such as Hotel Babylon, but his financially comfortable situation is contrasted with Maggie's dire plight.

Maggie ends up residing in a shabby little flat and vacuuming floors, cleaning toilets and washing dishes for a living. There are some beautifully humorous scenes between Andy and Maggie, including one involving a mud pack and a girdle, that serve to let the viewer know their friendship can be solid, even though it's had its ups and downs, as all meaningful relationships do.

Merchant and Shaun Williamson (aka Barry from EastEnders) are again a terrific double act as the useless agent and his unemployable client, while Shaun Lye, Andy's rival and the man whose parents bought him a house when he was a struggling actor, is deliciously smug as the now successful Greg Lindley Jones.

Gervais and Merchant allow their protagonists to have many and diverse flaws, including jealousy, pettiness, incompetence, stubbornness, stupidity, and arrogance, however, central characters like Andy and Merchant's Darren Lamb are redeemed by traits like vulnerability, loyalty, and sensitivity.

In other words, Gervais and Merchant allow their characters to be human.

It could be argued that Andy's antagonism towards Big Brother and its gathering of "desperate people" (the housemates are, among others, a former contestant on The X Factor and a mother who's well-known because her son was murdered) is undermined by the fact that Gervais watches the show and has discussed episodes of it on his blog.

Although some viewers might think Gervais and Merchant aren't playing it enough for big laughs in Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale, the well-balanced mix of pathos, drama and comedy makes the program brilliant indeed.

Note - Fans of Karl Pilkington should look out for the bald one playing a fickle fan."

A Happy Ending - Gervais Style

Bridgette Burton | Melbourne, VIC, Australia | 11/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was very happy to be watching this series final for Extra's and felt that it delivered the kind of wrap up I was hoping for. There are lots of teeth grindingly difficult to watch bits - so as long as you have a cushion to hide behind you'll be fine. The special starts where the second series finished with our anti-hero, Gervais, still feeling hard done by regarding his successful TV show.

Gervais doesn't let up on himself here and his character moves through a steady downward spiral until his C grade status as a performer is fully realised on Celebrity Big Brother. The final scene in the BB house is worth the price of the entire DVD.

I won't go on and on, it's good. I don't think that it cops out and there is some very funny, and stinging stuff in there. Including an amusing cameo from George Michael."

Extras-The Extra Special Season Finale

P. Wiley | Washington, DC | 09/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very funny! If you liked the original British version of "The Office" you'll love "Extras" as well. Ricky Gervais created and stars in both. You should see the first two dvd's of "Extras" first so you'll know what's going on. Gervais is a comic genius and you'll become a big fan."