BOX-EYED: Deadliest Warrior, Peep Show & Strictly Come Dancing
By Dan OwenAll publicity is good publicity. When Charlie Brooker savaged DEADLIEST WARRIOR on You Have Been Watching, he actually gave it the kind of marketing push execs can only dream of. The eight-part Spike series was swiftly picked up by Bravo for transmission in the UK and, I have to admit, it's become my go-to for bad taste TV ever since. The series is a drunken pub debate brought to gruesome life, as a team of so-called experts test the killing prowess of two "warriors" (both modern and historical) in a series of tests and simulations, regularly involving pig carcasses.
Gladiator vs. Apache, Viking vs. Samurai, Pirate vs. Knight, Green Beret vs. Spetsnaz. Every wondered who would win in those match-ups? Deadliest Warrior will provide you the answer. You'll even learn what a Spetsnaz is. Of course it's impossible to know who'd be victorious for sure (especially in the case of the historical fighters), but the team have a "computer program" that they claim can run accurate battle simulations between the competitors, using data on the speed, accuracy and efficiency of weapons. I'd love to get my hands on that software, because it sounds like utter nonsense, which it almost certainly is. Every episode climaxes with a dramatized fight between grunting actors, so clearly the writers and choreographers have more sway over who's crowned the winner?
Clearly you can't take this show seriously, but it's an immature cockfight that I enjoy on a primitive, disposable level. It's a televised game of Top Trumps. And some of the rounds can be interesting and scientific, usually when dealing with the physics of weaponry. Just be prepared to wince through sequences of gelatinous torsos being hacked and slashed by knives and swords, ejaculating "blood" on the studio floor. And shake your head in disbelief at the insensitivity of pitting the IRA against the Taliban! And then there's the uncomfortable macho posturing that froths up in the studio; intended as competitive banter, but I'm waiting for the moment when each warrior's emissary duke it out for real. Then we'll really see who's deadliest. BRAVO, TUE, 9PM.
The BAFTA-winning comedy PEEP SHOW returned for its sixth series on Friday, with little sense that the quality is slipping. For a British sitcom, this is itself cause for celebration, as most begin to lose their mojo after three years, but the format behind Peep Show (it's all told from the physical perspective of loser flatmates Mark and Jez, a voice-over supplying their innermost thoughts) lends itself to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tragi-comic misadventures.
There truly is nothing funnier or more relatable than seeing the world through someone else's eyes, if only because it comes as blessed relief you're not alone. This new series finds best-friends Jez and Mark finally "growing up", but only in the sense they're both acting like prospective fathers to Sophie's baby -- one biologically, the other spiritually. After the comparative disappointment of series 5 (which never really capitalized on the aftermath of series 4's wedding disaster), it's great to see the show has found a compelling narrative again. CHANNEL 4, FRI, 10PM.
The BBC's decision to replace judge Arlene Phillips with Alesha Dixon kept STRICTLY COME DANCING in the public eye this summer, causing a media storm over claims of "ageism" before any celeb had even pulled on a leotard. Considering the fact this year's lineup is its weakest in years, that's perhaps just as well. All eyes will be on last year's winner Alesha for a few weeks, whose expertise on the judging panel alongside professional choreographers and dancers, is questionable at best. So, until a few "showmances" begin to fill the tabloids and a celeb with two left feet wins undue loyalty from the public, let's just focus on that. BBC1, FRI/SAT, 7PM.
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If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?
The BAFTA-winning comedy PEEP SHOW returned for its sixth series on Friday, with little sense that the quality is slipping. For a British sitcom, this is itself cause for celebration, as most begin to lose their mojo after three years, but the format behind Peep Show (it's all told from the physical perspective of loser flatmates Mark and Jez, a voice-over supplying their innermost thoughts) lends itself to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tragi-comic misadventures.
There truly is nothing funnier or more relatable than seeing the world through someone else's eyes, if only because it comes as blessed relief you're not alone. This new series finds best-friends Jez and Mark finally "growing up", but only in the sense they're both acting like prospective fathers to Sophie's baby -- one biologically, the other spiritually. After the comparative disappointment of series 5 (which never really capitalized on the aftermath of series 4's wedding disaster), it's great to see the show has found a compelling narrative again. CHANNEL 4, FRI, 10PM.
The BBC's decision to replace judge Arlene Phillips with Alesha Dixon kept STRICTLY COME DANCING in the public eye this summer, causing a media storm over claims of "ageism" before any celeb had even pulled on a leotard. Considering the fact this year's lineup is its weakest in years, that's perhaps just as well. All eyes will be on last year's winner Alesha for a few weeks, whose expertise on the judging panel alongside professional choreographers and dancers, is questionable at best. So, until a few "showmances" begin to fill the tabloids and a celeb with two left feet wins undue loyalty from the public, let's just focus on that. BBC1, FRI/SAT, 7PM......
If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?
