Te odio

I am in search for a quick half hour comedy to stream to fill in the time. I have had many fails but occassionally I discover an unknown never heard of short lived series. I Hate You for me is one of those unexpected surprises. It is quirky and somewhat a trance into the daily lives of two flatmates without anything special or unique but their best friendship as they naviagte their mudane everyday lives, their family, their employment, and of course their friday nights. The support character are completely over the top insantity that you will trip out catching flys in every episode. I had many laughter stitches that seems to become more amd more common as the series progresses. It is not for everyone. Its a comedy that best enjoyed by people who like to escape from their reality and plonk themselves inside another. I ended up watching the series as a binge and I my advice is that you should do the same because some of the jokes evolve from one epsiode to the next and the next. I Hate You was a surprise and a reflection of 2020's.

Writer Robert Popper has worked on some real comedy gold like the Inbetweeners and Peep Show but this wasn't one to add to that portfolio. Despite a good cast and production values the premise and script fell short. It had some amusing moments and good one-liners here and there but the storyline was quite improbable and overall it didn't come off.

Would like to think it will get better over time but can't see a second series for this one as I'm not sure who the audience will be. Not traditionally structured and written sharply enough for older viewers and not 'hip' enough to attract a younger audience.

Bottom line neeeded to be a lot funnier. A middling sitcom that will soon be forgotten.

So for some reason they decided to start the series with the "edgiest" storyline, where the 20-something flatmates sort-of date a couple of pensioners. It's a ridiculous premise with very few laughs and to be honest I was going to not bother watching any more...

...but I've had a quiet afternoon so I came back to it and watched the rest of the series.

Any you know what - it's not that bad. The two lead actresses pull off the slightly awkward friendship between Charlie and Becca really well, a handful of the jokes are chuckle-worthy, and some of the supporting characters are very good (in particular Becca's boss and her stepbrother).

But there's plenty that doesn't work. Lots of the pre-launch focus was on the creator, Robert Popper, who's been involved in loads of British comedy shows over the years. He's an old man writing a show about two young women. And although some of the script doesn't ring true, the worst characters are the men. Charlie's boss is an unrealistic idiot, a man that has a crush on her is, well, an unrealistic idiot, and Becca's co-worker is, errr, an unrealistic idiot.

Highlights? Spilled coffee, an awkward Chess accident and a curious greeting.

Second series? Needs stronger jokes and better supporting characters to be worth it.

Feels like a lot of the bad sentiment about this show comes from a place of misogyny; god forbid young women make complicated decisions and have a libido. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone that enjoyed the same silly humour on Friday Night Dinner.

The lead actors perform the sharp, humorous writing well, and a convincing yet bizarre world is established around them. Again, anyone fans of one the previous lead's past experience (Sex Education), or of the creator's past project, Friday Night Dinner, should thoroughly enjoy the show.

The show covers a range of different concerns facing those in their mid-20s, especially those living around London and big cities, with a light, funny but, when needed, heartfelt touch.

9/10, not because it is close to perfection, but it is far better than the snap-judgement harsh reviews would suggest.

It's a shame that quirky cannot make it past knee-jerk jerks. Michael Hogan in The Telegraph cites one of his irritations in a one-star review as a "Talking horse". Grossly unfair, because he seems to set out to hate the program. The horse is there, but only for two seconds at the end of the opening title sequence.

And I can't really take the opinion of a bearded fuddy-duddy seriously when his recommendations include "The Wheel", and "Saturday Night Takeaway". Pitiful. One of his scathing criticisms is that it is a storyline about two young women, written by - shock horror - a middle-aged man. Of course, J. R. R. Tolkien failed miserably with LOTR because he wasn't a wizard, elf, sentient tree, or hobbit.

But, back to what I see as plusses for "I Hate You". Two excellent leads, snappy lines, curiously amusing situations and niche comedy brilliance (Sustaining an injury after ignoring advice not to try running while listening to Jazz), and the occasional quickly handled running gags (DOG ADOPTIONS).

It's not for everyone. I mentioned the U. S. A. Because I watched the pilot of "Two Broke Girls", and two sentences in, the "audience" are in paroxsyms of laughter.

No such cues for the dim in "I Hate You".

I found Jonny Sweet's Bob Oxygen had a great name, but a stilted delivery, and a slightly irritating character. "A. Plant" was good enough, but it is Tanya Reynolds and Melissa Saint that shine. They perfectly deliver lines such as the response to "Post-punk, but also retro".

I'm not really a fan of Robert Popper's work - I thought "Friday Night Dinner" was a bit of a dud - but I found lots in "I Hate You" to enjoy, and was hoping for at least a second series. Thanks to lazy journalism and reviews seemingly given after viewing 2-3 minutes of one episode, there will be no follow-up.

I was quickly drawn in by the endearingly zany (and well-choreographed) title sequence, and the debate on whether humans have evolved from bears touches on many aspects of relationships, and fake news, without labouring for one moment.

Why oh why does "Mrs. Brown's Boys" never flushes, but something quite subtle gets culled?

I. H. Y., R. I. P. :-(