David Bowie

The only episode in this show that made me feel so sad .. Many did not understand the way of writing and the message that Ricky was trying to convey.. How people talk about you can psychologically destroy you .. How cruel it is and how people look at you without knowing your past and how you suffered to get to that point that finally you've made your first step, but what a step.. The episode was filled with a lot of philosophy and symbolism .. When he finally met that celebrity .. Did you expect that the song sung by David Bowie was put without meaning .. he says the words (he sold his soul to shoot at fame ) .. A lot of celebrities have done this .. They sold their soul for fame .. And what the ring says.. Awkward situations .. A lot of haters .. Not being able to walk on the street normally .. These are the traces of Fame that Ricky was trying to make you understand .. A very philosophical and painful episode .. this was really something.

Put the 'hopful'if you agree with me.

There is a bit of a change of taste for the second episode in season 2 of Extras. Andy, dealing with his new celebrity, must live through scathing reviews and the sadness of success as his critically acclaimed sitcom gains popularity.

It's funny how pathetic Andy can be in both of the two different bar scenes he visits. In the local pub he shrugs the appraise he gets from authentic fans, yet Andy feels he should be valued with more demeanors. So at the more illustrious setting he is ridiculed and tormented by the entire clientele of the lounge during a breakout singing session lead by mega-celebrity David Bowie.

The episode played fair to the structure we are used to from Extras however there are signs that Maggie is still not feeling on the same level with Andy. Although they both feel the gimmick role he has on his show is a joke, Andy still goes along with it. Maggie looked pretty disgusted when they had to return to the original tavern to entertain the lot of underachievers who truly appreciate Andy's pitiable character role.

This game shouldn't go on much longer (as the title of the show suggest). I predict the staged sitcom 'When the (Wind) Whistle Blows' will be canceled in the coming episodes. Keep watching

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The first episode of Andy's sitcom has been broadcast and the critics have slaughtered it.

The viewing figures have been pretty decent though.

Andy thinks he is on the first steps of real fame. Even though the sitcom has not turned out the way he hoped.

This one is a real cringefest. The way Andy thinks he needs to give a homeless guy some money or else the guy will tell people Andy is a miser.

The ultimate humiliation comes when David Bowie sings a song that mocks and embarasses Andy. He ends up returning to a pub where some ordinary fans were mobbing him. He was embarrassed with them at first, but now he takes comfort in the same shallow but real fans.

I cannot help noticing the parallels to how Ricky Gervais must have felt when he first hit the big time with The Office.

I loved David Bowie. Talk about a super-star that spent his life one jump ahead of the curve, and always reinventing himself as needed. I bet he felt he sold out, or was sold out, on more than one occasion. But Bowie wanted it more than he was concerned about the critics. I think that is the message in the meeting with Ricky / Andy.

Andy is finding fame and critics, success and embarassment. People who envy and are jealous want to see Andy fail. He is insecure about his success, and vulnerable.

Andy thinks he is better than the dumb guys who adore his comedy show. But the higher class folks at the VIP Club think Andy is trash. Where does he belong?

David Bowie is at his VIP area with his piano, and he invites Andy over. Instead of telling Bowie how grateful he is for his new fame, Andy tells him how he has been betrayed by the BBC and forced to sell out. It seemed like he expected Bowie to understand, and feel sympathy.

But Bowie's song ridiculing Andy is really a call for Andy to man-up and step-up to the challenges of being an entertainer. I really believe that Bowie, in his character was trying to be a mentor to Andy. Tough love, because entertainment is a tough world to live in.

I was touched by this episode. It was very understated and very strong. A lot of the meaning was there to read between the lines. The injustice of success. The hypocrisy of friends and enemies too. The wisdom (in a song) from a great man (Bowie), that was not what Andy hoped for. Perhaps it was also a lesson about never meeting your heroes?