I'm tied up trying to get the Festivus column done on an early deadline, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the "Flight of the Conchords" season two premiere is temporarily up on Funny Or Die. So watch, enjoy, and I'll do a proper review of it after it airs on HBO on Jan. 18.Cheer up, Murray.
Saw it before I saw your post. Pretty damn funny and I liked the way they resolved everything. Are we allowed to talk about specifics, or do you want us to wait until the premiere proper?
ReplyDelete"Why did I get double-stuffed??"
ReplyDeleteSnort.
The emergency meeting part was brilliant. The t shirts and dolls part was a highlight. Jemaine's jacket killed me. The songs were a little weak though.
ReplyDeleteAre we allowed to talk about specifics, or do you want us to wait until the premiere proper?
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Dez.
Echoing anonymous, and my own review, the episode is both a welcome return of the quirky humour (a much needed palate cleanser from the current trend of testosterone driven fate Showtime and HBO, with Californication and Entourage, offered up in terms of comedies) and a concerning exemplar of the songwriting issues they had with the second season.
ReplyDeleteBut with a bit more time, I think the "Plot informs Songs" as opposed to "Songs inform Plot" setup could certainly work out well for the show. Just here it felt the songs needed a bit more time in the oven.
Murray: "I'm persona non regatta."
ReplyDeleteThis line made me spit my water out on my keyboard. My goodness, its SO good to have this back.
Well, personally, I thought both Murray's operatic solo AND the toothpaste jingle were brilliant. The angel song was a little weak, though.
ReplyDeleteI think that Murray's opera was great, but the toothpaste jingle was just them repeating their earlier jokes brainstorming the song, without much of a hook beyond that. There was no progression to it, and I couldn't even tell you what the song sounded like if I tried right now.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think Murray's song was that good, but enjoyed the rest of the episode.
ReplyDeleteLoved Jemaine's line about "Persona non regatta" meaning "not at yacht races."
Angels was great when they did it live on tour. Not sure it came across as well in the ep, and thought they actually could have constructed a whole story line around that song. Ah well.
But I'm not gonna quibble too much. I laughed out loud several times (for some reason the dolls are still making me giggle). Glad to have a FotC fix before Christmas...
Meanwhile, those of us that live in New Zealand, home of this country's fourth-most-popular-novelty-folk-duo, can't watch it. (Sigh.)
ReplyDeleteAgree that Angels was better in concert than it was here (I saw the same concert you did, Mo).
ReplyDeleteBut how great to have my boyfriends back. Some great lines and I loved not only the toothpaste commercial, but the costuming.
And those of us in the country that brought them to the wide world via the wonder of BBC radio cant watch it either.
ReplyDeleteHow Scroogelike
I love that Bret is the type of guy to weave a pair of pants and lose a right shoe.
ReplyDeletePity about the non-US fans not being able to watch the video, though I think this is due to international distribution rights, yes? I've seen the same frustrations from people who want to watch, say, the BSG webisodes. And on the flipside, I can't watch most of the Doctor Who videos on the BBC website unless I use some type of IP shield. (It's about to get more complicated for me, as I have a month to decide whether to shell out $20/month for HBO when I only watch this one show there.)
Though the song wasn't particularly great, Murray telling his assistant to wait a second before finishing his chorus saved the bit.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling this and the other eps of S2 will be better with multiple viewings. I just watched this one a second time and it was twice as good. Not unlike Dave's negotiating tactics.
ReplyDeleteI love that no one at the consulate noticed that Murray had quit because no one ever went into his office. They didn't know he was gone. Poor Murray!
ReplyDeleteI loved the "bad"/"normal" exchange between Murray and Bret.
They've had some probs writing songs for the second season, but I thought the ones in the premiere were pretty good. Hopefully they will keep getting better as the season progresses.
I love how Murray having hit records still has no bearing on how little he knows about the music business.
ReplyDeleteLike thinking that the Crazy Doggzz will keep on writing hit songs while they're singles are peaking lower and lower, and saying "should I find out who he is" when hearing that R. Kelly wants to record with them.
I have to say that I loved the little moment where they returned the cushion to the library. One of those understated, blink-and-you'll-miss-it jokes that make me happy.
ReplyDeleteIf you live outside the US and want to watch this, it is available as a torrent.
ReplyDeleteFirst rule of torrents. You don't talk about torrents. Go figure it out.
I liked how for the duration of the episode, Bret had only one shoe on.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the songs might need more time in the oven, but it's so nice to see the show again after so long, I'm not complaining too much on that. I've missed these boys!
The doll sized holes at the back of Jemaine's top were funny, and the "fake" Grammy awards were a nice touch. :D
And hey, I love Proops! It's nice to see him as a guest star here.
Finally, I understand the whole licensing thing, but from what I gather, the show is only on the website for a few days, meaning it's purely for promotional reasons. If that's the case, why can't they do an international release?
Great to see the guys back, I loved it top to bottom.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know what part of NY they film this in? I really noticed the lack of skyscrapers in Murray's singing scene. Are they in Brooklyn?
Angels isn't a new song, it was featured on "Folk the World".
ReplyDeleteGreat episode! I would agree that the songs were not mind blowing, but the writing was punchy and there were some great one liners.
ReplyDeleteLoved the men and weaving conversation...
Anyone know what part of NY they film this in? I really noticed the lack of skyscrapers in Murray's singing scene. Are they in Brooklyn?
ReplyDeleteThey do film a lot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I recognized the outside of the East River Bar as the club that they played in. I believe they also film a lot on the Lower East Side.