I don't have a lot of luck with Britcoms. The references have me scurrying to the internet, the jokes a little too droll, and I can never tell if the actions are meant to be sitcom exaggerations or over-the-top bizarre. But I'm checking out Mr. Bigstuff, which just dropped on Hulu, because it stars Ryan Sampson, gay in real life and 5'4".
"Bigstuff" is one of those culturally specific references. There's no definition online. Does it mean that the guy is important, a "big shot," or that he's a "big dog," gifted beneath the belt?
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Episode 1, Scene 1: Glen (Ryan Sampson) and his girlfriend parking in the car outside a horribly decrepit office building. She consoles him for being unable to perform. It's been a long time. Maybe he's not into you, lady. Or not into ladies at all. But they're still getting married in 100 days.
Scene 2: Glen at his horrible, soul-destroying job as a carpet salesman. He's pointing out some boring heterosexual stuff to a boy-girl couple, when the Manager comes by. He asks for a promotion. In response, the Manager pretends to shoot him. He falls to the ground, "dead." I guess that's a no?
Left: The Manager is played by Adrian Scarborough, who I thought was in The Thursday Murder Club. He's not, and I deleted my review due to low pageviews.
Meanwhile, a hand smokes cigarettes and drinks beer. Eventually it turns into a burly bloke, who bursts into the carpet store and asks the receptionist if she's seen "this geezer," displaying a photo of a schoolboy. In the U.S. a "geezer" is old. She calls the Manager. The situation escalates to Burly Guy choking him and demanding to know where the "geezer" is.
Glen hides behind some display cases, then runs out and drives home.
Left: Burly Guy is played by Danny Dyer, who is straight but played a gay character in Borstal Boy (2000) and the father of a gay teen on East Enders.
Scene 3: At home, the Girlfriend from Scene 1 is lying in bed. She explains that there was a gas leak at work, so everyone had to leave, and he explains that he just popped in to get his sandwiches. I expect that there's a man hiding in the closet. Nope: "Get in here, you c*nt." In the U.S., that term is extremely offensive, and it refers only to ladies, but I think here it's just a mild expletive, like "dope."
Left: Glenn's butt, from Plebes.
They discuss boring heterosexual stuff as Glen undresses (no beefcake). She tries to get him to do sexy stuff, but he refuses. You're in bed with your lady at 10:00 on a workday. Why would you not, unless you're not into ladies?
Next Glen drinks something from a water glass by the bedside, then starts to gag. Girlfriend apologizes -- she didn't expect him to drink it (then why was it on his side of the bed?). They're both very upset.
We never learn what it was. Maybe Metamucil, or a lady supplement?
She rushes downstairs to fetch him some tea -- and finds the Burly Guy sitting on the couch!
Scene 4: Glen throws the disgusting liquid at him, and Girlfriend runs for the pepper spray. "You can't be here! Get out of my house!"
"I just want to talk, Glen!" he exclaims.
Girlfriend; "You know each other?" Big Reveal #1
"No. Not really...I mean, I used to." This upsets Burly Guy, and he leaves.
Left: Burly Guy's butt, from Plebes.
Scene 5: Back at work, everyone is gossiping about what happened earlier "with that geezer and the Manager." Is that a common phrase in Britain for someone under age 80? A woman is upset that she wasn't around to see him "get shanked." In the U.S., "shanked" means being stabbed.
The Manager calls Glen, crying: "You need to get here immediately! I'm sorry -- I didn't know! I can't do this!" Burly Guy comes onto the phone and tells him: "Dagenham, by the water, where he died. You know the spot." Darn, I thought they were old boyfriends.
More after the break
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