'THE IT CROWD' 4.6 - "Reynholm vs Reynholm"

[SPOILERS] A limp end to what's been a disappointing fourth series. I failed to see the sense in focusing on Douglas (Matt Berry) for this finale, despite the fact he's become a more prominent part of the show. The core trio, with the possible exception of Jen (Katherine Parkinson), were essentially pushed into cameo roles! Fact is, while I loved Berry's fruity-voiced overacting in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (and to a lesser extent The Mighty Boosh), that joke's run thin and nothing about Douglas's unctuous misogyny is particularly clever or hilarious.

In "Reynholm vs Reynholm", Douglas's dead wife Victoria (Belinda Stewart-Wilson), who went missing years ago while she was washing their car, walked back into his office alive and well. The couple tried to rekindle their two-week relationship, but within another fortnight the Reynholm's were at each other's throats again -- only this time the snooty Victoria started legal action that could bring Reynholm Industries to its knees.

This episode was the second time this series that The IT Crowd's attempted to draw laughs from the collision of silly comedy and court room seriousness. There was even a call-back to "Something Happened" when Roy took the stand, revealing how he's still traumatized by his male masseuse kissing his bottom, but "Reynholm vs Reynholm" actually had even less of a plot.

It was nice to see Belinda Stewart-Wilson as the main guest star; familiar to viewers of Primeval as a bitchy civil servant, or as the yummy mummy of Will in The Inbetweeners. Appearing here as a posh ice queen, Stewart-Wilson made a good impression, even if Victoria wasn't given a truly memorable moment, killer story, or funny line of dialogue. The closest she came was playing footsie with Douglas's crotch under a restaurant table, but that scene was more focused on Douglas's reactions than anything.

One big problem I had with this episode (which extends to this show in general these days), is how predictable Graham Linehan's joke-writing has become. When a judge asked Douglas to cross-examine a witness, was there anybody watching whose mind didn't jump to the obvious fact Douglas would mistake "cross" to mean "angry"? The IT Crowd is at its best when it's fast-paced and blissfully absurdist, so there's less chance of you remaining ahead of the characters, but series 4 never found that pace and invention.

I could exhaustively pick this episode apart, but that would get supremely boring. Suffice to say, episode 6 wasted the idea of Douglas having to grapple with a dominant "ex" hellbent on destroying his firm, and made the error of sidelining Moss (Richard Ayoade) and Roy (Chris O'Dowd) almost entirely. Jen and Douglas aren't strong enough to hold an episode together alone, they certainly don't make a funny duo together, and while there were a few amusing ideas at times, there was a sluggish and empty feel to the storyline.

The highlights were a brief scene of physical comedy with a nervous Moss in court with a temperamental chair, followed by the fan-servicing return of office goth Richmond (Noel Fielding), who's since become a successful businessman, dyed his hair blonde, and created a company called "Goth2Boss" (the promotional video of which earned the episode's sole laugh from me).

Really, you have to worry when any modern-day comedy series trots out a tired pastiche of gaudy 1960s-era Star Trek, particularly one where the only joke seemed to be the crew are hot women.

It's sad, but I really want to 'Ctrl Alt Delete' this episode, and the majority of this series, from my memory.

Asides

• Apparently, the court room scenes in "Something Happened" only came about last-minute to boost Roy's storyline, as Graham Linehan knew they had that set built for "Reynholm Vs Reynholm".
• As mentioned in previous comments, The IT Crowd will definitely be back for a fifth series, but Linehan is actively seeking help in writing it. It's a good sign if he realizes he's struggling to keep the show going alone, so I hope fresh blood will help stir some life into this sitcom.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Graham Linehan
GUEST CAST: Belinda Stewart-Wilson (Victoria Reynholm), Noel Fielding (Richmond), Joanna Bobin (Journalist), Gemma Chan (Female Sulu), Suzy Kane (Female Bones), Simon Kunz (Judge), Alexandra Roach (Stenographer) & Nick Sidi (Lawyer)
TRANSMISSION: 30 July 2010 - CHANNEL 4/HD, 10PM