Review of episode 3 series 4 of 'The IT Crowd'

Beware! Here be spoilers for episode 3 series 4 of ‘The IT Crowd’.

Roy’s bottom seems to be getting a lot of action this series. In ‘Jen the Fredo’, he got his behind smacked following a pimp-prostitute-style pep-talk. This week Roy gets his arse kissed by a masseur and not metaphorically.

After the incident Roy naturally files a sexual harassment suit and prepares to make his case in court. While Moss and Roy are busy playing law and order, it seems that Jen’s time down in the basement of Reynholm Industries is having an effect on the type of men she goes out. She ends up dating Norman, a bespectacled keyboard player in a band, who is even more socially inept than her colleagues in the I.T. department.

Jen’s relationship with Norman turns her into a wannabe rock star and makes her sing endlessly in a shrill voice that could shatter wine glasses. However, and I may be alone in thinking this, but Katherine Parkinson’s high-pitched warbling is not too bad, and in fact, “there might be something there”, as Simon Cowell sometimes says.

Then there is a small subplot involving Douglas who has discovered Space Star Ordering, founded by Beth Gaga Shaggy, a relation neither to Lady Gaga nor Shaggy. The concept involves stars representing wishes and if a person wishes really hard then they might just get what they want, or something along those lines. It's all a bit wishy-washy. It would appear this is Linehan’s knock at Scientology, and he takes aim at the shaky authoritative scientific principles and spawning information centres.

It was always going to be tough to follow up on Moss’s foray into ‘Countdown’ with something just as comically brilliant. Although ‘Something Happened’ has some great lines, it is merely an average episode when compared to ‘The Final Countdown’ which is undoubtedly the best episode of series 4. I would go so far as to say that it is a contender for the best episode ever of the ‘The IT Crowd'.

There is far less action in this instalment and the parody of Scientology could be taken much further, possibly with a slight nod to BBC Panorama journalist John Sweeney losing his cool. Despite this, it is not at all a write-off and is still funny with quirky, surreal humour.

A highlight was the courtroom scene where Roy is indicating exactly where on his posterior he was violated via a version of pin the tail on the donkey. I even learned that “the line that goes down the middle” is called the Cleftal Horizon, although after a quick Google search I am unsure as to whether it is an actual term. Also, the use of “Did you see that ludicrous display last night?” from ‘Are We Not Men?’ in series 3 fitted in perfectly. The phrase has become Moss and Roy’s filler when caught in awkward social situations involving other men and brings to mind so many embarrassing moments for the pair.

Even though ‘Something Happened’ does not hit the same heights as ‘The Final Countdown’ it has some golden nuggets.


Quotes that will live in infamy:

“You’re right, it’s not music I hate, it’s swimming.” - Moss

“Jen’s going out with a geek.” – Moss

“When did mosh pits become so unruly?” – Roy

“Did you see that ludicrous display last night?” – Roy after being sexually violated

“You’ve just got to ask yourself one thing: if you don’t take the stand, how many more unsolicited bum kisses will be administered by that lip-happy b*****d?” – Moss answering Roy’s question of whether he has to testify in court about getting a smacker planted on his behind