What happened?
Karl is sent off to Japan, ostensibly to climb Mount Fuji, for the last of his bucket list journeys. Before he climbs the mountain he takes a trip to a cat cafe, samples rare sushi dishes, tackles sumo wrestling whilst all the time trying to think of a new invention to make his mark on the world. He eventually comes up with Pilkopants; in-built cushioning for trousers.
Thoughts
I was looking forward to seeing Japan through Karl Pilkington’s eyes and it’s fair for me to say that I was a little disappointed. I didn’t really get the feel of what the place was like because the programme seemed more intent on making him go and visit various pre-planned appointments, be it the cat cafe or the sumo wrestling. Whilst these were by turns either amusing or interesting there wasn’t a little portion of the programme left over just to show Karl having a wander and seeing whatever he came across.
This episode lacked that sense of spontaneity.
I think the closest the show got to demonstrating the strangeness of everyday Japan was when the room full of builders were all engaging in morning exercises before they started work. It was a truly bizarre sight. At least a thousand builders in hard hats all crammed together and doing stretches and postures to loosen up and get them ready for the day – it’s so mad but so weirdly understandable; that’s the kind of thing that fascinates me about the place.
Karl versus the Sumo wrestlers went as predicted, with Karl getting picked up and thrown around and pressed against fat, sweaty wrestling skin. I felt like I’d already seen this kind of thing before, from the time Karl visited the wrestlers in Mexico in the first series. So whilst it was funny to see Karl haggling over wearing his boxer shorts under his thong (he does have a self-consciousness about wearing anything revealing, I’ve noticed) there really wasn’t anything refreshing to see.
Karl's trip the Buddhist monastery went well in the end, although even Karl managed to find conflict and pain there after his transgression during the meditation period. But in the end he managed to find contentment and common ground over the tradition of gathering to make and drink tea. If you had to pick anything in the world you could bank on Karl being pleased about it, it's a cup of tea!
I did like the part where he was sent to sample a rare sushi dish, that had been fermented for years. His reaction on being presented with it was funny, as was his debating with the man who served him that it would be better etiquette if he went first rather than Karl (a hopelessly idiotic argument that the guy quickly deflected in good-humour). And, of course, Karl took a mouthful of it and then soon later was throwing up in the bushes. There was an inevitability to it all that didn’t stop it being funny – quite the opposite.
The climax of the episode, and the series properly (I realise there is another episode next week that is a look back at all that has happened) did at least end on a high. It was a literal high, with Karl making it to the summit of Mount Fuji. But I really liked how the show didn’t cheapen it out too much. From Karl’s wry observations at the beginning, seeing that everyone coming back down the mountain appeared to be travelling in pairs, that dissolved into him very tired, listing off famous double acts he knew. And then there was a little monologue where he talked about how he wasn’t one for finishing things, talking about not finishing school or even getting married, and that was actually rather moving to see him consider making it to the top of the mountain as an urge to actually, for once, finish something.
It was also good to see that when he reached the summit at dawn, and marvelled at the view, in typical fashion he could appreciate that it was spectacular whilst at the same time moaning about how he felt like shit. It did look magnificent.
Of course, An Idiot Abroad does play for laughs, so there was the punchline of the Pilkopants revealed. His invention formed from needing a comfortable place to sit wherever he was, the cushioning he had stuck to the backside of his trousers looked ridiculous, and it had a ridiculous name, but Karl’s unswerving sense that it was a winning invention just about sums him up. He’s one on his own, with his own ideas about how things should be.
So not the greatest bucket list event to cap off the series, but at least the finale felt deserving of the climax and proved to be a strong conclusion to what has been a very good series. It perhaps may even be the last one, too (although the sheer success of it must have the powers that be hoping it won’t be and pushing for another one!).
What was the best part?
I’m tempted to plump for the sequence where Karl ate the raw fish and then vomited, but for sheer class and a fitting finale, I have to say the journey up the mountain was good stuff – and probably the show’s most classy moment. Despite the Pilkopants.
What do I think will happen next?
Next up is a retrospective over Karl’s journey with Ricky and Steve; it’ll probably be a lot of fun, like a video version of their podcasts, so I am looking forward to it perhaps more than any of the ‘proper’ episodes. (And Ricky Gervais on Twitter has been talking about how it’s his favourite episode of the series and is really good, so that helps generate more enthusiasm for it.)
I did like the part where he was sent to sample a rare sushi dish, that had been fermented for years. His reaction on being presented with it was funny, as was his debating with the man who served him that it would be better etiquette if he went first rather than Karl (a hopelessly idiotic argument that the guy quickly deflected in good-humour). And, of course, Karl took a mouthful of it and then soon later was throwing up in the bushes. There was an inevitability to it all that didn’t stop it being funny – quite the opposite.
The climax of the episode, and the series properly (I realise there is another episode next week that is a look back at all that has happened) did at least end on a high. It was a literal high, with Karl making it to the summit of Mount Fuji. But I really liked how the show didn’t cheapen it out too much. From Karl’s wry observations at the beginning, seeing that everyone coming back down the mountain appeared to be travelling in pairs, that dissolved into him very tired, listing off famous double acts he knew. And then there was a little monologue where he talked about how he wasn’t one for finishing things, talking about not finishing school or even getting married, and that was actually rather moving to see him consider making it to the top of the mountain as an urge to actually, for once, finish something.
It was also good to see that when he reached the summit at dawn, and marvelled at the view, in typical fashion he could appreciate that it was spectacular whilst at the same time moaning about how he felt like shit. It did look magnificent.
Of course, An Idiot Abroad does play for laughs, so there was the punchline of the Pilkopants revealed. His invention formed from needing a comfortable place to sit wherever he was, the cushioning he had stuck to the backside of his trousers looked ridiculous, and it had a ridiculous name, but Karl’s unswerving sense that it was a winning invention just about sums him up. He’s one on his own, with his own ideas about how things should be.
So not the greatest bucket list event to cap off the series, but at least the finale felt deserving of the climax and proved to be a strong conclusion to what has been a very good series. It perhaps may even be the last one, too (although the sheer success of it must have the powers that be hoping it won’t be and pushing for another one!).
What was the best part?
I’m tempted to plump for the sequence where Karl ate the raw fish and then vomited, but for sheer class and a fitting finale, I have to say the journey up the mountain was good stuff – and probably the show’s most classy moment. Despite the Pilkopants.
What do I think will happen next?
Next up is a retrospective over Karl’s journey with Ricky and Steve; it’ll probably be a lot of fun, like a video version of their podcasts, so I am looking forward to it perhaps more than any of the ‘proper’ episodes. (And Ricky Gervais on Twitter has been talking about how it’s his favourite episode of the series and is really good, so that helps generate more enthusiasm for it.)
No comments:
Post a Comment