Post by The Human Being on Dec 1, 2013 12:54:12 GMT -6
2013 Advent Calendar - December 1st
Extras: "Christmas Special"
by Evil Jeff
by Evil Jeff
It’s interesting to question just how many people would choose the latter option over the former. Somebody like David Brent would probably never consider the latter; in The Office, he was always presented as a fame hungry attention seeker. Somebody like Andy Millman, on the other hand, has to think about it. But the thing about the Extras christmas finale is that it presents neither option as truly viable if you want to be at least a decent human being. Extras, at it’s heart, has a very commendable symmetry of cynicism at modern celebrity ideals, and sentimentality in regards to the smaller things in life. It’s a symmetry that Gervais never truly replicated afterwards (and arguably before), and this is never more evident than when Extras asks itself, “Is all of this really worth it?”
For those unfamiliar with the programme, Extras focuses on Andy Millman, played by Gervais, whose dream is to become a respected actor and writer. Contrary to these dreams, Andy starts out as a low-paid extra on many films, and then when an opportunity to write a semi-autobiographical tv show based on his work life appears, it is thwarted by BBC executives and the popular opinion, which together turn his show into a clownish, bottom-of-the-barrel, racist, unnecessarily raunchy catchphrase spewing sitcom (not unlike a show such as Mrs. Brown’s Boys or The Wright Way, both television programmes that you should never, ever watch). At this point in the series, Andy is a star, although not among the demographic that he wants - he sees himself as a national clown, well summarized in the fact that dolls that spout his catchphrase are being manufactured (and they’re not selling).
Extras at it’s best is incredibly heartbreaking and extremely funny, usually at the same time, and I think that this episode accomplishes this better than any other. Andy’s quest to become a more respected artist are shot down at every turn, either by other people (i.e. incompetent agent Darren Lamb, offering him parts on Doctor Who and Hotel Babylon) or by himself (Andy’s pretentious attempts to impress a Guardian reporter end up making him look like a massive liar and a bizarre human being in probably the most hilariously awkward scene in this whole thing). Andy’s problem stems from his desire to have his cake and eat it: he wants everybody to know his name, he wants to be in the papers and he wants to have Ridley Scott on speed-dial, but he also wants artsy acting parts (a Byron movie with Clive Owen) and intelligent, respectable company.
Andy, and Extras, would be nothing without it’s other characters. Maggie (Ashley Jensen) is a tragic but genuinely kind and supportive person who is held back by her own lack of social skills and the manipulative nature of the film industry (this is a character who I believe was attempted to be recreated in Derek, as Hannah, with much more pandering, saccharine results). Maggie’s anxiety over being middle aged but believing she lacks any true skills is a trait that hits me quite close to home, making her, for me, one of the most compelling characters Gervais and Merchant have ever written. Merchant himself plays Lamb, Andy’s agent, and Shaun Williamson (who might be more recognizable to British watchers) plays himself (or “Barry from EastEnders” as he’s more commonly known) as a kind of pathetic carer for Lamb, the two living in a state of co-dependence. They’re definitely one of the funniest things about Extras (especially when they team up with Dean Gaffney at the Carphone Warehouse - seeing the three dance to an upbeat Mexican ringtone is one of the highlights). However Andy himself is also an incredibly compelling character. Millman is presented as a much more honest, intelligent, and self aware character than Brent, and as such is made all the more likeable because of it. However throughout the series, Millman has struggled with the question presented at the start; what does he want more? In the special, Millman is twisted by the manipulative “industry”, becoming something he once hated; an arrogant and pompous asshole who believes himself to be smarter and more worthy than everybody else. Gervais plays this perfectly - although he is capable of this smarmy, self-important character, there always seems to be a glimmer of self-loathing, regret and sadness in his actions, which come to a head in the climax of the episode.
Presented with the above question, and told that he cannot have both, Andy chooses fame and fortune. “This is great!” exclaims his dickish and exploitative new agent. “I’d much rather have a client that will do anything to get on the television than somebody who goes ‘Oh, I wanna do that’ or ‘Oh, that’s beneath me’.” And thus Andy arrives on Celebrity Big Brother, along with British Z-Listers like Chico (fun fact: we have a family friend who regularly works with Chico), Lionel Blair, and Lisa Scott-Lee (of Steps). These people have to be commended for their willingness to completely destroy their self image, and it’s also a very brave move which demonstrates them to be much more self-aware of themselves than we might have thought. Here, Andy finds himself at his lowest point. “People won’t go, ‘Oh, he’s the biggest star in there’” Andy confesses. “They’ll go, ‘if he’s in there, he must be as bad as...’” I think the moment that Andy realizes what he’s become is that where Lionel Blair pulls a muscle while tapdancing to entertain the public. When asked why he does it, Blair responds hilariously and frighteningly, "Got to keep up the profile. You know what I look forward to now? Death." This leads to a very passionate and emotive speech (about two minutes in; unfortunately there's not a youtube video of it) from Andy (and Gervais, too).
This is one of my favorite moments of television that I've seen. Not only does Gervais pointedly criticize celebrity media and what it is to be an actor, but it’s also an entirely cathartic and emotional experience for both him and Maggie. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, the optimism that shines through after all the darkness. The episode ends not long after this, but I’d like to look at the sentiment behind it, and the choices about this sentiment that make it a fitting Christmas episode. I mentioned earlier that in Extras, neither “tortured artist” nor “world famous movie star” are truly viable options for being a decent person. This is demonstrated in the character of Greg Lindley-Jones, Andy’s nemesis of sorts, who has managed to become a respected actor - but is also recognized as a horrible human being, capable of bullying, patronizing behavior. Although Greg has this niche crowd of followers, they have gone to his head, and although he has integrity, he has little humanity. On the other hand, a character like the model in Big Brother, bragging about all the people she’s slept with to get her where she is now, has essentially sold her body to be used as a representation of glamour and aspiration. The end of the episode signal’s Andy’s departure from both ideals, as he and Maggie plan to go somewhere - anywhere. It is these final moments, as Andy and Maggie make poignantly simple jokes in his old vintage car, that we realize that the fame, the money, the integrity, the art, the lifestyle - if you've got other people, who love you, and if you love them, then there’s no need for any of it. It is this optimism and sentimentality that guides Extras through the entire series, and is a very beautiful and true sentiment when we look at it from the perspective of a Christmas episode. As the usual credits roll, Cat Steven’s sings -
Bring tea for the Tillerman
Steak for the sun
Wine for the women who made the rain come
Seagulls sing your hearts away
'Cause while the sinners sin, the children play
And the children are almost certainly having a better time.