by Hayley Charlesworth
Following Russell T Davies’ confident, bold introduction to his look at 21st Century sex and sexuality, this week’s trifecta of shows deals with the aftermath of Henry and Lance’s fight in Cucumber, introduces us to the darling Scotty in Banana, and takes a frank look at sex in Tofu.
Following Russell T Davies’ confident, bold introduction to his look at 21st Century sex and sexuality, this week’s trifecta of shows deals with the aftermath of Henry and Lance’s fight in Cucumber, introduces us to the darling Scotty in Banana, and takes a frank look at sex in Tofu.
Cucumber picks up after Henry has moved into the squat of young, beautiful co-workers Dean and Freddie, while Lance goes for a drink with homophobic and potentially closeted diver Daniel. The same balance of comedy and drama is achieved, although Sunil’s widow painting her husband’s suicide as being the result of a racist tirade is not brilliantly woven into the plot, and Vincent Franklin and Cyril Nri do excellent jobs at playing the overwhelmed Henry and the increasingly desperate Lance. However, one scene is far too distracting from the generally realistic and well-written episode. A lengthy, overconfident monologue from a character is a staple of Russell T Davies’ writing, and while it worked well in Doctor Who, in Cucumber it is just distracting. Episode One got away with Henry’s tale of Mark Walhberg being gay for himself, but Episode Two features a hypersexualised, vicious tirade from Freddie that is too perfectly written to seem in any way believable, and ultimately becomes distracting. Luckily, though, the presence of two excellent side characters, Con O’Neill’s Cliff and Julie Hesmondhalgh’s Cleo, soon bring back the humour and warmth.
Over on Banana, Dean’s friend Scotty, played by Letitia Wright, has fallen in love. With the object of her affection a housewife that she spots in a supermarket, Scotty’s obsession sees her ultimately turning into a stalker, although one with good intentions. While Scotty goes further than most other people would, this is a sweet episode exploring the doomed First Love that we all can relate to, and Wright is a winning presence as overworked but optimistic young carer Scotty. While in other circumstances we would be a little horrified at her actions, Scotty’s innocence and big heart have us rooting for her happiness.
Benjamin Cook’s accompanying web-series, Tofu, continues to look at sex with a frankness and honesty that is refreshing, talking to everyone from Cucumber cast members, to housewives, to porn stars about their experiences. But at the short length of roughly ten minutes, the inclusion of sketches becomes increasingly tiresome. Last week’s Black Mirror inspired drama was an unwelcome distraction away from brilliant interviews, and this week feels similar. The sketches work on Cook’s other web-series, Becoming Youtube, as they parody the kind of sketches one would find on Youtube. In Tofu, they just seem oddly placed.
Benjamin Cook’s accompanying web-series, Tofu, continues to look at sex with a frankness and honesty that is refreshing, talking to everyone from Cucumber cast members, to housewives, to porn stars about their experiences. But at the short length of roughly ten minutes, the inclusion of sketches becomes increasingly tiresome. Last week’s Black Mirror inspired drama was an unwelcome distraction away from brilliant interviews, and this week feels similar. The sketches work on Cook’s other web-series, Becoming Youtube, as they parody the kind of sketches one would find on Youtube. In Tofu, they just seem oddly placed.
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