I'm a huge fan of "The IT Crowd", so it's hard to rate an episode that falls a little bit below the mark, which this episode did. It was still funny, but most of the funny bits took a back seat to the introduction of a new character, Richmond (Noel Fielding). Maybe "goths" are more of a staple in the UK and thus more prone to humor when jokes are aimed at them, much like "rednecks" are in the US, but I simply didn't find the character of Richmond all that engaging. So much pipe had to be laid in order to explain how he got to his lot in life, that there wasn't much time to really do anything funny with him. Either that, or their simply isn't that much humor to be wrung from the goth lifestyle. What ever the case, I was left feeling a little under-whelmed by the whole story.

The parts of this episode that WERE funny all dealt with the stars of the series that we've come to love. Moss' mug that has his picture on the bottom, Roy's use of a modified answering machine to field tech support calls and also becoming a "desk rabbit" are all gems and yield huge laughs, but it's simply not enough to save this episode from being more than just average.

It's definitely still worth watching and there are plenty of lines that are quote worthy, but overall, the episode is just not the a-list material that we've come to expect.

Sharp, witty, well written and funny as hell. I can't find enough adjectives for this episode, "Calamity Jen". From start to finish, I found myself laughing uncontrollably. Not since "Seinfeld" have I seen situation comedy tie every character together, each with their own plot line and arch. I mean who would have thought that a woman wearing a pair of shoes that are too small and a stress machine could drive an entire episode, much less resolve everything so succulently.

Jen is "shoe mad" and can't resist buying a pair of shoes, even though they are at least two sizes too small. Denholm declares war on stress and in his usual crazy manner, decides that the best way to win the war is to send everyone to a seminar at lunch to learn how to remove stress from their lives - or else they'll be fired at the end of the day. Add to the mix that Moss and Roy just want to play with the "Stress Machine" and it would appear that you have three completely separate story lines and plot points.

Well, in actuality you do, but somehow Graham Linehan (writer/director) is able to pull it all together and make the show hum like a well oiled machine. Typically this doesn't happen until a series is well into their first or second season, the fact that "The IT Crowd" is able to pull it off by the second episode is nothing short of miraculous.

Each of the lead actors, clearly have a firm grip on their characters. Each is unique and yet together they create a wonderful blend that makes the show even stronger. Jen lies, Moss is too geeky for his own good and Roy is a bumbler and a troublemaker. Normally, I'd provide a small highlight to illustrate these points, but there are just too many gems in this episode to go into them all. Do I bring up the e-mail to the fire department? The fire itself, complete with a burning fire extinguisher? Or maybe Jen's feet and her cussing tirade? What about Roy's ability to stress out the "Stress-igest", or even the small things like the "Profanity Buzzer?"

Like I said, there are just too many gems to even go into them all. This is a must-watch episode for anyone who enjoys farce and good solid comedic timing. If any episode solidifies the need for a second season, it's this one.

Maybe this kind of comedy is typical in the UK, but from where I sit, Nashville, TN to be precise, "The IT Crowd" it a breath of fresh air. Farcical comedy is so rarely done in the US, but it's more than just the comedy stylings, it's the fact that the whole show is based around the three people that make up the IT Department of Reynhold Industries. Other than the occasional nerd joke, having a whole comedy centered around computer geeks just makes my heart sing? Why, because it's what I do for a living. :)

In Roy's (Chris O'Dowd) first scene, we see the template for what is to come from the IT staff and it's just brilliant. You can clearly tell that the bulk of his support calls are the same thing day in and day out. That alone is funny, but it's not till the end of the episode where Jen (Katherine Parkinson) repeats Roy's words that the comedic payoff reaches it's climax. Since seeing this episode, I find myself laughing every time I field a tech support call myself.

To round out the casting for the stars of the show, Moss (Richard Ayoade) adds just the right touch of über-geek to the mix and creates a fantastic character in the process. These three actors really have a grasp on farcical comedy and their timing and commitment to their roles really makes this comedy sing.

The first episode of any series is difficult, because so much has to be laid out for the viewers to understand the context of the new series. Even with having to overcome such hurdles, "The IT Crowd" delivers and there's no doubt that I'm going to be tuning in for more.

As I've mentioned in earlier reviews of this series, it's hard establishing a new series when you have to give context to all the characters and where they reside. Now that we've had two episodes to get to know everyone, we were now able to reap some small rewards for all of the writer's hard work - humor.

You could tell from the start that this series was going to be a comedy, but with this episode two characters quickly pop to the surface and show that they are going to be the anchors to keep the viewers interest. I'm referring, of course to Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon) and Heylia James (Tonye Patano).

Kevin Nealon is no stranger to audiences as a strong comedic talent. His days as a staple of Saturday Night Live showed that he had the chops, but with Weeds, Kevin is showing us just how funny he can really be. Staying true to his character and not just going for the joke, Kevin raises the hilarity of every scene he's in.

Although Nealon is well known, Tonye Patano is a wonderful surprise. Almost every line out of her mouth is gold and she delivers it with such seriousness. Most of her lines could be considered by some actor's as throwaway lines, but to hear Heylia say it makes it a laugh riot. With previous small roles on other series, Heylia could be Tonye's seminal role. I anxiously await every scene that she's in.

With two home runs under their belt, you'd think that the writer's would have called it a day. Lucky for us they didn't! The battle over weight issues between Celia and Isabel is classic. We see just how far Celia is willing to go to make her daughter thin, yet at the same time we're given some insight into the demons that torture Celia as well.

Good S*** Lollypop shows that there is more to this series than just the taboo subject of pot. With such a strong cast, Mary-Louise Parker has her work cut out for her. Thankfully, she's shown that she can deliver the goods as well, which makes the series that much stronger. Great episode!

So often when someone has a hit, they tend to stick to what works and just do more of the same. With the huge success of "The Office", it would be easy to simply re-package the concept, slap a new title on it and wait for the money to roll in. That would be the safe thing to do. That might not make for good television, but it would be safe. Lucky for us that's NOT what Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have done with their new show "Extras".

For starters, it's clear that our lead character, Andy Millman, isn't the fop that David Brent was. Andy is sharp, quick and knows exactly what he wants - a line in a movie. With that motivation in mind, it's clear that Andy will stop at nothing, to try and get it. He has no shame and it's a good thing, but it makes what he does VERY funny.

However this isn't a one man show. Gervais' co-star is Ashley Jensen who plays Maggie Jacobs. She too wants to get a line in a movie and plays the perfect sidekick. Andy is sharp, quick and aware of what's going on. Maggie on the other hand is a little off the mark and just a little bit clueless. She's sweet and wonderful, but she plays the perfect foil for Andy. They are a great team together and you get the sense that they truly do have a history together.

Of course some of the same elements from "The Office" can be found in "Extras", most notably the awkward, uncomfortable scenes. In "The Office", it was Gervais that was the reason for the awkwardness. With "Extras" it's the stars themselves that are the cause and it works SO much better. Having the stars make fun of themselves is brilliant.

My favorite scene from the pilot had to be the final scene with Ben Stiller
as he tries to keep the respect of the cast and crew after insulting the movie's creator Goran. It's some of the best humor of the whole episode.

Ben Stiller: Who are you?
Andy: Nobody.
Ben Stiller: What was that? Who?
Andy: Nobody.
Ben Stiller: That's right. Nobody. Yeah, and who am I?
Andy: It's either Starsky or Hutch. I can't ever remember.
Ben Stiller: Was that supposed to be funny?
Andy: You tell me. You were in it.

From start to finish, this first episode was surprisingly funny. It typically takes more than one season for a comedy to really get it's legs and be this good. Merchant and Gervais have hit the ground running and delivered a very funny new show. With the ever changing stars and new sets, this series should continue to be fresh and exciting and I can't wait for the next episode.