The Thick of It/YMMV
- Alas, Poor Villain:
- Malcolm being forced out of a job by someone even more villainous than himself.
- Stewart Pearson gets a moment like this in the third season finale, when Cal "The Fucker" Richards tells him he's been fired as a joke. Sure, Stewart is an unlikeable, power-tripping master of meaningless PC hypocrisy, but he looks so...broken.
- Crowning Moment of Awesome: An unusually high number for a strait-laced political satire. There are so many that the show now has its own section.
- Dude, Not Funny: Steve Fleming's ill-advised Josef Fritzl joke goes down like a lead balloon. When Olly is making the "eeeesh" face at you, you know you've gone too far.
- Ensemble Darkhorse:
- Jamie. It's hard to believe he only appeared in three episodes.
- The cover of the new TTOI book The Missing DoSAC Files includes the line "Attn of: Jamie MacDonald". And the Fandom Rejoiced. No, seriously, it's hard to quantify just how loved Jamie is.
- Evil Is Sexy: Just trust us on this one, guys.
- Fan Disservice: The (thankfully) deleted scene in which Glenn pulls.
- Foe Yay:
- This abounds, largely because of Malcolm's tactic of unnerving male characters by flirting with them:
Jamie: "You couldn't organise a bumrape in a barracks." |
- "You know Julius, if I wasn't a heterosexual man, I would kiss you."
- That onion bhaji didn't solely represent the 'problems' caused by Nicholson's upcoming report. Julius becomes positively lascivious when Malcolm is about.
- ...and in turn Malcolm tends to get physical with him: "Put your hand on mine! Try and open the door..."
- At home Nicola Murray struggles with a failing marriage to a husband who doesn't pay her much attention and never seems proud of her. At work there's a man who takes a great interest in everything she does and gives her his undivided attention... alright, it may be Malcolm but you can't really blame her for developing a crush.
- The sexual tension between Emma and Phil is even Lampshaded by Peter Mannion.
- Funny Aneurysm Moment:
- Any reference to scandal or public disgrace (and, being a political sitcom, there are plenty) is made slightly painful by what happened to Chris Langham after the series went out.
- "I look like a disgraced geography teacher..."
- Hugh's comment to Olly about not "clicking" with the PM's wife (his assertion that she'd say "he's a social spastic and very probably a registered nonce") combines this with a good measure of Hilarious in Hindsight for those of us with particularly dark senses of humour.
- "You made up small children! That's sick!"
- Ho Yay:
- Malcolm and Jamie. "You and I will have a little discussion later."
- Malcolm seems to love shoving Olly up against walls. And once on top of a lavatory sink.
- "I won't make a blow-job joke if you won't."
- Malcolm's at his most blatant with Dan Miller: "You're irresistable, you know that, don't you? Talk to you later, Bad Apple..."
- Apparently there is enough between Olly and Dan Miller to be noted by Glenn:
Glenn: "Are they..." |
- Jerkass Woobie: Malcolm Tucker.
- Magnificent Bastard: Malcolm Tucker.
- Moral Event Horizon:
- "Olly, we need you to fuck Hugh for us."
- Subverted. Olly goes through with it, but does it so that most of the bad press is focused on Glenn's behaviour rather than Hugh's.
- Narm Charm:
- "COME OUT OF THE CUPBOARD HUGH..."
- ...and of course YOU WILL SEE ME AGAIN!. From anyone else this would be cliched and Narmy, from Malcolm it's awesome.
- No Yay:
- "I'll box his ears..." Glenn and Robyn. Or Glenn and Nicola. Or Glenn and anyone...
- Nicola's squicked face whenever Steve Fleming hugs her is positively DO NOT WANT.
- Shipping: Malcolm and Sam. Inverted with Olly - the audience feels like screaming at Emma and Angela to stay away from him.
- Back to The Thick of It