"I miss Penny greatly. We're very close..."
SPOILER ALERT – the following dicusses the final episode of Angry Boys, so if you’ve not seen it and don’t want to know, stop reading now and come back later.
The final episodes of a Lilley series are always special. There’s always a distinct resolution, even if it’s the one you weren’t expecting. From the outset there was no way – NO WAY – the legends were ever coming to a little South Australian dot on the map called Dunt. The opening scene with Daniel lamenting as much to camera was expected, but importantly the party had to go ahead to farewell Nathan for both twin’s sakes.
Ruth “Gran” Sims was my favourite character from this show, and all of Lilley’s work. Her tough-talk, no bullshit attitude mixed with a genuine empathy reminded us all of elements of our own Grandmas, or how we may have liked them to be. The reveal of her suffering the early stages of Alzheimers was well crafted and wonderfully interwoven into the story as a distinct plot device. It could have been left at that but including it as the reason she forgot to invite the legends left Daniel torn between feelings of teenage rage and sincere love for his Gran – how could he be angry at a woman that loved him and he loved so much, yet let him down so distinctly?
"Honestly, being a housewife is shit..."
The moment for both Daniel and Nathan at the tree that has become the memorial for their late father was Lilley pathos at his very best. Moving, sensitive, hearfelt and a tree being urinated on. Two teens who miss their Dad so dramatically yet cannot emotionally express themselves in any real way… Daniel’s recognition that he still had some growing up to do and had to let go of childhood dreams was very sharp and very strong.
This is the reality of Angry Boys, and why the wrapping of each character’s story was so important. Blake Oakfield got his balls & his mojo back. Shwayne Jr/S.Mouse! got his new single played on radio (and seemingly, people liked it). Tim Okazaki moved his family back to America and took control of his life again. And Gran posted the legends their invites to the party and forgot about it, so Daniel got the farewell for Nathan he had planned (and explains why Penny couldn’t find the invites in Gran’s e-mail). It was a delightful resolution to the series to see the three legends appear at the gate to the family farm.
"Yeah, I've been pretty happy since I got my balls..."
Chris Lilley can deliver another Angry Boys any time he likes. It may not have achieved the ratings success of previous series, but Angry Boys has revealed a creative comic who is willing to push boundaries with his characiture (subtle and otherwise) of Australian society.
Thank you Chris Lilley – Angry Boys was completely worth the journey.
Appreciate the summary. My favourite part was in the 2nd last episide where Daniel is talking to Gran on Skype and she tells him that he hasn’t invited the Legends. You can see the rage build up in Daniel’s face, and the tears just starting to well on his eyes. He then looks at Gran and says. “you’re ok but”? As you said in your summary, he was torn between teenage rage and the love for his gran. I really expected him to fly off the handle ay her, but I’m so glad he didn’t. Thanks for the post.
As a pretty huge fan of Lilleys work from as far back as Big Bite and Hamish And Andy’s Channel 7 show, I couldnt help feel a little underwhelmed by this series as a whole. I found it entirely funny and entertaining, with some very significant flaws. I did, though, trust that the payoff at the end of the series would make it all worth it. Lilley did not dissapoint. The resolution was, though somewhat unrealistic, nothing short of beautiful television.
Now that it is all wrapped up, I still feel that both the Blake and Jen characters were very under-developed, and mosty unneccesary. Controversy surrounding the S.Mouse(!) character tarnished what I thought was a really great story line. While Gran and the Sims twins were mostly flawless, wonderfully depicted characters.
This was a comedy series on a huge scale, and I still have an enormous respect for Lilley. I can only hope that he will still have finacial support to continue telling his stories on television or film.
Enjoyed your post! I just finished Angry Boys this afternoon and laughed like an idiot through the first nine episodes, then cried through the last two-and-a-half. For me they key word, which you mentioned in your review, is pathos. As stale as the mockumentary style has become, Chris Lilley is a peer to Christopher Guest in creating characters that behave offensively, but make you want to give them a hug. Gran and Daniel balance the ridiculous Jen and S.Mouse! perfectly. This show is so much more than comedy.
This show has been pretty well slagged, but I looked forward to it every week, I liked watching Nathan piss on daniel’s head, I liked s.mouse’s egomania and foul mouth (not to mention the ridiculous music), the monstrous Jen , was repellant but you could’nt take your eyes off her.
I say good on Chris lilly, for giving us angry boys.