DVD Review: manstrokewoman: The Complete First Series - Page 2

That idea is not a bad one - quick ins and outs, no lengthy setups - but, the fact that there are so few actors in the series and so many recurring ideas greatly hurts the show. The viewer ends up wondering for the first third to half of any sketch if this is something new and different, or if they ought to be drawing a connection to a previous sketch. Yet, as the sketches themselves are so short one really does have to pay attention to understand what is going on. Spending such a large portion of the sketch trying to make a connection to previous ones hurts the viewer's ability to grasp whatever humor is there to be had.

There are certainly funny moments and funny recurring sketches. In one of the better examples of a recurring sketch, men are completely interested in whatever a woman around them is saying right up until the moment when she discusses her boyfriend. At that point their interest dies abruptly and the woman is completely stunned at the transformation. Even trying to figure out if the sketch is building on a previous one for thirty seconds does not hurt the punchline.

The manstrokewoman: The Complete First Series DVD contains all six episodes as well as a "making of" featurette, commentaries on the six episodes, as well as a couple of paragraphs on the band behind the theme music for the show.

There are funny moments in the series, but they tend to be outnumbered by less than funny ones, and the guessing game of "have I seen this sketch before" takes away a lot of the enjoyment of the series.

Page 1 — Page 2

Article tags

Spread the word
Bookmark and Share
Profile image for josh-lasser

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

Visit Josh Lasser's author pageJosh Lasser's Blog

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own
  • No image found

Article comments

Add your comment, speak your mind

Personal attacks are NOT allowed.
Please read our comment policy.
Please preview your comment.

blogcritics lists for May 17, 2013

fresh articles Most recent articles site-wide

fresh comments Most recent comments site-wide

most comments Most comments in 24hrs

top writers Most prolific Blogcritics for April

top commenters Most prolific Commenters in 24 hrs