It is not simply one element of Spaced, whether it be the writing, the camera work, the delivery of the lines, or the circumstantially mundane or surrealistically absurd plot-lines, but the combination of all of these things together is what creates such a unique and brilliant piece of media.

For those of you who don’t know, Spaced is a 2 series British sitcom from 1999 to 2001. This is where the trio of Edgar Wright directing and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost acting got their start. You may remember these names from Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Edgar Wright would go on to direct Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost would go on to write and star in Paul. Out of all of the things I’ve listed, Spaced has to be my favorite.

What really brings this show together is the relationship between the writing and the directing. Sure, the writing and the acting play a huge role in here too, but the way the script’s exaggerated spins on mundane life clash with Edgar Wright’s signature hyperbole and surrealist style ties the show together in a way so tight that not even the best line delivery in the world could compare to it. The partnership of Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg writing with Edgar Wright directing was really a match made in heaven. A match so good that it has stood the test of time, even if Jessica Hynes relatively fell off the face of the planet after this series.

The weird thing is, that’s all I really have to say about this show on an analytical level. I mean sure, I could talk about the characters, but they’re just not the most deep or complex characters to ever be put on screen, and even that is a bit of an overstatement. There isn’t much I could say about these people that isn’t already addressed in the show itself. I could try, but it would end up with me saying something like this:

“Marsha’s an alcoholic, chain-smoker who has no sense of timing or occasion. Isn’t that funny? The jokes are so hilarious. Why is Marsha like this? I dunno.”

And I’m pretty sure nobody would want to read a review like that and I most certainly don’t want to write a review like that.

The same can be said for the overall plot of the show. They’re not the most interesting or complex plots to talk about, and even if I did talk about them, it wouldn’t amount to anything more than shear fan-gasming.

Reviewing Spaced is kinda like reviewing an anthology of Peanuts comic strips. I don’t have to explain why it’s great and funny because everyone who’s experienced it already knows why. So, I’ll leave you to knowing why if you have watched the series. And if you haven’t watched the series, what the serious fuck are you doing here reading me rambling about how good it is. Watch it. Now!

In the words of Quentin Tarantino: “The one, the only…SPACED. Accept no substitute”

FAVORITE EPISODES: Beginnings, Battles, Ends, Back, Help, Gone, Dissolution, Leaves

LEAST FAVORITE EPISODE: Epiphanies

Peace; Love; Empathy;

-Alaska

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