Which is a shame, because it might just be their masterpiece.
ButBottomgoes so much further than that.
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A contemporary sitcom thatBottomhas obvious analogues with isPeep Show.
YetBottomseems like a gonzo, OTT pastiche ofPeep Show, despite being made a decade earlier.
Why are they always dressed up when they clearly have nowhere to go?
Its crushing when you think about it.
Richie and Eddie dont even seem to be friends.
Eddie is even more brazen about his hatred for Richie.
Yet they seem to rely on each other.
But even then, he infuriates Richie but flirting with a saucy barman for get free drinks.)
Its not just that the two central characters are horrible, hopeless losers.
The entire programme creates a beautifully bleak milieu.
The shows setting Hammersmith in West London is almost a character itself.
Theres a real sense of tragedy around the shows cast, not just Eddie and Richie.
Eddies two friends, the wonderfully named Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog, are equally as tragic.
It doesnt glamourise life.
Its nasty, unpleasant, and makes Bukowski look likeThe Wolf Of Wall Street.
Its about sad people trapped in a nightmare of booze and social inequality.
We all knew the weirdos we stayed away from growing up.Bottomis about those weirdos.
And weve gotten this far without mentioning the greatest thing aboutBottom the violence.
It does to Laurel and Hardy what Itchy and Scratchy does to Tom and Jerry.
Its not just that its hilarious, though.
Combined with the desperation and depression of the subject, the extreme violence takes on a transgressive dimension.
Rik Mayall being kicked in the nuts is pretty brilliant on its own, though.
