Even though one of the main plots of this episode is Derek's birthday, the star of this episode is Vicky, played by relative newcomer Holiday Dempsey. Her story is cliché, but it doesn't matter. It was played perfectly, and as her shell cracks, you really believe she cares for these people.
A few scenes really stand out for me, the first was when a resident compliments her nail polish, telling her they look like art. She hesitates, clearly caught off guard, smiles and the scene ends. The next scene, we see her sitting, coloring the nails of the lady who paid her the compliment. Hannah comes up and asks "Tea?" Vicky stands up quickly as though she's been caught doing something wrong, and asks Hannah what she wants in her tea. Hannah corrects her and says that she wanted to get Vicky tea. It's a very nice scene, done perfectly.
The next is when Vicky is helping to feed another resident. The camera is focused on her, but then brings Hannah into focus, sitting on the other side of the room. The focus shifts from Vicky to Hannah, who was reading something. She looks up, sees Vicky and then smiles at the camera, clearly proud of how far Vicky is coming.
The final scene, and my favorite, is when Hannah is sitting down with Vicky to do her evaluation. She reads her assessment out loud, and gives Vicky a 10/10. Vicky is shocked, breaks down in tears and tells Hannah that no one has ever given her a 10/10 and thanks her. Shortly after, she asks Hannah, desperately, if she can come back as a volunteer.
Is it new? No. Has it been done before? Tons of times. Does it work perfectly here? Completely.
Derek surprises me more and more with each episode. I love Gervais reminding us that he is a versatile writer and actor. Sure he's not a world away from David Brent here, but at the same time he is, it reminds me of a Sorkin production. His style carries over, and the same happens with Gervais. His pacing, the beats the characters take and their affectations are similar, but they're so strong that they work.
I equally loved Pilkington in this episode. His exposition is always good, but this episode was better than normal. As a person, as any Gervais fan knows, he's either a savant or a moron, but it doesn't matter here. He's excellent, and because he is playing a character in Derek, it works. Perfectly.
A few scenes really stand out for me, the first was when a resident compliments her nail polish, telling her they look like art. She hesitates, clearly caught off guard, smiles and the scene ends. The next scene, we see her sitting, coloring the nails of the lady who paid her the compliment. Hannah comes up and asks "Tea?" Vicky stands up quickly as though she's been caught doing something wrong, and asks Hannah what she wants in her tea. Hannah corrects her and says that she wanted to get Vicky tea. It's a very nice scene, done perfectly.
The next is when Vicky is helping to feed another resident. The camera is focused on her, but then brings Hannah into focus, sitting on the other side of the room. The focus shifts from Vicky to Hannah, who was reading something. She looks up, sees Vicky and then smiles at the camera, clearly proud of how far Vicky is coming.
The final scene, and my favorite, is when Hannah is sitting down with Vicky to do her evaluation. She reads her assessment out loud, and gives Vicky a 10/10. Vicky is shocked, breaks down in tears and tells Hannah that no one has ever given her a 10/10 and thanks her. Shortly after, she asks Hannah, desperately, if she can come back as a volunteer.
Is it new? No. Has it been done before? Tons of times. Does it work perfectly here? Completely.
Derek surprises me more and more with each episode. I love Gervais reminding us that he is a versatile writer and actor. Sure he's not a world away from David Brent here, but at the same time he is, it reminds me of a Sorkin production. His style carries over, and the same happens with Gervais. His pacing, the beats the characters take and their affectations are similar, but they're so strong that they work.
I equally loved Pilkington in this episode. His exposition is always good, but this episode was better than normal. As a person, as any Gervais fan knows, he's either a savant or a moron, but it doesn't matter here. He's excellent, and because he is playing a character in Derek, it works. Perfectly.
