Have any of you seen Ricky Gervais' "Derek"?

[PassingFair]

My daughter turned me on to it yesterday.



Available on Netflicks, it's about a British nursing home and the
people who live and work there.



IT IS FABULOUS. But I have cried at the end of every episode so far!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_%28TV_series%29

snip>The show attracted controversy, most of it before it was aired, due to a perception by some that it mocks mentally disabled people.[13] Tanya Gold, writing for The Guardian, dismissed Gervais's claims that in Derek he was satirising prejudice against the disabled, instead saying it "feels more like lazy cruelty than satire".[9] Jack Seale addressed this in his review for the Radio Times, noting that Derek "is uncynically presented as a hero who is, in Gervais's words, 'better than us' because he lacks ego and guile and merely wants to be nice. Those seeking to take offense at Gervais's portrayal of Derek will have to look hard".[1] Seale went on to criticise the show for relying too heavily on elements and characterisations from previous programmes made by Gervais, but also praised the emotional final scene as "truly superb work from Gervais as actor, writer and director" and Kerry Godliman's performance, stating that "every moment she's on screen is sigh-inducing magic."

I totally agree about Kerry Godliman, her performance as Hannah is the most HUMANE character I have ever seen.

[TxDemChem]

1. I don't have netflix, but I heard about the controversy.

It sounds like an awesome show though.

[progressoid]

2. Someone has posted a bunch of them on youtube.

More here: http://www.youtube.com/user/SnowyScarlett1992/videos

[TxDemChem]

3. Thanks for letting me know.

I'll try to check out a few episodes before they're taken down.

[YankeyMCC]

4. Brillant is the best word

I can think of.

Ricky Gervais really gets it, by which I mean he gives us stories that point right to the heart of the matter of being human and gives us damn good laughs in the process.

[PassingFair]

5. Ahhh. It's so good I can't watch it casually.

I have to be in the right place mentally to watch an episode.

He is really digging into the heart of what it means to be human and humane. You are so right!

[rdharma]

6. I didn't like the Derek series at first........

.......but then after watching it for a while, it's friggin' brilliant!

I found something I liked about all the characters (even Kevin the pervert).

[PassingFair]

7. The "Kev" role is very nuanced...

All of the characters are multidimensional.

I knew I was going to be emotionally involved when
Hannah head-butted the nasty woman in the bar in
the first episode.

I cried my eyes out at the finale.



I believe it's being picked up for another season, but really,
it was a perfect package as it is, so I hope they don't jump
the shark with a second season.

[trotsky]

8. OK, now I know for sure I need to watch it.

Thanks for starting this thread!

[PassingFair]

9. My husband resisted it. After seeing me and my 2 daughters get so misty-eyed....

Plus the fact that we go around the house singing:
"Baby Monkey, riding backwards, riding on a pig, Baby Monkey."
and "Hamster on a Piano, eating popcorn on a piano".

Now he's watching it, but we need to wedge it in when the girls
aren't home, because they've seen every episode multiple times.
He's totally into it!

It's just incredibly sweet ....
I hope I haven't over-hyped it!