In this week’s edition of Pets on Screen we take a look at the new Netflix series from British funny man Ricky Gervais. The show introduces us to Tony (Ricky Gervais), a middle aged man whose wife has just passed after losing her battle with cancer. Tony is clearing battling with the situation as anyone would be and is struggling to find happiness in anything. In fact the only thing keeping him from killing himself is his German Shepard, Brandy.
The shows a hopeless Tony searching through the cupboards for dog food. He very soon realises that he is out of dog food and he gives Brandy the choice of either tinned spaghetti or vegetable curry. It’s a no brainer for Brandy on a count of the fact that she has taste buds. She barks as he offers the spaghetti which he grimly empties into Brandy’s bowl, apologetic that he has not been able to feed her properly. After doing so he drinks the vegetable curry out of the tin and heads to work. Breakfast of champions.
The opening scenes really sets the tone for the rest of this black comedy which will take you on a journey that one can compare to being a ball inside of an emotional pinball machine. It hilarity and dry wit Gervais is so famous for is cleverly juxtaposed against his self destructive tendencies and flashbacks of his late wife.
As lead dog, writers use Brandy as symbolic of how pets can be a shining light through dark times for humans. She is the only being Tony can identify with and she even saves his life in one scene. She reminds us how special the bond between and animal and a human is and how we should never take that for granted.
I won’t spoil too much more for you but if you need a laugh or cry (preferably both) I would recommend assigning 6 x 30min increments of your life to watching it.
Leave a comment