So last night was the fourth episode of Ricky Gervais's mockumentary drama set in a residential home. But has the series improved after the first couple of mediocre episodes? Thankfully it has.
With a plot that allows them a chance to escape the confines of the home, Derek and co head to the beach for a day trip. Ironically it is actually Kev and Dougie who steal the show this week. Kev finds a new hobby annoying the local crab population, and Dougie gets frustrated playing swingball with a pensioner.
The downside is that most of the series of Derek has played out like a series of sketches woven together for 25 minutes. I'm not sure there's much of a story arc going on with any of the characters, yes we know the homes owner Hannah works incredibly hard, Kev is sex obsessed and Dougie just 'gets on with it', but none of the episodes have led to any narrative intrigue through cliff hangers or dramatic revelations. Why for example is Kev hanging around at an old people's home in the first place? Derek walks into work each morning but where is he living and what does he do outside of work?
Despite Gervais insisting Derek is 'one of the kindest and sweetest person he has created' most of what we have seen so far has been childish naivety, funny yes, but moments of sincere kindness are spread pretty thin.
Maybe in the next two episodes, things will come to some kind of conclusion and we can see how this group of mismatched characters came to be.
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