A couple of years ago, my wife and I discovered one of the funniest TV series we had seen in nearly forever. The plots were interesting, the humor actually good and it even had a bit of an edge. The series was called Coupling, and we were hooked. The bad news - it was a BBC series, and was on haphazardly on PBS. The good news - we were able to get the first season on DVD.

When I first got the Coupling, Series 1 DVD, my wife and I sat down and laughed our butts off. This series, based on a group of friends in London, offers up a sordid but hilarious look at sex, politics and quirks of relationships. Think Friends in the first few series but with more real-life conversations.

NBC went out on a limb and brought the series to American last September, where it bombed - with good reason. The cast for the American version was sub-par and quite simply LOOKED as though they were reprising someone else's roles. Trust me, even if you didn't like the US version, the British original is great.

Unfortunately, the six episodes of the first season only whetted our appetite for this great series. So, when I saw that Series 2 (aka the 2nd season) was also available, I snapped it up. This time we were graced with 9 episodes to savor, and although it isn't quite as good as the first season, it is still funnier than nearly any American sitcom.

[• the CHARACTERS •]
Like any situation comedy, the characters make the show. Coupling is made up mainly of six sexy friends as they weave their way out of their twenty-somethings and into their thirties. The cast:

Susan Walker (played by the vivacious Sarah Alexander) – Susan is free and uninhibited and probably the least neurotic (though she has her moments – usually brought on by her best friend SALLY
s insecurities). She used to date PATRICK, but dumped him for STEVE, who she met though JEFF, a co-worker. Steve and Susan have been dating ever since the first series, and are quickly heading toward serious committment.

Jane Christie (Gina Bellman) - Jane's favorite person is ... well, Jane. Alternately wily and completely oblivious, her sexual nature ends up providing many of the lighter moments of the series. She used to date STEVE, but now hangs out with the gang as she works her way through jobs and men throughout London.

Sally Harper (Kate Isitt) - Sally is the definition of neurotic. A beautician, she is obsessed with her looks, and how aging is going to affect them ("I only smile for single men - I save my elasticity for them", she says). She provides advice and quirks for Susan, and fights urges to find out a little more about PATRICK's secret.

Steve Taylor (Jack Davenport, also seen in Pirates of the Caribbean) - Steve is the central character of the series, the cog of the group's wheel, as it were. Many of the stories tie directly or indirectly to him, as he is the guy who ALL guys identify with. Dating Susan seriously, he finds himself torn between his feelings and his need to be 'a bloke'.

Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles) – Patrick is a man's man - his two favorite subjects are himself and sex, although not always in that order. He is the dim-witted member of the group, but has a bigger heart than he'll let on. He seems to have no attachments to anyone, but seems to spend a lot of time with Sally.

Jeff Murdock (Richard Coyle) – Jeff provides much of the comic relief and most of the neuroses of the cast. A strange, little man, he has a habit of saying and doing the absolutely wrong thing in any given situation. His views on life provide great moments in the series, often offering weird tidbits of information or personality quirks that are beyond funny.

[• the SITUATIONS •]
The whole show is based on the premise of the interwoven relationships between the three men and three women. The women obsess and harangue the men; the men attempt to figure out just how the hell to deal with the three beautiful women.

As Steve and Susan work their way through their relationship, Patrick and Sally weave the 'just friends' dance around each other. Meanwhile, Jane and Jeff spend much of their time trying to find their own perfect pairing, usually unsuccessfully though they provide comic relief in the attempts.

Along the way, the group spends much of their time in a local bar, drinking Guinness and living the life that most of us have – if a more attractive and funny version of it. Perhaps that’s what makes it so funny – these people seem REAL, even if they are British (just kidding).

[• episode GUIDE •]
The nine episodes of Coupling, Series 2 are included on 2 DVDs. Disc 1 has the first 6 episodes, while Disc 2 has 3 episodes and special features (cast bios, trailers and interviews). Each episode runs about 40 minutes and run the gamut of subjects and humor.

1• The Man with Two Legs
Jeff has found the woman of his dreams on the train but can't get the nerve to speak with her. When fate intervenes, Jeff - in typical fashion - blurts out his nervousness was due to having only one leg. However, his 'admission' leads to a relationship - and the moment of truth.
Memorable Quote: "Steve: Jeff, Jeff, I know about the giggle loop, the sock gap, the nudity buffer, and what you said to Audrey Watkins. Believe me, there is nothing you can possibly say that will surprise me. What’s gone wrong this time?
Jeff: I've got too many legs."
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 9

2• My Dinner in Hell
After watching a documentary that explains that all men - even those in a relationship - masterbate, Steve struggles with the truth with Susan. When Susan's notoriously frank parents show up, Steve's overreaction leads to hilarious escapades about "whistling".
Memorable Quote: "Steve’s whole fantasy life revolves around Mariella Frostrup... If ever meets Mariella Frostrup in person his right hand will shout 'mother'." - Jeff
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 8

3• Her Best Friend's Bottom
Steve has done the unthinkable and seen Sally's naked parts - and now he's struggling with how to deal with it. Does he tell Susan or play it off? Meanwhile, Sally has to determine how SHE can let Susan know her boyfriend has played the voyeur - and her role in it.
Memorable Quote: "Sally: Steve, as your girlfriend's best friend, I am, to you, a bit like Australia.
Steve: Australia?
Sally: Yes. Very distant, largely uninhabitable, and with areas of great danger.
Steve: Oh. I thought it was about having a lot of convicts.
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 9

4• The Melty Man Cometh
It turns out that the REAL reason Sally was in Susan's flat was that she was having a secret meeting - with Patrick. Unfortunately, Patrick has experienced something he has never known - functional difficulties. Steve and Jeff are astounded that this is Patrick's first meeting with the "Melty Man", and offer to help. And Sally is trying to figure out how she managed to 'repulse' Patrick so badly.
Memorable Quote: "If I don’t like a woman, if there’s no chemistry, if I’m not attracted to her, then I don’t lead her on, I just get out of there... every time, before she even wakes up." - Patrick
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 7

5• Jane and the Truth Snake
Jane's run into a bit of a problem at work - namely she's been fired. In her misery, she's taken some pills which have an interesting effect: it seems that she has adopted a sock puppet as a all-too-truthful alter ego. Meanwhile, when Patrick tries to dump a girlfriend over her refusal to consider a threesome, he gets a surprise when she changes her mind.
Memorable Quote: "Steve, sex with two whole women, think of the advantages ... they can't both fall asleep. If one of them suddenly leaves or punches you, you've still got one left. If one of them plays that old sneaking out of the window trick, there's someone there to untie you. It's total genius." - Jeff
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 8

6• Gotcha
On their first anniversary, Steve and Susan both struggle with what the one-year mark means: to Susan's friends, it means that Steve might finally propose; to Steve and his buddies, it means that he might HAVE TO propose. The guys fuel Steve's fears while Jane preys (unsuspectingly? who knows...) on Susan's fears of Steve and Jane's former relationship.
Memorable Quote: "No, I'm sorry Steve, you've been with Susan a year now. Either you've got a future, or you should just get married." - Patrick
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 9

7• Dressed
When Jane meets Bill, she decides to make a great first impression when he invites her to dinner - by going buck naked under her trench coat. Unfortunately, she arrives to find that the invitation was for a dinner party. And Patrick asks Sally to be his 'temporary wife' so that he can keep up with his arch-rival Ivan at dinner that night.
Memorable Quote: "It’s always scary when you see that final corner approaching, isn’t it? And you’re thinking: did I touch his thigh often enough? Did I stare at his mouth long enough? Did I flick my hair too much?… Yeah, I used to over-flick. So easy to cross the line between suggesting flirtatious and approachable, and suggesting there’s something living in your ear." - Susan
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 7

8• Naked
Jeff, mostly neglected in recent episodes, becomes the focus of this one. We are treated to a "he said, she said" perspective of Jeff's interaction with Julie, his boss and a woman who in many ways represents the female Jeff. Struggling to determine the best way to approach her - and her doing the same with co-worker Susan and friends - Jeff finally takes the plunge and asks Julie out. Her acceptance, however, leads to yet another humiliating scene for Jeff.
Memorable Quote: "I am a prison for sperms. Those poor little tadpoles have been sentenced for life in Jeff Murdock’s groin. And let me tell you, that can be a pretty lonely place." - Jeff
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 9

9• The End of the Line
Susan and Steve are struggling with the end of the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship. Susan thinks Steve has fallen into a rut, while Steve sees her trying to control their relationship. Each ends up doing something on a whim that ends up coming back to haunt them by the end of the episode - when Susan storms out of Steve's apartment ... and their relationship.
Memorable Quote: "There are three things all men should know, and it's time you did too. You’re never going to be famous, you're fatter than you think, and most important of all, they don't keep wearing stockings." - Steve
HUMOR FACTOR (on a scale of 1-10): 8

[• dvd EXTRAS •]
The DVD extras on the disc are somewhat limited. In addition to TV ads, you get Behind-the-Scenes interviews, Cast Bios, and trailers for other series. Nothing too impressive, but I wasn’t looking for much more than the shows themselves anyway, although I'm sure there were more than a few great outtakes that could have been thrown in.

[• final THOUGHTS •]
Although the first season was slightly better, some of the stories on this disc are hysterical. The blending of acquaintences and antagonistic relationships into friendships have left some bumps in the road, which the cast manages to avoid for the most part. Their rapport is fantastic and kept my whole family rolling. As the members of the cast get more comfortable with their parts, you can see them having more fun - although I think that Jeff's character was underutilized in Season 2.

Unlike Friends, which uses euphemisms for various topics to avoid censors, Coupling only uses them as a humor device – and the effect is superb. They manage to not use catch phrases and deviously-worded phrases as a way AROUND censors but as real-life conversational tricks. THAT is why this series works so well - because they seem more real than our New York counterparts. Steve could be your best friend - or you - and everyone knows a Jeff and a Sally that they hang out with. If only we had as many fun times as these people did, this country would be a lot happier.

One note – this definitely is not for children. Think Friends if it was being shown after The Sopranos. There is a LOT of adult humor and innuendo that most children shouldn’t be exposed to – it’s raunchier than standard U.S. fare (my son is pretty mature for his age – he actually even got all of the jokes, but he’s an exception).

If you want to see this series, I would suggest getting Series 1 first, as it will set the table for you and has some classic moments that are referred to later. Once you have seen that one, enjoy Series 2 ... and prepare yourself for the Series 3 DVD coming out soon.

[• for more INFORMATION •]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age