By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
New episodes every Tuesday
For more information on Optik, Pik, and TELUS Presents, please visit telus.com/teluspresents.
When powerhouses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are executive producing Out of Her Mind, starring stand-up comedian Sara Pascoe, you know there’s something to like about this show. This genre defying fourth wall breaking British program made its debut on BBC2 and residents of Western Canada are lucky to get an early exclusive. It’s broadcasting on Telus Presents, and this streaming service is available to OPTIK and PIK TV subscribers.
Unlike The Office or Malcolm in the Middle, this offbeat work is not just about Sara providing commentary on her life. We are literally looking into her mind. She’s chiding her conscious self for those gaffes and explains why her actions are a result of misfiring thought processes and chemical imbalance. No, she’s not going through menopause.
It’s hilarious but sad to see (the real world) Sara feeling dissolute. The backstory about her younger sister getting ready to marry and she’s very excited for it makes for a huge contrast. Maybe Pascoe is feeling lonely because everywhere she goes, she sees happy people. The reason behind her behaviour is explained, but there has to be more going on because there are times she’s like a kid trapped in an adult’s body. Fifteen years ago, she was dumped by her fiancé a few weeks after they got engaged. She never got over it and I figure her retreat into her own mind is hardly scratching the surface.
Maybe she should try living in New York. Life is not necessarily rougher, but it’s certainly its own unique world. It’s easy to get lost in the mix there.
Unlike PIXAR’s Inside Out, there’s only one person in her head and I surmise that’s her ego at work here. The other parts of her psyche, the id and super-ego, are suspiciously missing. These segments are hilarious because she gets to be an inspiring Egon Spengler (Ghostbusters); her self-absorbed comedy is cute. She’s determined to prove romance comes from conditioning and bio-chemical reactions in the brain. Instead of figuring out her problems, she’s laying down the law.
These segments are where we get Sara the stand-up comedian in the raw. Anyone who’s seen her real life shows knows what to expect, and it’s gold.
