Here
is where it all began. The year is 1998 and a relatively still unknown
Shaun Micallef makes his first attempt at a solo career post-Full Frontal.
And, quite frankly, that's the first thing you notice from the get-go.
Having viewed Series 2 and 3 several times, there is quite an obvious
difference between the Logie Award winning Series Deux, Trois and Un. The
later two series were penned by Micallef and writing partner Gary
McCaffrie and seem to be much tighter and linear, whilst this first
series is written by Micallef and a host of various comedians from
episode to episode (including The Sketch Show's Kitty Flanagan, Nova's Dave O'Neil and Jimeoin's
Bob Franklin). The end result is a much more chaotic and directionless
series of jokes and characters - most of which crossed over from Full Frontal). That's not to say Series Un
is bad! In fact it's the opposite. It seems Micallef was still trying
to figure out what the show was going to be, and it's interesting to
watch the progression of the ideas and Micallef's in-studio persona.
Needless to say, this is more Full Frontal than the Micallef we
know today. The jokes seem to be more broad and accessible than the
intellectual and sophisticated writing of the following two series. But there are some absolute gems in here. The return of Full Frontal
favourite Milo Kerrigan is a delight as is the somewhat evolved David
McGhan. Bob Franklin is superb once again and, much like his roles in Jimeoin, The Mick Molloy Show, Bad Eggs and Introducing Garry Petty,
he is easily one of the most underrated second fiddles in Aussie
comedy. In fact, Franklin almost steals the show in the second episode
with one of the more amusing characters who is constantly (as a cop, a
security guard and a priest) trying to refer business to his brothers
Pizza shop. The most outstanding part of this Series is of course
the introduction of the "Interviewer Shaun Micallef". It's a character
which has served him well since. It's a mix of arrogance, idiocy, self
involvement and being...well...a downright bastard. It truly is
hilarious, and Micallef performs it immaculately. There is a lot
to like about this, and while not as richly layered as the
Micallef/McCaffrie series, there are plenty of laughs to be had. Keep
an eye out for "I Bloody Dare You!", "Shaun's Soapbox" (which would
later be renamed "Shaun's High Horse" in the short lived Micallef Tonight) and a of course "Dr. Miracle"...Stat!
DVD EXTRAS
This
special 2-DVD edition includes over 30 minutes of unreleased extras and
an exclusive audio commentary including some rather amusing deleted
skits. Also, the episode descriptions are fantastic (some of which are
blatantly ripped from episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show...and even more surprising it's from the single episode I've ever seen of that show about painter Vitto Giotti).
Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: N/A
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