Nighty Night

***
Blame inertia. I was unable to change the channel after watching my first episode of Starved on Showcase last night. Maybe it was all the chocolate cake. On the show, not in me. Though I would have liked it in me, which is partly what caused the Deep Couch Paralysis. I was trying to talk myself out of a scavenge of the cupboards, when the BBC's Nighty Night came on.

A friend had told me about Nighty Night some months ago, and I'd promptly forgotten. Oooh, it's horrible, she'd said. Just awful. At the time I thought this was a bad review, but having now watched it, I know just what she meant. Indeed it is terrible. Nasty. And so very very fantastic.

'Black comedy' is an overused term. People love to throw it round. Mostly they use it to refer to anything that they feel guilty about laughing at. On the list of overused terms that irritate me, it ranks only slightly below 'Fellini-esque'. These days, anytime a clown appears outside of a circus, someone suggests it is Fellini-esque. I heard this in relation to the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. I've heard it in relation to parades. I haven't yet heard it in relation to John Wayne Gacy.

But I digress.

You really want black comedy? Try this - the premise of Nighty Night:

Jill co-owns a hair salon. She's shallow, unprincipled, over-sexed, and lacks any real emotions beyond avarice and lust. When her husband Terry is diagnosed with cancer, Jill sees him off to the hospital for treatment - and then immediately tells everyone he's dead and signs up with a dating agency. She soon sets her sights on her new neighbour Don, and is not thrilled to find he has a wife, Cathy - who has MS and is largely confined to a wheelchair. Jill's scheming sees her find constant new tortures for Cathy in an effort to pry Don away. Unfortunately for Jill, her own husband Terry is actually making progress - it seems he may not be terminal after all. Which is the last thing that Jill wants to hear...

Ah, Nighty Night. How fine you are. And how black. There are times when Jill's so unbearable that you can hardly keep your eyes on the screen. She's such a benignly grotesque villain, so manipulative, vile, scheming... oh, I lapped it up. Even when I was screaming and looking away. For every cruelty she unleashes, Jill contains just enough truth that you'll recognise someone you know. The writing is so good (thank you Julia Davis) and the character of Jill so captivatingly selfish (thank you Julia Davis) and it's just so bloody funny, in a shriekingly horrifying way... I urge you to catch it when you can. As long as you're not too sensitive. Or easily upset. For a wee taste test of some admittedly tamer material, you can always check out the video clips here.

Two series of Nighty Night have been completed for the BBC. The first is airing here in Canada on Showcase, and Series Two is currently on BBC Canada. My American friends, you can track down Nighty Night on The Oxygen Network, but you won't find this series on BBC America. Hmm. How odd. Are we just considered less shockable north of the border? Is that why our BBC thinks we can handle it? Or do we just have more experience with glammy neighbours who try to get into our bed, destroy our marriages, and push us out of our wheelchairs?

Whatever the reason, I'll take it. I've got a new Wednesday night treat, and it's better than chocolate cake. Yum yum.