Review: Pramface 1.5

Pramface - Series One, Episode Five - Knocked Up And Homeless
"Would you like a pregnant chick around at your house? With all those, hormones and stuff..." Stupid Announcer.

Better. Pramface has really gone past the point of no return in terms of its characters, writing and plots, but there was a general turn towards a more positive experience. The problems are still there, but the dynamics are a little more developed and thus they overshadow them slightly. I suppose the game is finding which stereotypes they're abusing this week, and seeing which ones are less offensive.
     Laura has been staying at Jamie's house for eight weeks now, and despite his parents' issues with her presence she feels welcome. Feeling the full hormonal effects of pregnancy, Laura calls upon Jamie to heed to her every beck and call, with Mike and Beth looking on bemused. Angus and Anna, meanwhile, have a much better subplot in which they try to fix their relationship, which felt so much like a different, better sitcom. Jamie just comes across as a poor, poor sap while Laura has become an unrealistically portrayed, hormone-addled pregnant woman. Beth and Laura clash when Mike and Beth come to the house, and while Jamie confronts Beth's standoffishness, Mike and Laura start playing video games together. In typical sitcom traditions, Laura has false contractions. Anna tells Laura about her fixed marriage and how Jamie's parents have been trying to get her out. Taking hold of the Smart Ball, Laura realises what a douche she's been and Jamie comforts her, resulting in a kiss. Now a safer environment, Laura goes back to live with her parents.
     So, were these stereotypes less offensive? Well, the whole pregnant-woman-is-insane thing is terribly cliché, but we can't really say that it wasn't expected. Pramface is executing these tired sitcom situations in such a standard way that there isn't really any entertainment to it any more. The teen side of the story isn't annoying any more; it's just boring. The Angus and Anna segments were yet again painfully brief, but they at least provided some nice, witty moments. I really don't get how the quality of the writing can change so much between the two subplots; it's remarkable.
     "Knocked Up And Homeless" was business as usual for Pramface; clichéd characters in boring situations in nine-tenths, and brilliant witty charm in the remainder. I'm gonna finish this series for the sake of completion, but I really do have to say that if it wasn't for the blog, I would have abandoned this series a while ago.

Thanks.