Derek goes Duran Duran in its penultimate episode...It has to be said that the episode quality of Ricky Gervais' Derek of late has been variable. There's only been one single instance when the show has merited a worthy 5* score from us, and in past weeks our scores have ranged from 2.5-4*. Thankfully, 'Episode 5' is something of a return to form for the show, even if there's little in the way of spectacular material on offer here.
The inclusion of the British rapper 'Doc Brown' in the guest cast this time around was an inspired choice on the part of Gervais. While his character definitely treads much the same story arc as Vicki did in Episode 2, his concluding 'jingle' over the credits made for a nice deviation from the norm for the first season. Indeed, Brown's collaborations with Derek, Hannah and Vicki in particular were among the highlights of this episode, a relatively strong new instalment.
What let 'Episode 5' down, then? Primarily, the series' one faulty element: Kev. David Earl's character has had some unhealthy gag-attempting dialogue in the last few weeks, and the situation was no different and no more effective in the case of his flop Duran Duran production here. Earl seems a likeable actor to say the least, yet this reviewer hopes that his appearances will be toned down and less frequent should a second season be commissioned. Overall, though, Derek 'Episode 5' still most certainly had its laughs, and if the finale is even a similar quality, then the show can leave a sufficient legacy should it not return for a second run.
4/5
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