Everyone's a Critic: SPACED, It's Finally Here!

You think I'm unemotional, don't you. I can be emotional! Jesus I cried like a child at the end of Terminator 2. -Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg)

And so starts the glorious if too brief journey into the UK series known as Spaced. I had heard of Spaced when Shaun of the Dead had hit our shores and being a fan of that film, I was definitely curious. It wasn't til right before Hot Fuzz, that I was able to get my hands on the series (14 episodes, two season, thank you bittorrent!). Until now Spaced has only been available stateside in bootlegged form passed from fan by hand to hand (and Internet.) I immediately fell in love with the gang of geeks and regular joes that inhabit Spaced. These people are my friends. These people are me.

If Couplings is the UK Friends, then Spaced is the UK Friends for the geek crowd. The type that own comics, adore Gillain Anderson and whose speech is laden with pop culture references like they are going out of style. Envisioned as "a cross between "The Simpsons" (1989) "The X Files" (1993) and "Northern Exposure" (1990)" by creators/writers and stars Jessica Stevenson & Simon Pegg, Spaced's heart is about a guy and a girl who meet in a coffee shop, bond and then pretend to be a couple to get a couples only apartment. A skinny Nick Forst and others show up and hilarity ensues. Directed by Edgar Wright, Spaced episodes move like freight trains and are brimming with enough homages to choke a small horse. All this makes for hilarious, if brief viewing experience. But Spaced fanboy soul really is in its lovable characters that become near and dear to you in no time at all. It's a credit to Stevenson and Pegg and that Spaced emotions, not witty remarks really are the draw.

I encourage everyone to seek this dvd set out. It's loaded to the gills with special features and the episodes are presented with quality. Plus, its only 14 episodes! My favorite episodes are ep 4, Battles and ep 5, Chaos. First involving Pegg, Frost and paintball. The second involving a rescue plan for a captured pet. Hilarious! Enjoy it while you can. You be glad you did. I'm off to watch the second season!