Review:
Pure Pwnage Teh TV Show: Episode Seven

107: Losing to a N00b

‘Looks matter a lot. Since October started working, business increased fifteen percent. That’s… because she’s better looking than me.’ – Simon

It’s been made pretty clear by now that Jeremy is the best at everything he does and totally hates to lose. The question that this has raised is, ‘what would happen if Jeremy lost?’ Well, it’s time to find out.

One ordinary day at the Mouse and Pad – ordinary that is, until Jeremy finds himself completely destroyed at Starcraft by a n00b. His confidence crushed, Jeremy becomes convinced that he lost because he is also a n00b and seeks advice from Kyle. Naturally, Kyle encourages him to eat healthy foods, sleep at regular times and work more hours at the store. Is it all over for teh_pwnerer and his leader board dominations?

Meanwhile, Tyrell finds himself an equal in a girl gamer he plays with regularly but has never met. Encouraged by October, he sets about trying to meet her.

It’s a strangely disappointing episode, this one. For starters, the fact that there’s an entirely separate subplot to the main story breaks the realism of the show – Kyle is observing the events around him, so how can he be in a restaurant watching Jeremy eat a salad and in a bar on the other side of town following Tyrell?

Add to that the fact that the whole subplot feels weirdly unresolved and you’ve got a bizarrely half-baked concept for an episode. Sure, there are a couple of good gags thrown in there, but it doesn’t feel like the idea has been developed enough to really work. It doesn’t help that it has a really random and abrupt ending that doesn’t provide the storyline with any sense of closure, either.

As for the main story itself, while it is amusing to see Jeremy acting differently and trying to live like a normal human, the character that really stands out in this episode is his manager Brian. Brian’s been turning up for a few good gags since the second episode, but now he really gets his chance to shine. The way he gets so excited about Jeremy’s willingness to work and instantly drops into a Star Wars reference is hilariously child-like and also terrifyingly believable. There must be a hell of a lot of people who have worked with somebody just like Brian.