Well I thought the first episode of Castaway was pretty good. Mostly because they all seemed like a fairly laid back bunch, and the conflicts were taken in good spirits, rather than endless bitching. No doubt the beautiful weather and surroundings help.
The lead ‘character’ in the series has so far been established as Jonathan, who is wonderfully entertaining with his playful anarchism and comic ability to dramatically heighten situations. His brilliant verbal prowess made me laugh out loud throughout the show, whereas presenter Danny Wallace’s scripted gags fell mostly flat.
The ending twist – the group were asked to name ‘the member of the group who has contributed least’, for an as yet unknown reason – is clearly designed to stir things up. A clip at the end of the show seemed to show Jonathan suggesting the obvious response though: refusing to play ball and telling the ‘outsiders’ to stuff it.
All in all I was more excited by the series than I expected to be. The editing is slick, and if the show continues to emphasise the joy and comedy of the situation, rather than the miserableness of it, it should be pretty watchable. It being weekly will help too, as there won’t be the pressure to produce daily dramas, and can instead be more episodic, and ultimately more sustainable over the three months of the project.
Wish I was castaway on a beautiful island in New Zealand…
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