The IT Crowd Returns! (A Humble Review) *spoilers*

Ah. This sound. I sat down to watch the new episode of The IT Crowd already feeling like a giddy teenage girl (yes, that still happens from time to time), but when the opening theme started to play, well, I had a total spaz attack.

So regardless of everything else going on around me, I was already pretty pumped for this.

Jen The Fredo opens with Moss 'compiling a play list' for a role playing game he's going to host. I never figured Moss would be into RPG, but I went with it because I was just happy to have the show back. Meanwhile, Jen is bangin' on about wanting to be the new Entertainment Manger, and we find out Roy has just gotten out of a long term relationship (and he's still not over it).

Which kind of puzzled me. Why tell the viewers what one character has been up to while the show was off the air, but not give us any insight as to what Jen and Moss (or even Douglas, for that matter) have been doing? Yes. I know Moss said he'd met a girl 'while on holiday' but when Roy makes a smart remark about it and Moss reacts badly to Roy's clip, I determined there was no girl (and maybe even no holiday).

But, again, I was willing to go with it out of my deep and abiding love for the show. Jen seemed to be less uptight and confused than usual (which I just chalked up to character development) but Moss was still the lovable geek he's always been, so I was good to go.

Jen approaches Douglas about being Ents. Manager and he laughs in her face. Which, really, is to be expected (especially since both Moss and Roy told her 'it's not for you, Jen'). Douglas informs Jen that the position is not going to go to her because, traditionally, that title has always been held by a man. Jen reminds him that their company has a horrible reputation as being sexist. Douglas reminds Jen that he was the recipient of an award given by feminists that's shaped like "that ice cream fellow" (only after calling Jen 'sugar tits', which, I'm not going to lie, made me laugh). Jen then informs Douglas that the award given to him by the feminists which he so proudly displays on his desk is actually the "Shithead Of The Year" award. Har Har.

Meanwhile, Roy is still moping over the loss of his girlfriend and Moss tries to give him some very Moss-y advice. Roy shoots down Moss' advice. Jen comes in proclaiming she got the job and the boys inform her her new position is very much like the one Fredo held in The Godfather, (ie: Jen is now a pimp and is expected to show these out of town business men a 'good time'). Jen tries to explain to Moss and Roy that The Godfather was the 70's; this is a totally different time and totally different circumstances.

Cut to Douglas in his office holding a drink, laughing with three other business men and cutting the conversation short (with a tactful 'Enough about our balls!') when he sees Jen enter the room. Douglas introduces Jen to the three business men (Phil, John and John) who immediately mistake her for some kind of stripper or whore. We're off to a good start already, gents! Douglas explains that she's the new Ents. Manager. What?! How could this be?! She's a woman for Christ sakes! Douglas tries to convince Phil and the Johns that Jen knows the 'sleaziest routes' to take in London and they shouldn't worry. Jen promises to take them to see an all-female show that she promises is well raunchy.

Cut the Jen, Phil and the Johns being tossed out of a showing of The Vagina Monologues.

Back at Reynholm Industries, Douglas is meeting with a group of feminists to try to convince them to give the "Shithead of the Year" award to someone more deserving (as if that man even exists). Jen enters the office and (before she can be properly introduced to the women), mistakes the feminists for prostitutes, offends them (and proves their point about Douglas being a total dick) and leaves.

Back in the IT room, Jen laments over having to spend a whole week with Phil and the Johns. Moss attempts to give her a male viewpoint and insure her that he can show Phil and the Johns a good time without throwing morality out the window.

Cut to Moss trying to explain to Roy, Phil and the Johns the rules of RPGs. Roy is still crying and the businessmen look totally bored. Phil proclaims that RPGs sound gay. Moss nearly proves Phil's point. As the games begin, Jen enters the room in what I can only describe as a different persona. Masculine, nearly misogynistic and projecting onto the men typically female stereotypes. Holy shit! Jen is me in this scene!

Meanwhile, Douglas is getting it on with Miranda, one of the feminists, in his office. Miranda informs him that she doesn't have the ability to take the award back herself, and also lets slip that he was nominated because "one of the women in the IT department" sent their organization a list of complaints about things Douglas had done over the past year.

Cut to Phil and the two Johns actually enjoying the RPG.

This is where Moss does something that seemed wildly out of character for me. He took on the persona (in the game; not as weird as Jen's personality change earlier) of "Queen Eliza Eldridge of the elves", who in the game dumped Roy's RPG character.

My first thought as this whole scenario started was "OH MY GOD, MOSS!" I felt as though Moss had opened a whole can of worms and dumped it, soil and all, into the gaping flesh-wound that was once Roy's heart.

I'm not going to spoil what happens next. Go watch it for yourself, lazy. Let's just say even Phil and the Johns start crying.

The Three Little Businessmen reports back to Douglas how happy they are with their new Ents Manager. Douglas lets Jen know that he's aware Jen's the one who reported him to the feminists and ultimately help secure him the award. Jen then asks Moss and Roy what happens at the end of The Godfather and they tell her The Godfather has Fredo killed.

And the show ends on a final laugh that results from Douglas being careless and Jen over-reacting.

Honestly, this first episode was a little disappointing. There wasn't as many moments of flight-of-fantasy what the fuckery as in the previous three series.

But I'm going to take into mind the fact that nothing really could have lived up to the hype I sort of built up in my mind over The IT Crowd returning. There are two things that are going to make me watch episode two of the new series when it airs: my aforementioned blind and undying love for the show and the knowledge that Fielding will be returning at some point to reprise his role as Richmond the lovable goth.

Four out of Five stars.