Coupling

Coupling (2000-2004, creator Steven Moffat) was an English sitcom sometimes described as an English version of Friends because of its focus on six early-30s single friends living in the city (London, in this case), hanging around on couches in an eating establishment (a bar rather than a coffee shop), and pairing off in various combinations. But Coupling had a goofier and more frank "anything goes" style of humor. Episodes often culminated with main character Steve delivering increasingly manic, aggrieved rants about the awkwardness of sex or the differences between men and women in couples.

A friend recently pointed out to me that Coupling is just about the most heteronormative show ever and nothing they discuss really applies to me. Even though, if I think about it, I find the attitudes about gender and sexuality obnoxious, this is still one of my "comfort shows" and I've seen the first season or two more times than I care to count.

An important caveat when watching Coupling is never to watch season 4.

Top 3 Key Episodes

1.2 "Size Matters": While the pilot is funny, I think the second episode--in which Steve (Jack Davenport) and Susan (Sarah Alexander) have a second date at Susan's and the guys and girls separate to give each of them advice beforehand--gives a better introduction to the chemistry of the various groups (Steve and Susan as a couple, the girls, and the guys), all of which will be at the heart of the rest of the show. The main subplot has Sally (Kate Isitt) attempting to flirt with Patrick (Ben Miles) after finding out he's huge, only to be put off that he's a Tory, a conflict that will define the rest of their relationship. From the even-more-comic-relief characters, we get Jeff's (Richard Coyle) "Sock Gap" theory and Jane (Gina Bellman) insisting that she has a shot with a gay man: "I'm bisexual!"

2.9 "The End of the Line": By this time, Steve and Susan live together and they've fallen into a rut, but neither of them is making any real moves toward marriage. Each attempts to flirt with other people on the phone, but for complicated reasons, they only end up talking to each other in silly accents. This starts out among the most farcical episodes ever, just an escalating series of prank calls between the girls and the guys, but it concludes with a punch to the gut as the main couple realizes they are at a decision point: commit or break up.

3.1 "Split": The resolution of the breaking-up cliffhanger after 2.9, a concept episode which spends almost the entire 22 minutes in split screen showing how each of the main couple deals with the breakup. Precisely timed with interesting juxtapositions and a play-like feeling with a lot of quiet stage business from one side while the other riffs. Experimental episodes like this are cool, although the moment-to-moment concern with the format has arguably detracted from the story a bit--I'm still not sure why they (spoiler alert) got back together.

Bonus Episodes

There are only a total of 22 non-season-4 episodes, so it's not a huge commitment to watch all of them. But here are some of the more crucial ones, from a plot standpoint as well as an understanding-references-to-this-show standpoint.

1.1 "Flushed": The pilot centers around Steve and Susan's disastrous first date, which, for various tenuous reasons, everybody ends up attending. The central message, that friends and exes are inevitably part of any relationship, is important to the show, and the episode's final date scene, while incredibly cringeworthy, also includes some of the snappiest jokes.

1.3 "Sex, Death, and Nudity": The gang attends a funeral and tries very, very hard not to laugh at an inopportune moment. I like this episode because it suggests at an early stage that the show will be open about a variety of taboo topics, not just sex but also mortality, etc., even though most of the series is really just about sex. Includes Jeff's "Giggle Loop" theory.

1.4 "Inferno": Susan holds a dinner party and various increasingly ridiculous misunderstandings--including Steve trying to figure out if Susan found his porn, Jane giving the impression that her therapist is her date, and Patrick unintentionally giving the wrong impression with his gay haircut--builds to a group argument in which Steve's taste in lesbian porn is put on trial. Probably one of the most memorable episodes of the series.

2.3 "Her Best Friend's Bottom": Steve accidentally sees Sally naked, but Susan is more upset that Steve can't form an opinion about how to decorate their apartment (the closest he comes is asserting that he is "undecided about spots"). This Coupling in its purest form--dealing with serious anxieties about monogamy and commitment through a series of extremely trivial arguments. Again, it culminates in one of the biggest and best Steve rants, complete with a live-audience-pleasing Dr. Who reference.

2.4 "The Melty Man Cometh": This is a key Patrick and Sally episode, as they finally decide to go on a date. Super-confident Patrick is uncharacteristically affected by his neurotic friends' predictions of failure, leading them to question whether his feelings for Sally are more tender than he realizes.

2.6 "Gotcha": Steve and Susan's friends freak them out by convincing them that their one-year anniversary dinner is the proper time for a marriage proposal. This episode gets to the heart of Steve's intense, plot-central resistance to marriage, and features a rare moment of insecurity for Susan as she worries that Steve was more attracted to Jane.

3.4 "Remember This": Another key Patrick and Sally episode, as well as a great one for everyone's backstory, as the story of how Patrick and Sally met at Susan's office party is told through a series of flashbacks.

3.7 "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps": This last episode of season three--effectively the series finale, from my point of view--centers around a rather tired "whose pregnancy test is it" plotline, but nicely wraps up various central storylines (such as the question of whether and when Steve and Susan will commit to each other and whether and when Patrick and Sally will get together), while introducing enough new complications for you to feel that the characters have a future. Contains Jeff conservatively refusing to talk up an apple.