Peep Show was an unadulterated work of comedy genius. This was partly down to the way it seemed to so perfectly capture the follies of living in 21st century Britain specifically, but more important was the way it articulated some of the horrible truths of human existence in general. Seemingly, the more depressing these truths were, the funnier the show became. Life is pain and that’s pretty hilarious, right?
In any case, here are five of the most terribly true truths that Peep Show helped us to see.
Truth #1: We’re all conflicted, all the time
Modern life is hard. On the one hand, we’re all just clever, horny monkeys barely out of the stone age, but on the other hand we’re members of an ordered society rich with rules and restrictions.
We all have to contend with this conflict the best we can. Mark and Jeremy however, are beautiful examples of what happens when this balancing act out goes out the window. In both cases, isolation and the contempt of one’s peers.
Truth #2: We resent the people we love
One of the uncomfortable realities about human relationships is that we’re all basically in it for ourselves. We might like to pretend that we’re motivated by love and mutual connection, but if a relationship doesn’t offer anything to us emotionally then we’re generally not interested. Innumerable married couples live unhappy lives together, limping on regardless because the benefits of security and familiarity are too much to give up. Resentful dependency.
Mark and Jeremy basically hold each other in contempt. They have almost nothing in common. They are completely willing to horrifically screw each over. Yet they provide a weird form of stability to each other’s lives, which they rely on. When Mark mentions his potential move to India, Jeremy is immediately hurt and scared.
They need each other. They mirror the experience of so many of us, engaged in relationships mainly because we’re afraid of being without them.
Truth #3: Minor victories change nothing
We’re taught in the Western World that we have a level of ownership over our lives and that we can forge our futures as we see fit if we apply enough effort. This is essentially bollocks – we’re statistically much more likely to stay in the social class we’re born into, to struggle with the same shitty personality traits, and to repeat an identically dysfunctional relationship with various different people.
Our moments of success, where we seem to steer our ship in a better direction, are often nothing but fleeting anomalies. The cast of Peep Show have their occasional successes, which only serves to make the rest of their lives seem even more hilariously shit.
Truth #4: Confidence wins over competence
The human brain is really rather shit at actually recognising competence, quality or talent. We’re much more impressed by sheer confidence, no matter how inadequate an individual might be. Think of the many millions of humble, self-effacing people who have loud, cockier bosses who are evidently far less qualified for the job. Awful.
For all Mark’s faults, you get the sense that he is essentially very good at his job. Still, he remains enamored by the Cult of Alan Johnson, who is himself evidently full of shit.
Similarly, despite the fact he’s crack-addicted lunatic, Super Hans self-belief means he always seems to land on his feet.
Truth #5: Things never really change
I’m 24, and obviously life feels a world away from my childhood – now I pay taxes and always get served at the pub. Yet I live in the same town I grew up in, sleeping in the same bed, walking the same streets, and socialising with the same friends. Life has changed, but everything has sort of stayed the same.
During the course of Peep Show various massive life events happen for Mark and Jeremy – babies, weddings and career shifts – yet the rhythm of their existence remains essentially unchanged.
That being said, Mark does show a notable character shift during the course of the show. He’d always do shitty, selfish things, but it was usually accompanied with crippling levels of shame. By Series 9 he seems to have stopped caring, and just rolls with it.
Perhaps therein lies the real wisdom to be had from the show; that all we can ever hope for is to accept our selves for what we are, as depressing a reality as that might be.
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