MovieChat Forums > The Games (1998) Discussion > Just watched Series 1

Just watched Series 1

posted 14 years ago by samanthaseaotter
1 reply | jump to latest

First, I have to say that I have had limited exposure to Australian programming with the exception of a few films and all of "Kath & Kim" and some of "Big Girls Blouse."

I got it basically because I love Gina Riley (and I was surprised how attractive she was after watching her infamous appearance in "Kath & Kim." She proves how she can be dryly understated as well pulling all that slapstick.

I've never seen the other two leads (although I did recognize a few of the guest appearances) but they were so damned funny I sat there laughing through every episode. I can't decide which bit is the funniest (the discussion over lacrosse, the missing area, the 100-yard event that was in danger of being the 94-yard event, trying to decide which event was so obscure that it could be eliminated, the sex change qualification of the skeet shooter, the genetically engineered horse, setting fire to the wig of one of the judges... damn, it was all so funny I could barely stand it. It was like a Christopher Guest-type approach to the Olympics.

I completely remember the panic associated with Y2K, so that episode practically had me peeing in my pants (emergency measures being lots of people with scorecards).

Going to start series 2 this week. Can't wait to get the catch-up on what happened between the series.

Samantha
"We're here. We're dead. Get used to it."

[–] Drewy 11 years ago

I can't decide which bit is the funniest

There are hundreds of good bits, aren't there? My favourite may not even register with people outside Australia.

As in many countries around the world, the earliest white inhabitants treated the indigenous population like...well, you know. And it didn't end in 1800 - it continued well into the 1960s and many would say is still occurring. There was a very strong push for the government to apologise to the aboriginal population. The then prime minister John Howard refused point blank, saying that it happened well before his time. (See my point above!)

The Games program made an issue about it, and said that many black nations would not attend the Sydney Games unless John Howard apologised. At the same time there was (and still is) an actor, well loved in this country, who happens to share a name with the Prime Minister...so they got John Howard to apologise. :-)

Gina thought people might notice that it was actor John Howard, not prime minister John Howard, doing the apologising, but John quite rightly believed they'd get away with it. I just thought it was hilarious.