Geordie Shore: The Complete Fifth Series
Summary: Geordie Shore is a terrible show populated by terrible people and I, for one, can’t get enough of it.
3.5
Addictively Trashy
Title: Geordie Shore: The Complete Fifth Series
Distributor: Paramount
Rating: R18+
Reviewer: Sean Warhurst
Running Time: 336 Minutes
Genre: Reality
Initially starting off as a lacklustre imitation of the (Admittedly inexplicably) popular phenomenon Jersey Shore, the U.K equivalent of Geordie Shore has, over the course of five delightfully puerile seasons, managed to crawl out from under the shadow of its U.S counterpart and established itself as an overall cruder and more explicit depiction of the lives of the narcissistic echelons of society whose only concerns in life are to get blackout drunk and pull birds. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on your taste, but for those of us who revel in the delights of trashy reality TV, there’s no better way to whittle away the hours than to catch up with our favourite cast of dysfunctional twenty-somethings.
This season sees the motley crew of vain, egotistical meatheads and promiscuous women once again attempt to jam all of their inflated egos into a single location without falling prey to the inevitable blow ups that come with the abundant sexual tension and personality clashes. Despite previously being *Ahem* “close” in previous seasons, the biggest change in the group dynamic is the rift that has formed between James and Holly due to the former not wanting to jeopardise his current relationship, leading to the pair barely acknowledging each other throughout the series until their mutual animosity eventually comes to a head.
Elsewhere the tumultuous relationship between Ricci and Vicky seems to be coming to an end amidst constant quarrelling, and the on again/ off again attraction between Gaz and the enamoured Charlotte returns in full force as the pair struggle to reconcile their feelings for each other.
Boss Anna, fully aware of the group’s lack of work ethic, has this series decided to give the housemates the only job to which they’re truly suited: Organising Stag and Hens night celebrations, which basically become yet another opportunity for the gang to get mortal and pash on. An unexpected benefit of the role is that on occasion these parties take place across Europe, giving the cast the opportunity to bring their own sordid brand of partying to other cultures by travelling to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague and The Alps via Tignes.
Newbies Scott and Dan have settled into their roles quite a bit this series and, Cougar chasing Dan especially, provide some pretty damn amusing moments this time around, in stark contrast to their mutual blandness in series four; another welcome return is the gang, unfettered by the dominant relationship in the house, reverting Vicky back to the party fiend of the past due to Ricci’s early exit from the house.
Again, throughout the series the basic storyline goes: The gang breaks up, makes up and gets absolutely mortal, with Charlotte finding herself removed from the house more than once due to her drunken antics; all of this makes for compelling viewing but, again, once you look at the actual content of each episode you realise that nothing has actually really happened of note and a majority of each episode is comprised of filler up until the prerequisite cliff hanger at the end of each episode, a formula that’s becoming even more blatant and predictable as the series progresses.
Fans of sensationalist trash won’t be deterred though, as the cast are as engaging and enjoyable to watch as ever, as much as it pains the cinema snob in me to admit.
Paramount’s transfer, whilst nothing special, is competent and features all eight episodes in as great detail as the handheld faux documentary aesthetic allows; sound is equally up to par, no small feat when one considers the difficulties in capturing the chaotic cacophony that’s frequently on display.
Special Features
Disappointingly there are no special features this time around.
Final Thoughts
Geordie Shore is a terrible show populated by terrible people and I, for one, can’t get enough of it. This series is a little light on the drama of previous seasons, even when one considers the much awaited dissolution of the Vicky and Ricci coupling, but the routine of “bucking- fighting- tanning- repeat” never ceases to satisfy.
This series isn’t going to add any new converts to this more risqué (And, in my opinion, far superior) cousin of Jersey Shore but, if this kind of puerile programming appeals to your sensibilities, you’ll find yourself as enamoured as ever with series five of Geordie Shore, with many plotlines left dangling at the end of the series to ensure you’ll be anxiously awaiting the next release (Filmed in Australia, no less) in order to see whether or not Gaz and Charlotte will finally get their act together and if the shock departure of two cast members (And a surprise return) will manage to shake up the dynamic of the group.
Recommended for unashamed fans.
About the Author
Sean Warhurst Avid gamer. Cinephile. Considerate lover. Neither the word Protractor or Contractor accurately conveys my position on how I feel about Tractors.
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