History Funny / Coupling

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0dV0_qOliQ This conversation]]:

** The buildup to this makes it even better. First we see Julia, the woman he almost kissed, tell the girls why she didn't kiss him with a fake flashback as to what ''she'' imagined would happen (subtly setting her up as Jeff's perfect match, of course). Since the guy in question was Jeff, we just ''know'' his will be more extreme. And it doesn't disappoint.

* The U.S. version had some funny moments as well, particularly the episode "Dressed", where Jane is invited over to a guy's apartment and thinks it will just be the two of them, so she wears a trenchcoat with ''nothing'' underneath, and when it turns out all his friend sare there, Jane has to make excuses to keep her coat on, [[ItMakesSenseInContext she desperately tries to get a little girl to steal a dress for her by giving her the coat]] which fails miserably and hilariously, then Jane finally gives up and casually walks in front of the guy and his friends while completely naked, puts on another coat and leaves, her complete lack of embarassment and the guy's reactions is what really sells it.

** Jeff's ability to blurt out the most incredible craziness and shock his [very] open friends are simply amazing. His reveal with Steve at the Sperm clinic was gut busting, not to mention his explanation of suffering 'lower whiplash'. Or the scene immediately following the captain subtext scene where his subconscious spoke only in one- or two-word exclamations like "Cleft. Gusset. Bicycle saddle", only to keep doing it after the 'auto-translate' was disabled. Or unintentionally stripping totally nude while dancing in front of all his colleagues and his mother! Or:

-->''Jill'': (to Jane) Well, you seem healthy. So much for Voodoo.

* Steve hilariously trying to explain the complex plot of "[[AllMenArePerverts Lesbian Spank Inferno]]", culminating in a massive rant detailing how the entire history of human achievement was all in order for men to get a better look at women's bottoms.

* Jeff's basically a walking CMOF. We mustn't forget his running into the bar, not realising he's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVkOmaSXlmI wearing a gimp mask]], either:

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-->'''Jeff''': I suppose this is why they were so helpful at the chemist's. And why they didn't charge me anything. And why they were crying.

-->'''Muriel''': (Turns to coffin) Sausage roll, Margaret. (Beat) Oh, no, you're dead.

*** This happens so much that there's a moment where Jeff isn't present, but Steve says out of nowhere "Don't be stupid, Jeff!" The others stare at him for a moment. Horrified, Steve says "Oh God, I've internalised him!"

* Patrick's [[WhatAnIdiot attempts]] to keep Sally from watching his sex tape with Jane. First he locks his video cupboard and removes the tape. It takes her a second to deduce that he locked the tape ''outside'' the cupboard. Then she finds it in the video player where he he was going to tape over it — but forgot to press record. The she demands to look in the cupboard in case there's a second tape. He tells her that as soon he heard her coming he locked the cupboard and threw the key out the window. She points out that since the cupboard is always kept locked, he actually unlocked it.

The British classic ''{{Coupling}}'' has this masterclass in how to construct a joke.

* This line:
-->'''Jeff''': "I've got the keys to the gates of paradise... but I've got too many legs."

* The best example is the episode ''The Girl With Two Breasts''. There are several laugh-out-loud moments through the episode, but the ''entire episode'' is just one great big lead-up to the line:
-->"Sorry... I was expecting [[FunWithForeignLanguages Shadayim]]."

* There are several episodes in which a primary joke runs the entire time (or at least is repeatedly mentioned) only to come to an hilarious (and sometimes expected, but never enough to ruin the joke) climax. Other examples of this would be the episodes ending in "I am Giselle!" and [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown "Ohhh... Jeffrey!"]]

* Jeff is basically a walking CMOF. We mustn't forget his running into the bar, not realising he's wearing a gimp mask, either:
-->"I suppose this is why they were so helpful at the chemist's. And why they didn't charge me anything. And why they were crying." [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVkOmaSXlmI Linksky.]]
** Jeff's ability to blurt out the most incredible craziness and shock his [very] open friends are simply amazing. His reveal with Steve at the Sperm clinic was gut busting, not to mention his explanation of suffering 'lower whiplash'. Or the scene immediately following the captain subtext scene where his subconscious spoke only in one- or two-word exclamations like "Cleft. Gusset. Bicycle saddle", only to keep doing it after the 'auto-translate' was disabled. Or unintentionally stripping totally nude while dancing in front of all his colleagues and his mother! Or:
--->'''Steve''': "You're choking the chicken."
--->'''Patrick''': "You're strangling the python."
--->'''Jeff''': "You're shaking the caravan, Jeffrey. (''cue stares'') Sorry, it got away from me a bit there. Family holidays, eh? God they went on a bit, didn't they?"
** In a similar vain, when he gets a bit caught out in acting out his embarrassing moments from childhood, 'Jeffery, Jeffery, you're vibrating the light fittings!'. But really any of his moments of [[DiggingYourselfDeeper Digging Himself Deeper]] could probably count.
*** In particular, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hstPHM3R1dY Bucket of Ears]] ramble (former TropeNamer for DiggingYourselfDeeper, no less) . This Troper was crying with laughter.
*** Oh, absolutely seconded. The Bucket of Ears rant is the clip this troper uses to introduce others to the show. It's completely brilliant lunacy.
*** This happens so much that there's a moment where Jeff isn't present, but Steve says out of nowhere "Don't be stupid, Jeff!" The others stare at him for a moment. Horrified, Steve says "Oh God, I've internalised him!"

* "I'm full of sperm!"
** Wow, it's no wonder the show only lasted one season after Richard Coyle left, is it?

* Steve hilariously trying to explain the complex plot of [[AllMenArePerverts "Lesbian Spank Inferno"]], cultimating in a massive rant detailing how the entire history of human achievement was all in order for men to get a better look at women's bottoms.

* We Are Men (part of Steve's monumental Bathroom-as-Fortress-of-Solitude explanatory effort)
-->'''Steve''': "We are men. We are different. We have only one word for soap. We do not own candles. We have never seen anything of any value in a craft shop. We do not own magazines full of photographs of celebrities with all their clothes '''on'''. When we have conversations, we actually take it in turns to talk. We have not yet reached that level of earth-shattering boredom and inhuman despair where we would have a haircut '''recreationally'''. We do not know how to get excited about really '''really''' boring things, like ornaments, bath oil, the countryside, vases, small churches. I mean, we do not even know what, '''WHAT''' in the name of God's arse is the purpose of potpourri. Looks like breakfast, smells like your auntie."

* Jeff's blindfolded striptease in front of his colleagues, friends, and parents... which is followed by his first sexual encounter in the series)

* Also from Jeff. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVkOmaSXlmI Hilarious]]. (For those of you playing at home: Jeff has, hem hem, lost the key to some handcuffs. He's at the [[LocalHangout bar]], explaining how things go down.)

* A chain of three -- the "Captain Subtext" scene leads to Steve's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxVHealguGs rant on the mysterious nature of cushions]] ("What are they? Pets for couches?"), leads to Susan's one line defusing of the whole thing;
--->'''Steve''': "So, tell me--what ''possible reason'' would I have to sit on one of ''these''?"
--->'''Susan''': "''Because'', if you pressed it firmly against your bottom it might ''stop you from talking''!"

* The giggle loop.
** It's not really a loop, is it? It's more of a stack.

* "I'm not pregnant! It's a miracle! I have shagged and shagged and shagged, and all the little bastards missed!"

* '''Patrick''': "That's what you thought would happen if you kissed her?"\\
'''Steve''': "You think if you kiss a woman, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0dV0_qOliQ your mother will emasculate you with a miniature guillotine?]]"]].
*** The buildup to this makes it even better. First we see Julia, the woman he almost kissed, tell the girls why she didn't kiss him with a fake flashback as to what ''she'' imagined would happen (subtly setting her up as Jeff's perfect match, of course). Since the guy in question was Jeff, we just ''know'' his will be more extreme. And it doesn't disappoint.

* Patrick's [[WhatAnIdiot attempts]] to keep Sally from watching his sex tape with Jane. First he locks his video cupboard and removes the tape. It takes her a second to deduce that he locked the tape ''outside'' the cupboard. Then she finds it in the video player where he he was going to tape over it - but forgot to press record. The she demands to look in the cupboard in case there's a second tape. He tells her that as soon he heard her coming he locked the cupboard and threw the key out the window. She points out that since the cupboard is always kept locked, he actually unlocked it.

--->'''Jeff''': "You're shaking the caravan, Jeffery. (''cue stares'') Sorry, it got away from me a bit there. Family holidays, eh? God they went on a bit, didn't they?"

*** In particular, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hstPHM3R1dY Bucket of Ears]] ramble. This Troper was crying with laughter.

** If the Captain Subtext scene weren't enough, it's closely followed by [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxVHealguGs Steve's cushion rant]]. Not only is the rant ''itself'' hilarious, but Susan manages to deflate the entire thing in one blow:
--->'''Steve''': "So, tell me--what ''possible reason'' would I have to sit on one of ''these''?"
--->'''Susan''': "''Because'', if you pressed it firmly against your bottom it might ''stop you from talking''!"

-->"I suppose this is why they were so helpful at the chemist's. And why they didn't charge me anything. And why they were crying."

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