Recap / Crashing (UK)

Episode 1

Kate organizes a scavenger hunt party for Sam's birthday. Lulu arrives.

• Bonding over Missing Parents: Sam and Fred have both lost their fathers — Sam recently, Fred not so recently. They're able to commiserate over it, and this is the first moment they begin to really bond.
  Fred: I heard about your Dad. I'm sorry. Mine died too. I was much younger but...
  Sam: Hurts. [beat] Yeah.
  Fred: Yeah.
  Sam: Yeah.
  Fred: [starts to smile] Yeah.
  [They chuckle together. Then, just when the tone has become lighthearted, Sam suddenly hugs Fred hard and fights back tears.]
• Distracted by My Own Sexy: Sam psychs himself up for his party by flirting with himself in the mirror.
• Gaydar: Upon first meeting, Sam pegs Fred as gay despite having no evidence. Fred — though less confident in his assessment — seems to think there's some possibility Sam is as well.
  Sam: Are you gay?
  Fred: Are you?
  Sam: [beat] You're so gay.
• Innocent Innuendo: When Lulu shows up, Anthony says he'll show her around the ward and that it will only take a couple of sec(ond)s.
  Anthony: We'll just be a couple of secs. [leaves]
  Sam: "Sex."
• Panty Thief: Implied Trope.
  Fred: [to Sam] We have actually met before, in the laundry room when you were stealing that girl's— [gets interrupted]
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  Sam: I was going to fuck you.
  Jessica: Excuse me?
  Sam: [enunciating] I. Was. Going. To. Fuck. You.
  Jessica: Oh shit! Oh my… oh, oh gosh, I'm sorry, I guess in that case I should, I should probably, um— [Bitch Slap]
• Sleeps with Everyone but You: Sam calls Jessica a slut because she won't sleep with him and instead leaves with another man.
• Smooch of Victory: Sam gives Fred an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek when they solve the treasure hunt.
• You Remind Me of X: Upon first meeting Lulu, Melody remarks that Lulu and Kate look alike, suggesting Anthony Has a Type.
  Melody: You guys look really similar.
  Lulu: Yeah, I guess—
  Kate: No, I don't think so.

Episode 2

Lulu has her first day at her new job at Kate's work. Sam asks Fred to take the day off work and spend the day with him.

• Acquaintance Denial: Subverted Trope. Last episode, while being partners on a scavenger hunt, strangers Sam and Fred seem to be becoming friends. The next day, Fred greets Sam in passing and Sam bluntly ignores him for a moment, before turning around and (in an overzealous but good-natured way) ribbing Fred for looking so sad about being ignored, then asking him to hang out.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Kate tries to deter Lulu from having lunch with Anthony by asking her to deliver a package to Delilah Forjenatuseu. It contains the stapler from her desk.
• Instantly Proven Wrong:
  Lulu: Hey, who's the work flirt? I want to get my teeth into somebody.
  Kate: We're not really... We're very professional.
  Johnny: Hey, KK. Looking beautiful as ever.
  Kate: Well, I can see your nipples through that shirt.
  Johnny: Shame I can't say the same about yours.
• Refuge in Audacity: Sam bursts into Fred's work and pretends he's there as a medical messenger.
  Sam: Fred, I need to ask you to step outside. [beat] Your test results have just come back. [beat] Now, Fred. [beat] They've found a donor.
• Rule-Abiding Rebel
  Fred: I am rebellious. There's a crazy Fred in here, serious.
  Sam: Yeah? Shock me.
  Fred: I drew on my desk at school.
  Sam: [teasingly] Whoa! You wild, boy!
  Fred: I cut the tassels off my mum's special rug.
  Sam: [teasingly] Mmm, dirty.
  Fred: I regularly steal pens from Ryman's, and I once killed a fox with a tennis racket.
  Sam: [Beat, looks sidelong at him]
• Title Drop: An odd invoked, in-universe variant. Anthony works at a restaurant called We Don't Give a Fork.
  Anthony: We're a no-cutlery restaurant. It's a contemporary interpretation of the traditional North African hand-to-mouth dining etiquette.
  Colin: I'd rather just have some cutlery.
  Anthony: We don't give a fork. [Beat] They make us say that.
• Underappreciated Women's Work: Strict and responsible Control Freak Kate is the Team Mom. Her role as the one who takes care of things is largely self-assigned, but she also feels rather put-upon by how everyone turns to her to fix everything.
  Kate: Oh okay, fuck you all! Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, I'll fix the danger bath, put up another shelf, set up dates for my fragile work colleagues, before running to work—where I don't even have a receptionist—and yes, I am supposed to be sorting that out as well!

Episode 3

Anthony cooks curry and throws a dinner party with the neighbors. Fred introduces his boyfriend to the group.

• Above the Influence: Downplayed Trope. A drunk Lulu propositions Sam, and he does turn her down, but it's not clear that's the reason. It seems more because Anthony forbade it, or because Lulu just made an absolute fool of herself and isn't seeming that attractive in the moment.
• Bait-and-Switch: Melody tells the group about Colin's divorce situation in uncomfortable detail. The camera only shows her, suggesting that Colin has left. Then the camera pulls out to reveal an uncomfortable-looking Colin sitting next to her.
  Melody: The worst thing about it is, a part of him always knew it was happening, but he was just too much of a coward to be alone. He'd rather have her while she's being licked out by her accountant, than not have her at all. Romantic, pathetic, beautiful — so many things.
  Colin: [Reveal Shot] [Beat] Yes, I wasn't expecting her to tell you all that.
• Brief Accent Imitation: Because it's curry night, Lulu does an Indian accent. Kate feels that's racist and is uncomfortable with it. This conversation leads to doing several other accents—Irish, American, and Melody (the only foreigner at the table) doing a posh English accent.
• Bridal Carry: When the table collapses, Fred leaps into Sam's arms. It's purely reflexive—it happens in a split-second with no time to think—making it revealing.
• By "No", I Mean "Yes": Sam and Anthony have the following conversation about Lulu. Anthony knows it's inappropriate to be a Crazy Jealous Guy in regards to Lulu, but he can't restrain himself.
  Sam: So, just to be clear… you still want to bang Lulu?
  Anthony: No! No.
  Sam: Okay cool! So she's not red zone any more?
  Anthony: Do what you want, man.
  Sam: Really?
  Anthony: No! But, yeah, sure. But no.
  Sam: Yeah?
  Anthony: Yeah. [beat] No. Cool?
• Cat Fight: When Lulu and Melody get into an argument, Sam comments that it's hot.
• Innocent Innuendo: When Colin talks about his ex-wife Cara's "back garden" he literally means the garden behind their house. But it kinda sounds like he's talking about anal sex, and the people listening to him are restraining themselves trying not to laugh.
  Colin: She does have a lovely little front garden. But I only paid attention to the back garden. More space for aggressive seeding and such. It was rather a weekend passion of mine.
  Lulu: Can we see a picture of her back garden?
  Colin: Of course, if you like that sort of thing.
• Muse Abuse: Lulu gets drunk and accuses Melody of exploiting Colin's pain.
  Lulu: [mimicking Melody] "His pain is so beautiful." [back to her own voice] You're using him to indulge yourself. […] At least I don't have to wank other people's pain onto a canvas, and then shove it in people's faces and call it "my art."
• Personalized Pledge: Kate accuses Anthony of telling Lulu some sensitive information about their sex life. He swears he didn't tell her. Later in the episode, it's revealed he lied.
  Kate: Promise me she doesn't know.
  Anthony: I promise.
  Kate: Swear on our future children.
  Anthony: I swear.
• Sudden Principled Stand: Sam solemnly and earnestly compliments Colin. All his neighbors look at him vaguely confused by this uncharacteristic behavior.
  Sam: I think it's beautiful. That you tried. She let you down. You held your end up. Good for you.
• Wrong-Name Outburst: Discussed Trope when Lulu propositions Sam by saying, "I'll let you call me Fred."

Episode 4

Lulu seeks to become an official part of the Property Guardians program. Kate gets painted by Melody.

• Bait-and-Switch: Kate agrees to let Melody paint her, assuming she means paint a picture of her on a canvas. Melody proceeds to apply paint to Kate's skin.
• Cock Fight: An interestingly Gender-Inverted Trope. Will has been watching Sam flirt — and flirt disrespectfully and homophobically at that — with his boyfriend all day long, and animosity between the two has been growing. This culminates in Will and Sam having a shoving match in the bathroom. Shirtless, covered in rainbow paint, and laying hands on each other, it suddenly occurs to them that there's a possibility between them too, not just with Fred. They Almost Kiss, before pulling back and walking away without another word.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Will and Sam have an awkward conversation while pissing side-by-side in the bathroom urinal.
  Will: Hey, I know you've been grieving your father, and that can sometimes make you act a little bit—
  Sam: [pisses on Will's stream of urine]
  Will: [Beat] You're a bit of a prick, aren't you?
• In Vino Veritas: Kate gets very drunk and confesses to Anthony she doesn't love him.
  Kate: I think I've been pretending. [...] Pretending to be in love with you. Pretending to be jealous. Pretending to find you funny. Pretending to love you. Sorry.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Downplayed but Discussed Trope with Lulu and Anthony.
  Lulu: That you'd make a much better girl and I'd make a much better boy?
• Retargeted Lust: Sam and Will are romantic rivals for Fred and they don't like each other — in fact, they can't stand each other — but they do seem vaguely horny for each other. After a subverted Slap-Slap-Kiss scene with Will, less than one full minute later Sam turns around and propositions Lulu.

Episode 5

The neighbors awake to an eviction notice. Fred discusses moving in with Will.

• Armor-Piercing Question: Sam Prank Calls the helpline where Will works. Even not knowing who Sam is, Will is able to read Sam well enough to figure out the key question to ask him: "What happens when the laughter stops?" Sam is so rattled by this he hangs up.
• Bait-and-Switch: Kate says she doesn't want to "live together like this anymore". The "together" part is what initially stands out, but "like this" is the point she's trying to make.
  Kate: I don't want to live together like this anymore.
  Anthony: Fuck, Kate.
  Kate: I don't want to be a Guardian anymore. I want a flat, with fresh fruit and normal windows and no Lulu.
• Little Black Dress: When Melody and Colin are about to go on their first proper date, they're meeting in the middle: Colin's being bolder than usual and Melody is being more subdued. Part of that is dressing in a formal little black dress.
• Prank Call: Sam calls the Samaritans helpline to see if Will actually works there. When he gets him on the line, it becomes a prank call.
• Stress Vomit: Lulu is very hungover, and very nervous watching Kate talk to Anthony. She vomits into Anthony's cooking pot.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial:
  Anthony: What did you do last night?
  Lulu: No one.

Episode 6

• Always Someone Better: Played with. Colin thinks that his wife's new lover, Brian, must be better than him somehow — hence the fact that she left him for Brian — but he's completely at a loss as to how.
  Colin: Gosh, you really are serious about this chap. Does he garden?
  Cara: No.
  Colin: Well, what the fuck does he do, then?!
• By "No", I Mean "Yes":
  Kate: He knows this is where I come when I don't want him to find me. [Beat] Where is he?
• Drowning Our Romantic Sorrows: A newly single Kate and Fred go to a bar together.
• Mistaken from Behind: Anthony sees a woman on the street kissing her boyfriend. She looks like Kate from the back, and he thinks it is Kate On the Rebound.
• Naughty Nurse Outfit: Melody wears a sexy nurse costume to confront Sam over his sex-obsession. She's still wearing it when she has to take Colin to the hospital, and Hilarity Ensues when Colin's ex-wife assumes she's a real nurse.
  Cara: I'm Mr Carter's wife. Are you his [looks her up and down] ...nurse?
  Melody: [beat] Oui.
  Cara: I suppose it's good for morale.
• What Does He See in Her?: Implied Trope. The Anthony the audience knows leaves something to be desired as a partner, but Jessica describes him as Byronic and well-endowed. Jessica doesn't say anything about Kate directly, but by complimenting Anthony and staying silent about Kate, the implication isn't flattering. Jessica also tells Fred—but not Kate—that he did the right thing by breaking up with his boyfriend.
  Jessica: Oh, my God, you guys were never right for each other.
  Kate: Really?
  Jessica: He's a very brooding, funny, mysterious, sexy man.
  Kate: ...yes?
  Jessica: Does he have a massive penis?

---