Whether you’re in the US or UK, admit it: there’s a certain euphoria you get when you hear the aggravated, indignant tones of Ian McKellen yelling “Stuart!”
I speak, of course, of Vicious, the series about British couple Freddie and Stuart, some of the best -and most lovable insult-slinging- characters in British television sitcoms. If you currently have no idea what I’m talking about, start googling, because here are the top five reasons we want so badly to be as “vicious” as they are.
1. The relationship between Stuart and Freddie
As admirably as they hurl insults, barbs, witticisms, taunts, and open jeers at each other, the real star of the show is the relationship between Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi). As much as they generally seem to hate each other to the depths of their souls, at the end of the day, you want a relationship just like theirs: honest, but ultimately affectionate and loving. And hey, if they’ve made their romance work for multiple decades, maybe barbed insults are the key to a good relationship and no one told us?
2. Penelope
Be honest, doesn’t college make you feel like Penelope, the perpetually well-meaning but never quite with-it friend of Freddie and Stuart? Always there on the fringes of the action but never totally sure what’s happening or who’s doing what. She tries to get it. She tries. Just like us in a Monday morning math class.
3. Ash
There’s no need to get sucked into the “Game of Thrones” madness if you don’t need to, so here’s how you can get your Iwan Rheon fix in a plot with just as much drama and hysteria. Ash – Freddie and Stuart’s young, clueless neighbor – is undeniably attractive, and it’s adorable how Freddie and Stuart take him under their wing(s) when he doesn’t have any positive male role models.
4. Balthazar
Balthazar, an ancient dog, is the (debatably?) living lump that takes up a comatose residency in Freddie and Stuart’s kitchen. The embodiment of you after midterms week, Balthazar spends his days curled up under a blanket, snoozing the days away and eating tasty morsels while stubbornly refusing to activate any of his limbs for a walk outside. Sometimes, you just need someone to jab you sharply with a broom to make sure you’re still alive.
5. Violet
Violet (played by Frances de la Tour, also known as “Madame Maxime” in the Harry Potter movies) is the kind of woman you secretly wish you could (sort of) be like: unapologetic, brash, wild, and who, shall we say, lives her life to the fullest with no regrets. No matter how many lines she may cross, Violet does what she wants, and seems to enjoy it.