"London Irish": A Gay Hookup in the First Episode

Wow, did London Irish get bad reviews.
"The sick com that tried too hard to disgust"
"Two episodes in, and I can't take no more!"
"Why didn't this g** f**** w*** sh*** show get cancelled after one week?"
"Sick sitcom has provoked outrage!"
"I can't even finish this review!  It's too disgusting for words!"

Now I'm definitely watching out of curiosity -- what could be worse than the Cartman killing a boy's parents and serving them in a stew on South Park?  Or the Brian and Stewie bank vault scene on Family Guy?   Or almost any episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

In fact, it sounds like Always Sunny: a group of friends who work in a bar get drunk and criticize everybody and everything, including each other.  In this case, it's Irish ex-patriots living in London (although they really hate the English), using a lot of Irish profanity that I don't understand.

Ready for the putative sh** show?

Opening: The four friends are drinking in a pub, discussing how the Irish are stereotyped as terrorists.

Scene 1: Bronagh (Broh-nah), the Dee character, a blond woman in her 30s, wakes up after night of binging, and finds a toddler in her bed.  "We didn't do it, did we?"  she asks him horror.   Well, I can see how that might raise a few eyebrows

In the next bedroom, Packy, the Dennis character, wakes up iin his undewear (nice physique), tied to the bed, having just been sexually assaulted by a woman who thinks she's his girlfriend.

Packy is played by Peter Campion, who sparked controversy in a scene where he kisses his male cousin in a pub loo on Redwater.

Meanwhile, Niamh (Nee-uv), the Mac character, is on the toilet, laughing at a book about Anne Frank.  Ok, that's uncalled-for.  She wipes her hands on Conor (Charlie) (Kerr Logan),  who is asleep in the bathtub.

Scene 2: Bronaugh asks Niamh about the toddler in her bed.  She asks: "Is he gay?  I mean, not fairly blue gay, but in that direction?" Ok, that's homophobic.   He's Frankie, the boy she's babysitting after lying about her qualifications.

They have breakfast.  Was Packy raped?  Bronagh finds Conor "creepy."  "But he's your brother!"

Scene 3: They walk down the street (nice London exterior), discussing how much they hate Dylan, who is dating Packy's crush.  "He's very attractive, but he's a cock.  I shit the bastard, I really do."

Scene 4: At the pub.  They discover that Dylan is dead, and start saying nice things about him.  James, Bronagh's boyfriend, arrives (Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince Charles in The Crown). They all hate him because he's too English, saying thngs like "I had fun last night, literally."

Scene 5: Packy tries to seduce the dead guy's grieving life partner by inventing a dead sister.  Definitely something Dennis would do.

Scene 6: That night at the pub, Bronagh's boyfriend James tells Conor, "You have to tell Bronaugh."  Conor has no idea what he is talking about.  A mystery to spice things up.

Scene 7: At the wake, James re-iterates that Conor has to tell Bronaugh about their relationship.  Conor wasn't aware that they were in one; it was just a hookup, nothing serious.  So they're both gay or bi?  Interesting!

Meanwhile, Bronagh talks Niamh into kissing the corpse.  .

Scene 8: Conor confides in Packy:  Bronagh can't find out about their hookup!  She'll cut their balls off, literally.

 Packy responds: "Are you gay now? If you are, I totally respect that.  Of course, I couldn't be friends with you anymore."  Maybe he's joking.

Conor:  "I'm not gay, it was just sex.  But now James expects a relationship."
Packy: "You have to break up with him."
Conor:  "But he's such a nice fella...he gave me these flowers."

Scene 9: The other guests see Niamh kissing the corpse.

Scene 10: The toddler Frankie stumbles nto the bathroom, where James and Conor are kissing with their pants down.  Conor explains that he was planning to have sex with James to "thank him" for being cool about their breakup. But don't tell Bronagh!

As they are discussing who is going to "ride" whom, Frankie runs off, presumably to tell Bronagh. Conor follows, his pants still around his knees, into the parlour, where all the guests have gathered, saying "This will be our secret."  Implications of pedophilia are always funny.  But at least Conor isn't worried about people thinking that he's gay.  .

Closing Scene: In the pub, they discuss why England doesn't have many pedos, while Ireland has  a "very rich pedo culture."  But not many serial killers -- you can't have everything.

Will I keep watching?  Shite, yeah! London Irish is milder than half of American television, the guys are cute, and I want to see how the "not gay" Conor plotline is resolved.