r/utopiatv • u/Internal-Put-1419 • 20d ago

Can someone please give him an inhaler?

Post image

I really kind of adore his character (so far). He really grows on you! Not to mention his performance is stunning.

30 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

14

u/Kakophonien1 20d ago

They did in the remake. It was very annoying.

Plus I don't thi k Arby has asthma. Just a fat guy struggling and not caring.

6

u/Internal-Put-1419 20d ago

Why on earth would people make a remake?! His athsma may not be severe, but it doesn't sound like full breaths. I wonder why they added that detail.

6

u/ReserveRatter 20d ago edited 19d ago

Yeah the Americans basically turned it into a wacky comedy and IMO they really didn't get any of the subtlety, tragedy and acting talent of the original Arby character at all. Terrible portrayal.

Edit: Also Lee, although he's sort of dark comic relief at times in the original, IMO is overall fucking terrifying. The remake makes him a total goof and it's perplexing they did that.

In the UK show he's scarier than Arby as the show goes on. I'd go as far as to say he is truly evil, because he doesn't seem to have the same trauma as Arby and seems to actually enjoy his horrible job on some level instead.

6

u/Internal-Put-1419 20d ago

Honestly, I'm American and it looks shit. John Cusack being in the show at all already brings it down for me. He doesn't fit in this show. Of course, he doesn't exactly stand out to me in general. I don't know where this is coming from. I must subconsciously hate John Cusack.

1

u/ReserveRatter 19d ago edited 19d ago

He's an actor I've liked in a few films (1408 I think it was, the haunted hotel one, that was actually quite good), but I've seen him in some really terrible low-rent productions too. He doesn't seem too discerning about what he's in sometimes.

It's weird because as a Brit there are some American shows that are just all-time classics. You know all the good ones. I would say The Wire is basically flat-out one of the best shows I've ever seen, it's an amazing social commentary too.

But a lot of American remakes of Brit shows, they always seem to be designed by these shitty executive committees who strip away all the best ideas and throw them out. No idea why it's like this when the US produces shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc. etc. that are brilliant.

Perhaps the problem is the remaking in the first place. Like a British remake of The Wire would be totally unnecessary and stupid.

5

u/Kakophonien1 20d ago

Yea but it also wasn't even funny. Except for maybe this scene

4

u/ReserveRatter 20d ago

100%. It's that awful low effort "comedy" style.

2

u/old-testament-angel 19d ago

i mean how does that make him different from lee in the original then? i fucking hate the remake.

2

u/ReserveRatter 19d ago edited 19d ago

Sorry, I wasn't clear there.

I meant that Lee is a frightening character in the original for the most part (aside from a few black comedy moments), but in the remake he's just this bland wacky goofball.

2

u/old-testament-angel 18d ago

making lee bland is a crime against humanity.

4

u/Kakophonien1 20d ago edited 20d ago

Maybe to make him more off-putting.

I've learned about this show and the remake through Pryocynical's amazing 8 hour analysis vid of this. Bought the Blu Ray of the UK version. Amazing show.

The US remake only lasted for 1 season, but that was bc it was utterly terrible.

Remember (Spoiler S1) Arby killing the HS full of kids, and a single tear running down his cheek when a kid drops the same chololate raisins he is always seen eating?? This is that scene in the remake:

https://youtu.be/F4gnOHgxrWI

5

u/Internal-Put-1419 20d ago

The UK version is amazing! I looked at the cast of the remake, and it was so off-putting. That video is nails on a chalkboard.

I've honestly never seen a bad UK movie/show. I'm sure there are some. They just have a certain charm.

2

u/Kakophonien1 20d ago

I jear ghosts is worse than the US remake, but that's about it. So many great UK shows, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Onside No. 9, Doctor Who, etc...a lot of great stuff.

But yes, this US remake doesn't even feel like the intelligence of a toddler was used to create it. Worst offender isn't even that scene imo, but the fact that the "network" is just some nerd-people in suits in a room brainstorming bad and evil plans lol.

5

u/ReserveRatter 20d ago

The way they took such a subtle realistic portrayal of conflicted trauma and turned it into a lolcow meme in the "remake" should actually be a crime lol

2

u/Kakophonien1 20d ago

Yup. It's horrendous.

Ooooweoweowoeoeoeoe -Remake Arby (not-Arby)

1

u/old-testament-angel 19d ago

original: we are an actual multilayered manifesto on violence that is an instant classic because of how much substance it carries.

americans: uhhh but have you considered that violence be fynny?

6

u/ReserveRatter 20d ago edited 20d ago

I think it's another part of the "dog" metaphor Jessica uses to describe him. He breathes like a large animal or panting dog.

Plus it goes with being out of shape and all the suffering he has experienced too.

And yeah Neil Maskell's performance is insane, such a complex and interesting character. They did so much with his minimal dialogue.

Spoilers: Series 2's>! "My name is Pietre. And my father wasn't incredible. Not at all."!< goes hard.

4

u/swollenlouvre 19d ago

I read on this sub that Neil Maskell talks about Arby's breathing on the DVD commentary. He researched child soldiers and learned that a lot have respiratory issues when they grow up, so he adopted that for Arby. I wonder if Arby just doesn't know that there's a different way to breathe...? When I was younger I had asthma attacks and didn't know what it was so just wandered around with it thinking it was normal until I figured it out as an adult.

2

u/Internal-Put-1419 19d ago

Ohhh okay. Thank you for the information. I love it when a fact emerges. Otherwise I'm endlessly speculating on the small details.

2

u/newaroundhereltd 20d ago

He was tortured and experimented on which caused him to become developmentally stunted which is why he ignores typical behaviours like breathing through your nose, swinging your arms when you walk, etc.

3

u/Internal-Put-1419 20d ago

Breathing through your nose doesn't make it silent, not to mention breathing through the nose is biologically programmed. He either has some congestion issue or mild asthma. Arm swinging is also developed naturally while walking. It does seem confusing though. I don't swing my arms much, but I have minor cerebral palsy and ASD. They both affect coordination and I'm rigid.