Moonshine and roads: in the series “Raising the Degree” they joked about Russian problems

Comedies with a provincial flavor captivated the producers in earnest. Apparently, in the comical confrontation between ordinary people from the outback and spoiled little things from the capital, there is both spectator and sovereign interest. The level of jokes, of course, is different, but, as it turns out, there are win-win topics.

The series “Raising the Degree” has become something like our answer to “Breaking Bad” or the reincarnation of “Moonshiners.” But if in the first case we are talking about a social drama, and in the second about a feuilleton, then “Increasing the Degree” is more like a specific cocktail of female strength, male weakness and the aroma of ambrosia. The last ingredient seems to be the most important.

The desperate attempt of three friends to open their own alcohol business, after the new head of the vodka factory showed them the door, is a plot on a topic that is always relevant in Russia. I immediately remember an interview with Grigory Leps, in which the pop authority said that the only song of his that he had no doubt about was “A Glass of Vodka,” because everyone here understands about it.

The second strategic right move is a female trio in a semi-criminal and very masculine business. Probably, Olga Tumaikina, Anna Ukolova and Katerina Kovalchuk did not get the most difficult roles with a rather typical set of comedic cliches for all three actresses, but they certainly succeed in the breadth of soul of the inhabitants of the outback.

Almost all serial comedies are more correctly perceived as a set of jokes, rather than a plot with unexpected twists, and here “Raising the Degree” has exactly the same problems as other series in this genre. Among the advantages is the intention of the scriptwriters to present a drunken theme within the framework of conscious consumption. Between laughing episodes, there are still reminders of the troubles that alcohol can bring. Clubs where the bar counters are stormed by minors, drunks on the streets, that is, a typical picture for many Russian cities. Although between the first and second hardly anyone thinks about it.

SO WE’VE TALKED

There are not many topics left for meaningful conversations on television, but conversations in studios, however, are not being canceled. It must be difficult for creators of programs that can be called entertaining. I want it to be free of nonsense and tediousness, without slipping into vulgarity. Well, or at least do it beautifully.

Alexander Gordon is to be congratulated. His “Closed Show” has just begun its second life, and the guest is already leaving the studio with a dissatisfied face. Of course, there are suspicions that everything was planned – the conflict between the presenter and actor Nikita Kologriv turned out to be very complicated.

The lively movie star was absolutely in his repertoire. He did not express his thoughts on the case very well, but his claims were very smart. “Do we have totalitarianism here or what? – Nikita asked, and such a question, both in Gordon’s studio and in general, is now not an eyebrow-raiser, but an eye-opener. “If you agree, answer my question, if not, no one is keeping you here.” A crumpled farewell, a dramatic exit from the studio.

It must be admitted that both Gordon and Kologrivy benefited from this. The first once again established himself in the image of steering the process, the second effectively saved himself from trying to talk tongue-tied nonsense. Well done.

Pavel Volya and his guests, as a rule, have advice and love with light jokes. In addition, interviews in this case are subordinated to the task of making people laugh. It seemed that with the young but already popular comedian Sergei Orlov coming to visit, there would be no shortage of laughter. But the conversation turned out to be downright socially charged. At first, Mr. Orlov, as the owner of a country property, complained about problems with neighbors who started a scandal over the construction of a bathhouse next to their fence. Then there was a heartbreaking story of a visit to a urologist with a lot of anatomical details. What a difficult life these hipsters have.

Against this background, 22 years ago, an interview on the Matador program with the typical hipster of his time, Eduard Limonov, acted like a contrast shower. “Henry Miller used the language of the streets” … “Solzhenitsyn is responsible for the confusion of the spirit and started the third world war with his “Archipelago” … “I am not old, old people do not go to war in Yugoslavia.” Well, Oscar Wilde mixed with Che Guevara. A lot of clever words and not a single unnecessary one. They said this…

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29211 dated February 7, 2024

Newspaper headline:
Splashed witchcraft