Luke Owen reviews the first episode of The Mimic….
If there is one thing in this world that I find incredibly entertaining, it’s someone who can do impressions. In fact, it’s the one skill I wish I had. I can do a fairly decent Arnie, but then who can’t?
The problem impressionists have is that if they’re on TV, they have two options – do stand-up or do a sketch show. Writer Matt Morgan however decided to create a different route – put a sitcom around the impressions.
What we get is The Mimic, a show about everyman Martin Hurdle who works as a security guard/cleaner for pharmaceutical company Celpharm (see what they did there?) who has a skill in impressions – a skill that doesn’t get him anywhere in life. He’s nervous because he is about to meet his 18 year old son for the first time but he’s unsure if he is actually the boy’s father, leading the pair of them to go get a paternity test.
Morgan has aimed for that Ricky Gervais style of humour where all the jokes are downplayed and nothing is brought to the forefront in an effort to get the uncomfortable laughs. In reality, for a comedy show, this was pretty dreadful with barely two or three laughs throughout the entire show. But as a vehicle to showcase Mynott’s skills as an impressionist, it works okay. And as a drama, it has some room to grow.
The problem they have is that it’s really hard to slip in his impressions naturally. So what you get is Martin in a shop and notices the man behind the counter is reading an Al Pacino book or he puts down a magazine that has an advert for Wedding Crashers so he can do Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. In a way it works but it feels very ham-fisted and sloppy. They must be more natural ways of slotting in the man’s skill without resorting to him sitting down watching March of the Penguins just to do Morgan Freeman.
Although I am being down and incredibly harsh on the show, I will say that I liked how Morgan points out that this is not the greatest skill to have in the world. It doesn’t matter if you can imitate Gok Wan or Terry Wogan if you don’t have the belief in yourself to be better than what you are. I can actually see The Mimic telling a really good story of a middle-aged man who decides to improve his life now that he has the responsibilities of fatherhood, just one with some wacky impressions. The plot point of Martin parking at the far end of the car park just so he can work on his impressions on the way to the front door of work is a nice touch and it lends to showcasing Mynott’s skills.
As for Mynott’s impressions – I actually think they’re pretty hit and miss. His Morgan Freeman, Terry Wogan and Gok Wan were all spot on, but his Pacino, James Earl Jones and Wedding Crashers skits weren’t all that great. If he didn’t have the visual keys, you probably wouldn’t guess who he was doing. But what do I know, my impressions consist of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Partridge.
I’m currently on the fence with The Mimic. I like the concept and I think it could have some legs, but I’m wary that the impressions gag will get old – especially if he doesn’t have that many in his repertoire. It was okay, but nothing more than okay.
Originally published March 14, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
