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The Apprentice: Week Eleven
[SPOILER ALERT! . . .]
Possibly my favourite episode, as indeed it was when they roadtested it on the last series: the interviews. The final quartet were really put through their paces by three of Sir Alan's trusted bullshit-detectors, one of whom, the Jack The Lad one, I recall vividly from last year. Not sure about the other two, the bullet-headed middle-aged guy who responded to Paul's "I can get on with anyone," with the withering put-down, "You're not getting on with me," and the beardy one who had something to do with Viglen and was the only one who liked Paul. Cake metaphors abounded.
There wasn't much to it structurally - four interviewees, each one equally ill-informed about what Amstrad does (why? you idiots!) and what they had written in their own CVs; three interviewers - but the editing was supreme, mixing it up with skill and melodrama, and saving some choice clips up for when the four got into the boardroom. Having identified Ruth as my favourite for most of the series, it was interesting to see Michelle shine strongest, despite the observation that she lacks personality and earns too much to really want the job at Sir Alan's. At least she smiles. Also, her tough upbringing made a timely appearance (some bad stuff) - unlike Syed, she's never felt the need to flog this, and it added to her character and determination. Ruth's aggression was a bad tactic over the desk. She enters rooms without knocking and sits before being offered a seat. Ansell, tarred with the "nice guy" brush and the "just a salesman" brush (that's two brushes), struggled to rise beyond this branding. Luckily for him, Paul Tulip, 26 ("I've never met anyone like me") achieved new levels of nauseating bullishness, which backfired on him like a motherfucker. Damned as a door-to-door insurance salesman in a bad suit ("the jacket's going, the hair is gelled", remember?), he fell down on the accuracy of his CV and his motivation (lifestyle? money?). Plus - and this was brilliantly held back by the production team as a pre-denouement own-goal - he took a rather too 1980s swipe at Big Issue sellers. Meanwhile, Ruth baffled all with her refusal to take a sabbatical from her company, a move that was described by Bullet Head as "rash and diabolical." (Steady!) I feared, as I always fear, that Sir Alan's sexism would rear its ugly mush, but no, he saw sense and fired Paul first (quite right - hope he's homeless one day, with his magazines, shouting out, "I think I'm brilliant, I think I'm great!"), and Ansell second, who couldn't believe he'd come this far, leaving an all-female final. Nice grouping - to use Ruth's Tourette's-like catchphrase, without a doubt.
Quite why none of them had used their loaf and looked Amstrad up on the Internet in a bit of downtime over the last 11 weeks, I shall never know. It shows how arrogant they all are. And is it taught on some management training course to ask yourself questions and answer them? ("Do I want this job? Yes I do. Am I a tit? Yes I am.") However, that said, the best ladies won, and it could go either way. The musical chairs is almost over, and we know who sits down without being asked . . .
Previous reviews:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
Week Ten
posted by Andrew Collins @ 11:26 PM
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12 Comments:
It was marvellous! I agree, one of the best eps definitely. An all-woman final - who'd ever have thought it? That should silence those who insist Sir Alan's a mysoginist. He can't be or Margaret wouldn't be his right hand woman, right?
But that aside, I'm surprised to see Michelle get this far, though it's clear Sir Alan admires her struggle. Frankly I think she's making bits of it up. £100,000? I doubt it.
But good for Ruth for getting this far, and good riddance to the ridiculous Paul, who was shown up to be the twat we all know he is. Let's hope he takes his time choosing between those job offers he's apparently got waiting.
Next week looks great too. May it never end.
Its not only Ruth who uses 'without a doubt' like a mantra - they all did it. Every one of them said it in their interviews last night. Perhaps she started it and they all picked up on it because she does use it the most.
Whenever Ruth is asked to justify herself, she does it by list, even counting on her fingers to emphasise each point. Except, if you listen to her, she never gets past "number one...".
More car crash telly at it's very best. Was it just me or did Paul come across as a latter day David Brent? His analogy of the "cake" was very similar to Brent's "pie" speech. Paul's interview was perhaps the worst I have ever seen. Quite who advised him to add swearwords to his application form is a mystery. And his insistence on saying that successful people shouldn't be judged by money alone was laudable, only to be blown out of the water when he claimed he actually wanted the job for the extra cash. Words fail me with this bloke. Michelle came across for the first time very well. She must be the favourite now. The Badger managed to hang on by the skin of her teeth, only because Ansell was too "nice" (not a good trait in a businessman apparently). Roll on next week and the next series. Without a doubt.
David Brent meets Peter Kay. What a combination! What frightens me is this: there were apparently 10,000 applicants...and Paul got to the last four?? And how did ALL FOUR not know what Amstrad did? Surely the first thing you do when you go for a job is check what the organisation actually does? (No? Just me, then.) I still think the best quote was Paul's summation of Rome: "There's just shit there!" Was glad they repeated this in "You're Fired!" (the programme that's shown afterwards, though I expect you people all have lives and don't watch it.)
The Badger was starting to irritate me, and I have to admit I was rooting for Ansell. Another thing that was starting to annoy me about her, aside from the "Without a doubt", was that she felt the need to repeat every question before answering it.
Ah, what am I going to do with my Wednesday nights once this is all over?
I thought a female winner might be on the cards, not because SirAlan prefers businesswomen but because another male winner wouldn't look as good in terms of Amsrad's image (not least to his potential customers), and I thought the producers would want a woman to be there at the end just in case their absence lost them some female viewers (and Ruth looked as though she could mop the floor with any of the blokes anyway); it seems that arbitary (possibly any of them could've won if they'd used a couple of Derren Brown tricks).
Re: Paul/Peter Kay - he actually did a Kay line when he went to answer the phone at the start. "Who's this? Who's this? Who's this?
It was an exciting episode, and it turned the programme upside down. Before last night, I felt sure it'd be Ruth and Paul in the final and that Michelle would be out like a shot. By the end, after they'd all fucked up their interview beautifully, I thought Ansell might make it. And now I think Michelle might snatch the win.
Sralan seems to like Michelle's struggle and look-after-yer-own attitude, and the suspicion about Ruth's last job might just scupper her. I think Ruth's Geoff Capes impression during the interviews will damage her chances too - she's too damn aggressive!
The fact that Michelle went through to the final first suggests to me she'll finish second - (with a bit of doubt) Ruth was still ahead after the interviews; just another attempt to wrong-foot us... although I could be wrong - Michelle is certainly mentally tough.
It was ace! Like a drama with a big twist at the end. I have never liked him at all, but had no idea just what a chancer Mr Tulip was.I have been cheering for The Badger all the way, but last night I thought perhaps her stance was a bit OTT and she really should learn when assertive becomes aggressive. Michelle did well to have emerged so strongly at the end. Let's face it check out girl to self employed and earning £100,000 is really impressive, chuck in the unidentified family misery too, and ooh, I think Sir Alan likes it. I was sorry to see Ansell go, he seems lovely, and when Alan Sugar said that he would keep in touch with him I did wonder if he was planning to employ him anyway. The cynic in me says that having two successive black, male winners was never on the cards. This year it had to be a woman. But which one? Oooh.
Paul started to remind me of Big Brother 2 Paul, who'd lived the life of an international rock star. "There's only ever going to be one Paul Tulip." Aw bless, buttercup.
Even when he was fired Ansell did his soft-shoe shuffle walk out of the boardroom. Expect to see him on that nice QVC soon.
Thomas Sutcliffe in today's Independent said that Ruth "sits down at a table as if she's about to arm wrestle the person on the other side." That's about right but she's got bags more personality than Michelle. Or should that be Michelle? With that Australian raised inflection thing? Going on?
Even though Michelle is my local candidate (I've shopped in her Kwik Save) my money's on Ruth (along with my heart). But the excerpt from next week made it look like Ruth was doing well, so...
Well, who'd have thought it? My top two - before this episode - were Ruth and Paul, but Paul came across spectacularly badly and deserved to go. Michelle seemed to come out of nowhere and impressed me more than any of them on the night. I think I've been prejudiced against her up to now simply because? of the raised? inflexion? in her voice? perhaps, but good luck to her - I'd be happy with either of them to win now - unlike in the first series, when I was wishing with all my heart that Saira Khan would notwin.
Poor Syed - at least he was wearing a black jacket when he was fired, instead of an Open All Hours jacket. Let's see what colour jacket Ruth and/or Michelle have.
Oops - I meant Paul was wearing a black jacket. Tsch!
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