Comparing this to Animals (his first stand-up) there are perhaps the same number of segments but the number of lines, particularly throwaway, seem far fewer. It makes the pace seem slower, the build-up longer, and now the similarly sized punchlines unable to match. Most disappointingly tho, there is a more aggressive, mean-spirited edge to the first half of the show which doesn't really work. I think Gervais' portrayal of a certain innocence makes so much of his stuff, particularly his religious deconstructions, work so well that the nasty edge doesn't really play for me. The themes of homosexuality, fatness and religion are present in both Animals and this in such a way that this seem repetitive. All in all, watch Animals and forget about this one.
