HOLIDAY

Kath & Kim

Series 4 (2007)

For those readers who may be unfamiliar with Kath & Kim, think of it as an Australian Absolutely Fabulous (and if you don’t know Ab Fab, I can’t even deal with you right now).  And if anyone remembers the short-lived, ill-fated American remake of Kath & Kim starring Molly Shannon, promptly scrub it from your brain as I have.  Both Ab Fab and Kath & Kim are female-driven sitcoms that mix goofy, broad humor with incisive cultural commentary, but where Ab Fab poked fun at British celeb culture, Kath & Kim was firmly rooted in the suburban middle class.   Maybe that’s why I love this show so much-- I may play the role of the unrepentant urbanite but my heart will forever lie in the housing tracts, malls and front lawns of my suburban childhood.

“Holiday” kicks of Series 4 of the show, which finds Kim, her husband Brett and their infant daughter living back home with her mom Kath and step-dad Kel.  Living conditions are cramped so Brett plans a getaway for himself and Kim to a resort in Coolum, on Australia’s Sunshine Coast (proving that Australia has the best place names of any continent).  However Kath, oblivious to Brett’s desire to escape his in-laws, invites herself and Kel (and their sad-sack friend Sharon) along as well.

The episode was filmed at the Coolum Hyatt Resort, which has a tropical vibe and a constant cacophony of birds screeching in the background of every scene (which Kath describes as “the sound of Australia”).  All resorts, however beautiful, have a sort of sameness to them and so the Coolum Hyatt seems very familiar, with its rows of white plastic lounge chairs, polo-shirted staff and stream of golf carts.  Everyone save Brett enjoys their activity-laden schedule, in-between bouts of meticulously-timed lounges by the pool.

Eventually Brett blows his top and tells off Kath, and, in one of the episode’s funniest moments, is warded off by Kel and a bottle of spray-on sunscreen.  Kath storms off and Kel fears she’s lost in the rainforest.  Kel and Brett put aside their differences to search for Kath, who it turns out has simply been shopping all day in the resort gift shop.  Again my kinship with this show and characters shows, as I adore gift shops of any kind, and like Kath could spend a lot of time and money on brooches in the shape of “a sexy pig in a blanket” and a “dinosaur in a tutu.”  The best part of any vacation for me as a kid was the souvenirs-- I have distinct memories of keeping a sparkly, blue-haired troll doll in our hotel room safe in Hawaii.

Despite Sharon getting a bad sunburn (and her burnt skin getting sickeningly peeled off by Kim) the family ultimately enjoys their vacation.  And Kath has one last “prezzie” for Brett from the resort gift shop: a wooden sign that says “No Mother-In-Laws Allowed.”

Vacation Activities: Rafting, Lounging by the Pool, Coconut-Throwing, Shopping

Vacation Quotient: 4

See It, Skip It, Own It?

This episode and the series as a whole is good escapist fun, so slather on the sunscreen and click over to YouTube, where you can watch it now: