Coupling (show)
Coupling was a popular UK TV show. I have some ideas about the types of the characters. I picked out snippets from character bios, and I added snippets about the characters from the point of view of the writer and the actors who play the characters.
Steve Taylor
At times is an insufferable prat.
A hapless character who has the uncanny knack of digging himself into all sorts of trouble.
He will constantly think before he speaks and make himself look very foolish.
Skilled at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
His inability to handle pressure often leads to humorous and hugely inappropriate responses.
Becomes observably nervous when he tries to relax.
Despite this, Steve has some common sense and often refutes the seemingly ridiculous things that Jeff and Patrick come up with.
He means well but always seems to lose control of the situation.
Tries to be the voice of reason while talking to his mates over a pint, but more often than not he stumbles into more complex and ridiculous situations than any of them.
At least once per series, Steve goes off on a long rant explaining a difference of perspective between the sexes, which can be embarrassing for Susan.
Writer: At the same time he tells Patrick off for being ruthless with women, and yet the evidence shows that Steve himself is a bit of a bastard. For example he asks Susan out on a date while he's having sex with Jane. He is quite typical of having all the same lusts and appetites as Patrick while also having the nervousness of Jeff and the new character Oliver. He forms a compromise of a politically correct weasel, which helps him to believe that he's a decent chap. Actually he's really too frightened of Susan to misbehave!
Actor: In many ways Steve doesn't change, but the relationship certainly has. He's still frequently at a loss for words and continues to despair at his own towering ineptitude. He takes a situation, digs himself a big pit of humiliation and shame, climbs into it - and just keeps digging. But he is completely without malice, which is fun to play. Steve's good at getting to the heart - in a funny way - of a little boy that will not entirely disappear in every grown man.
Susan Walker
Can have an explosive, emotionally charged temper.
Prides herself in being a great cook.
Likes to hold and cater dinner parties.
Frequently tidies up or rearrange Steves flat.
Can be insecure and often takes this out on Steve.
Very confident young woman with a very open attitude to life.
Very little seems to phase her and she seems to be very grounded and confident in her sexuality.
Takes her work life as an accountant seriously.
Usually very sensible and organized. Implied that she likes to make lists.
Susan finds Steve hard work at times but she still loves him.
Writer: The others in the group perceive Susan as the super-confident one, although this isn't really the case. Similar to Patrick, she is fairly non-complex, and yet she is also strong, bright and clever. She may well have actually preferred to have found herself an Alpha man, got married and become a mother. Despite the fact that she's a successful career woman, she would never power-dress and really rather enjoys the fact that she's a fun-loving, perfectly happy girly-girl.
Actress: My character is very grounded, sorted and confident in her sexuality. Her comedy comes from her directness, which means she sometimes puts her foot in it, but you always know where you are with her. She's a good-time girl who enjoys her life and her man. I've certainly learned a few lessons from her about self-belief, but we also catch glimpses of her being slightly insecure, out of her depth, which is very funny. Mind you, Susan is very tolerant
Sally Harper
Fears death and aging, which she consciously combats as a beautician.
Fears dying alone.
Insecure and obsessed about her appearance and health.
Inept at relationships due to frequent paranoia, which tends to make her out as a very mean spirited person.
She is highly opinionated and is quick to give her opinion about others to others.
Most insecure and resentful of the group.
Writer: Emotionally ravenous, desperately insecure and very needy, Sally is so aware of her own insecurities and weaknesses that she's inadvertently cruel to the people around her. She assumes things won't work out for her, so she takes a pessimistic view on all the good things that happen to her. She's very quick to assume she's about to get hurt, and therefore gets upset in advance. In fact, she has a fairly good time throughout the series, but she never actually notices!
Patrick Maitland
He believes that he lacks a subconscious.
Has a habit of saying things without thinking that give the impression that he is rather dense.
Not the most intellectual of men.
Successful businessman and very competitive with others in the same business.
Has a vague sense of loyalty for his friends.
Something of a playboy living a playboy lifestyle. He is great at picking up women.
Has a one-track mind: sex.
Enjoys fast cars and beautiful women and has a very simple view of the world.
Doesnt believe in being complicated and likes to be direct.
Generally sees women as objects and not human beings.
Enjoys filming himself having sex with women and keeps the tapes in a cupboard.
Never breaks things gently to women and dumps them bluntly without cushioning the blow.
Writer: Patrick lacks complexity at any level. He's straightforward and doesn't understand why other people don't view the world the way he does. He's wrongly thought of as a bastard, yet he's actually fairly honest with the others. He's a fan of cars and women and enjoys living well - just like most men do - yet he's completely unapologetic about it. Nevertheless, being the kind of guy he is, he manages to simply fall in love. Unlike Steve, he doesn't make a big fuss about it - for example, he'll realise Sally's the girl for him and then that's that. Patrick's fun because he's always that little bit simpler than the others and he just doesn't worry about things.
Jeff Murdock
Has a rather eccentric, perverted personality that is largely tolerated by the others.
Gets nervous around women and usually ends up doing stupid things around them and scaring them off.
Terrible at talking to women, often stumbling and unintentionally making up lie upon lie in an attempt to avoid looking stupid.
Obsessed with naked women and dirty magazines.
His constant sexual frustration, ridiculous stories and fantasies about women and sex make up a major part of the comedy.
Frequently gives out sexual advice despite lack of experience.
Often talks about unspoken sexual rules, theories, terms, and jargon.
Behaves like a hormonal teenager at times with his obsession with breasts and arses.
Its almost as if when Jeff got to adolescence his body grew and matured but his brain got left behind.
Jane Christie
Self-centered and the center of her own little world.
Despite being selfish, vain, manipulative, and extremely irritating she knows a thing or two about men and how to satisfy them in bed.
Her character is not too bright. She has incorrect understandings of many terms (i.e. homosexual or vegetarian).
Very possessive and frequently has trouble letting go.
Has a direct and sometimes blunt approach to people.
She often comes on much too strong and appearing desperate or rude to others in her pursuit of a man.
Her very narrow minded personality soon put most men off her.
She claims to be bisexual to entice men, but Oliver challenges the validity of this claim.
Writer: Jane's a fairly needy, lonely character, mostly concerned about her age and the fact she hasn't got a boyfriend. Desperately seeking attention, Jane constantly makes things up, telling more than just little white lies. She lives a fantasy life, but she doesn't live up to any of the fantasies she creates. Instead, she's a woman who'd really rather prefer to be married - perhaps to someone like Steve - but pretends to be OK with the single life.
Actress: Kooky, every man's worst nightmare. She has no filters, which is great fun to play. She's a real live-wire, self-obsessed, oblivious to the feelings of others and supremely manipulative. She has her own unique set of principles, which are usually completely politically incorrect, which makes for great comedy. We also see her loneliness - she seems supremely self-confident and tactless, but that masks a lot of insecurity, which is compounded by her being such an attention seeker! She loves being part of the group and the friendships are much more cemented now, offering Jane a real stability. But she is looking for a serious relationship so has decided to join a dating agency - which is how she meets Oliver.
Oliver Morris
What you might call the ultimate geek.
Has very little experience with women and acts nervously around them.
Often has a very cynical outlook.
He is prone to accidents, often making a fool of himself in the process.
Believes himself to be a ladies man.
Tendency to use the word craziness frequently in conversations, usually as an attempt to alleviate tension when he starts blabbering.
Sometimes shown gearing himself up to meet women and have sex by thinking to himself aloud.
Writer: Jane calls Oliver a cross between a puppy and an idiot, which is only partly fair. His ex-girlfriend calls him a cross between brother and sister, which is mostly cruel. He's been in a relationship for seven years and he's badly out of practice with women. But he still thinks he sort of knows his way around them. He swings between misplaced confidence and raptures of apology over his latest blunder. But underneath all his seeming sweetness and haplessness, he's angry at being dumped, angry at being on his own and, as Jane finds out, quite capable of turning on you if you push him far enough.
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Originally Posted by munenori2
