'Extras' season finale a bittersweet journey (Video)

By April MacIntyre Dec 26, 2007, 1:33 GMT

10/03/2007 - Ricky Gervais - © Solarpix / PR Photos

Another great HBO series that was too short in its run; "Extras" with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant was just getting warmed up.  Then came the decision to cut it short.

The series finale aired Sunday, Dec. 16, at 9 pm/ET on HBO and is being run in repeats all Christmas week.

Ricky Gervais, who co-created the original "Office" with Stephen Merchant, plays a striving actor and ex banker Andy Millman.  Merchant is his awkward, guileless agent and ex Car phone warehouse salesman from Bristol, Darren Lamb. 

Like "Ab Fab's" duo of Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, the two men have struck gold on screen with their off-kilter chemistry and tightly scripted exchanges.  

The purely platonic relationship that takes the spotlight in the finale is the sweet one of Andy and his dim best friend, Maggie (Ugly Betty's Ashley Jensen). 

Maggie is an extra too, down on her luck, yet she never burdens pal Andy with her day-to-day troubles.

She is unflaggingly supportive of nearly all of Andy's needs.  After the unraveling of his career happens when he draws a dramatic line in the sand, blowing up his TV catchphrase cash cow living, Maggie still hangs in there even when his inflated and bruised ego makes him nearly unbearable company.

Andy's success comes at a price, his extra work netted him a popular yet pedestrian television comedy which sees his character utter Britain's favorite catchphrase, "Are you 'avin' a laugh?," and it's driving him crazy.

Andy's acting nemesis Greg (Shaun Pye) is making films with Clive Owen, while Andy wears a wig, awful glasses and grunts odd noises to overheard double-entendre conversations of his sit-com workers. 

Something has to give.  Andy fires his agent Darren and goes (tries to) "Hollywood" with a wheeler dealer agent who courts him at London’s version of The Ivy.

Maggie squeezes in a tiny acting break thanks to Andy's new agent, only to be humiliated by a vile Clive Owen. 

She walks off set, and into a financial and existential free fall.

The finale cleverly weaves some awful celebrity behavior by the likes of Owen, a riotous Gordon Ramsay and even George Michael.  The magic of "Extras" has always been Gervais' ducats of casting key brilliant guest celebrity cameos, and this finale doesn't disappoint.

Gervais does a good job showing the rotten core of modern showbiz, and how his close shave with real fame only fuels his character's fatal flaws. 

Andy is rendered a D-Listed joke booked on the loathsome televised ring of hell - the UK show, Big Brother House, with a group of has-beens and never-was types who shed their dignity a long time ago.

Gervais' masterful finale drew tears and laughs for me; a bittersweet and hilarious tale illustrating Andy's redemption from the Sirens of the OK! whoremongers.

It was my favorite Christmas special of the season.  Even if you are unfamiliar with the series, the finale stands alone as a wonderful and engaging story that will make you curious to see what you have been missing.