Jeff Murdock | ||
---|---|---|
Ex Partner | Susan Walker (long ago) | |
Current Partner | Ended in a cliff hanger | |
Occupation | Finance | |
Seasons | Season 1 to Season 3 | |
Portrayed by | Richard Coyle |
Jeffery "Jeff" Murdock is one of the main characters of Coupling. He was portrayed by Richard Coyle until Coyle left at the end of season 3.
Season 1[]
Jeff is Steve's best friend having known each other for several years. The are close enough friends that Jeff is Steve's Porn Buddy and that in the event Steve dies Jeff would clear out Steve's collection of pornography from Steve's apartment before Steve's parents go through Steve's belongings.
Jeff works in the financial department of the same company as Susan Walker. At some point in the past Jeff and Susan went on a date, which ended with Jeff having a panic attack when Susan got undressed.
When Susan and Steve go on their first date Jeff tags along so to monitor their conversation and try to prevent the story of his date with Susan being discussed. After Susan's and Steve's date turns into a group meeting, Jeff takes seriously Susan's offer to show them a breast to get the rest of them to leave. Despite Susan's initial reluctance when the rest of the group side with Jeff and want to see Susan's breast. In the end, Jeff gets his wish. ("Flushed")
Personality[]
Jeff is awkward around women. His nerves get the better of him around attractive women and he speaks without thinking about what he is saying, which leads him to saying inappropriate or simply strange things. Because of this he is not particularly successful with the opposite sex.
Jeffisms[]
Jeffisms are quirky, silly phrases coined by Jeff. Each phrase has a definition attached to them and he brings them up whenever a situation fits. Though this is not always the case, as one can catch Jeff spouting Jeffisms at the oddest places and times. Most of them are related to sex and its derivatives. Most of the characters ignore them and see them as a part of Jeff's unique personality.
Below are a few Jeffisms over the course of his appearance in 3 Seasons.
- The Sock Gap
- Nose Avoidance Tilting
- Captain Subtext
- Giggle Loop
- Porn buddies
- The Melty Man
- The Nudity Buffer
- The Visual Access Angle
- The Zone
- Unflushable
- Near Death Erection
- Accidental Word
Life after Season 4[]
Writer and Creator Steven Moffat gave a closure to the lives of the characters:
Jeff is still abroad. He lives a life of complete peace and serenity now, having taken the precaution of not learning a word of the local language and therefore protecting himself from the consequences of his own special brand of communication. If any English speakers turn up, he pretends he only speaks Hebrew. He is, at this very moment, staring out to sea, and sighing happily every thirty-eight seconds.
What he doesn't know, of course, is that even now a beautiful Israeli girl he once met in a bar, is heading towards his apartment, having been directed to the only Hebrew speaker on the island. What he also doesn't know is that she is being driven by a young ex-pat English woman, who is still grieving the loss of a charming, one-legged Welshman she once met on a train. And he cannot possible suspect that (owing to a laundry mix-up, and a stag party the previous night in the same block) he is wearing heat-dissolving trunks.
As the doorbell rings, it is best that we draw a veil.
Trivia[]
- Jeff works as an accountant in an office with Susan, and it is through him that Steve and Susan initially meet.
- He is known for a fondness for the word "breasts", often muttering it during conversations.
- Jeff's apartment has framed posters for the films The Procurer, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and Espionage in Tangiers.
- Richard Coyle (Jeff) chose not to return to the show for season four. Coyle was afraid of being typecast as Jeff and wanted to explore other roles. He was replaced by Richard Mylan as Oliver, a nervous comic book store owner who pursues Jane. Jeff "returns" in the final episode played by a different person.
- When Richard Coyle read for the part of Jeff, he spoke in a Welsh accent. The character wasn't written Welsh, but the producers liked it and hired him. It wasn't until well into the second series that they realized that Coyle was not Welsh, just putting it on for the show.
Quotes[]
- "Your best friend is dead, but there's a bright side"
- "When we finally get our hands on the gear, let me tell you, it's not a drill. We're supposed to fly those babies the first time we get in them"
- "To know about the giggle loop, is to become part of the giggle loop"
- "Do you know what would be the best way to wipe out all of human kind if you were a space alien with a special kind of mind ray..?..make all women telepathic. Because if they suddenly found out about the kind of stuff that goes on in our heads they would kill us all on the spot. Men are not people - we are disgustoids in human form"
- "She's leaving the country...she doesn't speak English...I insulted her friend's breasts...and she thinks I collect women's ears in a bucket"
- "No you're not dead, you look, you look great. You're not decomposing or anything...I'm not just saying that"
- "I get very tense around apples... Well, I get very tense generally. I think I've fallen into the trap of blaming fruit."
- "Maybe women are completely different when we're not with them. Maybe they're not cross all the time."