The IT Crowd (UK)/The Haunting of Bill Crouse

The Haunting of Bill Crouse
Season 1, Episode 5
Airdate	February 19, 2006
Written by	Graham Linehan
Directed by	Graham Linehan
← 1x04 The Red Door	1x06 → Aunt Irma Visits
The IT Crowd (UK) — Season One

The Haunting of Bill Crouse is the fifth episode of the first season of The IT Crowd. Jen learns that Moss cannot be relied upon to tell a simple lie without creating complications, while Roy gets to know the women of the fifth floor.

Starring: Chris O'Dowd (Roy), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Katherine Parkinson (Jen)

Guest Starring: Chris Morris (Denholm), Jim Alexander (Rupert), Adam Buxton (Bill Crouse), Pete Deagle (Office worker), Cheryl Ferguson (Judy), David Garfield (Small Paul), Nathan Harmer (Sombre guy), Lucy Liemann (Julie), [Nancy Lodder]] (Weeping woman), Bennet Thorpe (Office worker), Charlotte Weston (Jessica), Jack Whitam (Awful man), Thaila Zucchi (Sophia)

Plot Overview

Jen has been set up on a date with Bill Crouse, and she's enjoying her night, at least until Bill treats the waiters poorly and then refuses to share. The next day, she relates the horrible tale to Roy and Moss. Roy says he could have warned her, as Bill has a reputation. Roy is also intensely curious about the "Judy or Julie" that set Jen up on the date, and decides to investigate on his own.

Jen instructs Moss to tell Bill Crouse she's busy should he come looking for her. Moss warns her he's not a very good liar. Shortly after, Bill does show up and presses Moss for Jen's whereabouts. In desperation, Moss ends up saying Jen's dead. Bill falls for it, though it doesn't stop him from being an ass who claims he was the last person to sleep with Jen.

Roy has reached the fifth floor, and he lays his whole routine on an attractive woman, at the end calling her Judy — which isn't her name. Julie calls over Judy, a fat ogre of a janitor.

Jen trips over a memorial for her, and misunderstands, thinking that they're honoring her. Moss doesn't correct her, and in fact makes it worse. Jen heads upstairs, running into Small Paul, who gives her a ride on his mail trolley. Paul pushes the trolley too fast, causing Jen to scream — as well as Bill, who sees her apparently disembodied head through a window. He freaks.

Paul drops Jen off, and promptly drops dead of a heart-attack. Meanwhile, a memorial service is being held in Jen's honor. Denholm gives a speech, and invites Elton John to sing. Just then, Jen shows up and gives an acceptance speech for what she thinks is an Employee of the Month ceremony. The crowd quickly turns ugly.

Roy runs back into the IT office, where Moss is ready to flee. He doesn't make it far, as Jen runs in and proceeds to strangle him. Moss tells her that Bill is claiming to have slept with her. Jen lets go of Moss and calls Bill, leaving a hoarse message on his voice mail.

Bill is horrified by the voice mail, still believing that Jen is dead. Judy shows up looking for Roy, and Moss tells her that he's dead.

That night, Jen heads over to Bill's house, but her car breaks down in the rain outside. She walks over to his house in an utter mess, and yells at him through the window. Bill cowers and screams.

Elton John sings at the memorial for Small Paul, except that one of the employees suspects it's not really Elton John.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Jen goes on a date with Bill Crouse. Bill turns out to be a very boorish man and Jen does not want to talk to him again.

• Jen asks Moss to lie for her if Bill Crouse shows up in the IT department. She wants Moss to tell Bill that she's busy and can't talk to him right now. Unfortunately Moss is a horrible liar. He ends up telling Bill that Jen is dead.

• Denholm holds a special memorial service for Jen upstairs, even going so far as to invite Elton John (or not). The service ends badly when Jen shows up, thinking that they've elected her Employee of the Month.

Characters

• Small Paul: A short, elderly man (not a dwarf) who pushes the mail trolley at Reynholm Industries. He apparently had a weak heart, since after he pushes Jen in the trolley he shortly dies of a heart-attack.

• There is both a Julie and a Judy working on the fifth floor. Julie is an attractive friend of Jen's who set her up on a date with Bill Crouse. Judy is part of the janitorial staff, and she's absolutely hideous.

Referbacks

• This isn't the first time we see Moss is a bad liar. He previously failed to find a good excuse for the upstairs women to look out the window in 1x04.

Trivia

The Show

• This episode's title echoes the Shirley Jackson novel "The Haunting of Hill House".

Allusions and References

• Tapas: Bill Crouse takes Jen to a tapas place for dinner.
• Samurai Jack: Roy has a Samurai Jack figure on his desk.
• Eightball: Roy is reading this magazine again.
• My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable: This publication is spotted sitting amongst the debris in the background, to the left of Moss' desk.
• Elton John: Denholm invites him to sing at Jen's memorial service.