Post by rhort on Sept 28, 2012 3:01:28 GMT -5
In keeping with the ongoing background story of the Second World War, much of the plot of this episode centres around the entry of the United States into the conflict, and in light of this, we begin in the 40s, as Gary is introduced to the issue by Reg, who is clearly enjoying the diversion. This opening scene then brings one of my favourite lines in the entire series (which will be obvious to those who are paying attention), which serves to highlight just how underwhelmed Gary is about the arrival of the new allies, and in fact, from the very start, it looks like the newcomers might actually be in a position to cause some problems for Gary, particularly in matters arising from his cover story of another life in California.
It’s no real surprise then to see that Gary runs straight to Ron in order to find assistance, and in this case, it looks like the two men may actually be able to help each other, after a fashion, as Ron wants something from Gary too. As Ron appeals to Gary to get him the parts he needs to restore his classic US Army jeep, Gary is initially his normal dismissive self, concentrating only on his own problems, and Ron is left on the back foot, delivering a few home truths to Gary, noting the irony of his position over the fake nature of the American serviceman he’s already encountered. Surprise emerges here in the form of Yvonne’s position, as she appears to side very firmly with Ron for once, showing us more of the situation developing between the two of them; not necessarily friendship, as such, but certainly moving noticeably away from the outright animosity of days gone by.
After the cajoling from his 90s contemporaries, Gary is then sent scurrying back to the 40s, cap in hand to the smarmy Zefferelli, and attempts to trade for Yvonne’s jacket and Ron’s vehicle parts. I always enjoy the dilemma that Gary sees in getting an entire jeep “back to the future”, which always makes me add “Unless we can get it up to 88MPH!”. The bartering then leads us nicely to the events of the subtext of this episode, as we are introduced to Reg’s long lost relatives, and the ‘Daft Jack’ Woolwich Ferry story is used to great effect here, fleshing out the realism of the connection between Reg an his ancestor.
The mood turns a little darker then, as Billy-Jo shows his true colours when it comes to race relations, and his insistence that the black soldiers should not be in his ‘white’ pub. It may come as something of a shock to learn that the army of a country such as the United States, which often holds itself up as a bastion of freedom and justice for all, had a segregated army so late into the 20th century, with desegregation eventually coming into effect in 1948. Coming from Alabama, as he does, Billy-Jo would probably have had more experience of this way of treating non-white people, and far from purposely acting with any malevolent intent, he’s doing what he thinks is normal in keeping with his upbringing, not realising of course, that this sort of thing is far from acceptable in the UK, and this shows in the way he doesn’t seem to understand why the Londoners take such exception to his actions.
Briefly back to the 90s, and in light of the success of the gift of the jacket to her boss, Yvonne suddenly has big plans for Gary’s shop, and these don’t sit well at all with Gary, however, it’s Ron who begins to hatch a plan to bring them to a stop, showing once again, the disparity between the way the two work in relation to sorting out each other’s issues.
As we return to the 40s, we see Gary ‘has written’ yet another classic song, bringing a Motown flavour to the assembled soldiers, however, as the scene develops, Reg is getting in on the action too, centring the spotlight on his cousin, singing a George Formby song he’s been taught. From this frivolity, we are then brought back down to the racism issue, as Billy-Jo makes a reappearance, this time backed up by two military policemen, all of them looking to resolve the ‘problem’ of the black servicemen in the pub. After a moment or two of posturing, an uncharacteristically brave Reg, perhaps fortified by his confidence in his knowledge of the law, steps up and saves the day, in a manner which clearly impresses the locals, Gary included, however, moments later, he’s back to his normal form, providing us with a final laugh at his departure. During the final confrontation with Billy-Jo, Gary can be seen to subtly take a drink, only when the glasses are raised in salute of Martin Luther King, but all other times, he throws his drink to the floor whilst Billy-Jo isn’t looking.
The final scene gives one of the most memorable laughs of the entire series, showing some classic Ron with the jeep as he tries to leave the garage, and in concert with the revealing of his plot with Gary’s ‘assistant’, brings us to the end of the episode on a high note.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Some great laughs, and the issue of racism (surely a hairy area for a sitcom to get into) is handled extremely well.
It’s no real surprise then to see that Gary runs straight to Ron in order to find assistance, and in this case, it looks like the two men may actually be able to help each other, after a fashion, as Ron wants something from Gary too. As Ron appeals to Gary to get him the parts he needs to restore his classic US Army jeep, Gary is initially his normal dismissive self, concentrating only on his own problems, and Ron is left on the back foot, delivering a few home truths to Gary, noting the irony of his position over the fake nature of the American serviceman he’s already encountered. Surprise emerges here in the form of Yvonne’s position, as she appears to side very firmly with Ron for once, showing us more of the situation developing between the two of them; not necessarily friendship, as such, but certainly moving noticeably away from the outright animosity of days gone by.
After the cajoling from his 90s contemporaries, Gary is then sent scurrying back to the 40s, cap in hand to the smarmy Zefferelli, and attempts to trade for Yvonne’s jacket and Ron’s vehicle parts. I always enjoy the dilemma that Gary sees in getting an entire jeep “back to the future”, which always makes me add “Unless we can get it up to 88MPH!”. The bartering then leads us nicely to the events of the subtext of this episode, as we are introduced to Reg’s long lost relatives, and the ‘Daft Jack’ Woolwich Ferry story is used to great effect here, fleshing out the realism of the connection between Reg an his ancestor.
The mood turns a little darker then, as Billy-Jo shows his true colours when it comes to race relations, and his insistence that the black soldiers should not be in his ‘white’ pub. It may come as something of a shock to learn that the army of a country such as the United States, which often holds itself up as a bastion of freedom and justice for all, had a segregated army so late into the 20th century, with desegregation eventually coming into effect in 1948. Coming from Alabama, as he does, Billy-Jo would probably have had more experience of this way of treating non-white people, and far from purposely acting with any malevolent intent, he’s doing what he thinks is normal in keeping with his upbringing, not realising of course, that this sort of thing is far from acceptable in the UK, and this shows in the way he doesn’t seem to understand why the Londoners take such exception to his actions.
Briefly back to the 90s, and in light of the success of the gift of the jacket to her boss, Yvonne suddenly has big plans for Gary’s shop, and these don’t sit well at all with Gary, however, it’s Ron who begins to hatch a plan to bring them to a stop, showing once again, the disparity between the way the two work in relation to sorting out each other’s issues.
As we return to the 40s, we see Gary ‘has written’ yet another classic song, bringing a Motown flavour to the assembled soldiers, however, as the scene develops, Reg is getting in on the action too, centring the spotlight on his cousin, singing a George Formby song he’s been taught. From this frivolity, we are then brought back down to the racism issue, as Billy-Jo makes a reappearance, this time backed up by two military policemen, all of them looking to resolve the ‘problem’ of the black servicemen in the pub. After a moment or two of posturing, an uncharacteristically brave Reg, perhaps fortified by his confidence in his knowledge of the law, steps up and saves the day, in a manner which clearly impresses the locals, Gary included, however, moments later, he’s back to his normal form, providing us with a final laugh at his departure. During the final confrontation with Billy-Jo, Gary can be seen to subtly take a drink, only when the glasses are raised in salute of Martin Luther King, but all other times, he throws his drink to the floor whilst Billy-Jo isn’t looking.
The final scene gives one of the most memorable laughs of the entire series, showing some classic Ron with the jeep as he tries to leave the garage, and in concert with the revealing of his plot with Gary’s ‘assistant’, brings us to the end of the episode on a high note.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Some great laughs, and the issue of racism (surely a hairy area for a sitcom to get into) is handled extremely well.