Post by rhort on May 11, 2012 2:44:30 GMT -5
Back with a Gary-And-Yvonne-At-Home opening scene, with the two of them acting more like a ‘proper’ couple, presumably in the light of the apparent absence of Gary’s WWII obsession (to Yvonne’s mind at least). I always felt that the strength of their relationship was evident here, particularly in the fact that Yvonne can jibe at Gary about his lack of friends without feeling she’s overstepped the mark. One thing I always think when I see this scene is that their three piece suite is truly awful! 
On to the printer’s office, and a classic Ron scene with what I think are the best laughs of the episode. I think we see here that Ron and Gary are always going to be mates; they’ve got such a great rapport, even in view of the apparent bust-up between them, they come back to their common ground in the end, and things soldier on for them.
The brief, but important scene outside the bank shows a great contrast between Reg and his 90s counterpart. There’s enough of Reg in the contemporary character to shine through and show the similarities, however, he’s different enough to make it not look like he’s just the same character in a different outfit, and I like that.
Back to the 1940s, and the news of the loss of Eric brings the tone down a notch, but gives the promise of opening things up for Gary and Phoebe, especially given the step up in Phoebe's feistiness, which I always thought would be something Gary would enjoy from her. I find the dialogue in this scene works really well on a number of levels, in particular, I like the insight of the line "those eyes that look like they've seen things other people can't imagine".
The homage to the classic comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’ really sets this episode apart from others in terms of how memorable it is, and the casting here is great, especially the Wilson-alike. The fact that this scene is pivotal to the episode means that the whole thing just comes together so well at this point and definitely makes this episode worth watching.
In the second printer's office scene, we finally see Gary more deeply examining the morality of his relationships with Yvonne and Phoebe for the first time. Even though it’s quite brief, I think it gives the impression that he’s beginning to see that one day he will have to make a choice between them.
The final scene in the 90s bank manager’s office brings matters to a head in a most unexpected way, and that’s something I’ve always liked, and as seems to have been a theme in this episode, I think the casting for the intelligent and impeccably presented, but slimy bank manager is absolutely excellent; he seems thoroughly unlikeable, which is in keeping with the news he eventually delivers. I genuinely felt sorry for the guys at the end of this scene, but did always wonder why they didn’t simply work out how to overcome the issue, which always seemed obvious and extremely simple to me.
I’d give this episode an 85% rating. Excellent start to the second series.
On to the printer’s office, and a classic Ron scene with what I think are the best laughs of the episode. I think we see here that Ron and Gary are always going to be mates; they’ve got such a great rapport, even in view of the apparent bust-up between them, they come back to their common ground in the end, and things soldier on for them.
The brief, but important scene outside the bank shows a great contrast between Reg and his 90s counterpart. There’s enough of Reg in the contemporary character to shine through and show the similarities, however, he’s different enough to make it not look like he’s just the same character in a different outfit, and I like that.
Back to the 1940s, and the news of the loss of Eric brings the tone down a notch, but gives the promise of opening things up for Gary and Phoebe, especially given the step up in Phoebe's feistiness, which I always thought would be something Gary would enjoy from her. I find the dialogue in this scene works really well on a number of levels, in particular, I like the insight of the line "those eyes that look like they've seen things other people can't imagine".
The homage to the classic comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’ really sets this episode apart from others in terms of how memorable it is, and the casting here is great, especially the Wilson-alike. The fact that this scene is pivotal to the episode means that the whole thing just comes together so well at this point and definitely makes this episode worth watching.
In the second printer's office scene, we finally see Gary more deeply examining the morality of his relationships with Yvonne and Phoebe for the first time. Even though it’s quite brief, I think it gives the impression that he’s beginning to see that one day he will have to make a choice between them.
The final scene in the 90s bank manager’s office brings matters to a head in a most unexpected way, and that’s something I’ve always liked, and as seems to have been a theme in this episode, I think the casting for the intelligent and impeccably presented, but slimy bank manager is absolutely excellent; he seems thoroughly unlikeable, which is in keeping with the news he eventually delivers. I genuinely felt sorry for the guys at the end of this scene, but did always wonder why they didn’t simply work out how to overcome the issue, which always seemed obvious and extremely simple to me.
I’d give this episode an 85% rating. Excellent start to the second series.
