Post by rhort on Aug 10, 2012 2:37:43 GMT -5
This episode represents something of a journey for Yvonne in itself, which then forms a significant part of her journey in general across the entire series, and nothing highlights this more than the opening scene, where Yvonne’s depression is evident, as we see someone who refers to their life as “meaningless and futile” has clearly hit rock bottom. With another insight into the condition of their marriage, we are initially shown Gary’s typically frivolous responses to Yvonne’s plight, but as the scene develops, Gary’s attitude comes across as more supportive, and finally, we are shown that he does actually care about Yvonne, not least in the way he’s been applying for jobs on her behalf. The fact is that, we discover here that Gary is instrumental in pushing Yvonne forward, as it is he who applied to Sim Yung for her, thus setting her on the path that she will eventually follow by the time the series concludes.
As Gary heads for the 40s, we see an unusual shot of the front of the Royal Oak, showing the other side of the street for the first time as we see the delivery dray bringing Phoebe her barrels of beer; usually the views of that side street are tracking shots showing only the buildings on the same side of the road as the pub itself. As has been the theme over recent episodes, Gary and Phoebe are engaging in more and more serious discussions, even if Gary seems oblivious, however, for this particular episode, the radio broadcast in the background establishes the plot for Gary’s main issue here.
To the 90s and Ron carries the scene in the shop where he goes into his usual level of detail outlining the depths to which his depression is sinking, culminating in the “I am boring” line, which I really like. Gary makes an attempt at lightening things for him a little, however the interruption by the policeman diverts things momentarily as he interjects with musings about his family history, thus setting the scene for this episode’s sub-plot later, however, the pot-shots that Gary and Ron take at each other hint at the underlying tensions between the two, particularly with the “Chubs” quip, followed by the retaliatory “1942” line. One thing I do particularly enjoy about this scene is the contrast between Reg and his 90s counterpart; their characters seem alike, but there’s a clear difference in the levels of education, and obviously the disparity in their life experiences have had an effect, and I think this comes across really well.
As Gary and Yvonne discuss her job prospects, Gary’s feelings about the Japanese become apparent, as he is reminded of their nation’s conduct during the war. One thing that Gary often seems to have an issue with is compartmentalising this sort of thing, which I would have thought would have been a vital skill to possess if one were a secret time traveller, and I’ve often wondered why Gary isn’t better at this now, as surely it would have been something he would have seen a need to develop over his time flitting back and forth through the portal. Yvonne, however, seems not to notice Gary’s return to obsession about the war, which is something she’s often had a go at him for in the past.
The sub-plot for this episode then emerges, with Reg’s assertion that he has no children, leading Gary to ponder the existence of his 1990s persona. Some great comic moments here, with Reg’s apparent innocence about ‘carnal knowledge’, leading on to the most excellent ‘St Reatham’ line; not sure when it was I first saw this episode, but me and a mate (who still lives in London), still refer to Streatham as St Reatham to this day.
As Gary goes off in search of answers, we are given a rare scene with extended outdoor footage of wartime London, as Gary tracks down the bus conductor, Margie, seen here for the first time, but who will be a regular character from here on. I enjoy this scene immensely, and whilst watching it this time, I scrolled back and reviewed it to see if I could spot any anachronisms, but I certainly didn’t notice any.
As we return once again to the 90s, Ron’s depression is still evident, in stark contrast to Gary’s upbeat mood with his lucrative money-making scheme of bringing things from the 40s to the 90s and selling them for a huge amount. Some might see this as blatant profiteering, however, some might see it as simply the law of economics, with supply and demand being met, albeit in a somewhat unusual manner. I can’t recall who it was that said, “Something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it”, but that’s certainly relevant here, as Gary charges a large amount of money for something he acquired for nothing, but he does, however, solve his own issues of making sure that the shop can generate a profit, in order to keep Yvonne sweet and not have her trying to convince him to get a ‘real’ job. The culmination of Ron’s ramblings leads us to the excellent “I wish my life could be simple like yours” line, which points out a certain amount of irony to the viewer.
Another return to wartime London, and a great (if brief) scene where Reg is introduced to his son. Genuine emotion shown on Christopher Ettridge’s face here as we are then lead on towards Phoebe’s issues, as she continues to ramp up the hints about parenthood to an apparently oblivious Gary.
On to the final scene, and Gary builds up the obvious hatred of the Japanese, which is not helped by his drunkenness, however, in typical western style, he has failed to take into account that not all oriental people are Japanese, and as things build to what seems an obvious climax, we find the wind knocked out of his sails as the revelation is made by Yvonne’s new boss. During this scene, Yvonne’s outstanding “Cut his gib off” line rounds things off nicely for me, meaning the opening and closing laughs of this episode were both provided by her.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. I really like some of the fairly subtle differences that are evident, such as the other side of the Royal Oak’s side street, and the bus journey scene showing so much more of the outdoors than we usually see.
As Gary heads for the 40s, we see an unusual shot of the front of the Royal Oak, showing the other side of the street for the first time as we see the delivery dray bringing Phoebe her barrels of beer; usually the views of that side street are tracking shots showing only the buildings on the same side of the road as the pub itself. As has been the theme over recent episodes, Gary and Phoebe are engaging in more and more serious discussions, even if Gary seems oblivious, however, for this particular episode, the radio broadcast in the background establishes the plot for Gary’s main issue here.
To the 90s and Ron carries the scene in the shop where he goes into his usual level of detail outlining the depths to which his depression is sinking, culminating in the “I am boring” line, which I really like. Gary makes an attempt at lightening things for him a little, however the interruption by the policeman diverts things momentarily as he interjects with musings about his family history, thus setting the scene for this episode’s sub-plot later, however, the pot-shots that Gary and Ron take at each other hint at the underlying tensions between the two, particularly with the “Chubs” quip, followed by the retaliatory “1942” line. One thing I do particularly enjoy about this scene is the contrast between Reg and his 90s counterpart; their characters seem alike, but there’s a clear difference in the levels of education, and obviously the disparity in their life experiences have had an effect, and I think this comes across really well.
As Gary and Yvonne discuss her job prospects, Gary’s feelings about the Japanese become apparent, as he is reminded of their nation’s conduct during the war. One thing that Gary often seems to have an issue with is compartmentalising this sort of thing, which I would have thought would have been a vital skill to possess if one were a secret time traveller, and I’ve often wondered why Gary isn’t better at this now, as surely it would have been something he would have seen a need to develop over his time flitting back and forth through the portal. Yvonne, however, seems not to notice Gary’s return to obsession about the war, which is something she’s often had a go at him for in the past.
The sub-plot for this episode then emerges, with Reg’s assertion that he has no children, leading Gary to ponder the existence of his 1990s persona. Some great comic moments here, with Reg’s apparent innocence about ‘carnal knowledge’, leading on to the most excellent ‘St Reatham’ line; not sure when it was I first saw this episode, but me and a mate (who still lives in London), still refer to Streatham as St Reatham to this day.
As Gary goes off in search of answers, we are given a rare scene with extended outdoor footage of wartime London, as Gary tracks down the bus conductor, Margie, seen here for the first time, but who will be a regular character from here on. I enjoy this scene immensely, and whilst watching it this time, I scrolled back and reviewed it to see if I could spot any anachronisms, but I certainly didn’t notice any.
As we return once again to the 90s, Ron’s depression is still evident, in stark contrast to Gary’s upbeat mood with his lucrative money-making scheme of bringing things from the 40s to the 90s and selling them for a huge amount. Some might see this as blatant profiteering, however, some might see it as simply the law of economics, with supply and demand being met, albeit in a somewhat unusual manner. I can’t recall who it was that said, “Something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it”, but that’s certainly relevant here, as Gary charges a large amount of money for something he acquired for nothing, but he does, however, solve his own issues of making sure that the shop can generate a profit, in order to keep Yvonne sweet and not have her trying to convince him to get a ‘real’ job. The culmination of Ron’s ramblings leads us to the excellent “I wish my life could be simple like yours” line, which points out a certain amount of irony to the viewer.
Another return to wartime London, and a great (if brief) scene where Reg is introduced to his son. Genuine emotion shown on Christopher Ettridge’s face here as we are then lead on towards Phoebe’s issues, as she continues to ramp up the hints about parenthood to an apparently oblivious Gary.
On to the final scene, and Gary builds up the obvious hatred of the Japanese, which is not helped by his drunkenness, however, in typical western style, he has failed to take into account that not all oriental people are Japanese, and as things build to what seems an obvious climax, we find the wind knocked out of his sails as the revelation is made by Yvonne’s new boss. During this scene, Yvonne’s outstanding “Cut his gib off” line rounds things off nicely for me, meaning the opening and closing laughs of this episode were both provided by her.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. I really like some of the fairly subtle differences that are evident, such as the other side of the Royal Oak’s side street, and the bus journey scene showing so much more of the outdoors than we usually see.
