Post by rhort on Aug 16, 2012 13:48:25 GMT -5
The opening scene brings us straight into a major issue of the entire series, the relationship between Gary and Ron, and we see here something of the disparity between the two, both in terms of the way Gary treats Ron versus the way he expects to be treated, and also in the level of give and take between the two, i.e. Ron seems to do a lot more for Gary than Gary does for Ron. I always thought at this point that Gary should pay Ron for the banknotes he provides, perhaps on a one 90s pound for every 40s pound basis; with the money Gary is raking in, I’m surprised that something like this hasn’t occurred to at least one of them before this point, and that way, Ron might at least feel more of a partner than a bystander. As Ron’s depression continues, Gary reacts in his normal manner, with only a small amount of compassion for, let’s face it, his best friend, and for me this only serves to highlight the poor level of consideration Gary seems to give for virtually anyone other than himself at times.
Yvonne’s entrance shows that her depression, on the other hand, has vanished along with her unemployment, as well as highlighting quite graphically how easily she’s got back into a world described by the vague inexactitudes of management speak. This leads us nicely to Gary finally showing a certain degree of genuine concern at Yvonne’s chat with Stella about Ron, and thus putting us back on track somewhat about whether there is any strength in the two guys’ friendship.
Back to the 40s, and as Gary passes off yet another classic anthem as his own work, we are lead on to the main plot for this episode, which is touched upon in advance as Gary almost gives himself away with all the ‘new’ cash in his pocket. As Reg (used here for something more than comic relief which is always something I like) tells Gary about his somewhat unsurprising problem, we are also introduced to the character of Owen Jones (played by a really great character actor Ken Jones in his usual excellent style) who, despite coming from far afield, seems to be fitting in with the locals nicely. As we move through this scene, we see Phoebe show how much she sees Gary in the critical role of keeping up morale.
Back to the 90s to investigate his problem, and Gary once again shows that he has very little faith in Ron, and the accusations then leads to a major argument between the two. Whilst dealing with this, Ron’s skill as a printer then becomes evident as he effortlessly spots the forged banknote with only the most cursory of examinations, and this brings Gary, for once, to the realisation that he’s wrong and in backing down, brings him back on side with Ron.
As Ron waits for Gary to return, Yvonne seems to be showing a lot more of a softer side with him for once, as the two actually manage to hold a surprisingly civilised conversation. This is possibly in part because she’d like to see things sorted out for her friend Stella, and partly because she is no longer so stressed out about being unemployed. The outstanding feature of this scene for me is the way in which the story of Gary’s revealing of the spy is brought out. I always thought that doing it in this manner was unusual, and worked extremely well, particularly the way in which the storytelling is woven into the plot.
As the story unfolds, we’re given an excellent line right at the start from Reg as he examines the ‘fact’ that he himself is a spy. Gary then uses a credit card to open the suspect’s door (in a typical ‘movie mistake’ manner that doesn’t work on that type of door in real life), but I think we can forgive this in view of the ‘Very Important Security Article’ line that more than makes up for it. Phoebe is visibly impressed with Gary’s technique for revealing the important information that the spy has left behind, and Reg rounds things off here with the excellent “Wouldn’t trust the Pope” line used as part of theme that forms a running joke for regular viewers.
On to the train, and I’ve always wondered why Gary shows the train guard (anyone remember these?) his credit card instead of his MI5 ID papers. The capture of the spy here always seemed to be to be a little rushed, but the way in which he is caught repeatedly gives me a laugh. I also like the way in which Gary is happy to let Reg take the credit for things.
The final scene then saves some of the best laughs until last, not least of all Ron’s reaction to the “Pub that Phoebe worked in” line, and then we’re left with Yvonne’s suggestion that Gary might like to try a little role playing, and the fantastic “You can be Reg!” line, which left me laughing throughout the entire closing credits the first time I saw this.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Excellent way in which the main part of the story is told in flashback, and then the storytelling itself isn’t simply shoved into the episode in an arbitrary way.
Yvonne’s entrance shows that her depression, on the other hand, has vanished along with her unemployment, as well as highlighting quite graphically how easily she’s got back into a world described by the vague inexactitudes of management speak. This leads us nicely to Gary finally showing a certain degree of genuine concern at Yvonne’s chat with Stella about Ron, and thus putting us back on track somewhat about whether there is any strength in the two guys’ friendship.
Back to the 40s, and as Gary passes off yet another classic anthem as his own work, we are lead on to the main plot for this episode, which is touched upon in advance as Gary almost gives himself away with all the ‘new’ cash in his pocket. As Reg (used here for something more than comic relief which is always something I like) tells Gary about his somewhat unsurprising problem, we are also introduced to the character of Owen Jones (played by a really great character actor Ken Jones in his usual excellent style) who, despite coming from far afield, seems to be fitting in with the locals nicely. As we move through this scene, we see Phoebe show how much she sees Gary in the critical role of keeping up morale.
Back to the 90s to investigate his problem, and Gary once again shows that he has very little faith in Ron, and the accusations then leads to a major argument between the two. Whilst dealing with this, Ron’s skill as a printer then becomes evident as he effortlessly spots the forged banknote with only the most cursory of examinations, and this brings Gary, for once, to the realisation that he’s wrong and in backing down, brings him back on side with Ron.
As Ron waits for Gary to return, Yvonne seems to be showing a lot more of a softer side with him for once, as the two actually manage to hold a surprisingly civilised conversation. This is possibly in part because she’d like to see things sorted out for her friend Stella, and partly because she is no longer so stressed out about being unemployed. The outstanding feature of this scene for me is the way in which the story of Gary’s revealing of the spy is brought out. I always thought that doing it in this manner was unusual, and worked extremely well, particularly the way in which the storytelling is woven into the plot.
As the story unfolds, we’re given an excellent line right at the start from Reg as he examines the ‘fact’ that he himself is a spy. Gary then uses a credit card to open the suspect’s door (in a typical ‘movie mistake’ manner that doesn’t work on that type of door in real life), but I think we can forgive this in view of the ‘Very Important Security Article’ line that more than makes up for it. Phoebe is visibly impressed with Gary’s technique for revealing the important information that the spy has left behind, and Reg rounds things off here with the excellent “Wouldn’t trust the Pope” line used as part of theme that forms a running joke for regular viewers.
On to the train, and I’ve always wondered why Gary shows the train guard (anyone remember these?) his credit card instead of his MI5 ID papers. The capture of the spy here always seemed to be to be a little rushed, but the way in which he is caught repeatedly gives me a laugh. I also like the way in which Gary is happy to let Reg take the credit for things.
The final scene then saves some of the best laughs until last, not least of all Ron’s reaction to the “Pub that Phoebe worked in” line, and then we’re left with Yvonne’s suggestion that Gary might like to try a little role playing, and the fantastic “You can be Reg!” line, which left me laughing throughout the entire closing credits the first time I saw this.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Excellent way in which the main part of the story is told in flashback, and then the storytelling itself isn’t simply shoved into the episode in an arbitrary way.