Post by rhort on Nov 2, 2012 4:09:52 GMT -5
We open with Ron arriving to meet Gary first thing in the morning, and once again are shown the level on which the two men operate, as Gary launches into a barrage of comments about the lack of sex he’s getting at the moment, which is then brought down by Ron’s news about his marriage being over. This then leads us to the main 90s plot for this episode, as Ron reveals that he has (quite viciously) assaulted Stella’s new partner with a cricket bat, as is evidenced by the obvious blood staining on his shirt. The vigorous banging on the door signals the arrival of the police, looking for Ron, which adds to the momentum of the chain of events that see Ron needing Gary’s help.
Having done what he can for Ron, in what seems to be a fairly cursory manner, Gary heads for the 40s, arriving as Reg and Phoebe are discussing the matter of Donald’s death in Africa. Gary’s entrance, and the subsequent explanations leads us to a sequence of excellent comic lines which certainly helps to lift the mood of the scene. As Gary and Phoebe are afforded some time to themselves, we find that Phoebe is in the process of making some decisions about how they will be affected by the recent events, which don’t all sit entirely well with Gary, although he clearly does have a certain sympathy for her at this time, and he feels that this is the right moment to propose to Phoebe, given that time is of the essence with the impending arrival of their child in just a few months.
Returning to the 90s, and Ron’s cell, Gary is typically ignorant of his friend’s plight, and concerned only with his own issues, running straight to telling Ron about his upcoming marriage to Phoebe. Ron is unsurprisingly underwhelmed by Gary’s news at this point, focussing on his own immediate needs, perhaps with added anxiety due to the fact that he’s in a position where he needs to rely on someone who is not known for his dependability, and regular viewers will probably make a guess at where this is going as Ron tries to impress the need for Gary to return for his hearing in order to help secure his release. I always wondered why Ron is shown here still wearing the blood-stained shirt; surely this would have been removed and catalogued as evidence? The introduction of Ron’s cellmate then provides the last big laugh for this scene; for those wondering, that is actually a female actor playing the role.
Gary nips back to the 40s and finds Phoebe having a chat with the vicar, however, he makes the assumption that they are talking about their wedding, when in fact they’re talking about Donald’s memorial service, which leads to a certain amount of embarrassment, causing the vicar to beat a hasty retreat. After he has left, Gary and Phoebe then get into an argument about the wedding, and details of parenthood, leading to Phoebe asking Gary to leave.
As could probably have been predicted, Gary is late for Ron’s hearing. This gives Ron the opportunity to deliver a speech with his typical aversion to brevity, given that he has an audience with nowhere to run. When Gary arrives, he finds that he has the wrong wallet, and only has 1940s currency on him. Dashing back through the portal to find his wallet, he encounters Reg, in an unusually officious mood, refusing to hand over the wallet until Gary has conclusively verified that it is his property. This does however, bring us to the excellent debate about the condom, and Reg’s outstanding “Never mind son, size isn’t everything!” line which finally helps to see Gary reunited with his 90s wallet. Something else here that made me wonder; Gary always goes to great lengths to make sure all his 90s kit is left in the shop, so how come he’s taken his 90s wallet to the 40s? After all this time, you’d think it would be second nature by now.
Spotting Gary across the bar, Donald’s mum turns up the heat with a scathing attack on his treatment of her son. On this occasion, however, Phoebe is the one who offers a response, standing up for herself and Gary. Unfortunately, this exchange takes its toll on Phoebe, leading Gary to inadvertently make a comment about Phoebe’s pregnancy in the heat of the moment, leading to predictable results. As Phoebe collapses, we see a rare shot of the ceiling of the Royal Oak in the background. As Gary and Phoebe later take a walk in the graveyard to visit Donald’s memorial, we are shown even more evidence of Phoebe’s strength, as the two of them debate the impact of everything they’ve gone through recently. As this progresses, Gary realises that he’s late for Ron again.
Rushing back to the court, Gary discovers Ron waiting outside, complete with a fantastic story about his escape, which he then admits comes down simply to the fact that Stella has got him to agree to a divorce. It’s probably no surprise to see that the two guys then go for a drinking session, which then leads them further on in search of food. Finding themselves coincidentally in the same graveyard that Gary was in with Phoebe earlier, Gary embarks upon something of a minor quest to locate the tree at Donald’s memorial, however, locating the tree also leads to locating Ron, giving us a big laugh in the process.
The final scene in the 40s, and Gary has brought Phoebe a pram, as well as a gift for her. As she opens the earrings, she clearly expects to see an engagement ring, but Gary has another surprise in store for her, as he keeps the ring back for just a moment longer.
I’d give this episode a 95% rating. Despite the two interwoven plots, each of which deals with a very serious issue, this still manages to be an extremely funny episode.
Having done what he can for Ron, in what seems to be a fairly cursory manner, Gary heads for the 40s, arriving as Reg and Phoebe are discussing the matter of Donald’s death in Africa. Gary’s entrance, and the subsequent explanations leads us to a sequence of excellent comic lines which certainly helps to lift the mood of the scene. As Gary and Phoebe are afforded some time to themselves, we find that Phoebe is in the process of making some decisions about how they will be affected by the recent events, which don’t all sit entirely well with Gary, although he clearly does have a certain sympathy for her at this time, and he feels that this is the right moment to propose to Phoebe, given that time is of the essence with the impending arrival of their child in just a few months.
Returning to the 90s, and Ron’s cell, Gary is typically ignorant of his friend’s plight, and concerned only with his own issues, running straight to telling Ron about his upcoming marriage to Phoebe. Ron is unsurprisingly underwhelmed by Gary’s news at this point, focussing on his own immediate needs, perhaps with added anxiety due to the fact that he’s in a position where he needs to rely on someone who is not known for his dependability, and regular viewers will probably make a guess at where this is going as Ron tries to impress the need for Gary to return for his hearing in order to help secure his release. I always wondered why Ron is shown here still wearing the blood-stained shirt; surely this would have been removed and catalogued as evidence? The introduction of Ron’s cellmate then provides the last big laugh for this scene; for those wondering, that is actually a female actor playing the role.
Gary nips back to the 40s and finds Phoebe having a chat with the vicar, however, he makes the assumption that they are talking about their wedding, when in fact they’re talking about Donald’s memorial service, which leads to a certain amount of embarrassment, causing the vicar to beat a hasty retreat. After he has left, Gary and Phoebe then get into an argument about the wedding, and details of parenthood, leading to Phoebe asking Gary to leave.
As could probably have been predicted, Gary is late for Ron’s hearing. This gives Ron the opportunity to deliver a speech with his typical aversion to brevity, given that he has an audience with nowhere to run. When Gary arrives, he finds that he has the wrong wallet, and only has 1940s currency on him. Dashing back through the portal to find his wallet, he encounters Reg, in an unusually officious mood, refusing to hand over the wallet until Gary has conclusively verified that it is his property. This does however, bring us to the excellent debate about the condom, and Reg’s outstanding “Never mind son, size isn’t everything!” line which finally helps to see Gary reunited with his 90s wallet. Something else here that made me wonder; Gary always goes to great lengths to make sure all his 90s kit is left in the shop, so how come he’s taken his 90s wallet to the 40s? After all this time, you’d think it would be second nature by now.
Spotting Gary across the bar, Donald’s mum turns up the heat with a scathing attack on his treatment of her son. On this occasion, however, Phoebe is the one who offers a response, standing up for herself and Gary. Unfortunately, this exchange takes its toll on Phoebe, leading Gary to inadvertently make a comment about Phoebe’s pregnancy in the heat of the moment, leading to predictable results. As Phoebe collapses, we see a rare shot of the ceiling of the Royal Oak in the background. As Gary and Phoebe later take a walk in the graveyard to visit Donald’s memorial, we are shown even more evidence of Phoebe’s strength, as the two of them debate the impact of everything they’ve gone through recently. As this progresses, Gary realises that he’s late for Ron again.
Rushing back to the court, Gary discovers Ron waiting outside, complete with a fantastic story about his escape, which he then admits comes down simply to the fact that Stella has got him to agree to a divorce. It’s probably no surprise to see that the two guys then go for a drinking session, which then leads them further on in search of food. Finding themselves coincidentally in the same graveyard that Gary was in with Phoebe earlier, Gary embarks upon something of a minor quest to locate the tree at Donald’s memorial, however, locating the tree also leads to locating Ron, giving us a big laugh in the process.
The final scene in the 40s, and Gary has brought Phoebe a pram, as well as a gift for her. As she opens the earrings, she clearly expects to see an engagement ring, but Gary has another surprise in store for her, as he keeps the ring back for just a moment longer.
I’d give this episode a 95% rating. Despite the two interwoven plots, each of which deals with a very serious issue, this still manages to be an extremely funny episode.