Post by rhort on Nov 9, 2012 3:56:05 GMT -5
Setting the scene for this episode, we unsurprisingly start with Ron, sitting in Gary’s house reminiscing about his past, leading nicely to the reference about his grandfather, Albert Wheatcroft, and the act of heroism attributed to him, and reported in a local newspaper. Gary seems to be showing an uncommon amount of fascination with this, however, it’s probably down to his personal investment, given his impending trip to Liverpool with Phoebe. Interesting comment made about the cost and duration of the journey in comparison with 90’s (and indeed today’s) rail travel. This week’s first eagle-eyed viewer moment is the tenner that Ron gives to Gary in order to buy his ancestor a drink is a 90s banknote, not a 40s one.
The amount of time this episode spends in wartime London is much less than usual, however, the brief appearance of Reg shows us he is on top form, as he deals with the list of things that he needs to do whilst Phoebe and Gary are away. Phoebe returns to type on the matter of travel, and shows some concern about having to go so far away to Liverpool, but Gary’s arrival helps to calm things down somewhat, as with most of the time, Phoebe seems to gain a great amount of strength from his presence; I always thought that this was more evident with the new Phoebe rather than the old one. Reg brings a big laugh with something of a recurring joke at his lack of understanding of certain issues with his “Marital Rights” confusion, again pointing out something of a contrast between himself and Gary, who essentially nods and smiles knowingly. Whilst explaining to Phoebe about the fact that Liverpool is hardly a world away, we are lead to the excellent “English, after a fashion” line that helps to move us on to Liverpool itself.
Phoebe’s grandmother seems at first to be instantly accepting of Gary, even in view of the way in which the two of them have got together so soon after Donald’s death, but it may have something to do with the “spare” coupons Gary gives to her as they arrive, and her insistence that “Jack Russells don’t need a name” is the first of many big laughs she provides us with. Their initial chat is amiable enough as Phoebe searches for the general mood, hoping as she is, to drop in the news of the baby somewhere along the line. Gary ends the scene on a high note with his, “Well, I’ll be prepared” line.
On to the Liverpudlian pub, and Gary’s encounter with Albert Wheatcroft, giving us a host of laughs, not least of all when he asks who prints Gary’s fivers for him. As the two men engage each other in some banter, certain facts become apparent that cast a significantly different light on Albert’s character. As Phoebe and her grandmother attempt to pull Gary away from Albert, the distraction of a song to be sung causes Gary to momentarily take his eye off the ball, as we see him manoeuvred into a familiar position, ready to perform for an audience. On this occasion, however, Gary’s choice of song falls flat and the locals are less than appreciative of his efforts, leading us to another of those great insight moment in this series, as “Mr Lennon” claims to have a one-year-old son who could write a better song; I often wondered if that was a subtle reference to the fact of that particular Beatles song having been written mostly by Paul McCartney. As Gary retreats, he find that his wallet has been stolen, and the suspicion falls upon the not so honourable Mr Wheatcroft.
The follow up action Gary takes at this point brings us to the most severe ramifications thus far in the series, as he realises that with Albert in police custody, he won’t be able to carry out the heroic rescue of the child trapped in the fire. Returning to the 1990s to seek counsel from Ron, Gary finds things very different from how he left them; his shop is now a restaurant, his home is occupied by Yvonne and her husband (confusingly called Ron), neither of whom recognise Gary at all, and Ron is the local vicar. Suddenly being brought up to speed on the realities of the dangers inherent to time travel, Gary is stunned into returning to the 40s, and then back to Liverpool in order to reunite with Phoebe, who seems unaltered by the other temporal causality changes. Gary realises that he needs to think fast, and hatches a plan to try and restore his original reality. This week’s second eagle-eyed viewer moment comes when Phoebe’s grandmother brings in two tea cups here, both of which are clearly empty.
After springing Albert from the local police station, courtesy of his military ID papers, Gary heads off with him in search of the building on fire. As they arrive, it is unsurprising to find that Albert Wheatcroft is not the sort of person who would run into a burning building to save someone, which forces Gary to run in instead and rescue the child. As he emerges, Albert greets him at the door, taking the child from him whilst Gary takes a breather, and as he takes the child to safety, the assembled crowd assume that it was he who carried out the rescue. This incenses Phoebe, but sits fine with Gary, as it means that in some sense at least, the historical balance seems to have been restored, at least on this side of the portal.
It being time to leave Liverpool and return to the capital, Phoebe is somewhat concerned that she hasn’t yet had an opportunity to tell her grandmother that she is pregnant, however, despite the outward appearance of a dotty old lady who’s not paying much attention, the older woman appears to be firing on all cylinders as she reveals that she’s known for some time, wise as she clearly is in the ways of the world. Returning to London shows, on the other hand, that Reg is less so, as Gary and Phoebe return to find that all had not gone well, and Reg has run out of beer, serving soft drinks instead, giving us a big laugh with “the list broke down”.
Returning to the 90s, and Gary finds that all is familiar once again. Ron takes the opportunity for a little frivolity upon his return, but this is absorbed by Gary’s sense of relief. Eager to hear about his grandfather, Ron settles in to listen to Gary’s story, but then spends much of the time filling in the details for himself, leading Gary to back off from what appeared to be a plan to tell Ron the truth, choosing instead to let Ron continue to think what he was happiest with about the old man. Sparing Ron’s feelings in this way shows us something of Gary actually caring for his friend for once.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Some outstanding laughs and a really great story, particularly Ron’s alter ego.
The amount of time this episode spends in wartime London is much less than usual, however, the brief appearance of Reg shows us he is on top form, as he deals with the list of things that he needs to do whilst Phoebe and Gary are away. Phoebe returns to type on the matter of travel, and shows some concern about having to go so far away to Liverpool, but Gary’s arrival helps to calm things down somewhat, as with most of the time, Phoebe seems to gain a great amount of strength from his presence; I always thought that this was more evident with the new Phoebe rather than the old one. Reg brings a big laugh with something of a recurring joke at his lack of understanding of certain issues with his “Marital Rights” confusion, again pointing out something of a contrast between himself and Gary, who essentially nods and smiles knowingly. Whilst explaining to Phoebe about the fact that Liverpool is hardly a world away, we are lead to the excellent “English, after a fashion” line that helps to move us on to Liverpool itself.
Phoebe’s grandmother seems at first to be instantly accepting of Gary, even in view of the way in which the two of them have got together so soon after Donald’s death, but it may have something to do with the “spare” coupons Gary gives to her as they arrive, and her insistence that “Jack Russells don’t need a name” is the first of many big laughs she provides us with. Their initial chat is amiable enough as Phoebe searches for the general mood, hoping as she is, to drop in the news of the baby somewhere along the line. Gary ends the scene on a high note with his, “Well, I’ll be prepared” line.
On to the Liverpudlian pub, and Gary’s encounter with Albert Wheatcroft, giving us a host of laughs, not least of all when he asks who prints Gary’s fivers for him. As the two men engage each other in some banter, certain facts become apparent that cast a significantly different light on Albert’s character. As Phoebe and her grandmother attempt to pull Gary away from Albert, the distraction of a song to be sung causes Gary to momentarily take his eye off the ball, as we see him manoeuvred into a familiar position, ready to perform for an audience. On this occasion, however, Gary’s choice of song falls flat and the locals are less than appreciative of his efforts, leading us to another of those great insight moment in this series, as “Mr Lennon” claims to have a one-year-old son who could write a better song; I often wondered if that was a subtle reference to the fact of that particular Beatles song having been written mostly by Paul McCartney. As Gary retreats, he find that his wallet has been stolen, and the suspicion falls upon the not so honourable Mr Wheatcroft.
The follow up action Gary takes at this point brings us to the most severe ramifications thus far in the series, as he realises that with Albert in police custody, he won’t be able to carry out the heroic rescue of the child trapped in the fire. Returning to the 1990s to seek counsel from Ron, Gary finds things very different from how he left them; his shop is now a restaurant, his home is occupied by Yvonne and her husband (confusingly called Ron), neither of whom recognise Gary at all, and Ron is the local vicar. Suddenly being brought up to speed on the realities of the dangers inherent to time travel, Gary is stunned into returning to the 40s, and then back to Liverpool in order to reunite with Phoebe, who seems unaltered by the other temporal causality changes. Gary realises that he needs to think fast, and hatches a plan to try and restore his original reality. This week’s second eagle-eyed viewer moment comes when Phoebe’s grandmother brings in two tea cups here, both of which are clearly empty.
After springing Albert from the local police station, courtesy of his military ID papers, Gary heads off with him in search of the building on fire. As they arrive, it is unsurprising to find that Albert Wheatcroft is not the sort of person who would run into a burning building to save someone, which forces Gary to run in instead and rescue the child. As he emerges, Albert greets him at the door, taking the child from him whilst Gary takes a breather, and as he takes the child to safety, the assembled crowd assume that it was he who carried out the rescue. This incenses Phoebe, but sits fine with Gary, as it means that in some sense at least, the historical balance seems to have been restored, at least on this side of the portal.
It being time to leave Liverpool and return to the capital, Phoebe is somewhat concerned that she hasn’t yet had an opportunity to tell her grandmother that she is pregnant, however, despite the outward appearance of a dotty old lady who’s not paying much attention, the older woman appears to be firing on all cylinders as she reveals that she’s known for some time, wise as she clearly is in the ways of the world. Returning to London shows, on the other hand, that Reg is less so, as Gary and Phoebe return to find that all had not gone well, and Reg has run out of beer, serving soft drinks instead, giving us a big laugh with “the list broke down”.
Returning to the 90s, and Gary finds that all is familiar once again. Ron takes the opportunity for a little frivolity upon his return, but this is absorbed by Gary’s sense of relief. Eager to hear about his grandfather, Ron settles in to listen to Gary’s story, but then spends much of the time filling in the details for himself, leading Gary to back off from what appeared to be a plan to tell Ron the truth, choosing instead to let Ron continue to think what he was happiest with about the old man. Sparing Ron’s feelings in this way shows us something of Gary actually caring for his friend for once.
I’d give this episode a 90% rating. Some outstanding laughs and a really great story, particularly Ron’s alter ego.