Post by rhort on Feb 15, 2013 4:29:03 GMT -5
We begin in Ron’s flat, and introduce the subplot for this episode, with Ron’s severe financial problems. His worries about the impending repossession of his belongings are basically ignored by Gary, who is still excited about his mission to France, which is largely typical of the way the two men interact. Gary feels that if he tells the whole story again, one more time, he’ll be able to get it out of his system, and that will help him calm down. Ron takes this on board, and spots a similar line he can take with his own issues, taking time with Gary to talk them through. As Gary thinks about this, he tries to impress upon Ron what a good idea that would be, but then he simply makes his excuses and exits, leaving Ron with the idea that he’ll come back later to go through this with him.
Gary awakes in his bedroom back in Cricklewood, seeing Yvonne and asking for a cup of tea, which is then handed to him a moment later by Phoebe, leading a startled Gary to then wake up in the front room, with Yvonne sitting close by. A moment later, Phoebe turns up at the front door, with a bomb in a pram, and Gary then wakes abruptly in the West End flat, where Phoebe and Reg are listening to the news of the Normandy Landings on the radio. Much of the rest of this episode plays upon Gary’s utter inability to be able to tell easily if he is awake, or dreaming, and this is communicated excellently to the viewer, leaving a lot of guesswork happening, right up until the final scene.
As Gary chats with Reg, musing on the advances in technology, he tries to explain to him the mechanics of how a pilotless bomb would work, however, Reg’s obvious confusion causes Gary to dumb things down for him, resulting in a far simpler explanation. The excellent “Mad on beef” line here dates this episode somewhat. Gary then nods off again, waking some time later feeling much better. As he introduces yet another song that he ‘wrote’, he goes to play it on the piano, finding a moment later that he’s actually singing a duet with Rolf Harris, causing him to wake with a start on the sofa.
Rushing over to Ron’s flat, Gary is so engrossed in his own problems, that it takes him a while to notice that the flat is empty. As they discuss their respective issues, Gary apparently takes Ron’s advice to see a therapist, however, when she starts to come on to him, Ron wakes him up, and he is quite annoyed to find he’s back in Ron’s flat. As Gary sits back down to relax at Ron’s insistence, he’s instantly back with the therapist, and things start to develop further, however, Gary suddenly notices that the therapist is, in fact, Reg. When Gary eventually wakes, he is then upset with Ron that he didn’t wake him. This time, Ron tells Gary that he’s going to lose not only his furnishings, but the flat as well, which leads him to suggest that he could move into Gary’s West End flat, assuming he still owns it. Gary’s reluctance to do this, in view of the rent he could be getting on the flat, shows us more of how Gary often treats those around him, however, when Ron reminds him of how he came by the cash to buy the flat, Gary is forced to comply.
Gary wakes, once again, on the sofa at his Cricklewood home, and Yvonne offers to make him some breakfast. A moment or two later, Gary hears maniacal laughter coming from the kitchen, and he makes his way in there to find Ron, dressed in costume, being hit repeatedly by Yvonne with the fish Gary was expecting for his breakfast. Gary wakes with a start, back on the sofa.
There’s something of an eerie feeling in seeing Gary’s West End flat as it appears in the 1990s, but Ron, having only seen it in passing before (and whilst quite drunk) has no such issue with it, and after only a brief moment to take it in, he wants to move in right away. As Gary takes in the ambience himself, he finds he experiences a moment of paranoia, which kicks in as he takes a minute to wonder what happened to him, and why the flat is still owned by him, but presently empty. His brief state of panic, however, gives Ron the opportunity to come up with a perfectly valid hypothesis, and this serves to calm Gary down a little, and off the back of this, Ron then brings up the fact that he has some sleeping pills for Gary, in the hope that he might get the rest he needs, but Gary doesn’t want to take the risk of sleeping, given the unsettling dreams he has been having. Ron, however, has come prepared for this, and gives Gary a drink of whiskey instead, which he has (rather dangerously) mixed with sleeping pills in order to fool Gary into taking it.
When Gary falls asleep, he wakes to find the surreal metaphysical scenario of both Yvonne and Phoebe sitting in the front room, on the sofa next to each other. As might be expected, they begin to argue about the various aspects of their relationship with Gary, and their claims to him. When Gary attempts to intervene, the two women almost seem to work together in an effort to wind him up. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ron is also here, not only enjoying Gary’s discomfort, but chiming in himself, with his own thoughts on the way in which he regularly feels used. Reg too, appears to add his contribution, highlighting the fact that his role is mostly seen as comical, and with all this going on, it seems that Gary is unable to say anything that doesn’t help to put his foot in it with at least one of them, especially when it comes to his repeated use of the word ‘Sorry’.
As the verbal assault from all quarters continues, the one person who seems to be taking great joy from the proceedings is Ron, who is clearly loving it. As the girls close in on the moment where they force Gary to choose between them, Gary wakes, realising a moment later that he’s still in the dream, and remembering that he’s taken a sleeping pill, for the time being, there is no escape. This is a key moment in the series, as Gary is put on the spot and effectively made to evaluate things in a very clinical manner for the first time, and after a brief reflection, he is forced to conclude that he should choose Phoebe, as she needs him far more than Yvonne does. This however, does not sit well with Phoebe, as she sees herself as being viewed as unable to cope without him and storms off, leaving Gary with Yvonne.
When Gary then wakes in the West End flat once again, the dust sheets on the furniture appear to give away the fact that he’s now awake, however, the power is off, not just in the flat but out in the street, leading Gary to believe that he’s in the black out, so he thinks he’s still asleep, however, the cordless telephone handset he finds conflicts with his, leading to more confusion. When Ron appears and tells him it’s just a power cut, Gary has some time to think further, and is clearly still wrestling with his issues, causing Ron to suggest he needs to take a holiday away somewhere.
Gary’s wanderings take him to Eastbourne, where he finds himself in a small hotel having breakfast, when he sees a couple sitting opposite who have a striking resemblance to himself and Phoebe, making Gary think that he’s encountered himself as an old man, however, he then wakes with a start, and the table where he thought the couple were sitting is, in fact, empty. Clearly not yet rested enough, Gary decides to take another week off.
I’d give this episode a 85% rating. A key episode in terms of plot development, but I always felt it could have done with more big laughs, and possibly a second part (as seems to have been the trend of late).
Gary awakes in his bedroom back in Cricklewood, seeing Yvonne and asking for a cup of tea, which is then handed to him a moment later by Phoebe, leading a startled Gary to then wake up in the front room, with Yvonne sitting close by. A moment later, Phoebe turns up at the front door, with a bomb in a pram, and Gary then wakes abruptly in the West End flat, where Phoebe and Reg are listening to the news of the Normandy Landings on the radio. Much of the rest of this episode plays upon Gary’s utter inability to be able to tell easily if he is awake, or dreaming, and this is communicated excellently to the viewer, leaving a lot of guesswork happening, right up until the final scene.
As Gary chats with Reg, musing on the advances in technology, he tries to explain to him the mechanics of how a pilotless bomb would work, however, Reg’s obvious confusion causes Gary to dumb things down for him, resulting in a far simpler explanation. The excellent “Mad on beef” line here dates this episode somewhat. Gary then nods off again, waking some time later feeling much better. As he introduces yet another song that he ‘wrote’, he goes to play it on the piano, finding a moment later that he’s actually singing a duet with Rolf Harris, causing him to wake with a start on the sofa.
Rushing over to Ron’s flat, Gary is so engrossed in his own problems, that it takes him a while to notice that the flat is empty. As they discuss their respective issues, Gary apparently takes Ron’s advice to see a therapist, however, when she starts to come on to him, Ron wakes him up, and he is quite annoyed to find he’s back in Ron’s flat. As Gary sits back down to relax at Ron’s insistence, he’s instantly back with the therapist, and things start to develop further, however, Gary suddenly notices that the therapist is, in fact, Reg. When Gary eventually wakes, he is then upset with Ron that he didn’t wake him. This time, Ron tells Gary that he’s going to lose not only his furnishings, but the flat as well, which leads him to suggest that he could move into Gary’s West End flat, assuming he still owns it. Gary’s reluctance to do this, in view of the rent he could be getting on the flat, shows us more of how Gary often treats those around him, however, when Ron reminds him of how he came by the cash to buy the flat, Gary is forced to comply.
Gary wakes, once again, on the sofa at his Cricklewood home, and Yvonne offers to make him some breakfast. A moment or two later, Gary hears maniacal laughter coming from the kitchen, and he makes his way in there to find Ron, dressed in costume, being hit repeatedly by Yvonne with the fish Gary was expecting for his breakfast. Gary wakes with a start, back on the sofa.
There’s something of an eerie feeling in seeing Gary’s West End flat as it appears in the 1990s, but Ron, having only seen it in passing before (and whilst quite drunk) has no such issue with it, and after only a brief moment to take it in, he wants to move in right away. As Gary takes in the ambience himself, he finds he experiences a moment of paranoia, which kicks in as he takes a minute to wonder what happened to him, and why the flat is still owned by him, but presently empty. His brief state of panic, however, gives Ron the opportunity to come up with a perfectly valid hypothesis, and this serves to calm Gary down a little, and off the back of this, Ron then brings up the fact that he has some sleeping pills for Gary, in the hope that he might get the rest he needs, but Gary doesn’t want to take the risk of sleeping, given the unsettling dreams he has been having. Ron, however, has come prepared for this, and gives Gary a drink of whiskey instead, which he has (rather dangerously) mixed with sleeping pills in order to fool Gary into taking it.
When Gary falls asleep, he wakes to find the surreal metaphysical scenario of both Yvonne and Phoebe sitting in the front room, on the sofa next to each other. As might be expected, they begin to argue about the various aspects of their relationship with Gary, and their claims to him. When Gary attempts to intervene, the two women almost seem to work together in an effort to wind him up. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ron is also here, not only enjoying Gary’s discomfort, but chiming in himself, with his own thoughts on the way in which he regularly feels used. Reg too, appears to add his contribution, highlighting the fact that his role is mostly seen as comical, and with all this going on, it seems that Gary is unable to say anything that doesn’t help to put his foot in it with at least one of them, especially when it comes to his repeated use of the word ‘Sorry’.
As the verbal assault from all quarters continues, the one person who seems to be taking great joy from the proceedings is Ron, who is clearly loving it. As the girls close in on the moment where they force Gary to choose between them, Gary wakes, realising a moment later that he’s still in the dream, and remembering that he’s taken a sleeping pill, for the time being, there is no escape. This is a key moment in the series, as Gary is put on the spot and effectively made to evaluate things in a very clinical manner for the first time, and after a brief reflection, he is forced to conclude that he should choose Phoebe, as she needs him far more than Yvonne does. This however, does not sit well with Phoebe, as she sees herself as being viewed as unable to cope without him and storms off, leaving Gary with Yvonne.
When Gary then wakes in the West End flat once again, the dust sheets on the furniture appear to give away the fact that he’s now awake, however, the power is off, not just in the flat but out in the street, leading Gary to believe that he’s in the black out, so he thinks he’s still asleep, however, the cordless telephone handset he finds conflicts with his, leading to more confusion. When Ron appears and tells him it’s just a power cut, Gary has some time to think further, and is clearly still wrestling with his issues, causing Ron to suggest he needs to take a holiday away somewhere.
Gary’s wanderings take him to Eastbourne, where he finds himself in a small hotel having breakfast, when he sees a couple sitting opposite who have a striking resemblance to himself and Phoebe, making Gary think that he’s encountered himself as an old man, however, he then wakes with a start, and the table where he thought the couple were sitting is, in fact, empty. Clearly not yet rested enough, Gary decides to take another week off.
I’d give this episode a 85% rating. A key episode in terms of plot development, but I always felt it could have done with more big laughs, and possibly a second part (as seems to have been the trend of late).
