Post by rhort on Mar 29, 2013 4:09:49 GMT -5
Starting off in the West End Flat, and Phoebe is reading out a particularly poignant piece of fan mail that she’s received from one of the patrons of the Blue Door Club who has been to see her singing there. As Gary casts a certain amount of derision on the letter, Phoebe takes a moment to reflect on just how little attention Gary pays to her, particularly when it comes to saying nice things to and about her. As Gary attempts to placate her a little, Noël arrives, and proceeds to outline his plans to have Phoebe perform a small singing role in a film he is putting together, called ‘Brief Encounter’, which causes a good deal of interests from both Gary and Phoebe, although for different reasons. Phoebe then sets out to try and make sure that it’s one of Gary’s songs that she gets to sing, which puts Gary on the defensive once more, as he tries to get out of it.
Heading off to the 90s, and his home therein, Gary finds Yvonne arguing with Murray, a legal executive who is looking into her Californian business dealings, which it seems have been complicated yet further by an aggressive take-over deal from Clive, who is attempting to edge Yvonne out completely for a small sum of ‘only’ £8 million, which Yvonne is clearly not happy about. As Gary does what he can to negotiate the minefield of her barbed comments, Yvonne takes a moment to reflect upon the fact that Gary’s life is so simple in comparison to hers, which causes something of an amused reaction from the audience.
Back to the shop, and Gary is sitting with Ron watching a video of the film Brief Encounter, noting the fact that Phoebe is not in it, however, seconds later, he points out part of the pseudo-paradoxical nature of time travelling, inasmuch as the fact that, in the reality that exists at the other end of the portal, the film hasn’t been completed yet, and so it’s still wholly possible that Phoebe could be in the film, perhaps even singing one of ‘Gary’s Songs’, which then leads Ron to ask why they’re bothering to watch it. Personally, I always thought that this would be a valid exercise for Gary anyway, as having seen the film in its ‘original’ format, he would be better placed to more easily spot any changes in a later version, should his actions have any impact on it.
Moving on to the Blue Door Club, Gary is in apologetic mood when he catches up with Phoebe, who seems quite forgiving. As Gary tries to tell her that he’d be happy for her to sing one of his songs, Noël turns up with news that he’s found another songwriter who has provided a song for her to sing instead. Reg is on typical comic form, even though everyone has already heard his joke, it certainly doesn’t seem to bother him at all. Keen to sing now, Phoebe joins Anthony to go through the new song, and thus sets the stage for yet another problem in Gary’s life.
Gary’s arrival back at his 90s home finds Yvonne in no better mood than she was before, and she’s still arguing with Murray on the matter of what to do about Clive. An obviously stressed Yvonne merely snaps at Gary’s attempts to calm her down a little, and in the end, she decides that she wants him to come with her to California to sort things out, however, she subsequently reveals that she’s planning to be there for about six months, which has obvious implications for Gary, sending him scurrying off to his normal place in a crisis, and as ever, Ron is only too happy to dispense some advice, highlighting on this occasion that this places Gary in a good position to let Yvonne go, and concentrate on Phoebe instead.
Making his way back to Phoebe, complete with presents for her, Gary finds her to be entirely not in the mood for his bribes, and she’s adamant that she’s going out to practice her singing with Anthony. The comical entrance of Reg, proudly sporting his spectacularly ill-fitting “To Upee” provides only momentary distraction from the issue at hand, however, things don’t go in Gary’s favour, leaving him once again, rushing off to find Ron, who proceeds to give him precisely the opposite advice that he gave before, suggesting that this would be the perfect time to let Phoebe go, and concentrate on Yvonne instead. Interestingly enough, Ron also points out that Gary regularly seems to shy away from any course of action that might significantly reduce the complications of his two lives, almost as if he actually enjoys the stress of it all.
Briefly catching up with Reg practicing his dancing at the Blue Door Club, Gary sets off to find Phoebe at the film set. As he makes his way there, Phoebe is engaged as a background artist, sitting at a table in the back of shot with Anthony, who is making a brave stab at chatting her up, despite her married status. As they talk, he reveals that it was he who sent her the letter she was reading to Gary in the opening scene, indicating that he would like to me more than just friends with her. Just as the filming starts, they move closer to kiss, and it’s at this point that Gary makes his entrance, creating a scene and causing Anthony to storm off. As Phoebe realises that Gary still cares about her, it seems that she’s entirely forgiven him for his earlier jealousy, and she then goes on to persuade him to miss his upcoming ‘meeting’.
Obviously, missing his ‘meeting’ has a knock-on effect in his other life, and Gary returns home to find that Yvonne has left for Los Angeles, so he rushes off to the train station to try and catch up with her. Making it with seconds to spare, he does what he can to try and persuade her not to go, but she gets on the train anyway, leaving Gary chasing the train down the platform, which causes him to fall headlong over a luggage trolley.
The next scene sees both Yvonne and Gary back at their flat, so we can only assume that Yvonne managed to get off the train somehow. The ringing phone signifies Clive’s readiness to negotiate with Yvonne, however, Gary tells him that she’s not here, and instead gives him the news that she’s on her way over to see him, complete with a squad of mafia-esque hitmen, which forces Clive to concede that even such a great distance is not going to guarantee that he gets everything his own way. This then leads Clive to increase his offer to £12 million, only to be pushed even further to £15 million by Gary, all of which pleases Yvonne immensely, which is not a bad way to end up in my opinion!
I’d give this episode an 80% rating. A complex episode, spotlighting several key issues essential to the entire series, making it a must-see.
Heading off to the 90s, and his home therein, Gary finds Yvonne arguing with Murray, a legal executive who is looking into her Californian business dealings, which it seems have been complicated yet further by an aggressive take-over deal from Clive, who is attempting to edge Yvonne out completely for a small sum of ‘only’ £8 million, which Yvonne is clearly not happy about. As Gary does what he can to negotiate the minefield of her barbed comments, Yvonne takes a moment to reflect upon the fact that Gary’s life is so simple in comparison to hers, which causes something of an amused reaction from the audience.
Back to the shop, and Gary is sitting with Ron watching a video of the film Brief Encounter, noting the fact that Phoebe is not in it, however, seconds later, he points out part of the pseudo-paradoxical nature of time travelling, inasmuch as the fact that, in the reality that exists at the other end of the portal, the film hasn’t been completed yet, and so it’s still wholly possible that Phoebe could be in the film, perhaps even singing one of ‘Gary’s Songs’, which then leads Ron to ask why they’re bothering to watch it. Personally, I always thought that this would be a valid exercise for Gary anyway, as having seen the film in its ‘original’ format, he would be better placed to more easily spot any changes in a later version, should his actions have any impact on it.
Moving on to the Blue Door Club, Gary is in apologetic mood when he catches up with Phoebe, who seems quite forgiving. As Gary tries to tell her that he’d be happy for her to sing one of his songs, Noël turns up with news that he’s found another songwriter who has provided a song for her to sing instead. Reg is on typical comic form, even though everyone has already heard his joke, it certainly doesn’t seem to bother him at all. Keen to sing now, Phoebe joins Anthony to go through the new song, and thus sets the stage for yet another problem in Gary’s life.
Gary’s arrival back at his 90s home finds Yvonne in no better mood than she was before, and she’s still arguing with Murray on the matter of what to do about Clive. An obviously stressed Yvonne merely snaps at Gary’s attempts to calm her down a little, and in the end, she decides that she wants him to come with her to California to sort things out, however, she subsequently reveals that she’s planning to be there for about six months, which has obvious implications for Gary, sending him scurrying off to his normal place in a crisis, and as ever, Ron is only too happy to dispense some advice, highlighting on this occasion that this places Gary in a good position to let Yvonne go, and concentrate on Phoebe instead.
Making his way back to Phoebe, complete with presents for her, Gary finds her to be entirely not in the mood for his bribes, and she’s adamant that she’s going out to practice her singing with Anthony. The comical entrance of Reg, proudly sporting his spectacularly ill-fitting “To Upee” provides only momentary distraction from the issue at hand, however, things don’t go in Gary’s favour, leaving him once again, rushing off to find Ron, who proceeds to give him precisely the opposite advice that he gave before, suggesting that this would be the perfect time to let Phoebe go, and concentrate on Yvonne instead. Interestingly enough, Ron also points out that Gary regularly seems to shy away from any course of action that might significantly reduce the complications of his two lives, almost as if he actually enjoys the stress of it all.
Briefly catching up with Reg practicing his dancing at the Blue Door Club, Gary sets off to find Phoebe at the film set. As he makes his way there, Phoebe is engaged as a background artist, sitting at a table in the back of shot with Anthony, who is making a brave stab at chatting her up, despite her married status. As they talk, he reveals that it was he who sent her the letter she was reading to Gary in the opening scene, indicating that he would like to me more than just friends with her. Just as the filming starts, they move closer to kiss, and it’s at this point that Gary makes his entrance, creating a scene and causing Anthony to storm off. As Phoebe realises that Gary still cares about her, it seems that she’s entirely forgiven him for his earlier jealousy, and she then goes on to persuade him to miss his upcoming ‘meeting’.
Obviously, missing his ‘meeting’ has a knock-on effect in his other life, and Gary returns home to find that Yvonne has left for Los Angeles, so he rushes off to the train station to try and catch up with her. Making it with seconds to spare, he does what he can to try and persuade her not to go, but she gets on the train anyway, leaving Gary chasing the train down the platform, which causes him to fall headlong over a luggage trolley.
The next scene sees both Yvonne and Gary back at their flat, so we can only assume that Yvonne managed to get off the train somehow. The ringing phone signifies Clive’s readiness to negotiate with Yvonne, however, Gary tells him that she’s not here, and instead gives him the news that she’s on her way over to see him, complete with a squad of mafia-esque hitmen, which forces Clive to concede that even such a great distance is not going to guarantee that he gets everything his own way. This then leads Clive to increase his offer to £12 million, only to be pushed even further to £15 million by Gary, all of which pleases Yvonne immensely, which is not a bad way to end up in my opinion!
I’d give this episode an 80% rating. A complex episode, spotlighting several key issues essential to the entire series, making it a must-see.