Post by rhort on Apr 12, 2013 3:06:57 GMT -5
We start with an opening scene that takes up the entire first half of this episode, with Ron in the shop with Gary, looking for yet more money from Gary to fund his Flic-centric lifestyle. Gary not only refuses point blank, but goes on to show that he is wholly unsupportive of Ron, giving no real thought to how crucial Ron’s actions in the past have been in allowing him to set up his life back in the 1940s, and putting all his efforts into sorting out things for Christmas instead.
As the discussion continues, the two are stunned by the sudden appearance of a man from the back room of the shop, who wanders out, apparently monitoring something on a handheld device, eventually noticing them, he apologises, and returns, disappearing once again. For a moment it seems that Gary, even with his knowledge of portals, forgets what he knows about them, and makes the assumption that the man is out in his back yard, so he rushes out there with Ron close behind to see where the man has gone. Out in the yard, they see him again, this time emerging from a different place.
Ron goads Gary into confronting the man, who, after a prolonged stream of technobabble eventually tells him that there is a malfunctioning time portal in the area that he’s here to check, and that unless he gets an order telling him to shut the portal down, that’s all there is to it, so Gary doesn’t really need to worry. As Gary takes a moment to get his head around the issue, Ron talks some more to the man, who goes on to tell him that time is largely illusory, simply invented as a concept in order to sell sundials. Even the purported small chance of losing access to the portal sends Gary into something of a panic, and this comes to a head when the technician reveals that his depot has told him he needs to shut the malfunctioning portal down.
As the reality of the situation sinks in, Gary is faced with the choice that he must make between whether he wants to be on the 1940s or 1990s side of the portal when it is closed. To Gary, it seems that, now he has no option but to choose, the choice is obvious, and even Ron can see clearly what Gary must do, given that it’s evident Phoebe needs him far more than Yvonne does. Almost as if on cue, Yvonne then walks in, waxing lyrical about how much of a buzz she’s getting from making sizeable charity donations with her money, and as she breezes out, Gary reflects on the fact that this is the last time he’ll ever see her.
A further distraction for Gary then presents itself in the form of a shopper who walks in. Gary tells Ron that he’s seen him several times before, but that he never buys anything, he just seems to make a note of the prices, then leaves. Having heavier things weighing on his mind, Gary tells Ron that he can take whatever cash is in the till, then do whatever he wants with the stock. As they go outside for a final farewell, Ron takes a moment to point out what Gary has to look forward to, particularly the music scenes of the 50s and 60s, which brings a central memory of Goodnight Sweetheart for me, with the “I’ll be in my 50s, so I won’t approve of that sort of thing” comment, which then leads the two of them to share vague reminiscences of the past few years, ending with a manly hug.
As Gary leaves, Ron then returns to the shop to see what the strange customer is up to, announcing that there will be a closing down sale, which shocks the stranger. Looking around the place, he then asks how much to buy all of it, to which Ron quickly tots up a figure of £140,000, which the stranger readily agrees to. This, combined with the stranger’s incorrect use of certain slang terms piques Ron’s suspicions, and when the man leaves, he follows him, right back to the point where he disappears through a time portal.
The Blue Door Club finds Phoebe putting up Christmas decorations when Gary enters. Phoebe is then pleased to discover that Gary will be home for Christmas and New Year, and then more so as she roots through the box of goodies he’s brought back with him, however, she has further lists of other things she’d like him to get for them, which then sends him scurrying off to investigate Reg’s apparent new supply line for items.
Meanwhile, back at the shop, Ron meets with the mysterious shopper, and confronts him with the fact that he knows he’s a time traveller. The stranger reveals that he is from the year 2168, and introduces himself as Brick Beckham, apparently named after a former Prime Minister. Naturally, Ron seizes upon the opportunity to take full advantage, comfortable as he has become in the role of the non-travelling member of a time travelling partnership, and sets about making deals with Brick.
When Gary arrives at the reception hall of the building where his west end flat is, he finds that Reg is quite excited about Christmas. Quizzing Reg about the items he’s bringing for Christmas, he then asks where he’s getting them from, only to find out that Reg is planning to get them from Gary himself, leading Gary straight into his normal excuse mode, and subsequently making him wonder if he can risk going back to the 90s for further supplies.
Back at the shop, Brick has returned for his penultimate load, and Ron is pestering him for the sports and lottery results for the next ten years, however, Brick is stalling. When Gary enters, he finds that the stock is almost all gone, however, he grabs a few last items to take back with him, only to be kept for a moment longer as Yvonne appears briefly to tell him that she’s going to be away for Christmas on a charity trip to a famine zone, with the irony of Lenny Henry being unable to participate due to food poisoning not being lost on anyone.
As they go back out into the yard, they find the time portal technician out there already, having shut down the portal in accordance with his work schedule. Gary can hardly believe it, and tests the portal anyway, only to find that it still appears to be working normally. At this point, the technician tells them that it wasn’t Gary's portal which was malfunctioning, but the one to 2168 which has now been closed. As it dawns on Ron that he won’t get the money he’s owed for the stock, Gary too is initially annoyed, however, after a moment or two, he realises that it doesn’t matter, as now things can carry on completely as normal for him, and everything will be okay.
The Blue Door Club seems to provide the perfect venue for Gary and his family and friends to celebrate Christmas Day, and it’s certain that nobody would have complained about the amount of food. Back at the Mayfair Flat in the 90s though, Ron is sitting on his own having a marginally less sumptuous feast, in the shape of a Pot Noodle, whilst catching Yvonne on the TV talking about people starving around the world, but with Gary’s party in full swing, he’s a world away from thinking much about Ron, and distracted by Reg’s speech momentarily, as they sip their ‘Vintage 1997’ champagne, and make a toast, “To The Future”.
I’d give this episode an 85% rating. A good storyline providing a few heart-stopping moments here and there, but this seems to be at the expense of the big laughs.
As the discussion continues, the two are stunned by the sudden appearance of a man from the back room of the shop, who wanders out, apparently monitoring something on a handheld device, eventually noticing them, he apologises, and returns, disappearing once again. For a moment it seems that Gary, even with his knowledge of portals, forgets what he knows about them, and makes the assumption that the man is out in his back yard, so he rushes out there with Ron close behind to see where the man has gone. Out in the yard, they see him again, this time emerging from a different place.
Ron goads Gary into confronting the man, who, after a prolonged stream of technobabble eventually tells him that there is a malfunctioning time portal in the area that he’s here to check, and that unless he gets an order telling him to shut the portal down, that’s all there is to it, so Gary doesn’t really need to worry. As Gary takes a moment to get his head around the issue, Ron talks some more to the man, who goes on to tell him that time is largely illusory, simply invented as a concept in order to sell sundials. Even the purported small chance of losing access to the portal sends Gary into something of a panic, and this comes to a head when the technician reveals that his depot has told him he needs to shut the malfunctioning portal down.
As the reality of the situation sinks in, Gary is faced with the choice that he must make between whether he wants to be on the 1940s or 1990s side of the portal when it is closed. To Gary, it seems that, now he has no option but to choose, the choice is obvious, and even Ron can see clearly what Gary must do, given that it’s evident Phoebe needs him far more than Yvonne does. Almost as if on cue, Yvonne then walks in, waxing lyrical about how much of a buzz she’s getting from making sizeable charity donations with her money, and as she breezes out, Gary reflects on the fact that this is the last time he’ll ever see her.
A further distraction for Gary then presents itself in the form of a shopper who walks in. Gary tells Ron that he’s seen him several times before, but that he never buys anything, he just seems to make a note of the prices, then leaves. Having heavier things weighing on his mind, Gary tells Ron that he can take whatever cash is in the till, then do whatever he wants with the stock. As they go outside for a final farewell, Ron takes a moment to point out what Gary has to look forward to, particularly the music scenes of the 50s and 60s, which brings a central memory of Goodnight Sweetheart for me, with the “I’ll be in my 50s, so I won’t approve of that sort of thing” comment, which then leads the two of them to share vague reminiscences of the past few years, ending with a manly hug.
As Gary leaves, Ron then returns to the shop to see what the strange customer is up to, announcing that there will be a closing down sale, which shocks the stranger. Looking around the place, he then asks how much to buy all of it, to which Ron quickly tots up a figure of £140,000, which the stranger readily agrees to. This, combined with the stranger’s incorrect use of certain slang terms piques Ron’s suspicions, and when the man leaves, he follows him, right back to the point where he disappears through a time portal.
The Blue Door Club finds Phoebe putting up Christmas decorations when Gary enters. Phoebe is then pleased to discover that Gary will be home for Christmas and New Year, and then more so as she roots through the box of goodies he’s brought back with him, however, she has further lists of other things she’d like him to get for them, which then sends him scurrying off to investigate Reg’s apparent new supply line for items.
Meanwhile, back at the shop, Ron meets with the mysterious shopper, and confronts him with the fact that he knows he’s a time traveller. The stranger reveals that he is from the year 2168, and introduces himself as Brick Beckham, apparently named after a former Prime Minister. Naturally, Ron seizes upon the opportunity to take full advantage, comfortable as he has become in the role of the non-travelling member of a time travelling partnership, and sets about making deals with Brick.
When Gary arrives at the reception hall of the building where his west end flat is, he finds that Reg is quite excited about Christmas. Quizzing Reg about the items he’s bringing for Christmas, he then asks where he’s getting them from, only to find out that Reg is planning to get them from Gary himself, leading Gary straight into his normal excuse mode, and subsequently making him wonder if he can risk going back to the 90s for further supplies.
Back at the shop, Brick has returned for his penultimate load, and Ron is pestering him for the sports and lottery results for the next ten years, however, Brick is stalling. When Gary enters, he finds that the stock is almost all gone, however, he grabs a few last items to take back with him, only to be kept for a moment longer as Yvonne appears briefly to tell him that she’s going to be away for Christmas on a charity trip to a famine zone, with the irony of Lenny Henry being unable to participate due to food poisoning not being lost on anyone.
As they go back out into the yard, they find the time portal technician out there already, having shut down the portal in accordance with his work schedule. Gary can hardly believe it, and tests the portal anyway, only to find that it still appears to be working normally. At this point, the technician tells them that it wasn’t Gary's portal which was malfunctioning, but the one to 2168 which has now been closed. As it dawns on Ron that he won’t get the money he’s owed for the stock, Gary too is initially annoyed, however, after a moment or two, he realises that it doesn’t matter, as now things can carry on completely as normal for him, and everything will be okay.
The Blue Door Club seems to provide the perfect venue for Gary and his family and friends to celebrate Christmas Day, and it’s certain that nobody would have complained about the amount of food. Back at the Mayfair Flat in the 90s though, Ron is sitting on his own having a marginally less sumptuous feast, in the shape of a Pot Noodle, whilst catching Yvonne on the TV talking about people starving around the world, but with Gary’s party in full swing, he’s a world away from thinking much about Ron, and distracted by Reg’s speech momentarily, as they sip their ‘Vintage 1997’ champagne, and make a toast, “To The Future”.
I’d give this episode an 85% rating. A good storyline providing a few heart-stopping moments here and there, but this seems to be at the expense of the big laughs.