Grandad - I mean, Rodney going out with a policewoman... what are the neighbours gonna say?!
We start off series 2 with a bang, I had forgotten just how many jokes were in this episode - almost the entire script is full of punchlines. It can’t have been hard to write when the scenario of combining the Trotters with the police provides so much chaos - especially when Sandra (the policewoman in question) is invited into the flat.
There’s 3 belly laugh moments in the panic-stricken moment of realising that Rodney has invited her in that get me every time, each of the 3 main characters gets to deliver the killer line too:
Sandra - And what have you been doing?
Del - Nothing! No, no nothing, we’ve been in all evening haven’t we Grandad?
Grandad - Yeah, and we’ve got witnesses to prove it!
Grandad - *points to Rodney* He’s got a police record!
Del - Yes it’s, er, Walking on the Moon!
Del - I’m sorry Sandra we seem to be right out of gin.
Rodney - Oh no we’re not! No, we’ve got another 3 cases of it down here!
This close call with the police is the kind of scenario that we love to see the Trotters get themselves into. Given the nature of how they go about their livelihood and circles in which they operate, it’s not a surprise to see this thread pulled on again and again in future episodes. There’s some classic moments with the police (I’m particularly fond of the opening chase in Healthy Competition), which gets escalated any time Slater comes on the scene in future episodes.
The episode isn’t just this main plot however, it also continues some of the themes from last season. The first being the family themselves and what keeps them together: Del reminds Rodney again of the sacrifices he made (an echo of the opening episode of series 1).
Secondly, we see the contrast between Del and Rodney contrasted so well in Sid’s cafe. Del reads the FT, orders a large breakfast signifying his larger than life, all-or-nothing business aspirations, whereas Rodney reads a dirty magazine and comments that he had “bacteria on toast” showing his willingness to settle for a lesser life despite having better qualifications of the two. This contrast is captured so well in a simple line of dialogue:
Del - ICI dropped a point.
Rodney - Yeah? Chelsea dropped 3 on Saturday.
Little bits like this add further depth and roundness to the characters as well as performing the role of introducing the characters to any new watchers.
Series 2 goes a long way in building on these characters, taking them to new places, highs and lows.
Tomorrow’s episode: Ashes to Ashes
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