Del - Trust me Rodney, trust me. He’s definitely bluffing. I’ve got him by the short’n’curlies!
This is a classic episode that a lot of people remember. The twist at the end makes it a satisfying ending seeing Del prevail against a bullying and cheating Boycie, but with Rodney being a proper plonker too.
The episode has a lot going for it, we have the first uttering of a classic Del Boy phrase:
Grandad: You play cards again last night?
Del - Yeah, you know me eh: he who dares, wins!
Grandad - How did you get on?
Del - I lost.
Grandad tells his next war story, following on The Russians Are Coming - resulting in Del receiving a double-headed coin. Grandad’s stories are often not as well remembered as Uncle Albert’s, they definitely leaned into it more with Albert though with his mishaps at sea and his memorable “during the war” catchphrase,
There’s also some setting up of future jokes. Two of note are:
1. Trigger calling Rodney Dave. This is the third time we have seen Trigger and the third time he has called Rodney Dave, so it’s not necessarily new. But by now we may have noticed it’s not seemingly by accident, and Del reacts briefly which Rodney explains that Trigger means him when he says “Dave”. This all comes to a head next series but the The continuation of this joke is one that reaffirms Trigger’s character as (to use John Sullivan’s words) ‘not the smartest tool in the shed’.
2. “All the lads remember Marlene”. We won’t meet Marlene for a while yet but references like this already put an image in your head as to the type of person Marlene is. Safe to say, Sue Holderness doesn’t disappoint in her acting when we do finally meet her.
This episode isn’t Rodney’s finest hour either. Not only does he call the wrong side of the coin at the end but his way of raising stake money is to get £4.37 in empties, embarrassing Del just at the moment that he is looking to impress.
Del’s overall financial triumph is a welcome one for the audience who see that whilst there are many downs and losses in their struggles, when the going is good it can be very good.
Tomorrow’s episode: No Greater Love
No comments:
Post a Comment