Rodney - It’s a full scale inner-city riot going on downstairs! They’re all there Del: the SPG, snatch squads, looters, people who wanna get on telly... and unless I’m very much mistaken Kate Adie!
Rodney & Cassandra are now trying for a baby, and are trying to keep it a secret from Del, however this doesn't last long and he sticks his oar into their dealings - going behind Rodney's back to try and reassure Cassandra. The regime that the two of them are on is ambitious, and it's showing.
Mickey - He looks shagged out, don't he!
He has reverted back to staying out late at the casino, but hasn't told Raquel or Rodney that he's putting together a deal with Ronnie Nelson the owner. Del always gets sucked into these bizarre hooky deals and this one is right up there: Russian army camcorders. Along with the camcorders, Del's also trying to flog some ski gear - from Fiji of all places. Along with that, there have been riots recently and Rodney hints that "anything could set it off".
Del has his own problems to worry about however. He's staying out late at night and is also suffering from severe toothache. These two subject matters getting mixed up in conversation is clever writing and makes us think that the dialogue is often more extreme than it ought to be.
Rodney now meddles in Del's life by going to the casino to try talking sense into him and getting him home to Raquel and Damian earlier than he has been of late. This fails spectacularly, and Rodney also loses money.
Del - It's 8 o' clock in the morning!
This is the final straw and Raquel leaves Del. Things had been tough between them in 'Mother Nature's Son' and with life reverting back and Del continuing to act more and more extreme it pushes Raquel away. Del's reaction is disbelief and in denial of his own blame in the situation. He's so out of line that when he finally sorts one of his problems out (his tooth) he goes and makes another worse by arranging a date with a reluctant Beverly.
Del comes to his senses at the last minute, just like Rodney did with Tanya in 'Rodney Come Home'. The brothers have similar journeys in these 2 episodes, and both times they get caught out even though they don't go through with the date. He manages to patch things up with Raquel, and Del says to himself "that's it Del Boy, you are now a changed man. This is the first day of the rest of your life... Michael - a bottle of your finest champagne please!" A drunken Del then sparks a riot by serenading the precinct with a rendition of 'One Voice' by Barry Manilow.
Del seizes the opportunity to sell them some of the ski gear - something he's done before as mentioned in 'The Russians Are Coming' where he sold the rioters paving slabs. The riot gives us some fantastic dialogue moments.
Rodney - What do you mean come round? What do you want me to do - harmonise with him?!
Albert - Mrs Murphy said they've brought the horses out.
Rodney - Yeah... police have gone to get theirs now.
Del - I was celebrating, Rodney -\ Raquel and Damian are coming home!
Rodney - Oh, that's a good reason for a civil war, innit!
The next day Del has picked up Raquel and Damian but is then confronted by another riot. The riot storyline steals the show in this episode. It would be a lot weaker without it.
Finally, the episode ends at Christmas with them all together and enjoying themselves. It is ruined by Del's answerphone message being relayed back after Raquel had swapped Beverly the answerphone for Damian's high chair. Its not clear what Beverly's motives are as when she is confronted earlier by Del she says that she's not following him and their chance meetings had been a coincidence. Whether ot not she left the message on the machine deliberately or not is debatable.
Tomorrow's episode - Heroes And Villains
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