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Post by yankee on Sept 28, 2020 16:29:57 GMT
Ok a couple of weird plotlines starting up in last night's episode. First the giraffe. Maybe graffiti is more commonplace here, even in rural areas, but everyone seemed so jaw dropped that a giraffe was painted on the barn. Aside from graffiti, the sides of barns which can be seen from the road are often used for billboards here in the US as well. A farmer seeing unexpected art on their barn might think a neighbor made arrangements with some advertising company for a billboard about a zoo or circus coming to town and the crew simply got the address wrong (no writing because they weren't finished yet). But for it to become such a source of amazement and (from what I saw in the the next episode trailer) a tourist attraction seems a bit odd to me. But maybe it's a cultural thing. I could see the ado if they discovered alien crop circles...or is Gillian's farm only livestock? The other odd plot line was brother Ted showing up with two cute young New Zealand girls he met during the layover in Hong Kong in tow. Ok, I get it that some young millennial girls may be on such a spontaneous holiday that they have no pre-booked hotel rooms or any real plan at all beyond "arrive in London and take it from there..." But for them to meet some random older gent in the Hong Kong layover, be nurses, agree to shepherd him to London is implausible enough. But he then suggests that when they arrive in London he will square it that they can stay with him at his brother's place in the countryside and they say "sounds good daddy." Then on arrival, with the entire family including grandkids and great grandkids on hand to greet his arrival no less, no one seems to bat an eye about the whole thing. These young women just get in one stranger's car, whilst all their luggage AND the old man go off in another stranger's car! These are some trusting young women who obviously never heard of human trafficking or watched a Liam Neeson film! Even Ciela, who at first wanted to deposit the two young Kiwi at a bus station without their luggage quickly changed her mind and decided to let them stay on her and Alan's place. I think that was after she learned they were licensed nurses and would look after Frank free of charge.  |
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Post by goodhelenstar on Sept 28, 2020 17:51:57 GMT
I didn't find it odd that they all reacted as they did to the giraffe – the farm is at the end of a single track road in the middle of nowhere, so not much passing traffic. And it's set in Yorkshire, where quirky humour is not particularly a trait. they call a spade a shovel round there (and I speak as the daughter and granddaughter of Yorkshire women)!
I absolutely agree about the nurses – completely daft and no one in their right mind would go along with that! But then the story does push the boundaries of normal behaviour, and Ted is in the early stages of dementia.
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Post by Miranda on Sept 28, 2020 20:58:18 GMT
Agree with Helen about the barn. It's rare for barns to be painted on here. Mainly cos most of them can't be seen from a major road.
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Post by yankee on Sept 29, 2020 0:47:22 GMT
Ah gotcha. So much of the US farmland and farms and fields are often right alongside the interstate highways that cross country the country. Making barns ideal billboards.    |
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Post by Miranda on Sept 29, 2020 11:22:00 GMT
The US has also got much more flat land than here. The majority of the UK goes up and down again and there's a lot of bends in the road. We don't really have the mile upon mile of horizon that you do.
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Post by yankee on Oct 12, 2020 18:19:46 GMT
A few observations about last nights episode. *I have no interest at all in the Ted/Harrison storyline. *The actor playing Harrison reminds me of Macauly Culkin in "Home Alone" and I hated that kid. *How did Celia and Alan not know Harrison was living in their tool shed out back? Frank caught on pretty quick. *How did Harrison not asphyxiate himself running a stove in an unvented shed? *When Ted went missing why didnt Celia look in the shed before calling the police? Maybe he decided to help out with some gardening to pass the time and thank them for letting him stay on. He wouldnt have been there but at least she would have known someone was living in the shed. Its the first place the policewoman looked. *Why is that policewoman who hates Gillian always the responding officer anytime there is something involving the main family? *Why did no one on the highway report a little boy driving a car erratically to the police? *Harrison did not seem to have any tools with him on the bus. Whatever he did have would have to fit in his jacket pockets. But he was able to pick the lock on a modern car rather quickly and expertly. He was also able to remove the bottom of the steering column, strip the ignition wires and hot wire the car in about 15 seconds. *If Frank was so broke and had been living in New Zealand for quite some time, where did he get all the cash money - in Pounds Stirling - to take Harrison to the amusement park, go on rides, play arcade games, stop for a nice restaurant meal... *Why did Gillian and Caroline go to the gay bar? I heard them talking about it after Ted's funeral when Gillian asked someone to babysit, but I didn't catch what they said about why they went. *Werent Alan and Ciela lucky that the kitchen refitters were so careful and gentle when they removed all the old kitchen cabinets, counter tops, appliances etc. so that they could just be put back in when the company went bankrupt. The process of taking out the old stuff is called the "demo" phase, short for demolition. Meaning they rip the stuff out pretty quickly and usually with quite a bit of damage in the process. *If Gillian's son is the one who arranged for his mate to paint the side of the barn, why did he look so shocked when he saw the giraffe? Maybe he just didn't realize how big whatever his mate was going to paint would be? *Caroline has the smallest desk of any person who works in an office that I have ever seen. Especially a person in charge. It looks like a desk you might see in a caravan. Not the giant glass office of a head mistress. It only had one guest chair too. *The dance between Alan and Celia was LOVELY. GORGEOUS. ROMANTIC. In the end I loved this series. The last series went a little off the rails but was still quality entertainment.  |
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Post by goodhelenstar on Oct 12, 2020 18:35:26 GMT
By Frank, do you mean Ted? Yes to everything else you've said – enough plot holes to sink a battleship, if I may mix my metaphors! But as you've said, all very lovely in the end. Sally Wainwright, the writer, is a busy lady these days so I don't think we'll be seeing another series any time soon, but I do hope it isn't the end altogether. A Christmas special would be nice, though filming it would be a bit of a challenge these days!
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Post by Miranda on Oct 12, 2020 20:10:53 GMT
* Why are you still watching this?  |
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Post by yankee on Oct 12, 2020 20:29:13 GMT
* Why are you still watching this? Unfortunately PBS doesnt have a catch-up service for its British imports so we have to watch them when they air. Which was the last few months they ran the Last Tango series start to end every Sunday night, ending last night. Now that LTIH is over, PBS is about to start up in its place that series that seems to be about an attractive older woman (cougar) and her handsome young suitor with the shady past of deceased ex-wives. A black widower if you will. That didn't really look like my type of show though so I might give than one a pass. GoodHelenstar: Yes Ted, not sure where I was getting Frank! |
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Post by geometryman on Oct 12, 2020 23:56:22 GMT
I think I can answer 2 of yankee's questions.
It was Gillian's attempt to get Caroline back out there and finding a new partner. Earlier Caroline had asked Gillian, with her first hand knowledge of an abusive relationship, to give that Ruth from her school some counselling (short of suggesting murder!) - Gillian agreed but made it conditional on Caroline going to the women's disco - her words were something like "got to get you down among the lezzies".
I think he wasn't expecting his mate to have done it so soon. Usually it took him weeks or months to get round to doing anything he'd agreed to.
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Post by yankee on Oct 14, 2020 17:41:21 GMT
Thanks Geo!
For the record, I think the way Caroline handled Ruth once Ruth made accusations towards her were very wrong.
I found Caroline to be far too passive and apologetic with Ruth the first time Ruth suggested Caroline was guilty of sexual harassment. She kept trying to explain it all away when she - as head of the school - should have said "I never conducted myself in any way that was not completely professional. If you dont believe this then I suggest you file a grievance with the HR department, otherwise it ends here and now."
When Ruth backed out of doing the interview with Judith at the last moment, Caroline was in her rights to insist that Ruth either carry out her assigned task or face disciplinary action. Ruth using it as a way to get back at Caroline was completely unprofessional and unfair to the students and unfair to Judith. For Caroline to just go out and wing-it was the wrong thing to do.
When Ruth's car was vandalized, it was totally inappropriate for Caroline to make arrangements for her to get the car repaired by the father of a student in the first place (despite that she probably felt indirectly responsible), and in the second place it was unprofessional for her to disclose the Ruth that he would be doing it for free or for a discounted price because he owed her "A favor...many favors" because of I assume previous disciplinary actions with the daughter. Its a bit of a betrayal to the confidence of the father not to mention a bit unfair to him. Fix this girls car, you owe me.
When Ruth confided to Caroline about her abuse, it was totally unprofessional for Caroline to offer to give her Gillian's number. Because Gillian is a good person for someone dealing with post-traumatic shock from extended abuse to talk to. Because after all, Gillian's life is 100% together now...NOT! Plus she hadn't discussed it with Gillian yet. And how would Gillian feel to know that Caroline is telling random strangers about her personal life?
If anything, she should have given her the number of a counselor that works with students (all schools have them) or ask for a referral from the counselor for another mental health professional.
At best Caroline gave Ruth minimal help with her abuse issues.
At worst, her setting up the free repair of the car and "here is my stepsisters mobile-number. Her ex-husband (who she murdered) used to knock her around all the time to. Talk to her, she gets it" would all be seen as "bribes" to get Ruth to drop all the sexual harassment talk.
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Post by yankee on Oct 14, 2020 19:45:48 GMT
One thing that confused me what Caroline's school in the final series.
When the series starts she is basically being shown the door by the administrator at the ultra-posh, private school was head teacher at for the first bunch of series.
When she was offered the job at the new school, she was hesitant to take it because it was maybe below her station being that it was a state school (what we would call a public school in the US).
It was her black girlfriend, the one she started dating after they crashed cars, that convinced her to take the position because "Why should only the rich kids get head teachers like you? Kids in working class schools deserve and need top faculty even more so." or something to that effect.
So I was expecting the school to be like something out of "To Sir with Love." Old, run down, under supplied, under staffed, under funded, with a melting pot student body. She would sweep in like Sidney Poitier and get them all to believe themselves, get jaded, burnt out teachers to care again, etc.
Instead, her new school looked nicer than the old school! It looked very, very new. Lots of natural light from giant windows. Lots of sleek design. The auditorium where she did the interview with Judith looked like a modern theatre in a major city, the kids all looked very fresh, healthy, well-fed, well clothed, polite, well-mannered.
It just didn't seem like step-down career move at all. It was more like a parallel move or even a step up.
That confused me.
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Post by goodhelenstar on Sept 29, 2024 14:19:49 GMT
No, not a new series, sadly, I've been rewatching the whole lot. A total joy, even the daft ending. Anyone who somehow missed it, I would urge you to see it, it's on the iplayer.
Wouldn't it be great to see them all four years on?
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Post by kakewalk on Sept 29, 2024 14:41:52 GMT
I’ve started watching re-runs. I saw it first time around, and it’s just as lovely/funny.
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Post by vicky on Sept 30, 2024 7:23:27 GMT
I'm another who has started to watch it all again from the beginning on U...which, I have to say, has become the channel I watch the most these days.It makes me realise what a poor standard we are generally offered on the main terrestrial channels now.
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Anymore to come?
