Brookside Brookside

[Spells & Karma]

Excuse my indulgence here, but I found Episode 124 episode so visually entertaining I couldn't resist making quite a number of screen caps.

I'll attempt pop them in spoilers so it doesn't create a scrolling nightmare for anyone viewing on mobile devices (and, of course, to prevent actual spoilers for anyone who hasn't reached this episode yet). They're also reduced in size, so feel free click on them if they need to be bigger.

Here goes...

Spoiler: Pre-Match pep talks

Spoiler: The Warm-Up Round

Spoiler: Challenge Accepted

 

[Spells & Karma]

Spoiler: The Main Event - Round One: Showdown At Number 10

Spoiler: The Main Event - Round Two: Hitting The Road

 

[Spells & Karma]

Spoiler: The Main Event - Round Three: Enter Paul Collins

Spoiler: The Main Event - The Final

Spoiler: The Melancholy Aftermath

 

[Ome]

I'm now wondering if I'm completely desensitised or out of touch as I haven't seen anything in these episodes that requires such robust nannying. Gavin's death was far more horrific than anything in these episodes.

I’m watching through Sky so I don’t get any warnings, thankfully.

I find it’s getting ridiculous now. There seems to be warnings for things that aren’t there and sone shows are now warning viewers that characters will be smoking.

If I think about it, it worries me where we will be in another 20 years. Though I wonder if it will be okay in maybe 50 years when humans have wiped out its own history and thanks to Botox (and all who sail that) we will all be looking the same.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I find it’s getting ridiculous now. There seems to be warnings for things that aren’t there and sone shows are now warning viewers that characters will be smoking.

I'm waiting for the trigger warning about Edna Cross serving Harry white bread instead of wholemeal.

Frequently when people have said something like "It's political correctness gone mad", I've usually found myself sighing (inwardly or otherwise). But with stuff like this I'm struggling to think of a more suitable way to put it.

I remember there's been some discussion around this kind of thing with threads about Disney or Fawlty Towers getting complaints/censorship/cancellation, and I still feel that it's far preferable to have this stuff available and given context than hidden away or hacked to pieces and compromised. For this reason, I can live with the warnings if it means we're getting Bobby pulling Sheila's hair, or Gizzmo peppering his sentences with "pissing" or Barry and Terry talking about interior decorating being poofy or whatever.

All the same, I'm really glad you feel the same way, because like I said I felt like a dinosaur for thinking it was OTT. It seems daft to me, and doesn't credit the audience with the intelligence to understand the context of time and place. But I'm sure there are those who don't understand it, and with cancel culture I'm sure streaming services have to cover themselves.

Though I wonder if it will be okay in maybe 50 years when humans have wiped out its own history and thanks to Botox (and all who sail that) we will all be looking the same.

This made me laugh. I'm sure at some point there will be a major backlash against this kind of thing. You can only push something inwards so far before it ends up imploding.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Am I making this up, or did Knots once do a similar setup with these poses? I'm thinking Mack and Karen and someone else

Oh - I'm currently watching a Ted Shackelford interview posted in the Knots forum, and he's just mentioned doing this with Kevin Dobson.

I wonder if Neighbours did anything similar. It would be great to have a multi-continental cul-de-sac hat-trick.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 125 -140
10 January - 29 February 1984
​

A quote of Phil Redmond’s has stuck in my mind since I read it over 35 years ago: “If we didn’t have bum episodes we’d have to invent them.”

There is an irony to the fact that it related to him not wanting his series to become as frantic as EastEnders when it would not be too long before Brookie would be dropping helicopters onto its characters’ heads and or burying them under patios. All the same, in the context of this run of episodes the philosophy he expressed feels very clear in the series’ rhythms which are absolutely spot-on.

There’s much room for characters to breathe and simply be, and the emotional peaks are far more meaningful for coming from character and from building organically, being woven into the fabric of the series long before they are acknowledged.

#124’s almighty battle between Sheila and Marie was such a standout that it seems both difficult and unwise to follow it. The series takes its time to build to what I feel is the next “rug out from under” sequence which takes a very different approach.

#138 came with one of those “this will probably upset Generation Y to Z” type warnings which naturally piqued my interest.

Early-ish in the episode, I thought perhaps the reason for the warning was Michelle’s disclosure to Terry about Marie waking up their father in the middle of the night while brandishing a knife, and threatening to kill him if he hit their mother again. It was certainly one of those pieces of dialogue that comes from nowhere and feels at once shocking but perfectly fitting for the character. Even before Michelle’s flat proclamation that Marie would have carried out her threat if needed felt as though it was something the viewer subconsciously knew.

These few lines of dialogue wonderfully built on the backstory of the characters, and I especially liked the “tell, don’t show” ethos, where character is king and what we don’t see is more shocking and dark than anything we could have been shown in a flashback or whatever. It allows the revelation to resonate in the audience’s mind and take a while to truly process.

And, as this is sinking in, the following episodes show Marie at her most mercenary, wanting to secure the house and almost 25% of the insurance money for herself and her family (but mainly herself, I'm sure) while offering to buy Michelle out with the remaining insurance. And we are in no doubt that here is a woman who will do whatever she needs to do in order to make life a bit easier.

Michelle, by the way, is emerging as a character who can give as good as she gets. There’s a terrific scene in one of these episodes where she catches George and Marie messing about, with George dressed up in a shirt Alan Partridge has ordered from Michelle’s catalogue (I’ve spotted Kays and Grattan so far, both of which I remember my Mum browsing through in the Eighties. No doubt catalogues are now very much items of the past so it’s nice that they’re captured as part of life here, with Annabelle Collins and Edna Cross both doing wonders for Michelle’s commission). Cliff Howells gave such a spot-on imitation of Alan, voice and all, that I laughed out loud. The scene turns from comedy to drama when Michelle, annoyed at their lack of respect for property, brings them down to size by pointing out that George can’t be that good with the ladies, because “look what he ended up with”. There’s so much bitterness and history under the surface that this small - ostensibly lighthearted - moment feels incredibly substantial. And it’s telling that Marie chooses this moment to dismiss George from the room and discuss Petra’s estate with her. As much as it’s about grasping what she can for herself, it’s also about her maintaining the pecking order and ensuring Michelle knows who’s in charge. Not that Michelle was easily cowed.

But I’m sidetracking here, and haven’t even got to the main event of #138 I mentioned.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 125 -140
10 January - 29 February 1984

continued
​

Episode 138's second act saw an absolutely blinding six minute Jimmy McGovern penned scene at No. 5 which began with a series of quibbles over the dinner table. Sheila and Bobby aren’t speaking to one another - using Damon as an intermediary - over Sheila’s annoyance at Bobby’s slothfulness while she is working a hard cleaning job before coming home to clean and cook. Both, along with Karen, think Damon is stupid for wanting to throw in school for the YTS when there are no jobs, while he doesn’t see the point of staying in school to get qualifications when there’ll still be no jobs*.

Bobby takes umbrage to what he sees as a series of digs aimed at him from Sheila. At first, these are semi-comical. The first time, Sheila realises and clarifies “I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about the country”. The second time Bobby reacts to something, he asks “Was that about the country?”.

The dialogue comes thick and fast, and by the time Bobby tells his children to get upstairs to leave him and Sheila, voices are fully raised and there’s something really unpleasant in the air. Not remembering this scene, I was taken aback with how volatile it felt and it genuinely felt as though Bobby might just punch Sheila across the kitchen at any moment.

I don’t believe I’ve been this invested in any scene in the series so far. I felt really quite stunned by its intensity and power. Not a beat was missed from any of the four actors involved (Barry was the only absent Grant), and in particular it felt like a primal scream from Bobby that has been a long time coming. We’ve seen him in a very unfavourable light recently, and his explosion of frustration suddenly made sense of everything and I felt my perspective on the whole situation changing. He even touched on the series pre-history when he talked about coming to the site and getting muddy and buying the house from plan because it was Sheila’s dream.

Accusations are thrown and ugly words are spoken, but somewhere in among it all lay the truth for each character. It’s one of the best, most powerful pieces of television I’ve seen and while in isolation it isn’t quite as accessibly entertaining as the Sheila/Marie confrontation, I’d say this episode’s second act is the best thing I’ve seen on this series to date, and one of the most powerful pieces of television in or out of this series.

By the time Sheila walks from the dining room to Bobby, seated with his back to her, exhausted, in the living room, a deathly silence hung over things, and I honestly had no idea which way it would go (I actually heard myself inwardly asking “What’s she gonna say? What’s she gonna say? What’s she gonna say?”). It felt like coming back to a burnt out house days later, and the understanding that came from it landed hard with me.

Brookie just keeps getting better and better. I find myself wanting more and more, just as I’m about to catch up with the latest available episodes on STV. Which I’m sure is the soap gods’ way of telling me not to be such a greedy little monkey.



Other highlights this run have been Harry falling out with his son over him dating the mother of a pupil; Heather winning a significant promotion; and Charlie Fairhead coming from Ireland to check she's OK and make a pass at her (I'd quite like to see them as a couple).

Damon, meanwhile has been caned by Billy Corkhill**, dating and then getting suspended because of Tracey Corkhill (looking for all the world like Marmalade Atkins) and getting drunk on Bobby’s home brew to celebrate turning 16 (though as Karen pointed out, being born on 29th February, he’s actually turning 4).

Karen has filled Lucy’s role of the series’ young political activist and I’m learning a lot.

Favourite lines have included Bobby’s “promise” to Damon that if he didn’t stop being cocky Bobby would “buy you a coal yard” (I’m still unsure exactly what he meant, but it sounded good), and Harry explaining Edna’s unwise choices by telling a neighbour:

'Er brain’s painted on.

This made me laugh so hard as it was new to me and so perfectly descriptive (and cartoony). I’ve mentally stored it for just the right moment.


* With foresight, I was unexpectedly moved by a moment when Damon asked how long before the Conservatives could be voted out at the next election. When Bobby told him 1988, Damon complained that he’d be twenty in 1988, and I got chills realising that he wouldn’t actually live to be 20, nor even see 1988 in.

** How exciting it was to see Bobby and Sheila being called into Damon’s head of year’s office and coming face-to-face with Future Billy Corkhill. If only they all knew…

 

[Ome]

I never thought I would say this, but the last few episodes have been a little dull!!! Gosh, I hate that I have just typed that and we are not into the 90s or Jimmy show.

But I did and while I think that it’s been dull, it probably hasn’t, it’s more that I’m used to such a great and meaningful full story and I’ve felt the last few episodes just plodded along.

You are slowly (or quickly) catching up with the 5 weekly episode releases Mel, and I’m sure when you reach (what I found as) the duller episodes you will manage to find all the juicy, interesting and funny scenes that I must have missed.

I loved your comments and agree totally on how Sue & Ricky delivered the Sheila & Bobby scenes during the Grant’s explosive arguments. Absolutely brilliant.

I’m looking forward to your thoughts on the story that brings Ian Hendry into this Close.

 

[Ome]

I’m not sure what is going on her, but I saw this photo on FB which looks like Ricky & Sue are filming something. Could it be something to do with THE ROYLE FAMILY or dare I say it BROOKSIDE.


Either way, it feels exciting.

 

[Spells & Karma]

You are slowly (or quickly) catching up with the 5 weekly episode releases Mel,

At the rate I was watching I'd fully expected to catch up by last weekend, at which point I was going to take a little break.

As it's happened, I've watched a film every night since Friday, meaning I've been on a strict one-a-day diet with Brookie this week. It's worked out perfectly, because last night I'd watched the last available episode and this morning five new ones have appeared ready for me to watch in the coming days.

This must mean I've just happily watched the dull episodes.

I saw this photo on FB which looks like Ricky & Sue are filming something.

It's great that they're still such a team after all these years.

 

[Ome]

It's worked out perfectly, because last night I'd watched the last available episode and this morning five new ones have appeared ready for me to watch in the coming days.

You are now ahead of me.

I’m looking forward to binging on the episodes I’ve saved.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 141 -160
6 March - 9 May 1984

​

As mentioned, my viewing pace has slowed down and, thanks to getting into a nightly film-watching groove - I had an entire week of watching just one episode per evening. It’s a nice treat to have watched with a bit of discipline that’s given me delayed gratification and a slightly more “real time” feeling.

The drawback, though, is that the earlier episodes in this batch - watched at a speedier pace over a week ago - already feel like a distant memory.

This applies to Karen’s school canteen attempt to boycott meat (the flaw in her plan tying in with the Grants’ Catholicism when Sheila pointed out that Karen’s chosen day was Ash Wednesday: the one day of the year when the canteen doesn’t serve meat anyway); Matty getting done by the DHSS for signing on while working for Sheila’s agency (more wonderful schisms within the Grant household); Davy Jones attempting to claim rights to No. 10 (a terrific character part for Ian Hendry and his last screen role).

Brookside’s first openly gay couple looked over Heather’s house. Annabelle’s expression when she was finally put right was a delight.

Heather herself has returned to the Close after some time in Ireland with a new haircut, a new job (the future Jan Howard is sporting a mullet as her boss/confidante/possible enemy), a new attitude (she’s taken charge of her divorce proceedings and the house sale. From now on, they’re on her terms) and even a “new” surname. Indeed, for the last three episodes, Heather Haversham has the distinction of being (I think) the first character in Brookside history to receive a parenthesised credit over three lines instead of two, with the brackets in the middle line reminding us the character was “formerly Huntington”. I assume this is done largely because of the two surnames’ similarities to one another. Whatever the case, it’s a nice touch. And with the way Heather’s going, the VW Scirocco must be on the horizon.

Annabelle has thrown her weight behind Robin’s campaign, but is less than happy that Paul has become a middle-of-the-night confidante to Robin’s wife Dorothy.

Harry Cross has thawed a little towards his son, Kevin, but then had a heart attack (offscreen). But it’s not all bad news… he did manage to stand next to the Queen at the International Garden Festival.

Incidentally, my experience with Harry and Edna Cross so far is uncannily similar to that I had with Arthur and Kath Brownlow on Crossroads. Most observations of the characters from others - be it onscreen neighbours or comments in soap-related books - would suggest that he is a miserable old bugger and she is the long-suffering, passive wife who deserves canonisation for putting up with him. While he does grouse a bit, it’s nothing like the level you’d expect considering he has to put up with this nagging shew all day long. I’m quite fascinated by this dynamic which - from my experience - comes from a very real social construct where it’s socially acceptable for one gender to give out almost permanent micro-agressions, while the other is pigeonholed as a grumpy old man for occasionally giving an unpopular opinion. I must have bought into this ideology at least partially, since my memory of Edna is of a loveably ditzy, kindly old lady whereas I’ve seen a lot of nitpicking, undermining and deception from her towards Harry. Not to mention bonding with neighbours by rubbishing hubby to them. In the long term I’m interested to see if I end up viewing some of her less attractive traits as symptoms of a condition or simply part of her character. Whatever the case, I love that Betty Alberge plays her in a way that allows her to be somewhat unsympathetic to the viewer at times, but still remains likeable and endearing. The Crosses are certainly a wonderful addition to the series.

With Harry now bedridden (in large part by choice, it’s hinted), the bungalow seems to beckon as surely as Heather’s Scirocco. Meanwhile, in early 1984 the bungalow is hosting the Dark Alan saga, with Alan drinking heavily and hurling abuse at his neighbours for the way they view him. It’s… fine. I suppose. Really, though, the most impressive thing about a storyline probably shouldn’t be the fact that an actor can recite the original German lyrics to Mohr’s Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.

Not helping matters was the arc that led to Alan’s breakdown. I fully buy him having a holiday romance with a woman who turns out to be a domineering gold-digger. I can even believe he would move her in immediately upon their return. What I found more difficult to swallow was how quickly Liz showed her true colours to everyone on the Close. It echoes the Roger/Diane story where she became this caricature the moment he left Heather. Except Liz, frankly, felt like a caricature from the moment she arrived and started putting noses out of joint. It smacked of a character being brought in for a limited time to cause carnage before departing just as quickly. That kind of cycle works fine on serials like Neighbours, but it feels a bit “obvious” for Brookie*. Not that it wasn’t entertaining. I can’t say it wasn’t fun to watch Alan throw her out of the house while calling her a “scheming mare” in his trademark gravelly voice.

At Number 5, the eviction scene was echoed a few episodes later, right down to a packed bag being launched from the front door, followed moments later by the home’s unwelcome occupant. This felt far darker and more shocking, though, thanks to a combination of Jimmy McGovern’s penmanship and the method acting violence pact between the Grant household’s actors. When Bobby clocked Barry in the cheek and knocked him backwards over the arm of the sofa and to the floor, I genuinely worried for Paul Usher’s safety as much as Barry’s.

The scenario was part of the fallout from the first big Tommy McArdle story, where he borrowed a car Barry and Terry were valeting which was then used in an armed robbery. An episode or two before Bobby’s blow-up, the house had been raided by undercover police, terrifying Sheila. Again, her response to this was fascinating. The doting mother came through and ranks were closed as she fought to protect him from these outsiders, just as she attempted to protect him from Bobby first by concealing the facts, then by intervening. She may not do what may be seen objectively as “the right thing”, but Sheila’s responses always feel tangibly human, and family loyalty always comes first with her.

Thinking about it, both Liz and Barry’s evictions also echoed the precedent set by Heather when she threw out Roger. Despite the repetition, all three have managed to be extremely satisfying in their own ways. In the moment, the Bobby/Barry confrontation was even more powerful than Heather chucking out Roger. It’s notable, though, that the Grants’ take on this is the only one that wasn’t permanent, since Bobby quickly made it up with Barry.

And just like that… I’m up to date. Now I have to decide how to continue. My current thinking is I’m going to take a break from watching and dive into a box-set until there’s a healthy batch to devour. But it’s not set in stone. I may find the lure of new episodes too inviting and continue to watch five a week.




* Not that Brookside can’t do a fun “filler” type arc well. One great recent examples have seen Marie horrified to realise she and George had shared her marital bed with Terry’s briefs after he and Michelle had taken advantage of Marie and George’s holiday to hop into the double bed together. There’s also the business with Barry and Terry flogging Marie a carpet, only for Michelle to realise it’s the one just taken up from The Swan, which feels very much like a stunt Eddie Yeats might have pulled on Hilda Ogden.

 

[James from London]

The scenario was part of the fallout from the first big Tommy McArdle story, where he borrowed a car Barry and Terry were valeting which was then used in an armed robbery. An episode or two before Bobby’s blow-up, the house had been raided by undercover police, terrifying Sheila. Again, her response to this was fascinating. The doting mother came through and ranks were closed as she fought to protect him from these outsiders, just as she attempted to protect him from Bobby first by concealing the facts, then by intervening. She may not do what may be seen objectively as “the right thing”, but Sheila’s responses always feel tangibly human, and family loyalty always comes first with her.

I think these events cause a subtle but lasting shift in Sheila and Barry's relationship. It gradually becomes more intense to the point where conflict between Barry, Sheila and Bobby starts to feel almost like a love triangle, and a kind of oedipal rivalry develops between father and son. Their relationships remain just as everyday believable as they ever did, but every so often you get a glimpse of the dark, even passionate undercurrents underneath.

There's a throwaway line years later when Bobby's left the series where Barry tells Sheila that he's getting on better with his dad than he ever has before, which makes perfect sense now that they're no longer in competition over Sheila, and then that triangle soon gets replaced by another: Barry, Sheila and Billy.

It reminds me of what happens between Sheila and Marie after their big explosive fight. It's like they've shared this hugely intense, cathartic experience which has forged a kind of unintentional bond, even an intimacy, between them, but which neither can bring themselves to acknowledge. I can remember watching the scene where Marie humbles herself to ask Sheila if she can use her phone, Sheila coldly refuses, Marie stomps off, Sheila feels bad and calls after her, but Marie, head held high, ignores her, and my mum instinctively saying, "Aw, they just want to make friends," as if they were two kids who'd fallen out in the playground and are too proud to make it up. And that's exactly it: the same emotions transposed in grown-ups' bodies.

It's firmly established how early Brookside was all about social realism, but it was also about psychological realism in a really remarkable way. That's where it really gets under your skin.

There’s also the business with Barry and Terry flogging Marie a carpet, only for Michelle to realise it’s the one just taken up from The Swan, which feels very much like a stunt Eddie Yeats might have pulled on Hilda Ogden.

He actually did it to Annie Walker - selling her some carpet with "AW" monogrammed on it, which turned to be from the local snooker hall!

 

[James from London]

The latest bulletin from Sunshineboyuk:

This is such a rich period of Brookside, relationships are explored at the pace of Mike Leigh Play For Today, stories are simmering and bubbling but it's a world away from the plot driven soap opera to come.

As Heather and Roger's marriage comes to a sad, miserable end, so it's the end of an era for Bobby and Sheila as Fairbanks succumbs to the brutalism of capitalism and geographical north side divide politics.

Sheila and the brilliantly observed Maureen Lomax go on the telly to argue the case for supporting communities with jobs, infrastructure and investment. They are faced down with the frighteningly unchanged argument of conservatism and the survival of the fittest. Sheila makes a clear and logical case for healthy investment in communities but it's hopeless and drowns in the winds of capitalist me first south first white privileged men first, this show could be made today without changing one word of it. It wouldn't be made today though. Since Brookside's early years we have entertained ourselves to death and into a sanitised British television landscapes of endless murdered women and voyeuristic pot boilers.

Marie Jackson clocks Sheila on the telly and contemplates writing to the telly " for publicity" to draw attention to the fact her washing machine has gone on the blink. " Well if Sheila Grant can go on the telly..."

Poor Marie.

She is her own worst enemy. When Karen Grant finds her crying over Petra she offers a friendly shoulder only for Marie to rebuke her scathing " Oh the Grants care now do they?"

Marie knows they care but despite herself she can't budge an inch or a milimtere. Karen throws in the towel with her. Karen's not been in the mix at the Grants for a while, she's always slightly apart in two hander scenes now, its as if she's already left the show and makes very welcome guest appearances.

Heather returns to the close and all eyes are on her, wondering if she will take Roger back. Given the context of attitudes at the time it's still feels radical and almost shocking that Heather is not prepared to. In a beautifully played scene with Sheila who tells her that marriages can take " decades to sort themselves out" and " couldn't you forgive him just this once?" a stoic Heather responds " I daresay i could Sheila, but I could never forget." It's a stunning moment and the beginning of a much changed Heather. There is no reset button.

Sid takes Heather to Southport in the guide of cheering her up but really he's arranged for Roger to join them and hopes for a reconciliation.
God, Southport Pier looks dreary, tired, sad and empty. The wind wips up Heather's hair amidst a symbolic metaphor for things once shiny and full of joy now stand peeling, consigned to history.

Roger looks changed too, bearded and tired, no sharp suits and dashing haircuts , just a jumper and ill fitting coat. Diane MacCalister, long gone.

" You won't take me back then?"
" No I don't think I will. Goodbye Roger"

Her stinging finality as she walks off alone.

Harry and Edna arrive as geriatric superheros, bringing a new energy to the show. Almost Dickensian updated characters. What a pair of firecrackers they are.
Edna is complaining bitterly as they arrive on foot, the removal lorry in transit.

" Oh why don't you shut up!" Harry barks at Edna. It's so glorious.

We learn so much about them in this unforgettable episode. Edna is a little girl in an elderly frame, she delights in childish manipulation, she tells massive lies and reacts like a little girl when she gets herself into trouble. Edna Cross, have we ever seen her like? The image of her screaming at the removal men as they drive away from her is seared into my memory. What a way to intro an elderly couple, with fire and brimstone!

Bonfire of the Vanities as Damon threatens to cut up Gary and Little George's dog and throw it on the bonfire, George builds the bonfire and Barry and Terry dispose of their ill gotten gains in the fire spewing toxic flames everywhere.

Marie Jackson has inserted herself into the centre of Brookside Close as a sheer force of nature. And yet, her own self proclaimed war with the Grants is quickly swept aside when she asks Bobby to fix her washing machine. She offers Bobby a cup of tea, he calls her " Queen" and " girl" which is so endearing Marie starts telling him about her friend who had an idea for a DIY agency for skilled workers, Bobby clocks it seriously. " You're Ok" Marie says touching his head to sense his aura. It's a wonderful scene just like the scenes between Sheila and Annabel. I wonder what could have been had the writers developed their relationship, but Brookside early years didn't employ plot devices to force relationships, the two womens relationship didn't evolve because they had no reason to.

Paul and Alan share a nice moment, Alan isn't put off by Paul's prejudices about the Grants , he gently holds the line pointing out that Damon is not a bad lad, Paul softens slightly around Alan, it's hopeful and nice to witness.

The stand outs are Damon and Gizmo, Gizmo is arguably the most interesting character on the show at this point. Perhaps, had Damon arrived in the mid 80s in his spray on tight jeans and floppy hair, he would have recorded with Stock Aitken and Waterman and sang Christmas singles with Kylie and Jason.

Burning Bed. Gizmo puts his abusive brothers mattress on the bonfire, setting off a chain of events. Damon and Gizmo sit amongst the smouldering ashes and while Damon finds it all hilarious Gizmo is deeply troubled by the consequences he will face at home. He's a brilliant actor, we never see Gizmo's brother or family up to this point and yet its as rich as if they were a featured family on the close, you can smell his brother.

Tap tap on Damon's bedroom window at night.
" I've got nowhere to go"
" Awww Giz..."
"Can you let me in?"
Gizmo's angelic spotty face, framed by a Bkackadder the 1st greasy page haircut , stares up at his friend and your heart melts.

In the morning, all the details, they have slept opposite ends feet and head, Damon is both accepting and repulsed by Gizmos hygiene and leaps on an opportunity to wind his best friend up. He tells him that Karen walks around with ' nottin" on sending Gizmo into a stupor. Damon hides Gizmo under the bed while he makes a cup of tea, only to return in a pair of Karen's stilletos and his pyjamas pulled up while Gizmo does a Blue Velvet impression underneath the bed. It's all very silly and funny and captures the humour of the time perfectly. Then things change again as Gizmo takes Damon's breakfast, he's so hungry. Damon is pissed off with him but Gizmo's reaction is interesting, he doesn't shrug it off he's very hurt by Damon's reaction.

" I didn't think you'd mind a bit of toast"
" Oh its not the toast .." Damon explains its that " I can't keep looking after you".

Poor Gizmo.

Things get even worse when Harry's war medals go missing and Paul steers them in Damon's direction. When Bobby grills him Damon protests his innocence.
" If they can believe me, why can't you?" his guttural angst at the unfairness of it all and Bobbys lack of faith in him really chimes. And when the real culprit is revealed to be Gordon's friend Mark Gossage, who has been much maligned by Paul without any evidence , Gizmo takes him on and demands he return the medals to Harry. Mark beats him up until Paul comes out and intervenes. He sends a sheepish Gordon and defiant Mark back into the house, utterly disgusted at them both. For once, you think, it's going to be OK, the truth will out and Damon and Gizmo will be publicly vindicated and everyone will love them forever.
But Gizmo rebukes Paul's attempts to help him. He stares defiantly at him, his face smeared in blood, a punching bag again.

" Your head is bleeding "
The injustice of it all ringing around in all kinds of chimes.
" There's nothing wrong with my head" he shoots back, turns and leaves the close, battered, bloody and alone.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I think these scenes lead to a subtle but lasting shift in Sheila and Barry's relationship. It gradually becomes more intense to the point where conflict between Barry, Sheila and Bobby starts to feel almost like a love triangle, and a kind of oedipal rivalry develops between father and son.

Funny you mention this, because I've been re-reading some Brookie-related stuff, and The Official Companion kind of covers this angle:

Bobby... regards Barry as a layabout. In the back of his mind, Tory propaganda has staked its claim. Barry should get himself a 'proper' job and stop gallivanting.

Barry and his father rarely speak, except to discuss a new Liverpool signing or argue about politics. Barry is a nihilist, though if you tell him he's likely to ask you outside. As far as he can see, politics have done nothing for him. Bobby, as a staunch socialist, despairs of his son's generation's lack of commitment. But it was more than politics that pulled them apart. It was jealousy over Sheila, a wife to one and a mother to the other. Or was it the other way around? At 5 Brookside Close, Sigmund Freud would have a field day.

It's certainly something that sets this apart, and yet another fascinating layer to scenes between the Grants. I'll be keeping an eye out to try and spot this.

It reminds me of what happens between Sheila and Marie after their big explosive fight. It's like they've shared this hugely intense, cathartic experience which has forged a kind of unintentional bond, even an intimacy, between them, but which neither can bring themselves to acknowledge. I can remember watching the scene where Marie humbles herself to ask Sheila if she can use her phone, Sheila coldly refuses, Marie stomps off, Sheila feels bad and calls after her, but Marie, head held high, ignores her, and my mum instinctively saying, "Aw, they just want to make friends," as if they were two kids who'd fallen out in the playground and are too proud to make it up. And that's exactly it: the same emotions transposed in grown-ups' bodies.

That's lovely that you have a specific memory attached to that scene.

One scene I didn't comment on which takes place after this had Marie going to Sheila in bits when the twins briefly went missing, and Sheila was there for her with a cup of tea and a compassionate ear. It felt like a bit of a breakthrough, and I found myself almost tearful because of what the scene meant to their relationship. But there was still that level of pride there for both of them. It ended with one of them saying the other's name as though about to apologise or thank (I think it was Marie to Sheila, but couldn't swear to it because I knew they were both feeling almost the same thing) but it just kind of hung there as this silent, unfinished acknowledgement.

And a couple of episodes later, loyal George is back to being terrified that Marie will see him talking to Sheila, which is also very playground-like.

It's firmly established how early Brookside was all about social realism, but it was also about psychological realism in a really remarkable way. That's where it really gets under your skin.

Oh yes. Absolutely.

He actually did it to Annie Walker - selling her some carpet with "AW" monogrammed on it, which turned to be from the local snooker hall!

Oh my!

It wouldn't be made today though. Since Brookside's early years we have entertained ourselves to death and into a sanitised British television landscapes of endless murdered women and voyeuristic pot boilers.

Such a brilliant observation. I'm glad they're finding their way here.

Karen's not been in the mix at the Grants for a while, she's always slightly apart in two hander scenes now, its as if she's already left the show and makes very welcome guest appearances.

Slowing down my viewing rate this week has highlighted this. It feels like weeks since I've seen Karen, and it's possibly a couple of months' worth as aired.

Edna is a little girl in an elderly frame, she delights in childish manipulation, she tells massive lies and reacts like a little girl when she gets herself into trouble. Edna Cross, have we ever seen her like? The image of her screaming at the removal men as they drive away from her is seared into my memory. What a way to intro an elderly couple, with fire and brimstone!

Oh yes. This encapsulates exactly what I was trying to say about her, but far more eloquently and descriptively.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 161 -165
15 - 29 May 1984​

The lure was too much, and over the last few days I’ve caught up with last week’s batch of episodes.

Watching at this pace gives quite a different sense of time. Take Annabelle, for instance. At this point it feels a very long time since I’ve seen her on screen. I probably watched her last episode a couple of weeks ago, and it would be more like five or six weeks for viewers watching the original, two-episodes-per-week schedule. I’m intrigued to know why Doreen Sloane has been away for this length of time.

Likewise, Alan’s downward spiral has felt interminably long. His depression is the kind of thing that I suspect other dramas might be tempted to cover in two or three episodes of rock bottom and then give him his mojo back. It honestly feels as though it’s gone on for around six months of original screen-time, and perhaps it has.

There’s a lot of drunken wah-wah-ing about how everyone perceives him as good old Alan or whatever and, who knows, perhaps we’re now finally seeing the real Alan. Problem is, I didn’t really care about the character that much to begin with. He’s now simply become a different kind of caricature, but still a caricature. The most interesting angle has been the reaction to his dysfunction from the neighbours.

His unpredictable outbursts have certainly been something to watch. Entertaining, but in the ugliest way possible. In between, it’s mostly Alan drunkenly drooling on the sofa, surrounded by empty bottles and stains on the carpet. He certainly hasn’t been likeable - indulgent self-pity isn’t a good colour on anyone - but I do give due credit to all concerned for presenting what appears to be an honest account depressive drinking. It mostly lacks the amped up overwrought drama that today regularly earns TV Soap Awards for similar themes. And it’s replaced this with a hefty - almost unwanted - dose of reality.

Things have come to a head in the latest episode, with nasty Liz returning with a friend in tow to give him a beating and his house a going over. Could this be a turning point? I’ll have to wait some time to find out.

One of Alan’s accidental “good deeds” when wrecking the area around his home was knocking down the Crosses’ ugly fence. Even though Harry had insisted upon installing it to protect his gnomes, nobody was more delighted than him since it meant he could now snoop from the comfort of his bed which had been moved downstairs.

Rather like Alan’s depression, Harry’s fence is one of those pieces of scenery that in another series probably would have been a one or two episode job, but here its been in all its ugliness for many screen months. It might even be the best part of a year. We breathe a sigh of relief as much as the neighbours, and it’s been hugely effective, since it’s rare to be given the opportunity to experience almost subjectively the psychological impact of this kind of territorial protectiveness (ooh - that wasn’t meant to sound as deep as it did).

The fence coming down almost seems to symbolically cue in a new era. Likewise, it was fascinating that the darkness of Alan being beaten unconscious was juxtaposed with the comic antics of Harry and Edna’s botched attempt to move the bed frame back upstairs (one almost feels they could have done with Ross from Friends and his pivot direction). And while the neighbours were concerned about Alan, it was Harry’s plaintive cry of Ednaaaaaaaaaaa that rang out across the Close. I’m not quite sure when Harry and Edna end up moving to the bungalow, but the long shot of the homes with an occupant of each beaten - Harry metaphorically by the stairs and Alan literally by Liz's rough-looking friend - would seem to perfectly symbolise a door closing for one in turn opening a window for another.

Heather seems to end up with her own variety of intrusive, mostly uninvited, houseguests. Following Roger’s parents, she's contended with Polly, Will and now Will’s sister Rose from Ireland. I find Rose slightly unusual for kind of having a bigger storyline than Heather’s: she arrived mid-drama having run away from her family because of A Big Secret. It was as evident to us as Heather that Rose was pregnant.

Possibly in common with early Alan, she feels more traditionally soapy, what with the immediate injection of histrionics and family drama (Will followed her from Ireland to try and drag her home to face the family and marry the baby’s father). What’s more, she strikes up conversations with the neighbours she barely knows… even forcefully inviting a reluctant Michelle and Terry in for dinner. And she’s not averse to sharing information from one household with another… a big no-no in Brookside.

So what has been fun to watch are the responses to this. Heather quickly wearied of the soapy drama invading her sanctuary and outright told Rose she wouldn’t be welcome to stay long-term. Michelle was initially clearly not interested in even making conversation with Rose across the fence, prompting Rose to become even more aggressively friendly. Once she was out of earshot, Terry even protested “Do we ‘ave to go in there?” at the prospect of going next door.

This situation reached an enjoyable peak when Heather came home from work to find Rose gossiping to Michelle and Terry about the sparks flying between Heather and Will. This prompted Heather to go back into frosty bitch mode (a favourite of mine) I love that it wasn’t addressed there and then. Even when Rose sheepishly commented that she hadn’t heard Heather come in, Heather only commented drily that Rose was “too busy talking”. The “about me” was implied. And the atmosphere of death hung over the uncomfortable dinner, with Heather giving clipped one-word responses before excusing herself to get some work done.

The scene where Michelle and Terry depart and Heather then crisply warns Rose against inviting guests in order to discuss her private life is a winner, and notable for Heather's ostensible detachment. During this scene, Heather keeps her back to the other characters at all times. She’s in the foreground facing us, seated at the bureau in her lounge, with Michelle and Terry slinking out in the background. Heather’s perfunctory goodnight to them is said without moving her head. And her scolding of Rose is delivered the same way. I bloody love Heather and her directness. She didn't even have to make eye contact to take command of the situation and wrestle some degree of her life back. One gets the sense lessons learned with Roger have only deepened her resolve to be independent and autonomous.

In a moment I found interesting for its subtext, Heather took a moment out from The Rose Show to say hello to Sheila who is bedding plants in the front garden of Number 5. She asks Sheila’s advice about “a friend” who is pregnant. Sheila’s response is based in her Catholic values, but she goes on to ask if it’s Heather herself who is pregnant (a natural assumption). Heather good-naturedly protests, and that’s kind of that. But Sheila’s “all children are a blessing” philosophy encapsulates something currently being put the the test by Sheila herself even more than Heather or even Rose.

Sheila has been snappy and tearful for a bit now and - crucially - has been trying for three or four episodes to tell first Karen then Bobby… something. Each time there comes along a frustrating interruption. Poor Damon seems to keep arriving home just as she’s about to get to the crux of the matter. And in the case of her initial chat with Karen they were interrupted by Bobby.

Probably even without the benefit of hindsight it’s clear what Sheila's own Big Secret is, but the writing cleverly makes it about the journey of telling them in an environment where it’s difficult to have a private moment.

 

[James from London]

I’m not sure what is going on her, but I saw this photo on FB which looks like Ricky & Sue are filming something. Could it be something to do with THE ROYLE FAMILY or dare I say it BROOKSIDE.


Either way, it feels exciting.View attachment 46884

According to Sunshineboy, they’re making a travel documentary. It’s good to see Sue Johnston doing something. I hadn’t seen or heard about her for ages and was starting to worry a bit.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

According to Sunshineboy, they’re making a travel documentary. It’s good to see Sue Johnston doing something. I hadn’t seen or heard about her for ages and was starting to worry a bit.

Funnily enough, there was article only today in The Guardian about the glut of celebrity travel series that are being churned out on British TV at the moment. At least Ricky and Sue have a long history together, going back 40+ years, in comparison to some of the motley crews they throw together for these shows.

 

[Ome]

According to Sunshineboy, they’re making a travel documentary. It’s good to see Sue Johnston doing something. I hadn’t seen or heard about her for ages and was starting to worry a bit.

I'd also read that they had both done a GOGGLEBOX. I've never watched the show, but tempted to look for their episode.

Probably even without the benefit of hindsight it’s clear what Sheila's own Big Secret is, but the writing cleverly makes it about the journey of telling them in an environment where it’s difficult to have a private moment.

I keep trying to remember if I knew she was pregnant back in the day, or if it's a mixed-up memory. If it wasn't obvious, I'm sure it must have been driving me crazy wondering what Sheila was going to say to Karen or Bobby.


I'm all caught up with the episodes because we are away soon, and I have to shout out two very little but exciting moments that excited me. One was seeing the unit that Barry, Terry & Michelle are viewing for the new 'Tool Hire' Business, knowing it will be used for the 'have you lads ever seen a video nasty' moment and the other exciting moment was seeing George talk about his group 'Blazing Saddles' who will release a single in the not so near future...