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<blockquote data-quote="Marley Drama" data-source="post: 411306" data-attributes="member: 23"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Episodes 446 - 460</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>3 February - 24 March 1987</strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p>An encounter with a victim of asbestosis has spurred Bobby into union action, leading to rebellion from a horde of workers angry at the rumour that Bobby is a Militant. Frankly, this is an area of politics where my knowledge is sorely lacking, but it matters not because the point comes across in Ricky Tomlinson’s passionate delivery of Bobby’s rousing speech addressed to the men. He may not win them over, but Jimmy McGovern gives Ricky a winning moment all the same. And because it matters to him, it matters to me.</p><p></p><p>It’s not just at work that Bobby is feeling a lack of support. His views on Sheila going to work might not be coming from a healthy place, but the writing creates nuance, helping us understand why Bobby feels even more peeved about her leaving Claire to go to the pub. This run has given us some nice conflict between them, but also a few moments of understanding.</p><p></p><p>Considering we’re seeing the more irascible Bobby at home of late, it’s a pleasant surprise when he’s written to show more empathy. Bobby’s compassionate nature is one of his key attributes and beyond the work environment we’re seeing less and less of it. But the last episodes of the run saw Bobby fuming over returning to work to find Damon’s friend Mark snogging his girlfriend in the living room and not a family member to be seen. Sheila had left Claire with Damon for a short-notice evening shift, and Damon in turn had asked Mark to cover while he went out with Debbie. Considering Bobby’s legendary temper, I was braced for noise and violence, but instead he listened to Damon and acknowledged his frustrations at being out of work, and how hard he’d worked when given the chance. Sheila didn’t get off so lightly in Bobby’s eyes but there’s a Rome-related adage that fits perfectly.</p><p></p><p>Incidentally, Damon had a great scene, railing at Sheila about the anguish caused in the household by her choice to go to Rome come hell or high water. It’s nice to see there’s still some life in him yet.</p><p></p><p>It’s not just family causing Sheila to butt heads. Gossip has been carried in Chinese whispers. This was based on Matty asking Sheila to talk to Annabelle about his son who was in legal difficulties. Annabelle assumed Sheila’s “friend” was of the metaphorical variety and made a passing comment about Damon to Paul who later fed it to Julia Brogan to feed her bloodlust and get her off his back (uncharacteristic of him, I thought at first, before remembering that he’s never been shy to bash the Grant sons). Julia then ran to tell Harry, who couldn’t wait to tell Sheila what he knew about her.</p><p></p><p>Something that struck me about this whole chain is how quickly it escalated. It was very enjoyable but compared with Sheila’s confrontation with Marie - the gold standard for such peaks - this came to a head almost immediately.</p><p></p><p>Sheila put Harry in his place on the spot, offering him £20 that says Damon is innocent before chasing him off with a message:</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/VQg7rj.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 470px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/yCgsMu.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 516px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/dho5lq.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 520px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p></p><p>And within a few scenes she makes good on her promise by confronting Julia in a fun and lively exchange:</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/lsTJ71.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 528px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/6BMDDc.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 531px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/nPYkYh.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 531px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/PWqqRU.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 531px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/UBqZlX.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 531px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/EK4erT.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 529px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/ydLJmZ.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 528px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/6b3j86.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 535px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.vgy.me/YL6uIS.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 529px" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/vMXJ9v.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 533px" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p>It’s a very memorable and enjoyable sequence, though, and what it lacks in build-up it gains in the satisfaction of instant gratification. It helps that there are echoes of Sheila’s earlier clashes with Marie and later Doreen, and I thought the nighttime setting for the Sheila/Julia verbal combat brought something fresh to a familiar scenario. Julia is the series’ most broadly comedic character, so I also enjoyed seeing how Sue Johnston worked with this more strident energy. It ended with Sheila hilariously contorting her face while practically imitating Julia. I remember her final exaggerated line getting a big laugh back in 1987, and it did again in 2024. It’s so memorable, I’d thought it must have appeared on one of the official VHS tapes, but it’s probably an episode I happened to record and ended up rewatching a lot.</p><p></p><p>In between the laughs, though, there’s a real fire to Sheila in these scenes. Her family is under fire and we see the lioness in Sheila, eyes blazing and voice raised as she sets out to straighten the record. It’s really good to see her so spirited, and particularly when considering everything she’s been through since those earlier confrontations that could so easily have broken her. There's something akin to betrayal in her throwing the Corkhills' cut-off phone in Julia's face after she was so compassionate with Doreen, but in the same way as Doreen later spouting off about Sheila to Billy in the aftermath of that conversation, this helps reinforce the complexities in the frail relationship between households.</p><p></p><p>Adding further similarities, just as Doreen's irritation at Sheila had ended up in critical comments of the Collinses, so to Sheila's sights immediately turn in this direction. "Who was it told ya? Annabelle Collins?”, she bellows at Julia as she stands in the middle of the road, hands defiantly on her hips as she turns her head to sneer at the windows of Number Eight. Julia's confirmation that it was actually Paul does little to restore Sheila's faith in the Collinses. And this is just the beginning of the grief the household of Number Eight will have from their neighbours.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em>continued…</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marley Drama, post: 411306, member: 23"] [CENTER][B][SIZE=5]Episodes 446 - 460[/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=5][B]3 February - 24 March 1987[/B][/SIZE] [/CENTER] An encounter with a victim of asbestosis has spurred Bobby into union action, leading to rebellion from a horde of workers angry at the rumour that Bobby is a Militant. Frankly, this is an area of politics where my knowledge is sorely lacking, but it matters not because the point comes across in Ricky Tomlinson’s passionate delivery of Bobby’s rousing speech addressed to the men. He may not win them over, but Jimmy McGovern gives Ricky a winning moment all the same. And because it matters to him, it matters to me. It’s not just at work that Bobby is feeling a lack of support. His views on Sheila going to work might not be coming from a healthy place, but the writing creates nuance, helping us understand why Bobby feels even more peeved about her leaving Claire to go to the pub. This run has given us some nice conflict between them, but also a few moments of understanding. Considering we’re seeing the more irascible Bobby at home of late, it’s a pleasant surprise when he’s written to show more empathy. Bobby’s compassionate nature is one of his key attributes and beyond the work environment we’re seeing less and less of it. But the last episodes of the run saw Bobby fuming over returning to work to find Damon’s friend Mark snogging his girlfriend in the living room and not a family member to be seen. Sheila had left Claire with Damon for a short-notice evening shift, and Damon in turn had asked Mark to cover while he went out with Debbie. Considering Bobby’s legendary temper, I was braced for noise and violence, but instead he listened to Damon and acknowledged his frustrations at being out of work, and how hard he’d worked when given the chance. Sheila didn’t get off so lightly in Bobby’s eyes but there’s a Rome-related adage that fits perfectly. Incidentally, Damon had a great scene, railing at Sheila about the anguish caused in the household by her choice to go to Rome come hell or high water. It’s nice to see there’s still some life in him yet. It’s not just family causing Sheila to butt heads. Gossip has been carried in Chinese whispers. This was based on Matty asking Sheila to talk to Annabelle about his son who was in legal difficulties. Annabelle assumed Sheila’s “friend” was of the metaphorical variety and made a passing comment about Damon to Paul who later fed it to Julia Brogan to feed her bloodlust and get her off his back (uncharacteristic of him, I thought at first, before remembering that he’s never been shy to bash the Grant sons). Julia then ran to tell Harry, who couldn’t wait to tell Sheila what he knew about her. Something that struck me about this whole chain is how quickly it escalated. It was very enjoyable but compared with Sheila’s confrontation with Marie - the gold standard for such peaks - this came to a head almost immediately. Sheila put Harry in his place on the spot, offering him £20 that says Damon is innocent before chasing him off with a message: [CENTER][IMG width="470px"]https://i.vgy.me/VQg7rj.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="516px"]https://i.vgy.me/yCgsMu.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="520px"]https://i.vgy.me/dho5lq.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] And within a few scenes she makes good on her promise by confronting Julia in a fun and lively exchange: [CENTER][IMG width="528px"]https://i.vgy.me/lsTJ71.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="531px"]https://i.vgy.me/6BMDDc.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="531px"]https://i.vgy.me/nPYkYh.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="531px"]https://i.vgy.me/PWqqRU.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="531px"]https://i.vgy.me/UBqZlX.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="529px"]https://i.vgy.me/EK4erT.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="528px"]https://i.vgy.me/ydLJmZ.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="535px"]https://i.vgy.me/6b3j86.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="529px"]https://i.vgy.me/YL6uIS.jpg[/IMG][IMG width="533px"]https://i.vgy.me/vMXJ9v.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] It’s a very memorable and enjoyable sequence, though, and what it lacks in build-up it gains in the satisfaction of instant gratification. It helps that there are echoes of Sheila’s earlier clashes with Marie and later Doreen, and I thought the nighttime setting for the Sheila/Julia verbal combat brought something fresh to a familiar scenario. Julia is the series’ most broadly comedic character, so I also enjoyed seeing how Sue Johnston worked with this more strident energy. It ended with Sheila hilariously contorting her face while practically imitating Julia. I remember her final exaggerated line getting a big laugh back in 1987, and it did again in 2024. It’s so memorable, I’d thought it must have appeared on one of the official VHS tapes, but it’s probably an episode I happened to record and ended up rewatching a lot. In between the laughs, though, there’s a real fire to Sheila in these scenes. Her family is under fire and we see the lioness in Sheila, eyes blazing and voice raised as she sets out to straighten the record. It’s really good to see her so spirited, and particularly when considering everything she’s been through since those earlier confrontations that could so easily have broken her. There's something akin to betrayal in her throwing the Corkhills' cut-off phone in Julia's face after she was so compassionate with Doreen, but in the same way as Doreen later spouting off about Sheila to Billy in the aftermath of that conversation, this helps reinforce the complexities in the frail relationship between households. Adding further similarities, just as Doreen's irritation at Sheila had ended up in critical comments of the Collinses, so to Sheila's sights immediately turn in this direction. "Who was it told ya? Annabelle Collins?”, she bellows at Julia as she stands in the middle of the road, hands defiantly on her hips as she turns her head to sneer at the windows of Number Eight. Julia's confirmation that it was actually Paul does little to restore Sheila's faith in the Collinses. And this is just the beginning of the grief the household of Number Eight will have from their neighbours. [CENTER] [I]continued…[/I][/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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