When Brian Hammond talks about Don Stacy he mentions "underneath all that Somerset Maugham exterior", and indeed, he is one of the most colourful characters in The Brothers.
His scenes with his ex-wife, air freight chief Jane Maxwell, are larded with literary references - to and fro - and while that could be appreciated for the performance itself I think that the obligatory punch makes their scenes a little predictable.
Their divorce, long before these characters were introduced, has strengthened their relationship but at the same time it prevents them from moving on.
When Don fails his medical exam he's no longer allowed to fly her planes, which happens to be his one and only passion. But at the end it turns out that he did it on purpose, to no longer have reason to be there, despite Jane's offer to do something else.
And yet he can't bring himself to leave her, so he wants Jane to give him his marching orders. Which she does, with tears in her voice, and so it all ends on a melancholic note anyway.
As per usual, Hammond Transport Services Ltd is looking for a new big project to expand the company, and they find it. Well, it finds them, sort of.
The office is filled with activity, including Jennifer's input which puts an end to her baby drama, the non-stop sound of typewriters, files and numbers that need to be checked, and everybody's telling someone to ask someone else to come into their office.
They're being sabotaged by their competitor, a small but impressive guest role by Jack May, but the Hammonds' counter-espionage notwithstanding, the project falls through.
There are quite a few scenes with characters tripping over cords or bumping a foot or leg against a piece of furniture, and in one particular scene it looks as if Robin "David" Chadwick is unintentionally amused by extras in the background in a pub setting.
The infectious laughter could be the result of extras acting a little bit too enthusiastic, but they could also be crew members performing as extras.
And maybe it looks exactly the way it is supposed to be, but in the context of that scene I can't think of any reason why.
Bill Riley may be a member of the board, but he and Gwen are the working class characters that many working class viewers can identify with.
Even without a whiff of parody or satire they are amusing and entertaining to watch. Maybe it's the idea of seeing one's own ordinary problems being integrated with the high-stakes drama that makes it look funnier and more exaggerated than it actually is.
Either way I find their discussion about the pros and cons of new curtains absolutely mersmerizing.
Paul Merroney is still a bit of a mystery to me. Initially I got the idea that he saw the potential in the Hammond company as something that could make a killer deal and - subsequently - further build his reputation in The City.
And eventhough he never stops acting as the antagonist it's not always clear where his loyalties are. The Hammonds also have a tendency to blunder and then I even sympathize with him. He's currently working on a 5 year expansion programme which is pretty long-term for a "killer deal".
His super-efficient secretary-with-benefits, Clare, has a typical TV announcer's look. She doesn't always like Paul and she doesn't
want to love him, but eventually she realizes that she's losing more and more of herself.
Considering how low-key and unscripted this whole affair played out I found her exit suprisingly sad. I'll miss her.
The Hammonds in Holland! (well, only Paul) - just in time to record that Dutch release only Christmas LP (which I must have).
Too bad they didn't use Dutch actors, then at least they'd have gotten original broken English, instead they had British actors (
as if I wouldn't recognise you, Carmen Du Sautoy!) speaking English with a weird French/Japanese accent. Their attempt at conversation in Dutch is just insulting - that is, the part that I could actually understand. Tut tut!
It's interesting that they chose the name Van Der Merwe, which is more common in South-Africa, hence the Van Der Merwe family in the mini-series
Master Of The Game (played by Donald Pleasence and Cherie Lunghi).
Another oddity is the way the end credits appear during the last scene, rather than the title cards.
Well I guess it could have been the very last scene, although not a particularly satisfying one. Thankfully this is not the case because there's series 7 with 16 episodes instead of 13.
And Paul Merroney is going to marry April Winter (the name has already caused a lot of hilarity amongst the cast).
