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<blockquote data-quote="Mel O&amp;#039;Drama" data-source="post: 152724" data-attributes="member: 23">The Bounder came to an uneventful end last night.The Second Series, sans Rosalind Ayres, was perfectly fine. You would think the dynamics would feel a little off-kilter with the main link between the two men - one&#039;s wife, the other&#039;s sister - absent. But no.It was established at the beginning that Howard and Trevor were also old friends. I&#039;m not even clear on who knew whom first. Did Howard meet Mary through his friend Trevor? Or did Howard establish a friendship with his girlfriend&#039;s brother to the point that the brother ended up being best man at the wedding? Or did they all grow up together?Nor do I know why Ayres didn&#039;t do the second series. It&#039;s immaterial, really, since things worked with Mary as an absent party. Indeed, the Series Two premise could easily have been used as the premise for the entire series by design. I enjoyed that it added a further threat to Howard&#039;s pursuit of Laura, with Trevor now an effective (if not eligible) bachelor. And without Mary as a buffer, there&#039;s a more blatant Odd Couple vibe to scenes between Howard and Trevor.The usual sitcom boxes were ticked in the situations (computer dating; mistaken identity during a spate of burglaries; new dog causes trouble, etc.). It&#039;s mostly meaningless, but also charmingly done and very watchable. I particularly appreciated the play-like feel, with people nipping between sets, entering via French doors. Faces like Frances de la Tour gave the series permission to have fun with the staginess, and there&#039;s a knowing two-dimensionality to it that feels right. It&#039;s there to be enjoyed and if one can see the guest stars having fun it helps that rapport.Greasy was recast for his second appearance. Which is a shame as it was great to see Ken Jones as a link to The Wackers.There was a little continuity. Importantly, the key plot of Mary having left Trevor appeared to be on the way to a resolution in the last couple of scenes. And while Howard and Laura weren&#039;t about to head down the aisle, there was a kind of understanding there.With The Bounder, most of the things that happen are inconsequential once the end credits roll. But the series itself isn&#039;t. It made an impression on me when it first aired and it&#039;s done so again this time round.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mel O'Drama, post: 152724, member: 23"] [I]The Bounder [/I]came to an uneventful end last night. The Second Series, sans Rosalind Ayres, was perfectly fine. You would think the dynamics would feel a little off-kilter with the main link between the two men - one's wife, the other's sister - absent. But no. It was established at the beginning that Howard and Trevor were also old friends. I'm not even clear on who knew whom first. Did Howard meet Mary through his friend Trevor? Or did Howard establish a friendship with his girlfriend's brother to the point that the brother ended up being best man at the wedding? Or did they all grow up together? Nor do I know why Ayres didn't do the second series. It's immaterial, really, since things worked with Mary as an absent party. Indeed, the Series Two premise could easily have been used as the premise for the entire series by design. I enjoyed that it added a further threat to Howard's pursuit of Laura, with Trevor now an effective (if not eligible) bachelor. And without Mary as a buffer, there's a more blatant Odd Couple vibe to scenes between Howard and Trevor. The usual sitcom boxes were ticked in the situations (computer dating; mistaken identity during a spate of burglaries; new dog causes trouble, etc.). It's mostly meaningless, but also charmingly done and very watchable. I particularly appreciated the play-like feel, with people nipping between sets, entering via French doors. Faces like Frances de la Tour gave the series permission to have fun with the staginess, and there's a knowing two-dimensionality to it that feels right. It's there to be enjoyed and if one can see the guest stars having fun it helps that rapport. Greasy was recast for his second appearance. Which is a shame as it was great to see Ken Jones as a link to [I]The Wackers[/I]. There was a little continuity. Importantly, the key plot of Mary having left Trevor appeared to be on the way to a resolution in the last couple of scenes. And while Howard and Laura weren't about to head down the aisle, there was a kind of understanding there. With [I]The Bounder,[/I] most of the things that happen are inconsequential once the end credits roll. But the series itself isn't. It made an impression on me when it first aired and it's done so again this time round. [/QUOTE]

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