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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 429786" data-attributes="member: 23">Watching Pauline Yates's final episode, it's easy to think any sensible person concerned with being attached to credible projects might have chosen to leave at this point.That final episode's premise of Dudley becoming obsessed with ufology was far from the series' finest hour. It started promisingly with crossed wires between Muriel and Dudley when he began setting up a camera in the bedroom, talking about selling the pictures to a newspaper to make some money. And the idea of them receiving religious American visitors - keen for Dudley to work on a comic project for them - worked on some levels. Ultimately, though, it just got too silly, with a con involving a flying saucer shaped frisbee. It didn't help that Susan spent the episode in a ridiculous devil costume and got into a blazing row with Jacqui whom Susan thought had stolen her boyfriend.The most unforgivable moment came at the end with the suggestion that there may indeed be a real spaceship outside the house. It's not terrible, but neither is it hilarious and clever. It's just daft. The one saving grace is that Muriel had the last word, which is appropriate for her final episode.Exposition came thick and fast in the first few moments of Series Five's dialogue, with us learning very quickly that Muriel had gone to Australia to visit her mother. Good old Oz: far enough to explain a character being off-screen long-term (and perhaps forever), but not so far away they can't quickly return should an actor or actress become available again.As expected, the formula has been necessarily shaken up. Looking at it kindly, one could take the view that it has become a little more expansive with supporting players doing a little more. For a start, Duncan's vacuous-but-sexy-in-a-common-sort-of-way secretary has been given more to do. Indeed, most of Duncan's scenes have been with her so far this year, moving the series away from the very concept of "keeping it in the family". Up to this point, there have been very few moments where a member of the Rush family hasn't been on screen. There have probably been more instances of this in the first two episodes of Series Five than in the first four series combined.Meanwhile, we're now following Jacqui to her new job at a secondhand bookshop. This is slightly more promising, if only for featuring all remaining Rushes, with Dudley and Susan dropping in or phoning and having to pretend to be customers so as not to antagonise Jacqui's new boss who (sensibly) doesn't like his employees' personal lives interrupting their work. It's fine, I suppose. A tad contrived, but an acceptable - though inferior - substitute to the family scenes at home (which are still there, but have more of a sense of something missing without Muriel present).It's funny, really. I started out watching Series One feeling that it lacked identity somewhat. Then I grew to thoroughly enjoy it. Now it's losing the identity all over again and having to restructure itself to be more than its original simplicity. I may grow to love it, but I'm currently feeling that the remaining four episodes will be plenty for me.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?