UK Time Wednesday September 26th 2007

 

Tonight’s episode was one of those round up shows where they seem to have to fulfill some airtime for certain actors, namely, Lloyd, Vernon, Kelly, Molly, Paul, Jodi, Wilf and Blanche.

 

 

The show opens with Lloyd playing with the ketchup and mustard containers in the café while he waits for his grub. Roy has totally immersed himself in the tiny details of the café all to avoid the huge problem in his marriage. It’s pretty clear that Roy is out of his depth in this labyrinth of raw human emotion and would rather be among the baked beans.

 

Meanwhile our Becky is all about meeting these challenges head-on. Ignoring Roy’s pleas Becky runs up to the flat to check on Hailey. She sees that Hailey has been hit and becomes very angry. However, her reaction is much better than Roy’s insistence on calling the police. Here we learn what Roy has totally missed. Hailey feels that she has something missing in her life. That is why Christian was so important to her and that is why she needed to be extra careful not to loose him. Why can’t Roy get that?

 

Down in the café Roy is now dealing with Blanche and Wilf. The gruesome twosome have complaints about the portion sizes and Roy is sticking to his guns telling them that local produce is more expensive and it is either higher prices or smaller portions.  Blanche wouldn’t like either. The man has got conflict coming at him from all sides.

 

Becky comes down into the café and tells Roy that he needs to go patch things up with the missus. She also, quite rightly, tells Roy where he’s going wrong in the café and in his marriage. He insists on shoving his values down everyone else’s throat. Good point, Becky.

 

Becky gets Roy up the stairs and deals with Blanche and Wilf. She is quickly becoming one of my favourites.

 

Upstairs Roy does a bang up job of further alienating Hailey, who, in all fairness, has gone all Dixie Chicks – she ain’t ready to make nice. Hailey goes out the door. OK, Roy couldn’t say the right thing if he was given a script. Remember last week,

 

Hailey, “Wish me luck, Roy.”

Roy, “You’ll be in my thoughts.”

 

 

Later, after Becky has closed the café Roy sees in very real terms where his stubbornness has left him. The takings in the café are low and the wife is nowhere to be found. Becky picks up the ball Roy has dropped and decides to go looking for Hailey who, has been sitting at the Kebab shop. My god, she was miles away. Hailey and Becky chat and later we see Roy talking to Becky on the phone. Hailey is stopping with her for the night.

 

 

So guess who blew back into town? That’s right Cilla Battersby Browne is back and she’s bronzed, brash, brassy,  busty and ballsy. She also seems to be brassic and broke. Or is she? While she couldn’t pay for her cab she does produce a GENUINE designer bag for Fiz’s birthday. I guess the old guy is good for something. The really beautiful part of the storyline is Cilla telling everyone that the American’s loved her. They loved her accent, her style and her cooking. So … Cilla had to cross the pond to find people with less class than her. (I could actually hear Michigander Fan and Corrie USA saying “HEY!” while shaking their fists at the TV).

 

Anyway, while John and Fizz are talking to Cilla, Sally Webster decides that she needs more guidance on her essay. Help yourself, Sally. You’re in a pub. John politely points out that Cilla has just gotten back from the US and they are having a bit of a catch-up.

 

Totally oblivious, Sally seems to think that John doesn’t want to talk to her because of Kevin.

 

Now, on to one of the most exciting parts of the show for me. Violet and Jamie get dressed to go to Jamie’s no-longer-drunk mom’s wedding. Violet wears an inexplicable silvery blazer. * Jamie looks handsome in his suite. They go to the wedding and come home and they are acting very much like a couple.

 

I really identify with Violet as a character. Except, I am not pregnant with a gay man’s baby. I am generally much more up beat than she is and I don’t nearly have her good luck with blokes, so yeah, we’re exactly alike.

 

I love Jamie and Violet together. I think they make a smashing pair.

 

*You know, I am really unsure exactly what this was. I think it was a shimery silver blazer, but my eyes were almost burned out of their sockets when I saw her that she could have been wearing anything. Are the writers using wardrobe to try and suggest that Violet is beginning to suffer from some sort of mental illness.

 

In Other News

 

Sean goes on date, debates the merits of Shirley Bassey, wakes Violet – at 11:00 PM.

Rosie is clearly trying to impress Carla.

Paul is tormenting Tyrone.