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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 372093" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 171 - 180 19 June - 18 July 1984Twenty months in, and Brookside has just seen its first wedding (at least, the first one where the couple made it to the end of the ceremony). There’s also been a returning former resident and a significant departure. And all of these have been part of one storyline as Samantha returned and agreed to marry Alan before both jetted off for the job he’d just been offered in Kuwait. Yes: the Partridges have literally flown away.Certainly at this pace, it has felt quite sudden and fast-moving. But then that’s partly the point of the storyline: It’s alluded to that both recognise that life is short and that they miss one another when they’re apart; Alan's character has frequently dallied with the surreal anyway. Besides, the job offer added time sensitivity that made a reasonable on-screen substitute for the ticking clock of an expiring contract, an actor moving on, writers reaching a dead end with a character, a need for change or whatever else might be behind the exit.Plenty of Sturm und Drang was added to this last hurrah, with Alan relapsing into alcoholic drinking on seeing Sam fending off rowdy young men while working at the International Garden Festival, almost getting himself arrested back on the Close before Sam swooped in to take responsibility for him. Then some déjà vu when Sam was late to the register office and couldn’t quite bring herself to say she will. Cue Sheila semi-comically muttering “Oh my God” under her breath and End Of Part One.While it’s unlikely I’ll ever claim Alan as a Brookside favourite, it’s nice that he got a good send-off, and that the tone of his final scenes were mostly upbeat and celebratory. Sam being brought back in to give some closure was also a perfect little detail. And the impromptu street party was delightful: Bobby clapping his hands as he introduced the idea, saying he was off to “get the pasting table” evoked memories of similar celebrations I experienced growing up.I also liked how the community is working here. There’s less wariness and class politics than was seen at earlier such gatherings (the party the Grants threw over that first Christmas or New Year some eighteen months earlier springs to mind). People seem easier with one another now, but there’s still a naturalism to it. There are occasional cuts that seem almost random because we see characters making small talk, saying how they’re enjoying their drink or whatever. At one point see Gordon and Rose looking intently at a bunch of flowers and apparently discussing something relating to it. It’s probably the kind of thing you’d see if you took home video of a street party. There’s no navel gazing or significant exposition. Nor are there any histrionics between residents. It’s simply a bunch of people who happen to live near one another doing their thing.The natural touches extend to the logistics. Without a generous landlady to contribute drinks to the proceedings, we see Terry going round tapping everyone for money so he can go off and buy bevvies (I particularly enjoyed the irony of Edna Cross donating the money she’d won from her bet with Marie over whether or not Samantha would go through with the wedding). I found it fascinating to simply people watch as all this was happening.There are nice revealing little snippets of character everywhere you look. From Harry Cross being stingy with his donation to Annabelle’s excitement over attending her very first street party as she whisked off to start making sandwiches.The episode ended with an extremely dramatically-staged tragedy as Karen’s latest boyfriend zoomed too quickly into the Close on his motorbike, colliding with pregnant Sheila. On the one hand, it felt rather unnecessary and stereotypically soapy, but allowing the audience to be part of the street party also allowed the moment to have maximum emotional impact because it was so at odds with the chilled, character-driven minutiae of the gathering. As I write, Sheila and baby are doing well, but there’s the added complication of whether or not to have the amneocentesis which could induce miscarriage because of Sheila’s recent bleeding. This scene features a terrific example of very Twentieth Century “keep the patient in the dark” doctoring as the specialist came to Sheila’s bedside, but took Bobby into the corridor to appraise him of the situation and ask for his decision. Consulting Sheila, it seems, is optional. It’s lucky for her Bobby is a socialist.Back at the Close, Alan’s impending departure has paved the way for one of the more soapily convenient contrivances yet seen: the Crosses have decided to move next door to the bungalow. I’m sure moving to a home in the same street does happen, but there’s a disproportionally high rate of this occurring in SoapLand, and this feels like another step towards Brookie becoming a more conventional soap.Of course, all the reasons make good sense: Harry and Edna like the Close and (most of) its residents (even if it’s well-hidden in Harry’s case); with Harry’s angina they recognise that they no longer enjoy the mobility they did even a year before. It’s introduced fairly organically, with son Kevin actually suggesting the bungalow out of concern. Edna is on-board with the idea immediately but Harry isn’t.Edna, as usual, gets her own way through deception. She tells Harry that Ralph is planning to buy the bungalow, knowing this will goad him. Ralph and his wife were introduced a few episodes back when they caught up with Harry and Edna at the International Garden Festival, just as Gordon Collins bumped into Sam, and Harry is jealous of the close relationship Ralph and Edna share (with good reason, I’d say. It seems rather collusive and based upon bonding over shared secrets kept from Harry’s ears).This is where it becomes conveniently soapy, though. Heather’s home appeared to be on the market for quite some months with nary a bite, while Alan’s bungalow was snapped up within a day or two. What’s more, even though the bungalow is being vended by an estate agent, Harry made his offer directly to Alan and it seemed as simple as that.However, there were a few concessions in plot and dialogue that allowed me to buy into it and suspend my disbelief. As well as the Crosses' already-mentioned need for a more accessible home, there have been subtle reminders that bungalows are scarcer and consequently more sought after.What’s more, Heather commented that house prices on the Close had dipped, something she said was typical with new housing developments in the first couple of years. With the benefit of hindsight, this seemingly offhand titbit goes a long way towards explaining why an upcoming scenario with Harry’s old house actually makes financial sense (though I’m hoping it’s explained just how he can afford to do this).With disbelief suspended, this proved a fun little series of events. There was Harry’s attempted blackmail of Alan to try and force him to accept a ridiculously low offer. Harry hinted that if the offer wasn’t accepted, Sam might find out all about Liz. Alan called his bluff and sent him packing. Only when Edna lied that Ralph had made a higher offer did Harry grudgingly make a reasonable one… and even then she had to stand guard over him. continued...</blockquote>

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