Howards’ Way

[Carrie Fairchild]

I absolutely adore any Jack/Kate scene. They're so much fun to watch.

I forgot to add in my last post, I’m finding these two great fun to watch too. Whenever Jack is anywhere near a bottle, Kate is either hovering somewhere or on the end of the phone, ready to chastise him (in the latest episode, he drunkenly dismissed her as “an old teabag”!).

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

A mystery man has shown up in Tarrant, his appearance in every scene soundtracked by what sounds like the theme from a Cold War spy thriller. He’s clearly unstable and does things like stare at a black & white photo of the Mermaid Boatyard before taking a match to it (the photo, not the yard. Not yet at least).

While the Howard’s marriage has been hanging by a thread for a while now, its demise comes surprisingly rapidly. As mentioned, Avril and Tom have finally sealed the deal onboard the Flying Fish but through a series of unfortunate events (the catalyst involving Tom rowing a boat topless at dawn), half of Tarrant know about it by the next afternoon, with the Howard’s marriage over by that evening. Not that any of the involved parties seem that bothered about it. Jan is upset for about one scene before admitting to Lynne (who’s now being romanced by Charles Frere) that it’s probably for the best. Avril isn’t too happy about being a home wrecker but still finds time to change her hairstyle three times in a single episode and Tom is over in her cottage for drinks the very same night that Jan has called time on their marriage, having clearly thrown in the towel early on any attempts at reconciliation.

And in a continued escalation of the soapiness, the cliffhanger reveal is that the mystery man with the Cold War spy theme music, is in fact Jack Rolfe’s brother in law, presumed dead for 25 years, who has been brought back to Tarrant (and life) to stake a claim in the boatyard as part of Charles Frere’s plan to get ownership of the waterfront for his property development. Given the mystery man’s state of mind and fondness for burning things, I can’t see this ending well.

Some other throwaway observations from the last few episodes:

While discussing Abby’s moonlight flit with Jan, Polly has a great line where she mentions that “she left behind a letter complaining about values in Tarrant. And she wasn’t talking about house prices”.

Tom and Ken finally appeared onscreen together, albeit in a very brief scene. Short as it was, Tom did really manage to convey his disdain for Ken, physically moving him out of his way so that he didn’t have to spend anymore time in his presence. I’m ten episodes in and there’s been no Avril & Jan scenes yet but I’m hopeful they’ll cross paths before the end of the first series, if only to trade a barb or two.

In my deep dive into all things Howard, I’ve discovered that the BBC released a Howards’ Way knitting pattern magazine, which you can peruse below.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Even though I'm not saying much, your reviews are bringing a big smile to my face, @Carrie Fairchild.

How exciting that you're nearing the end of Series One. I'm looking forward to your views on the final three episodes.

A white tuxedoed Ken brings a spangly headband adorning Jan to dinner

Lynne (who’s now being romanced by Charles Frere)

You quite possibly know this, but these two on-screen romances reflect a couple of the real-life ones that blossomed among the cast. Tony Anholt and Tracey Childs were married from 1990-1998, while Stephen Yardley and Jan Harvey are married to this day (if I remember correctly, they provide joint audio commentaries for some of the episodes on DVD).

Incidentally, Jan and Stephen had worked together before Howards' Way. I'm sure I've seen them in a couple of things, but most memorable for me was an episode of Whodunnit (a panel game which was basically Cluedo).

Theirs was an unusual episode in that all the suspects had ingested poison and kept dropping dead during the interrogation from the panellists. It's become my favourite episode mainly due to the panel's hijinks towards the end, particularly the reaction to one of the deaths at 31:45. Poor Jan is the last suspect left alive and has to ad lib like billy-o, (even giving the recipe for a taty oggie at 32:18). There's a lovely moment right after this where Richard O'Sullivan pretends to die from boredom and Jan can be seen corpsing as she shoves a cigarette into her mouth.

I’ve discovered that the BBC released a Howards’ Way knitting pattern magazine, which you can peruse below.

Oh - the chunky, textured Eightiesness. Definitely a sign that the series had "made it".

I might be misremembering, but I could swear these were advertised by a BBC announcer at the end of episodes for a period of time.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Even though I'm not saying much, your reviews are bringing a big smile to my face, @Carrie Fairchild.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the recaps. Some of it may be a bit tongue in cheek but I’m by no means sneering the series. I’m really enjoying it and wondering why it’s taken me so long to start it now.

You quite possibly know this, but these two on-screen romances reflect a couple of the real-life ones that blossomed among the cast. Tony Anholt and Tracey Childs were married from 1990-1998, while Stephen Yardley and Jan Harvey are married to this day (if I remember correctly, they provide joint audio commentaries for some of the episodes on DVD).

I knew about Stephen Yardley and Jan Harvey but Tony Anholt and Tracey Childs were news to me. I see that Tony sadly passed away in 2002, at the age of only 61.

Incidentally, Jan and Stephen had worked together before Howards' Way. I'm sure I've seen them in a couple of things, but most memorable for me was an episode of Whodunnit (a panel game which was basically Cluedo).

Thanks. I will have to watch this when I have the time. Post-HW, I remember both of them being in Family Affairs but I’m not sure if their stints on the show ever crossed over. Stephen was in it early on in the run (as Roy’s father Vince) but I remember Jan showing up later.

I might be misremembering, but I could swear these were advertised by a BBC announcer at the end of episodes for a period of time.

How very Acorn Antiques!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Some of it may be a bit tongue in cheek but I’m by no means sneering the series.

Oh, not at all. I can tell they're coming from someone who's enjoying the ride. It is very of its time, and there's a fair bit of stiff upper lip and that RADA undercurrent that BBC productions used to have, so there's plenty of fodder for some tongue-in-cheek commentary.

I’m really enjoying it and wondering why it’s taken me so long to start it now.

I can relate. I'm currently watching the sitcom Maude for the first time and feeling very much the same way.

Tony Anholt and Tracey Childs were news to me.

Well in that case I'm glad my post was semi-informative. Back in the day the tabloids gave these developments a fair amount of coverage, as I recall.

I see that Tony sadly passed away in 2002, at the age of only 61.

Yes. I think he died of a brain tumour which is just tragic.

I remember both of them being in Family Affairs but I’m not sure if their stints on the show ever crossed over.

Oh, that's interesting. It would be nice to think they did cross over at some point.

How very Acorn Antiques!

Isn't it just?

(And you still have the HW equivalent of Anyone Can Break A Vase to look forward to).

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Oh, not at all. I can tell they're coming from someone who's enjoying the ride. It is very of its time, and there's a fair bit of stiff upper lip and that RADA undercurrent that BBC productions used to have, so there's plenty of fodder for some tongue-in-cheek commentary.

The RADA undercurrent is particularly strong with some of the older characters but I do love Glyn Owen’s drunk acting.

Oh, that's interesting. It would be nice to think they did cross over at some point.

There’s a small possibility that they crossed over as Vince left in 2003 and Jan’s character Babs arrived that same year.

 

[Willie Oleson]

the cliffhanger reveal is that the mystery man with the Cold War spy theme music, is in fact Jack Rolfe’s brother in law, presumed dead for 25 years,

I've seen it twice and I don't remember this at all.

Spoiler: coming soon?

incidentally, be aware of the soapy staircase

a Howards’ Way knitting pattern magazine

It looks like a Howards' Way / CONNIE crossover.

Stephen Yardley and Jan Harvey are married to this day (if I remember correctly, they provide joint audio commentaries for some of the episodes on DVD).

I didn't know they were a couple but I did enjoy their audio commentaries (a DVD feature I never use but for whatever reason I made an exception for HW) and I remember they were making fun of Polly and her gloves and pearls.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I've seen it twice and I don't remember this at all.

I’ll let you know how it pans out. So far, he’s spent most of his screen time lurking around Tarrant but then when Jack receives a letter from a solicitor (organised by Charles Frere) informing him of his return, Kate asks what is so wrong with his brother in law wanting to reconnect, to which Jack replies “he’s been dead 25 years, that’s what’s wrong”. It’s an almost throwaway line, to the point that it nearly gets lost among the main news that he’s making a claim on the boatyard.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I’ve one episode left to go of series one. Again, you can really see the glamour stakes rising with each episode. Unless you’re at the boatyard, it’s evening dress essential in most of the other scenes. Also, the place is now soaked in champagne. The show has been quite boozy since the start but now a G&T at home or pint down the pub has been replaced by champers. It’s champagne breakfast meetings, champagne dates on yachts, champagne boutique openings. Also, we’ve moved out of the middle class domesticity of Laura Ashley living rooms and into boardrooms, yachts and 200 acre estates. If this is where the show is heading, I can’t wait for series two.

As mentioned, both Howards are taking the collapse of their marriage in their stride. Tom and Avril are now a thing (although I’m not sure where he’s living. Possibly on the Flying Fish). Jan is off to Cannes to meet some fashion folk with Claude. The show signals she’s gone continental with a jaunty version of the theme and a shot of Jan sitting poolside as two women walk past topless (at 8pm on a Sunday night on BBC1!). Crafty Ken has conveniently shown up in Cannes (for a break) and wastes no time in wooing Jan, which leads to a semi raunchy scene where she eats some sort of fruit out of Ken’s mouth. There’s also a great scene in episode 12 where a tuxedoed Ken dances with himself in the mirror to Sade while waiting for Jan.

Over at the Urquharts, Polly has intercepted some of Abby’s post from Switzerland and discovers that someone called with the wonderfully posh name of Orrin Hudson Eubanks (or something similarly double barrel) is keen to make contact with her. Polly is quite excited by this for two reasons - one, someone is actually interested in her plain Jane daughter and two (more importantly to Polly) his family are loaded. However, a trip to Southampton to alert Abby to Orrin’s letters ends in disaster when in standard soap fashion, a row on the stairs ends with heavily pregnant Abby falling down said stairs.

I've seen it twice and I don't remember this at all.

I’ll let you know how it pans out. So far, he’s spent most of his screen time lurking around Tarrant but then when Jack receives a letter from a solicitor (organised by Charles Frere) informing him of his return, Kate asks what is so wrong with his brother in law wanting to reconnect, to which Jack replies “he’s been dead 25 years, that’s what’s wrong”. It’s an almost throwaway line, to the point that it nearly gets lost among the main news that he’s making a claim on the boatyard.

They’ve actually given this guy quite a bit of back story. At 16, he ran away from home and when his father died, they’d searched high and low for him (the inheritance was split between him and Jack’s late wife Eileen). He was presumed dead and Eileen got everything. Turns out, he’d been living in Papua New Guinea, where he had some sort of live in arrangement with a local girl (“like a geisha?” asks Polly). Due to some stipulation in the will, his claim is not just for half the boatyard, it is for everything - the boatyard, Jack’s house, Avril’s share, Tom’s share and all earnings from the yard since Jack took over. He later hires an escort from an agency in the newspaper called Pussy Cats and explains to her that he ran away at 16 because he was attracted to Eileen, his own sister!

So it’s all coming to a head as I go into the series one finale. Tom, Avril and Jack are on the verge of losing everything, Jack’s long lost brother in law is unraveling rapidly, Jan is unsure what to do about her blossoming romance with Ken, Kate looks like she’s about to lose her knickers on some ill advised horse bet, Lynne is being strung along by Charles and Abby is unconscious at the bottom of the stairs!

As a random aside, this shot is from an earlier episode where Jan and Polly go to an art exhibition and there’s something very The Colbys about it to me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The RADA undercurrent is particularly strong with some of the older characters

Yes indeed.

Far less age discriminatory is the upper class, frozen jaw thing when it comes to the women in the show. Abby, Avril, Kate, Polly, Lynne... they all speak as though they have a mouthful of marbles.

I do love Glyn Owen’s drunk acting.

He does it well... and he does it a lot!

I've seen it twice and I don't remember this at all.

They’ve actually given this guy quite a bit of back story.

Likewise, I don't recall this character.

Reading this thread is reminding me how poor my memory of this series is. I've watched it in its entirety at least twice (once when it first aired, and once perhaps a decade ago. And possibly once in the Nineties if it appeared on UK Gold or something) but so many of the details are lost to me. Which is exactly why I need this thread and Carrie's observations.

It looks like a Howards' Way / CONNIE crossover.

Ha ha. Now there's a missed opportunity.

Again, you can really see the glamour stakes rising with each episode. Unless you’re at the boatyard, it’s evening dress essential in most of the other scenes. Also, the place is now soaked in champagne.

My shonky memory again, but I'd remembered this as becoming more noticeable in later series, so I'm surprised how early on the champagne is flowing.

Ken has conveniently shown up in Cannes (for a break) and wastes no time in wooing Jan, which leads to a semi raunchy scene where she eats some sort of fruit out of Ken’s mouth.

Was it a strawberry? This is one scene I remember from the first time round because young me found it rather disgusting.

As a random aside, this shot is from an earlier episode where Jan and Polly go to an art exhibition and there’s something very The Colbys about it to me.

Oh yes. And those expressions. They look like Zach Powers has just suggested a threesome.

as I go into the series one finale.

I can’t wait for series two.

I'm excited to read your thoughts on the Series One finale, and very much looking forward to your views on the next run.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Reading this thread is reminding me how poor my memory of this series is. I've watched it in its entirety at least twice (once when it first aired, and once perhaps a decade ago. And possibly once in the Nineties if it appeared on UK Gold or something) but so many of the details are lost to me. Which is exactly why I need this thread and Carrie's observations.

BBC really need to add it to iPlayer. It deserves to be on there. Only series six is left on UKTV Play, so I’ve been watching it “elsewhere”.

My shonky memory again, but I'd remembered this as becoming more noticeable in later series, so I'm surprised how early on the champagne is flowing.

I mentioned before that Tracey Childs heralded the arrival of Charles Frere as the start of the shift in tone. And she’s completely correct. It was quite middle class and they all had larger than your normal houses to begin with but when he arrives, things just go up a notch. The boats get bigger, the houses get bigger, the cars get more expensive, the wardrobe budget goes up and as I said, there’s champagne all over the place. On the subject of alcohol, I wonder if there was ever a Howards’ Way drinking game because you’d be sh*tfaced trying to keep up with the amount of alcohol consumed in each episode.

Was it a strawberry? This is one scene I remember from the first time round because young me found it rather disgusting.

I think it may have been. The one thing I was thinking during that scene is that I hoped they’d started seeing each other in real life as it would’ve been super awkward for all involved if they hadn’t.

Oh yes. And those expressions. They look like Zach Powers has just suggested a threesome.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

BBC really need to add it to iPlayer. It deserves to be on there.

It's a shame to find it's not there. It was pretty big back in the day, and it's an ideal "boxset" type series because there's enough material to invest, while 78 episodes in total keeps it the right side of overwhelming.

It looks like the DVD boxset was repackaged just last year, so the Beeb must feel there's still a market for it, which makes its lack of visibility on iPlayer even more baffling.

On the subject of alcohol, I wonder if there was ever a Howards’ Way drinking game because you’d be sh*tfaced trying to keep up with the amount of alcohol consumed in each episode.

Good God, yes.

The one thing I was thinking during that scene is that I hoped they’d started seeing each other in real life as it would’ve been super awkward for all involved if they hadn’t.

I'd love to know some of the details. It's so long since I watched I can't remember if Jan and Stephen spoke about any of this during the audio commentaries.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

So, series one is done and dusted and I’m happy to report, I’ve fallen in love with the folk of Tarrant. These thirteen episodes have been quite the ride, even if the show does defy some of the usual soap conventions, for good and for bad.

To recaps first though. It was an interesting finale, in that, aside from the main cliffhanger (which was out of the blue in the grand scheme of things) a lot of the other plots were left open ended. Abby and her baby survived her tumble down the stairs, a baby boy being born after extensive surgery. Polly, displaying the maternal care we’ve come to expect from her, blames the whole thing on Leo and flounces back to the Jolly Sailor for drinks with Gerald. Abby’s baby daddy Orrin is aware of her pregnancy but has yet to appear in Tarrant (emphasis on the yet) while another throwaway line about Polly and Charles having quite a thing in the past, leads me to believe that my earlier mentioned theory about Abby’s parentage may be expanded on in series two.

The fate of the Mermaid Boatyard is left open ended too. It’s Jack and Tom’s big day in court but we only get as far as them gathering outside the courtroom, with Jack seeing his supposedly dead brother in law for the first time in 25 years. Things are looking better for Jan though (despite her and Tom finally agreeing to divorce). Her boutique is only open five minutes and Claude has shown up, suggesting that they take over a “disused fashion house” that he just happened upon. I don’t think her relationship with Ken is long for this world though. He’s displaying a level of possessiveness over her spending time with Tom and Claude that already seems to be wearing thin with Jan.

The big cliffhanger belonged to Lynne. She hasn’t been herself recently according to Jan, who uses the fact that Lynne “hadn’t been sailing for a week” as a sign that she was rebelling. After being messed around by Charles Frere once too often (he seemed to spend most of their three episode romance, standing her up), Lynne showed up at his yacht looking for answers. She bursts in on Charles in bed with a woman, who he casually introduces as his wife, Honey Gardner (when looking up the actress who played her - Viscella “Vikki” Richards - I discovered that she tragically died, only last week, following a suspected robbery in her home in Trinidad). Lynne rushes off, teary eyed, down a slippery pontoon, slips and smacks her head before going headlong into the marina, her fate unknown!! Cue end credits!

As I said, rather than using one of the threads that has been running all series, they threw in this unexpected Dynasty-esque cliffhanger and have let the meatier stuff - the future of the boatyard, Abby’s convoluted family tree - roll on without conclusion. I’ve mentioned it a couple of times now but having gotten to the end, I can confirm that love rivals Jan and Avril do not share a single scene in the first season. Not that I was expecting them to be cat fighting in the Solent but I think it was a missed opportunity. By the time they eventually (presumably) cross paths in the second series, the fallout of the collapse of the marriage will be a distant memory. They’re just some little criticisms but on the whole, it’s been a really enjoyable series. I look forward to what series two brings - will The Mermaid survive? Will Lynne be pulled from the Solent? Will Abby be changing her surname to Frere? Will Leo ever get out of the friend zone? Will Jan’s hair continue to get bigger in direct relation to her growing success as a fashion mogul? Who will Polly try to shag next? It may sound like I’m joking but I can’t wait to find out.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

So, series one is done and dusted and I’m happy to report, I’ve fallen in love with the folk of Tarrant.

Congratulations on your first full season, Carrie. And the second part of your sentence above has brought a huge smile to my face.

Honey Gardner (when looking up the actress who played her - Viscella “Vikki” Richards - I discovered that she tragically died, only last week, following a suspected robbery in her home in Trinidad).

Wow. What are the chances? I suspect this would have gone completely under the radar had you not chosen to watch the series when you did.

The reports of her death make it sound brutal (bound hands, and the cause has now been determined as blunt trauma force to her head and face). It's horrifying and, as you said, very tragic indeed. Her family have suggested she was also showing signs of dementia which just deepens the tragedy.

As I said, rather than using one of the threads that has been running all series, they threw in this unexpected Dynasty-esque cliffhanger and have let the meatier stuff - the future of the boatyard, Abby’s convoluted family tree - roll on without conclusion.

I suppose I've always just accepted it for what it was - first on the basis of being easily pleased due to my young age, then out of nostalgia in later years - but you're right that it had potential to be knottier and weave some more strands together.

It did always feel highly appropriate that it ended with water, though. So much of the series' themes and imagery seem tied in with the Solent that it's always seemed very right on that level.

The big cliffhanger belonged to Lynne.

Lynne rushes off, teary eyed, down a slippery pontoon, slips and smacks her head before going headlong into the marina, her fate unknown!! Cue end credits!

Although the Series Two finale is probably my favourite, this first closer is the one I remember being stuck in my head with me unable to stop thinking about it (and worrying about poor Lynne). In many ways it's probably quite by-the-numbers, but it really worked for me the first time round.

I can confirm that love rivals Jan and Avril do not share a single scene in the first season. Not that I was expecting them to be cat fighting in the Solent but I think it was a missed opportunity.

Wouldn't it be funny if it was a Howards' Way thing that these two never actually met, but kept missing one another through various contrivances and coincidences?

It may sound like I’m joking but I can’t wait to find out.

And I can't wait to get your thoughts on Series Two.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

The reports of her death make it sound brutal (bound hands, and the cause has now been determined as blunt trauma force to her head and face). It's horrifying and, as you said, very tragic indeed. Her family have suggested she was also showing signs of dementia which just deepens the tragedy.

It’s terribly sad.

I suppose I've always just accepted it for what it was - first on the basis of being easily pleased due to my young age, then out of nostalgia in later years - but you're right that it had potential to be knottier and weave some more strands together.

It’s actually OK as cliffhangers go. I was aware of it as I’d seen it mentioned in the BBC4 documentary, so it didn’t come as a shock but it would’ve been shocking had I not had prior knowledge. Mainly because the Lynne / Charles romance seemed like such a trivial side plot, that I would never have thought it would take centre stage in the finale. Tom in court, waiting to hear if the whole premise of the show (him investing everything in the boatyard & the subsequent fallout in his personal life) was about to blow up in his face, would’ve made more sense as a final scene to me but that’s the joy of soap for you.

And I can't wait to get your thoughts on Series Two.

Well, you don’t have to wait long as I’ve jumped straight in. Series two opens with an aerial shot of the marina and a helicopter flying overhead. Are they searching for Lynne? No, it’s only bastard Charles Frere hovering overhead as former flame Avril smashes champagne off the hull of the Barracuda and launches it seaward. The mix of the new yacht & the helicopter suggests that the budget and the show is continuing to move on up the luxe scale. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention in series one though but I thought the Barracuda was still in its prototype stage, so this scene gave me the impression that we’d jumped ahead in time. Next up, we’re in the courtroom watching Jack’s brother in law Dick Shellett being cross examined. Has the court case dragged on for this long I wonder? It’s not until we get a scene of Jan showing concern that Lynne hasn’t come home from the night before that I realise that we’re watching the events of the day after Lynne took her dive into the Solent. Viewers obviously wouldn’t have been watching these episodes back to back in 1986 but I always find the change in haircuts between seasons to be amusing. Charles’ assistant Samantha’s hair has gotten shorter overnight, Leo’s has gotten longer and Jan’s has managed to change both colour and style (I believe Jan Harvey wore wigs from this season onwards, her own hair obviously unable to cope with the amount of Elnett required to maintain Jan Howard’s increasingly voluminous mullet).

The court case is wrapped up in a few scenes. Unstable Shellett is unable to keep his mouth shut, revealing that he was in contact with Jack’s wife for years after he left, which contradicted his previous testimony stating that he’d had no contact from England and the case is thrown out. Not that it matters much to Charles, who has decided to ditch the whole marina development as it isn’t “big” enough for him, which leaves Ken out in the cold and dashes his hopes of upscaling his garage / chandlery empire. My confusion over the Barracuda is resolved when it’s explained that Avril was launching the “sea trial” version of it, ahead of the money men committing to it.

Much of the episode is spent searching for Lynne and it’s the clash between family life and business that lays open the cracks in the separated Howard spouses fledgling relationships. Avril is furious with Tom for choosing to go and search for Lynne instead of attending their meeting with investor David Lloyd, prompting Tom to say that only somebody with children could understand his concern. Meanwhile, Jan is at home stressing over Lynne’s whereabouts and Ken shows up and spends his time talking about the collapse of the marina development. While not catastrophic, it shows that while their respective partners are a bit of fun, they do come from different worlds, particularly Jan and Ken. The episode ends with Tom showing up (and sharing only his second scene with Ken) and announcing that the police may have found Lynne. Cue end credits and new closing music, which as a standalone song, is very beautiful but I find it painfully slow as a closing to an episode. I much preferred the upbeat version of series one but I get that this is a bit of cross promotion for the Marti Webb single that was released as a tie in.

Wouldn't it be funny if it was a Howards' Way thing that these two never actually met, but kept missing one another through various contrivances and coincidences?

Or if they didn’t actually meet until the final scene of series six. As it happens, they kind of shared a scene in this episode, albeit on either end of the phone. Jan rings the boatyard looking for Tom and it is Avril that picks up. No barbs are traded although there is a coolness between them. I’ll keep you posted on future developments.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

the Lynne / Charles romance seemed like such a trivial side plot, that I would never have thought it would take centre stage in the finale. Tom in court, waiting to hear if the whole premise of the show (him investing everything in the boatyard & the subsequent fallout in his personal life) was about to blow up in his face, would’ve made more sense as a final scene to me but that’s the joy of soap for you.

I think Lynne's status on the series - a member of the main ensemble, but not as crucial as characters like Tom, Jan or Ken - gave the cliffhanger an edge because it made the outcome seem less certain. Lynne just might be viewed as secondary enough for The Powers That Be to view her as expendable.

The mix of the new yacht & the helicopter suggests that the budget and the show is continuing to move on up the luxe scale.

Absolutely. It echoes what had been done on series like Dallas and especially Knots Landing (albeit British viewers wouldn't have experienced upscaled Knots at that point), but it happens much earlier on in HW's run. Even so, to me it always felt organic and somehow appropriate.

Viewers obviously wouldn’t have been watching these episodes back to back in 1986 but I always find the change in haircuts between seasons to be amusing.

Reading this I had a distant recollection that actually they were shown back-to-back due to a prime time repeat of Series One right before Series Two launched. The ever-reliable Wikipedia confirms this:

The first series, which aired in 1985, was a slow burner. It wasn't until the BBC repeated it in the summer of 1986 as the lead-in to the second series that Howards' Way became a huge hit. Its scheduling with new comedy series Bread, which launched in 1986, and followed it on a Sunday evening, saw both programmes achieve huge viewing figures for the BBC.

The change of haircuts to me felt very deliberate. It was a hallmark of the American prime time soaps for each season to give their characters a new look, and this felt like a nod to the influence of those series on this one. I can imagine Jan Harvey especially wanting to channel her inner Sue Ellen.

The episode ends with Tom showing up (and sharing only his second scene with Ken) and announcing that the police may have found Lynne. Cue end credits and new closing music, which as a standalone song, is very beautiful but I find it painfully slow as a closing to an episode.

When this first aired, I read so much into the first use of that theme song. Paired with that final line and Lynne's absence from the episode I assumed it had been written specifically to close that episode as an elegy to Lynne. Because of this I still get chills when I hear it.

I much preferred the upbeat version of series one but I get that this is a bit of cross promotion for the Marti Webb single that was released as a tie in.

Well, you may not have heard the last of the upbeat version. In fact....

....Well, I've already said too much, really.

I’ll keep you posted on future developments.

I love your specific charting of this relationship, and can't wait for updates on the Javril situation.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I think Lynne's status on the series - a member of the main ensemble, but not as crucial as characters like Tom, Jan or Ken - gave the cliffhanger an edge because it made the outcome seem less certain. Lynne just might be viewed as secondary enough for The Powers That Be to view her as expendable.

This is very true.

Reading this I had a distant recollection that actually they were shown back-to-back due to a prime time repeat of Series One right before Series Two launched. The ever-reliable Wikipedia confirms this:

Thanks. I figured they’d have gotten a daytime rerun on BBC1 but primetime leading into the second series over the summer makes perfect sense.

The change of haircuts to me felt very deliberate. It was a hallmark of the American prime time soaps for each season to give their characters a new look, and this felt like a nod to the influence of those series on this one. I can imagine Jan Harvey especially wanting to channel her inner Sue Ellen.

Jan’s is currently somewhere in the region of a Val Ewing / Alexis Colby mullet while Avril (who’d been partial to a change in hairstyle throughout series one) is now sporting a big hair with ponytail look that is akin to one of Alexis in season 9 of Dynasty. Poor Kate has also had a glow up but she was obviously last in the hairdressers chair that day as the end result looks she’s spent the day getting blown around on the Flying Fish.

I love your specific charting of this relationship, and can't wait for updates on the Javril situation.

I’m probably investing too much thought into this situation but it’s mad to me that the two female leads and love rivals have had so little interaction, considering the main cast isn’t exactly huge.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Tom in court, waiting to hear if the whole premise of the show (him investing everything in the boatyard & the subsequent fallout in his personal life) was about to blow up in his face, would’ve made more sense as a final scene to me

I think the Mermaid Yard was always teetering on the edge of financial ruin so perhaps that wasn't special enough for a season finale cliffhanger.

I assumed it had been written specifically to close that episode as an elegy to Lynne

Same here. I was absolutely convinced that Lynne had died and I was kinda shaken by the idea that a Howard would be killed off so soon (or at all!).
Steven Carrington had had a similar accident but he didn't get that song.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

“She seems alright. Except for this dreadful amnesia”. Yes, Lynne has been found and Jan delivers the most Acorn Antiques line I’ve heard on the series to date. Apparently plucked from the water after ten minutes and now ensconced in the local hospital, Lynne has no recollection of who she or her family are. Jan and Tom do their best to jog her memory by arguing with each other at the end of her bed but it’s to no avail.

After much of the first episode focused on the search for Lynne, these episodes (two and three) set things up for what’s to come for the rest of the second series. He may have lost out on the marina project but Ken isn’t ready to give up just yet. He goes to Charles with the idea of developing a local nature reserve into property, a proposal that Charles laps up, but only because he wants Ken to front it and shoulder the bulk of the risk while Charles reaps the rewards. Leo gets wind of the plan and decides to make it his conservationist mission to put a stop to it. On the subject of Leo, he is now also playing gooseberry to Abby and her newly arrived American baby daddy Orrin. After a kind of kiss at a house party at Abby’s bedsit block (where Davy awkwardly does The Robot and the Worm), Leo is back in the friend zone upon Orrin’s arrival but that doesn’t stop him spending the bulk of his time around at the Urquhart’s, much to Polly’s chagrin.

Ken’s more, more, more attitude is obviously rubbing off on Jan, as she is now super keen to scale the corporate ladder and go into business with Claude. There’s an air of selfish desperation as she pressures Ken to confirm if he’ll back her financially or not (I’m not sure if she has any other options) and she then takes exception with the fact that Claude is due to marry a French fashion queen, something that’ll put the kibosh on their plans to set up a fashion house in the UK. This actually forms the closing dramatics of episode two but is comically written off by the next episode when Kate confirms, in blasé fashion, that Claude called to say “he’s not getting married, nothing has changed and you’re still working together”. Bravo! On the Javril front, Jan and Avril have finally shared a scene! There’s some fireworks (mostly from Avril) but it’s all rather reserved (rather than scratching back, Jan excuses herself and goes to wait in the car and listen to classical music).

Charles continues to flash the wealth, this time taking the helicopter to his grand French chateau (“it came with the vineyard”) in order to schmooze ultra posh Viscount Cunningham (played wonderfully by a pre-One Foot in the Grave Richard Wilson) who holds some influence over whether he can get his hands on the nature reserve. Also on the business front, Jack has gotten himself into a pickle by announcing to the board that he’ll sail the Barracuda, solo across the Atlantic, as part of the publicity around its launch. The problem is, he ain’t the sailor he used to be and encountering problems during a test sail in the Solent, he blames the boatyard boys, saying that they didn’t prep the boat properly because the rigging was “as loose as a fallen woman”. Rigging and nature reserves will be the least of Jack and Charles’ worries soon by the look of things as Shellett is still hanging around Tarrant, demanding to get what is his. Jack sends him packing, as does Gerald but not before Shellett threatens to go to the press, which leaves me wondering if Gerald’s nights in the pied-a-terre / Abby’s true parentage are about to get exposed.

On the subject again of Marti Webb’s closing song, episode three ends with Lynne and Tom aboard the Flying Fish, Lynne having just been shook out of her amnesia by Tom pretending he was going to run the boat aground, prompting Lynne to jump into action. The song begins playing over the image of father and daughter reunited following her two episode bout of amnesia and there was something very touching and fitting about the use of the song in this instance.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I know this is a series set around boatbuilding and sailing but they’ve managed to pack a lot of marine based peril into series two so far. Shellett has obviously decided to skip the “going to the press” bit of his plan and has moved straight on to planting a bomb on Jack’s boat! In the small, but dramatic, explosion that follows, Jack gets thrown overboard after being planted with a mast in the face. He survives but his recovery means he won’t be able to take part in his proposed publicity stunt of sailing the Atlantic solo in Barracuda. What will they do? Claude has returned, sporting a ponytail and an even more exaggerated French accent than before (the actor playing him was actually Scottish). Him and Jan are keen to forge ahead with their fashion house idea but jealous Ken is refusing to commit his cash to it, in the hope that Claude will clear off. In another quite Acorn Antiques moment, Jan implores Ken to confirm if he’ll back them or not “We need a commitment Ken”, to which he replies “We’re all looking for a commitment Jan. Of one kind or another” as Monsieur Ponytail rolls his eyes on the sidelines. The aforementioned quandary about the Barracuda’s Atlantic crossing is resolved when Lynne decides to essentially steal the boat and head off across the Atlantic by herself.

As I mentioned before, the passage of time on Howards’ Way isn’t always the clearest. Lynne has just left Tarrant in the Barracuda at the start of episode five but then only halfway into the episode, she’s talking about being at sea for three weeks now. Meanwhile, it feels like just a day has passed back on dry land. There’s an unintentionally funny scene when Jan is driving with Claude, only to hear on the radio that Lynne has gone off to sail solo (the local press seem to have an unusual interest in the goings on of the sailing set), so she does a handbrake turn on a bridge, that wouldn’t look out of place on an episode of Starsky & Hutch. Charles and Ken also seem to be trying to out-bastard each other in this episode. Ken offers to pay Claude to leave Tarrant for good (to no avail) while not only has Charles sent some gigolo off to seduce his soon to be ex-wife Honey in New Orleans, he’s gotten the x-rated pictures to prove it and is having the divorce hearing in Tennessee because he states that they’re both conservative and racist there, so they definitely won’t award his black wife the slice of his empire that she’s after (it was revealed in an earlier episode that Charles only married her as part of some land deal). On the subject of Charles and Ken, they’re pushing ahead with the marina project which is giving Leo and Abby plenty of excuses to spend time together as they mobilise a group of protestors and organise various meetings. Kate joins the cause, probably because she dislikes Ken more than the idea of the marina, but also because she needs to take her mind off things now that she’s facing financial uncertainty because the horse she part owns has been injured and she stands to lose a little if money (there’s been mentions of having to sell off jewellery and a painting).

Back to the marine peril I mentioned earlier and Jack has cottoned on that it was Shellett who blew up the boat. Rather than shop him to the police, Jack gives him a one way ticket back to Papua New Guinea on the condition that if he ever returns, the police will be told the truth about the boat explosion. Meanwhile, Lynne hits stormy seas on her crossing and the episode closes with Tom announcing that search and rescue will start looking for her at first light. So in the first five episodes, we’ve had Lynne nearly drowning and ending up with amnesia, Jack nearly drowning after being thrown overboard by an explosion on his boat and now Lynne, lost at sea somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland. On a slightly more trivial note, we’ve previously had Jan and Ken sharing slightly erotic strawberries, well in this episode we see Ken kissing Jan’s bare toes!