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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 148757" data-attributes="member: 23">One episode away from the end of the penultimate series, and it's notable that Thirty has been far better than my expectations. Admittedly, I had expected it to be dire. But actually it's proved to be rather enjoyable. It's certainly not Summer Wine's finest vintage, but neither is it as badly corked as one may anticipate. Series Thirty is certainly more palatable than the flying blind post-Compo era of Babs and Mrs. Avery.In many ways, the dynamics on the series feel very focussed and mostly clear again. Russ Abbot is an unlikely pompous authority figure. Or at least so I would have said before watching, had I known more about Hobbo. But he's working for me. Knowing that it's winding down may have helped here. Perhaps I'd be viewing things very differently if there were still another seven or eight series ahead.There are still moments in Roy Clarke's writing that make me laugh out loud, which is not bad going at all. In spite of my earlier comments about them mellowing, he certainly hasn't lost his touch when it comes to putting barbs into the mouths of characters like Pearl and Ivy. And the stage background of some of the actors really comes through when it comes to them giving it their all regardless. Goodness knows, the series is still getting mileage out of Howard and Marina and I dare say if someone were introduced to the series with these later episodes they'd still find much to enjoy.Earlier on I commented about supporting players being given more of a role as in PCs Cooper and Walsh. Throughout Series Thirty this has been built upon with Trevor Bannister and Christopher Beeny's roles becoming more regular and very much beefed up. It's clear that Clarke was very much still evolving the series and future-proofing it to an extent with new partnerships and tweaks to the dynamics. Toby and Morton doing their little thing next door to Barry and Glenda is a nice example of a change that shows promise. They have history with the characters (Tom still occasionally turns on his heel, forgetting that Morton is no longer a repo man; Barry is feeling like he's made it with Toby, who has long barely noticed him during their golf games). The history is acknowledged and built on. And it's enhancing the series by making other characters more interesting. In this case, it's Barry and Glenda who benefit. They have more to do and more to fret over. And that has to be good. It's very easy to see that Summer Wine could have gone on and on even longer than it did in the right conditions.I like that it's actually not quite that clear. Alvin and Entwistle seem to alternate between being the Compo-esque mischievous one and the one with the clever quips à la Clegg. And both work fine.Seeing scenes which feature Hobbo and Truly together has been a little strange considering they both performed the same function at different times as the authoritative third man. It's highlighted how different they are as characters, with Hobbo more buffoon-ish and physical. And it's also shown how Truly has grown to become very much his own character. Truly and Clegg are both still true to the characters as they originated, but it's unique and very fascinating to see them functioning within very different dynamics. Clegg has always been something of an observer. Truly has long had opinions about others. So their studio-bound roles don't feel forced or wrong. Quite the opposite.Oh wait. I've just remembered that we've discussed this previously and they're alphabetical.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?