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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 388855" data-attributes="member: 23">At ten episodes, Series Five of In Sickness & In Health has been the longest yet. The only previous year in The Garnett Saga to be this long would have been Series Two of Till Death Us Do Part, most of which are now long since wiped.It's a positive sign that it hasn't felt like a slog to get through as I'd anticipated it might. There was some tedium, and we are quite clearly past the golden years of the series, but it's been perfectly acceptable.Warren Mitchell has helped carry the long scenes with Mrs Hollingbery - one of the best being the penultimate episode of Series Five where Alf spent about half the entire episode boasting about the size of his cock, which sounds terrible but was actually brilliantly written and hilariously executed. Still, it's always a relief when there are scenes with the extended ensemble of Fred and Mrs Johnson, Harry Carey and his wife and Harry the milkman.Ken Campbell has been great fun as Fred Johnson, to whom Johnny Speight gives a lengthy rant or two in most episodes. His rising blood pressure and lust for blood is almost tangible as each diatribe builds, until it comes to a dead halt and he's left with the grim, tedious reality of his boring life. Mrs Johnson has already been recast with a younger, very different-looking actress who plays the character completely differently (I believe she's to be recast again for the final series). Both are fine approaches, but she does feel like a different character. Hugh Lloyd is an actor I mix up with George Waring (Emily's bigamous husband from Corrie) because I think their features are similar. His Harry Carey is a winning combination, appearing likeable, agreeable and quiet but with an edge to him when he speaks that hints at a bit of darkness beneath.  Pat Coombs has been fine in this (helped, truthfully, by not appearing very often).Regarding Mrs Hollingbery: now that her brother isn't buying the house, I find myself wondering why the wedding is still on. They don't seem to like one another, and I can't blame them. Alf is Alf, and Mrs Hollingbery is as awful as Else: critical, controlling and demanding. Then again, those similarities do make some sense of things, since I can believe Alf would view Else through rose-coloured glasses somewhat and be drawn to the similarities, destructive and unattractive as they are.As Series Five ends, the wedding is once again off, though I have a feeling it will be on again by the end of the final series which lies just ahead.</blockquote>

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