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<blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 351208" data-attributes="member: 23"><p><em>On The Up </em>quietly wrapped up last night with an ending that had enough resolution to satisfy without feeling too contrived and complete. </p><p></p><p>Manipulative Maggie was missing from most episode in the Third Series and it could be true that absence makes the heart grow fonder (even if it's just the absence of a familiarity which breeds contempt) because, by virtue of her coquettish thing with Tony, the crumbs she throws to Sam and her enmity with Ruth her absence shook up the dynamics enough to be noticeable. I did enjoy the break, though. </p><p></p><p>While not without its frustrations, I do appreciate how unapologetically selfish and flawed some of the characters are in this series. One way or another both Tony and Ruth have cheated on one another and the relationship would most certainly be pseudo-psychologically labelled "toxic" these days. Ruth's shrewishness went into overdrive as the series reached an end, the better to justify Tony's new infatuation. </p><p></p><p>There's also an example of a scenario that wouldn't be permitted post-MeToo where Ruth's shrewishness also justified Tony putting Ruth over his knee (offscreen) and giving her a smacked bottom. It was played entirely for laughs (well, it <u><em>is</em></u> a sitcom), with Ruth walking funny and unable to sit down without discomfort as she tries to enter her car while storming off in a huff. </p><p></p><p>Perhaps most interesting in retrospect is Tony and Sam discussing the spanking afterwards, commenting that it's not like she's a beaten wife. It was just a passing comment, but it uncannily foreshadows Dennis Waterman's own similar comments to Piers Morgan on the subject almost two decades later when discussing his marriage to Rula Lenska. Between Tony's tumultuous, fiery marriage and Mrs Wembley's disappointing tragic-comic love life and penchant for a tipple, art seems to be imitating some of more painful aspects of the actors lives at times. </p><p></p><p>Mrs Wembley did at least get a happy ending in the form of the operatic gardener with whom she could enjoy a dance and a warble and perhaps even "just the one" sherry occasionally. The fact that she announced in the final episode that she was celebrating by having "two" feels significant enough to bring the series to a close, even though more episodes were planned. </p><p></p><p>Maggie's return in the final episode saw her making a move on Sam, but it did feel rather rushed and unconvincing. At risk of overanalysing it even more than I have already, it could be viewed that she was settling for Sam because she'd lost out on Tony while she was away hoping they wouldn't manage without her. </p><p></p><p>Tony's new love interest is another interesting one, because of the underlying sense that in moving from Ruth to Jane Webster he is simply trading in one high maintenance drama queen for another. Despite their initial meet-cute as the parents of daughters in trouble at school and despite Jane charming not only Tony but his staff, one feels that Jane is hard work. It was perhaps most evident when she publicly assaulted him with a curry for a perceived slight when he took her out to dinner, but red flags have also gone up in seeing that he's done all the chasing while she holds up hoops and watches him jump through. Ruth might be a shrew, but at least Tony knows where he stands with her. </p><p></p><p>This layer could have made a potential fourth series fun to watch. I'd no doubt have enjoyed some barbed exchanges between the first Mrs Carpenter and the soon-to-be-second Mrs Carpenter. Would Maggie have resented Tony's happiness again? I suspect so. And would poor Sam make her the centre of his universe? Again, probably. There were definite possibilities and I'd no doubt have enjoyed exploring some of them. All the same, I don't overly feel I'm missing out from it ending here with the characters continuing their dysfunctional routines offscreen. Less is more, after all.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Spells & Karma, post: 351208, member: 23"] [I]On The Up [/I]quietly wrapped up last night with an ending that had enough resolution to satisfy without feeling too contrived and complete. Manipulative Maggie was missing from most episode in the Third Series and it could be true that absence makes the heart grow fonder (even if it's just the absence of a familiarity which breeds contempt) because, by virtue of her coquettish thing with Tony, the crumbs she throws to Sam and her enmity with Ruth her absence shook up the dynamics enough to be noticeable. I did enjoy the break, though. While not without its frustrations, I do appreciate how unapologetically selfish and flawed some of the characters are in this series. One way or another both Tony and Ruth have cheated on one another and the relationship would most certainly be pseudo-psychologically labelled "toxic" these days. Ruth's shrewishness went into overdrive as the series reached an end, the better to justify Tony's new infatuation. There's also an example of a scenario that wouldn't be permitted post-MeToo where Ruth's shrewishness also justified Tony putting Ruth over his knee (offscreen) and giving her a smacked bottom. It was played entirely for laughs (well, it [U][I]is[/I][/U] a sitcom), with Ruth walking funny and unable to sit down without discomfort as she tries to enter her car while storming off in a huff. Perhaps most interesting in retrospect is Tony and Sam discussing the spanking afterwards, commenting that it's not like she's a beaten wife. It was just a passing comment, but it uncannily foreshadows Dennis Waterman's own similar comments to Piers Morgan on the subject almost two decades later when discussing his marriage to Rula Lenska. Between Tony's tumultuous, fiery marriage and Mrs Wembley's disappointing tragic-comic love life and penchant for a tipple, art seems to be imitating some of more painful aspects of the actors lives at times. Mrs Wembley did at least get a happy ending in the form of the operatic gardener with whom she could enjoy a dance and a warble and perhaps even "just the one" sherry occasionally. The fact that she announced in the final episode that she was celebrating by having "two" feels significant enough to bring the series to a close, even though more episodes were planned. Maggie's return in the final episode saw her making a move on Sam, but it did feel rather rushed and unconvincing. At risk of overanalysing it even more than I have already, it could be viewed that she was settling for Sam because she'd lost out on Tony while she was away hoping they wouldn't manage without her. Tony's new love interest is another interesting one, because of the underlying sense that in moving from Ruth to Jane Webster he is simply trading in one high maintenance drama queen for another. Despite their initial meet-cute as the parents of daughters in trouble at school and despite Jane charming not only Tony but his staff, one feels that Jane is hard work. It was perhaps most evident when she publicly assaulted him with a curry for a perceived slight when he took her out to dinner, but red flags have also gone up in seeing that he's done all the chasing while she holds up hoops and watches him jump through. Ruth might be a shrew, but at least Tony knows where he stands with her. This layer could have made a potential fourth series fun to watch. I'd no doubt have enjoyed some barbed exchanges between the first Mrs Carpenter and the soon-to-be-second Mrs Carpenter. Would Maggie have resented Tony's happiness again? I suspect so. And would poor Sam make her the centre of his universe? Again, probably. There were definite possibilities and I'd no doubt have enjoyed exploring some of them. All the same, I don't overly feel I'm missing out from it ending here with the characters continuing their dysfunctional routines offscreen. Less is more, after all. [/QUOTE]
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