tfevans Reviews

Dad's Army: Ring Dem Bells (1975) Season 8, Episode 1

Schweinhund!

[10/10 · 10 December 2023]

Sometimes an idea is so ridiculous, it works because the viewer is so distracted by its absurdity. What if we could make an episode of the familiar parade then outing, but with the platoon in German uniforms?

Ian Lavender comes into his own again after his famous scene in The Deadly Attachment - given a uniform equivalent in seniority to Mainwaring, Pike is determined to embrace method acting as a German officer set on world domination.

The big plot hole is why on Earth the rest of the men - who normally have functioning brain cells - think they can go into the bar without explaining what they're doing? After all, it's not the training film that's supposed to be the secret part. The only explanation is that they're going delirious from the lack of water and oxygen.

It's a fascinating short story in itself of making the viewer imagine a genuinely interesting possibility of a wartime incident. Granted, there have been church bells incidents in Dad's Army before, but this time we see the false alarm - and its consequences - spread beyond the platoon and allows room for reflection after.

A certain amount of suspension of disbelief around poor communication has to be shown in any sitcom - I'll certainly accept it in return for possibly the best episode of Dad's Army.

Dad's Army: We Know Our Onions (1973) Season 6, Episode 4

Criticize our leaders!

[7/10 · 9 December 2023]

The platoon are sent on a Home Guard training and assessment exercise with Captain Ramsey, who seems about as mad as the eccentric end of Mainwaring's troops.

Every attempt to use their initiative seems at odds with Ramsey's view of the correct solution to the tests.

The reaction of Frazer to Mainwaring's involvement the leadership test is the highlight of the episode, but the realisation when Ramsey leaves the pub at midnight is also a brilliant moment of comedy.

The ending is perhaps a little unconvincing - the tendentious Ramsey being unlikely to be quite so swayed round by the platoon's final bit of initiative. Nevertheless there is some good comedy here.

Dad's Army: Don't Fence Me In (1970) Season 4, Episode 5

Mediocre runaround with some amusing moments

[6/10 · 7 December 2023]

The platoon are sent to guard an Italian POW camp. The only real drama results from an (even for Walker) criminal plan to smuggle the prisoners out at night to work for Walker in a radio factory.

Since when Walker has been running the assembling of high-end radios is never explained, and while his motivations turn out not to be treasonous, he would surely face serious consequences nevertheless.

Mainwaring's usual digs at the attributes of Axis nations seem less pleasant this time, with the show itself adopting an offensive stereotype of Italians and throwing in some unjustified prejudice against Polish volunteers as well.

There is a fairly nice stupid boy moment when they arrive at the camp, and some good understated moments from Arnold Ridley, but otherwise it's not up to the usual standard.

Dad's Army: Big Guns (1969) Season 3, Episode 7

This way for the twit

[5/10 · 5 December 2023]

The team have to work out the mechanisms of a new piece of artillery, then plan some changes to the surrounding area to clear its line if fire. A rather dull affair with a few funny moments and a silly runaround at the end. There's an obvious problem with Mainwaring using a crudely arranged, unscaled model of the town to plan out the gun's firing angles. Surely the allotments can't be that tall? The sceptical Welsh town clerk quite rightly isn't having it.

There are a couple of nice Mainwaring lines, first about it being a shabby trick for invading Germans to take cover behind infrastructure, and second observing that if the Germans played cricket we wouldn't be on opposite sides.

Dad's Army: If the Cap Fits.... (1972) Season 5, Episode 6

A sadly truncated look at the platoon under Fraser

[8/10 · 9 March 2023]

The episode that was infamously shown by the BBC just before the Scottish Independence referendum - Fraser is given an opportunity to lead the platoon to show him that it's not so easy after all.

After leading protests against Mainwaring's boring lectures, Fraser is asked to take charge temporarily as a learnung exercise, and proceeds to make some controversial changes.

An excellent idea that is rather sadly not given enough time to be fully explored, as much of the episode is taken up by the aforementioned lectures and then a fairly silly resolution.

There are a few amusing moments in the lectures where Mainwaring substitutes his own ideas of how to recognise Germans. It's great fun but doesn't quite deliver on its promise.

To Play the King (1993)

Life under the tyrant

[9/10 · 9 March 2023]

The sequel to House of Cards opens with the coronation of King Charles (many years before his real-life ascendency to the throne.) It is implied that this takes place in the near future of 1993, probably some time between 1994-96.

Britain under Urquhart has become frighteningly authoritarian. Violent crime is rampant, and often seems directed by the government. The security services are willing to gun down, or plant explosives to kill, enemies of the government at the Prime Minister's whim. It is even suggested that a bomb may be in place in the vehicle of everyone connected with Urquhart, ready to detonate if needed. Despite this, Tim Stamper believes that the police could be trusted to fairly investigate serious allegations about Urquhart, implying that law enforcement has bifurcated into the ordinary police and another branch made up of Urquhart's personal army, and that there may a tension between the two.

There's a chilling moment when Princess Charlotte (representing a rough caricature of Sarah Ferguson) reveals that not only does she have shocking stories about those close to her, but that she has also been threatened with an 'accident' if she publishes them. It is also stated that much of the media is fixed in favour of the government.

Ian Richardson continues to play a deeply fascinating portrayal of Urquhart as a convincing manipulator and deceptively sympathetic figure on his face. I constantly have to remind myself that the tyrant is a liar and a murderer, when he talks fondly about Mattie Storrin, for example.

The main downside is perhaps the slightly ineffective in-universe opposition to Urquhart's rule. Neither the King nor his allies are shown to have any coherent of specific ideas for a better Britain. The King rather feebly tells a family in poverty that 'something will be done'. FU's relationship with Sarah, and the King's brief encounter with Chloe are perhaps also unnecessary. David Mycroft's coming out as gay is handled progressively for the time, although he is ultimately still forced out of his job, which is unthinkable now.

The final act contains what may be Urquhart's greatest ever political manoeuvre in humiliating his adversary: on the day before the general election. But even after that, will Urquhart be able to do what he needs to do to remain safe still?

A very worthy sequel, gripping throughout, and with significant historical interest. 9/10.

Dad's Army: Is There Honey Still for Tea? (1975) Season 8, Episode 3

Fraser's finest hour

[10/10 · 6 June 2021]

The show's second look at the details of the platoon's relationship with Godfrey. The main plotline starts with the Colonel asking Cpt Mainwaring to break some devastating news to Godfrey in person, as it could cause shock. This is of course nicely subverted when Godfrey eventually deals with the news better than just about anyone else.

The star of the episode is undoubtedly Fraser, in the scene where he calls Sir Charles in the middle of the night (when it's cheaper). Despite it's relative lack of connection to the war, one of the finest episodes of Dad's Army.

Dad's Army: Something Nasty in the Vault (1969) Season 3, Episode 5

Have you come to die?

[9/10 · 6 June 2021]

In possibly the second of the show's several properly dark episodes (The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage being the first), Mainwaring and Wilson contemplate the prospect of becoming the centre of a large crater.

Although it isn't strictly what we would now call a Bottle Episode, it perhaps influences the concept for future sitcoms by having the main characters stuck in place in bizarre circumstances.

Robert Dorning as the inspector is superbly officious, not quite grasping that if there were Germans coming out of Tmothy White's, some minor damage to the bank might not be high on anyone's list of worries.

The resolution is perhaps a slightly fluffed, with the bomb being lifted away so violently that our protagonsists would probably have been better just gently putting it down on the floor. Nevertheless, a solid classic.

Dad's Army: Menace from the Deep (1969) Season 3, Episode 10

A number of important firsts for the series

[9/10 · 23 May 2021]

An engaging episode that establishes many of the familiar running jokes the show's known for, in particular Warden Hodges going in the water, and Frazer's stories. Mainwaring's insistence that the pier was blown up in the middle 'to stop the enemy landing troops there' is also a nice understated moment.