Reviewed 25^th July 2005

Jo said:

As promised. And off we go.

Very nice looking restaurant opens the scene. It's busy. Jaunty music playing. And gosh – there's Bodie wining and dining the Girl of the Moment. Seems to be amusing her, but he's muttering very quietly though – maybe he doesn't want the other diners to hear. Or they couldn't be bothered scripting the jokes. Anyway, he's playing at being Mr Smooth. Girl of the Moment laughs a lot, but has no lines. She's a Non Speaking Extra, clearly. Bodie glances at his watch, and goes to make a phone call. Wonder what that was all about? I don't think it's ever referred to again. And then a bomb goes off.

Bodie goes flying, and picks himself up covered with dust amid loud screams. He starts yelling himself. "Claire! Claire!" Girl of the Moment may not have lines, but she does have a name. There are flames and bodies everywhere as Bodie dashes back into the restaurant in search of her. A tipped wine rack with bottles still intact seems to be dangerously close to the flames as he hurls aside debris in search of his lover. He might get through them at a rapid pace, but there's no denying how attached he gets while it lasts. Finding Claire unconscious and injured he gurns madly as a sign of his rage that this has happened. And then, as ambulance sirens draw near (that was quick! Less than two minutes since the bomb went off!) he collapses over her, weeping. Aw. A vulnerable moment for Bodie.

Roll credits.

Claire lies unconscious in hospital. At least, one assumes it is Claire because Bodie is sat like a statue at her side, simmering. Her head is swathed with bandages, however, and what little of her face we can see is badly bruised, so it is a little hard to be sure. She's in a bad way. And jeepers. Look at the antique medical equipment. *g*

Finally giving up the statue impression, Bodie rises, kisses her forehead, and exits.

Elsewhere, Doyle pushes through the crowd to get to the restaurant, waving his ID as a badge of entry. The restaurant is also in a bad way. Within, he finds Cowley, who is exasperated – no warning, no motive. Doyle postulates IRA, which is not outside the realms of possibility, and neatly pre-empts Cowley's next request – for a list of everyone who set foot in there the previous day – by producing one he'd prepared earlier. Hehe. And then Bodie appears in the doorway. Doyle just looks at his partner, and maintains that eye contact as Cowley heads him off at the pass. He's told in no uncertain terms that he's not to work on the case. Too emotionally involved. Emotionally involved is something of an understatement. Seething, I'd say.
"Two dead, eleven seriously injured – how many does it have to be before you're allowed to be emotionally involved?" He's almost yelling come the end of that sentence.
Doyle joins Cowley in the doorway, and you can see all over his face how torn he is over this – sympathy for what Bodie's going through combined with the need to be professional and get on with the job. Bodie's eyes go straight to him, looking for support. But Doyle just shakes his head, just a tiny bit. He's siding with Cowley on this, and rightly so. Bodie turns tail and marches away.
Doyle: "If you want my personal opinion, sir…"
Cowley: "I don't."
Doyle: "Well, I was only going to sugge…"
Cowley: "The bomb might've been intended for Bodie. Quite. That's another reason for not wanting him on the case."
I love how subdued Doyle sounds here. He's worried. For lots of reasons.

Elsewhere again, we're introduced to a charming little detached bungalow with a large, pleasant garden. Inside, a young woman gathers up the mail and eats toast at the same time, which is no mean feat. Heading back into the kitchen, where her mother is bustling, she opens the paper and starts to read. Her attention is immediately drawn to the retirement of a 19 year-old popstar, and her mother is suitably amused – until she sees the front page headline, featuring Bodie's restaurant explosion. Taking the paper, she sprints down the hall to her husband. It seems they'd been due to eat there at the time of the explosion, but cancelled at the last minute…

Elsewhere once again, two more men chat. One is knotting a tie in front of a mirror while the other eats breakfast, and together they wonder what they have to do 'to get this guy'. Bullet would have been easier, but they'd prefer it to look political, and if the target is obscured, no matter how messy. The plot thickens.

Back at the hospital, Bodie enquires about Claire. No change, and the nurse can't guarantee she'll be all right. And he can't see her right now. He goes instead to see the restaurant manager, Gino. He's obviously a regular, as the man seems to know him fairly well. Probably takes every Girl of the Moment there as part of the courtship ritual. He questions the man, who is dismayed at what has happened. Bodie focuses on a bunch of flowers that had been delivered to his table during the meal, but not specifically for him or Claire by name. And they only got the table because of a last minute cancellation…Bodie presses the man, who finally comes up with a name. Forrest, and he'd booked the table for his wedding anniversary. Off the case Bodie may be, but he now has a lead.

And then he turns to see Doyle standing leaning against the doorpost, watching him. Bodie makes a rapid exit, knocking into Doyle's shoulder in his haste and not speaking to him. Doyle gets a mulish look on his face and follows. Partners at odds. Don'tcha just love a bit of conflict?
Doyle: "Ya great clown, do you think I don't know how you feel? Just don't blow it for yourself"
Bodie: "If you're asking me to drop it, just forget it."
Doyle: "Nah, nah, I'm not, I wouldn't ask you to drop it, I know you too well for that. But if Cowley finds out, you know what's going to happen, don't you?"
Bodie gets an almost manically stubborn look on his face.
Bodie: "Just stay clear of me. I'm going to get whoever did this, Ray, and neither you, Cowley, or anyone else is going to stop me."
He storms out of the hospital, and a very worried Doyle chases after him, even suggests having a stand-up fight to get through to him, get him arrested for brawling.
Doyle: "Nothing Cowley would like better than to see you safely locked away till this is over."
Bodie seems to calm down slightly, and assures him that it is okay.
Bodie: "I know what you're talking about, okay? Now don't worry, I'll not embarrass anyone."
And he's off, leaving a still worried Doyle in his wake.
Gah. Gotta love the bull-headedness, and the partners-at-loggerheads-because-of-trauma-and-angst situation.

The investigation continues. A waiter studies mug shots. Someone has tried to claim responsibility on behalf of the IRA, but this claim has been instantly discredited. Nice touch. And then a mug shot is pulled – the waiter has recognised the man who delivered the booby-trapped flowers. Arthur Brian Pendle – convictions for drug and firearm offences. So now CI5 also has a lead.

Bodie drives up to the pleasant little bungalow we saw earlier, following up his lead. The daughter answers the door, and he plays at being nice as pie, asking for her father, Brian Forrest – not a trace of the rage and grief we saw earlier. Good acting. A definite plus in his job. Course, if Cowley really wanted him off the case, he really should have taken his ID off him so he couldn't pull stunts like this. Mrs Forrest takes him around the back to the garden to talk. Seems he went to Somerset house to find couples called Forrest with their wedding anniversary on the date in question. Very clever. This research led him straight to them. Mrs Forrest is refreshingly normal. Her husband is a chartered accountant in Croydon, she tells him, and he got home late the previous night so they had dinner at home rather than drive into town. And then Bodie asks her straight out if she can think of a reason why anyone would want to kill her husband. She is suitably shocked.

My DVD must be scratched. It keeps freezing and jumping! That can't be good.

Doyle is off seeing Arthur Pendle's parole officer, who is willing enough to describe him as a vicious little swine, but also says he wouldn't know a fuse wire from a piece of string. He couldn't have produced the explosives.
Doyle: "Progress. Even villains progress."
Parole Officer: "Well, I certainly didn't make any progress with him…that man couldn't lie straight in bed."
But he gives Doyle another lead – Pendle had a sister. Research reveals more about her – married twice before she was 20, been on the run, lived in squats, did time for shoplifting – charming little factoids like that. And already we have a clear mental picture of Pendle and his sister without ever seeing them on-screen.

Next, Doyle wanders down the street talking to a former colleague of Pendle's sister, Sally. Doyle is great in this scene – you can really see the ex-beat-cop in him, real bread-and-butter stuff this, community policing, sweet-talking her before moving in with the real questions. I love how he has to search every pocket to find where he put his ID. The woman is certainly no fan of Sally Pendle. "She'd rather nick a pound than earn five." But she had a couple of kids – wouldn't have gone far. And then she cracks and tells him exactly where to find Sally Pendle.

Bodie, meanwhile is driving along minding his own business when another car comes screeching around the corner after him. Seeing it, he naturally assumes he's being pursued. Paranoid, see. He leads it a merry dance, and it stays on his tail. He flies around a corner, screeches to a halt, rolls across the bonnet with gun drawn and…there's no longer any sign of his pursuit. False alarm. But the queue of people waiting nearby for a bus thought it was great entertainment. Good thing Bodie can take a joke, even in this mood.

Great stuff. This is why I love this show, moments like that.

Somewhere high up in a block of council flats, Doyle's hunt for Sally Pendle continues. He's found the flat, and spins her a story about needing to see her brother to pay back some debt or other. Look at how lovely he looks in this scene…

Back. Doyle is great at the flannel, but Sally Pendle is as hard as nails and not about to fall for any cock and bulls stories today, thank you very much. So, he just barges in and starts searching the place, with her screeching in his ears and hanging on to his arms, yelling for Arthur – thus proving that he's about, somewhere. Arthur does a runner, and Doyle gives chase. Watch him leaping down those stairs…

Back again. Back in the flat, Sally rushes for the telephone to call backup for her fleeing brother. That can't be good. Arthur continues to run, and Doyle continues to chase – out of the apartment block and away, past the local children playing football, through some road works and across a patch of wasteland. See how fit they both are, to run so far so fast. Cornered at last, Arthur screams manically that he'll kill Doyle, waving a bit of 2x4 he's managed to pick up, but Doyle easily gets the better of him as they start to fight. And then Arthur's back up arrives. That was quick – must've been close. The car drives straight into Doyle, who slides up onto the bonnet and off into a bush. Since he's hit back on at waist height, I fail to see how he manages to, as we learn later, break his ribs, but who am I to argue, never having been hit by a car in this manner. Anyway, Doyle is hit and goes down, out cold. It looks nasty. Arthur is commanded to get him in the car.

Elsewhere, Bodie is still on the case. Except that he isn't – he's found a payphone to call the hospital and ask after Claire, dedicated boyfriend that he is. No change. And then he goes to see Forrest's business partner, who blusters about how inappropriate it is to be questioned in this manner, but nevertheless provides some information. He was introduced to Forrest some 20 years earlier by an acquaintance who knew he was looking to set up on his own and would need a partner; Forrest had all the right contacts, had lived in the States previously, and no, none of their accounts are big enough to warrant a bombing. Through the window, Bodie sees the car he thought was following him earlier, parked outside. Then the man gets a phone call, which he takes in his other office. It is Cowley, and he knows him by name as 'George'. Is there anyone Cowley doesn't know? Anyway, Cowley's face darkens on hearing Bodie's name, and asks for a word. However…

Bodie has already gone. Down in the car park, he asks for Forrest's car, only to be told that Forrest has just gone in to get it himself. He sweet-talks the attendant into telling him where it is, and heads in. Sweet-talking and flannel must be part of CI5 training. And then there's another explosion? Is Bodie a bomb magnet, or something? The Stalker Car drives quietly away.

A short time later, and Cowley is on the scene. No one was killed this time, it seems. And Bodie has already fled the scene. The car park attendant is amusing, all shocked that this has happened, amazed that no one was killed, and fixed on the fact that it could have been him.

Arthur and his Boss dump a still unconscious Doyle on a bed. It is unclear whose place this is – probably the Boss's. Doyle is tied up and searched – revealing his gun and CI5 ID.

Back at Casa Forrest, and Bodie bursts in, no longer attempting to conceal his rage, yelling for Forrest. Mrs and Miss Forrest are shocked and frightened, while Mr Forrest seems calm but angry. Bodie demands answers. Forrest leads him into another room to talk, and then gestures behind his back for his daughter to call the police. Very sensible, actually – try to calm the madman down and call for help without him noticing.

Bodie is now convinced that not only were the bombs meant for Forrest, but that he knew they were coming and so avoided them. Forrest remains as cool as a cucumber, while Bodie gets heated and starts yelling again. And then Mrs Forrest enters with a couple of friendly neighbourhood constables in tow. That was quick. Again.

A short time later, back at HQ, Bodie is receiving a dressing down from Cowley. Bodie is unrepentant, convinced that he is right about Forrest.
Cowley: "I'm not interested in your opinions. You're a good team, you and Doyle. I don't want to lose either of you if I can help it."
Funny he should mention that. No one has noticed that Doyle is actually missing at that moment – which is what happens when you split a team up and make them work alone.
Bodie: "Sorry, sir."
Cowley: "Like hell you are."

Then Bodie hands over the registration of the car that's been following him. Because, of course, he couldn't call it in earlier since he was working unofficially. In return, Cowley begrudgingly informs him that his 'young lady friend' is showing some sign of improvement. He then issues sire warnings about what will happen if Bodie ever disobeys an order again, and then concedes defeat and tells him to carry on investigating, since he's going to anyway. And only now does Bodie ask what Doyle's come up with, at which Cowley admits that he hasn't heard from him.

Doyle has woken up, to find himself bound and being guarded by a very smug Arthur Pendle, who is far too cocky to answer any questions. But also far too stupid to realise that if his prisoner needed guarding while unconscious, he needs that guard far more now he's awake – he leaves the room.

In the lounge, Arthur listens smugly to a radio report about the lack of leads for the bombing investigation – but that smugness vanishes on learning that the police have named him as a suspect. Boss is furious, especially when his 'employer' phones to ask what went wrong this time. And he's told to get rid of Arthur, who is now seen as a liability. They go back to have another look at Doyle, who seems only semi-conscious still. Boss decides to go out, telling Arthur not to worry about Doyle: he'll handle it.

Back at Casa Forrest, Cowley pays a visit and launches a full charm offensive on Mrs Forrest. Got to love Cowley's technique, so disarming yet deadly. It seems that there are no records of her husband's existence prior to 1958.
Cowley (after explaining all that, oh so gently): "Now, as I was saying – there are just one or two points I'd like you to help clear up."
Mrs Forrest comes over all weak at the knees and has to sit down.

Bodie watches some men talking, and then two of the three drive away in the car that has been tailing him. His turn to play stalker: but not for long. He overtakes, making sure they can see him, and then zooms away. They give chase. There's a fairly lengthy car chase scene as Bodie leads them a merry dance and into a trap, which he then springs. Gotcha. He finds the driver's ID while the man is too dazed to protest.
Bodie: "Bloody hell. FBI."

At the hospital, a furious Cowley has joined Bodie and the bruised FBI agents – they, it seems, were under orders to get Forrest out from under and fly him back to the States. Forrest, it seems, is an ex-Mafia accountant. Twenty years earlier he'd turned States evidence in exchange for a new identity and a new life in the UK. And now he's been tracked down, all the way across the Atlantic and after all this time.
Agent#1: "Those guys have long memories."
No kidding.
Agent#2: "Once a crook, always a crook."
Forrest gave himself away by 'dabbling', apparently – his cover was blown, and 'the boys' are out to get him once more. Realising this, he'd panicked and called the FBI again – offered another trade in return for another new identity.
Cowley: "Not exactly ethical, but practical."
Bodie: "Till the bombs start flying."

Back in his bedroom prison, Doyle wakes up again, to find himself all alone. It seems to be getting dark – has no one missed him at all? Shouldn't there be procedures about checking in once in a while in a dangerous job like his? I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…T. There's a big red telephone on the dresser. Problem is, he's lying on the bed all tied up and injured. No matter. He's determined to get to it.

Out in the lounge, Arthur is playing with Doyle's gun, which doesn't seem to be loaded – so presumably Arthur's Boss has emptied it because he doesn't trust Arthur. He rushes to put it away as the Boss returns, with…surprise, surprise. He's with Forrest. Arthur is flabbergasted, while his nameless Boss (does the man not have a name, or did I just miss it?) smirks – why does he think their assassination attempts have failed every time? Forrest is quite blasé about going into hiding again and leaving his family behind. He can always start another one.
Forrest: "Very important to have a respectable domestic front."
Bodie was right – he's ice cold. Nasty.

In the bedroom, Doyle inches his way agonizingly off the bed (listen to that wheezy gasp of pain as he rolls off) and toward the telephone. So near, and yet so far.

Forrest tries to phone home, but the line is engaged. He blames his daughter, but the next scene shows us that it is in fact his desperately worried wife, calling the office, trying to find him. Unable to get through to him, she has to break the news to her daughter that they've been living a lie for the past 20 years. It's actually kind of a moving scene. Nicely done.

Reaching the cord at last, Doyle uses his teeth to pull it off the dresser, narrowly missing his head. With his hands tied behind his back, he manages to dial, and then gasps into the phone in a hoarse whisper his name and that they have to trace the call – just as Forrest picks up the phone in the other room to try again. Bad timing, and the jig is up. Pendle rushes in with a vicious kick that has poor Doyle yelping with pain, and then unleashes a violent assault. Boss has to pull him off – Pendle really is a vicious little thug, just like his parole officer said. Forrest is understandably alarmed at this turn of events, but has the presence of mind to pull the wire out of the phone. No more calling for help.

Forrest and Boss make their plans – the flat will be blown sky high, and the police will assume that the body is Boss, thus aiding his escape. He is greatly amused by Forrest's icy practicality.
Boss: "Incredible, you really are. Ramrod straight city gent, even I'd buy a used car from you."
And as for Pendle – well, the police will find a second body in the wreckage.

Back in Croydon, George's old mate the accountant is outraged to learn that friendship only goes so far – Cowley and the FBI men are searching through their files. There is a call for Cowley, which he takes just as Bodie enters the room. Bodie flicks through a few papers, and is struck by one name in particular – Peter Crabbe, who it seems is involved in one of the big protection rackets but always several moves away from the action. Could this be our Boss man? Yes, it seems so. Cowley announces that that is where Doyle's phone call came from, he's just learned. There's no sign of concern, so presumably whoever called with this information didn't mention how Doyle sounded on the phone…

Back at the flat, Crabbe gives Arthur his final instructions while preparing the explosive. Then he and Forrest leave, and Arthur sets about his job, untying Doyle's feet and lugging him through into the lounge. Doyle howls with pain as he is manhandled. Not very stoic today. In the lounge, he hits the ground hard and then cops an eyeful of the explosive. Not good. And then Arthur decides to play games, waving Doyle's own gun in his face. But playing games is never a good idea with a highly trained CI5 agent – Doyle picks his moment, and then lets rips, kicking Arthur across the room and scrambling to his feet in one easy movement, almost as if he hadn't broken his ribs after all. Adrenaline and fear of imminent blowing up can do marvellous things. He escapes into the kitchen, tips a cabinet over to block the door, and then searches for a knife to free his hands. Pendle gives chase – only to find himself face to face with his employers, who are not at all happy and want a word with Crabbe about his failings as an assassin. They shoot him with little ceremony, and out in the kitchen Doyle hears the shot and is alarmed.

If only he was a bit more stoic. He lets out a moan as he pulls himself back to his feet, and they hear and come searching, trying to break into the kitchen. The door is fairly well blocked by that cabinet, but it won't hold forever, and he's got nowhere else to run.

Arthur, meanwhile, has rather miraculously revived and staggers out of the flat and down the hallway. His absence is noted, and one of the three employers heads out in search. Arthur makes it into the lift and heads down. Employer#1 does likewise, via the stairs. And, down in the car park, Bodie arrives. It is all very tense. Finding the lift in use, Bodie very sensibly finds another one and heads up.

In the kitchen, Doyle is getting desperate. He finds pepper and flings it in the cafes of his would-be attackers just as the door gives. They fall back, clutching their eyes, and then Bodie bursts in, not quite in the nick of time, but good enough. He wades right into the battle and very handily manages to lay both of them out. And then he nods at Doyle.
Doyle (thickly): "You dumb crud. What took you so long?"
Bodie: "You look terrible."

With that out of the way, it's back to business. Doyle informs Bodie that Crabbe and Forrest are making good their escape and sends him after them.
Doyle: "Well go on, I can't. I'm gonna call myself an ambulance."
(Doyle – you're an ambulance.)
Bodie grins, and legs it in hot pursuit of the baddies. I hope he's sure about the ones he's just laid out, because he leaves them there with his injured partner.

Arthur makes it down to the car park just moments before Employer#1, who shoots him dead. And Forrest makes a sharp getaway, leaving Crabbe, who'd turned back when he saw his young accomplice. Employer#1 smiles, and raises his gun again, and then Bodie arrives – this time really in the nick of time – disarms him, and then turns his gun on Crabbe, just for good measure and to prevent his escape.

Where were Cowley and their FBI accomplices during all this? Does Bodie drive that fast that he managed to lose then en route? I mean, it's all very nice for Bodie to get to play hero and save the day single-handed and all, but surely he'd have been made to take back up with him. Surely they'd all have gone, to make sure of the situation.

Anyway, the day is saved. The FBI appear to get Forrest, who looks likely to get his new life after all – they're at the airport and everything. But then Cowley and Bodie turn up with a quite different proposal: a long stay in this country, at her Majesty's pleasure. Forrest is dismayed.

And then we return to the hospital. Bodie strides into a ward carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers. He's come to see Doyle, who is sitting up in bed with his ribs securely strapped up.
Doyle (seeing the flowers): "Oh, you shouldn't have."
Bodie: "Oh, I didn't. They're for Claire next door."
Doyle: "Oh. How is she?"
Bodie: "Fine, except for she's thinking of packing me in. Too dangerous to hang about with."
Eh? They didn't get caught up in the bombing because of Bodie's job – he could have been anyone. It was just dumb luck that they were there at the wrong time. Can't blame that one on CI5. But anyway, it does go to demonstrate the ongoing turnover of girlfriends and the difficulties of hanging onto a partner in CI5. And for all his devastation about Claire's injuries earlier, Bodie seems remarkably untroubled about possibly being dumped. Could be a brave face, could be that he's still too exhilarated about the successful outcome of the case. Or it could be that a relationship ending he can accept, especially if it is because of his job – he's used to that, it's almost inevitable. But he doesn't cope so well with his girlfriends – however temporary they might be – being in the line of fire, getting injured, even if it isn't as a result of his job.

Bodie: "How are you feeling, anyway?"
Doyle: "What? Apart from the ribs or including the ribs? Hey, you didn't bring me any grapes."
Bodie: "Ah, all those pips, mate. Very messy…in bed."
And already he's eyeing up the nurse tending to his injured partner.
Doyle: "Hey, hey, hey. Hands off: she's mine. Comes with the tablets."

The end.

And overall – fun, fun, fun. This is a fantastic episode, worth showing to anyone. The case makes sense, there's tension, there's danger, there's intrigue, there's a few red herrings along the way, the Lads and Cowley have some great banter and conflict. There's brooding Bodie and injured-but-still-doing-his-level-best Doyle. It's great stuff.


Birgit said:

Oooooh - thanks for that - it has made my otherwise dreary day :)

This is one of my favourite eps although there are a few plot elements that I simply can't overlook, no matter how nicely Doyle suffers in this one <g> Like Jo pointed out - it's highly incredible nobody would go start worrying about Doyle, all the more after his phone call. The phone operator's ears must have rung just as much as ours from that yell of Doyle's... Bodie's far too casual about it, even if we grant that he's a little self-absorbed in this one to care for his partner.

I also agree it's strange that Bodie arrives on scene without any backup in sight, barges in without even the faintest idea of who's who and whether or not he should flatten those blokes - or did he realise straight away (while breaking down the door) that it was Doyle in that kitchen and those two blokes were baddies? Weird.

Why isn't anyone bothered about the bomb that was, in all probability, still sitting on the floor in all its purple splendour (such a fancy box for explosives? Come on!) while all that fighting happened? If it was primed - and on all accounts, Crabbe knew what
he was doing - why didn't it go off at some point? And - assuming that Crabbe, despite what he said to Forrest, did NOT want it to go off and kill poor little Arthur (ahem... what is his relationship with the kid anyway, if I may ask? The boy seems to live there with him... I mean, it was a family show after all <g>) - then what did he think would become of Doyle? And also of Arthur, come to think of it, because he couldn't take him along after telling Forrest he'd leave him to die... oh my. Things seem to be getting even more complicated once you start thinking about them. That's probably why the scriptwriters wisely chose to leave it at that. <g>

The biggest mystery for me, however, is how on earth Doyle knows a) that Crabbe is Crabbe since nobody ever mentions his name, and b) Forrest is Forrest since Bodie doesn't pass his knowledge on until later and Doyle can't know the name Gino provides is actually the newly-arrived bloke in the sitting-room Doyle hasn't even seen (he hasn't even consciously seen Crabbe, come to that.) On the other hand, if Doyle can hear them talking clearly enough to puzzle things together (well, he *is* a clever boy and a trained agent, right?), then why don't they hear him yelp and shuffle around in that bedroom?? Cf. above.

It's all great stuff. :-)

Definitely! Despite all these flaws, it's still dear to my heart and the video tape is fairly worn-out, I can assure you. Two details I particularly love are the Doyle-style body search for his ID Jo mentioned plus the silly line he spins the shop assistant's boss, and the fact that Doyle is reading (well... what you call reading) a porn mag in hospital <g>

Oh, and just for the record (BBs please shut your ears for a minute): If Bodie had talked to *me* like that during a date, I would have saved him the trouble of worrying about me after a bomb blast because I would have used his phone call to make my very fast exit before even the menu arrived... <g>


Daisy said:

Very funny review as ever Jo!

I love this episode! Bodie looking beautiful in black. Lots of lovely Bodie close-ups. Doesn't he look so sweet when he's being serious? And of course, Doyle's in it as well. I think. Either way, Bodie is the point of this episode: see his deep emotions and vulnerability.

I like the scenes in the house with the Forrests, they're so natural: love the 'he looks like a girl' comment. And later, when Cowley comes to talk to Mrs Forrest, she is definitely flirting with him. Look at the fluttering eyes when he makes the gardening joke.

Love all the emoting between Doyle and Bodie when they meet (which is sadly rarely in this one). And the stress Bodie puts on the 'I won't EMBARRASS anyone' bit. He can't see that Doyle is worried about HIM not the organisation. Aw.

Elsewhere once again, two more men chat. One is knotting a tie in front of a mirror while the other eats breakfast

This guy seems to have an awful lot of lettuce on his plate. Slightly odd breakfast. Maybe he's American, his body clock is messed up from the travelling and he thinks it's lunchtime. Still a lot of lettuce though.

Bodie: "Bloody hell. FBI."

Love the way he says that. And talking about the FBI, I've never seen such a suspiciously acting car! Did the FBI not think how suspect it looks, always hanging around bomb sites and following people? Not a good way to be inconspicuous.

He's found the flat, and spins her a story about needing to see her brother to pay back some debt or other.

Personally, I'd believe Doyle could have met Arthur in jail. Doyle looks pretty shifty to me in this scene. Not sure if it's his acting or the cheeky grin. Though, despite the feminist part of me thinking she can cope perfectly well on her own, I think it's very sweet the way Doyle guides Sally across the road. Well, it is quite busy.

He gurns madly as a sign of his rage that this has happened.

This is the bit I don't like. Why, why pull that crazy face? Horribly reminiscent of Klansmen... Quietly simmering rage like the bit in the hospital is much better, and he looks so lovely in that bit. I could just freeze it there and stare all day... Interesting though, the contrast between the gurning and weeping in this episode, and the


Birgit said:

This is the bit I don't like. Why, why pull that crazy face? Horribly reminiscent of Klansmen... Quietly simmering rage like the bit in the hospital is much better, and he looks so lovely in that bit. I could just freeze it there and stare all day... Interesting though, the contrast between the gurning and weeping in this episode, and the

Um... not sure, but does your post really end here?? Yahell might have something to say about this...

Anyway, I'd love to know what "gurn" actually means - none of my many dictionaries has come up with anything enlightening, not even Webster's Third :(

It's amazing, though, that I've never even realised Bodie was doing anything that I might not even know the word for because I've always made damned sure I ff-ed through the Bodie-in-the-restaurant scenes just like you probably did through all the Doyle-on-the-floor ones, right? <g> Except, of course, the second car chase ending with some people waiting for a bus being rather pleased about the distraction :)


Sue said:

Heh, stick gurning into google and prepare to be amazed. You can win championships in it <G>

I'm not ignoring the wonderful ep review, I just had to find time to rewatch it which I did last night. Will post shortly.


Jo said:

The google results really are fantastic *g*

What I meant, of course, is the awful face Bodie pulls while gnashing his teeth in impotent rage, poor lamb. I'm not sure what emotion he was trying to convey, but as Daisy said, his anger in the hospital scenes comes off much better.


Sue said:

Well, as I said, I found time to watch the episode last night in order to refresh my memory on how things struck me. Only trouble was, I'd had a couple of drinks so I wasn't quite up to making notes :)

However, I did have long suffering, ever patient husband there too and his comments are always...um, interesting - at least to me. Now if I can just remember what they were....

Oh yes, he did note that Bodie could actually be soppy little bunny when he was wooing Claire in the restaurant. I think he was also amused at Bodie's…expression as he dug Claire out of the rubble but he feels Lewis did redeem himself later when he tears into Forrest at his home.

He did observe too that if Cowley wanted Bodie to stay away from this investigation the he should have assigned him some other work far, far away.

He also disapproved of Bodie eyeing up the Forrest daughter - felt he should have at least waited until Claire was out of hospital - since he professing such anguish over her condition.

He also looked up while Doyle was talking with Sally's ex colleague long enough to note that the jeans looked exceedingly tight. I told him there were vast amounts of fanfic devoted to that very subject :)

I've come to the conclusion that Doyle simple can't get the hang of stairs – at least not the going down part. He doesn't walk sedately or even take them two at the time – he ignores them altogether, grabs the handrail and just leaps the flight. Nice to watch though.

The scene with Cowley and Mrs Forrest is fantastic - well worth rewatching. He lulls her into a false sense of security and then just hits her with the tricky questions. Excellent work on the part of Gordon Jackson.

Yes, of course I enjoy the Doyle in agony scenes - need you ask? Himself always teases over poor ol' Doyle's whimpers but as I said, what would he do in the same position? Stoic only goes so far.

The box the bomb is in - isn't it a Milk Tray box? 'And all because the lady loves...' <g>

Wonderful episode and something new in it each time I watch it. Having read the comments here about it, I want to watch it again now to take notice of the various things folks have said - will have to wait until after the weekend now though.


Birgit said:

Heh, stick gurning into google and prepare to be amazed. You can win championships in it <G>

Oh ta! I'm er... deeply impressed and suddenly remember just *why* it is that I sometimes prefer the traditional approach to language research - Webster's Third would *never* have you rolling on the floor and spending fifteen minutes googling for more! <g>

Birgit (Wondering whether she she should feel offended by Sue's suggestion to enter that competition <bg - read: "big gurn"> Still, the price is rather tempting, don't you think? "Two slices of cucumber and some Lake District mud", anyone?))


Daisy said:

Um... not sure, but does your post really end here?? Yahell might have something to say about this...

Huh. No, it didn't end there originally! Unless I actually did freeze there staring at Bodie and completely forgot to finish my sentence. I'll try and remember what I said but I'm sure it wasn't that interesting anyway! I know that bit ended:

…and the calm way he checks Doyle over in DIAG.

Hmm. Pretty much all the other things I noted while watching this episode seem to be about how beautiful Bodie looks. Which may be true but unless you want me to list them all this seems to be a good place to stop!

As for all those plot holes: they certainly didn't hinder my enjoyment of the episode. Can't say I really noticed most of them! Yes, I know, too busy staring at Bodie. As Claire seems to be doing rather sensibly in the restaurant scene, Birgit.


Bobby said:

It would seem I am not alone in being partial to this particular episode! Loved the review Jo, I had to re-watch the episode just to check out the comments you have all made. Such a chore!

I really like both the guys in this one, concerned and angry Bodie, and worried and very un-stoic Doyle.

Like others the lack of concern at where Doyle had disappeared to has always bothered me, other things that struck me as I watched were:

The waiter who was looking through the mugshots, did jackets like his really exist? similarly the wallpaper at Sally Pendle flat, horrible.

The mugshots of Pendle themselves were a bit odd, no face on or side on views with a number underneath more a posed smiling picture, the sort his Mum might have had on the sideboard.

Doyle and the girl seemed very purposeful in where they were walking to, but they ended up at Doyle car, why did he park it so far away from the shop and why did they feel the need to walk to it anyway?

The explosives in the lounge did indeed seem to have been forgotten, however my take on this is that while Doyle was calling himself an ambulance, with his other hand he made safe the bomb, there is after all no end to this man's talents<g>.

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