Spatz S1E3 (1990) - FULL EPISODE
Uploader: VideotapeFTW
Original upload date: Tue, 27 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 02:11:26 GMT
Toni's Tall Tale. What do you do when you've tried to impress your disapproving parents by telling them you're a restaurant manager, and then they come to sample lunch and have a look around? One memb
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er of staff is about to find out the hard way. Meanwhile, a special contest will see a sensational prize going to the first of the company's European employees to sell 500 Spatz burgers from opening time today, and Dexter will stop at nothing to win it. This episode was originally broadcast on Wednesday, 7th March, 1990.
I really like this one, and the sub-sub-plot of the half-a-million newly-designed napkins adds an extra level. Silly lines such as "I'll take a picture of your phone ringing" always make me laugh, but it's Karen's "Don't take it personally" when she accidentally pays TJ a compliment wins the day for me. I love those easily-missed incidental bits. Speaking of TJ, it really helps establish what kind of character he is when he unquestioningly plays along with the charade, despite not being in on it. Also, check out the computer being 'online' years before the internet took off. It wasn't unusual for companies to do that sort of thing, but it looked positively space age to us with our school Acorns!
Anyway, while Dexter plays a very large part, this is very much Toni's episode - which makes it all the more surprising that this is Samantha Janus's final appearance on the show. I really don't know whether there's a story behind that, or whether it was planned from the beginning, but the epilogue (which could easily have been tacked on at a later date - I don't know) simply says that she's resigned and, indeed, this is the last we ever see of her. Adding fuel to the fire is that Sam can clearly be seen in the end credits of the first three episodes (despite not even being in the very first), but these were subsequently re-shot for episode four onwards. The plot thickens.
The pushy parents parents theme is realised well, predominantly by Jenny Lee, who played recurring characters in the likes of Monarch of the Glen and The Dirtwater Dynasty, and also boasts credits in the likes of Doctor Who and Grange Hill. I like the way she strikes the balance between being bossy and uptight, but she also really does care and is proud of her daughter, despite having a funny way of showing it. Oh, and at 22:29, her camera flash doesn't seem to fire, even though TJ reacts. The hen-pecked dad, meanwhile, is played by Jake D'Arcy, who I'm sorry to say is no longer with us. You may recognise him from Still Game, plus he has credits in the likes of Hamish Macbeth and Gregory's Girl. Amongst the other guest stars, keep an eye out for Jeremy Stockwell, who also appeared in an episode of T-Bag (from the same writers) and I believe was the Jeremy in Finders Keepers (as in "Jeremy's Joker").
Look out for some Children's ITV continuity at the beginning and end featuring Jeanne Downs, Scally, and special guest Natasha Knight. Young actress Natasha is there to promote her role as a victim of child abuse in an unbelievably hard-hitting Press Gang two-parter simply called Something Terrible, which concluded the next day. I haven't been able to find out much about her subsequent career, but she does mention that she went to Corona Stage School, which makes me wonder whether she was related to its founder, one Rona Knight. (It's also just occurred to me why it's called Corona: Co-Rona. (co)RONA. "Rona". I can be remarkably slow at times.) Also, I wonder whether she ever a Pink Windmill Kid - I'm pretty sure there *was* a Natasha, circa 1983...
Many thanks to Joe for lending me this tape.
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