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Post by Albert Wendell on May 1, 2020 23:25:56 GMT
I often find myself in agreement with others opinions on the good and less good (there's no such thing as a bad episode of Minder) episodes however I seem to be in a minority here as I really like this one. Now I've seen it many times and last watched it in 2012 and reading the feelings of others on here decided to give it a watch, paying close attention to every detail in case I was missing something that makes it a bad episode, and to report my findings on here. Well after seeing it I haven't changed my mind in fact I like it even more now.
For me the only time Minder loses it's way is when scenarios become unbelievable or the comedy goes too far (i.e Arthur falling out of the train window in 'Minder On The Orient Express'. But no none of that here, the plot is believable Arthur finding out an old friend/contact has been given a large cash advance and proclaiming not to know anything about money, it's only natural Arthur wants to get involved, Terry reluctant at first but won over and involved once he likes the said person (both normal character traits for Arthur and Terry) also another typical Minder trait is that the person Terry is minding has something they are hiding which can lead to problems later on, in this case Ruby can't write without Barneys input. Arthur's dodgy furniture cover up and his temptation to invest in the Spanish deal (he's a solicitor shouldn't he be looking into swamps) further go on to show it's a normal Minder episode, OK so there are no police or punch ups but if there was in every episode then Minder wouldn't have lasted for ten series.
Beryl Reid has been first class in everything I've seen her in and there is no exception here, Bill Maynard on form as usual and Fiona Mollison (best known as Vanessa Bennett in Strangers) is a great addition to the cast.
Some natural sounding dialogue with Terry, Arthur and Ronnie walking around the house at the start of the episode and in the Winchester when Arthur has the Antiques magazine (Arthur in one of his feed up moods when something goes wrong). I love the part about Arthur being involved in ban the bomb and his annoyed phone call to Ronnie from the telephone box.
The 'divine light movement' humming is a strange one, could it have been that in 1984 there had been some sort of news story about a type of chanting/relaxation skills that at the time the audience would have got however over the years the story has faded leaving the viewer confused as to it's origin. I guess they had to make the new owners easy going about Ruby and Terry staying there and making them 'new age' so to speak fitted in with them being easy going rather than a forced eviction from a property company.
So apart from the humming and the fact they didn't give Erika Hoffman any lines I really can't fault it.
The one thing about this episode that stands out is that it doesn't feel like a Series 5 episode it has far more a Series 2 (or maybe even some Series 1 or Series 3 episodes) feel about it in that we see Terry minding someone and a lot of screen time given to Terry and the person he is minding with Arthur being more of a side character off doing his own thing and popping in every so often to check on things. I don't watch Minder in series order I just pick an episode at random, so could it be that this episode jars somewhat with the rest of Series 5 and Series 4 before it (and this stands out when watching them in order) hence the more negative response from contributors here, maybe when watching this one again try doing so between some earlier episodes when there was more focus on Terry being the Minder and his involvement with the client when the show was more about the drama than the comedy.
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logie
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Post by logie on May 2, 2020 7:45:34 GMT
Interesting post, Wendy; once I have finished working through the complete episodes in order, I shall do exactly as you suggest and re-watch some of the episodes at random & out of sequence. Your theory is a good one - perhaps this episode is better viewed without the conrext of being part of a good series. I wanted to like it, as I thought the cast were very good but I think the episodes around it may have detracted from this one’s merits.
I shall be interested to see if a stand alone re-assessment improves my rating.
You never know - I may even find something complimentary to say about ‘Dreamhouse’!
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Post by Albert Wendell on May 2, 2020 14:25:49 GMT
One more thought on this with regard to it feeling like an early episode, could it be that the script was written for an early episode and they wanted to cast Beryl Reid she agreed to do it but was unavailable at the time so they sat on it and waited as they wanted her to play Ruby. She was somewhat busy in the early to mid 80's with Adrian Mole, Doctor Who and Mooncat & Co and various other appearances. Also this episode has a fair amount of swearing in it more typical with an early Minder than a Series 5 one.
With regard to the bloopers listed on the episode guide on minder.org I took it to be that Mr.Scott was the man in charge (or owner) of the publishers 'Norman & Page' Arthur refers to him as Mr.Scott in their conversation at the end of the episode.
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Post by steve74 on May 17, 2020 16:59:04 GMT
For my money Minder is the best TV show ever and I return to it again and again. For such a long running show there are very few episodes that don't hit the mark but 'The Second Time Around' is one of them. The first ten minutes are vintage Minder but then it seems to fall flat. It's hard to understand why because the cast is top notch and it's well acted. The storyline didn't grab me and not a lot seems to happen. Minder is continually entertaining but not so here. Andy and his humming was just annoying. Even the brilliant Bill Maynard can't breathe life into this. For me this is a rare misstep. 2 out of 5.
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Post by pr1 on Aug 9, 2020 23:26:54 GMT
Enduring this episode for the third time. Sitting through it doesn’t get any easier. I think it starts well but sadly goes down hill once Beryl Reid turns up. Fortunately the stuff with Arthur and Terry still holds up. This episode is a serious misstep in the Terry era.
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Post by harryshand on Aug 19, 2020 12:41:02 GMT
Fourth Minder on the trot today (notwithstanding a break for a couple of Teams meetings, well I am working) and a real change of pace. I like this for the acting, especially Beryl Reid who is brilliant in this, but it does come across as a vehicle for BR's acting talents rather than a classic Minder.
I voted Good, the scenes with GC, DW and BR rate this above average alone.
The plot isn't great but even Minder needs a breather now and again.
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Post by jjmolloy on Aug 19, 2020 13:42:42 GMT
Fourth Minder on the trot today (notwithstanding a break for a couple of Teams meetings, well I am working) and a real change of pace. I like this for the acting, especially Beryl Reid who is brilliant in this, but it does come across as a vehicle for BR's acting talents rather than a classic Minder. I voted Good, the scenes with GC, DW and BR rate this above average alone. The plot isn't great but even Minder needs a breather now and again. I've always liked this episode, it's off manor of course, but it was good to get an insight into Arthur's past, ''social intercourse'' etc! I like that it was shot in winter, gives me a nice cosy feeling watching this one. Great locations as always. 10/10 from Molloy Towers.
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Post by spacecadet on Aug 19, 2020 15:05:49 GMT
TV interview with guest star Beryl Reid
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Post by spacecadet on Aug 19, 2020 15:06:15 GMT
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Post by jjmolloy on Aug 19, 2020 15:11:46 GMT
Nice one cadet!
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615
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Post by 615 on Nov 4, 2021 20:00:37 GMT
When Terry goes off on one when Arthur has been bragging to Ruby about sorting Barney out, Terry says Barney is an old man. Bill Maynard was about 3 years younger than George Cole in actual fact, so did he have a harder paper round?
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Barrel
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Post by Barrel on Nov 25, 2021 23:07:59 GMT
When this one's shown on ITV4, click on programme information on the remote and the description comes up as follows, 'Terry fills in at an antique shop when the owner is hospitalised after receiving a beating from thugs demanding protection money.' Surely that's describing 'Whose Wife Is It Anyway'. Yes thats what "tricked" me into watching this poor episode.Definetely the worst Minder episode ive seen so far
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615
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Post by 615 on Mar 28, 2022 16:35:50 GMT
I see that Arthur succeeded in this one where he failed in Senior Citizen Caine by getting Terry to chauffer him round in the back of a roller.
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Post by jno on Mar 29, 2022 3:01:50 GMT
I see that Arthur succeeded in this one where he failed in Senior Citizen Caine by getting Terry to chauffer him round in the back of a roller. That’s a good point.
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Post by jjmolloy on Mar 29, 2022 14:06:01 GMT
In 1989's Fatal Impression (7.3) when Terry ridicules Arthur's new found interest in religion by saying ''I've never seen you go to church on Sundays'' Arthur replies with ''That's because you've never seen me on a Sunday..'' Which Terry agrees with. In this episode's very first scene (1984) in the Roller, Ronnie comments how it's nice to have a Sunday drive and Arthur and Tel are together in the back!
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Post by chopper on Mar 31, 2022 20:33:39 GMT
Was it me, or is the picture quality awful for a couple of the series 5 episodes? When I watched this during the week.
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ned
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Post by ned on Apr 9, 2022 9:51:13 GMT
In 1989's Fatal Impression (7.3) when Terry ridicules Arthur's new found interest in religion by saying ''I've never seen you go to church on Sundays'' Arthur replies with ''That's because you've never seen me on a Sunday..'' Which Terry agrees with. In this episode's very first scene (1984) in the Roller, Ronnie comments how it's nice to have a Sunday drive and Arthur and Tel are together in the back! Is it 'the Bengal Tiger' where Terry & Arthur are in a pub after closing and Arthur says something like "this is the best bit of a Sunday: a bit of afters, 'er indoors doing a nice roast"?
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mlynn
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Post by mlynn on Jan 28, 2023 0:40:42 GMT
Just watched this on ITV 4 Catchup. I think it's a good episode.
I like the way Terry minds Ruby, as if she was his mum or granny. Ruby: "Do you want scrambled eggs for your tea?"
When I saw Andy in the garden I thought "That looks like Mark Gatiss!" then I thought it might be Peter Howitt from Bread which was about that time. I've never heard of Nigel Le Vaillant.
ITV really ought to fix their EPG listings. It also lists (on Sky) identical episodes on the same day as well as +1 versions. All of the episodes available at the moment have sign language for the deaf, which obscures some of the picture.
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Post by jjmolloy on Jan 28, 2023 11:55:44 GMT
For me, always one of the best.
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Post by westminster on Jan 29, 2023 11:13:47 GMT
Just watched this on ITV 4 Catchup. I think it's a good episode. I like the way Terry minds Ruby, as if she was his mum or granny. Ruby: "Do you want scrambled eggs for your tea?"When I saw Andy in the garden I thought "That looks like Mark Gatiss!" then I thought it might be Peter Howitt from Bread which was about that time. I've never heard of Nigel Le Vaillant. ITV really ought to fix their EPG listings. It also lists (on Sky) identical episodes on the same day as well as +1 versions. All of the episodes available at the moment have sign language for the deaf, which obscures some of the picture. I thought that was quite touching. As was Terry's response, a simple and innocent 'Yes, please".
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Post by Albert Wendell on Jan 31, 2023 1:32:55 GMT
Just watched this on ITV 4 Catchup. I think it's a good episode. Glad to see someone else who likes this one. I tend to agree with the general consensus of opinions on Minder episodes on here but with this one I'm very much going against the grain by really enjoying it. I'm surprised how many people rate it as 'poor'.
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Post by simon316 on Oct 17, 2023 18:56:00 GMT
I skipped this a week ago when binge-watching but picked it out as a kind of Russian Roulette so watched it. a good cast and always good to see Bill Maynard, an actor I follow via Selwyn Froggit and Heartbeat, to name but two, but the storyline is either hard to follow or reluctant to stick, probably the later. Not the worst in my eyes but could have been better. Someone said that this was a melencholy episode and thats true. Seeing it for that gives it a bit more appreciation but not a favourite...
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Post by jno on Oct 18, 2023 2:14:21 GMT
I skipped this a week ago when binge-watching but picked it out as a kind of Russian Roulette so watched it. a good cast and always good to see Bill Maynard, an actor I follow via Selwyn Froggit and Heartbeat, to name but two, but the storyline is either hard to follow or reluctant to stick, probably the later. Not the worst in my eyes but could have been better. Someone said that this was a melencholy episode and thats true. Seeing it for that gives it a bit more appreciation but not a favourite... Our fellow forum member McCann analyses of episode votes here on the forum puts this as the least favourite Dennis Waterman episode.* It is certainly my least favourite. * are you watching Gary Webster criticisers?
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Post by simon316 on Oct 18, 2023 9:46:55 GMT
I skipped this a week ago when binge-watching but picked it out as a kind of Russian Roulette so watched it. a good cast and always good to see Bill Maynard, an actor I follow via Selwyn Froggit and Heartbeat, to name but two, but the storyline is either hard to follow or reluctant to stick, probably the later. Not the worst in my eyes but could have been better. Someone said that this was a melencholy episode and thats true. Seeing it for that gives it a bit more appreciation but not a favourite... Our fellow forum member McCann analyses of episode votes here on the forum puts this as the least favourite Dennis Waterman episode.* It is certainly my least favourite. * are you watching Gary Webster criticisers? I think Monday Night Fever off top of head is my least favourite, followed by Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs with this floating around it. The Gary Webster ones were imho just different. The three actors - George Cole, Glynn Edwards and Gary Webster put their everything into these series, Gary Webster the most. The key problems with those series I thought was the change of character of Arthur. One moment, when it comes to money he is the sharpest knife in the proverbial, but in those episodes he is a bit of an imbecile. And the storylines and scripts seem a bit sloppy and lazy. Apart from Fines and Closures, the Winchester Club was simply a key establishment were they both drank with Dave a key but in the background character. The letter ones seemed more often than not to revolve around the Winchester Club. Those are my off the top observations. Gary Webster, as I said gave it his all those and I will remember that if there was no Gary Webster (I watched Family Affairs because he was in it and enjoyed that) then the later series may not have been made and that would be sad...
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