Nana's Party

Yeah, sorry, poor choice of words. I meant "hateful" in the sense of super-dislikable. Or at least just really, really annoying.

No bother, I see what you meant now. Frankly although he was a tad sad and pathetic I wouldn’t have personally found him annoying per say. I’d have likely raised my eyes to the heavens on meeting him. Particularly when he cracked that old, dull joke thinking it was funny. However he’s someone I’d be able to tolerate but then (and I don’t mean this as a dig against anyone with less patience or shorter tempers) I’m a fairly laid back, even tempered guy.

But that line – "I know…" – did put a bit of lump in my throat. Gorgeous delivery. Also reminded me a bit of the way David Mitchell speaks those very words at the end of the ridiculously moving "Old Sherlock Holmes"-sketch from Mitchell and Webb Look.

Yeah, it was moving but I haven’t seen that sketch that you mention. I’ve seen a few of Mitchell and Webbs sketches (but still not as many as some others), I’ll need to see if I can find it online so I can give it a watch. One of their sketches that I really enjoyed was the one with Jesus telling members of flock about the Good Samaritan. It definitely had me chucking away!

Anyway, one point I’d like to bring up is how the episode seems to make out Jim (Steve Pemberton) as ultimately being the sole bad guy. In fairness we see his wife Angela (Claire Skinner) as being this anally retentive, obsessive compulsive. Someone pretty much in the vein of Monica in Friends but less loud and shrill. I can imagine that she might have been a fairly hard woman to live with. She complains about Jim cutting a hole in her second best table cloth which could have been replaced and tells him to straighten the tassels on the living room carpet and it didn’t end just with him but their daughter. Could you imagine living with someone like that day in, day out? It would eventually drive you to distraction. Jim wasn’t perfect but at least he had a sense of humor and could be more fun and game for a laugh. It’s probably why he had an affair with Carol (Lorraine Ashbourne) as although an obnoxious, self centered lush she was more carefree and able to let her hair down more.

I’m not necessarily condoning what Jim did, I think It’s pretty safe to say he regretted it. However it takes two people to make a marriage work and I got the impression he might ave gone some way in to livening up their relationship. His wife just wasn’t willing to meet him half-way and probably concerned herself with keeping everything in their home in order. So while understandable I find her look of her hurt and resentment at the end before she walks out of the house with her daughter unjust. Just my personal opinion given what I saw.

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