The best episodes are up there with the finest television ever created, they are well crafted pieces of art. The acting of Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell is superb throughout the entire run. You really get the feeling of frustration and claustrophobia of Harold's situation. He is a winner, trapped inside a loser's life, with no way of escaping.
Albert loves his son, but his desperation to not lose his only companion in life causes him to destroy Harold's life and dreams. He's terrified of Harold achieving anything, so he constantly puts him down to keep him at his level.
Harold despises his father, but knows he will always be stuck with him out of blind loyalty. He knows all his dreams of escaping are just futile fantasy.
Why uneven writing? Some of the episodes are ridiculous and/or just plain boring. A few of these are in the final series, where the writers seem to have run out of ideas. Which seems really strange, as the previous series had stellar episodes such as "The Desperate Hours", "Divided We Stand" and "Men of Letters".
It's easy to dismiss Steptoe and Son as just another sitcom, but those three episodes could act as a masterclass of comedy on their own. Not many shows that you could say that about, only Seinfeld and Fawlty Towers spring to mind.
Albert loves his son, but his desperation to not lose his only companion in life causes him to destroy Harold's life and dreams. He's terrified of Harold achieving anything, so he constantly puts him down to keep him at his level.
Harold despises his father, but knows he will always be stuck with him out of blind loyalty. He knows all his dreams of escaping are just futile fantasy.
Why uneven writing? Some of the episodes are ridiculous and/or just plain boring. A few of these are in the final series, where the writers seem to have run out of ideas. Which seems really strange, as the previous series had stellar episodes such as "The Desperate Hours", "Divided We Stand" and "Men of Letters".
It's easy to dismiss Steptoe and Son as just another sitcom, but those three episodes could act as a masterclass of comedy on their own. Not many shows that you could say that about, only Seinfeld and Fawlty Towers spring to mind.