The country estate of Lionel and Jean is located near a rural village, and in this episode, we learn that the village is in an uproar. A bypass around the village has been proposed by the highway authorities. Protesters have gathered like vultures to oppose the proposition. Meaning well, but totally misunderstanding the situation, Jean assumes the villagers are opposed to the new bypass. She agrees to take a leadership role at the Action Committee which is attempting to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, Lionel has learned that the villagers are actually in favor of the bypass. In the middle of her presentation to the village elders, Lionel interrupts Jean and saves her from an embarrassing faux pas. The moral of the story is that married couples should encourage mutual communication and not leap to conclusions without knowing all the facts.
2 Reviews
The village bypass
safenoe30 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The country estate episodes of As Time Goes By can be a bit maudlin at times, as it can come across as an Alan Ayckbourn play with a Straw Dogs undertone. Still, this one had an element of misunderstanding, with Jean thinking the villagers opposed the bypass, but not to be.
The previous episode was the introduction and only appearance of Lionel and Jean's new neighbors, Ruth and Alex Duncan, played by Isabelle Amyes and Matthew Marsh, respectively. This is a TV trope where horrible neighbors make their indelible impression on the main cast, but no longer appear (or even referred to) in the rest of the series. Similar to the 2008 Doc Martin episode "City Slickers" where the neighbors (played by Karl Theobald and Amy Marston) make a horrible impression but no longer appear or even referred to in the rest of the series.
I wish there was a reunion movie or a limited run series. If Twin Peaks can have a revival, what about As Time Goes By? If it was rebooted, the opening montage would need to be updated to include Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
The previous episode was the introduction and only appearance of Lionel and Jean's new neighbors, Ruth and Alex Duncan, played by Isabelle Amyes and Matthew Marsh, respectively. This is a TV trope where horrible neighbors make their indelible impression on the main cast, but no longer appear (or even referred to) in the rest of the series. Similar to the 2008 Doc Martin episode "City Slickers" where the neighbors (played by Karl Theobald and Amy Marston) make a horrible impression but no longer appear or even referred to in the rest of the series.
I wish there was a reunion movie or a limited run series. If Twin Peaks can have a revival, what about As Time Goes By? If it was rebooted, the opening montage would need to be updated to include Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
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