Towards the beginning of Dates we encounter a couple of those jokes about women being dogs that jar so badly when rewatching Only Fools and Horses. Boycie compares a computer dating agency to That's My Dog, while Del asks the same agency not to lumber him with "some old bow-wow." As progressive minded viewers who also love old sitcoms, we heave a well-practiced sigh and press on. But the further we get into Dates, the more we notice something different is going on. Feeling the formula was growing stale and on the cusp of a new decade, John Sullivan had made the decision to change things up by introducing some prominent female characters into the lives of the Trotters. In doing so, it was necessary to begin challenging some of the sexist attitudes that had previously been portrayed, and all too often revelled in, in previous episodes. Sullivan's female characters were never as vivid as his male ones but in Dates, with the introduction of Tessa Peake-Jones as aspiring actress Raquel Turner, it's clear he is trying, and often succeeding, to move with the times. Aside from its focus on contemporary gender politics, Dates is also on point with its character development, with Sullivan making the most of a runtime nearly triple that of the previous romance-themed special Diamonds are for Heather, in order to create a burgeoning relationship that is both convincing and sweet.
Dates deftly interweaves three stories - Albert's upcoming birthday, Rodney's date with barmaid "Nervous" Nerys, and Del's signing up with a computer dating agency - in a way in which all three eventually impact on each other. Though the focus is strongly on Del, Albert gets a very funny scene at the start of the episode in which he recounts a naval disaster he caused, while Rodney's story carries the broader side of the episode as he tries to impress the jittery Nerys under the false impression that she goes for tough guys. This leads to a funny car chase sequence that nicely offsets the sweetness, drama and eventual melancholy of Del's story. All of which is not to say that Del's story isn't brilliantly funny too. Seeing him navigate his lies about being a successful businessman and "culture vulture" is amusing but Sullivan avoids the cringe factor that so sullied A Royal Flush, instead balancing the act Del puts on with the very strong chemistry between David Jason and Tessa Peake-Jones. It's no wonder Sullivan eventually opted to bring her back as Del's true love, something which retrospectively makes Dates easier to watch without succumbing to melancholy.
Where Dates gets really interesting is in the reveal that Raquel is secretly the stripper who Del has obliviously hired for Albert's birthday. In the earlier years of Only Fools and Horses, that would've been the punchline that ended the episode, but Sullivan is interested in more than a surprise reveal here. Del's extreme reaction leads to a fantastic scene in the Nag's Head car park in which Del and Raquel confront the lies they've told each other. It's a sad, sometimes shocking and beautifully written scene but Sullivan avoids an abrupt tonal switch by also including an awkward Rodney on the fringes of the scene, and capping it with a brilliantly timed punchline. This tonal balance was something Sullivan mastered so well that it went on to prominently characterise the increasingly dramatic arc of the series.
But Dates impresses with more than just its blending of moods. It deconstructs Del's whole attitude to women, pinpointing the problematic Madonna/Whore Complex that clearly originates with his relationship with his sainted mother. Seeing Raquel cross, in his eyes, from one side of the Complex to the other not only humiliates Del but challenges his entire notion of the opposite sex. His wounded pride makes him lash out but it is exacerbated by confusion at the undermining of his whole concept of gender politics. This is what makes what would seem to be a fairly easy decision for most of us feel extremely difficult for Del. Jason and Peake-Jones are sensational in the subsequent scene in Sid's café, a calmer confrontation which realistically navigates the fallout of the revelation and culminates in a sweet and hilarious fried peace offering.
For all its overall excellence, Dates isn't quite perfect. There are a couple of feebly unfunny scenes involving Boycie and an aquarium and Del accidentally talking to a prostitute, although the latter does very pointedly underline the themes of the episode. There's a clangingly off-colour joke about James Dean but perhaps the most difficult moment to stomach for modern audiences is the crucial act that gets Del arrested: ripping off the shirt of a policewoman. The joke is one of classically farcical misunderstanding and, again, it underlines the themes, as Del clearly feels he can treat strippers very differently from women he thinks of as pure and classy. It is fitting that this still ingrained tendency ultimately scuppers his romantic plans, ironically snatching away the thing that could evidently help him improve in this capacity. The complexity is there, but it is just impossible in this era to watch a man forcefully remove the clothes of an unconsenting woman, in a public place no less, and feel anything but horror. I've tried to think of ways that this final moment could've been more tastefully navigated but it's tough, with Del simply being rude and suggestive probably not enough to narratively justify the frogmarching to which he is subjected.
If Dates has elements of the discomfort that inevitably arises from old sitcoms, it also balances it with an obvious desire to move forward without just unrealistically abandoning the attitudes of the characters who, by this point, were so strongly established. As an analysis of contemporary sexual politics as the 80s shifted into the 90s, it's a fascinating watch and as a piece of storytelling it is superbly constructed, very funny and deeply satisfying.
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