Jeeves and Wooster: The Ties That Bind

Jeeves and Wooster: The Ties That Bind
ITV
20 June 1993
Historical Comedy
DVD
B-

Although this ends with Madeline's wedding to Spode being ruined by a plumbing explosion caused by Tuppy but blamed on Bertie, this episode does get us somewhat back on track.  At one point, Bertie has two fiancees, both Madeline and Florence expecting to marry him when their current romances don't work out.  Aunt Agatha (Elizabeth Spriggs again), who in a previous series was incongruously Madeline's godmother, here hopes there's more to Madeline then there seems.  Totleigh Towers would recover from the damage and grow up to be Downton Abbey.  (Highclere Castle in real life.)

Sidney Livingstone and Preston Lockwood return as Oates and Butterfield respectively.  Fred Evans is back as Brinkley and, of all things, gets paired off with Florence.  And kudos to Woodnutt for being in the first and last episodes of J & W.

Jeeves and Wooster in Series Four ranges from C- to B+, averaging out to that same C+/B- border as the previous two series.  So even with all the WTFery, there's still some good stuff, especially in that opening episode in New York.  However, it's probably just as well they ended here.

Jeeves and Wooster: The Delayed Arrival

Jeeves and Wooster: The Delayed Arrival
ITV
6 June 1993
Historical Comedy
DVD
C+

More un-Wodehousian touches in this episode, in particular both Jeeves and Wooster in drag.  Aunt Dahlia's plans for her magazine collide with Lady Florence's love life of two possible suitors, not counting default fiance Bertie.  This all leads to the 500th C+ I've given to one of my shows.

Nicholas Palliser and Francesca Folan are back as Stilton and Florence.  Richard Dixon makes his last appearance as Oofy.  Ian Collier, who plays Seppings, would shortly be on Paul Merton, The Series.  Magistrate Peter Howell would be Mr. Perry on the 1996 TV-Movie version of Emma.  Even though we're now on Aunt Dahlia #4 (Jean Heywood), surprisingly Ralph Michael returns, after three years, as Uncle Tom.

Jeeves and Wooster: The Once and Future Ex

Jeeves and Wooster: The Once and Future Ex
ITV
23 May 1993
Historical Comedy
DVD
C-

And this is probably the worst episode of Series Four, if not the entire programme.  Lazy, sloppy, and boring, it contains one of the worst performances of J & W: Nigel Whitmey's as the recast Georgie Caffyn.  He appeared on one episode of Josie and would soon be on Paul Merton: The Series, but presumably on neither sketch show was he allowed to suck the energy off the screen like he does here.  It doesn't help that he's involved in the less interesting plot, where two old guys try to meet in secret to close a business deal, while George wants Bertie's help in getting together with the richer old guy's niece, for which George promises to reveal a secret way to break an engagement, and then it turns out that was a bluff.  And sub-Janos-Prohaska gorilla costumes are involved (for both a fake and a supposedly real gorilla).

Francesca Folan, who was the first Madeline Basset, here becomes the second Florence Craye, and this time Bertie's engagement to her is not at all intentional on his part.  She is better cast here, more brisk and much less bitchy than Fiona Gillies (who did, however, have fabulously permed hair).  Nicholas Palliser does fine in his role of uppercrust policeman Stilton Cheesewright, and we'd see more of them and their fractured romance.

As for the laziness and sloppiness, one example is that we see a newspaper dated August 23, 1931, which would be cool, except that it's in a scene set a few days before a Fourth of July costume party.  And we catch glimpses of Georgie's show, but none of the fun production numbers like for Ask Dad!,  instead a listless dance number rehearsed enough times that the chorus girls look as sick of it as we are.  Worst of all though is that, on top of no real pay-off to the deal with George, there's no pay-off to Jeeves secretly attending the costume party and shaping events; there's a close-up of his mask but no indication that Bertie has a clue about it.

Joseph Mydell is back as Coneybear, given a little more to do here, although still less than his predecessor.  In contrast, Sam Douglas returns as Corrigan the cop and is given a lot more to do.  Domini Winter is again a Choreographer, while Kim Barrand, Di Cooke, and Nola Haynes are Chorus Girls like last year.  And Peter Carlisle would return as the Bookseller.

Jeeves and Wooster: Brinkley Manor

Jeeves and Wooster: Brinkley Manor
ITV
13 May 1990
Historical Comedy
DVD
B+

I assume this aired back to back with the previous episode, as they have the same air date.  This part has the "well-kicked plate of sandwiches," the prize-giving, and some other great moments.  I'm also very fond of some of Laurie's line readings and facial expressions, like the "During that sojourn" sequence and his tale of insulting a woman's fiance in Cannes.  It does seem odd that the whole thing about the white mess jacket is dropped, but the "Jeeves disapproves of Bertie's latest fashion choice" thing was not yet as integral part of the television programme as it would become.

Not counting the people I've tagged, John Barrard (Anatole), Adam Blackwood (Barmy Fotheringay Phipps), Richard Dixon (Oofy Prosser), Amanda Elwes (Angela), and Ralph Michael (Tom) return.

J & W in its first series ranges from B- to this B+, averaging out to a low B.

Jeeves and Wooster: The Hunger Strike

Advice to the Lovelorn

Jeeves and Wooster: The Hunger Strike
ITV
13 May 1990
Historical Comedy
DVD
B

This is based on the novel Right Ho, Jeeves (reviewed here http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/05/right-ho-jeeves.html) and while it doesn't live up to the source material, it is easily the best J & W adaptation so far.  I recall Part Two as better, having as it does most of the classic moments of the story.  This is funny enough, from its witty script (preserving a lot of the original writing) to such random moments as a newt-inspired dance (shades of "The Chameleon" in Zelig) and Tom's rant about taxes that manages to mention Disraeli and King Harold.

More Advice

Bertie gives a bunch of bad advice, not just romantic-- for Tuppy to win back Bertie's cousin Angela (Amanda Elwes), and for newt-fancier Gussie Fink-Nottle (Richard Garnett) to woo poetic Madeline Bassett (Francesca Folan, who in the final season would return as the very different character Florence Craye)-- but also dietic/financial.  Aunt Dahlia (Brenda Bruce) needs to get a loan from her husband Tom (Ralph Michael), but instead Bertie upsets Tom and everyone else when he indirectly offends the temperamental French chef, Anatole (John Barrard).  We end on a cliffhanger, with Dahlia ordering Jeeves to pack Bertie's bags.

Adam Blackwood, Richard Dixon, and Michael Ripper return as Barmy Fotheringay Phipps, Oofy Prosser, and the Drones Porter respectively.