Proswatch Community Viewing: Man Without a Past
THE EPISODE AS A WHOLE
I keep saying, "This episode is in my top 10!" At the end of this, I guess I'd better go back and add up how many times I've said it... I suspect I'll wind up with more than 10. In any case, this episode is a top favorite for me - Not *just* because of John Castle (although that's certainly a factor.) But like other episodes this season this episode feels a bit grittier - in tone and execution - than others which I like a lot. And we get seriously high-payoff Lad moments. And I genuinely like the story - You don't hear that from me often.
The guest characters in this are really well done - I'm not just talking John Castle... I think some of the scenes between Forrest's wife and daughter are gorgeous - They add a pace and depth to the episode that bumps it up a notch. I'm back to the word, "expansive" - All the supporting actors and CI5 background staff (like Doyle calling in on the radio and bantering with the desk guy) make the world seem very large - Not just the three of them and baddie of the week.
I swear, there's SO MUCH packed into this episode, it feels like it's three hours long. I've seen it dozens of times and I still have to struggle to keep up. :-)
And on a completely random, technical note... This is the first time I've noticed that gorgeous bit of camera work at Forrest's house when Bodie breaks in and is screaming for him, running from room to room... Beautiful. I'd like the guy who did it to have a talk with Torchwood and show them how to do hand-held cam direction *properly* and *effectively* (before they give me a seizure.)
THE LADS
People keep pointing out that the Lads aren't actually together much in this episode - And yet, it doesn't *feel* like we're missing anything. When they're apart they are working (or revenging) which seems natural - When they're together, they are profoundly attached. Unlike some other episodes where they feel emotionally distanced either way. And there are huge partner pay-off moments... That bit at the end when Bodie finds Doyle in the destroyed kitchen is sublime - His distress and relief just radiate out of him and Doyle knows it and has to shake him out of it.
Right off the bat, we get some *AWESOME* Bodie stuff... I LOOOOOVVVEE the candid moments with get with him on the date - And OMG, ANGST as the date goes KABOOM. Dark, vengeful, vigilante Bodie... AUGH! We get all the bits of Bodie I love - A passionate Bodie who does everything fiercely - Whether it be lovin' or hatin' or just making tea.
And Doyle is awesome - Diplomatically lurking around the edges of Bodie's rage, trying to support him quietly until he's forced to step in and thump some sense into him. What Martin Shaw fan *doesn't* love the sexy voice cracking during that tussle...?
I can't help it, the car chase thing is my favorite gag/background joke ever. I think it's hilarious.
I absolutely *love* the scene between Cowley and Bodie in the interrogation room - How Bodie makes no apologies and Cowley knows he has to accept that. And Cowley is *good* - Chess-moving his way into Mrs. Forrest's good graces and cleverly thrusting the sword home before she knew what hit her. The Lad's could never get to her like Cowley could, with his class and diplomacy and ability to patiently play social games.
Ya'll know my dark, kinky side, so do you honestly think that I can watch a frumpy, beaten, tied-up Doyle on a bed being cruelly looked down upon by twisted, most likely "bent" John Castle and not be freakishly TURNED ON? Sorry, I gotta be me.
I suppose it is just the tiniest bit sick of me how much I enjoyed *all* the Doyle-gets-the-shit-beaten-out-of-him bits... :::feelsshame:::
But seriously, I like how they handled it... They didn't just tie him up and have him lay there... Shaw really put some *pain* into it and the beatings/fighting seemed particularly real/cruel. It's my fuzzy memory that this was quite the issue in the day - That this episode was (or was in danger of) censorship because of the violence. Well, I couldn't blame them I guess - It was all pretty vicious and effective. I'm always impressed with the last bit - that scene with Doyle in the kitchen - It always seems so realistic to me because Shaw does such a great job with looking like he's desperately searching a kitchen he's unfamiliar with and then, ultimately, throwing *pepper* in the baddie's eyes... :-)
JOHN CASTLE
If you know John Castle's work well, you'll know that what he excels at is taking a guest character with five lines and transforming that character into a complex, full-bodied, robust person with the sheer power of his talent alone. And Peter Crabbe is no exception - Count up the few lines he has, the few things they actually tell us about him, and make that match up with what we *know* about his character... Cool.
While I like the *character* of Tommy more than Crabbe, I like this *performance* (out of the two) better. I'm digging the mercenary bomber thing - And his slight edge of desperation as things start to go wrong around the edges - And what, exactly, is his interest in the young Arthur Pendle? :::nudge nudge wink wink::: Watch as he struggles to hang on to control of Arthur *and* the situation as psycho-Arthur rips recklessly through his carefully laid plans. Conflicted, desperate Peter is unwilling to loose Arthur, even though it's not working out for him to stay. It's a joy to watch John/Peter sweatily juggle his way through the situation. I love the tragedy in him - Knowing Arthur is completely psychotic and uncontrollable, and yet he *loves* him. And that last line... "Save me the trouble..." AUUUUGGGGGHHHH!
You know... I *really* want an extra scene to see what Bodie does with him after the fade-out... I wouldn't say no to some pre-episode Peter/Arthur pr0n, either.
Now, I have a hard time with one thing - That unbelievably unflattering, ill-fitting suit and that HAIR. I figure it *has* to be deliberate... One thought is that it's because he guest starred so recently on the show, they were trying to alter his appearance in some way. But the more likely solution is that they costumed him to look like some obvious *type* which escapes me because I don't understand the cultural reference/significance. Feel free to help me out here if you have something to shed light on this. I mean, is this the look of a 70s gay mercenary bomber or something?
This episode also forces me to deal with the reshot screen captures I made for the gallery from the remastered DVDs a while back... Not that they are much better than the originals, but I've uploaded them and will chuck the others. I've posted them all in the coppermine gallery HERE (still haven't linked to it from the site, so bookmark it separately than the main page.) Some examples:
