Proswatch - Rogue
And so to Rogue... *g*
The DVD says: “A wolf in the fold… Who can be responsible when a trial witness is murdered and Cowley injured? Bodie and Doyle’s pursuit uncovers a renegade CI5 agent: someone who knows every step they’re going to take against him…”
This write up sounds pretty much okay - Bodie and Doyle are going to be up against a tremendous foe… and then you realise it is Barry Martin aka The Oldest Swinger in Town and hopes once raised dash down like dropped guns on the floor…
You wouldn’t see the Metro delivered like those newspapers, although I like the idea of all us London commuters scrabbling around in puddles to pick up our daily read. Ah - here comes the Inter City into a suspiciously empty train station. But yay for old trains with proper doors and handles! Oh, isn’t it our burglar friend, Sammy whatsit from Long Shot? However, he is being menaced by a black taxi cab. And there is Barry Martin in said cab, looking slightly like he is descended somehow from a turtle. He shoots, he scores! See yer, Sammy.
Cue theme....!
Now that is more like a train station - proper people! This is such an excellent piece by the actors and camera-men - love the long tracking shots! But oh
there goes Doyle…
and there goes Bodie…
...sent head over heels across the packing crates by a man old enough to be their granddad (creative license). LC is very bouncy when he does stunts - he is always sort of straight up again but a bit on the wonk, if you know what I mean. Bless him!
Now I am always happy for a fight scene, but no way is a cravat wearing older chappie of this man’s shape going to out-do B & D. It’s not so much to do with his age, but he just doesn’t look fit enough. So it looks more laughable than believable, which is a shame but who cares - cream trousers! There’s more than a peck of pickles throughout this episode…
Is that a gun in your holster or are you just pleased to see me?
There is some strange woman’s voice over the tannoy which seems a bit of place, just before the ‘shot your foot off’ adlib by MS when the gun drops (love this - LC mouths ‘sorry’ to MS - looks more like the man than the character saying that!).
Vale Farm Sports Centre still has the pebble dashing I see…
Love the chase - like them acting all boy-ish, and narrowly missing the passing car (and yelping!) as they run back to the Capri. So Barry and Cowley served together in Korea? More pieces of Cowley’s… I mean ‘the Major’s’ life...‘He was allergic to bullets, everyone is.’ Nice line, delivered with good world weary cynicism from Cowley.
Cowley: Where are you?
Doyle: In the car.
Oh there are some great lines in this ep! Like the way Doyle looks to Bodie for his reaction, and then Bodie shaking his head saying he isn’t there, but Doyle sticks to procedure and tells Cowley he is, anyway. They do play off each other a lot - it is great fun to watch. And I love the way Cowley just says ‘Great Marsden Mansions’ and expects them to get it. I wish I could do that - ‘cab, take me to Rose Cottage. What - you need postcode, address, and borough? Be off with you, man!’
They announce their presence with a skid that would make me twitch the curtains.
I think Bodie has VPL.
'Miss Marples'! Why a ‘s’ on the end?! Good place for a helping hand though…
Not that Doyle seems to notice, or mind…
Alex Bolt has a fetching collection of china plates. Doyle looks all long limbed leaping around, Bodie just looks rather deadly. But Barry has stabbed himself now, and neither is happy.
Lovely LC…
Good scene change with Cowley snapping ‘Everything! Tell me everything!’ Doyle shrugs off procedure here, but Bodie relents and says that it was Barry’s idea to go along. They do stick up for each other though, with Doyle glaring at the man having a dig at Bodie, and then you can just see that Bodie sympathises with Doyle getting a reminder on procedure from Cowley - ouch.
‘Prince of Wales Hospital’ isn’t a real name of one in London, although they probably would have taken Barry to Queen Mary’s in Roehampton (closest to Great Marsden Mansions). Where-ever they actually filmed it sounds very much like a real working hospital - and it doesn’t seem CI5 get an especially private ward/wing, unlike other episodes.
Whoops - we see you, camera-man with your open necked shirt!
Plutocrat - now there’s a word you don’t hear these days, perhaps I move in the wrong circles. Eugh - Barry Martin letting it all hang out in a disco. No…. *scrubs brain*
Pammy turns up, causing much smirking. ‘Get rid of the gore!’ - Nice description, you silver tongued fox you. Eugh. Let’s ignore that and fast forward to the pub. Love Doyle’s blunt ‘it’s a chat up!’ line. Meanwhile Cowley has gone to the mortuary to view a remarkably unmarked man considering the Doctor is listing such awful injuries.
So when you go out with someone, you present them with a framed posed black and white pic of yourself? I must remember that tip… Cowley heads up the stairs on a grim mission - grim as Martin’s flat is awful - green walls, those red / orange curtains, crap pictures, nasty beige striped settee (oh, Cowley is saying something, should concentrate…) Oh but that tweed lamp! It looks like the sort of place that would be permanently chilly. Seems to be a common theme in Pros (well, twice), Cowley’s old men retire and they all are desperate for a bit more of a pension. Just give them an extra tenner, Cowley - stop the rot!
Love Doyle hanging around outside Cowley’s room in hospital.
Love Bodie’s… um… walk.
That’s quite a pronounced ‘walk’ he has there.
And Bodie saying ‘shit’ (albeit ever so quietly) and Doyle’s heart spoken ‘yeah!’.
And Doyle’s way of waking Bodie by holding his hand… for ages…
Cowley rattles on about Martin murdering Ballad and Bolt and Borat and (oops, carried away). I hate that ‘we’ve been suckered beautifully right from the off!’ line - what is that - it sounds crap, its written crap; its just crap is what it is. And the skids show they have been practicing this take…
Dearie me, is that tiny slither of a room Martin’s bathroom? Not a great deal of space, no wonder bendy Doyle is going to find that knife (and lick his cut finger). Nice catch from Bodie - does he tuck every bit of dangerous weaponry into his belt? Like the way he shows the Chinese menu to Doyle who has to back away a bit to read it - short sighted mebbe?
Like Bodie’s reply to the Chinese man - ‘come down and take a look’, and Doyle’s grin from across the road.
And then they stealthily go and see Pamela, who must have been behind the door to open it that quick. I like the way Bodie keeps a hand on his belt (where no doubt he has stashed his gun, knife, grenade, several CI5 personnel and a small armoured tank).
‘Never far apart’ - aww. They do look really menacing, half in shadows… Don’t quite get why Pammy has a bruised arm - would Martin have hit her? Maybe she begged to come with him and he pushed her away… seems a bit of a ‘he’s a villain - make him more so!’ type silly plot device. Ooo lads running in cream trousers, see yer, Pammy!
Skulking around in multi storeys eh? You’ll get a reputation… Love that Bodie hears a noise that sounds like a car door being opened, and yet shrugs, nope, not important… Oh dear, lost Martin, now how did that happen, eh? Doyle is great with car numbers, though, must have been his days in the force. Like the way Doyle and Bodie twirl the same way in shock when they realise that Geronimo, not Martin, is in the car.
Back they go to Martin’s nasty horrible crib…But that is beaten by Culbertson’s ‘offence on the eyes’ dressing gown.
Martin is at the dock and B & D are now there too! Love ‘Jack’, and ‘Who’s Jack - where did he creep in!’ lines. Gosh, Martin really seriously looks like a turtle. Whoop - spotted Doyle. (I re-read that as spotted dick then). Bodie is still scrabbling around the boxes, and Doyle is making bad faces as he tackles Martin, who (sighs) wins… and then Bodie screams something and says he will shoot! Some crap about getting the drop on you, lines which make me cringe, and then Bodie gets knifed! And Martin is down, although Doyle didn’t shoot, and looks all sad and shaken, aww.
I like the ending, its fun and I love them being all playful and teasing the boss. And Bodie tugging Doyle… away out the door that is! Tch, the minds you lot have…
If anyone is interested - their journey in this is:
Start top left and follow round
A - Vale Farm Sports Centre - Brent
B - Bridge Road (newspaper stop) - Brent
C - Great Marsden Mansions - Putney
D - The Blue Anchor pub - Hammersmith
E - Rainsford Street (Chinese takeaway) - Marylebone
Seems like they cover a fair bit of west London! Hope you enjoyed, I haven't read anyone's take on this yet, so apologies if I have gone over what everyone else has already pointed out! And as ever, hope you are all well, and enjoying the sunshine in your part of the world... *g*