A Televisual Feast

There’s something–new, which is both unfortunate and interesting–off with this episode. It’s a commentary on the period, a high-handed special episode about the mistreatment of gays in the 1980s. I’m almost surprised it doesn’t have a moment like a similar, very special episode of “Cheers” dealing with the same subject (with Alex in the sensitive Diane role). There’s even, since it is the 21st century, a comment on the coming AIDS epidemic. The problem with the high-handedness… there could be an episode about the mistreatment of gays in the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1990s, and the 2000s, unless England is a heck of a lot more progressive today than I assumed.

And apparently, with one googling of research it’s clear they are. Shows what I know.

Otherwise, besides being a very special episode, there’s not much going on here. No development for Alex and Gene, a little for Chris and Shaz (they’re now the office cuties), and a very funny scene–but not exactly–for Ray. It’s an idea in search of a script. Also annoying is how Gene’s now playing in to Alex’s observations he’s a delusion and whatnot.

It occurred to me, probably four and a half episodes late, one of the main deficiencies of the series–where “Life on Mars” had scenes with Sam Tyler wondering what was happening to him, here Alex knows everything, so it’s not interesting… for example, there’s no reason, if she’s in some shock-induced coma, not to just tell her mom who she is, what happened, and so on. There’s no reason why she shouldn’t do it. It’s not Back to the Future, right?

2