May 8, 2021
The Brothers: Riley (3.6, BBC, 1974)
"As I've said before, none of us know Riley very well... Except perhaps your father. I wonder if he knew he had a police record."
"Well, he certainly never gave any hint."
"Well he wouldn't, would he; he could also keep secrets for life."
"Yes. That's true."
"Perhaps he even gave Riley this job to get him back on his feet."
"Yes, that would be typical of Dad."
#The brothers#classic tv#1974#Eric Paice#N. J. Crisp#jean anderson#Patrick O'connell#Jennifer Wilson#Richard Easton#Robin chadwick#Julia goodman#Hilary tindall#Derek benfield#Gabrielle Drake#Jonathan Newth#Malcolm Stoddard#Frank Jarvis#Hugh Sullivan#Brian Grellis#Ohh this is a strong episode right out the gate. Paice is one of the most reliable writers working on the series so it's perhaps#Unsurprising that he was given this hijacking side plot to cover. He absolutely nails it here and in the process gives us some lovely#Background on a few of the leads. We learn more about Riley in particular including the fact that he saw active service in ww2 and was#Something of a tearaway in his youth. Jennifer meanwhile reveals that Bill may have always known about her relationship with the late Mr#Hammond snr and sent flowers after Barbara's birth (a very touching moment in a dazzling script). Perhaps what I enjoyed most tho was an#Unexpected insight to Ted's personality: his utter willingness to back Bill without hesitation (even as characters like Jennifer air some#Doubts) is a side of him we see all too little of. He may be a shouty hard headed business type but of them all Ted is also the Brother#Most willing to trust and to believe in others. He knows Bill and trusts him and... That's enough. It's a lovely moment and I really like#Seeing this side of Edward. Elsewhere... Well Barbara's young husband is looking to be just the feckless dreamer Ted took him for...
