Last Tango In Halifax - General Discussion

[Brookside]

 

On 6/22/2020 at 11:41 AM, WatchrTina said:

I'm binge-watching this now and I have not read this board.  I will do so after the binge is done.  But can I just say OH MY GOD CAN NO ONE KEEP A DAMN SECRET!?

Admittedly this pair of families has more toxic secrets than your average pair of families but that's not the thing I'm starting to hate about this show.  It's the completely unprompted confessions that people make.  Up until now those confessions have usually had a legitimate reason -- people spilling secrets in anger and for vengeance and whatnot. But the episode I just watched -- in which Alan tells his new wife one incriminating story about the death of his son-in-law and Alan's daughter tells her new "friend" an entirely different story -- one where she flat-out confesses to murder (albeit with the extenuating circumstances of battered wife syndrome) is just making me CRINGE.  Why?  WHY would anyone have those conversations?  I don't care HOW drunk Alan's daughter was.  She would NEVER confess all that to a woman she's only just recently met and who she HATED when they first met.

I'm a person who can engage in some major league willful suspension of disbelief but damn, this show is testing me.  The only thing keeping me going is that I heard that this show is based on a book that was, in turn, based on real events.

I'll keep watching (I'm stuck at home for the Pandemic so I might as well stick with it) but I will be VERY interested to see what is here on this board when I've finished my binge.

Just think of it as a highfaluting soap opera with good actors and enjoy the silliness!

[Gizkok]

I find it very hard to believe that Ruth was unaware of Caroline's "preferences." She's been at that school for some time now and in every school I've ever been in talking and speculating about others in almost an indoor sport. Ruth must have heard things especially since Caroline never denied her past. So for Ruth to come across as shocked is extremely disingenuous.

[Quilt Fairy]

7 hours ago, Gizkok said:

I find it very hard to believe that Ruth was unaware of Caroline's "preferences." She's been at that school for some time now and in every school I've ever been in talking and speculating about others in almost an indoor sport. Ruth must have heard things especially since Caroline never denied her past. So for Ruth to come across as shocked is extremely disingenuous.

This is a good point.  However, Caroline really needs to stop coming on to and/or getting involved with subordinates.   I get that the school is pretty much her whole world as far as meeting other adults, but as the head of the school it's just inappropriate.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

This is a good point.  However, Caroline really needs to stop coming on to and/or getting involved with subordinates.   I get that the school is pretty much her whole world as far as meeting other adults, but as the head of the school it's just inappropriate.

It really is and it makes her come off as creepy.

[Quilt Fairy]

I wanted to update something I posted a few weeks ago.  Although PBS is advertising this as the final season, there is an interview with Sally Wainwright where she says she would write for the show " 'til the cows come home" if TPTB would OK more seasons.  So there may be a season 6 somewhere in the future  (not too far in the future, I hope, because I always fear that we may lose a cast member or two if they wait too long).

Sally Wainwright interview

Edited October 4, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[Quilt Fairy]

Just FYI, the "Sargent Cawood" that the police constable mentioned is the character that Sarah Lancashire (Caroline) played in Happy Valley.

ETA:  I just realized that the above mentioned police constable, Cheryl, was Robbie's girlfriend, the one he dumped to marry Gillian.  So no wonder there's a lot of antagonism between them, as well as Cheryl being aware of Robbie's theory that Gillian killed Eddie. 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[zoey1996]

Money problems abound! John gets dumped, and then Judith asks Caroline to dinner. Gillian had such a bad day. Poor sheep, and then the vandalism/mural isn’t a Banksy.

51 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

 

Just FYI, the "Sargent Cawood" that the police constable mentioned is the character that Sarah Lancashire (Caroline) played in Happy Valley.

 

I caught that too.  

Only one more episode?  That doesn’t seem like enough, with all the plot lines that need to be resolved.  I love watching the families, and I’m also happy to watch without having to be involved.

[cinsays]

I guess I missed it because my perception was that Caroline was NOT coming onto Ruth.  Ruth just had the opinion that if you're gay you come onto any other woman you deal with and that was not the case. 

[dsteele]

My perception, as well.

[zoey1996]

1 hour ago, cinsays said:

I guess I missed it because my perception was that Caroline was NOT coming onto Ruth.  Ruth just had the opinion that if you're gay you come onto any other woman you deal with and that was not the case. 

 

42 minutes ago, dsteele said:

My perception, as well.

I agree, she didn't come on to Ruth.  Ruth jumped to a conclusion that just wasn't true.  Perhaps Caroline found Ruth attractive, and would have been open to see if the relationship went anywhere, but I don't believe that she had a nefarious plot in mind.  I think Caroline was clear, that she asked Ruth to do the interview for the reasons she said, no ulterior motive.

[magdalene]

On 9/30/2020 at 2:24 PM, peacheslatour said:

It really is and it makes her come off as creepy.

I got the impression that she didn't come on to her and that the dinner was never intended for coming on to her.  Yes, Caroline did find her attractive but she knew she was straight so there would be no point.   That's why Caroline was so sad and disappointed when Ruth jumped to the classic homophobe conclusion that gay people come on to all straight people they are attracted to. 

I thought the writing made that very clear.  And the acting too.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

I got the impression that she didn't come on to her and that the dinner was never intended for coming on to her.  Yes, Caroline did find her attractive but she knew she was straight so there would be no point.   That's why Caroline was so sad and disappointed when Ruth jumped to the classic homophobe conclusion that gay people come on to all straight people they are attracted to. 

I thought the writing made that very clear.  And the acting too.

I disagree.  There were too many times when Caroline told Ruth "You can stay the night if you want to."   It's not a huge jump for Ruth to take that the wrong way.   Regardless of intentions, Caroline should not be getting into potentially compromising positions with her staff.   

[peacheslatour]

32 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I disagree.  There were too many times when Caroline told Ruth "You can stay the night if you want to."   It's not a huge jump for Ruth to take that the wrong way.   Regardless of intentions, Caroline should not be getting into potentially compromising positions with her staff.   

Beyond that, even of Ruth were into it, I would never have had a lover over night with my young child in the house.

[JudyObscure]

So who think's Caroline should get back with  John for friendship and convenience?   Or  should she start something up with Judith for the thrill?

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

So who think's Caroline should get back with  John for friendship and convenience?   Or  should she start something up with Judith for the thrill?

Never. I can't stand that sad sack.

[JudyObscure]

I agree John's a sad sack. He's also self-centered and manipulative.  He was completely transparent in all his obvious attempts to get with Jillian.  He makes a perfect fool of himself in every episode, Celia hates him and Caroline has no reason to  ever forgive him -- an yet -- I have a soft spot for him.  Probably because he's made me laugh so many times.

[peacheslatour]

Why were  Jillian and Caroline peeling so many carrots? If sheep eat carrots why would you need to peel them? If they were for people, well, Caroline and Jillian could never begin to eat that many.

[JudyObscure]

23 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Why were  Jillian and Caroline peeling so many carrots? If sheep eat carrots why would you need to peel them? If they were for people, well, Caroline and Jillian could never begin to eat that many.

I know, that's a TV and movie thing I notice all the time.  They want to have a scene of women talking while working together in the kitchen, so they have them chopping a gigantic pile of carrots or celery.  Real cooking is so much messier, and anytime my company tries to help they just end up standing in front of whatever appliance or cabinet I need to access. I make mine sit on a stool and talk while I work.

[zoey1996]

On 10/8/2020 at 2:52 PM, peacheslatour said:

Why were  Jillian and Caroline peeling so many carrots? If sheep eat carrots why would you need to peel them? If they were for people, well, Caroline and Jillian could never begin to eat that many.

Carrot soup, maybe?  And with Gillian, you never know how many will come for supper.  

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, zoey1996 said:

Carrot soup, maybe?  And with Gillian, you never know how many will come for supper.  

Ok. I do love carrot soup.

[Quilt Fairy]

Time After Time always makes me tear up. 

[magdalene]

Was that the series finale then?

What was that hymn they sang during the service for Ted?  Is it often sung?

[zoey1996]

The hymn is, I Vow to Thee My Country, and the tune  is Thaxted.  I don’t know how often it is used, but it was at the wedding of Diana and Charles, and also at her funeral. It was used at the funerals of  Churchill and Thatcher, as well as John McCain.  I found the information in Wikipedia.

Many storylines were wrapped up with happy endings. Pleased that Harrison will be with his sister. Sad for Alan’s brother, but he went out as he wished to, I think.

Not all is well, but I think left on a hopeful note.

[peacheslatour]

48 minutes ago, zoey1996 said:

The hymn is, I Vow to Thee My Country, and the tune  is Thaxted.  I don’t know how often it is used, but it was at the wedding of Diana and Charles, and also at her funeral. It was used at the funerals of  Churchill and Thatcher, as well as John McCain.  I found the information in Wikipedia.

Many storylines were wrapped up with happy endings. Pleased that Harrison will be with his sister. Sad for Alan’s brother, but he went out as he wished to, I think.

Not all is well, but I think left on a hopeful note.

And Alan and Celia are going to help Jillian.

[magdalene]

4 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

The hymn is, I Vow to Thee My Country, and the tune  is Thaxted.  I don’t know how often it is used, but it was at the wedding of Diana and Charles, and also at her funeral. It was used at the funerals of  Churchill and Thatcher, as well as John McCain.  I found the information in Wikipedia.

Many storylines were wrapped up with happy endings. Pleased that Harrison will be with his sister. Sad for Alan’s brother, but he went out as he wished to, I think.

Not all is well, but I think left on a hopeful note.

Thank you!  It's beautiful.

[Quilt Fairy]

18 hours ago, magdalene said:

Was that the series finale then?

It is supposed to be, and obviously can serve as a finale, but Sally Wainwright has said she'd be more than happy to write more seasons.  Heaven knows I'd love to see more of these delightfully screwed up and complex blended families. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[MaryHedwig]

Was nobody looking for the car that Harrison stole? 

Did Ted drown? Did he walk into the water, as in commit suicide? He wasn't wet though, was he? 

Did Ted just die of natural causes? Would he have died even if Harrison had not left him on the beach?

I was pleasantly surprised that Harrison returned to pick up Ted.

Is Harrison going to have to spend his adulthood in therapy to discuss guilt over Ted's death? Does he even have a conscience or would such a thing not bother him? (He did look like he had some remorse.) Does Harrison develop a conscience later in life? Please don't tell me he will some day marry Flora or Calamity?

Are we to believe that the vision of his wife was a hallucination. Hell, I saw it too? What does that mean about me?

Those of you watchers from Britain: was a scene cut out that included the birth of the baby? Was a scene cut of regarding the hottie who gave Gillian a cup of tea while she was on the phone? Who was that hottie, do we have a back story on him?

Shouldn't the baby be named Ted?

 

 

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

Did Ted just die of natural causes?

I assume it was a stroke or a heart attack.  But I also thought he might walk into the ocean when he saw Alice. 

[possibilities]

I thought Ted was hallucinating his wife, and that he was going to drown walking into the ocean after her, and then getting swept away, but if that was the case, would they have found his body on shore so soon? Wouldn't the undertow take him? So I think it's equally possible that he was seeing his wife because he was already kind of dying, and perhaps it was a stroke that took him, or some other natural conclusion of his condition, and not a drowning situation.

I thought Caroline was being creepy with Ruth and trying to provoke a situation while claiming plausible deniability, but I also thought Ruth was being homophobic and making assumptions. They were both wrong. I believe Caroline would not have retaliated if rejected, but I also believe that she should have had better boundaries with a subordinate and it's not the first time she's crossed a line in that way. At the same time, Ruth leaving her in a lurch the moment before the interview, and also just flat out falling into the predatory lesbian accusation, was over the top and doesn't paint her in a good light either. 

Caroline may have chosen Ruth for the interview for perfectly good reasons, but inviting her to dinner at home, and getting drunk together, and suggesting repeatedly that she stay the night, was over the professional line.

 

[MaryHedwig]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

Caroline may have chosen Ruth for the interview for perfectly good reasons, but inviting her to dinner at home, and getting drunk together, and suggesting repeatedly that she stay the night, was over the professional line.

I also thought Caroline was being creepy when she offered to help Ruth after her car was defaced. Caroline appeared to be taking advantage of the situation to try to prove that her interest in Ruth was merely professional by leaving the door open and Caroline's uber-businesslike tone of voice. Also, Caroline micro-managing the situation: arranging a ride home for Ruth; finding a person to restore the car for free; offering Gillian as a peer counselor. Maybe Ruth appreciate that but if my boss did that, I might have felt infantilized.

Caroline should not have offered to have Ruth spend the night. Ruth should not have abandoned her right before the interview. In other words, I agree that both women have behaved badly.

I did love Gillian's line to Caroline: 'I'll talk to her, I assume you don't want me to suggest murder?'

 

 

[JudyObscure]

When Ruth first got to Caroline's house she said she had come in a cab so that if she had too much to drink she could just stay the night.  Caroline hadn't invited her to do that.  So when Caroline was repeatedly telling her she could stay all night, I thought she was reassuring Ruth that even though she had discovered she was a lesbian and was acting like a snotty homophobe,  she would still be welcome to stay the night in a spare room. 

 I also thought Caroline was telling the truth when she called Ruth into her office after she had all the car repair and transportation problems worked out.  She was very matter of fact about everything and then said she hated that Ruth might take it all to mean something extra,  but it was Caroline's job as Headmistress to support her teachers and work problems like that out for them. 

That's how it all seemed to me, that the minute Caroline realized that Ruth was straight and not interested in anything romantic, she was immediately embarrassed and no longer the least bit  attracted to Ruth. Then after all the  cruel things Ruth said to her, "Look at yourself! You're 53!" I think Caroline was being very professional to help her out rather than fire her.  All she needed to say was that Ruth left the school in the lurch over the Judith interview.  

[possibilities]

44 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

When Ruth first got to Caroline's house she said she had come in a cab so that if she had too much to drink she could just stay the night. 

That's not what happened. Ruth asked if she could leave her car at Caroline's overnight and call for a ride home if she drank too much to drive. She would then pick her car up the next day once she sobered up. That's when Caroline suggested she could stay the night. 

[JudyObscure]

Ah okay, sorry.  I remembered it wrong.  I still think Caroline was simply reassuring Ruth that she could stay the night if she wanted to.  I certainly don't think Caroline had any plan to get Ruth into one of her bedrooms and then sneak in after she was asleep and force sex on a straight, unwilling woman.  

[peacheslatour]

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Ah okay, sorry.  I remembered it wrong.  I still think Caroline was simply reassuring Ruth that she could stay the night if she wanted to.  I certainly don't think Caroline had any plan to get Ruth into one of her bedrooms and then sneak in after she was asleep and force sex on a straight, unwilling woman.  

I don't either, I think Caroline is lonely and wanted a friend. Sure she was willing to see if it turned into anything but I just don't see her forcing the issue.

Edited October 14, 2020 by peacheslatour

[possibilities]

I don't think she was going to try to force anything, either. 

[peacheslatour]

Can we talk a little bit about Harrison? I think he's incredibly special, brilliant even.

[possibilities]

I was so glad they didn't go the way I expected, by having him accidentally set the shed on fire, or crash the car. His life skills were impressive, as is his ability to not become totally hardened and lacking conscience out of desperation.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I was so glad they didn't go the way I expected, by having him accidentally set the shed on fire, or crash the car. His life skills were impressive, as is his ability to not become totally hardened and lacking conscience out of desperation.

I think there's a good chance his "life skills" will keep him a grifter and thief even when he's an adult.  They're also pinning a lot of expectations on his 18yo sister being able to take care of the 2 of them. 

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I was so glad they didn't go the way I expected, by having him accidentally set the shed on fire, or crash the car. His life skills were impressive, as is his ability to not become totally hardened and lacking conscience out of desperation.

His parking skills are on  different plane.

[JudyObscure]

I'm hoping Alan will stay in his life somehow and he'll start by reassuring Harrison that Ted was already very close to death, had come home to die, and all he talked about was seeing the place where he and his wife had honeymooned one last time.  Even if it's not all 100% true it should be framed so that Harrison would think he did Ted a good turn by taking him to the beach and wasn't responsible for Ted's death.

Alan's probably going to have to give up the supermarket job for Celia, but he could keep weekly visits with Harrison as part of the bargain.

[Quilt Fairy]

20 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

His parking skills are on  different plane.

Good God, yes!  When he did that perfect back-up into a parking spot it took me out of the episode for a second because I thought "That's just impossible." 

[Pattycake2]

Does anyone know what happened to Alan’s son Gary?

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Pattycake2 said:

Does anyone know what happened to Alan’s son Gary?

Last I heard of him was when he upgraded Alan and Celia's tickets to New Zealand. I didn't watch the Christmas specials though.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Last I heard of him was when he upgraded Alan and Celia's tickets to New Zealand. I didn't watch the Christmas specials though.

The only time he was mentioned in the Christmas special is when Alan is discussing his will with Gillian. Other than that, nothing.  He really never added anything except as a particularly useless plot point, so good riddance. 

[possibilities]

I had totally forgotten he existed!

[GrammyPammy]

My favorite part of the whole series was that every time Alan’s phone rang, he had to be told by another character that it was his phone that was ringing!
i thoroughly enjoyed every episode of this show.

[Quilt Fairy]

3 minutes ago, GrammyPammy said:

i thoroughly enjoyed every episode of this show.

It's one of my go-to shows when I need something calming.  (The other is the Great British Baking Show.)   I've watched the very first episode more times than I can count.  That and the second season finale. 

[GrammyPammy]

1 minute ago, Quilt Fairy said:

9 minutes ago, GrammyPammy said:

i thoroughly enjoyed every episode of this show.

It's one of my go-to shows when I need something calming.

I love to have “Very British Problems“ on in the background. I’m American and the British accents are very soothing.

[peacheslatour]

9 hours ago, GrammyPammy said:

I love to have “Very British Problems“ on in the background. I’m American and the British accents are very soothing.

They are aren't they? I watch British TV almost exclusively. Vera, Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, Luther, Endeavour and Inspector Morse. I really miss Maigret. I used to really like The British Baking show but I hate the new hosts/judges. The weekends are a vast wasteland with nothing good on PBS. Bleh.

[Spunkygal]

35 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

They are aren't they? I watch British TV almost exclusively. Vera, Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, Luther, Endeavour and Inspector Morse. I really miss Maigret. I used to really like The British Baking show but I hate the new hosts/judges. The weekends are a vast wasteland with nothing good on PBS. Bleh.

Regarding PBS, my area is getting 30 minute episodes of Antiques Roadshow UK on Saturdays, a show which I adore. These episodes are from 2017 but have not been aired in my area before. The 30 minutes appears to not be the full episode shown in the UK because the program descriptions on the “info” guide mentions more items than what are shown. But I’ll take it! Lovely Fiona Bruce is still the host. 

Back on topic, I was very fearful that Ted was going to wander out in the ocean toward his late wife’s vision and something bad would happen to Harrison while trying to save Ted. So glad it didn’t go that way.