Not what it should have been (One Foot in the Grave - Series 6(DVD))

Member Name: MI9to5

Product:	One Foot in the Grave - Series 6(DVD)
Date:	30/10/09 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An end to a series

Disadvantages: Should have been spectacular

One Foot in the Grave is a well-known and well-loved British sitcom written by David Renwick that ran for six series' between the years of 1990 and 2000. In 2004 it was voted as the 10th best British sitcom in a BBC pole, a position I think it well deserves. The series as a whole follows lead character Victor Meldrew as he struggles to find things to fill up his days after he is forced to take early retirement when he is 'replaced by a box'. Victor is a moaner plain and simple. He loves to complain about everything and anything from salesmen, to local yobs and will do quite frequently.

Despite it's rather elementary premise the series did cause a bit of controversy due to its subversion and its strong black comedy elements. Farce and tragedy are expertly blended however in my opinion and in this way portray a situation that seems more realistic than I think it would otherwise be. More importantly the situation that is more often than not conveyed is one that all be it slightly exaggerated is a situation that a lot of people find themselves in and in that way everything about the storyline and the characters is brought to life.

== The DVD's ==
The sixth series of One Foot in the Grave is the final one and aired in late 2000 long after the previous series in 1995 and the two subsequent specials in 1996 and 1997. I was ten when this series was first on the TV but wasn't particularly interested in watching it having never seen any of the other series' and so I have only ever caught re-runs of the many episodes. I was however well aware of how the series ended but don't think that this impinged upon my viewing in any way. The series DVD's comes complete with all six episodes form the sixth series as well as a feature entitled 'I Don't Believe It - The Story of One Foot in the Grave" and an episode commentary for the first episode of this series.

== The Episodes ==
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Episode 1 - The Executioner's Song
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This opening episode sees Victor have his window cleaning performance reviewed poorly in the Parish magazine, which puts him in a bad mood. He does however manage to find the perfect birthday present for Patrick or so he thinks.

Opinion - This episode is worth watching because in many ways it shows Victor trying his best to bury the hatchet with Patrick but failing because Patrick doesn't really understand. It is here that I can see the genuine moments of tragedy that are spoken about in a quote on the DVD box.

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Episode 2 - Tales of Terror
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Victor has been given the lead role in the amateur dramatic production of Nosferatu the Vampire - but real life is scarier.

Opinion - This episode just simply wasn't for me and isn't one that I'd particularly want to see again. It lacked both spark and humour and just feel short of were it should have.

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Episode 3 - The Futility of the Fly
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The delivery of a giant plastic fly confuses the heck out of Victor and Margaret but things are about to get much worse when the find a deep-fired finger in their chips and Victor inadvertently sends Mrs Warboys to a tattoo parlour.

Opinion - This episode could have been so much better than it is, as the premise for it has all the sparks of those in the early series. Unfortunately however the lack of explanation for the fly and the many half jokes throughout actually make for confusing and rather uninteresting viewing.

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Episode 4 - Threatening Weather
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The Meldrews are in for another trial when they suffer a power cut on the hottest day of the year. If that wasn't bad enough Victor's feet have been featured in 'The Lancer' and teenagers keep insisting of having sex on the back seat of his car.

Opinion - This episode is probably the only one in the series that really lives up to the standard that we have come to expect. This is probably because once again we find Victor trapped in one location and therefore at his grumpiest and most temperamental.

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Episode 5 - The Dawn of Man
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Patrick's gay brother is staying with them and this causes great confusion for Victor especially after a strange event in a video shop.

Opinion - This is a pleasant episode to watch but like I have said so many times in this review just falls short of the mark that I would have expected.

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Episode 6 - Things Aren't Simple Anymore
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This episode depicts Victor's last days in the world were nothing goes to plan as usual. The Meldrew house becomes a sacred shrine, he syringes ha car mooner's bottom and no one but him turns up at a work reunion.

Opinion - I always knew how the series was going to end but to be perfectly honest don't think that this episode was handled very well at all. The way that it opened with the news that Victor had been dead for quite some time and then flashbacked to he last days on earth wasn't something that appealed to me. I think that impact of his death would have been far greater if it had been revealed in the closing moments of the episode rather than in the opening ones.

== The Theme Tune ==
The theme tune in my opinion is as much a part of the show as a whole as the episode scripting, and the actors. The tune, which is played over both the opening and closing credits, is brilliant. It simply sums up what the entire show is about in a light-hearted and humorous manner but also makes a couple of points in a dry sort of way, rather like Victor himself.
"So I'm a wrinkly, crinkly, set in my ways.
It's true that my body has seen better days.
But give me half a chance and I can still misbehave."

== The Characters and the Actors ==
The characters within this series as they have been throughout are all iconic in their own ways and have been brilliantly constructed. Victor is still as grumpy as ever, Margaret getting more and more agitated by his antics and Patrick in utter dismay of the man. Mrs Warboys is still as chirpy as ever as is Nick Swainey and Pippa still continues to try and make husband Patrick call a truce.

Although I love all of the characters within this show I don't think that this series but them to best use. For example many of the cast just weren't used enough in my opinion and had they been utilised more effectively but have greatly improved the quality of the series as a whole.

The actors themselves all put in good performances and cannot really be faulted for their acting, as it is the scripting of the show that lets it down and not how the actors say their lines or do what has been asked of them.

== General Series Opinion ==
In my opinion this series really lacks in some many ways and the humour is one of the things that really suffers. Previous series' have seamlessly blended slapstick humour, subtle word puns and poignant moments but for some reason this series just doesn't do that for me. Maybe this is because some of the background characters just aren't used enough. Mrs Warboys appearances are limited for instance and the lack of an appearance from her in the final episode seems strange to say the least.

Furthermore the storylines seem to be more ludicrous than ever before and not in a good way. Some of the episodes are pleasant to watch and provide a bit of light comic relief but on the whole they just don't do it for me. All of this could however have been salvaged if the final episode had made a real impact. I know that when it first aired it shocked many people but like I have said in my opinion of the episode in question it is rather spoilt by the realisation of death too early on. For me therefore this series falls increasingly short of the mark and in many ways flat on it's face.

The quote I have mentioned earlier comes from The Times and reads:

"Meldrew is going out on a high... the last series has been as sharp and clever as any, spiked with unexpected moments of genuine tragedy, as if the writer David Renwick was preparing us for death."

From this I was expecting a superb series but this is just not what I found and this really disappointed me. Ok some of the moments within the series may be preparing us for death. One in the first episode is a moment of genuine tragedy but Meldrew in no way goes out on a high and the series certainly isn't as sharp and clever as ever. Quite simply a series that should have been utilised to send a classic out on a poignant high doesn't and fails epically for me because of this.

Summary: Could have been and should have been so much better