Firstly, I'm so sorry for the loss of your father last year, Tash.💔 This episode actually made me cry...more than once. Mary was a great character and I was truly sorry to see her sucked off. The birthday party was a nice distraction and kept us from sinking into sadness and I enjoyed how the episode wound around the glee of the party and the heartbreak of losing Mary. Robin's wisdom at the eulogy is so sweet. and you come to realize he must have seen so very many of his friends sucked off. How do you process that over the millennium? In the last scene where they are assigning Mary a star...more tears. Such a good episode. This one was a 10 for me. Vol Au Vents are single-bite puff pastries with some filling,, either savory or sweet (think pizza rolls). And I swear I remember the episode where Mike runs through Button House naked and Humphrey asks if someone is clapping...was that in the first season? I'll need to rewatch it to confirm. I think a lot of kids have past life memories, they fade with age and self-awareness, but tiny kids are often open to exploring this if you ask them the correct questions. Someone once shared with me that this is why all these newborn baby photos have expressions on their faces basically saying "Oh no, not this again". I've also heard that birthmarks often are carryovers that were fatal wounds from a past life.
This opening is quite similar to the previous ep, in that we are right into the action, with last week's aftermath of the unseen telling off. Regarding never intending a character to leave, this would fit as it is about the tedium of the afterlife where they resort to bickering. Although it's interesting that they already introduce the concept of being sucked off in season 2, with Annie in the Thomas Thorne Affair, so they could easily write Katy out with existing lore. We've seen the similarities between Pat and the Cap last season in Woodworm Men, when they go camping. Pat can actually pitch a tent using knots, whereas the Cap doesn't know the names of things, but eventually earns some badges from Pat. The levels mentioned by Pat and Kitty are: Gate of Herbert - Frank Herbert wrote a little book called Dune (although that isn't the one shown) Wizard Larsson with the dragon tattoo - Yes you are correct Castle of Tolstoy - Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace, Anna Karenina Ludlum - Robert Ludlum wrote the Jason Bourne books Orb of Holcroft - this one is harder as we don't see a shot of the library when this is mentioned, but most likely the 18th Century poet Thomas Holcroft Kitty mentions Mary has become a ghost ghost after moving on, a term she has previously used in S2E1 The Grey Lady. Ghost hunters claim to detect activity in an area where Kitty is, but she doesn't seem to realise she is a ghost so gets scared about ghost ghosts haunting her. Fanny mentions Alison should wear black for 2 years, which would fit for a widow mourning her husband in Edwardian times, which is interesting how Fanny sees the relationship (The next longest mourning period is 6 months for a parent or a child) The entertainer is credited as Tony Vanoli but I don't think this is ever mentioned, perhaps this was cut. Of the stars Robin names at the end, we meet William briefly next season in ep 4. We see them in a castle sharing a joke, then Will gets sucked off. After an indeterminate time of waiting, a young Humphrey and Sophie turn up.
In answer to Alison's callout about Mike's 'Nuddy-run' in The Hardest Word. She is definitely correct that Humphrey's Head does ask if someone was clapping. It seems to be an out-take though, as I've just watched both 'runs' for research purposes, and it's not there. I'm sorry to hear of Tash's loss of her father. This must have been a hard watch in many ways. Luke's Googling seems to have been correct- Operation Desert Storm was a US led operation, developing out of Operation Desert Shield, although the British Military were an integral part of this. So in this case I think Julian is mis-remembering (or mis-representing) his part in naming it. I agree with Tash that if people are lucky enough to survive to a really great age, the inevitability of death of people they have been close to just increases, and one becomes more philosophical about loss. I remember my parents who both lived into their 90's noting that they'd been to yet another funeral, and that there was no-one left from their families and friends. We do see William briefly in one episode, getting 'moved on' after sharing a joke with Robin. I think Luke's suggestion that he is Norman or similar is about right.
Firstly, I'm so sorry for the loss of your father last year, Tash.💔 This episode actually made me cry...more than once. Mary was a great character and I was truly sorry to see her sucked off. The birthday party was a nice distraction and kept us from sinking into sadness and I enjoyed how the episode wound around the glee of the party and the heartbreak of losing Mary. Robin's wisdom at the eulogy is so sweet. and you come to realize he must have seen so very many of his friends sucked off. How do you process that over the millennium? In the last scene where they are assigning Mary a star...more tears. Such a good episode. This one was a 10 for me. Vol Au Vents are single-bite puff pastries with some filling,, either savory or sweet (think pizza rolls). And I swear I remember the episode where Mike runs through Button House naked and Humphrey asks if someone is clapping...was that in the first season? I'll need to rewatch it to confirm. I think a lot of kids have past life memories, they fade with age and self-awareness, but tiny kids are often open to exploring this if you ask them the correct questions. Someone once shared with me that this is why all these newborn baby photos have expressions on their faces basically saying "Oh no, not this again". I've also heard that birthmarks often are carryovers that were fatal wounds from a past life.
This opening is quite similar to the previous ep, in that we are right into the action, with last week's aftermath of the unseen telling off.
Regarding never intending a character to leave, this would fit as it is about the tedium of the afterlife where they resort to bickering. Although it's interesting that they already introduce the concept of being sucked off in season 2, with Annie in the Thomas Thorne Affair, so they could easily write Katy out with existing lore.
We've seen the similarities between Pat and the Cap last season in Woodworm Men, when they go camping. Pat can actually pitch a tent using knots, whereas the Cap doesn't know the names of things, but eventually earns some badges from Pat.
The levels mentioned by Pat and Kitty are:
Gate of Herbert - Frank Herbert wrote a little book called Dune (although that isn't the one shown)
Wizard Larsson with the dragon tattoo - Yes you are correct
Castle of Tolstoy - Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace, Anna Karenina
Ludlum - Robert Ludlum wrote the Jason Bourne books
Orb of Holcroft - this one is harder as we don't see a shot of the library when this is mentioned, but most likely the 18th Century poet Thomas Holcroft
Kitty mentions Mary has become a ghost ghost after moving on, a term she has previously used in S2E1 The Grey Lady. Ghost hunters claim to detect activity in an area where Kitty is, but she doesn't seem to realise she is a ghost so gets scared about ghost ghosts haunting her.
Fanny mentions Alison should wear black for 2 years, which would fit for a widow mourning her husband in Edwardian times, which is interesting how Fanny sees the relationship (The next longest mourning period is 6 months for a parent or a child)
The entertainer is credited as Tony Vanoli but I don't think this is ever mentioned, perhaps this was cut.
Of the stars Robin names at the end, we meet William briefly next season in ep 4. We see them in a castle sharing a joke, then Will gets sucked off. After an indeterminate time of waiting, a young Humphrey and Sophie turn up.
In answer to Alison's callout about Mike's 'Nuddy-run' in The Hardest Word. She is definitely correct that Humphrey's Head does ask if someone was clapping. It seems to be an out-take though, as I've just watched both 'runs' for research purposes, and it's not there.
I'm sorry to hear of Tash's loss of her father. This must have been a hard watch in many ways.
Luke's Googling seems to have been correct- Operation Desert Storm was a US led operation, developing out of Operation Desert Shield, although the British Military were an integral part of this. So in this case I think Julian is mis-remembering (or mis-representing) his part in naming it.
I agree with Tash that if people are lucky enough to survive to a really great age, the inevitability of death of people they have been close to just increases, and one becomes more philosophical about loss. I remember my parents who both lived into their 90's noting that they'd been to yet another funeral, and that there was no-one left from their families and friends.
We do see William briefly in one episode, getting 'moved on' after sharing a joke with Robin. I think Luke's suggestion that he is Norman or similar is about right.