Joints: On 3'sC31, the scene opens on the plant and then the camera pans down to the people. Robin asks if Larry's sure. Larry says something about a bloke who possessed one of these and got a 150 quid fine. Both Chrissys say they didn't know a cannabis/marijuana plant would look like this. Both Larrys ask what the Chrissys expected, "clusters of ready-rolled joints?"
Robin thinks the plant is from the squatters in #12. They grow their own food. And the seeds could've blown over to Mr. Roper's garden. Jack doesn't blame anyone in particular. He says the wind could've blown the seeds from anywhere, or birds could've carried them.
The Larrys say to stick to that story. Brit-Larry says it'll put a bit of doubt in the jury's mind. Amer-Larry says, "I'm sure any jury in the world would believe you." Brit-Larry says it's nothing to do with him. He plans to say, "I don't know either of them, Inspector." Then he leaves. Amer-Larry says that this could mean a year in jail. He plans to say, "Officer, I never saw these people before in my life. Thank you and goodnight." Then he salutes.
Robin says they'll burn it outside, in a bonfire. Chrissy says then half the neighbourhood will get stoned. On 3'sC, these lines are reversed between Chrissy and Jack. Robin suggests flushing it down the loo, but Chrissy says that blocks up if you tap your ash into it. These lines are omitted on 3'sC. Both Chrissys suggest burying the cannabis in the garden, but Robin says next year a whole crop will come up. On 3'sC, the line goes to Larry, with the addition, after a pause, of "Call me." Then he leaves. Jack calls after him, "Thanks for your help, Larry."
Brit-Chrissy suggests slinging the plant in the dustbin. Robin thinks the dustmen might recognise it. He thinks she should put it on the balcony. The cat next door will pee on it. That's how she loses half her plants. (This first came up on MatH21.) Jack is less explicit when he suggests the balcony, saying they can "get the cat next door to come visit it. Well, that's how you lost your fern."
The Chrissys think they should ask the police for advice. Robin says that idea is sensible, logical, "and I don't like it." Jack protests, "No way! No police!" and swigs some of Roper's beer.
Plant: So of course the next scene is set in a police station. Robin and Chrissy bring in the plant wrapped in brown paper. Jack and Chrissy arrive on their bikes, without the plant.
Brit-Chrissy says that when she was a kid, she was told that policemen are our friends. Robin says, "Listen, when you were a kid, they were."
Jack says he feels funny.
Chrissy: That's because you've been drinking all that beer.
Jack: No, coming here is a big mistake.
Chrissy: You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Jack: I was afraid of that.
The desk sergeant tells them they shouldn't bring their bikes in here. Chrissy exclaims, "We can't leave them in front of the police station! They'll get stolen!"
As I mentioned earlier, the British desk sergeant is played by Ken Watson. The American is played by David Tress, who'd return to 3'sC a couple years later as "Virgil." It looks like he mostly did dramas, although he did appear on an early Seinfeld episode.
Robin: My name is--
Chrissy: He doesn't need to know that!
Robin: You don't need to know that.
Chrissy: Not yet anyway.
Robin: Not yet anyway.
Jack: My name is--
Chrissy: You don't have to tell him your name.
Jack: That's true, I don't have to tell you my name.
Chrissy: (amused) Not yet anyway.
Jack: Not yet anyway.
Robin says he's asking a question on behalf of a friend. Jack says he just dropped in to ask a few questions on behalf of a friend, "you don't know him."
Amer-Sergeant: I don't know you either!
Amer-Chrissy: Oh, you'd like him if you did. He's very honest, loyal, sincere.
Robin wonders, if someone committed an offence without meaning to, would he still be guilty? Jack wonders what would happen if his friend accidentally committed an offense. Amer-Chrissy "explains," "What he means is, if his friend was innocent, would he still be guilty?"
Amer-Sergeant: Of what?
Amer-Chrissy: Of what he didn't do.
The Brit-sergeant wants to know what sort of offence. Robin names various offences, including possession of drugs, which gets the sergeant's attention. Chrissy says it could've been overdue library books.
Jack thinks they should go, but the Amer-sergeant says that Jack said offense. "What kind of offense?" Jack hesitates, then names various things, mumbling "possession of drugs."
Amer-Sergeant: Drugs?
Amer-Chrissy: He didn't say drugs!
Amer-Sergeant: (coming out from behind the very high desk) What kind of drugs? And what did you mean by possession?
Robin/Jack says it's a plant. The sergeants exclaim, "Someone's planted drugs on you?"
Brit-Sergeant: Son, as far as I'm concerned, you and your friend can park your car, you can fill it full of overdue library books, you can flash the faulty headlights on and off until you're blue in the face.
Robin: Thank you very much.
Brit-Sergeant: It's harmless. But when it comes to drugs, that's a different matter.
The Amer-sergeant says that possession of drugs is a very serious crime. He puts his arm paternally on Jack's shoulder and asks what this is all about. Jack stutters on the word "hypothetical," so the sergeant thinks he means hypodermic. Jack stutters more then tries to leave.
Robin and Chrissy sneak out while the sergeant is getting the form for a statement. Jack won't get away so easily.
Fill this: The Amer-sergeant asks, "Are you riding those bicycles to your home?" Jack says, "Just the one," and chuckles. Then he babbles. The sergeant asks if Jack has been drinking.
Jack: Who, me? (He hiccoughs.) No!
Chrissy: (cheerfully) Just some home-made beer.
The sergeant says it's against the law to ride a bicycle while under the influence. He'd like Jack to take a breath test. He goes back behind the desk. Jack says, "No, Officer, I can breathe just fine!" He pants like a dog.
Meanwhile, Robin22 is taking the breath test again, this time at the police station. The results are the same as the first. The police sergeant says Robin is well over. He's played by Alister Williamson, who worked from 1959 to '86, often as a policeman. The sergeant says they'll need a sample. He takes out a urine bottle and asks, "Can you fill this?" Robin says, "Well, not from here, no."
The Amer-sergeant says, "Don't want to take the breath test, eh? Fine, Sir." He holds up the urine bottle. "Can you fill this?" Jack says, "Not from here." The gag is exaggerated because of the distance between Jack and the high desk. The audience laughs and applauds.
Robin says he's just been. The sergeant says he'll have to go again. Robin doesn't think he has any left. The sergeant suggests a blood sample, but Robin doesn't want that. He suggests they turn on the water tap to inspire him. The sergeant can't do that, but he says it helps to whistle. Robin wonders if it has to be anything in particular.
While Robin's in the next room, the sergeant explains to Chrissy about the summons. Robin whistles a tune I don't recognise. He comes in soon after. He needs another bottle because he dropped the first one.
3'sC keeps it simpler and cleaner. The sergeant comes down from the desk again, hands Jack the bottle, and points to the next room, saying, "In there!"
Dustmen: Since Robin and Chrissy escaped on MatH31, they're now walking down their street with the plant. They see the rubbish lorry. Chrissy wants Robin to sling the plant in the lorry. He has to first ask the dustmen questions. Do they know anything about botany? The second dustman knows philosophy. There's an extreme close-up of Chrissy looking approving as Robin slings the plant in.
The first dustman is played by John Lyons, who was then about 32 and is still working today, with 39 episodes of A Touch of Frost from 1992 to 2010. The second dustman is Mike Savage, also 32 at the time, and he did one episode of A Touch of Frost, as well as another episode of MatH in '76, plus a bunch of other roles, often as a policeman or detective.
Outside their flat, Chrissy tells Robin, "I don't know about policemen, but I think our dustmen are wonderful."
Duck: In the next scene on MatH22, Robin is in his dressing gown. He could fight the summons and get the backing of the AA, RAC (Royal Automobile Club), and something Taylor. Jo points out he's guilty. He says that's the weak part of his argument.
She thinks he should plead "guilty but not much." Her Uncle Albert did, for "interfering with a duck on a public highway." (For those keeping track, this makes at least three uncles for Jo, although Uncle Arthur sounds like he was old enough to more likely be a great-uncle.)
Jo: He was remanded for medical reports. Uncle Albert, not the duck.
Robin: Funny lot, your family.
Jo: Mm hm. I'm the only normal one.
Robin says he didn't do anything. She says, "Neither did he. Ducks can move very quickly when they want to."
Robin says he didn't drive very far, probably not even a yard. He doubts the wheels turned a full circle.
He's due in court at 12. Chrissy is amused as she says, "Oh, high noon."
Robin: One little mistake and I'm suspended.
Jo: They hang you?
It's Chrissy's day off and she's going to be taking her driving test, which means that ten days have elapsed. (The "gardening" episodes cover only a couple days.) Jo forgot Chrissy wasn't going into work, and now Jo is really late. She says that it's ten minutes, but if it was the two of them, it would only be five minutes each. She tells Robin, "See you in court," presumably going on her lunch hour.
Mr. Roper is just about to knock when she's coming through the door, so she tells him, "Oh, you don't have to now 'cause it's open." He goes in.
He has a couple little tips. Chrissy is skeptical, because of the pound-in-the-driving-licence tip. He admits he slipped up there. He didn't allow for inflation, and it should've been a fiver. He asks Chrissy for coffee. She goes to the kitchen to get it. He tells Robin, "I had to get rid of her in that subtle manner."
George asks Robin if there's any chance he's a Buffalo, since most magistrates are. He demonstrates the Buffalo sign for help and assistance, which in part is thumbing the nose. It's unclear if George belongs to that lodge or this is just something he picked up somewhere.
Chrissy comes back with the coffee, but George tells her no thanks, he prefers tea in the morning.
He asks Robin if he's going to wear a suit. Robin says no, he'll go stark naked. "That's how we Freemasons recognise each other."
Mrs. Roper lets herself in. She's very flirty with her husband about the bacon. She asks if he fancies any of his beer. He says she's got him drinking it all hours of the day. She says it was just a thought.
The Ropers are going to watch Robin's case, too. Mildred says it'll give her a chance to wear her new hat. George plans to bring chocolates. Robin cries, "Chocolates?!? No one's taking this seriously!"
Headmaster: The next scene is set in the hallway of the courthouse. A dreary-looking woman named Mrs. McDonald is called in. (She's uncredited, as is the smiling vicar coming up.) Robin says this is just like being brought up in front of the headmaster in school. Jo says that was six strokes versus the six months he might face now. (These strokes are from paddling or spanking, as opposed to being put off your stroke.)
Robin whistles, and Chrissy, amused, says, "Careful, you'll wet yourself."
The smiling vicar is reading Kung Fu magazine.
Robin: What do you think he's here for?
Chrissy: God knows. (She chuckles.)
Robin refers to the "ratty little policeman," so of course Ken Watson appears.
In the courtroom the mousy woman is accused of having 23 tins of baked beans (clutch) about her person, plus corn flakes. The magistrate says there's too much shoplifting. He's going to be "lenient" though, and give her three months without the option. George, watching from the gallery, says this is better than the telly. Mildred is wearing a red hat to match her red & white outfit.
The magistrate is played by Erik Chitty, who died two years later, at the age of 70. He did TV-movies in the 1930s! He worked steadily till the end, including 55 episodes of Please Sir! as Mr. Smith.
Ken-cop says that it'll be another half hour for Robin, since they always run late. He offers a sweet. Robin says, "The condemned man ate a hearty toffee."
All things bright and beautiful: Chrissy goes up to the gallery. Robin asks Ken-cop if he feels any guilt. Ken-cop says, "You was the one running round with your trousers down, singing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful.' " No, that was actually the vicar, who keeps smiling.
A man whom I think is the clerk of the court calls them in right after Robin puts the toffee in his mouth, although it obviously hasn't been half an hour yet. The clerk is played by Frank Lester, whose credits are only from 1971 to '84, yet somehow include both The Rocky Horror Picture Show (as "Wedding Dad") and Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
Or is he the warrant officer, played by Mark Boyle? Boyle mostly did stunts, but he also played policemen and similar.
George: (meaning Robin) I know him.
Bicyclist: So do I.
Chrissy: It's his bicycle we ran over.
We find out that Robin's full name is Robin Oswald Tripp.
Jo: He kept that quiet.
Chrissy: I don't blame him.
He's accused of acting contrary to the Road Safety Act of 1967. He has the toffee stuck in his mouth. He swallows it and pleads guilty. Ken-cop says that the incident happened at 7.15 p.m. on the 18th of this month, which I guess was February 1975, rather than happening in the then "future" of 18 March. He was on patrol duty in the Kensington area.
George offers the soft centres, which he doesn't like, to the other people in the gallery. He thinks Ken-cop is very good, very realistic. He compares the trial to Crossroads, which is funny considering that that show was supposed to be so bad it was good.
Ken-cop says, "I asked him to take a breathalyser. Whereupon he replied, 'All things bright and beautiful'....Whereupon he replied, 'Oh, bloody hell. I have only had a pint of home-made neck's water." The camera cuts to George looking confused yet insulted. (I have no idea what neck's water is.)
The magistrate asks if Robin has any questions. Robin puts his hands on his hips and says, "I'd like you to cast your mind back to the 18th--" The magistrate says, "Without the Perry-Masonisms if you please."
Robin asks if the wheels went all the way round. He compares it to football. The magistrate says this isn't relevant unless Robin was playing football in the car. The FA rules do not apply in this courtoom. "In that respect, I'm afraid you're offside." The magistrate breaks himself up, and the others in the courtroom are also amused. Then the magistrate asks if Robin has any more foolish questions.
Jo asks Chrissy if they were playing football in the car. Chrissy says, "No, he lives in a world of his own."
The magistrate disqualifies Robin from driving for 12 months, and fines him 25 pounds. As Robin returns to the hallway, he passes the smiling vicar. Ken-cop tells him it could've been 50, not years but pounds. Robin says they're ignoring the 20,000 miles he's driven stone cold sober.
Over on 3'sC, Jack and Chrissy come home, she with her bike, he on foot.
Chrissy: I told you you shouldn't be drinking that dumb beer!
Jack: You didn't have to tell the cop that I'd been drinking it!
Chrissy: Tell him? He could smell your breath before you opened you mouth!
Jack will have to go to court, he'll be fined, and it'll be weeks before he sees his bike again. He says he loved that bike, and the cops will probably be riding it all round L.A. We won't see Jack's court case, as this is the last his drunk driving (or drunk pedaling) will be mentioned.
Back in the U.K., the girls and the Ropers come down the gallery staircase, then Ken-cop says he didn't mention the attempted bribery. George calls that disgraceful, as if it wasn't his fault.
Jo: Never mind, Oswald.
Chrissy: Oswald. Do you realise that makes your initials spell "rot"?
Chrissy's driving test will be at half past one. Robin can't drive her there now. So Mildred volunteers George.
Driving Test: A woman exits, crying, from a building with a sign "Department of the Environment, Driving Tests." Then Chrissy parks next to a "No Parking" sign. Robin, who's come along with her and George, says that 50% of people pass their driving test on the first try. Chrissy says that this means that 50% fail. George is about to give her a little tip but then thinks not.
The examiner of course turns out to be the bicyclist. Chrissy talks about tuna fish, beans, and chunky chicken. Then she backs up, and we see a bicycle wheel roll by. She's hit his bike again.
This is a very long episode, 29 minutes, and it's funny how little of it ends up Americanized. There's still a ways to go for 3'sC.
Remembering Mrs. Roper: Amer-Chrissy says they still haven't decided what to do about the plants. Jack says chop 'em up and put them down the garbage disposal. She says it doesn't work. He says to get Roper to fix it.
The name Roper reminds Chrissy. With big eyes, she says that Mrs. Roper is using the marijuana plant in her flower arrangement. He says they've got to warn Mrs. Roper. She says that it's too late, and Mrs. Roper will already be at the exhibition.
Brit-Chrissy also remembers Mrs. Roper. Then Larry comes in with a suggestion. They could post the plant to themselves, marked highly valuable. Then the postman will nick it. Larry is the one who says that the Ropers left half an hour ago, with Mildred's flower arrangement.
The Exhibition: On 3'sC, we get a large sign that says, "Arts & Crafts Display, Adult Class Evening Sessions." There's also a little sign by someone's arrangement of yellow tulips and other flowers that reads, "Happiness and Harmony." Mrs. Roper's display reads, "Symphony of the Wild Flowers."
There's a reporter with a pen and camera, who's following the teacher. Helen tells us that her teacher is one of the judges. The reporter isn't credited but the "flower judge" is Ludi Claire, who had only a handful of credits, this being her last. She was on Edge of Night for two years.
On Math31, the teacher poses for photographs. He's male and played by Charles Morgan, who has credits from 1949 to '89, including eight appearances on Doctor Who and amusingly a part on Crossroads.
Mildred is appropriately wearing a pink floral outfit with a pink flowered hat.
Helen tells Stanley to try to look interested, but he's not. She says, "Then try to look alive." She takes away his bag of peanuts. He's wearing bland colors, with a sweater over his shirt. She says, "Look at the way you're dressed! Did you remember to wear clean shorts?" He asks, "Why? Are they judging them, too?"
Mildred asks George if he's wearing clean underpants.
George: What exactly are they judging?
Mildred: Everything...Have you been?
George: No.
Mildred: Then you're gonna have to wait.
The British teacher says one arrangement is a splendid effort, and the reporter gets a shot of him and the student. The American teacher also has the reporter get a shot of her and a student. "The local press" is here, so Mr. Roper smiles, but his wife scolds, "Don't smile! It makes you look" simple for MatH, simple-minded for 3'sC.
A man comes over and tells Mrs. Roper that there's a telephone call for her, the American whispering it to her. Mrs. Roper has her husband answer it.
Brit-Larry says maybe the judges won't recognise the plant. Chrissy says the place is full of experts.
Brit-Chrissy: Hello, Mrs. Roper?
George: Do I look like her? Chrissy who? Can of what? Oh, bisque.
Gradually he realises what she's saying.
Stanley says, "Mrs. Roper has a what in her arrangement? A can of what? Can of bis? What's that? Oh, cannabis. So?" Then he widens his eyes as Jack or Chrissy explains offscreen. "What? What? Mari--Shh!" He looks around in a paranoid way. "I know it's illegal! Oh God!"
Mr. Roper rushes over to his wife's display. He tries to tell her but she won't listen because she's next. George pulls the plant out and makes a mess. Mildred cries. Stanley goes to another table and gets a reddish purple clay thing, which he throws on top of her arrangement. Helen is shocked and horrified. He tries to look innocent.
The British teacher sees that Mildred's arrangement is called "Poem of the Hedgerows." He says it's very unusual, casual. The American teacher says Helen's is very unusual. They agree, "not your best work." The American adds, "But you'll improve." She goes to talk to the reporter, a few feet behind the Ropers, very important for staging.
They're less concerned about that sort of farcical set-up on the British show. They just have the teacher overhear George say he didn't want the teacher to see the plant. That teacher identifies the plant as Grevillea robusta, or silk-bark oak. On 3'sC, the teacher turns and says the plant is "such a fascinating little fellow, false aralia." (If Google images are anything to go by, the second plant's leaves look much more like marijuana.) When the American teacher hears what Stanley thinks the plant is, she's amused and says, "Cannabis? Oh, dear me, we do have a lot to learn, don't we?"
Mrs. Roper is so upset that she hits her husband with her purse. The reporters get a picture of it, the American kissing his fingertips in gratitude. On MatH, we get to see the photo in Kensington Herald, with the story "FLOWER SHOW FRACAS."
Botany: Then MatH shows Mildred looking at the newspaper in the trio's kitchen. Chrissy apologises, but Mildred says she's not that bothered, since she got her picture in the paper, which is more than the winner did.
Robin says it wasn't Chrissy's fault. Mildred says she knows it was "Percy Thrower upstairs." Larry has been avoiding her. Then Jo finds him hiding in the cupboard. Mildred chases him out of the flat.
Chrissy goes out to the balcony to water the plants. Despite what he just said to Mildred, Robin comes out and says it was Chrissy's fault, believing Larry, "he's even more stupid than Jo." Jo is understandably offended. She says, "Oh, thank you very much. As it happens, I know quite a lot about botany." She says you can compare the picture in the paper with "this." She lifts a plant from Chrissy's garden. Both her flatmates say, "What?" She giggles. The episode ends.
Of course Janet is the real expert. Now back from helping Marilyn, she says, "Poor Mrs. Roper! But I don't understand where you guys got the idea that this stuff was cannabis.
Chrissy: Well, Larry said it was.
Janet: Larry? And you believed Larry.
She says it's not cannabis, it's false aralia. Jacks says it's obvious to her, she works in a flower shop. She says you just have to compare it. Pulling out a different plant, she says, "With this. This is cannabis!" She hands it to Jack. He and Chrissy toss it back and forth. Then Jack takes the bouquet and is going to throw it out the door. Since Mr. Roper is waiting outside, about to knock, Jack hands him the bouquet and says, "Happy birthday." Then he and Chrissy whistle innocently.
Laughing stock: In the tag for 3'sC, Janet is visiting the Ropers. Stanley comes in with the paper and says, "Look at that picture! I'm the laughing stock of the whole town!" Helen says he should be used to that by now. But when she opens the paper, she's shocked. He says it's her fault. So they bicker.
Janet tries to make peace, hoping they'll kiss and make up. Helen is all for that. Stanley reluctantly gives her a peck on the lips. She puts her arms around him and lowers him to the floor, out of view behind the couch. The audience applauds.
He cries, "Helen! Helen! What are you doing?" She surfaces and says to Janet, "Married 20 years and he still doesn't know." Janet is both amused and embarrassed, so she sneaks out. And the episode ends.
Commentary: The beauty pageant is an odd way to start the 3'sC episode, since it has nothing to do with the illegal ingesting of substances. But it gives John Ritter a chance to be silly, as it does for the duo of O'Sullivan and Fisher. It's interesting that Janet is insecure about her chest (as indicated on some other episodes), while the British girls remain comfortable with their figures. (I'm glad they've dropped Jo dieting, that was just odd.)
It's also notable that while we get something quasi-political with Miss Common Market, the American contest seems to be agricultural. Similarly, Larry is identified by the part of the country he's from, South Kent, while Jack is Mr. Pico Boulevard. (Kent, by the way, is the British county closest to Calais.) And instead of Stanley yet again thinking Jack is gay (and cross-dressing), we get Brit-Chrissy encouraging George to question Larry's sexuality, an unexpected end to a sequence that started with Larry calling Robin queer.
Brit-Larry's best moment for me is not Mr. South Kent but the string of cliches he summons up to "comfort" Jo in her grief. Amer-Larry's best is when he says, "Call me," which implies he not only recognizes but enjoys pot. Robin, Jack, and the Chrissys are "good kids" who barely know what cannabis is. As for Jo, well, in the movie she'd tried pot but didn't like it. However, I'm not sure how canonical that is, and she could just be bluffing in the last scene of MatH31.
It's odd that Jo is removed from much of that episode. It makes sense in the case of 3'sC, since they couldn't have florist Janet around during the plant panic. When Jo left for her nephew's christening, it was so that we could have "And Then There Were Two." They could've at least had her as part of the gardening and then out when Larry starts the cannabis scare, as happens with Janet. And meanwhile, as if Jack doesn't have enough to do, he gets not just Robin's lines but a few of Brit-Chrissy's and Brit-Larry's.
The way the Ropers are handled on the three episodes is quite a contrast. As always, they bicker, but the American show heightens it, to the point that the audience applauds. Stanley's reluctance about the "kissing and making up" doesn't sit well with me though, while it's kind of cute how beer makes George randy, even if Mildred does try to take advantage of that by getting him drunk round the clock.
The class issue is very different on the two shows. For MatH, class is related to economics, with the Brit-Ropers somewhere below the "middle class" of news agents and greengrocers that Mildred tries to emulate. Meanwhile, George drinks tea out of the saucer, which is perfectly acceptable in some cultures, even if Mildred doesn't think it's posh. But on 3'sC, Stanley's burp has nothing to do with money, it's just that he's tacky.
It's clear why the "driving lesson" plot was dropped for America. It would be more unusual for an American woman not to know how to drive in her early 20s. (Of course, I was in my late 30s when I got my license, but that's very rare these days.) Brit-Chrissy did "drive" on the previous episode, but that was with Robin pushing the car, in the middle of nowhere. With the driver's licence plot goes Robin getting arrested for drunk driving, although Jack does get the drunk bike-riding section.
Responsibility, or its lack, is important on both of these British episodes. On MatH22, she first claims that it wasn't her fault that she hit the man's bicycle, and then she starts saying "we" did it, like Robin was equally to blame. Then on MatH31, Robin first says it was Larry's fault and then says it was Chrissy's for listening to Larry, never mind that Larry is his best mate and he believed Larry just as much as she did. On 3'sC, sensible Janet isn't to blame for anything, and could've prevented much of the trouble had she been around. She tells the Ropers that Jack and Chrissy meant well, and Mrs. Roper that Mr. Roper meant well.
I like hearing what the laws were in the '70s, how long you'd get sentenced for various offences, in both the U.K. and U.S. It's fair to say that drunk driving would less likely be a subject of humor now than it was then, in either country. (That was the era when Foster Brooks was considered funny.) As for pot, there was an occasional moment, like the 1993 Roseanne episode called "A Stash from the Past," that used it for humor after "Just Say No," but really, Nancy Reagan's campaign made the pot-smoking sequence of 9 to 5 look dated within three years after it hit movie theaters in 1980. Judging from the likes of '80s/'90s programmes like The Young Ones and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the British attitude remained more casual.
It seems kind of silly for Robin and Chrissy to lug the plant to the police station, although it does allow them to give it to the dustmen on their way home. Jack and Chrissy are more sensible to leave the bouquet behind, although Jack is foolish to ride his bike while intoxicated.
Although Robin implies that the police are no longer our friends, the way they were in Chrissy's childhood in the '50s and early '60s, the police, magistrate, and all come across pretty well in these episodes, seeming sane compared to the criminals. They even have their paternal moments, although they can be strict.
These episodes manage to refer to not only MatH favourite Churchill but also FDR, with Chrissy's "fear" quote.
Jo is very dotty on both these episodes, with her family stories and twisted logic, like being twice as late to work.
My absolute favorite part of these three episodes is of course is that we find out Robin's middle name.
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