Last night’s episode heralded the new-look Brookie. OK, I’m the first to admit, I hate change. Change of government, change of taxes, change of seasons ... I hate the fact that every three months, my husband feels the absolute NEED to change the furniture in various rooms. It drives the kids and me mad.
So ... When Brookside announced that it was going to employ the ‘film look’ technique used on Hollyoaks, I groaned. Last night was the first episode, and - while I admit, last night’s episode (in relation to its importance) was probably NOT the episode in which to introduce this technique - I can honestly say I didn’t mind it. Oh, it will take getting used to, and I shall miss the intimacy and sense of ‘being there in the room’ that the hand-held camcorder afforded; but if the storylines and the acting continue to equal the superiority of last night’s episode, then the film look will take the back seat where it belongs.
All in all, last night’s ep was like an episode of the old Brookside and just as good. May it continue ... But without the AWFUL incidental music, please.
(Well, you didn’t think I’d like EVERYTHING, did you?)
The programme begins with an overhead shot of a schoolyard in the morning before the school day begins. Students stand about talking and playing in small and large groups. Our attention is caught by what, at first, appears to be two boys running in and out amongst the gaggles of congregating students and up the stairs to the main door of the school.
The camera pans down to see them dash to the door, when one beats the other and closes the door, jokingly, preventing the other from entering. The camera now pans to close-up, and we see that the two ‘boys’ were actually Antony Murray and his dad, Marty (although this horseplay detracts from the ‘professionalism’ of Marty’s being a member of staff).
Antony has beat his father to the school door and laughs through the glass as he holds the door shut against Marty’s entering. Marty laughs too, happy to see his youngest child laughing again at school.
A quick flick back to the Close brings us to the day beginning at Chateau Farnham. Young Mrs Farnham is readying herself for the day ahead, looking in the mirror for an inspection of her professional person. She looks tired and out of sorts, not at all like Jacqui. Irritatingly, she notices a small spot on the collar of the red top she’s wearing.
Another cinematic dash and we’re in Bar Brookie. Bev’s descended into the deserted premises to collect the delivered post. She opens an envelope and stares at its contents in a tired and resigned way. We see she’s got a disconnection notice from the Electricity Board, for non-payment of account. Bev sighs, wearily.
Max, wearing a bathrobe, opens the front door of Chateau Farnham and greets Rachel, who arrives carrying Baby Beth, all dressed in her snowsuit against the cold. She’s come to begin what appears to be her first day of baby-sitting. It’s Jacqui’s first day back at work. Rachel chats with Max about Beth being able to spend the day with her cousins, and Max apologises, saying the children were still in bed and hadn’t woken up.
Greeting Rachel, Jacqui apologises and tells her that she, too, is running behind. Rachel comments on how nice Jacqui looks; but Jacqui replies saying how tired she feels. Max explains to Rachel that the couple have spent a bad night with Harry. He awoke with a nosebleed in the middle of the night, and then complained of tummy ache. He then climbed into the marital bed with Max and Jacqui at around 3:30 and proceeded to toss and turn all night (as small children do).
Listening to this catalogue of childhood ailments, Jacqui immediately wonders aloud to Max and Rachel if she’s doing the right thing by going back to work. Max reassures her that she is and chides her for feeling guilty. She’s feeling insecure because Sol has the Health Club running like clockwork and Jacqui, as its owner, might be redundant. Besides, she’s tired.
Max volunteers to get the children ready for the day and disappears upstairs.
Once he’s out of earshot, Jacqui again voices her doubts to Rachel. Rachel, too, allays Jacqui’s fears about returning to work, even though Jacqui moans that it’s her first day back and already things weren’t going smoothly. Perhaps this is a mistake and she should stay at home. (Doesn’t this remind you of Patricia’s whinging when she was about to return to work after Alice’s birth? Jacqui is turning into Patricia. How long before there’s a hair bob?)
Nonsense, Rachel scoffs, articulate now that she’s acquired a brain. Jacqui needs something extra outside the home in order to fulfill her life. Most women do, Rachel adds, lastly, as if to reassure herself that she’s not one of those women.
At that moment, Max shouts from upstairs, asking the whereabouts of Harry’s socks. Jacqui shouts that they’re at the foot of his bed. Them Max asks the whereabouts of Harry’s trousers. Jacqui shouts back, saying they’re also at the foot of his bed. She lays out the children’s clothing ready for the next day at the foot of their beds, she explains.
Somehow, Max, who must be in the children’s room, can’t seem to comprehend this, and Jacqui, muttering that sometimes it seems as though Max doesn’t live there, goes upstairs to help him with Harry. (So is Emma able to dress herself, then?)
Inside Brookie Comp, Marty and Ant climb the stairs leading to the first floor. Marty regales Antony with a bad joke: What do you call a man with leaves on his head?
Ant doesn’t know.
Russell, quips Marty. Ant isn’t amused, but Marty, cognisant that the joke is rancid, protests its humour unconvincingly. Stopping in the upstairs corridor, he asks Antony if the boy’s OK. Ant assures his father that he’s fine, especially now that he knew Imelda Clough was being excluded. (Er, no mention of Paige. What’s the story there?)
Marty tells Antony that he saw Imelda leaving the school with her mother the last day she was there. The expression on her face, he says, was a picture. He gathered the pair had just received news of Imelda’s exclusion, and the fact that it would subsequently be permanent. Antony mutters, almost to himself, that Imelda should have been excluded ages ago.
Antony asks Marty for money for the up-coming school field trip. Today is the last day it can be paid. Marty remarks that he thought Ant had decided not to go on the trip, but Ant says he’s changed his mind. He hadn’t wanted to go before, because Imelda was going, but now that she was out of the picture, things had changed.
Marty agrees to meet his son at a specific time during the day in order to give him the money. Now he has to go to work himself. (WHY did Marty arrive at school along with Ant? As a caretaker, he should have been there well earlier than the time he did arrive?) Before he departs, Marty remembers that this is Imelda’s first day back from the 3-day exclusion. She’ll be at school until the Governors meet later in the week to make this exclusion permanent. Marty turns back briefly to face his son, telling Ant that he wants to know about it immediately, if ‘Clough’ tries ANYTHING.
As Jacqui effects some last minute alterations to her appearance, Rachel asks if Jacqui’s thought anymore about buying Bev’s Bar. Jacqui warns Rachel not to even mention that subject to Max. He reckons it’s a loss venture, she explains. Anyway, Jacqui doesn’t see why she should go out of her way to effect a mercy mission for Bev. It was Bev, she reminds Rachel, who was responsible for splitting her parents’ marriage up, and Rachel would do well to remember that.
Ooh, says Rachel, momentarily forgetting that she has a brain, but recovering herself, sufficiently. People do stray sometime, she says. (Do they, Rachel? Well, let’s see if you’ll be so unfailingly understanding if Mike should stray into someone else’s arms). Besides, when a marriage and someone does stray, it’s usually the sign that something’s lacking in the marriage. It wasn’t entirely Bev’s fault.
But the bar’s been run into the ground, protests Jacqui.
That’s not Bev’s fault, protests Rachel. That was down to Leanne.
Well, Jacqui remarks, it was BEV who employed Leanne and it was BEV who left her in charge in the first place.
Rachel reminds Jacqui of Leanne’s pursuit of Bev for compensation. Leanne would like nothing better to see Bev fall financially and morally on her face. If Jacqui bought the bar, Leanne would be scuppered, and what Rachel wouldn’t give to see Leanne’s nasty plans come to nowt.
And Jacqui could do it, she continues, heedless of the strain this would put on Jacqui’s marriage. With a little luck ...
And a lot of money, finishes Jacqui.
Oooh, witters Rachel, forgetting she has a brain, yet again. (Like the film technique, having a brain will take some getting used to for Rachel), she wishes she had moon-eh ter bye baaar!
Back at Brookie Comp, it’s all change - in more ways than one. During the change of classes, Antony trudges down the corridor, when, looking up, he suddenly sees Imelda, accompanied by a teacher (ostensibly to see that she behaves herself), approaching him. He stops in his tracks, literally frozen with fear.
Imelda, quietly turns to the teacher and politely asks permission to speak with Antony. The poor kid is bricking it, as the bully approaches, but to his amazement, Imelda tells Antony that she’s sincerely sorry for tormenting him, and in the future, she’ll leave him alone. It won’t happen again, she says. (Too right, it won’t).
Unbeknownst to Antony, Marty stands in the background, suspiciously eyeing the scene.
Antony is so gob-smacked, all he can manage is a garbled ‘Thank you’ before Imelda leaves with the teacher. Marty approaches his youngest son and asks if Ant is all right.
‘You’ll never guess,’ Antony stammers, ‘but Imelda actually apologised for the bullying.’
Marty doesn’t know how to react to this fact, but Antony seems comfortable with the situation, so Marty informs Ant that he won’t be able to walk the boy home that evening, as he had a Health and Safety meeting to attend. He sees Ant off to his next class, but as the boy departs, Marty spies Imelda nearby, talking to a group of kids. He views her through narrowed eyes, not trusting her motives an inch.
Sol Bennett is having a personal telephone call. Actually, he’s having a domestic argument via telephone. He’s having a mild barney with Lynne, his unseen wife in Sheffield. Lynne, whom I sincerely hope looks like Grace Jones, is berating him for being unable to reach Sheffield in time that evening in order to attend Parents’ Evening at their daughter’s school. Sol reminds her that he attended the previous Parents’ Evening on his own because Lynne had work commitments. Tonight was his late night at the Health Club.
As he’s speaking, Lady Muck, AKA Sammy Rogers, enters, carrying a folder and calling out to Sol, interrupting his conversation with a works-related matter. She’s silenced by Sol’s raised hand and she takes a low seat at his side as he half-stands over her. As he continues to talk to his wife, however, he’s distracted by the fact that Sammy appears to be wearing a rather low-cut blouse, revealing acres of cleavage. (Actually, for all you tweeties who’ve been mingeing about how fat Rachel Lindsey is, if her cleavage is anything to go by, then she’s lost a bit of weight. So there. NYAH).
Sol ends the conversation abruptly by telling Lynne that he wants no grief about the situation. As he finishes the phone call, Sammy stands up and asks if he’s OK. He assures her that he’s fine, that he was merely dealing with a domestic problem. That’s all he needs, he continues, if Jacqui’s coming back to work wasn’t enough to worry him.
Sammy encourages him in the belief that everything will be all right.
Will it? Sol asks, dubiously. His six-month contract was up for renewal next week. He’s beginning to wonder, now that Jacqui’s back at work, if it’s worth running back and forth to Leeds.
At that moment, Jacqui appears and asks Sammy abruptly to pull the names of all Health Club members who have children. She’s going to attempt to organise a creche and needs to canvass members’ opinions of the idea.
Sammy protests that she was in the middle of doing maintenance reports for Sol, but Jacqui insists that her chore must be done now.
As Sammy and Sol depart, Mike arrives and greets his sister. He’s come by to see if Jacqui’s all sorted to go with him to visit Ron.
Jacqui, who’s looking even more stresses, gazes blankly at Mike for a moment, before remembering their scheduled visit to see Ron. She apologises profusely, saying that she can’t make the trip today, as she’s up to her eyes in work. Besides that, she feels lousy. She thinks she’s coming down with a cold.
Mike’s reaction to this is so petulantly puerile, I was actually waiting for him to stamp his foot a la Nikki Shadwick. (When will TPTB realise that Mike Dikko is a bore, whom we all hate?) Mike protests loudly that he appears to be the ONLY one interested in Ron’s fate. (Oh, yeah. Pull the other one, sunshine. Mike’s interested in stealing from his dad, spongeing off his dad, taking money that rightfully belongs to Ron. Forgive me for reminding everyone that it was MIKE who, before Christmas, adamantly refused to visit Ron because MIKE was insulted that Ron chose to put Jacqui in charge of Great Grannies, after Mike ensured that a bailiff appeared on the Dixon doorstep for Mike and Rachel’s unpaid loan!)
Jacqui tartly reminds Mike that she’s only just come back from tending DD for two weeks after DD had broken her ankle.
Mike sulks.
Jacqui notices this and relents a little bit. She points out to Mike that their parents are getting older now, and it’s only natural that she and her brother will have to do more for them; but caring for elderly parents shouldn’t become a game of scoring points over each other.
Mike sullenly asks Jacqui how she expects him to get to the prison if Jacqui isn’t coming with her car.
Jacqui shrugs her shoulders, perplexed. Why, Mike should use Ron’s car, of course.
Mike scoffs at the prospect of using Ron’s old C-reg banger. Mike has other ideas. The Capri’s low on fuel, he mutters, and he doesn’t have enough to fill it up with petrol. (The bugger! He earns a wage! Where does it go?)
Jacqui susses what Mike’s after, but subtly suggests to Mike that he take the bus.
Mike kicks off big time at that suggestion. It’s patently beneath the dignity of a man of Mike Dixon’s calibre to be seen on a public bus.No! He storms in a petulant rage, waving his arms about like a spoiled child. No! He wasn’t about to take a bus! How could Jacqui even consider making him take a bus! He works all week long at a crap job for a crap wage, and he wasn’t about to lose one minute of precious sleep during the day, waiting around for and travelling on the city’s crappy internal transport system.
Jacqui raises her eyebrows sarcastically. Oh, she remarks, so Mike DOES remember something from the books he read at uni? (An obvious dig at Mike’s underachievement). Reluctantly, Jacqui tosses him the keys to her Cougar. (Sorry, but doesn’t she have the people carrier still? Mike might not be so keen to be seen in such an obvious accoutrement of bourgeois living). And she warns him to be careful with her car. In her opinion, Mike’s not the best of drivers. (Hint of things to come? And also, this is YET MORE proof positive of how Jacqui allows her family and friends to manipulate and take advantage of her).
Mike’s happy. He’s got what he wanted and turns to leave, but Jacqui stops him. She asks him if he plans to apprise their father re the situation at home, namely the fact that Ron has lodgers. It might be a good idea, Jacqui quips, especially since it looks as though Ray and Jessie might be there at Christmas.
Bev’s giving her premises a mop down, when Rachel appears at the door, with Harry, Emma and Beth in tow. She greets Rachel in a friendly manner and coos over the children a bit, explaining to Rachel, with grim humour, that she’s getting the place clean for someone else to come have a look at it and then not buy it.
Rachel briefly watches Bev slog and shakes her head sadly, saying with venom how much she HATES Leanne for bringing Bev to this end.
Bev nods with resignation. Only this morning, she says, she began receiving final notices for everything - her business rates, even a disconnection notice for the lekky.
Hmmm ... Muses Rachel. Maybe everything isn’t lost. Jacqui might be interested in buying the bar back.
Bev shoots Rachel a quizzical look. Jacqui Dixon? How she must be laughing at Bev come so low! And is she really interested in buying the bar?
Rachel squirms a bit, realising that she just MAY have spoken out of turn. (These new brains DO take some getting used to).We-e-ll, she begins. Jacqui didn’t exactly say ‘yes’, but she didn’t say ‘no’ either.
Bev doesn’t understand why Rachel appears to be so keen for Jacqui to buy the bar, and why she’s doing such a sell job on Jacqui to do so. Rachel explains honestly that Bev’s her friend and she sincerely wants to help Bev; but she also has to admit that she fancies getting her old job back, and with Jacqui in charge, Rachel reckons it’s a foregone conclusion that she’ll be working at the bar under Jacqui’s auspices. (Dream on, Rachel).
Sammy Rogers is at the reception desk of the Health Club, speaking to a local maintenance contractor who wants to provide the Centre with inadequate maintenance for an inflated price. She’s giving the punter what-for, when she sees Sol approach. Slyly and covertly, she manages to undo another button on her blouse, exposing even more cleavage.
When she ends the phone call, she apprises Sol of the maintenance situation. Sol then has a whinge about the fact that Jacqui’s back on the premises. Sammy can’t understand why Sol’s so worried. After all, he’s the boss. Jacqui appointed him. (Yes, Sammy, Sol’s the boss, but Jacqui’s his boss).
Sol reflects morosely that he WAS the boss - until Jacqui decided to reclaim her empire. He asks Jacqui’s whereabouts. Sammy tells him she’s calculating some figures regarding the setting up of a creche for subscribers to the Club. Good idea, really, Sammy says.
It’s obvious that Sol’s got his domestic barney on his mind and Sammy senses that. She asks why his wife doesn’t move to Liverpool if she objects to Sol being away from home so much. Lynne doesn’t know what she’s missing, living in Leeds. Why, Liverpool is a much more exciting city, Sammy enthuses - and the footie’s that much better (only if you’re a Reds supporter, Sammy).
Sol doesn’t like football, he says. Besides, their daughter was settled in school in Leeds, and Lynne didn’t want to uproot her. Sammy witters about Louise treating a new home and a new school as an adventure. (Proof positive that Sammy doesn’t listen to Katie or pay attention to Louise).
The telephone rings again, and Sol answers it. It proves to be Mr Carrington, the cheapo maintenance punter, and he hands the receiver to Sammy in order that she might deal with the call.
Antony is ascending the stairs at school, again between classes, when he comes face to face with Imelda, who’s descending. (Metaphorical, this - the ‘Altar Boy’ ascending into heaven, whilst his nemesis descends to Hell). At first, Ant speaks nicely to her, and tries to pass by her. Imelda blocks his passage, smiling that familiar menacing smile.
Antony didn’t seriously think she meant all that stuff she said before, did he? She sneers.
Antony replies that she doesn’t scare him anymore. He won’t have to put up with her for much longer because she’s being excluded.
Imelda puts her face close to Antony’s and shouts that she doesn’t give a toss if they exclude her forever. She knows where Antony lives and where he’ll be, and she’ll get him, whatever.
Cue the first bit of AWFUL incidental harpsichord music.
Ron Dixon enters the prison visiting room to be greeted by Mike. Instead of giving his son a hug, Ron uneasily shakes his hand, explaining that he’d love to hug Mike, but the screws on guard might ‘shake them down’, thinking Mike had passed Ron some ‘Charlie’ in the hug.
Mike squints his eyes in curiosity at his dad’s new-found vocabulary. ‘Charlie’? He asks.
Slang for cocaine, explains Ron, as the two approach a vacant table. Hmph! Ron snorts. How that Jimmy Corkhill would laugh, hearing Ron Dixon using prison slang!
Jimmy’s not laughing about much of anything at the moment, says Mike. He’s banged up, himself.
‘Oh, aye?’Ron comments, perking up. ‘What’s he gone and done now?’
Jimmy’s done nothing, said Mike. Anyway, he’s not in jail. The bizzies caught him trying to walk through the Mersey Tunnel, and, as a result, Jimmy’s now sedated and in hospital.
Was he breaking the speed limit? Ron jokes. Then he says that, whilst he doesn’t wish Jimmy any harm, he’s not going to lose any sleep over Jim being bunged up in hospital.
Mike and Ron simultaneously speak, as you do on television, both saying that they have something to tell the other. Mike, however, insists that Ron speak first.
Ron apologises to Mike for tearing into him the last time he visited, over the flooding of the house. It was an accident, Ron says, pure and simple.But the point is, Ron elaborates, that Mike was honest with Ron and told him the truth. He didn’t realise that until he’d returned to his cell after Mike had left and he’d felt ashamed of himself.
Mike squirms uncomfortably in his seat.
Ron continues his soliloquy, telling Mike how he’s bunged up with all sorts in here, and how prison makes one cynical. But he’s come to realise that one’s family is the main thing, and it’s important to trust them. He confesses to Mike that after he’d thought about their last visit, he was made oop that Mike had chosen to tell him the truth. It brought tears to his eyes.
As Ron instinctively reaches out to touch Mike’s hand, a suspcious prison warder passes their table.
Ron pauses for the man to pass and then tells Mike sincerely that he never wants anything to come between him and his family again. Now, what was it Mike wanted to say?
Mike gulps, unable to bring himself to tell Ron about Ray and Jessie after that, and so he clumsily tells Ron that the only thing he wanted to tell Ron was all about the gossip occurring.
It’s the end of the school day, and Antony is leaving school. Mindful of Imelda, he carefully checks his surroundings to make sure she’s nowhere about. Satisfied, but uneasy, he begins his journey home.
Imelda, however, has been watching him; and - from a distance - she begins to follow him. Cue drum beat.
Max and Jacqui happen to meet in the stairway foyer that leads from the Health Club to The Shelf and they exchange a kiss. Max asks Jacqui where ‘the Sex Cheat’ can be found, referring to Sammy. (Why do the words ‘pot’, ‘kettle’ and ‘black’ come to mind?) Jacqui laughs and replies that Sammy’s in the office with Sol.
Max then asks how Sol was reacting to Jacqui returning to work. He’s OK, Jacqui replies. He has no choice about the matter; she’s back. Max is concerned that Sol might feel his nose has been put out of joint, with Jacqui back on the scene.
Well, if he feels that way, says Jacqui, dismissively, he should make his feelings known or else leave. She then apologises for the off-hand remark. She’s feeling out of sorts, she explains to Max, and run-down. But she’ll be OK, she assures him.
As long as Sol’s there to help her, Max chides.
Jacqui admits to Max that she thinks her plans for a creche might prove to be a bit daunting and take more organisation than she thought. There was Health and Safety to satisfy, planning permission ...
Jacqui suddenly admits that she doesn’t feel well. Max tells her she looks tired. He then asks her playfully what she’ll do if her staff want to use the creche. She’ll risk losing all her profit if that happens. Jacqui manages to laugh and they part.
Antony walks home from school. Imelda continues to follow at a discreet distance, her eyes narrowing menacingly.
Back at the prison visit, Mike tells Ron that Jacqui’s just got back from spending a fortnight nursing DD, who had a broken ankle. In the funniest line of the night, Ron quips that all DD needed was a parrot on her shoulder in order to resemble Long John Silver or some pirate villain. Ron then muses sadly about his wives - a man could have as many as he liked, but he’d still miss them if he had none. He admits to Mike that he felt he really messed things up with Anthea.
Mike corrects Ron. Anthea messed RON up, he says.
Ron tells Mike about the length of the nights in prison. He listens to the other prisoners go on about how much they miss their wives and girlfriends, what they’re going to do when they see them again, how they’re going to spend all day in bed with them ... Truth is, he says, ruefully, he misses Anthea. He never felt that the couple gave their marriage their best shot.
He admonishes Mike to make sure he treats Rachel well.
Oh, he does, Mike assures Ron. Why, they’ve already made plans to have a romantic birthday celebration at a swank hotel the next day. No, Mike promises Ron, Rachel’s a rock. She misses the point at times (proof here that the Brookside production team reads the summaries), but Mike loves her.
Ron begins to wax lyrical in another soliloquy about the importance of one’s family and friends. There’s simply nothing more important in life, he says.And when Ron returns from prison, he’s going to ensure that he spends time getting to know his family and friends better - even Max Farnham. And Jessie and Ray, he adds. What a tragedy to lose everything like that, when their bungalow burns, he tuts. He wants to help them, he says, when he’s out of prison. He asks Mike how Ray and Jessie are coping.
Mike confirms, uneasily, that the couple are fine.
And where are they living in the meantime? Ron asks, innocentl.
Mike looks as though he’s just shit the proverbial brick. Swallowing hard, he croaks that Ray and Jessie are ... Close by.
That’s good that they’re not far away, Ron says. Two weeks to go until he’s released, he muses.Two weeks, and then he’ll put his plan of getting close to his family and friends in action.
The bell buzzes, ending visiting time, and Mike leaves.
Ant, constantly looking over his shoulder, walks home, passing an Eleanor Cross on the way. In a particularly sinister shot, the camera lingers on the outline of the cross against the late winter/early spring sky. Suddenly and menacingly, Imelda appears, against the background of the sky and standing beside the cross. A presage of things to come?
Sammy is chatting to Sol as he puts up new posters advertising some classes at the Health Club. The two are joking about Sammy taking some of these classes to get back into shape, when a stern Jacqui appears and orders them to take the signs down.
Sol is puzzled, asking her why she doesn’t want these facilities to be advertised.
It’s not the courses, Jacqui explains, it’s the signs. They should be a different cut and they should be laminated. Something more tasteful.
Sol, who’s put out, quips then that he’s off to the garage to get a tasteful sandwich and leaves Sammy with Jacqui. He asks if either of the women want anything from the garage, and Sammy declines, saying that she’s watching her figure.
After he’s left, Jacqui remarks cattily that Sammy and Sol seem to be getting on well.
Well, says Sammy, he hasn’t asked her to marry him yet, if that’s what Jacqui means. Then Sammy softens her attitude. She asks Jacqui if she couldn’t find it in herself to forget that silly episode she concocted with Max. She really wants to make an effort for the two of them to get on.
‘Just do your job well,’ says Jacqui, shortly, ‘and that’ll be fine.’
Outside on The Parade, a desperate Bev stops Sol on his way to the garage, asking the whereabouts of Jacqui. Sol indicates to Bev that Jacqui’s inside the Health Club. Bev goes inside.
Still on his way home, Antony passes through a busy shopping precinct. He pauses to allow a mother to deal with her children, before turning around instinctively. He suddenly sees Imelda, standing and staring at him at a distance down the precinct. She slowly raises her hand and waves, smiling maliciously. Antony, now truly frightened, begins to run.
Bev comes up the stairs inside the Health Club to find Sammy and Jacqui. Interrupting, Bev asks Jacqui if she can have a chat for five minutes. Jacqui asks Bev why she wants to see her, and Bev looks uncomfortably in Sammy’s direction. Do they have to talk here? Bev enquires. Isn’t there some other place more private?
Sammy offers to make herself scarce, but Jacqui tells her to remain in reception. Turning back to Bev, Jacqui tells her that she’ll pop into the Bar on her way home.
Good, says Bev. She’ll put the kettle on. She could still, at least, serve a cup of tea, she jokes.
Sol reappears, with the sandwich, beginning a mild flirtation with Bev, which Jacqui finds offensive.She flounces off in a huff.
Sol watches her leave and remarks to Sammy how much Jacqui is getting on his nerves. He admits he’s worried about his contract renewal. It makes him sick to think he could be out on his ear, after putting his heart and soul into that Club.
Sensing his vulnerability, Sammy suggests that Sol join her for a drink after work. Sol agrees, and as he walks away, Sammy smiles slyly and triumphantly. Mission ALMOST accomplished.
Imelda is now actively chasing Antony. Glancing over his shoulder now and again, the boy runs frantically down the street. Not bothering to look as he crosses, he’s almost hit by a car. He runs down the street in the direction of a wooded area, pursued by Imelda.
Jacqui has left the Health Centre, and - true to her word - on her way home, she stops by the bar, where she finds Bev waiting nervously and expectantly. Jacqui, who looks extremely tired, enters and wearily looks around the place. It’s not long before she’s seriously concerned about the state of the place.
She mutters something about the decor of the place wasn’t to her taste, but Bev replies that her taste never did match Jacqui’s. Then Bev goes into a nervous sales pitch. This bar was successful once under Jacqui, Bev witters, it could be again. And it’s in a prime site - even Max admits that, Bev adds hopefully.
Jacqui, a critical frown on her face, abruptly asks Bev if she’s had the business valued. Everything is so run-down, says Jacqui, echoing the way she feels. She then tells Bev that she can’t believe Bev let the business and the premises go deteriorate like this - cracked mirrors, broken chairs.
That was Leanne, protests Bev. And anyway, the way Bev sees it, Jacqui owes her a favour. Didn’t Bev bail Jacqui out of a hole in buying this place?
Only because Jacqui put it on the market at a low price for a quick sale, Jacqui replies. It as worth much more at the time than what Bev paid. And, Jacqui reminds Bev, she WASN’T in a hole. She was in love at the time and planning on leaving Liverpool. When Bev bought the bar, she says, Bev got a bargain, which suited them both.
Suddenly daunted by the idea of buying what looks to be a white elephant, Jacqui exclaims that she doesn’t know why she bothered even showing up. This place is decrepit.
Bev, suddenly, tries to stop her from leaving, pleading with her to buy the business.
But look at the state of the place, look what it’s come to, Jacqui gesticulates.
Bev is practically begging now. She realises that she never was as successful in this venture as Jacqui, but here was Jacqui’s chance to make the bar successful again.
Gazing once more around the room, Jacqui asks Bev what she expects Jacqui to give her to take it off her hands, the way it is?
Meanwhile, Antony, in a blind panic, is being chased deeper and deeper into the wooded area, pursued relentlessly by Imelda.
Bev doesn’t know how to respond to Jacqui’s question. She’s frantic in her response, replying that most people would give an arm and a leg to have a premises site like this. Again, she urges Jacqui to ask Max.
If the place were up to scratch, yes, says Jacqui, but the place was so run down now. The best offer Jacqui could make Bev, she says, is a straight swop. Jacqui would take the bar off Bev’s hands for nothing, but would give Bev a job in return. In this condition, the bar was worth nothing, in Jacqui’s opinion.
Bev explodes with fury, calling Jacqui a ‘condescending cow’ (how Annabelle, who is NOT the same person as myself, must have cheered and applauded that outburst).
Jacqui, of course, is insulted and starts to storm out of the place, but Bev, seeing her only hope begin to vanish before her eyes, reaches out suddenly and grabs Jacqui in order to stop her. Bev suggests that they stop the bitchery and get down to business. The plain fact is that she needs bailing out.
Jacqui is final. She can take the bar off Bev and give her a job, but that’s that. Anyway, Bev must think Jacqui just came in from a walk or from another planet, if she thought Jacqui would get involved in a dive like this. She simply didn’t need the hassle.
As Antony runs from a fast-approaching Imelda, he trips over a protruding root and falls. Rolling onto his back he retreats in the wake of the bully until his back is against a tree. His face is a picture of pure fright.Imelda stands over him and roughly pulls him to his feet.
Smiling maliciously, she says that she knew all along she’d get him.
Antony pleads piteously with her to leave him alone.
‘Gimme yer money!’ The girl demands.
Antony refuses.
‘Gimme yer money or yer trousers!’ She shouts, pushing her face close against his, ordering Antony that he’d better get his trousers off now and then go sit in the pond, which is next to the tree.
Again Antony refuses, whereupon Imelda slaps him full across the face, telling him she hates him, that he’s always hated him, in a voice absolutely filled with loathing and venom.
But something out of the ordinary happens. Antony suddenly begins to fight her back. He matches her blow for blow as the two edge toward the pond and into the water. Suddenly, Imelda loses her footing and slips, hitting the back of her head on a rock on the pond’s shore. Dazed, she slides toward the water.
And this is the moment that changes Antony’s life forever. All the months of pent-up humiliation and dread rage to the forefront and he hits the dazed Imelda again and again, dunking her in and out of the water as she struggles nominally, but holding her under the water longer and longer each time and shouting for her to leave him alone, until finally he holds her under the water, screaming for her to stop bothering him.
He continues shouting until suddenly he becomes aware that Imelda isn’t struggling anymore. He’s silent, gazing at the water over her submerged body, which is strangely still and calm. In the water, we see a clear reflection of a child’s haunted face. After a few seconds, we realise this is a reflection of Antony’s face, and that he’s gazing transfixed at something truly horrible under the water.
He releases his hold on the prone Imelda and sits upright. Immediately he does so, her body, clearly dead, floats to the surface.
To say Antony was horrified would be a mere understatement. Quickly rising to his feet, he scurries from the pond and dashes away, leaving his school bag by the side of the pond, in the mute and lifeless company of Imelda.
The nightmare is about to begin.
Maurice Bessman wrote this. Need I say more?
Summary © 2002 Marion Watts
Brookside and all related materials are © Mersey Television 1982-2002