|
"Things Aren't Simple Any More" is the final episode of the British television sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave''. It was written by David Renwick and stars Richard Wilson as Victor Meldrew, Annette Crosbie as his wife Margaret, and features a guest appearance by Hannah Gordon. The episode depicts the death of the series' protagonist, Victor Meldrew, in a hit-and-run road accident, and his wife's efforts to deal with the driver who killed him. Renwick had been struggling to conceive and write new stories for the series and decided to kill off the character. The episode was filmed at Shawford, Hampshire, and at BBC Television Centre in London.〔 Renwick resisted the BBC's attempt to broadcast the episode at Christmas, feeling that such scheduling would contrast unfavourably with the grimness of the show, and would be viewed as an overt attempt to garner high ratings. The controller of BBC1 relented and the episode was first transmitted on BBC One on 20 November 2000.〔 The broadcast coincided with the transmission of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?s first UK jackpot win. Some people within the BBC alleged that Celador, the production company in charge of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' had rigged Judith Keppel's victory to spoil the BBC's expected high ratings for the sitcom's finale. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) cleared Celador and ITV of any wrongdoing. The critical reception for the episode was mostly positive. Many reviewers commented that the dark tone of the final episode was characteristic of the series, and that killing off the protagonist was an appropriate way to conclude. The characters of Victor and Margaret returned in a short sketch for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day telethon on 16 March 2001.〔 ==Synopsis== Margaret (Annette Crosbie) is having a heated telephone conversation with a solicitor about an incident in which Victor is accused of having thrown a syringe into someone's buttock. She reveals that a conviction might be difficult as her husband has been dead for five months. While coming to terms with her husband's death as a hit and run victim, Margaret joins a church group clearing litter from roadsides. There she meets Glynis Holloway (Hannah Gordon), whose husband has also recently died. The two become good friends. Confiding to a priest, Father Blakey (William Osborne), Margaret pledges vengeance for Victor's death, vowing "If they ever find the bastard who was at the wheel of that car I swear I'll kill him, with my bare hands if I have to, and they can do what they like with me". The episode continually switches to flashbacks which show that the circumstances leading to Victor's death stemmed from a simple misunderstanding. A group of pilgrims descend upon the Meldrews' home after misunderstanding Margaret's classified advertisement in her local newspaper of a picture of the Virgin Mary with "two small tears under her eyes". Readers apparently took it to mean 'tears' (as in crying) rather than 'tears' (as in rips). As a result of their exposure in the local paper, Victor is contacted by an old acquaintance and invited to a works reunion. Victor, who is persuaded to go by Margaret, is informed by the barman (Paul Merton) that all but one of the other guests have cancelled. Sitting alone while waiting for Limpy, the one remaining potential attendee, Victor is entertained by two cabaret performers (Ed Welch— who wrote the incidental music for all series —and Jean Challis). Victor eventually leaves the pub, with Limpy arriving seconds after he leaves. At the railway station Victor telephones Margaret for a lift. As he stands at the side of the road waiting for his wife, Glynis approaches in her car. She begins to fall asleep and mounts the kerb; Victor is knocked down. She stops and looks back from a short distance, but decides not to return to the scene when she sees Margaret arrive. The episode returns to the present day. Margaret prepares some orange juice and paracetamol for Glynis' migraine. She finds a scrap book of press cuttings surrounding Victor's death in Glynis' kitchen drawer and realises that her new friend is responsible for his demise. As ominous music plays, Margaret thoughtfully looks at the box of paracetamol. She drops some tablets into the glass and hands it to Glynis, who realises that her secret has been uncovered. Margaret watches her drink some of the orange juice before leaving the house. The number of tablets that Margaret put into the glass is intentionally left ambiguous. Before Margaret leaves, Glynis explains exactly what happened that night and tells Margaret how sorry she is, at which a small thunderclap can be heard and Margaret's eyes flash. Margaret is then seen leaving the house, never revealing what happened next. The episode ends with a montage of some of the events referred to during the episode, accompanied by the song "End of the Line" by The Traveling Wilburys. Scenes include Victor and his car being covered in artificial snow at a supermarket during the filming of a Christmas television advertisement (in the middle of June); Victor scaring a young couple after grass cuttings are stuck in the sunscreen on his face; and the incident with the syringe. The final shots are of Victor and Margaret driving through the countryside. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Things Aren't Simple Any More」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|