Got around to watching Episode 5 ‘In Deep’ and again I quite liked it, in fact I liked it more than Grandee Hotel from last week.
Please Note this contains Spoilers.
Budgie’s at the cinema. So too is running hot and wanted villain Maurice Kahn (Terrance Mountain) with a briefcase stuffed with £2,000. The police bust in and arrest Kahn at the cinema, however just before this Kahn has tipped a wink and kicked the briefcase over to Budgie to ‘mind’. Budgie opens the case and see’s the loot and decides to stash it in a locker at a train station.
Hazel meanwhile is skint and is being hassled for rent arrears she can’t pay. She see’s Charlie Endell to try and tap in for a loan for £50 to move in a new flat. Hazel’s plea’s go on deaf ears to Charlie, whom suggests Budgie should be pulling his weight and helping her out – as he has done with Mrs Endell, however he gives Hazel £40 which are advance wages on the proviso that she and Budgie work for him in a dodgy drinking club ‘Poppies’. Taking Hazel for a meal at an Italian restaurant he uses with Mrs Endell – whom again is non-spoken and seemingly under control of Charlie, Hazel is won round to the idea of working for Charlie and works on Budgie to join her.
Budgie now in the money initially doesn’t want to know but is gradually persuaded by Hazel to work with her at ‘Poppies’… perhaps also an indication of the hold and influence Endell has on those around him like Budgie and Hazell. Laying down the law at ‘Poppies’ Endell makes it clear it’s only Hazel who works the till and some other do’s/don’ts for both of them but specifically Budgie! Things initially go well for Budgie and Hazell at ‘Poppies’ and they’re popular with regulars like Connie (Madge Ryan) and Godlove (John Savident) and are raking in good tips there too. However Budgie being Budgie this doesn’t last for long.
A couple of seemingly hapless snooker players Duffy (Laurie Asprey) and Ron (Stuart Eames) attract Budgie to the table like a moth to a flame and hook him in with them losing a few £5 a frame matches. Budgie thinks he’s on a winner with these snooker no hopers, however they turn out to be quite savvy hustlers and after playing them – winning and losing, the next day Duffy and Ron persuade him to play with them at a snooker club against opponents playing for £25 a frame or more. Budgie gets sucked in and decides to use £800 of Kahn’s money for these games. Naturally he’s been set up by Duffy and Ron and loses it all… worse Kahn has escaped from custody and wants the loot.
Again showing Budgie’s headstrong attitude and unreliability he was meant to have been with Hazel sorting out a flat in Shepherds Bush with her – that they could afford.
Budgie tries to tap Endell up for the £800, naturally Endell gives him short shift and advises Budgie to skip London scared and nervous Budgie lands back at ‘Poppies’ where Kahn is waiting for him… and his money. Budgie gives Kahn the briefcase and sheepishly maintains he’s not ripped it off. Counting the money Kahn is re-arrested when the police bust into ‘Poppies’ and Budgie thinks he’s off the hook. He’s not the club has no licence since the ‘50’s something Endell forgot to arrange and forgot to tell Budgie and Hazel. Like in Episode 2 Budgie and Hazel take the blame for Endell’s deeds and they’re arrested for running an un-licenced club and many other offences.
Again and on the whole I enjoyed this episode.
Budgie is presented a golden opportunity to mind the poppy for a seemingly notorious villain, Kahn and all he has to do is simply keep it safe and leave it alone until Kahn (or associates) come back for it. Budgie being Budgie can’t do this and when he’s sucked into the snooker games with the hapless players cum hustlers in ‘Poppies’ who later on take him to the cleaners you know it’ll end in tears.
Kahn (Terrance Mountain) was played menacingly well. Interesting he doesn’t speak at all in the episode his mannerisms – the glare at police, the wink at Budgie in the cinema and at court, are enough to reinforce his reputation in the episode. It’s lucky for Budgie the police bust ‘Poppies’ and nick Kahn in the process. I’m sure the lightness of the briefcase would have resulted in something painful, possibly very painful for Budgie but that could perhaps be explained by the police sticking sticky fingers in Kahn’s loot so I assume Budgie has ducked and dived out of another very sticky situation… probably part of the course and premise for the series’.
Hazel has an interesting role in this episode. She’s totally dependant on Budgie, Endell and others and has/has lost the ability to be independent and stay on her own feet. Her cap in hand pleas to Endell naturally fail but Endell does show a softer side and seems to like (tolerate) Hazel who he thinks is wasting her time hanging around a loser like Budgie. He relents and helps her out provided there’s something in it for him, lumbering ‘Poppies’ and its problems unsuspectingly on to them.
Again the hold and influence Endell has over those around him is all to see. Hazel is almost trance-like convinced to do what Endell wants and work at ‘Poppies’. Likewise Budgie eventually falls into line too and again we see the quiet, subservient and compliant Mrs Endell agreeing and liking what Charlie does in the Italian restaurant too. However we see another side to both Charlie and his Mrs. Charlie does take great pride and responsibility to make sure Mrs Endell is looked after – by him alone, unlike Budgie who does all he can to hide and deny the problems and responsibilities he should be facing up to. Mrs Endell also shows some of her maternal side too taking care of Hazel’s son while she and Charlie talk business about ‘Poppies’.
I enjoyed the snooker hustlers Duffy and Ron too. It simply shows how blindsided to things Budgie gets when even when things are working out and possibly going well he can’t resist the temptation to chase a fast buck. It’s plainly obviously they’re suck Budgie in and then take him – which they eventually do, but Budgie can’t see this and thinks they rather than him are there for the taking. Perhaps that’s another premise of Budgie and the character. Whatever he does and thinks is a good idea he should really not do it or do the opposite, but there’s many a real life Budgie out there and I think we’ve all been in these situations from time to time… unlike Budgie we tend to learn from them but it’d smash the premise of the show if he suddenly got wise and made some of these scams work for him.
Some interesting characters in ‘Poppies’ too like Connie who comes across all posh and influential lady but seems to be a drunk down at heel and down on her luck spending most of her time in a similar drinking club and Godlove who like Connie seems to be a faded face in show business all bitter and twisted about how his career has/is going and makes injects the points about sex/violence on TV that he’s against – seemingly lost work to, when it’s really younger, better faces and more fresher ideas that are holding him back – likewise like Connie all he can do is regale tales of ‘the good old days’ to the regulars in 'Poppies'… if any of them can be bothered.
Again it’s a good
7 to
7.5 out of 10 for this episode and Budgie generally. I do agree something – probably punchiness, pacing etc. seems missing/lacking with Budgie and I do agree (I’ve tried not to look/copy the other posts when doing this review) which would make Budgie an essential viewing classic. Having said that I’m enjoying and it’s as good on the whole as the much eulogised Minder for me which if you look at it closely has similar flaws in the characters too, in fact did it rip off Budgie in the first place? Perhaps not but they’re similar… and mostly reasonably good too.
Looking forward to Episode 6 next week.