I watched Episode 7 ‘Best Mates’ last night and again another very enjoyable episode.
Please Note this contains Spoilers.
Well we begin with a football match and Fulham are taking on (I think) Rotherham. Lurking outside the ground is Charlie waiting for his sons. Also milling around is Budgie and after almost being runover he get’s in Charlie’s motor… seemingly going Charlie’s way.
Charlie’s chatting away in the car let’s Budgie know he’s not a football fan… but supports the winning team and he makes sure his son’s ‘have discipline’ when they’re around him. They can be little @~#!’s when they’re not! Charlie’s son’s have a foot in both the Fulham and Chelsea camps whereas Budgie is loyal to Fulham through and through.
Meanwhile at Hazel’s flat a aging face in what seems to be a prison uniform seems to be making himself at home. It’s Maguire (Joe Gladwin) a ex-con Budgie did time with.a while back. Budgie immediately hits it off with Maguire and he convinces Hazel to allow Maguire to stay at the flat and disappear ‘off to her mother’s’ for a while. However there’s something about Maguire that doesn’t quite ring true?
At her mother’s (Stella Tanner) Hazel get’s the usual put down’s about her and Budgie whilst competing with an inane children’s choir programme which is competing for Hazel’s mother’s attention and affection. Calling around is the ‘square’ Douglas Hardisty (William Hoyland) who’s family own a chicken business/restaurant. Douglas is very much a boring, stiff, nicer than nice nerd like character who seems to like/want to get to know Hazel but that is not mutual from her. Mrs Fletcher meanwhile holds Douglas in high regard and despite his shy, awkward and too nice for his own good demeanour see’s him as a potential husband for Hazel… again comparing Budgie unfavourably and with disdain in comparison.
Later Hazel needs some things for her son and up steps Douglas to help her get them from her flat. At the flat only Budgie is there, giving Douglas a fake name and some faux p***-taking hairs and graces perhaps underlining his coolness if perhaps 'street smart' superiority over Douglas in winning over Hazel’s affections. Maguire meanwhile is on the loose and steal’s Douglas’ van… a rather conspicuous Escort with a large roasted plastic chicken on it’s roof. The van has 50 frozen chickens Douglas was due to deliver too.
Budgie catches up with Maguire and tries to barter a deal with Charlie to sell the chicken’s to him, for him to sell/pass on to his West End contacts. Charlie agrees 50p a chicken with Budgie but only takes two off his hands and isn’t interested in the other 48. Maguire meanwhile has done a bunk from Endell’s bookshop…
Budgie heads back to the flat with Hazel. Maguire has turned them both over and dumped the chickens in the bathroom. He’s also turned Endell over too and Budgie has to get rid of the rapidly thawing chickens. He bury’s them in the back garden to Hazel’s flat, however when burying the last of them a couple of faces – which look like the law, want Budgie. Budgie soon finds out they’re not the police but a couple of Endell’s heavies who take him to an Italian restaurant Charlie is waiting. Charlie gives Budgie the rundown on Maguire, he’s not actually an escaped prisoner but a con artist who has conned Budgie with a hard luck story of his wife running off with bus conductors… Maguire isn’t even married and acting like a ‘at the goat’ clueless kleptomaniac, with the intention to not only rip off Budgie but Endell too.
Endell perhaps gives Budgie a facts of life, reality check in his good nature and mateship with fellow criminals leads to his downfall. Endell also wants to see Budgie’s reactions and whether he’s ‘true to type’ when Endell asks Budgie what he wants done with Maguire, when Budgie in spite of everything that’s happened wants Maguire to be left alone, which is ignored by Endell who makes sure his heavies rough Maguire up in order to ‘keep discipline’ and make sure no one is foolish enough to mess with him.
Charlie gives Budgie a lift where Budgie see’s a smashed up Maguire, he still has emotional attachment to Maguire despite him ripping him off and trying to pin his rip off of Endell on him… Charlie’s off to Chelsea to pick up his glory hunting boys again the dialogue in the car is Endell’s support of winners as opposed to Budgie’s loyalty and loyalties.
Once again another very enjoyable episode.
It sort of shows what makes Charlie and Budgie tick. Charlie wants to be a winner and will do anything possible to make sure of this and ‘keep discipline’ to maintain his position and status. This includes his family (sons) who he doesn’t care what they do outside his company but wants them well behaved when they are or when they are representing his ‘family’ etc.
Budgie meanwhile is more loyal, ‘one team’ etc. and the out of the blue arrival of Maguire triggers his loyalties, no questions asked he lets him stay at Hazel’s flat and looks after him when unknown to him Maguire is trying to not only rip him off but make him the fall guy for other ruses he’s got in mind – even unplanned, like ripping off Douglas’ van and Endell. To me Maguire is a slimy snake in the grass, seems your best mate, wins your confidence when all the while he’s lying, scheming against you and getting ready to stick the knife in your back which he does without hesitation when Endell’s inquisition at the Italian restaurant shows his true colours.
Another interesting exchange between Hazel and her mother almost as if they don’t really care for each other unless it’s for points scoring. Of course Mrs Fletcher detests Budgie but would happily see Hazel set up with a perhaps successful but dull as dishwater type like Douglas who despite his advantages is practically insipid in comparison to Budgie. That’s not to say Douglas isn’t a bad bloke nor he cares a lot for Hazel but he’s just not got the spark or charisma Budgie has even though everything else about and connected to Budgie is bad news in comparison.
The ending was interesting too despite being let down and his illusions of Maguire being shattered he still feels loyalty too him – wanting Endell to leave him alone etc. It perhaps shows something of the times as back then that would be more of a common response and feeling of loyalty people had rather than the last couple of decades where people have say hardened up and would be more inclined to act/feel ‘@~#! Them!’ if in a situation where you are not only ripped off by someone you respected, trusted but had your illusions of that person shattered in the way Budgie has. Even when seeing a pathetic worked over Maguire almost looking at Budgie in a way to make Budgie feel guilty he does feel guilty when he should simply just move on and cut ties with Maguire – it will be interesting to see whether he reappears in any future episodes too.
I’d rate Best Mates almost
8/10 a
very good one and again lays down the character traits of Budgie, Charlie and Hazel along with those who pass them by like Maguire and Douglas too.
Once again looking forward to next week’s episode.