Vienna
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Curled up on Miss Jones' lap
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Post by Vienna on Oct 17, 2015 18:52:09 GMT
I expected Abduction to beat Ringer in votes partly because of the intense script and performance of John Thaw in this episode. It is definitely the highlight of Series 1 for me, and at the time ITV seemed to save the best for last by screening this right at the end of the first series. Ringer is a more typical Sweeney story and is often liked because it introduced viewers to the show back in 1975.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Oct 17, 2015 20:14:13 GMT
Funnily enough 'Abduction' has never been a particular favourite of mine either! Watching series 1 on blu ray gave me a better appreciation of it. Sometimes the favourite episodes aren't necessarily the best written or acted or most representative of the show. This reminds me of the AWP episode where Barry organises a poll to decide which colour to paint the hut, second choice of colour yellow wins much to everyone's dismay & Dennis remarks in frustration "that's a smashing system, everybody gets what nobody wants", to which Barry replies "that's democracy Dennis".
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Post by Steve Austin on Oct 17, 2015 21:25:09 GMT
Funnily enough 'Abduction' has never been a particular favourite of mine either! Watching series 1 on blu ray gave me a better appreciation of it. Sometimes the favourite episodes aren't necessarily the best written or acted or most representative of the show. This reminds me of the AWP episode where Barry organises a poll to decide which colour to paint the hut, second choice of colour yellow wins much to everyone's dismay & Dennis remarks in frustration "that's a smashing system, everybody gets what nobody wants", to which Barry replies "that's democracy Dennis". Well put Arthur, great episode of AWP too.
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Post by Superclassic on Oct 18, 2015 11:20:54 GMT
Funnily enough 'Abduction' has never been a particular favourite of mine either! Watching series 1 on blu ray gave me a better appreciation of it. Sometimes the favourite episodes aren't necessarily the best written or acted or most representative of the show. This reminds me of the AWP episode where Barry organises a poll to decide which colour to paint the hut, second choice of colour yellow wins much to everyone's dismay & Dennis remarks in frustration "that's a smashing system, everybody gets what nobody wants", to which Barry replies "that's democracy Dennis". Hahahaha!!!!!Just to go off topic for a moment-that's a brilliant episode....love the bit where the results are in and Barry starts off "I,as spokesperson for the...."and everybody just shouts him down!!Hahahaha!!!Class!!!"I'm not having grey.It reminds me of prison".
Back on topic-I really don't mind which episode comes out on top here,Abduction is a great episode as well as Ringer.I think Ringer has the edge but as everybody has noted,it's really John Thaws' performance in Abduction that makes it so compelling.As always,very ably supported by his Sergeant,Dennis Waterman is also very,very good in Abduction.Then again,Dennis was good in Ringer-I find the part where he's telling Jack about Frank Kemble very believable."Well,he's hard....but you wouldn't know it.Reads a lot.He's one of the few the Twins left alone".
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Villain
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Nine Elms, 1970, looking for the loot...
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Post by Villain on Oct 18, 2015 14:04:27 GMT
Second attempt at posting this - I'm not having much luck online today... Some excellent support for both episodes here, but for me 'Ringer' still occupies the top spot. Some have said that it's almost too typical an episode, as if it's too 'obvious' in a way, but this is one of the reasons why I like it so much, it has all the classic Sweeney ingredients which set the series up good and proper. When it was first broadcast on that cold January night back in 1975 it wasn't typical of anything else previously seen on primetime TV - it definitely set the benchmark for what would follow. The plot, characters, photography, locations, casting and direction are all perfectly done, there's not a single frame of 16mm film which doesn't deserve to be there in the finished cut. From the minute Ian Hendry arrives in that Capri to the closing credits with Harry South's moody and downbeat score, it's an episode that can still stand up on its own, much like the pilot 'Regan' did in 1974. You can certainly say the same about Abduction, but to me 'Ringer' will always have the edge.. Villain
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Oct 18, 2015 17:31:51 GMT
I agree Villain and Windy. Ringer with its "typical Sweeney" storyline set the tone for the series. At the time of its airing it was fresh and hard hitting and had definitely moved the bar up from Regan. It reflected London crime at that time and really was an ace card with which to begin a series with.
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Post by Windy Miller on Oct 18, 2015 19:02:50 GMT
I agree Villain and Windy. Ringer with its "typical Sweeney" storyline set the tone for the series. At the time of its airing it was fresh and hard hitting and had definitely moved the bar up from Regan. It reflected London crime at that time and really was an ace card with which to begin a series with. Yes, because if the question for the poll was, "What is John Thaw's best performance in an episode of The Sweeney ?", then we would all vote for Abduction. But it's not. We're voting for the best episode of The Sweeney, and that should be the episode that singularly reflects what the The Sweeney is about, shows the organised criminal gangs that The Sweeney was set up to counter and stop, and, as an episode, sets the bench mark for all future episodes whatever the series. I think folks are voting for the wrong question.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Oct 18, 2015 19:05:56 GMT
Stone me Windy what a pile of dipsticks they are !!
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Post by Steve Austin on Oct 18, 2015 20:25:42 GMT
The mob has spoken!! I for one understand the premise of voting for the best of the two episodes, it's really not that hard. The fact is that currently more people prefer Abduction to Ringer. If the question was "what episode best sums up The Sweeney?" then Ringer may well win that vote.
Deal with it lads
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Oct 18, 2015 20:49:09 GMT
My post above deals with it perfectly Steve
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