A time for 40 winks

Press, 2 August 1985, Page 15

A time for 40 winks

F

Ken Strongman

“The Irish R.M.” is harmless, good humoured, innocuous, mildly engaging, but should come complete with free matchsticks to prop up sagging lids. It deals with momentous matters such as salmon poaching and the local regatta. It is vaguely stylish and wholly inconsequential. It is a little like an undressed form of “Map and Lucia,” also without their precious viciousness. Peter Bowles is the R.M., but he remains absolutely Peter Bowles, setting his tranquil, sonorous modulations against the earthy brogue of the locals. He also has to set his frustrated logic against the inexorable illogic of the Irish. He can do nothing but shake his head as though beguiled by the charming ways of children, and perhaps at the absence of Penelope Keith. Whoops, nearly fell asleep writing then. Long sequences of people eating and looking at one another, the monotony broken only by the Irish lilt and sometimes the R.M.’s monocle steaming up . . . almost asleep again then. It is possible that there

are some stretches of “The Irish R.M.” when the cast catch a quick 40 winks as well as the viewers. If the timing is right, we will never know. It is not unlike dipping into an old comic found in perfect condition in the corner of a bookshop. It has a certain period charm, but also has a certain period dreariness. It is all just a bit too nice to keep upper lids from thudding down onto cheeks. Even worse, there is not much to say about it. A much more lively part of Monday evening is “Kate and Allie,” although it tends to be blasted out by the big guns of “The Bill” and “The Borgias.” It is a subtle, amusing programme which has more than the usual two dimensions of sitcoms. The relationship between Kate and Allie is intricate, and together they nicely reflect most of the possible reac-

tions to the new loneliness of life without a soul mate, or at least show that there is more than one type of soul mate. Sex does not have to enter into everything, even though it does tend to lurk close by. Allie is sometimes bewildered by her life and its possible directions, but her brightness pulls her through. Kate is so sharp and attractive that she has fewer self doubts. But the programme is good to watch because when they become a little depressed, they don’t mope; they make a cake and wolf it down, and this does not send them into an identity crisis. The problem with “Kate and Allie” is that it sometimes slithers into grinding out a moral message, into making those judgments so beloved of American family programmes — “Diffrent Strokes” is full of them. A few weeks ago poor Allie was not allowed to develop a relationship with a younger man for absolutely no good reason. Still, this is the exception; Kate and Allie usually manage to keep up an amusingly ironic and wry commentary on life.

Thinking of American sitcoms, the biggest disappointment of all is “Cheers.” It began by being so good, but has now been eroded by the battering winds of conventionality. Everything was fine until Diane and Sam settled into a permanent relationship. Before this, Diane was her own woman and was sharply amusing, her wit sparkling round the bar like shards of glass. Now she is dominated by Sam, who has only one-tenth of her television presence, and the programme is sinking. Why couldn’t they have left her as the dominant partner? Would it really have destroyed the great American dream? Just a final word or two.

What is going on in “The Borgias”? It looks good and they spit and snarl, plot and connive and fancy one another in a series of alliances that threaten to give the lie to socio-biology. But what is it all about? Sometimes, it seems so remote that it begins to sound as if it might be in another language. Perhaps that’s the problem — it’s not in Italian, is it? Tailpiece: The most poignant moment on television for some time occured this week when Sue Wood, speaking as president of the National Party, said: “He rejected the offer of myself.” Hearts must have gone out to her from all over the country.