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30 Days of TV - Day 06
( The Days )
Day 06 - Your favourite episode of your favourite TV show
I picked Hamish MacBeth as my favourite TV show, though I don't truly have a single favourite. I'll carry that through to this day and the next of the meme. So, what's my favourite Hamish MacBeth episode? There are only 20 to choose from, 19 if I count the two-part finale as one, and honestly I love them all.
But my favourite is an episode that has everything I love about the show: the quirky humour overlaying a serious message about one of the characters; Hamish being a good cop and simultaneously putting friendship and loyalty ahead of the law; and the people of Lochdubh having their own private mockery of the outsiders, who richly deserve it.
That episode is The Big Freeze. I was going to illustrate this with some clips but I've run out of time, so here: go download and enjoy the whole ep.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FLQGSZID
For those who don't want to download:
The Big Freeze opens with Hamish presented with two problems. One: the city police have foisted a new computer on him, and actually expect him to use it. Since he's a year or two behind on his paperwork, this doesn't thrill him. Two: local aristocrat Major Roddy MacLean faked a robbery in his home in order to claim the insurance money. When informed his city superiors are on their way to the scene, Hamish makes an impulsive decision to help the Major - together they fix the crime scene to make it appear that the robbery is the work of the gang currently terrorising the Highlands, dubbed "the Rasberry Ripple Mob" because their signature is to leave two half-finished tubs of said ice cream behind in place of what they've stolen.
The arrival of the computer presents an entirely new problem to Hamish's friend, employee and sidekick, TV John. Hamish will expect John to help with the new adminstrative tasks and John can't do it. But no one in Lochdubh knows that John is illiterate. Desperate to be of help to his friend, John borrows from the police petty cash box to pay for reading lessons.
When someone contacts the Major, threatening to expose his hoax, Hamish knows he's in trouble. He also knows the list of suspect is pretty short, for very few people could know that "the Mob" were not in fact responsible for the robbery. When he discovers the missing petty cash he is forced to suspect TV John. But John has other things on his mind. Unable to confess his secret to Hamish, John plans to pack up and leave Lochdubh, as he has always left other homes when his secret was exposed. In the midst of all this, there's a third plotline having to do with Esme and Rory's "secret" affair, and the bungling city cops' attempts to entrap their burglar with rasperry ripple ice cream - a plan which only manages to expose just how fond the Lochdubh people are of good ice cream!
The two main plot threads come together when Hamish finds out why John left, and enlists the city cops to help him chase John by telling them he suspects John of being the Rasberry Ripple burglar. The car chase is hilarious, with an oblivious John driving as slowly as he can down a narrow lane, muttering to himself about the impatient city folk he assumes are telling him to pull over so they can overtake. It ends with John ignoring a "Road Closed" sign - he can't read it, of course - which unintentionally leads him and the police right to the real villain. John and Hamish reconcile, the Major gets his insurance payout, and everyone is happy...until next week's episode, of course.
It's fabulously funny, especially the raspberry ripple scenes, but there are serious themes underlying the humour: John's inability to admit his secret parallel's Hamish's reluctance to break Alex's heart by being honest with her, which is a small element in this episode but became important later in the series. Ultimately, it's all about friendship, and how people prioritise friends over everything else.
Day 06 - Your favourite episode of your favourite TV show
I picked Hamish MacBeth as my favourite TV show, though I don't truly have a single favourite. I'll carry that through to this day and the next of the meme. So, what's my favourite Hamish MacBeth episode? There are only 20 to choose from, 19 if I count the two-part finale as one, and honestly I love them all.
But my favourite is an episode that has everything I love about the show: the quirky humour overlaying a serious message about one of the characters; Hamish being a good cop and simultaneously putting friendship and loyalty ahead of the law; and the people of Lochdubh having their own private mockery of the outsiders, who richly deserve it.
That episode is The Big Freeze. I was going to illustrate this with some clips but I've run out of time, so here: go download and enjoy the whole ep.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FLQGSZID
For those who don't want to download:
The Big Freeze opens with Hamish presented with two problems. One: the city police have foisted a new computer on him, and actually expect him to use it. Since he's a year or two behind on his paperwork, this doesn't thrill him. Two: local aristocrat Major Roddy MacLean faked a robbery in his home in order to claim the insurance money. When informed his city superiors are on their way to the scene, Hamish makes an impulsive decision to help the Major - together they fix the crime scene to make it appear that the robbery is the work of the gang currently terrorising the Highlands, dubbed "the Rasberry Ripple Mob" because their signature is to leave two half-finished tubs of said ice cream behind in place of what they've stolen.
The arrival of the computer presents an entirely new problem to Hamish's friend, employee and sidekick, TV John. Hamish will expect John to help with the new adminstrative tasks and John can't do it. But no one in Lochdubh knows that John is illiterate. Desperate to be of help to his friend, John borrows from the police petty cash box to pay for reading lessons.
When someone contacts the Major, threatening to expose his hoax, Hamish knows he's in trouble. He also knows the list of suspect is pretty short, for very few people could know that "the Mob" were not in fact responsible for the robbery. When he discovers the missing petty cash he is forced to suspect TV John. But John has other things on his mind. Unable to confess his secret to Hamish, John plans to pack up and leave Lochdubh, as he has always left other homes when his secret was exposed. In the midst of all this, there's a third plotline having to do with Esme and Rory's "secret" affair, and the bungling city cops' attempts to entrap their burglar with rasperry ripple ice cream - a plan which only manages to expose just how fond the Lochdubh people are of good ice cream!
The two main plot threads come together when Hamish finds out why John left, and enlists the city cops to help him chase John by telling them he suspects John of being the Rasberry Ripple burglar. The car chase is hilarious, with an oblivious John driving as slowly as he can down a narrow lane, muttering to himself about the impatient city folk he assumes are telling him to pull over so they can overtake. It ends with John ignoring a "Road Closed" sign - he can't read it, of course - which unintentionally leads him and the police right to the real villain. John and Hamish reconcile, the Major gets his insurance payout, and everyone is happy...until next week's episode, of course.
It's fabulously funny, especially the raspberry ripple scenes, but there are serious themes underlying the humour: John's inability to admit his secret parallel's Hamish's reluctance to break Alex's heart by being honest with her, which is a small element in this episode but became important later in the series. Ultimately, it's all about friendship, and how people prioritise friends over everything else.
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Enjoy the episode!
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And it really is! I tend to gravitate toward shows with small towns because of Squire's Isle. Another show that got close to Squire's Isle is Picket Fences. Loved that show. It was a little crazy, but it was fun. I want more seasons on DVD!