The following is commentary on Episode No. 43 ("Thicker Than Water") from members of AFAMILYATWAR-LIST. If you wish to add your thoughts to what is being said on this page, become a part of our discussion group by clicking the "Join" button.

 

 


 

 

Richard Veit

Sheila Ashton is determined to proceed with the divorce, and most of “Thicker Than Water” concerns itself with this lonely quest. As for David, he remains uncooperative, still holding out hope that Sheila will begin to accept his convoluted justification that it is possible to love people in different ways. In an episode filled with dramatic scenes, an early moment of suspense arrives when Sheila finds the misplaced letter from Peggy Gartside. She reads it silently to herself, and viewers are left to wonder at its contents. With lack of evidence hindering her case, Sheila can see no other way to confirm her allegations of adultery than to visit Peggy in person and enlist her support. At the Gartside farm, against all odds, she and Peggy soon form a mutual understanding between them, no doubt fostered by their common bond of being wronged by the same man. What a powerful bit of film editing director Les Chatfield achieves, with a progression of quick cuts, in that poignant instant when Sheila first lays eyes upon David’s “other” daughter, Junie. Upon Sheila’s return to Liverpool, David confronts her at the Mackenzie home in one of the most emotionally charged sequences of the entire series, culminating in a show of violence that renders virtually impossible any thought of reconciliation. Colin Campbell (David) and Coral Atkins (Sheila) are brilliant here, creating a conflict that builds to a shattering climax in the episode’s final minute. His anger in shoving her to the floor is utterly convincing, and when she responds to his empty entreaties with a slap to the face, there is no question but that he felt the pain of its impact. Well staged, and not the sort of intense action that lends itself to a second take. Even a faulty prop—the metallic doorknob which becomes dislodged a bit too easily—is left in the broadcast print, and to positive effect. When Sheila cries at the end, it brings tears to our eyes as well, so real does it seem and so completely has Coral Atkins assimilated her character. The director’s decision to include her audible sobbing over the title music is quite compelling.

Some random comments about “Thicker Than Water”…

An intriguing subplot deals with John’s reluctant agreement to join the Labour Party’s local chapter as treasurer, succumbing at last to the forceful persuasiveness of Marjorie (whose surname we never learn). Of course, this development sets up a continuing story line that will hold our interest for eight episodes yet to come, with John’s and Marjorie’s suggestive but presumably unconsummated affair overshadowing any political posturing.

It is a cute moment, very well written, when Freda convinces Ian to accept the fait accompli that Sheila will be staying with them for a time. Earlier, she has explained to Sheila, “You can do almost anything with a man, as long as you make him think it’s his own idea.”

Mr. Turner, the solicitor’s clerk who helps Sheila carry the wicker basket to the scullery for her Big Move, is a very likeable character, and that recurring confusion over his name (Sheila insisting upon calling him Mr. Clark) is nicely handled for comedic effect.

Also amusing is the little joke that Sheila and Freda share, at Ian’s expense, suggesting that the house Sheila will be vacating might be just right for the Mackenzies to occupy. But there are serious undertones here, as well, with compassionate Ian seeing first-hand in what squalid conditions the lower classes must struggle to survive. There is some wonderful dialogue between him and his brother-in-law. When Ian declares that couples with children are likely to try harder to keep their marriages intact, David nods in agreement: “I think you do try a bit harder—but not always hard enough, it seems.”

Again in this episode, Lesley Nunnerley (Margaret) and Ian Thompson (John) must ad-lib around the unscripted commentary of Paul Brett (John George), and I think this provides some very welcome, true-to-life familial chatter for their scene together. And I enjoy that moment when David arrives at the Ashton home, only to be greeted by little John George with a playful whack to the torso by his own flight officer’s cap. The child has lots of energy, but he seems real and interacts quite well with others on the set, even managing to stay in character for the most part.

There is an amusing touch of detail when Tony brings two brimming cups of tea to the table, commenting apologetically to Freda that he has “slopped” a bit onto her saucer. I feel sorry for him in this restaurant scene, as it is clear that he still pines for the affection of his cousin, and there is a sadness in his eyes when Freda confirms that she is indeed quite happy being married.

Freda’s strength of character are much in evidence when she stands up to David’s cynicism about her new marriage into money. Yes, Freda contends, she and Ian will have a successful marriage, but money has nothing to do with it. Having met his match, David retreats and can only say that marriage suits her and that she has grown up very quickly. We cannot fail to be impressed by Freda's nascent confidence, something she has not always demonstrated in such encounters with her older brother.

 

 


 

Richard Veit

I watched “Thicker Than Water” on Friday and was impressed anew by what a sweet young woman Peggy is. (This is the episode in which Sheila Ashton visits the Gartside farm to request Peggy’s deposition for the divorce proceedings against David.) I certainly am glad that David was not able to convince Peggy Drake to marry him, for he would have destroyed her in short order—once the novelty wore off and his wandering eyes went in search of new gals to seduce. Tom Gartside seems to be a fine man, just the sort of stable husband that Peggy needs and deserves. And what a powerful moment that is when Sheila sees little Junie, and the camera cuts and zooms in so dramatically as the child approaches the two ladies.

 

 


 

John Finch

The actress who played Peggy was the daughter of A.J.P.Taylor, the famous British historian. The farm was next to my house in Rochdale.

 

 


 

Richard Veit

That is very interesting, John. I remember reading some books by A. J. P. Taylor (1906-1990) when I was a history major in college — particularly The First World War: An Illustrated History and The Origins of the Second World War.

Evidently, his private life was not as tidy as his writing. He was married three times (Margaret Adams, Eve Crosland, Eva Haraszti), and, according to various websites, much of his prolific output seems to have been motivated by his need to support both his legal (Eve) and common-law (Margaret) wives. Presumably, actress Amelia Taylor’s mother was Margaret Adams, for A. J. P. did not divorce her until 1951. His full name was Alan John Percivale Taylor.