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A bit of a mixed bag I thought, of nice touches and not-so-effective ones. I liked the way Ettie insisted Jan act as her solicitor, showing her faith in her despite her alcohol dependency. Ettie's comment about her boozy past was also nice, although with her filling the token "institutionalised dotty old woman" post, it did put Lizzie back in my mind, which was unfortunate as Ettie is far less obvious as a Lizzie-replacement than the annoying Dot was.
I found it hard not to cringe during the subtle-as-a-brick "I'm sorry mum.." comment by Sam to Judy. That was a shame, as I really liked the way that was developing - with Ann (and possibly some of the viewers) jumping to the wrong conclusion about Sam's relationship with Judy. It was as though the writers wanted to hammer the point home, and get that subplot over with quickly. And was it me, or was Sam's voice getting higher and higher as the episode went on, until at one point she was almost squeaking..?
I loved how Lexie and Marlene dressed up Sheila (the Cinderella pantomime rags again), put all that make-up on her face, and she looked at herself in the mirror. For some reason, it made me want to go and buy a Big Mac, fries and a thick shake. For someone who was so scruffy, I was surprised how much fuss she made about cleaning off cake mixture (or whatever) from her clothes, when none actually seemed to stick to her after she made contact with Marlene's sticky spoons.
Once again, Myra was all miserable and p*ssed off, assuming the women were all plotting against her, and unaware of the surprise birthday party they had planned. Er, hang on.. didn't we see exactly the same plotline with Bea Smith a while ago? A re-hashed sub-plot? No, never in Prisoner.
More peculiar camera angles, with one ceiling-height one of Myra walking down the corridor alone. Actually this could have been quite effective, had the camera not been wobbling and therefore distracting me from the action.
At least 3 or 4 references to long-forgotten Ray in the kitchen - a sure sign he's on the way out. And another character with an alcohol problem by the sounds of it. Wow, perhaps it's catching.
Lots of excellent witty lines this episode. In particular, after Alice has dished up what she assured her were mashed potatoes onto Lou's plate:
Lou: "How do you know?"
Alice: "Because they're grey, and everything else is green."
And naughty Myra, in bed with Geoff, feeling guilty about sneaking out of her party:
Myra: "I'm being very rude."
Geoff: "You were very rude about ten minutes ago."
Other wonderful comic moments must included Joycie tap-dancing in and out of the room. Absolutely classic! And Ann going to that formal cocktail party wearing a tablecloth with a napkin hanging from her belt.
And my other favourite line, at the birthday party, after Lou and Alice have found Sam's body:
Alice: "I think I'm gonna be sick."
Lou: "Be sick! It's a party, isn't it?"
At last, Sam Greenway got her only bit of vaguely interesting storyline, being electrocuted to death by a high voltage doorknob. Possibly her first scene in ages where she hasn't been annoying. More strange camera effects too, I notice, with that slow-motion zoom into Judy's face, and Sam's hanging body. Presumably hanging from one of those pipes you don't find in prison cells because of the risk of suicide.
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