With Alfie, I feel like I'm watching a kids' sitcom - remember when he was singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" at Christmas 2005? That was the only time I've stopped watching My Family half way through. Seasoned criminals have been known to watch Alfie scenes and confess to murders they haven't even committed.
 

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"Do you understand the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing? Today, I can die for something. My way. My choice." - Jack Bauer 24 Season 6 Episode 1
 

There is no point in Alfie other than to annoy Ben, it seems. I wish he would go and fall down one of his country's mines. Seriously. THE worst, most pointless character in British sitcom of the past decade.
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

No offence to the actor. It's not his fault they wrote him to be so annoying.
 

Not been impressed with this season yet. I supose I should give it more than a couple of episodes.
 

It all went downhill from series 6 and im not proud to say that. This show has been around for nearly 10 years and i think it should be considered as one of the greats
 

I don't mind Alfie anymore. He caused there to be a topless Michael scene. And then got in bed with him.

So it's all good.
 

Haha, I must have missed that scene. I still hate the character though.
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

It seems that Alfie hasn't moved back to Wales after all. Did I misunderstand it, or did Michael say he had gone back there at the beginning of the back robbery episode? Michael passed on Alfie's cheque to Ben for the last two year's rent; in tonight's episode, incidentally, Ben states that he hasn't been paid for it. I know the cheque was post-dated, but it's still bad continuity.

It's their own fault, of course. They must know he's terrible, they must know everybody hates him, but if he's going to be a (sub) plot device, than I don't suppose they care all that much.
 

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"Do you understand the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing? Today, I can die for something. My way. My choice." - Jack Bauer 24 Season 6 Episode 1
 

That's the peril of groups of writers working separately. Which I believe is what happens here?
 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

Quote: Aaron @ May 2 2008, 9:59 PM BST

That's the peril of groups of writers working separately. Which I believe is what happens here?

View original

Yeah, that's right. It can't be said to be a great success - the written by commitee method. The theory behind it is that if five writers are writing it, it must be five times better that just one person writing it. But John Sullivan wrote every single episode of Only Fools on his own.

Fred Barron is a bit of a big fish in a small pond. In the US, he was a nobody - just a writer on Caroline in the City - I mean, who would want to boast about that? - it's also a myth that he wrote for Seinfield. He says so himself. But because he's an American with a different way of doing things, the BBC were in awe of him, despite a rather lame CV.
 

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"Do you understand the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing? Today, I can die for something. My way. My choice." - Jack Bauer 24 Season 6 Episode 1
 

Quote: Dave @ May 3 2008, 1:42 AM BST

Fred Barron ... was ... just a writer on Caroline in the City - I mean, who would want to boast about that?

View original

 

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Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)

 

One thing I have noticed this series is that Roger and Abbi seem to be very underused. I notice in the cast list in the Radio Times for next week neither they, nor Susan are in episode.

This will be two Zoe Wannamaker has been absent from. Is she busy with othwer things? I do recall one series that Robert Linsey missed a couple of episodes too.

Last nights episode I feel was the best of the series so far, but I still think it's a weaker series than previous ones.
 

I'm sorry but I've never been able to warm to 'My Family'.

For me it's always been a bit too predictable and formulaic, following over deferentially in the footsteps of other 'family' sitcoms.

I preferred 'Butterflies' and even 'Bread' or TDUDP.
 

I stopped watching it half way through. It also stole the plot from a Season 11 episode of Frasier ... and a Series 2 episode of My Family itself ("Death and Ben Take a Holiday").
 

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"Do you understand the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing? Today, I can die for something. My way. My choice." - Jack Bauer 24 Season 6 Episode 1
 

Quote: Dave @ May 11 2008, 3:29 AM BST

I stopped watching it half way through. It also stole the plot from a Season 11 episode of Frasier ... and a Series 2 episode of My Family itself ("Death and Ben Take a Holiday").

View original

I don't think you can technically steal from yourself ... I know what you mean though. There seems to be quite a bit of recycling going on in this show now. But then that's perhaps expected, any sitcom heading towards the 100 episode mark must be running out of things to do?
 

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Mark
BSG Editor