Green Wing Special
"Green Wing Special" | |
---|---|
Green Wing episode | |
Directed by | Tristram Shapeero Dominic Brigstocke |
Written by | Victoria Pile Robert Harley Gary Howe Stuart Kenworthy Oriane Messina Richard Preddy Fay Rusling James Henry |
Guest appearance | |
Jeremy Sheffield |
The "Green Wing Special" is the final episode of the British sitcom
The special continues the plot from the end of the
Plot
The episode begins at a funeral, attended by Guy, Caroline,
Caroline, Guy and Mac
Mac returns to work after a month's leave. When Caroline meets him, she implies that she is engaged to Guy. Mac and Guy are then drunk in a bar, where Mac tells Guy he is going to die in a couple of weeks and makes Guy promise he will not tell Caroline. However, Guy tells Martin, who then complains to him about his selfishness. Caroline walks in and overhears the argument. Meanwhile, Mac suggests to Sue that she find someone else to love. Caroline confronts Mac about marrying her. Mac defends himself by saying it would be better for her to marry Guy because he will live longer. Guy later decides to do the right thing, and tells Mac to propose to Caroline because they love each other. Caroline and Mac therefore become engaged and later marry. The majority of the core cast attend the wedding. At the wedding, Sue is seen with a new boyfriend. The special ends with Caroline floating away into the sky holding a mass of helium balloons.[5]
Alan and Joanna
After being rescued by Martin while they were teetering over the edge of a cliff in a stolen campervan, Alan and Joanna are on the run, believing the police are after them for the murder of Joanna's cousin.[2] They go to a garage to get the van checked for faults, but, as they leave, Joanna accidentally runs over the mechanic by putting the van in the wrong gear and reversing into him. They then try to rob a corner shop and Joanna tells Alan to sit on the shopkeeper to restrain her, but this causes Alan to accidentally suffocate her. Back at the hospital, Boyce begins to miss Alan after discovering his replacement is worse than him. Boyce's plotline with Alan is concluded when Alan telephones him to say goodbye, almost confirming the strange love they have for each other, but instead telling him (in code) that he is "flying west".[5]
Later, Alan and Joanna are stopped by a policeman on suspicion of stealing the campervan. Joanna gets her peanut butter sandwich and smears it in the policeman's face. Alan and Joanna have an argument about the minute odds of the policeman having a peanut allergy and going into anaphylaxis, while in the background this is actually happening. They then carry the body of the policeman into the van. Soon, having run out of food and petrol, Alan changes the engine to run on alcohol and fermented excrement. The plan is of no use, however, as the van explodes. They soon reach the beach and Joanna gives Alan three options: give themselves up, swim the English Channel to Spain, or commit suicide. As Alan is not keen on the Spanish, they choose the third option and are last seen walking naked into the sea, presumably to their deaths–– although the alternate ending shows them hanging on to a buoy some time later.[5]
Admin girls
Having fallen out of a window,
Production
The production on the special was similar to that of the other episodes, with the hospital scenes being shot in the usual locations (the
There were some improvised scenes. These included a scene in the beginning of the episode where Alan and Joanna are in a middle of a field and the scene begins with a
The DVD of the special was released on 8 January, four days after its premiere in the UK. Features include the alternate ending, a "Behind the Scenes" featurette, 20 minutes of deleted scenes and commentary from many of the main cast, which includes commentary from some foreign relatives of Michelle Gomez who had not seen the show before. Three extra deleted scenes from the special were later released in "The Definitive Collection" DVD boxset.[14]
Alternative ending
An alternative ending was made for the special, which was never broadcast, but was put as an extra on the DVD. In this version of the ending, when Mac sees Caroline floating away, he runs down the stairs and out of the castle to save her. Caroline begins to descend, and both Mac and Guy grab hold of one her legs to bring her down, but instead they are lifted into the air with her. While the three fly away, Caroline exclaims "We're all going to die!", to which Mac quite sternly says "Caroline, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," opening the possibility that Mac is not going to die. Meanwhile, Alan and Joanna, after walking into the sea, are last seen hanging onto a buoy waiting to drown. They are still talking while waiting for the ocean to drown them.[15]
This ending was the favourite amongst the actors. Mangan said that the alternative ending was the best moment in the whole of Green Wing. However, the alternative ending was rejected and the writers favoured the ending that was eventually broadcast. It is believed that the alternative ending would have been broadcast if a third series was being made, as that ending was much more ambiguous, since Alan and Joanna are still seen alive and Mac tells Caroline that he still has something to say.[16]
Reception
When the special was first broadcast, it was watched by 1.7 million viewers, 11% of the total audience. However, these ratings are poor compared to other programmes. For example, an episode of Desperate Housewives shown the previous night attracted 2.8 million viewers.[1] Responses from critics were mixed. Matt Baylis said, "Like a homegrown ER on laughing gas, this show will be sorely missed,"[1][17] and Ian Johns said, "It was like a Richard Curtis romcom, albeit one force-fed magic mushrooms."[18] In The Guardian, Sam Wollaston wrote that it was one of the funniest shows on British television, alongside the satirical sitcom The Thick of It, saying, "The Thick of It is clever-funny, Green Wing is mad-funny." Wollaston opined that while the dramatic elements of the show, such as Mac's death, were good, Alan and Joanna's storyline was most entertaining. "Mark Heap and Pippa Haywood, who play them, have been the shining lights in an already glittering show. They, and it, will be sorely missed," he said.[19] David Butcher in the Radio Times wrote that, "Green Wing's sublime comic acting and a vein of shrieking madness in the writing make it very hard to beat."[20]
Paul Whitelaw, however, attacked both the series and the special, saying, "This final instalment was typically awful, more so considering its length."[21] Fans of the show thought that while the special was good, it was not the greatest episode of Green Wing made.[citation needed] Some thought the special concentrated too much on the drama instead of the comedy. Some were confused by the final ending and others complained about the lack of appearances made by Sue White.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Boosey, Mark (23 January 2007). "Green Wing Newsletter: Issue 17". British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
- ^ Green Wing. Season 2. Episode 8. 19 May 2006.
- Green Wing. Season 2. Episode 3. 14 April 2006.
- ^ a b "Special". Green Wing. 4 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "The Special". British Sitcom Guide. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ Nicol, Patricia (9 July 2006). "Interview: He's earned his wings". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Studio". Imagine. Season 7. Episode 3. 31 January 2006.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Karl Theobald (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 2:03.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Karl Theobald (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 6:08.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Karl Theobald (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 8:27.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Behind the Scenes (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 5:27.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pippa Haywood and Victoria Pile (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 1:13:35.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pippa Haywood and Victoria Pile (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 1:16:30.
- ^ Boosey, Mark (23 January 2007). "Green Wing Merchandise". British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Alternative Ending (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007.
- ^ Green Wing Special: Audio Commentary, with Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pippa Haywood and Victoria Pile (DVD). TalkbackThames. 8 January 2007. Event occurs at 1:25:30.
- ^ "Comedy". Broadcast. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ Johns, Ian (5 January 2007). "Hospital visit proves a test of patience". The Times. London. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (5 January 2007). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
- ^ Butcher, David (4 January 2007). "Green Wing: Downloads". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
- ^ Whitelaw, Paul (5 January 2007). "Dismal comedy finally dies a deserved death". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
External links
- Green Wing Special at Channel 4.com
- Green Wing Special at the Internet Movie Database