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Two's Company: The Complete Third Series
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (4th May 2009). |
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The Show
  
This third series of the culture clash situation comedy Two’s Company hits the ground running: by this third series, Elaine Stritch and Donald Sinden had grown into the roles of the brash American author Dorothy McNab and her quintessentially English butler Robert Hiller. Once again, the stage is set for the collision of English and American cultures; as noted in our review of the second series, Two’s Company foregrounds cultural stereotypes (the snobbish Englishman, the scatty American) and places them within the conventions of the drawing room comedy. In this third series, Robert takes umbrage at Dorothy’s delivery of that most typically US commodity, a freezer (in ‘The Freezer’), wins a prize through his criticism of Dorothy’s novels and explains the intricacies of the British class system to Dorothy (in ‘The Politicians’), defiantly asserting that ‘I am not one of the workers, madam […] Great Britain is divided into three main classes: the upper class, the middle class and the working class […] Furthermore, the middle class has two further subdivisions: the upper middle and the lower middle [….] Now, socially each class feels uncomfortable in the presence of the other class’. The writing in this third series is as sharp as ever, and the delight of Two’s Company derives from the interplay between Dorothy and Robert, and Sinden and Stritch clearly delight in Robert and Dorothy’s bouts of verbal sparring and bickering. With acres of bitingly sarcastic wit and social observation, the series is a great antidote to the sentimental nature of many modern situation comedies.  
1. ‘The Invitation’ Dorothy and Robert return from holiday in Scotland. Reflecting on the Scottish weather, Dorothy asks, ‘Tell me, Robert: is Scotland like Australia? I mean, do they have their summers at a different time to England?’ Dorothy discovers that she has been invited to lunch by the Queen: ‘Now where do I find the palace, in the Yellow Pages?’ In preparation for the event, Robert tries to teach Dorothy how to address the Queen. 2. ‘The Freezer’ Robert discovers Dorothy has been in his kitchen. Dorothy reveals that she has bought a freezer; an indignant Robert intones that he ‘will not be fobbed off with inferior produce, madam, which is what will happen if you took delivery of a freezer’. Dorothy’s friend Jane calls around and asks what the object in the hall is; Robert tells her, ‘The more ignorant among us call it a freezer, madam; I call it a food coffin’. Robert gives Dorothy an ultimatum: either she gets rid of the freezer or he leaves her employ. 3. ‘The Pet’ Dorothy wishes to acquire a pet. Mrs Shelton has offered to find a pet dog for Dorothy. ‘Who’s Mrs Shelton?’ Robert asks. ‘She’s one of those ladies who finds dogs that aren’t wanted, and then she finds a home for then’, Dorothy tells him. ‘A busybody’, Robert asserts. The eccentric Mrs Shelton arrives, to assess Dorothy and Robert’s home’s suitability for a dog. When Dorothy acquires her pet dog, she and Robert try to train it. 4. ‘The Take-Over Bid’ Dorothy’s novel is being adapted into a film. Dorothy returns from the film studios with her chauffeur Vincent; Robert is watching the horse racing on Dorothy’s television. Vincent soon reveals that he is after Robert’s job; Robert accuses Vincent of being ‘a spiv’. Vincent’s wife Mabel, ‘a wonderful cook’, is on her way to Dorothy’s home. Robert and Dorothy come up with a plan: using Robert’s job as bait, they persuade Vincent and Mabel to prepare dinner for them. 5. ‘The Virus’ Dorothy is suffering from an unidentified ‘virus’. Robert believes that she is putting it on: ‘If you were ill, madam, you wouldn’t be able to eat’. Dorothy’s new home help, Mrs Tomkins, arrives. Robert has also caught Dorothy’s cold and has retreated to bed; he expects Mrs Tomkins to wait on him too. However, Mrs Tomkins leaves due to Robert’s demands, and Dorothy finds herself having to wait on Robert. 6. ‘The Critic’ Upon waking, Robert tries to keep the morning newspaper away from Dorothy, but she manages to acquire it. Whilst reading the paper, Dorothy discovers an article about the ‘How to Become a Critic’ competition, the third prize of which has been awarded for ‘a criticism of the novels of Dorothy McNab in the style of Oberon Waugh’. Dorothy tries to find out the identity of the critic, and after pulling some strings she discovers that the critic is in fact Robert. 7. ‘The Picnic’ It’s Dorothy’s birthday, and Robert has sent her a card: ‘Of all the madams I have had, and I have had a few, I’ve never worked for anyone quite as nice as you’. Robert takes Dorothy on a picnic. However, two of Dorothy’s friends from America arrive and wish to go on the picnic with Robert and Dorothy. 8. ‘The Politicians’ Dorothy is expecting guests in the form of two politicians. Robert reminds her that ‘You’re entertaining Members of Parliament, not the boilermakers’ union’. Robert tries to explain the intricacies of the British class system to Dorothy, and finds that when Dorothy’s guests arrive his assumptions about them are completely wrong.  
Video
The episodes are presented in their original broadcast screen ratio of 4:3. The break bumpers have been removed, resulting in a noticeable ‘jump’ in each episode. 
Shot on video, the series is well-presented on this DVD release.
Audio
The episodes are presented in two-channel mono sound. This is clear, but there are no subtitles.
Extras
There is no contextual material.
Overall
A witty situation comedy, Two’s Company still has a strong following. This DVD release from Network is welcome, although the absence of any contextual material is lamentable. For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD.
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