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Two's Company: The Complete Second Series (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (8th February 2009). |
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The Show
 Produced for London Weekend Television, Two’s Company ran for four series between 1975 and 1979. Revolving around the character of Dorothy McNab (the American actress Elaine Stritch) and her relationship with her butler Robert Hiller (Donald Sinden), the show could easily have been nothing more than a reactionary return to the ‘drawing room’ comedies that had been swept aside in the 1960s and 1970s by shows such as Hancock’s Half Hour (BBC, 1956-60) and Steptoe and Son (BBC, 1962-74). However, Two’s Company avoids most of the clichés associated with the drawing room comedy through the very modern interplay between Elaine Stritch and Donald Sinden, who for four series sustained a witty rapport, with Sinden positioned as the buffoonish butler and Stritch, a familiar face on British television during the 1970s, playing his employer Dorothy McNab. McNab is an American author of thrillers, and in this second series McNab’s profession as a thriller writer finds its way into several of the episodes. The show trades on cultural stereotypes: Stritch is scatty, bolshy, confident and stereotypically ‘American’, whilst Sinden is reserved, blusterful, sarcastic and stereotypically ‘British’. The series’ focus on the clash of these two very different cultures, not to mention its subversion of traditional gender roles, means that even though it trades on an old convention of the drawing room farce (the relationship between a butler and his master), the series still feels very modern. Sinden and Stritch’s interplay is, by this second series, nailed with perfection; there’s a touch of pathos to their relationship, but Sinden’s sarcastic one-liners (and Stritch’s character’s arrogance) defuse the kind of sentimentality that, in lesser hands, might have taken centre stage. Whilst not in the top tier of 1970s British situation comedies, Two’s Company is frequently entertaining. The writing is sharp and Stritch and Sinden’s interplay is even sharper; the clash of their respective cultures is played out in a somewhat satirical (but never didactic) manner, although the series never patronises its characters or its audience. The series is very static and theatrical in its presentation, like watching a comedy unfold on a proscenium arch stage: the scenes are shot in long takes, with Sinden and Stritch using the studio set as if it were a stage in a theatre. The joy of the series comes from the verbal sparring and bickering between these two very different characters; there is relatively little slapstick or visual humour (although there are some great sight gags in the episode ‘The Burglary’). Episode Breakdown: 'The Reluctant Traveller' 'The Burglary' 'The Rubbish' 'The Honeymoon' 'Robert's Record Player' 'The Guests' 'The Cleaning Ladies' Christmas Special: 'A Loving Christmas'
Video
Two’s Company was shot on video. The presentation is very good; the image is crisp and clear. The series is presented in its original Academy aspect ratio; the original break bumpers are absent.
Audio
Audio is presented via a two-channel mono soundtrack, which is consistently clear. There are no subtitles, sadly.
Extras
There are no extra features.
Overall
Two’s Company is a witty series that relies heavily on verbal humour. The show looks back to the structuring conventions of the drawing room farce, often drawing parallels with the work of Noel Coward, but updates those conventions and situates them within a satirical exploration of the conflict between British and American culture, not to mention a very modern take on the gender stereotypes in the conventional drawing room comedy. The sparkling and sharp exchanges between Sinden and Stritch mean that this series is still entertaining, and fans of classic sitcoms should find much to enjoy here.
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