REVIEW

of Ballykissangel Episode 1.2

"The Things We Do For Love"


I thought this plot with Jenny came too early in the series. It would have been nice to hint at Peter's past a little bit more before revealing the reason why he left Manchester. But it is a juicy story, and I'm glad to have had it told by Kieran. And I really did like this episode, despite the sometimes critical tone of what follows (this is a review after all!).


The four stories in this episode are:
1. Jenny
2. Edso and the Fertilizer
3. Cilldargan vs. Ballykissangel, Gaelic Rules
4. Siobhan the Greek
There was sort of a fifth one, "Niamh and Ambrose", but it pretty much consisted of a single scene, so I'll just treat it in passing. Onward.

Jenny

She looks like a teenage tramper when she gets off the bus, but she quickly changes into an ethereal, faerie-like vision, with flowery pastels and soft tendrils. I heard that she is labeled a single mother in the behind-the-scenes book, but I find that hard to swallow. She is an ingenue, almost a Lolita, although she's not innocent about what she wants. Besides, her being a single mother doesn't even make sense within the framework of the dialogue. When she says she's left home, Peter asks if her mum and dad know where she is, but makes no mention of "and who's watching little Sammy?" (To say nothing of Peter, Jr.!) Then, later, Peter protests that he would have ruined her life, then expands it to "our lives", but again makes no mention of any children. Peter is a pretty sensitive guy, and he wouldn't have just forgotten about her children, if indeed she had any. Plus he could have used them as an argument for him and Jenny not to get involved, and he needs all the arguments he can get. He seems to have forgotten the one about him being devoted to the church.

But at least now we have chemistry. Not between Peter and Assumpta (nor Ambrose and Niamh, although this episode boasts their first on-screen kiss), but Peter and Jenny had, well, if not a combustion reaction going, then at least a synthesis one. And exothermic to boot. It was certainly a topic of conversation, being as it's a small town and all (did we get that point yet?), but you know what? No one minded. With the possible exception of Kathleen, who did report the tryst to her superior-- Oh sorry, that's Peter's superior, wouldn't want anyone to think Kathleen was working for the church in any way, shape or form --Anyway, there was more insinuation than insult in the townspeople's reaction to Peter's visitor.

Now as we've said, Jenny makes no secret of the reason she's in town. Heck, practically the first words out of her mouth are "I've come for the priest", which by now are just about the most famous words in all of Ballykissangeldom. Assumpta is both none too sympathetic toward this young up-and-comer and at the same time impressed by her resourcefulness. And possibly just the teensiest bit jealous of Jenny's obviously intimate (emotionally if not physically) relationship with Peter. What did you think of her bringing the key to Peter's house? Downright neighborly, wasn't it. NOT! And Jenny saw immediately what was going on, even if Peter didn't. I think he really believed that Assumpta was just being nosy. But we of the feminine intuition know better, don't we, gals? Jenny's parting shot, "There'll be a next time," is another classic, and I think she knew who she was talking about.

We also learn that Peter has a little problem with honesty. He had left Jenny back in Manchester with the impression that he had been transferred against his will, or at least not at his request. He finally tells her the truth, although he has to take three runs at it in order to get it right.

He isn't even honest with himself. If you were a Catholic priest, rock-solid in your faith and vocation, and a pretty young woman let herself into your house with dinner and wine, what would you do? Why, change into an attractive shirt and jeans, sit down at a candlelit table for two, and hold hands of course. Beats the Stations of the Cross any day of the week. In his favor, maybe he hadn't actually decided what he was going to do until after Jenny all but ripped her clothes off and did a lap-dance. But even then, I think it was only because he realized she wouldn't go away unless he was brutally honest with her and with himself. How much courage must it have cost him to admit, out loud, that he was ashamed of his all-too-human feelings for her body? It was an uncomfortable moment for both of them, and once again, he was saved by the bell.

I have to say that I really liked Jenny. She was strong, sympathetic, and practical. At least she never broke down in tears, not that we saw anyway. I wonder what would have happened if Jenny had stayed in town, say perhaps gotten a job waiting tables at Fitzgerald's? Then they could have had a Ballykissangel Babes Mud-Wrestling Match (mental note to self: there's a winning fan fic!). I guess we'll never know...

Edso and the Fertilizer

Did they make Edso look like Jesus on purpose? I'm not going to go into a whole analysis of the story on that basis, but let me just mention the martyr line:
 
Edso: Do you think I want this?
Frances: Yes you do, you love it. You can’t wait for them to come back and make a martyr of you.


There are two points to this story. One is to show how Peter stands up for a principle. The other is to give Peter and Assumpta a chance to interact.

We also get a little insight into the Irish social system. Reference is made to "Travellers", who are actually not gypsies, although there are probably also Roma and Sinti in Ireland. Travellers are basically dispossessed, landless native Irish, who live on the edge of society, largely by their own choice. They have existed as a distinct social class for centuries, and their descendants tended also to remain Travellers, so that Edso is likely correct in that he and Frances are not true Travellers, even though they lead a similar life. And yes, you will be tested on this.

Peter, as the outsider, is able to take up the cause of these pseudo-Travellers without fearing any social backlash. He can't get any more marginalized than he already is; as an Englishman, he's just about on the same footing with Edso anyway (although the collar does go a long way towards brogueing up his accent).

Peter is able to put a band-aid on Edso's problem due to a lucky coincidence (Siobhan mentioning how Cilldargan is a sure thing right after Assumpta told Peter about the money), coupled with a flash of insight (two and two *does* make four!). And in a neat trick, Kieran ties up three story lines in one blow. However, I wonder whether they actually took the money, and if they did, whether they then used it to settle down. Edso kind of seemed to enjoy his role as the martyr.

On the Peter and Assumpta front, they really get something to sink their teeth into in Fitzgerald's kitchen. No, I don't mean yesterday's coffee, I'm talking about the scene where Assumpta admits that Edso and Frances are camped next to (or on? it was never quite clear) her field. It's interesting that Assumpta is the one with the reputation for being sarcastic, yet it is Peter who is brimming with it in this exchange. Maybe she learned it from him? Also interesting that he is much more incensed at Assumpta than he was at Brian when he thought that Brian was in charge of the field. Either he already has a higher opinion of Assumpta (or a lower one of Brian), or he's so fed up with getting the run-around on this issue that he just cracks.

Cilldargan vs. Ballykissangel, Gaelic Rules

You will be excused for thinking that they have a strange way of playing football in Ireland. They do. We won't go into the rules here, suffice it to say that when they speak of football, they don't mean soccer. This story serves several purposes. First, it give us some insights into Brian's character. He likes to be in charge. No, that's not strong enough. He needs to be in charge. Things have to run by Brian Quigley's rules, or they don't run at all. He is not just the coach of the team, he is the sponsor (as close to an owner as this amateur sport gets) and the general manager. I get the feeling that if any of the players had refused to do what Brian wanted, he would have stomped off in a huff, taking the ball with him. We also learn that Brian makes decisions based not on economics, but on politics (and I don't mean political correctness here). Peter is apparently a fairly decent goalie, having played (normal) football in England. Ambrose, the regular goalie, is not. But Brian favours Ambrose over Peter. Edso, it turns out, is a brilliant player, but he isn't even invited to play as a substitute (even if he isn't a real Traveller, he's close enough to be discriminated). For Brian, it's more important to keep his friends (and potential family members) happy than it is to win.

So the second lesson we learn is that Peter is still an outsider, not only to Brian, but also to Ambrose and the others, at least until he completes their little male bonding ritual, that is. Once he has played in an actual game with them, never mind that they lost, he is that much closer to being accepted as one of them. In any case they invite him to join in another time-honored male bonding ritual, namely getting stinking drunk.

Another purpose of this story was to give Peter and Assumpta a little secret to share (along with Siobhan, but still). And as we know, nothing brings two people closer together than a little subterfuge and trickery. Really.

Then we see yet once again what a nice guy Peter is. Oh he's so honest, doesn't it just make you sick? I mean, here he was, chewing everyone else out for not helping Edso and Frances and their sweet little baby, and then he can't even throw one lousy football game. It would have been so easy, just dive the other way during the penalty, no one would have been the wiser. But no, he has to lose on the up-and-up.

    Peter: Assumpta, I can’t throw a game. What do you take me for?

No, you can't throw a game, that's big man stuff, but you can sure lie to an innocent young woman, lead her on, cause her to leave her home and family, and very nearly destroy her self-esteem (well maybe not that last part, Jenny's a pretty tough chick, but I had to give it a big finish).

And, finally, the climax of this story allows a happy end for the Edso story (see above).

Siobhan the Greek

I considered calling this story "Baaaaa!" but decided not to, out of respect for Siobhan. She's a little touchy on the subject. Plus, the bit about the sheep is only there for comic relief, although it does reveal that Siobhan might have a bit of a problem with alcohol.

The real story here concerns Siobhan's inside betting tips. A vet who has an inside line on racehorses might be accused of funny business, but we are led to believe that Siobhan is on the up-and-up, especially since she never places any bets herself. Of course, no one else places any racing bets based on her information either, as far as we know. Her pals certainly don't have much confidence in her abilities, which leads me to believe that this was the first time she gave them such a tip. Maybe Siobhan hasn't been in town too long herself. Or possibly, she had given them many such tips in the past, but this was the first one to pan out, in which case the joke was on the newcomer (Peter), who thinks Siobhan knows what she's talking about and takes her up on the football bet.

Let's see, I haven't mentioned Niamh and Ambrose yet, and I said I would. OK. Niamh and Ambrose. There. Now I've mentioned them. We don't get much more than that in this episode, either.

Statistics

Scenes in which Peter appears in priest dress - 11
Scenes in which Peter appears in manure-covered priest dress - 3
Scenes in which Peter appears in casual dress - 7

Times Peter ran away from Jenny (not including in Manchester) - 3

References to Siobhan's sheep incident - 5

Times Assumpta bangs on the front door of Fitzgerald's to wake Peter - 31
Times Peter banged on the front door of Fitzgerald's to wake Assumpta in the last episode - 46
Times Peter banged on Padraig's door - 10

Nitpicks:

1. Possible one: Peter changes out of his tan jacket after it gets covered in manure, and wears his black jacket over to the pub. The next morning, he runs up to his house carrying the black jacket in his hand and is next seen on his motorbike wearing the tan jacket again, clean. So either Jenny did his laundry during the night, or he had a third jacket identical to the first, or the continuity people messed up.

2. Assumpta + tam (or is that a beret?) = Fashion no-no

3. Assumpta's eyes were looking awfully red in that scene where Peter comes in to claim Jenny's room. I don't mean bloodshot or like she was crying, I mean it looks like she had on pink eyeshadow both on the top and bottom lids. It was quite unattractive. Sorry if I keep picking on how Assumpta looks, but I'm not sure what the point of the stylists was for her character. Did they mean to make her look like a real person (=unglamorous), or did they just royally mess up?

4. Is the scent of manure really harmful to one's health? I mean, as long as you aren't actually putting the stuff in your mouth, I don't think it's bad for you, and even then I'd take even odds.

5. This is a two-part nitpick. Assumpta goes to the pub early in the morning to wake Peter, which she does the same way that he did in the last episode: she bangs on the front door until he appears in an upstairs window. OK.... Wouldn't it have been easier to just go inside and knock on the door to his room? Did she lock herself out? Or is it just an Irish custom, if you want to talk to someone who is sleeping, you aren't allowed to get closer than ten feet (because of morning breath...?). Come to think of it, Brian woke Liam up the same way in this episode. Hmmm.

But back to my original nitpick. The reason Assumpta was waking Peter up was to give him a message: "Something about a dumper truck." Who gave her that message? Who knew that Edso had dumped manure on Brian's patio and would want Peter to come and help out? Maybe Frances? But she doesn't have a phone, and she certainly didn't bundle up the baby, walk into town, and bump into Assumpta. The only other possibility is Liam or Donal, but they would have phoned the curate's house, where Jenny would have picked up the phone. So it would have made more sense actually for Jenny to be beating down the pub door at dawn, trying to get Peter's attention. But it was Assumpta. Was Jenny on her way to the pub, ran into Assumpta (and what was she doing out and about at that time?), and Assumpta convinced her that it would be better for her, Assumpta, to give Peter the message? It still would make more sense for her to have gone up to his room.

6. I have yet another problem with the fertilizer story, and that's the whole aspect of who owns the field. Let's go through it step by step. The first we hear is from Michael Ryan, that Brian was dumping "organic fertilizer" (which we shall call manure because it's easier to spell) next to the caravan. (As an aside, Michael says that he examined the baby because "The mother wonders if the odour might have something to do with her child’s cough," but he makes no comment on the validity of that view. I think it's baloney. See Nitpick #4.) But back to our story. So, Michael has called Brian to complain about the manure dumping, obviously believing that Brian owns the field or at least is the responsible party. And apparently Brian leaves this impression intact.

Next, Edso says that Brian was the one who gave them permission to stay on the field, since they had done some work for him. Working with this information, Peter goes straight away to Brian, who confirms that all that Edso has said is true. So Brian obviously wishes for Peter to have the impression that he, Brian, is in charge of the field and decides who stays or goes. The next day, Brian, Liam and Donal are on site, working the dumper, with Brian clearly giving the orders.

Then we get the bombshell. It isn't Brian who owns the field, it's Assumpta. Hm. Assumpta sent Liam and Donal off to pay off Edso and Frances. Liam and Donal dumped the manure of their own accord. Why, then, is Brian taking all the blame/credit? Why didn't he tell Peter that he had nothing to do with the manure dumping? Why did Edso even think that Brian owned the field, if Assumpta was the one who offered them money to leave?

7. Why did Jenny wait until 6:10 to go over to the church? She was told that confessions began at 4. She wasn't worried that anyone would see her there, having publicly announced in the bar that she'd "catch up with him later." Did it just take her that long to get prettied up?

8. As I understand the rules of the Gaelic Athletic Association, you can only play on the team of the town in which you reside or work. Edso doesn't work anywhere, and if he has any sort of legal residence, it's in Ballykissangel, not Cilldargan. So how did he get to play on the Cilldargan team?

9. Whose dog was Kathleen walking? She doesn't own a dog! Or maybe it died of smelling the manure.

Famous Lines:

There are a lot of them, but that just bears witness to the quality of this episode.

1.    Assumpta: Have you come for the scenery?
        Jenny: Not exactly, no, I’ve come for the priest.

Veni vidi vici.

2.    Jenny: So how’s he settling in?
        Assumpta: Father Clifford? I’m not really the one to ask, not all of us believe in fairy stories.

Ah, Assumpta, that feisty, irreverent lass...

3.    Padraig: Ah come on now lads, it’s not her fault that Manchester is such a godless place.
        Timmy Joe: Nowhere can be called completely godless that has Eric Cantona.

Are you perhaps intimating that Mr. Cantona is a deity of some sort?

4.    Jenny: Or did you have a special relationship with all your female parishioners? (To Peter)

5.    Peter: I’m not your father.
        Jenny: I don’t want you to be.
        Peter: And I’m not your lover.

Ouch!

6.    Peter: Nothing happened between us.
        Jenny: It was going to.

7.    Peter: The only woman I spent the night with was Assumpta Fitzgerald...It was a joke.
        Mac: Father, that sort of joke stopped being funny in this country when people realised it was actually happening.

Um, nope, it's still funny.

8.    Assumpta: Look around you, the twelve apostles would be a full house in here.
        Peter: You wouldn’t let them in, would you?
        Assumpta: Out of season, I’d let the Pope in.

9.    Siobhan: As easy as waking up with a sheep.

10.    Padraig: The last time Cilldargan scored against us Jesus Christ was a carpenter.

11.    And last but *certainly* not least...

Jenny: Well, you’ll know next time.
Peter: I’m a priest.
Jenny: There’ll be a next time.
Methinks Jenny might have a future in fortune telling...

Underrated Lines:


1. Timmy Joe: Jesus saves! (Referring to Peter's blocking the opposing team's ball from the goal)

At once evangelical statement and colorful play-by-play.

2.    Edso: If that fella threw himself under a bus it’d go between his legs.
        Brian: Ambrose, are you completely useless, or is it just a trick of the light?

Oh come on, give the poor guy a break. On the other hand, makes you wonder what Niamh sees in him. Is he really the best the town has to offer?

3.    Jenny: I’ll catch up with him later. No woman comes between him and his football.

Football is thicker than celibacy...or something like that.

4.    Brian: Father, this is not what we pay you for.
        Peter: I don’t work for you.

Yeah Brian, ever heard of separation of Church and State?

5.    Jenny: Are you ashamed of them?
        Peter: Yes.
        Jenny: I bet you could put them into words for your confessor. ("Them" being Peter's feelings for Jenny.)

Flash forward to "The Day of Reckoning":

Assumpta: You know what you are going to do now? You are going to discuss this in a wooden box with a grown man in a frock. And you won't talk to me.
Peter: I will. But I just need to think.
Assumpta: It's not what's in your head I need to hear.
Parallelism? History repeating itself? Or foreshadowing?

6.    Peter: How’s Ambrose?
        Niamh: I think I’m going to have to marry him.
        Peter: That’ll be nice.
        Niamh: {with total lack of enthusiasm} Yeah. Won’t it.

Too bad Ambrose wasn't a fly on the wall to that conversation, otherwise he could have saved himself a lot of heartache...or could he have? Would he have had the guts to face the truth?


Review by Margaret Pattison