Yay! Peter and Assumpta are friends! I didn't like the editing, but the writing was fabulous (did Kieran Prendiville write any bad episodes?) and more than anything it was the situations, things that just aren't reflected in the bare words, that made this episode a keeper. Ambrose spitting out the candy...Brendan whining about his stout...Tina Kellagher playing Niamh drunk...Peter and Assumpta alone in the kitchen (YESSSS!)...Brian throttling Ambrose...Well I could go on and on. My one big criticism of this episode is that the stories were pretty much encapsulated, with no connection among them. It was like four little vignettes of life in Ballykissangel, which is fine, but I guess I missed the larger theme, if indeed there was one. The title of this episode seems to refer only to the plot with Rosarie; the other three plots were just added for good measure.

1. Rosarie
2. St. John the Homewrecker
3. The Black Stuff
4. Eamonn's Sheep

Rosarie

Rosarie seems like she would have been more than a match for Brian. She'd never have been satisfied being married to a small-time businessman in a backwater like Ballykissangel. It's a nice place to visit, but she didn't want to live there. So I think she was being unfair in holding a grudge against him all those years for dumping her. He was right in saying that she was always going to leave. Maybe that's why he was already looking around for another lass (or is that a Scottish term? Well, maybe Síochfrada was Scottish, for all we know) that fateful weekend back in 1971.

While we're on the subject of the year, let's do a little math. Brian says he was eighteen when they had their little conversation with the holy toes. Add twenty-five, makes him forty-three. I would have said closer to fifty, but hey, what do I know?

So why does Rosarie come back now? Although the circumstances of their reunion were never fully explained, it seems to me that she was the one who initiated the contact. I assume they had agreed 25 years ago to meet on top of the mountain on a certain date, and then she sent him the postcard just to make sure he didn't forget (you know how men are). She must also have been keeping tabs on him during that time, since she knew his current address, and the fact that his wife had died. He obviously hadn't had any contact with her during that time, however, since he didn't know (a) that she was married, (b) that she had kids, (c) that she was a professor, or (d) that she had a killer right hook. Wonder if she would have shown up if Síochfrada had still been alive... Wonder if Brian would have shown up... Wonder if women's boxing will ever take off... I think it was kind of like the same reason that people show up for their high school reunions. They don't really want to see any of those people again, they just want to show off how much better they are than everyone else, and Rosarie beats Brian on every count:
 
 

The only connection among the four plots in this episode occurs at the end of this story, when Rosarie reveals that she is working on a project for the EU, monitoring the output from a satellite, although when she refers to it as "counting sheep", she doesn't really mean that the satellite is keeping track of Eamonn's sheep, she just means that all those numbers would be meaningless to Brian and would put him to sleep. Another dig at him and reinforcing how superior she is to him.

Niamh is very much against Brian meeting up with Rosarie, something about a mid-life crisis and dishonoring her mother. I think she's afraid not of someone taking her mother's place, but of someone taking over her place in Brian's life. If Brian had a girlfriend, Niamh wouldn't get to make butter sandwiches on soft white bread anymore. Well, she still could for Ambrose, but would he eat them is the question. Well, yeah, he'd eat them, he's never going to cross Niamh again, you can be certain about that, but would he be able to keep them down is the question.

Brian wants to meet Rosarie because he does hope to find a woman to share his life again. "It's been a long time for me, you know?" I know Brian, I feel for you. Five and a half years is more than enough. Better luck with Imelda, OK?

St. John the Homewrecker

On the up side, this storyline had some great scenes with Assumpta and Peter together. They really started to click in the kitchen, until Assumpta came up with that low blow about the English being notorious liars. They also started exchanging what will turn out to be a long series of meaningful looks across the bar. They're not at the point yet where one of them has to look away, but they're starting to open up to each other. Maybe that's why Assumpta threw in the Englishman line. She's afraid of getting too close to Peter, knowing that it would be a dead end relationship (quite literally as it turns out, sorry!), so she shoots those quills. And Peter did literally back off at that point, after she had step by step closed the physical gap between them practically to the point of intimacy. It was a great moment, and a nicely orchestrated dance.

Niamh also makes a nice speech at the Left At The Altar Party, and by the way I think it was a great idea to throw that party. I heard once of a woman who turned 40 and hadn't gotten married yet, so she threw a party at which she married herself, complete with clergy (do you think Father Mac would have officiated at that one?). It's too bad Niamh kind of lost her nerve at the end, but up until then she did a great job of holding her head high.

We also get a nice speech from Peter when he's trying to warm Ambrose's feet up:

Peter: You know, I once read somewhere, that a man who fears love, fears life, and I thought, that's it! That's exactly what it is! A man, who fears love, fears life. You know, and once you know that, well suddenly commitment doesn't seem terrifying any more. And why would you want to cut yourself off from one of the richest experiences that life has to offer. Anyway.

The Black Stuff

This was a nice little story, not much meat to it, it just showed how Brendan is totally picky. Hey Brendan, whine much?

Oh yeah, sort of as an afterthought, it gave Assumpta another chance to show how she means well by Peter, in that she turned over her profits from the free stout to him for the church roof (could we have a more cliched charity please?). She certainly doesn't put her money where her mouth is.

Eamonn's Sheep

The part of this story I didn't like was how it was told (see Nitpick #1), especially once Eamonn got down to sawing. The part of this story I did like, aside from the punch line with the wooden sheep, which was a real Ballykissangel classic moment, was the image of how Irish see the EU and themselves, or their own country, in relation to it. In this interpretetation, the EU is a Sugar Daddy. And the Ballykayers think they're pretty damn clever.

Peter: The more sheep he has, the greater the subsidy.
Brendan: Which is why it takes so long to count them Peter.
Peter smiles and nods knowingly: Right.

And by the way, Kieran, thanks for the little lesson in political economics. No, really, I like to get a dose of education with my entertainment. That's PBS's raison d'etre.

Nitpicks

2.    Someone else posted the nitpick that the writing on the side of the band's van was misspelled ("One Up On Theres"). Thank you, you're right, but you know what...It was *supposed* to be misspelled! See, 'there' and 'their' (along with 'they're') are homophones which the less educated masses frequently confuse with one another. It's really quite simple; 'there' is a deictic of place, 'their' is the third person plural possessive pronoun, and 'they're' is a contracted form of 'they are'. In this case, the joke is that the band members are in fact so stupid that they don't even realize that 'theres' isn't a word at all. (Isn't that funny? Aren't you getting a good laugh now?) It's supposed to give you a feel for their down-home, working class appeal.

3.     Peter: Oh, by the way. You were wrong about the patron saint of priests.
        Ambrose: What?
        Peter: The patron saint of priests is John the Evangelist.
        Ambrose: I know.
        Peter: Well the statue that nearly hit you was John the Baptist!

That may well be, but John the Baptist is actually the patron saint of monks, so it's kind of out of the frying pan into the fire with that one. John the Evangelist (also known as John the Apostle) is the patron saint of theologians, but not all theologians are priests and vice versa. Heck, there are even women theologians (think of it)! Peter should have left it at John the Evangelist and suggested that Ambrose come to Sunday school. He could also have pointed out that John the Evangelist is also the patron saint of poisoning and...well, maybe that was also better left unsaid. Also. The patron saint of priests is John Mary Vianney. (See http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj18.htm, scary picture, isn't it? And by the way, I would have named my son Mary, too, if it weren't that I were afraid it would cause him to have a gender identity crisis.)

4.    What was the deal with all the references to Sicily/Italy? Kieran P. really seems to have some bone to pick with Italians. (See also Episodes 1.1 and 6.5).

5.    Why was Kathleen even in this episode? Couldn't someone else have taken over the all-important role as straight man for Padraig's Thermos (aka flask) joke? I think Brian could have done it just as well, since he was so snitty for much of the episode anyway.

Peter and Assumpta Watch

Random Thoughts

Classic Quotes

Niamh: Are you eating a sweet?
Ambrose: What?
Niamh, holding out her hand: Give it.
Ambrose: What?
Niamh insists: Give it.
Ambrose spits it out into her hand.

2.    Ambrose: Tis a lonesome wash doesn't have a man's shirt in it, right enough.

Yeah, that's what marriage means to me, too.

3.    Padraig: No matter what they tell you Kathleen, the flask is the greatest invention of the twentieth century. If you
        put in something hot, it stays hot, and if you put in something cold, it stays cold.
        Kathleen: Yes.
        Padraig: How does it know?

Ha ha! Heh. Ho...

4.    McCann: We've already counted that one.
        Eamonn: No, look! That fella has a limp!
        McCann: Tired himself out has he?
        Eamonn: What?
        McCann: Trying to be in so many places at once.
        Eamonn: What?
        McCann, disgusted: Nothin'.

There's no pullin' the wool over this man's eyes.

5.    Padraig: I've tried telling him. A goat is for life, not just for Christmas.

Orange juice. It's not just for breakfast any more.

6.    Brendan: Assumpta, I don't want the beer that made Milwaukee famous! I want my usual! I want my cultural
        inheritance! I want the drink that defines my country!
        Siobhan: Give him a pot of tea, so.

Yeah, you could do with a spot of it yourself, Ms. Finishing-Off-Everyone-Else's-Drinks. Baaa!

7.    Siobhan: A satellite. That can count sheep.
        Assumpta: Oh how does it stay awake?
        Padraig: I mean a satellite that can count the warts on your nose.
        Brendan: Oh thank God he doesn't get an allowance for the warts. Otherwise the country'd be bankrupt.

If I had a penny for every time Brendan pouted in this episode...

8.    Peter: It's a sin to tell a lie.
        Assumpta: Oh please, says who?
        Peter: Can't remember.

Um, that'd be one of the Ten Commandments. (Actually, it was Fats Waller, thanks JulieB!)

9.    Assumpta: He'll never get to heaven if he breaks her heart.
        Peter: Dionne Warwick, right?

That one he gets. He misses "Thou shalt not bear false witness" and he gets the Motown reference. Typical. And while we're on the subject, it's "War-Wick", not "Worrick". It's not like she's from Greenwich or anything. (Thanks for the nudge, Karen!)

Underrated Lines:

So, I'm not sure, but is Padraig suggesting that Assumpta is a devil worshipper?

2.    Niamh: She won't turn up!
        Brian: She will!
        Niamh: She won't!
        Brian: She will!

and, not to be outdone, here's Peter and Ambrose with another interpretation on the same theme:

        Peter: You want to be a priest?
        Ambrose: I do.
        Peter: You don't.
        Ambrose: I do.
        Peter: You don't, take it from me!
        Ambrose: I do! I wish I didn't but I do!
        Peter: You don't!

All joking aside, did Peter just say that he wasn't satisfied with his vocation?

3.    Brian: Anyway we were up there one evening. Not a breath of wind nor a whisper of a cloud. We were lying on our backs. And I remember, as the sun was sinking down into BallyK, our feet had halos. Our toes were glowing with holiness. Which is more than could be said for the rest of us.

My, but he does have a way with words, doesn't he? Be still my beating heart.

4.    Brendan: Would you look at that. (When Assumpta gives him his first glass of stout on tap after she's reinstalled the barrel.)

Ostensibly he means the stout, but I think this line refers to Assumpta's appearance as well. She looks gorgeous! Finally the stylists got it right!

5.    Ambrose: Will you marry me?
        Niamh: Probably.

Now who's afraid of commitment?

6.    Peter: Listen, I can be called out any time of the day or night.
        Assumpta: I know. You'd wake me up to tell me.

Just give me an elbow in the ribs if I snore.

7.    Assumpta: Father. When two people are meant to be together, there's no force on this earth that'll keep them
        apart. I mean, you can delay the inevitable like Ambrose did. Or you can help speed it up like you did.
        Peter: We did.
        Assumpta: Huh. If it was meant to happen it'll happen.

Oh yes it will.

* We find out in a later episode that Mrs. Quigley's name was Christiane. Not much you can do with that. Well, maybe she spelled it 'Síochfrada'.