Review of
Ballykissangel Episode 2.5
“Someone to Watch Over Me”
Episode written by Niall Leonard
Review by Eleanor Rigby
This was the first Ballykissangel episode I ever saw start to finish, and
at the time I wasn’t too impressed, but after I watched it again this morning
I decided it’s one of my favorites. There’s a lot of that classic Ballykissangel
straight-faced humor, balanced with equally serious moments and topics, namely
the famous “do you ever want what you can’t have?” conversation. Also, there
were many scenarios parallel or very similar to ones in later episodes and
lots of foreshadowing. None of the plots were really related, but I was entertained
all the same. The main plots I found in this episode were:
I. Naughty Nora
II. The Mongols Take Ireland!
III. Tourist Season
Naughty Nora
Aside from the Rosarie incident in series one, this is really the only other
glimpse we get into Brian’s personal life (except for that thing with Imelda
in series three. What was up with that?!). He’s not at home much, as Nora
mentions, and relatively keeps to himself outside his business dealings.
As I see it, what Brian really needs is a level-headed, respectable, older
woman; kind of a Niamh, twenty or twenty five years down the road. In a nutshell,
everything Nora is not.
I kind of feel bad for Brian, actually. He’s a much nicer guy than most people
give him credit for (i.e. eating two dinners so Nora wouldn’t feel bad—although
he did put the potatoes in his pockets. I noticed this for the first time
when I was watching this episode again last night and I laughed out loud)
and in all honesty deserves someone who’ll be there for him. Not a floozy.
When Nora first came into the picture, I thought she was simply going to
be a temptation to Brian as his housekeeper. Then I realized after he gave
her the tour of his house that the temptation was there on both sides. She
wanted to get some. Bad. Then, when Niamh came over, Nora noticed her wedding
ring and I thought that, later, she would try to steal some of Brian’s fancy
silverware or something and he would send her packing. But I was wrong. Ballykissangel
never ceases to amaze me.
By the end of the episode Nora was gone, thanks to a rather clever plan involving
Father Mac and a sauna. I’d love to be the genius man who thought up that
one! I was really surprised that Nora (and Kathleen!) expected Brian
to get married to her. Jump the gun much?
The Mongols Take Ireland!
I chose to call this plot as such because of the clever nickname Con O’Neill
is given by his mates: “Genghis” Con O’Neill. And, (history lesson here,
pardon me) Genghis Khan was the first major leader of the Mongol Empire in
Eurasia. So, I just thought that was cute. Ok, I’m done with the bad history
play-on-words.
You know something I noticed the other day? Every episode in series two has
visitors to Ballykay from outside the village! And in this episode we got
a bunch! Not just Naughty Nora Harrigan, but the Allenstown kids. You know,
I’d rather have liked to see some more of their pranks. Ok, robbing a store
is pretty bad, but can you imagine the stuff they’d do to Brendan during
class? Come on, I want to see spitballs, paper airplanes, you name it, these
kids would do it. But they didn’t. Or at least they didn’t show them doing
it. I’d have liked to see some more of their antics.
Tourist Season
I’m assuming that’s what season it was in this episode, because I can’t think
of another explanation as to why the pub would be so busy, even during the
daytime. This plot had a small part in the episode, but clearly belongs on
the “Beautiful Moments of UST Between Peter and Assumpta” Wall, as it includes
the heart wrenching “do you ever want what you can’t have?” exchange. Following
is my in-depth analysis of this conversation.
First off, was Assumpta actually tipsy? I mean, I know that she wouldn’t
normally say or ask those things, but it didn’t necessarily have to be the
wine that did it, you know? (That wine was a peculiar color, by the way.)
From what I understand, it’s a common belief amongst P&A fans that she
had a couple of glasses and it loosened her tongue, but I choose to think
otherwise. She sounded pretty sober and serious when asking some of those
things. And you could tell she wasn’t just asking for the heck of it, or
because it popped into her head. She was asking because she wanted an answer
out of him for once and was taking advantage of an opportune moment in an
awkward conversation. So, my ruling is, she was sober. Question, really quick:
can one get drunk off wine, or just tipsy? Can one get tipsy off other alcoholic
beverages, like beer, or just drunk? Or is tipsy a preferred, more demure
word used for being drunk off wine? I just wondered…
In this conversation, Peter and Assumpta switch roles. Whatever it was that
made her do it, Assumpta was the inquisitive one in this conversation, the
one who wanted to talk. Peter was closed and didn’t want to give his personal
opinion, which is usually how Assumpta acts. It is believed by psychologists
and scientists that the things that annoy us most about other people are
qualities that we have. Perhaps this explains why Assumpta was so frustrated
at Peter the next morning, and expressed her annoyance at his unwillingness
to talk the night before. Wow, that sentence sounded really scholarly! But,
yeah, that’s what I think.
Next, at the end of the exchange, Peter asks Assumpta if she’ll go to bed
(by herself! Looking back after I typed this I thought WHAT?!, but I meant
he asks if she’ll go to sleep after he leaves). She responds with, “Some
of us have free will.” And Peter caps it off with, “We all have.” Take a
piece of your own advice there, buddy! Don’t let the overshadowing influence
of the Catholic Church rule your life and don’t “cut yourself off from one
of the richest experiences life has to offer” (from episode 1.3, Live in
My Heart and Pay No Rent, Peter to Ambrose. Another time he should have listened
to his own advice)! Sorry, done my ranting about the church! I just thought
that was worth noting. Peter hardly ever admits his mortal nature to anyone,
because he knows most people don’t see him that way. We rarely get the idea
that he thinks he’s human, yet we do here. “We all have.” Yourself included.
Another really quick question: are Assumpta’s eyes closed as Peter turns
to leave? I can’t tell if they’re closed or if she’s just looking down. Like,
at the floor. Just wondered. Finally, I thought the scene the next morning
was just as important as the conversation from the previous night. It parallels
the conversation Peter and Assumpta have in The Reckoning, at Peter’s house.
Assumpta tells Peter he needs to figure out where his priorities lie both
times, so I thought that was notable. My English teacher would be proud.
Oh, and, by the way… does anyone wonder what Peter is afraid of…?
Quotes- Memorable, deep, made me laugh…
Donal: Mother of God, you could catch tetanus off that tongue of hers!
Once again, Donal proves his superior intelligence…
Brendan: So how’s this new housekeeper working out, Brian?
Siobhan: Has she brought fresh air and sunshine into your lonely bachelor
abode?
Brendan: Has she been cleaning out those crevices dusty from years of disuse?
Siobhan: Has she been rummaging through your drawers?
Everyone loves a good innuendo. Those are all very good innuendos.
Peter: He’s moping in there, you’re moping out here…
Niamh: And marriage means you should be miserable together.
I just liked this one.
Ambrose: I’m not going in there again without body armor!
What a wimp! This is the man protecting our families?!
Niamh: Pancake day was months ago, Ambrose.
Hmmm…that would make an interesting fanfic… pancake day…
Assumpta: There’s more to it than stacking glasses. You have to move about
ten times faster and wiggle your arse a bit.
Peter: I was wiggling it.
Trip to Avoca: $500. Ballykissangel DVD: $30. The look on her face when
she hears that: priceless.
Brian: She’s given away half my things!
Niamh: Maybe she thought you wouldn’t need clothes.
This one snuck up on me and I laughed out loud. Loudly.
Niamh (to Nora, after finding her in the sauna with Father Mac): I bet you
found a few cobwebs up there.
OHHH!!!
Ambrose: I just wish there was something that would take my mind off losing
the baby.
………Wow. That one really made me think. Not lying.
Kathleen: Why would Father Mac tell Mr. Quigley to let you go?
Nora: Why don’t you ask him, since you’re such a big fan of his?
OHHH!!!
Brian: I’m not getting any younger.
Niamh: You’re not getting any wiser either.
True…
Brian (to Niamh): Just make sure you don’t end up the same way. (without
a spouse)
Foreshadowing…?
Nora: I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.
This bore such close resemblance to the title of episode 3.6 I Know When
I’m Not Wanted I just had to mention it.
Nitpicks
• Since when does Fitzgerald’s serve seafood? And where
do they get it from?
• Why was Nora cleaning the house in a nice dress? Those
rubber gloves aren’t going to do much good on their own, hon.
• Can penitents enter the confessional from both sides?
In this episode Peter was facing a different way than he normally does. Yes,
I think there’s an entrance on both sides. Woah, wouldn’t it be weird if
he heard two peoples’ confessions at once? Woah…
• Kathleen? A good woman? Don’t make me laugh.
• It looks really dark in Fitzgerald’s, but when Peter
walks outside to talk to Niamh on the bridge, it’s bright as noon! I know
that sometimes in Ireland the sun sets really late, but maybe the continuity
people just messed up… Actually this happens a lot on this show, not just
in this episode. It’s supposedly dinnertime yet it’s really bright outside.
It really bugs me.
• Didn’t Brian notice that the stuff for his snooker room
was gone when he got home the night before? It should have been really bright
outside! Haha…
• Is playing soccer (I mean football) part of school? Like,
is Niamh allowed to make them play soccer for an hour instead of learning?
And who’s getting paid while
Niamh is telling the kids a story? Brendan, or Niamh?
• Where did Brian go if he wasn’t in the sauna?! If I were
him, I wouldn’t have risked leaving while Nora was still in her room; she
could have come out at any
time. Is there some secret escape route in the sauna? Hmmm… fanfic…
Random Thoughts and Questions
• What did Brian want to talk to Kathleen about when he
came into her house at the beginning? That what business?
• I like Brian’s pepper shaker.
• What does Niamh have against her father getting together
with somebody?
• What’s a snooker room?
• Does Niamh actually ever ride her bike? Can she drive?
• I loved Niamh’s complaints to Assumpta in that scene
at the pub. Very realistic, and very characteristic of Niamh.
• The truth? Nora is a whore.
• Brian’s comforter is really ugly.
• Finally, it’s been more than a week than someone’s last
confession! (Con)
• Ambrose was very optimistic in this episode; I admired
his positive attitude despite recent circumstances and the state his wife
was in. Actually, it seems that Niamh and Ambrose have switched roles in
this episode too, just like Peter and Assumpta. Niamh is usually the carefree,
happy-go-lucky, joking one of the two, while Ambrose is the straight laced,
all business guy. And in this episode Niamh is the one who’s serious and
somber, and Ambrose is just trying to make jokes and lighten the mood. Interesting
that this happens between two couples (or couples to be, in P&A’s case)
in the same episode.
• Why does Brian always listen to disco?
• I really don’t like that weird green colored funky geometric
design shirt Peter’s wearing. (It’s the one he wears in the first episode)
• Niamh really came off as depressed in that scene on the
bridge with Peter. We really got a glimpse into her actionless housewife
life. Good job Tina!
• SAT word of the day: gormless
• HOW IS AMBROSE THE PROBLEM?!?! Niamh is unbelievable
sometimes!
• Four foot six…ahahaha…
• Brendan winks after everything he says!
• What did Niamh do differently than everyone else that
she could control those kids so well? Why did they listen to her? Because
she’s a girl? That’s pretty sexist…
• I didn’t understand Nora’s anger to Brian when he didn’t
call and say he’d be late. She’s not his mother. I didn’t get what she was
trying to do there.
• SHE THREW OUT HIS HARRIS TWEED?! That was stupid…
• “Geriatric gigolo”? That has to be the best alliteration
I’ve ever heard. I kid you not.
• I loved the scene where Niamh was telling the kids the
Shakespeare story.
• I always wondered this… did Nora kill her other two husbands?
I know it sounds crazy; just think about it for a second. I know she’d drive
me mad if I were married to her.
• You think Niamh would have some sympathy when Brian was
practically begging with her to help him get rid of Nora; he even had to
admit he just wanted the company of someone his own age… and she doesn’t
flinch. Nerves of steel, that one…
• Yeah, Brian’s striped suit really does look stupid.
• Why do you put a towel over your head in a sauna?
• Why did Niamh just open the sauna door without knocking?
I would have at least knocked first, even if I was helping fire someone I
hated.
• Father Mac has a doorbell in the middle of his door?!
COOL!
• Even Father Mac thinks Kathleen is a gossip… ha!
• “Turnip in the uniform,” Ambrose? I’ve never heard that
one before. Interesting word choice. Is it because no one likes turnips,
or because he’s really pale and turnips are white? Wait… are turnips white?
I don’t know; I haven’t seen one in a long time…
What If’s
• What if Nora was Peter’s housekeeper, as was originally
intended? The possibilities for fanfics are endless…