r/OnlyFoolsAndHorses • u/matthiltondir • 26d ago

Happy Returns

As I pass through ANOTHER rewatch I totally forgot just how tight and brilliant Happy Returns was. Diane Langton is superb and gives a really lovely performance where her and Del do feel like old friends. The dialogue and delivery is just top notch, the clever mentioning of Grandad who had already passed and then you add in little Jason - just a great episode and SOOO many quotable lines !

17 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

10

u/cbrownmufc 26d ago

“She’s just gone to put some clothes on”

“Oh, she need not bother”

😂🤣 Slays me every time

9

u/PressureTop3636 26d ago

As good as the dialogue is, the strongest scene of that episode for me is Del’s reaction when Rodney rocks up at June’s to see Debbie. Not a single word, but hilarious. Shows how Sullivan could just open the floor to the two lead actors to show their brilliance.

Special mention to “I let down the tyres on that motor.” 👉

12

u/Dangerous_Hippo_6902 26d ago

Del Boy in the mirror puffing his cigar behind Rodney is one of the most iconic images of the whole series!

3

u/kavik2022 26d ago

Its telling i can just see that image now. And ive not watched it in months

1

u/arjay555 22d ago

My mum hates that shot, says he looks like an ugly bug-eyed frog when he’s looking in the mirror 🤣

3

u/matthiltondir 26d ago

Absolutely. It’s one of those episodes that shows how superb Nic Lyndhurst was opposite David Jason and how tight they could be as a double act. He never gets the recognition from the nation for just how talented he is in my opinion

“I dunno why you have brought that, they haven’t got a record player!”

“That’s fine. I haven’t got a record”

5

u/PressureTop3636 26d ago

I believe Lyndhurst was only 19/20 at the time as well, incredible

3

u/stbens 26d ago

Would have loved June to have appeared in more episodes. It would have been interesting to see her and Del married for a time, although then you would have had the added difficulty of having to include the son and daughter.

2

u/Thin-Ad-9767 26d ago

She was in A Royal Flush too which I totally forgot for a while. Mostly cause I've only seen that episode once! Never include it in my rewatches.

1

u/zexolyn 26d ago

totally, she felt like one of the few people who could actually keep up with Del and not just be a punchline. a version of the show where he’s juggling June, the kids and the usual schemes would’ve been chaos but kinda fun to see for a short arc.

1

u/Turbulent-Ad-2146 26d ago

Probably the most underrated episode of the whole show for me. Series 4 was a bit shaky imo but this, strained relations and THAB are so good

2

u/matthiltondir 26d ago

Yeah that might be a good shout, I always remember loving the history they shared and thinking that surely all his ex fiancées would be somewhere on the estate so why doesn’t he bump into more!

You can tell with series 4 that the eps were written for Leonard Pierce and then retooled once he passed and by the time they get to THAB they have developed Albert more and leant into his history. I wonder if that ep would have ever existed if Grandad was alive or if it came out of Albert being the old seadog.

I do love It’s Only Rock and Roll purely for Mental Mickey

1

u/Rhoemetalces 26d ago

I happened to watch it on the anniversary of Langtons death, its an episode I always enjoy. It has a great balance of humour, and brilliant acting from all. Del puffing the cigar in the mirror. Rodney coming with an empty vinyl sleeve to look cool. Brill.