Mulberrry (1992)
Ringing in the new year from the "Gopher Gulch" video store, DJ and Matt take a time-traveling trip back to 1992. After reflecting on the historic shifts and cinematic blockbusters of the early 90s, the duo dives into the hidden gem of British television: the supernatural sitcom Mulberry. They explore themes of compassion, the "family business" of death, and why a show about a cheerful apprentice Grim Reaper remains a poignant watch decades later.
Timeline & Key Highlights
- 00:00 – New Year at the Video Store: Banter about the "office party," the controversy of "fun-sized" Snickers, and the legendary Lula Mae.
- 02:14 – Holiday Chaos in Gopher Gulch: A recap of local trailer park drama involving "Cooter Jack," moonshine eggnog, and unexpected bonuses.
- 03:22 – Destination 1992: The "Time Traveler VCR" sets the stage with a look at 1992—a year of LA Riots, the end of the Cold War, and the birth of future stars like Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.
- 04:06 – 90s Fashion & TV Curiosities: A discussion on the "macho man" basketball shorts trend and the original Saved by the Bell pilot starring Hayley Mills.
- 06:52 – The Class of ’92 at the Movies: Revisiting the year’s heavy hitters, including Aladdin, The Bodyguard, Basic Instinct, and Lethal Weapon 3.
- 11:03 – Memorializing a Legend: A quick tribute to French film icon and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot.
- 11:41 – Feature Discussion: Mulberry (1992): An in-depth look at the British sitcom following a cheerful apprentice Grim Reaper who takes a shine to an "acerbic spinster".
- 18:17 – The BBC Cancellation Mystery: Why the show ended after two seasons and the "heebie-jeebies" that led a high-ranking official to pull the plug.
- 23:16 – Transformation & Symbolism: How the character of Rose Farnaby "comes to life" through the show's set design and color palette.
- 31:30 – The Art of the Obituary: A concluding reflection on personal legacy and why everyone should consider drafting their own highlights.
Featured Series: Mulberry
- The Premise: Mulberry, the son of Death and Springtime, is sent on his first mission to escort the bitter Miss Rose Farnaby to the afterlife. Instead, he poses as her manservant to help her rediscover joy.
- The Vibe: Described as "Dickensian" with a touch of Greek mythology (Hades and Persephone), the show balances dark themes with gentle, British humor.
- The Verdict: A compassionate look at dignity in death and the potential for late-life change.
Notable Mentions & References
- Movies: The Preacher's Wife, The Bishop's Wife, Home Alone 2, Titanic.
- Music: "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (and its inescapable 1992 dominance).
- History: The Rodney King verdict, Bill Clinton’s election, and Hurricane Andrew.
Closing Motto: "Be kind. Rewind".
Transcript
Oh, hey, hello there.
Speaker A:It's an office party, kind of.
Speaker A:We have some cookies over here on the checkout, and we're giving a special snowflake shaped punch on our movie card if you do a rental today.
Speaker A:And we have a little quiz that you can fill out for an extra special surprise.
Speaker A:But we are all out of the autographed Lula May photo, so please don't ask.
Speaker B:And if you bring back your videos and they're actually rewound, we will give you a free Snickers bar.
Speaker B:Tm.
Speaker A:Are those the fun size ones or did we get the.
Speaker B:Oh, hell no.
Speaker B:They're actually.
Speaker B:Yeah, they are the fun size ones, but don't tell.
Speaker B:Okay, I don't.
Speaker A:Well, I think that they didn't start off fun size, but.
Speaker B:But then we're really not that fun.
Speaker B:I mean, to me, a fun size is going to be the king size, because that's.
Speaker B:That's the one that makes me smile and happy and laugh.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker A:We had a little help with the candy.
Speaker B:Oh, dear sweet Hector.
Speaker A:Oh, that simple child there.
Speaker A:We will just see kind of sugar high how strict the babysitter is with his bedtime tonight, because this is the.
Speaker A:The new year that's coming up here, and we're sort of celebrating this preemptive will.
Speaker A:Oh, right.
Speaker A:But we're gathered here today to talk about a.
Speaker A:A TV show.
Speaker A:And I have it on good authority the good old VCR might have something to say about that.
Speaker B:Well, let's hope.
Speaker A:I mean, but we could actually tell people about how things went down here in the trailer.
Speaker A:Perk on the big day there.
Speaker A:Let's just say that Santa had a hard time finding the chimneys and there were some restraining orders.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, once Cooter Jack decided that he couldn't.
Speaker B:I'm gonna go there.
Speaker A:I mean, and most people put rum in their eggnog, but over here in Gulf or Gulch, their favorite thing to do is to put a little moonshine in it.
Speaker A:And I still haven't figured out what they call that.
Speaker B:They called that a trip to the hospital if you drink too much.
Speaker B:However, I will say that I gave Lula Mae quite a bit of it, and then she accidentally put an extra zero on my bonus, so.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:Let's just say after the show, we're going to Vegas.
Speaker A:Oh, nice.
Speaker A:And make sure that you bring your overnight bags there, because the all you can eat buffet.
Speaker A:Well, it's more than for just one trip.
Speaker B:I can eat.
Speaker B:I can eat.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:Oh, yes.
Speaker A:Okay, well, we're gonna let the.
Speaker A:Oh, we Gotta get that tape.
Speaker B:Play this.
Speaker A:Okay, let's go ahead and pop that in and we're gonna see where we are.
Speaker B:Oh, hey.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:Whoa.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Well, I am seeing some fashion faux pose, but it's a little dangerous this time of year because.
Speaker A:Well, actually, what.
Speaker A:I've seen quite a few macho men out there who wear the basketball shorts going to the store no matter what time of the year it is.
Speaker A:So I guess it's not necessarily a fashion faux po.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker B:But look at that bus.
Speaker B:It's an ad.
Speaker B:Saved by the Bell.
Speaker B:Oh, interesting.
Speaker A:I remember when that Disney star was in the original pilot of that.
Speaker A:What was her name?
Speaker A:Saved by the bell had a different name in the very beginning, and then they changed it and that Disney star wasn't in it anymore.
Speaker A:She was the.
Speaker A:She was like the homeroom teacher.
Speaker B:Haley Mills.
Speaker A:Haley Mills was in the original pilot for Saved by the Bell.
Speaker A:I think we're just going to stop guessing at what year it is and figure out.
Speaker C:Good afternoon, time travelers.
Speaker C: Today you find yourselves in: Speaker C:The Los Angeles riots erupted after the Rodney King verdict.
Speaker C:The Cold war officially ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Bill Clinton was elected president.
Speaker C:The Maastricht treaty laid the groundwork for the European Union, while hurricane Andrew tore through South Florida, leaving historic destruction.
Speaker C:Pop culture welcomed future superstars Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus, names we'd soon hear everywhere.
Speaker C:Meanwhile, Hollywood said goodbye to legends Marlene Dietrich and Anthony Perkins.
Speaker C:It was one of those years where news, culture, and history all collided and you could feel it happening.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:Well, okay, 92.
Speaker A:So I would have been.
Speaker A:Let's think about that here.
Speaker A:Do the math.
Speaker A:I was about 15ish, so I was old enough to know better and to possibly get into trouble then.
Speaker A:But I do believe that if I remember right, this isn't actually something here from the States we're going to be talking about.
Speaker A:But let me take a step back for a moment here because I'm getting ahead of myself.
Speaker A:We have this moment where we think about everybody else because we're trapped here in the video store.
Speaker A:So of course it's easy for us to forget that there's a whole world out there of people walking by and shining faces.
Speaker A:And what might they be up to tonight, Matt?
Speaker B:A whole new world.
Speaker B:Probably watching the Cosby Show.
Speaker B:Oh, that'.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Let's.
Speaker B:Let's see what's going on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:What is in the go for gulch times there?
Speaker A:What would we be doing Tonight, be social.
Speaker B:Well, apparently if we wanted to go to the theater, we'd go watch Aladdin with Robin Williams.
Speaker A:That was a good movie.
Speaker A:He was easily the reason to watch that.
Speaker B:Well, he would be the only reason to watch that for me.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, thank you.
Speaker B:Oh, the Bodyguard with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.
Speaker B:Oh, back when Kevin Costner was so attractive, adorable, I almost said a dirty word.
Speaker B:But anyway, then we have.
Speaker B:Oh, hell no.
Speaker B:Oh, Home Alone 2, lost in New York.
Speaker B:Moving on.
Speaker A:Yeah, talk about let's lose some footage, by the way.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's another subject.
Speaker B:Yeah, it will be redacted anyway.
Speaker B:We also have Basic Instinct with Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone.
Speaker A:Talk about the original wardrobe malfunction.
Speaker B:That was, that was a movie.
Speaker B:That was.
Speaker B:I, I said, oh, hello, Michael Douglas, how are you?
Speaker B:And then we had Lethal Weapon 3 with Mel Gibson before he went crazy, allegedly.
Speaker B:And we.
Speaker B:And the wonderful Danny Glover.
Speaker A:I mean, I can't tell you which installment it was.
Speaker A:I just know that in one of the Lethal Weapons, Danny Glover was on the turlet when it blew up.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, I forget which one, but.
Speaker B:Well, I mean, you're talking about.
Speaker B:Okay, so you're talking about Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson at their prime.
Speaker B:I mean, I'd watch that movie.
Speaker A:I mean, honestly, that's, that's a lineup that's not terrible.
Speaker A:I mean, only one of those is kind of an action movie.
Speaker A:So it's not a, it's not a chest thumping nightmare of a Friday night.
Speaker B:And only one of those is needs to be left on the cutting room floor.
Speaker A:And chances are if you went to see the Bodyguard, there was something for everyone to see because you were either there to see Kevin Costner or Whitney Houston.
Speaker B:Oh, sweet Whitney.
Speaker B:She, that was such an iconic movie for her.
Speaker B:I mean, I, I really loved her in that.
Speaker B:It's like, what's better than watching a lesbian fall in love with Kevin Costner?
Speaker A:And she will always love you.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker B:Oh my God, that song.
Speaker B:Okay, that was one of those songs, like the first time I heard it, it gave me chills.
Speaker B:I loved it so much.
Speaker B:And by the end of that year I was just like, oh my God, if I hear this song one more time.
Speaker A:It was kind of like 92's version of the My Heart Go Will Go on by sleep.
Speaker B:Oh, right.
Speaker B:It's like, oh, the Titanic went down.
Speaker B:It should have taken that song with it.
Speaker B:But it was.
Speaker B:But those songs are iconic and overplayed because they're so good.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And we were talking before the, the Red light went on there about the holidays because we were.
Speaker A:We're still technically in them.
Speaker A:And for those of you who may have forgotten, Whitney Houston did a remake of a Christmas classic in 96.
Speaker A:It was actually directed by Penny Marshall, while the lady.
Speaker A:That was Laverne on Laverne and Shirley.
Speaker A:And a sad moment here because she was once married to Mr.
Speaker A:Rob Reiner, who's no longer with us.
Speaker A:We just recently lost him due to some domestic horrible circumstances.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A: And so the: Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But for those of you who haven't watched either version, despite the title, it's not really all to do with.
Speaker A:About being a religious person's spouse.
Speaker A:That has more to do with being involved with somebody who doesn't have time for you because their work keeps them occupied.
Speaker A:And I wouldn't know anything about that, but.
Speaker B:Oh, of course you would.
Speaker B:Speaking of losses, can we just give a quick or memorialize Brigitte Bardot who passed away today at 91?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Iconic.
Speaker B:Iconic French film star and animal rights.
Speaker A:Activist later in her life.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Well, yeah, the 90s were hopping and.
Speaker A:Well, I guess that should be around the era that we're.
Speaker A:We're talking about.
Speaker A:So let's let that VCR tell us what the movie is all about here.
Speaker C:Today you're watching a British television show titled Mulberry, in which a cheerful apprentice grim reaper arrives at the manor of an acerbic spinster named Ms. Rose Farnaby.
Speaker C:Unbeknownst to her and her two longtime servants, he is there to escort her to the afterlife.
Speaker C:However, taking a shine to her despite her closed off personality, he poses as her servant and helps her rediscover joy in life to the annoyance of his father and boss, the Grim Reaper.
Speaker A:Well, what a way to ring in the new year.
Speaker A:It's a little bit like, well, since we're speaking of British things and all things uk, it's a little Dickensian because it involves, well, evaluating the.
Speaker A:The value of life and, and death, as it were.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So that rock and roll guitar, it is a thrum in there.
Speaker A:So here we go.
Speaker B:Rewind through time into movie night blockbusters, indies in Black and white, from 80s grills to silver screen dreams trapped in the past by a time machine.
Speaker B:Each time the door for D to explore the lore.
Speaker B:The past is present and you're gonna want more.
Speaker A:So just an aside oh, all right.
Speaker A:1992.
Speaker A:And we're gonna be discussing a British TV series.
Speaker A:So Matt's gonna have the upper hand here because he's a much bigger Anglophile than myself.
Speaker A:Although I.
Speaker B:What.
Speaker A:What I do consider myself an apprentice.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Go ahead and give us a little bit of a background here on Mulberry.
Speaker A:We just heard the vcr.
Speaker A:Tell us a little bit about it, but school us a little, if you will, Matt.
Speaker B:Well, let's see.
Speaker B:Let's talk about Mulberry, which basically opens with the delightful Ms. Rose Farnaby, who isn't delightful at all.
Speaker B:She.
Speaker B:She's wealthy, but she keeps herself.
Speaker B:Basically, she's a deeply isolated spinster living in a quiet, rigid life in her gloomy country estate and her room.
Speaker B:And she's got two servants who are a married couple who she grew up with that ended up coming to the.
Speaker B:To live there during World War II back when they were evacuated.
Speaker B:And I guess they ended up being orphans or something because they just never left.
Speaker B:Left.
Speaker B:So they ended up being servants and now they're her only servants.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But she lives a.
Speaker B:A horrible quiet life and a very drab, like the place is just falling apart.
Speaker B:And then she.
Speaker B:But she's happy.
Speaker B:She's just like, I'm happy being a miserable trout.
Speaker B:And then her routine is disrupted when this handsome man named Mulberry arrives to serve as her new man servant, bringing warmth, humor and curiosity into her carefully controlled world.
Speaker B:But what doesn't.
Speaker B:What Ms. Farnaby doesn't know is that Mulberry is no ordinary servant.
Speaker B:He's actually the son of Death, but in a good way.
Speaker B:And he was actually sent on his first mission.
Speaker B:She is his first mission to escort her into the afterlife.
Speaker B:But instead of fulfilling his duty because he's told by his father that he can.
Speaker B:He can take his time with this and.
Speaker B:And just get it going on his own time.
Speaker B:But instead of fulfilling his duty and taking her, he chooses to delay her fate, get to know her a little bit, believing that she deserves friendship and joy before the end of her life.
Speaker B:And this decision actually gives us the central problem of the whole series is that he's there to guide her into death.
Speaker B:And he refuses kind of to let her.
Speaker B:Her go because he ends up really liking her.
Speaker A:And first, first, somebody who may not be into this type of story, I think it might be helpful to think of it this way.
Speaker A:He's sort of a henchman.
Speaker A:Mulberry is supposed to be the guy that they send to get the job done.
Speaker A:He's like A man for hire.
Speaker A:However, as you said, this is his first job.
Speaker A:So he's sort of an apprentice mobster.
Speaker A:He means all, but he's not quite sure how he's going to carry out the job.
Speaker B:Well, and that's, that's the thing too is that this is based on the, the Greek mythos if a.
Speaker B:Between.
Speaker B:Oh gosh, see if I can really quickly.
Speaker B:Who was it?
Speaker B:Okay, so Hades and Persephone.
Speaker B:So this is the, the Greek myth based on that.
Speaker B:But they didn't actually have kids themselves.
Speaker B:But this is the more modern if Death and Springtime.
Speaker B:So his father is Death, Mulberry's father's Death and his mother is Springtime.
Speaker B:And so together they had Mulberry, which explains why.
Speaker B:But he's actually at one point supposed to kind of take over for his father at some point and become the Grim Reaper.
Speaker B:But yeah, anyway, you see how well that works out because he's got a little bit too much of his mother in him.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:And I, to be fair, I didn't get through as many episodes as I wanted to.
Speaker A:But this was a two season series and yes, it should be noted that if you're not somebody who is familiar with a lot of British television, they don't believe in dragging the story out forever.
Speaker A:There are plenty of British TV shows that are all one and done or are two and done.
Speaker A:And the, the average lifespan of a TV series in Britain unless it' something like Doctor who or Coronation street is.
Speaker B:After Are you being served?
Speaker B:Which went 11 seasons and was like a phenomenon and then had to had a spin off series with another two seasons.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So actually one of the things about Mulberry is because of its storyline where at the end he's supposed to basically take her to the afterlife.
Speaker B:They, they had kind of a little push to get it to a season two and so basically they said okay, well we're gonna give you an extended three months.
Speaker B:She's we're gonna give her three months more of life so you can spend that time with her and like get her to open up and be nice and stuff like that.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But there was supposed to be a series three.
Speaker B:Yeah, and at the end of series three they were supposed to actually like that was the end they were going to into the afterlife etc there.
Speaker B:But there was a high up official in the BBC who said I don't like this show at all.
Speaker B:It gives me a he's.
Speaker B:So they cancelled.
Speaker B:I oh, I heard that girl.
Speaker B:I heard it through my bones anyway, but they said we're not.
Speaker B:They canceled the show.
Speaker B:So they never got to do the final, the, the final thing.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Well, and, and we should explain also that similar to in the US pbs, the BBC is a publicly funded entity.
Speaker A:So when people in the UK buy a television set, they're actually paying taxes to fund channels like the BBC.
Speaker A:Now in, in the present day, there's a big kerfuffle around that because a lot of people just use their TVs as a smart t streaming.
Speaker A:I couldn't tell you how they negotiate around that, but I've heard there are a lot of people that negotiate when they buy their TVs to say, I don't ever watch BBC and whatever.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:So this show was on publicly funded television and as Matt was saying, there was a high, upper, high up person that decided they didn't, they didn't care for the show.
Speaker A:And this is something that's happened.
Speaker A:This has been the fate of many a show, including in the 90s, Doctor who was famously canceled.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Of a high ranking person that had investments with the BBC, keep himself in the spotlights.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But yes, Doctor who apparently got a little violent in the 90s and then they pulled the plug and it was off the air for 15 years, I think, but that same kind of thing.
Speaker A:So it's a, it's a public, strictly traded commodity and if you tick off the public, they're gonna have a say.
Speaker A:So there was no third season, but.
Speaker B:Sadly, and there was one that was being planned as well and they, they did have an ending that was going to happen.
Speaker B:And actually later on, years later, when the creators were interviewed about this, they would still get emotional talking about this because the show affected them that much.
Speaker A:So let's see here.
Speaker A:So, okay, well, so the setup there, which we know Death Son has come down and has been told that Ms. Farnaby is his first hit and yeah, he hangs out with the, the help as, as we say.
Speaker A:And they're actually a married couple.
Speaker A:Alice and Bert, I think is what their names.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And we, we, we get to understand their role in the household because as anybody could tell you that's been around for a long time.
Speaker A:They, they have all, they know where all the, the bodies are buried, the stories and everything.
Speaker A:And that's quite evident in the beginning because they, they go through the, the, the memories of the family.
Speaker A:They, they revisit old chapters because basically Mulberry wants to find out why she's such a stick in the mud.
Speaker A:She's not experiencing life.
Speaker A:She just sits in her her drawing room, if you will.
Speaker A:And she just politely has her tea and people come and go, but she's not living life.
Speaker A:And so Mulberry decides that he's going to get involved and find out the ins and outs of why she's not enjoying life, because he.
Speaker A:He hates to see someone meet their end without having achieved their potential.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:So does Ms. Farnaby's isolated lifestyle create sympathy for her early on?
Speaker B:I would say yes, in.
Speaker B:In a way.
Speaker B:But they.
Speaker B:They have her very fastidiously, kind of uptight and rude, and she doesn't want to be bothered, and she just wants to.
Speaker B:She basically got to a point in her life where she was lonely and bitter.
Speaker B:She never married her sisters.
Speaker B:She could never win anything because her sisters would deliberately, like, say what.
Speaker B:What was the one competition they did?
Speaker B:Oh, they did a.
Speaker B:They did a.
Speaker B:A quiz, a pub quiz, basically.
Speaker B:And the sister just had to enter it just so that she could beat her, because she could never let her win.
Speaker B:And that was something that was reiterated through the entire series.
Speaker B:And so she basically just fell into this pattern of she could never win.
Speaker B:She.
Speaker B:She never found a husband or anybody that she was sweet on.
Speaker B:And so she just became this bitter old woman.
Speaker B:And one of the things that I think is really interesting, too, is if you watch the set around her, when you first get there, everything's dusty.
Speaker B:Everything is falling apart.
Speaker B:The room, like, there's dead flowers in the room.
Speaker B:There's like.
Speaker B:Everything's just kind of dreary and blah.
Speaker B:And by the time that they end the first series, there's a lot more color and live flowers and things are kind of getting cleaned and repaired.
Speaker B:And by the time they have the second series, it's even more colorful and she's dressing in better colors, and it comes to life.
Speaker B:She comes to life.
Speaker B:And it reflects in the set, too, which was really interesting.
Speaker B:But as far as really creating sympathy for her, I think that through Mulberry's gaze, which is what we're supposed to be looking at, her and everyone through there is a lot of sympathy.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:It's very moving.
Speaker B:But as far as her character itself, not so much.
Speaker A:I think on the show, and this is deliberate, that the audience sees her as this sour, bitter woman, and they just accept that that's how she is.
Speaker A:However, Mulberry gets into the scene and he wants to know why she's like that.
Speaker A:She's not just a bitter person.
Speaker A:I think that that's probably because, unlike her.
Speaker A:Her help, they haven't been around her forever.
Speaker A:And that's not just their expectation.
Speaker A:He wants to know, why is she like this?
Speaker A:This is not a sort of a natural state of being.
Speaker A:It's something that you arrive at through a series of experiences.
Speaker A:So the, The.
Speaker A:I find that one of the most charming and entertaining parts of the series is Mulberry knows fine and well that he's probably annoying her, but he persists because he sees the sourpuss and her sense of humor that's been hidden under this reclusiveness.
Speaker A:And every once in a while, when he's annoyed her just right, you see her smirk, and that's why he's there.
Speaker A:He's.
Speaker A:He's drawn to that life that exists under the surface.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And so he's trying to draw it out of her by being mischievous.
Speaker B:And as the series goes on, you find out that Alice and Bert were actually they.
Speaker B:And, and Ms. Farnaby.
Speaker B:They were all kids together.
Speaker B:Now Ms. Farnaby is just a little bit older than them, of course, but they were all kids together and with the sisters and they all.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:Later on in the series, they have parts where they talk about growing up together.
Speaker B:And Bert had a crush on Rose, and so there was.
Speaker B:They've known each other since they were kids, and for her, more of a young adult.
Speaker B:But so that later on adds an extra dynamic to how it now plays into.
Speaker B:They are basically her servants, and yet they do.
Speaker B:She considers them slightly more than servants, but they.
Speaker B:They have to keep that British class line.
Speaker B:Mm.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Mm.
Speaker A:So is Mulberry's decision, because at some point we realize he's dragging his feet.
Speaker A:He's been sent there to do a job, but he is growing fond of her, so he arrives at the decision to delay her death.
Speaker A:And do you feel that that's compassionate or do you think it's selfish in the sense that he's regretting that that's his assignment.
Speaker B:I. I think that.
Speaker B:I think there's so much of his mother in the.
Speaker B:The springtime.
Speaker B:I think there's so much of her that is in him that he can't help but be compassionate in to.
Speaker B:To whoever he's with.
Speaker B:I think that what.
Speaker B:That'll actually make him a better death because he'll have some compassion for.
Speaker B:For the people that he's taking and not just like his father.
Speaker B:Death shows up throughout the entire series and it's just like, hey, put.
Speaker B:Just push her in the river.
Speaker B:Just, just like, just get rid of her.
Speaker B:Come on, you've got other stuff to do.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And then he would call his, he, he calls his father mean and, and his father's like no, I'm not mean, I'm not mean, I'm not nice.
Speaker B:I simply am.
Speaker B:This is something that just simply is.
Speaker B:And so I think.
Speaker B:But Mulberry still sees that as kind of a negative.
Speaker B:But as far as reflecting whether delaying her death is compassionate or selfish, I think it's very much compassionate because she, he's giving her life after years and decades probably of just being shut down.
Speaker B:And so to give her, even if it's for just a short three or four months, that extra time to come back alive and have happiness and a good time and, and whatever, then I think that it is very compassionate for, but at the same time for himself, I don't know if it would be necessarily selfish or kind of quote unquote.
Speaker B:No, I don't want to put it that way.
Speaker B:A coping out, not wanting to do it because for him he's seeing that it's the end, that's her end, she's no more.
Speaker B:But well, goes on to the other life.
Speaker B:But anyway in the end there world.
Speaker A:In a sense I think and I don't believe the series explored this aspect but since he, Mulberry is the son of death, it's got a very sort of old fashioned undertone of carrying on the family business.
Speaker A:So he may not have agreed to become the, the apprentice Grim Reaper, but it's the family business.
Speaker A:So he's reluctantly participating.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I, I think though that in effect if his role is to carry out her demise, I think that he's trying to do it with dignity because at this juncture, when we first meet Ms. Farnaby, she's an old sour puss and it's very much Dickensian in that it's like Ebenezer's Scrooge until you see the softer and warmer side.
Speaker A:There's nobody that's going to miss them when they're gone.
Speaker A:So it's, it's, it is compassion.
Speaker A:And I think that it's a tragedy to me that the, the art of an obituary seems to be on the decline.
Speaker A:So many people have just a.
Speaker A:Someone was born, somebody died and their parents left years ago.
Speaker A:And I for one just find that the easy out.
Speaker A:I mean I'm, I'm a, I'm a little bit jaded on that because my grandparents divorced and remarried before I was born and I had a grandmother that I never really had a relationship with.
Speaker A:And when I went to seek out her obituary, that's all I got Basically was she lived and she died.
Speaker A:Nothing about.
Speaker A:She liked to watch Matlock or do crossword puzzles or anything like that.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I would implore you, any of you who have a.
Speaker A:An ounce of interest, to draft your own obituary and what you think are the highlights of your life, because most places, it really is a matter of how much you trust the person that you put in charge of your estate.
Speaker A:I know that in New York State there's nothing that is legally enforceable about your last wishes.
Speaker A:You don't.
Speaker A:You can't have somebody taken to court over the fact that somebody was cremated versus buried, because all you can do is write a letter to the executor or executrix of your estate and hope that they carry out your wishes.
Speaker A:So write out your obituary so that people have an idea of what you want to be remembered for.
Speaker A:And that's not morbid at all.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So what is a journalist?
Speaker B:I've written a number of obituaries, like, article obituaries.
Speaker B:And I will say that it.
Speaker B:It's actually really great if you do your own, because sometimes the people that are left over don't want things that are important to you to be known for whatever their selfish reasons are.
Speaker B:So do it.
Speaker B:Write it.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Don't let that be water under the bridge.
Speaker A:Give.
Speaker A:Make their feet wet.
Speaker B:Burn that bridge down, girl.
Speaker A:And do it with some glitter.
Speaker B:I'm a Scorpio.
Speaker B:I'll burn that bridge while I'm standing on it.
Speaker A:Anyway, so what risks does Mulberry create by interfering with his intended purposes?
Speaker A:He's meddling in the affairs of others.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:What risk does Mulberry create while interfering by interfering with his intended purpose.
Speaker B:Like what?
Speaker B:I don't know if there's necessarily any.
Speaker B:Any risks.
Speaker B:I mean, hope there's.
Speaker B:There's lots of good outcomes, but I don't.
Speaker B:I don't see any necessarily downfalls from it, except that I think Alice and Bert would just be.
Speaker B:As much as it seems like they're.
Speaker B:They try to make their characters kind of seem like they're robbing or blind, like her wine and.
Speaker B:Oh, and that's another thing that's funny is that, like, they're.
Speaker B:They make their own wine there.
Speaker B:They make their own.
Speaker B:Oh, gosh, what is it?
Speaker B:They grow their own plants.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They grow their own asparagus.
Speaker B:They have, like a whole garden and all this other stuff.
Speaker B:And I'm like, there's two people there, and one of them shackled to the kitchen, and the other one is apparently the gardener.
Speaker B:When does he have time to do all this.
Speaker B:This is like a 10 person operation of, of what they've got going there.
Speaker B:How do they have time to do all that?
Speaker B:So it was before the Internet, so maybe I'm just naive, but yeah, I think that it's a little bit ambitious for there.
Speaker B:But I think that he's also changing their lives too because they're basically just as miserable and then they're just kind of like waiting for her to die.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:But they don't know what they're gonna do.
Speaker B:So I don't think there's necessarily a risk.
Speaker B:But I think that he changes their lives for the better.
Speaker A:So I mean, considering the fact that his boss is his dad, he's probably not gonna get fired, but he might not get a raise since he's taking so long to do his job.
Speaker A:But yeah, I, I think that ideally his interfering with their lives is.
Speaker A:Well, it's because he wants her to have a dignified end.
Speaker A:She's not just a sour puss that will not be remembered.
Speaker A:He wants her to have enjoyed her life and possibly in doing that, give others reason to remember for her for something else.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, so there was a whole creative team behind.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:The show.
Speaker A:Sorry, Mulberry.
Speaker A:And let's hear a little bit about the, the main creative force there.
Speaker A:The, the producer, the director, the creator.
Speaker A:And Matt's going to tell us a little bit about Mr. John Esmond and his partner.
Speaker B: John Esmond, who was born in: Speaker B:And their partnership lasted from the mid-60s all the way through the 90s.
Speaker B:They were of course childhood friends in London and they broke into comedy writing with radio sketches.
Speaker B:Sketches and creating a string of sitcoms.
Speaker B:And you.
Speaker B:Okay, get this.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Please sir.
Speaker B:The Good Life, which most Americans will know as, as Good Neighbors.
Speaker B:Okay, then get some in Ever decreasing circles and brush strokes.
Speaker B:Now while a lot of us here in the colonies won't necessarily know some of those titles, those were like super huge beloved sitcoms in, In Britain and the Good Life.
Speaker B:Actually Good Neighbors is huge here.
Speaker B:Really huge.
Speaker B:Anyway, they're basically.
Speaker B:Their gentle, character driven humor won them a place in British TV history.
Speaker B:And then Mulberry from 92 to 93 was actually their final series.
Speaker B:And even though they stopped collaborating at that point, Larby continued writing successful shows like as Time Goes by with the beloved Judi Dench.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I mean, just absolutely a huge, huge part of television history.
Speaker B:And getting to work with Penelope Keith.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, Dame Penelope Keith and then Dame Judy Dench.
Speaker B:I mean, come on.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And for those of you who are.
Speaker A:Are not as schooled in the classics of modern day, like me.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Penelope Keith was in a couple of shows that Matt and I have talked about in different forms and different versions.
Speaker A:One was the.
Speaker A:The grandparents who raised their kids.
Speaker A:What was that called?
Speaker B:Next of Kin.
Speaker A:Next of Kin.
Speaker A:She's a.
Speaker A:She plays a grandparent who ends up having to raise her grandchildren after a tragic loss.
Speaker A:And then there was also a series where she is living on this grand estate.
Speaker B:And to the Manor Born.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:She finds out, as a lot of folks in the aristocracy did before much long after the wars, that money doesn't grow on trees.
Speaker A:And all of these people that used to work for us that kept things up, well, we have to pay them now.
Speaker A:So time to tighten our purse strings there.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:To the Manor Born.
Speaker A:So two enormous staples of British television with Miss Penelope Keith there.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And to the Manor, the Good Life was.
Speaker B:Was actually like one of her first sitcoms as well that she was in.
Speaker A:Okay, well, we're going to go ahead here, and we'll just move the intermission in a bit here, but basically I'm gonna.
Speaker A:Okay, so we're gonna talk about the.
Speaker A:The leading lady of this series, Mulberry.
Speaker A:And as does any TV show, Mulberry has a Grand Dome McEwen.
Speaker A:And she plays Ms. Rose Farnaby.
Speaker A: And she was born in May of: Speaker A: away in more recent years in: Speaker A:Now, she was an acclaimed English actress with a career spanning film, theater and television.
Speaker A:She began acting as a teenager and became known for her versatility and sparkling presence.
Speaker A:Sounds like she's a beverage.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:McEwen won a Bafta, which is the.
Speaker A:The British version of the Oscars, if you will.
Speaker A:It's the British Academy of Fine Television Acting, I think, something like that.
Speaker A:And she got this award for Oranges Are not the Only Fruit.
Speaker A:Now, that's an interesting show because I encountered that in the 90s.
Speaker A:Not AMC, I'm for.
Speaker A:No, actually, I think it was AMC on, like, weekends.
Speaker A:AMC would feature British television, and it was something like Breakfast with the Arts.
Speaker A:And they would show things like Oranges Are not the Only Fruit, which it was a very controversial show for Its time because there were lesbian undertones.
Speaker A:If, if you will.
Speaker A:So Ms. Geraldine McEwen was given an award for Oranges Are not the Only Fruit.
Speaker A: s Miss Marple to life between: Speaker A:And her celebrated stage work earned multiple awards and nominations.
Speaker A:And it's interesting because I was talking to Matt about Mulberry before we recorded today and I was saying to myself, Geraldine McEwen reminds me quite a lot of the.
Speaker A:Not elderly, but the.
Speaker A:The wise and senior actress there that was in a.
Speaker A:Plenty of Disney tale like Herbie, the Love Bug.
Speaker A:And then she was also in Candle Shoe, which was one of Jodie Foster's first movies for Disney.
Speaker A:But Helen hayes.
Speaker A:So Geraldine McCune reminded me quite a lot of Helen Hayes.
Speaker A:And it's possibly because they might have the same accent.
Speaker A:So the simple minded American that I am, I just thought to myself, they are a lot alike.
Speaker A:Well, there's more to that because Helen Hayes also portrayed Ms. Marple before Geraldine McEwen, but they, they both wore the hat, so to speak.
Speaker A:So there were 66 zero films in Geraldine McEwen's repertoire.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A: and: Speaker A:And as we mentioned, oranges are not the only fruit.
Speaker A:And of course we said that she won a BAFTA for that.
Speaker A:And also in 91 she was in a film called Mortiana in Robin Hood.
Speaker A:Prince of Thieves.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:So that was that.
Speaker A:The, the famed prince of.
Speaker B:That was with Kevin Costner.
Speaker A:Oh my.
Speaker A:So she got to be in that cast there.
Speaker A: agdalene Sisters, which was a: Speaker A:And then of course, any of you who is a sci fi nut, if you've eventually crossed over and you've watched Doctor who and other shows on the British televisions, there she was in a series that's actually under a current revival.
Speaker A:I, it's my understanding Red Dwarf.
Speaker A:And her character was Cassandra.
Speaker A:She had a guest appearance as a sentient.
Speaker A:Was it a sentient computer?
Speaker B:Basically, yes.
Speaker B:She actually.
Speaker B: .: Speaker B:Everything that was happened like could see into the future.
Speaker B:And it was the funniest episode.
Speaker B:And she's like, this will happen.
Speaker B:I have seen it.
Speaker B:And then she's like, I know that you're here because you're going to be the one that destroys me.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They actually.
Speaker B:They hated her.
Speaker B:They hated the computer so much that they blasted it out to space and sunk it in this deep ocean so that nobody would ever find it.
Speaker B:And she was just, like, waiting for Red Dwarf to show up to kill her, basically by accident.
Speaker A:Well, that name reminds me that there's a character in Doctor who which is basically just a flattened face, and I wonder if that's an homage to that, because her name was Cassandra, the one that was constantly asking for moisturizing.
Speaker B:Moisturize me.
Speaker B:Moisturize me.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I am the last human.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So our Geraldine cards there, Jerry Cards.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm gonna be quite short here because I've only experienced the majority of British TV in the realm of Doctor who, and I'm educating myself.
Speaker A:I've.
Speaker A:I have watched Are you being served ad nauseam?
Speaker A:Although I wouldn't say that, really, because it's not.
Speaker A:And I. I am.
Speaker A:I'm a.
Speaker A:An apprentice in this studio here.
Speaker A:So this is my only known experience with Ms. McEwan.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Well, actually, I haven't seen that much more.
Speaker B:I've seen about four projects that she's done, and my favorites are Red Dwarf and obviously Mulberry, but then probably Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves would be my.
Speaker B:My next one.
Speaker B:But, yeah, I haven't seen that many myself, but, man, Cassandra is a character I will never forget.
Speaker B:I think of her randomly in that part just popping up in my mind.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Okay, well, we are at about the halfway mark in the show, so we're gonna take a brief break for some nostalgia, some ads, some jingles, something from the early 90s, and we'll endeavor to have this be from across the pond there.
Speaker A:So who knows?
Speaker A:It could be for some sort of a fresh market ad, or it could just be a bever of sorts.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Hello, Tony.
Speaker B:I think we might use a video replay here.
Speaker B:Super, Ralph.
Speaker B:Let's do that.
Speaker B:Oh, yes.
Speaker B:We could be in for a quintessential tango taste sensation here.
Speaker B:Why, yes, Jordy, let's look again.
Speaker B:Yes, Ralph, the big orange fellow run in from the left, and he gives him a good old slapping.
Speaker B:It just illustrates the bite and buzz.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker B:Of real oranges and tango.
Speaker B:Yes, Ralph, super taste sensation.
Speaker B:Smashing drink.
Speaker B:Lovely.
Speaker B:You know where you've been tangoed?
Speaker B:You may be looking for a car that's small and practical, But you still want a car that feels luxurious.
Speaker B:Well, now you've found it, because while.
Speaker A:The cleo is certainly small.
Speaker B:It's perfectly formed.
Speaker B:The Renault.
Speaker B:Cleo.
Speaker B:Hi, Laura.
Speaker B:You always did stay up late.
Speaker A:How long have you been back?
Speaker B:About a day and a half.
Speaker B:I was just passing by.
Speaker A:At this time of night?
Speaker B:Are you alone?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Look, I'm expecting someone.
Speaker B:At this time of night?
Speaker A:It's a neighbor.
Speaker B:Well, do we have time for a coffee?
Speaker B:Golden, roasted, Richer, smoother.
Speaker B:Nescafe, Gold blend.
Speaker B:If I didn't get you out of bed, coffee tastes good.
Speaker B:Hello?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Well, we're back.
Speaker A:Alrighty.
Speaker A:So, moving into the middle of the story, the meat and the sandwich.
Speaker A:So the conflict and the rising action where things get interesting, as you might say.
Speaker A:So Mulberry deepens its story.
Speaker A:As Mulberry's secret mission grows more complicated, his cheerful, unconventional behavior unsettles the household staff, while his father, Death, repeatedly intervenes to remind him of his duty.
Speaker A:At the same time, Mulberry's growing affection for Ms. Farnaby creates an internal struggle.
Speaker A:He can no longer view her as just an assignment.
Speaker A:And as she begins to laugh, socialize and rediscover joy, the stakes rise.
Speaker A:Every moment of happiness makes the eventual farewell more painful.
Speaker A:The longer Mulberry delays, the heavier the pressure becomes, turning the series into a gentle but poignant tug of war between compassion and cosmic responsibility.
Speaker B:One of the things I thought was funny about that is there's a point in series two where she invites a gentleman to dinner and then as Mulberry opens the door, finds out the gentleman is his father.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:So he.
Speaker B:They invite him into the house and he has dinner with her.
Speaker B:And then he reminds Mulberry on the way out, don't forget that when you invite death into the house, there will be a death of someone in the house before midnight.
Speaker B:So old prophecy there.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So anyway, he's freaking out thinking one of the.
Speaker B:Well, not.
Speaker B:They've said that Ms. Farnaby isn't going to be the one, obviously because she's been granted extra time, but the other.
Speaker B:The other two in the house, she.
Speaker B:He's certain one of them's gonna die.
Speaker B:And then he's goes rushing down and Bert's fallen asleep at the table and he's like, oh, God.
Speaker B:Thinking that Bert died, but it turned.
Speaker B:It turned out to be the mouse.
Speaker B:Spoiler.
Speaker B:But anyway.
Speaker B:Yeah, anyway.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker A:So does Mulberry's emotional attachment help or endanger Ms. Farnaby?
Speaker B:Well, that's a very interesting question.
Speaker B:I think that.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I don't wouldn't say so much in danger, if anything in dangers endangers are being hurt when things go awry, which it sometimes does.
Speaker B:But as far as the rest of it, I think he's helping her.
Speaker B:I mean, he's helping her come alive.
Speaker B:And that's kind of the.
Speaker B:The part of the show.
Speaker B:The one thing I think.
Speaker B:Now, I don't think you've gotten to this episode yet.
Speaker B:I think this might have been later in season one or series one, where there, she's trying to get him to help her fly a kite.
Speaker B:And so he.
Speaker B:They do that, and then she keeps going back, back, farther back, and he actually falls off a cliff and dies.
Speaker B:And then so they're like, oh, he's dead.
Speaker B:And everybody's mourning and everything.
Speaker B:Well, of course, his father goes to the.
Speaker B:The morgue and, like, opens the thing and is all like, would you get up?
Speaker B:And so he's like, oh, I wasn't sure whether I should wait for you to come to me or what, but it's like, now everybody thinks you're dead.
Speaker B:And of course, as he is naked, although he's wrapped in a little towel thing, sadly.
Speaker B:And then he, like.
Speaker B:He walks out and he's all like, can anyone help me find my clothes?
Speaker B:And they all scream and run away and everything.
Speaker B:And then he gets.
Speaker B:And then he's, like, walking across the field, and Bert sees him, and he's like, hey, Bert, can I get a ride?
Speaker B:And he's like.
Speaker B:And runs away, and then they see him walking across the field and they're all like, oh, my God.
Speaker B:He's like, he's coming for us.
Speaker B:So it is hilarious.
Speaker B:But, yeah.
Speaker B:So they.
Speaker B:And then they had to be like, oh, well.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I wasn't really dead.
Speaker B:I mean, I thought I died, but then I just got up and.
Speaker B:Anyway, what are we having for dinner?
Speaker A:So I owed some people money, so I had to fake my death.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker B:So there are just funny things like that that you don't really think of, and then they just pop right out of nowhere.
Speaker B:So that was.
Speaker B:That was hilarious.
Speaker A:I mean, I don't remember, but I think that might have been around the time 92 when death becomes her came out.
Speaker A:So he could have been a.
Speaker A:You pushed me down the stairs.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:The Showgirls moment, huh?
Speaker A:So how does death function as both a character and a moral fence in the conflict?
Speaker B:Well, let's see.
Speaker B:I would say that it's.
Speaker B:It's in the beginning, when you don't know that death is death, it almost seems like they are sort of gangsters and they're plotting to, like, rob Them or, or do something crazy like that.
Speaker B:And then of course, when you find out they're deaf, I, I think that it, it becomes a driving force.
Speaker B:I mean, obviously it's like setting a time limit.
Speaker B:It's like, hey, this is, this is about up.
Speaker B:Whatever you're gonna do, you gotta, you gotta do because there's no way out of this.
Speaker B:But I think also in the moral force of it, it's, it's death has to keep reminding that, well, Mulberry, I'm not mean, I'm not nice, I just am.
Speaker B:This is just part of life.
Speaker B:This is part of human life.
Speaker B:And so the conflict is, is what Mulberry creates trying to give her some happiness before she dies without saying, girl, you don't die.
Speaker A:So I think it goes back to an old phrase that probably isn't used as much, but it's like a waste of a life.
Speaker A:She didn't experience life, she didn't enjoy herself.
Speaker A:So Mulberry is serving to help her find joy in life so that her life isn't quote unquote wasted.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay, so at this stage, at the, the midpoint here, he hasn't fulfilled his mission yet and his father is showing up to nag him.
Speaker A:Who seems to have more to lose, Mulberry or Ms. Farnaby, do you think?
Speaker B:Oh, wow, that's a really good question.
Speaker B:Because, I mean, obviously Ms. Farnaby, if, if she doesn't open up and try to enjoy life, like when she decides to take an art class and they have to have nude male models and they end up having Mulberry be pushed into being one of them.
Speaker B:That was hilarious.
Speaker B:But that's also the episode where she decides that she.
Speaker B:And they're all going to go to the local football game and it turns out that she is.
Speaker B:She likes the football a little bit more than she's.
Speaker B:They expect her to.
Speaker B:And she says horrible things to the ref and she attacks him.
Speaker B:And so here's little old Miss Farnaby like.
Speaker B:And when the, the referee walks by, she starts clocking him with her purse and they all get thrown out of the game.
Speaker B:Well, so they finally find.
Speaker B:Go to the nude modeling part and they're all about to do their nude drawings and Mulberry is having to drop trou.
Speaker B:Well, they did find one other model and it turns out to be the ref.
Speaker B:So I mean, it's just little quirks like that that are absolutely wonderful about the show.
Speaker B:But I think think Mulberry probably has a little bit more to lose in a way.
Speaker B:Because if I think that if he fails to get her to enjoy that last bit of time that she has, that that will really kind of set his path forward as death, as part of one of death, maybe that will.
Speaker B:That will probably scar the way that he approaches escorting other people with less compassion and more of a malaise.
Speaker A:I. I would think that once the.
Speaker A:The point comes that Mulberry accomplishes his mission, so to speak, that there would be.
Speaker A:I mean, and this is all speculation because we didn't get a third season, but.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I would think that when the point came that Mulberry had carried out his mission, there would be a performance evaluation with the boss.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:We can't have you dragging your feet on the next job here.
Speaker A:We've got expectations, we've got contracts to carry out.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I could see something happening where maybe his dad isn't all that thrilled about the job that he's done.
Speaker A:So this is just considered sort of an apprenticeship with the family business.
Speaker A:And if that doesn't work out now, he's gotta go and live with his mom.
Speaker B:Well, hey, he might be better in Helping Springtime than.
Speaker B:But I think that's one of the.
Speaker B:The things that's great about the way they developed his character is because you just love him.
Speaker B:Even though he does some dingy things and he ends up sometimes causing more havoc than.
Speaker B:Than you'd expect.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He's a delightful character.
Speaker B:And actually that's.
Speaker B:We move into talking a little bit about him.
Speaker B:He was played by Ken Harrowman.
Speaker B:Sorry, Halman, pronounce it right there.
Speaker B: And he was born in: Speaker B:And basically he's not only an actor, but he was a writer and director.
Speaker B:And he's had a career that has spanned more than five decades because he began acting when in the National Youth Theater and became actually well known for roles such as Jack O.
Speaker B:In the sitcom Brushstrokes and of course as Mulberry.
Speaker B:But later he played buster Briggs in EastEnders for like, years upon years upon years upon years.
Speaker B:Dude.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:But he's also authored a number of books, he's co directed film projects, and he continues to work in television and theater even now, so.
Speaker B:And he's in his 70s, so.
Speaker B:But he said, go ahead, he wants to add something.
Speaker A:Oh, no, I was just gonna say.
Speaker A:So, okay.
Speaker A:Comparing our Carl cards here.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, he's had 66 film credits now, from 72 to 20 was his latest.
Speaker B:And he's of course, played Jacko and Brushstrokes Mulberry Buster Briggs, which we talked about.
Speaker B: alled the Long Good Friday in: Speaker B:And those were.
Speaker B:Are like his.
Speaker B:The things that he's the best known for.
Speaker B:So let's compare.
Speaker A:All right, bring it on.
Speaker A:Well, I think that I've maybe seen two now, including Mulberry.
Speaker A:I've seen bits and pieces of Blake 7 and I actually, I want to watch it over.
Speaker A:I mean, I haven't seen more than a handful of episodes, but I know that that's been considered a long standing staple of British television is Blake 7.
Speaker A:Because there are only so many shows in British TV history that survive more than a handful of seasons.
Speaker A:Unless, of course, we're a daytime drama or.
Speaker B:Or we're also sci fi, because sci fi.
Speaker B:British sci fi back in the 70s and stuff were a little bit more rare than we would have over here because we did the moon landing and we were all like, yay, Sci fi.
Speaker B:Star Trek.
Speaker B:Yay.
Speaker B:However did you say that you wanted to watch Blake 7 again?
Speaker B:Are you okay?
Speaker B:Do we need to.
Speaker B:Do we need to get you some medication or something?
Speaker B:Because my friend Heather comes over and like every two weeks and we watch two episodes of Blake 7.
Speaker B:Oh, we're currently in season.
Speaker B:Oh, God, three.
Speaker B:I. I think.
Speaker B:And there's like two.
Speaker B:At least two more seasons to go.
Speaker B:And these aren't the short seasons.
Speaker B:These are like the, the 13 episode seasons.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker B:I am like.
Speaker B:And not only that, but like in season two or after season two, the lead characters left the show.
Speaker A:Ding, ding.
Speaker B:They were like, they were like, this is horrible.
Speaker B:Moving on.
Speaker A:Well, to be fair, I think if I were to compare that to another quote unquote, mark of excellence in the 70s.
Speaker A:Tom Baker was the head of Doctor who in those days.
Speaker A:And the, the effects and the sound and everything for that period.
Speaker B:The acting.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, all of it.
Speaker A:They, they have a certain ambiance.
Speaker A:So I'm sure that Blake 7, having come from that period, would have similar production value.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:But I, I can deal with the production values.
Speaker B:You tell me a good story, I'm good.
Speaker B:But there's like nobody on the show that was likable.
Speaker A:Like, I hear that.
Speaker A:I mean, this is, this is of course a Show that's like 40, 50 years old now, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But I hear that it's very much like a Dallas in the 80s where there was the dream season and nothing that happened in that is considered part of the real story.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Canon.
Speaker A:So basically everybody in the finale of Blake 7 is a.
Speaker A:Everybody dies.
Speaker B:I'm okay with that.
Speaker A:So you have seen at least as much as I have, but.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:How many total have you seen of Carl's work?
Speaker B:Two.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And you know what the.
Speaker B:And, yeah, I mean, there's probably a few episodes of, like, brushstrokes and things like that that I've seen, but not enough to say, yes, I have.
Speaker B:I have seen his work.
Speaker B:So I'm gonna go with Blake 7, which he made a small appearance in, and Mulberry.
Speaker A:And there was that episode where he did modeling, so you almost saw his work.
Speaker B:He was.
Speaker B:He's a very attractive man.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Alrighty.
Speaker A:So as we reach the conclusion, the climax, the roller coasters come to its peak, and we're about to do the deep dive here.
Speaker A:The resolution.
Speaker A:So Mulberry reaches its emotional peak with a traditional climax as the series ended before resolving its central dilemma.
Speaker A:And in later episodes, Death repeatedly confronts Mulberry, pressing him to complete his task and forcing a quiet but powerful choice between duty and compassion, the family business and whatnot.
Speaker A:And rather than a final reckoning, the.
Speaker A:Sounds like a video game.
Speaker A:The final reckoning, the resolution settles into ambiguity.
Speaker A:Ms. Farnaby continues to enjoy friendship, purpose and renewed joy, even as her fate remains unspoken.
Speaker A:And Mulberry's defiance allows life to be savored rather than hurried.
Speaker A:The story closes on a bittersweet note.
Speaker A:Sounds like they chose the wrong bottle of wine.
Speaker A:Well, the kindness and connection matter most.
Speaker A:And even when time is limited.
Speaker A:Tick tock here.
Speaker A:Get on.
Speaker A:Get with the program.
Speaker B:Yeah, need to.
Speaker A:So does the lack of final resolution strengthen or weaken the story's impact?
Speaker A:So is it still worth watching even though, like a lot of things in life, we have no closure?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's like I. I'm continually reminded by a dear friend of mine named Nephi about this series from the 80s, where this woman is like, she.
Speaker B:She is attacked at the bottom of some stairs.
Speaker B:And then the series never renewed.
Speaker B:So that poor woman's like, still decades later, just laying there at the bottom of the stairs.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:So I just have to say that Ms. Barnaby is still alive because there's no resolution.
Speaker B:So decades later, she's fine.
Speaker B:I don't think it necessarily.
Speaker B:I think that it could have made a better impact if they had been able to follow the story through and then ended it with the way that it was, the intention that it was started.
Speaker B:I think that if they'd done it right, it could have been wonderful, wonderful series and a total tearjerker.
Speaker B:And yet I don't think that it takes away from this at all that they didn't get that closure, because you still see where it's going.
Speaker B:You still see a wonderful series and wonderful characters.
Speaker B:So it's still great regardless.
Speaker A:So should Valbury ever complete his task or is the delay itself the point?
Speaker B:Well, obviously they did mean to have him complete his task at the end of the season that never was.
Speaker B:So I don't know if that's necessarily a moot point.
Speaker B:But yeah, the delay itself was part of the.
Speaker B:Was the plot.
Speaker B:Delay it so that she can and hopefully not be a bitter old trout when she heads up to ever after.
Speaker B:Yeah, but that's another thing that gets me, is that why is he so resistant for her to go to the afterlife when there.
Speaker B:It never says anything like, oh, if she doesn't cheer up or have something like that, she's just gonna go off to like a Dickensian horror fest or anything.
Speaker B:They never discuss heaven or hell.
Speaker B:They never add any of that element.
Speaker B:They never talk about the after.
Speaker B:It's just called the afterlife.
Speaker B:So she's not.
Speaker B:She's not going into nothingness.
Speaker B:So I don't understand necessarily why there's no.
Speaker B:They never discuss a repercussion of not having her cheer up and enjoy herself.
Speaker A:I mean, maybe Mulberry is just regretful that he has to work for his father and he doesn't want her to have to go and face him either.
Speaker A:Because if you think about it, once she's passed, now she's in his father's domain.
Speaker A:And maybe he just knows a little too much about his father to wish that friendship upon anyone.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, and his.
Speaker B:Like his father says, though, I'm not.
Speaker B:I'm not evil.
Speaker B:I'm not mean.
Speaker B:I'm just what was.
Speaker B:And I think it's also funny that there was a period, there was an episode where she tried to fix him up with her niece and he basically had to say.
Speaker B:She's like.
Speaker B:The niece is like, will you call?
Speaker B:And he's like, no.
Speaker B:And she's like, well, I guess I'll never see you again.
Speaker B:And he's like.
Speaker B:And I'm just thinking, well, you will someday.
Speaker B:It's like, maybe not.
Speaker B:Maybe not soon if you're lucky.
Speaker B:But eventually he'll be, hello, that's me.
Speaker A:I mean, it's a little bit like Pushing Daisies where the girl, everything that she touches dies.
Speaker A:You have to wonder, if that had worked out, would she have regretted it?
Speaker A:Because now you're effed, right?
Speaker B:That would have been a whole different series.
Speaker B:Marrying Death, you know, little, little.
Speaker A:What do they call them?
Speaker A:Gargoyles.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker A:So what does the ending suggest about how we should face mortality?
Speaker B:Well, since they never really had the best of endings because of that lack of seasons, I think we'll just have to take the overall plot of it of saying that it's.
Speaker B:It's fine.
Speaker B:She doesn't realize that she's necessarily facing mortality, but she definitely, it definitely the theme of it is enjoy the time you have, do do good things and just be happy because you don't know how long you have.
Speaker B:She never knows that anything is coming.
Speaker B:She never knows that he is Death.
Speaker B:It is just he's cheering her up and bringing her life.
Speaker B:And that's kind of the.
Speaker B:The gist of the whole story.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I think that it's best summarized with the old saying, take the time to smell the roses.
Speaker B:You gotta stop and smell the roses.
Speaker A:I. I've not been to only one of my school reunions, so I'm not one to reminisce quite a lot, but I went the once and I enjoyed myself for nothing more than the fact that rather than everybody dwelling on them being the popular ones like we did in school, and I wasn't athletic or anything, I wasn't in the cool crowd.
Speaker A:I was able to be a fly on the wall, basically because I showed up and just like all those years that I lived away from home and my visit equating to being grateful that everybody else's lives were more messed up than my own, I was.
Speaker A:I was able to be the fly that fly on the wall and see who was all divorced and, and had kids and was owing child support and what all.
Speaker A:And I just sitting there like, well, I'm sorry, you were you and I got to be me.
Speaker B:Yes, I know when I went to my high school reunion, they were like, oh, you're still fat.
Speaker B:And I said, yes, but you're old and ugly.
Speaker B:It's like to be you.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It's like that moment.
Speaker A:And I don't normally reference Bill Murray because I think there's all of two films in his repertoire that I consider worthy of watching.
Speaker A:But in the.
Speaker A:In the spirit of the holidays, when he did Scrooged In, I think, 87ish, there's a scene where his girlfriend is in an alternate future and she's out to lunch with her friends and it's all sort of posh and these children come to beg at the, at the, The Restaurant and she, she shares a piece of advice that a friend shared with her.
Speaker A:And of course the friend was Bill Murray's character, her boyfriend.
Speaker A:She's like a friend once told me something, scrape them off, Claire.
Speaker A:Because she cared too much about people.
Speaker A:But yeah, so, all right, so aside from our leading lady and our leading man here, there are others in the cast and some of them were regulars like Alison Burt.
Speaker A:But we had Father Stubbs that was played by Tony Selby.
Speaker A:And aside from being in Mulberry, he was also known for the long running daytime drama EastEnders.
Speaker B:Now they also had Lil.
Speaker B:I can do this.
Speaker B:Lil Raleigh, I guess.
Speaker B:Rough.
Speaker B:Roughly.
Speaker A:I mean it sounds like a rapper.
Speaker B:Yeah, little roughly now actually.
Speaker B:So there were two Alices.
Speaker B:Okay, so series one had one Alice, which was Lil, Roughly, the rapper.
Speaker B:And then in series two there was.
Speaker B:Was Mary Healy.
Speaker B:Now both of them.
Speaker B:So Lil was actually the mother in law in the series My Hero with Arlo, I can never say his name, so.
Speaker B:But he's an Irish star.
Speaker B:And then Mary was.
Speaker B: ion credits that went back to: Speaker B:There was only a couple series that she actually was in like a lot of episodes.
Speaker B:But she was one of those people, people that if you watch British stuff, you, you like, you just know who she is and you, you aren't, you didn't get to series two yet, so you're not quite there.
Speaker B:But amazing actresses, absolutely amazing actresses.
Speaker B:Love them.
Speaker A:And then of course the, the dad on the show, the big boss, Mr. Death, was played by John Bennett.
Speaker A:And of course there's many a British star, he has a few peppered appearances in Doctor who, of course, because you keep the lights on.
Speaker B:I think it's funny because we do Star Trek connections, but I think when we do English shows.
Speaker B:Yeah, when we do British shows, we should be like, what's your Doctor who connection?
Speaker B:But we'd never stop talking about it.
Speaker B:But actually he was in the old Doctor who episodes, he played two different characters and one of them was a Chinese man.
Speaker B:Oh, like the whole racist looking outfit.
Speaker B:Like I, I remember vaguely watching that episode and going, oh my God, this is true.
Speaker B:This is tragically embarrassing.
Speaker B:I'm so embarrassed for you.
Speaker B:But I mean we did the same thing in America, so.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Well, I mean we don't have a Star Trek connection.
Speaker A:But if we were to talk about the time frame that Mulberry existed in, which was 90.
Speaker A:In 92, they were on the fifth season of Star the Next Generation.
Speaker A:So it wasn't quite the last hurrah.
Speaker A:And there are Many who would tell you that the last couple of seasons of Star Trek the Next Generation featured some of the best stories.
Speaker A:I mean, by that time they had finally decided that the ship's counselor was just another member of the crew.
Speaker A:And shocker, she should be wearing a uniform too.
Speaker B:Yeah, like what, what?
Speaker B:I never understood that.
Speaker B:Like, why is she in that?
Speaker B:That's tacky.
Speaker B:But one of the other things about those seasons, those later seasons, is that they start, they started developing the characters, they started giving them more individual storylines.
Speaker B:One of my favorites was Beverly in the Bubble.
Speaker A: Some final thoughts on the: Speaker A:If you could recast just one role in the cast there, who would you choose today?
Speaker A:Would you have a different leading lady?
Speaker A:Would you have different help?
Speaker A:Or would you have a different grim reaper apprentice?
Speaker A:Mr. Mulberry?
Speaker B:Yeah, I, I honestly, I don't think I would recast anyone.
Speaker B:And that's rare for me because I'm very opinionated.
Speaker B:But honestly, they chose everyone just perfectly in my taste.
Speaker B:So I, even, even the sisters who you will meet and hate.
Speaker B:So yeah, they, they did a great job with the casting.
Speaker B:I wouldn't recast anyone if I had to.
Speaker A:I wouldn't recast just simply by merit of somebody else maybe doing it better.
Speaker A:But if it had to be made today and we couldn't have the original cast because time has passed, I would think that somebody like Joanna Lumley, who played Patsy Stone on Ab Fab, might be a good Ms. Farnaby or Jennifer Saunders.
Speaker A:But if they, if they weren't either one of them in the lead, the other one would need to be like a sister, maybe just as sort of a homage.
Speaker B:And that would play perfectly.
Speaker B:However, I think, I think that, I think that Jennifer would probably do better if, as Ms. Farnaby Perhaps.
Speaker A:And then of course, if you want to have somebody more current in the, in the spotlight as Mulberry, you might do something like Russell Tovey.
Speaker B:Russell Tovey, Interesting.
Speaker A:I mean, you'd have a reason to watch every week.
Speaker B:Hey, wait, wait until you see the War between the Land and Sea in the last episode.
Speaker B:Like, does he have the shirt on at all?
Speaker A:I don't know, but there might have been some airbrushing.
Speaker A:I don't think so, but yes.
Speaker A:And then I don't know who we would put in as the help.
Speaker A:Maybe as a tongue in cheek go joke, get somebody from the castle, Downton Abbey.
Speaker B:Well, I will tell you.
Speaker B:So there, one of the questions.
Speaker B:Were there visuals or stylistic choices?
Speaker B:Were there visuals or stylistic choices?
Speaker B:That stood out for better or worse.
Speaker B:Actually, we talked about the way that they changed the set to make it more colorful, and I think that was a brilliant choice.
Speaker B:But I will tell you that I would change the theme song.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:That was the most like, what are you doing?
Speaker B:Stop.
Speaker B:Nobody's gonna make it past the opening.
Speaker A:It's just like he's singing from the mailbox.
Speaker B:Like, we need a theme here.
Speaker B:Quick, Sing it to this box.
Speaker A:But I. I think that stylistically, this show has some elements that are.
Speaker A:Are very indicative of the 90s, like the choice of his vests that he wore.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:They had a.
Speaker A:A very timely 90s appearance to them because they looked like upholstery fabric to me, basically.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And he wore, like, one per season, basically.
Speaker B:Or when it.
Speaker B:Like, I think he changed it, like, four times through the whole show.
Speaker B:It was funny, but it was perfect.
Speaker A:It was basically floral with some sort of design to it, but definitely very 90s.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I don't know what they would do to.
Speaker A:To make it today.
Speaker A:I mean, anybody who wears a vest as part of their character has a risk of looking like a casino host, pretty much.
Speaker B:But I also.
Speaker B:I'll add that everybody.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The viewers, the.
Speaker B:The people in the show, everybody has said that there is such a chemistry between everybody in this cast, and they.
Speaker B:They were correct.
Speaker B:I mean, that's one of the things that makes the show wonderful.
Speaker B:Anyway, what do you recommend, sir?
Speaker A:Okay, well, so if you enjoy British sitcoms from the 90s, or maybe I do.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Or maybe you just enjoy things that have a little bit of a dark humor to them, I think that you might enjoy a series that was made a few years later, a little bit more recently.
Speaker A: But back in: Speaker A:So it was paid channel, what we call a premium channel.
Speaker A:And this had actually.
Speaker A:It looks like it ran for a single stage season, but the storyline is.
Speaker A:Georgia Lass is surprised to discover that an afterlife does exist and that she has already been assigned a job.
Speaker A:Her new boss is Rube, who is a reaper, so a messenger of death and one of the many who pluck the souls of the living and escort them to their eternal ward.
Speaker A: From: Speaker A:Also Jasmine Guy, who was the pretty Southern belle who was in that spin off of the Cosby Show.
Speaker A:A Different World.
Speaker A:Both of them are in this series dead like me.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:That was a wonderful series.
Speaker B:What I'm going to recommend something that you may have possibly heard of before.
Speaker B:It's about two people that are thrown together by circumstance.
Speaker B:Spirited residents, to say the least, of Bayview Retirement Village.
Speaker B:Stuffy seniors home, where stepping out of line is strictly frowned upon.
Speaker B:Oh, Harvey.
Speaker B:For a bit they form an alliance and begin to give the home's oppressive management a run for their money.
Speaker B: In: Speaker B:But one of the things that's wonderful about it is you have Diana, who is a kind of the archetype of.
Speaker B:Of the character that we've just discussed.
Speaker A:Oh, Miss Farnaby.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And here.
Speaker B:Here comes Tom, who's kind of a crazy kooky.
Speaker B:Well, Marbury in his own way.
Speaker B:But anyway, brings.
Speaker B:Basically brings her to life and they have a good time.
Speaker A:And in.
Speaker A:Waiting for God was such a fun show, because they weren't really.
Speaker A:I mean, at least Diana was not ready to experience her retirement.
Speaker A:Her children decided that it was in their interest to drop her off.
Speaker A:But she had a celebrated life as a photojournalist.
Speaker A:And you'll learn that through the course of watching Waiting for God.
Speaker A:That's one of the.
Speaker A:I consider her, and I'm forgetting the actress's name, but she's sort of a British Bea Arthur, if you ask me.
Speaker B:That would be.
Speaker B:Diana was played by Stephanie.
Speaker B:Oh, gosh, I can't remember her last name, but her name, her first name was Stephanie.
Speaker B:And actually it was Tom's children that dropped him off.
Speaker B:And then Diana, yes.
Speaker B:Was a photojournalist and she was not ready to retire at all.
Speaker B:But she had nothing else that she was able to do.
Speaker B:She gave up up on life when they gave up on her.
Speaker B:I mean, she was hanging out of helicopters taking pictures during the award.
Speaker B:She was.
Speaker B:She was amazing and she was living life.
Speaker A:And you couldn't tell that she was as old as the candles on her cake.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:In fact, it was funny because she was 70 years.
Speaker B:She was playing like 70 something.
Speaker B:And she was only like in her early 40s when she played that role.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay, well, we're gonna let the vciara let us know what we're going to talk about the next time we gather together here.
Speaker A:And that blinking light there says it's ready.
Speaker A:So here we Go.
Speaker C:Next time on Matinee Minutia, when an elderly woman learns she is terminally ill, she and her devoted husband make the controversial decision to plan their final moments together.
Speaker C:Their decision is challenged by a grieving daughter, a concerned social worker, and a society unwilling to accept their choice.
Speaker C:1983's television movie Right of Way explores love, autonomy, and the right to decide one's own ending.
Speaker A:Oh, and that was a.
Speaker B:Well, that sounds like a lovely film.
Speaker B:So inspiring with an uplifting message.
Speaker A:I mean, killing, continuing our, our exploration of death.
Speaker A:Yes, but this is a little bit of a gem because, well, Jimmy Stewart most famously had the misfortune of being cast in one of Betty Davis's last films.
Speaker A:And as many people know, who, having worked with Bette Davis, I will tell you, she wasn't always that easy to get along with.
Speaker A:And he might have been better off with somebody else cast in the film, but it was a something to behold and it was a made for HBO film, so there is that.
Speaker A:It's sort of a TV movie.
Speaker A:So join us the next time as we discuss Right of Way.
Speaker A:And with that being said, we're going to toast to the new year.
Speaker A:I am hope, I am hopeful that in the new year that we'll get the, the neon sign fixed for the store because it would be nice for people to know when we're closed.
Speaker A:I'm tired of them coming in before I lock the door.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:So let's toast to the new year and hopefully one step closer to better things, whatever that may involve.
Speaker A:Maybe I'm hoping personally that it involves an earlier bedtime for Hector because some of these things we talk about are not necessarily G or pg.
Speaker B:Well, true.
Speaker B:And it's also weird that he laughs like that when he's like 11.
Speaker A:Well, I mean, you know, they, they say that he's due for a growth spurt anytime now, so maybe that poor child will stop getting teased at school.
Speaker B:We'll just tease him here.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:All right, folks, well, as before, please enjoy your holidays responsibly.
Speaker A:And you don't have to come up with any resolutions per se, just maybe try to do anything a little better than you did before because, I mean, I for one could take less time to fold the laundry that's been sitting in the dryer for a week.
Speaker A:Right, Exactly.
Speaker B:I know the feeling.
Speaker A:Any words of wisdom, any, any suggestions, any well wishes you want to send out there?
Speaker B:I would say instead of making revolutions, simply say, this is something that I would like to work on or make better.
Speaker B:But don't hold yourself to something that you're gonna fail just aspire.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:All right, so happy New Year, folks, and we'll see you around the next page of the calendar.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to Madnam Minutia.
Speaker B:Our show is released on the first and third Friday of most months.
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Speaker A:DJ is at DJ starsage.
Speaker B:Matt at SBA.
Speaker B:Matt.
Speaker B:Send us an email at matt named minutiamail.com.
