This is England '90

[PaulHaddock]

Think this is going in similar style to the other series where it starts off humourus and gradually becomes darker. Obviously Milky is gonna try and hurt Combo as shown by the preview of this weeks episode. And Kelly's also gonna commit suicide or similar.

 

[The East Terrace]

I wonder if Combo will pursue Lol again and that may turn into the big storyline beofre Milky gets a chance of revenge? Lol is hardly the most loyal and her head could be turned again. Its been alright this series but I just don't feel some of the characters have moved on at all. The film was set in 1983, yet 7 years on with all thats gone on, nothing has changed. Woody is still wisecracking, the girl that got raped is still hanging out of Lol's arse smiling and looking vacant. I mean 7 years is quite a while and yet they are all still mates, they do the same things, even parenthood hasn't changed them. I wouldn't be surprised if Lol goes to run off with Combo and then Milky batters him and Woody takes her back again.

 

[iesty wfc]

To be fair I see updates from people I knew in school who have a similar life to what you have just described. They still hang out with the same people and they still haven't grown up even after having 4 kids each and go out round the town getting drunk, taking drugs and fighting

Unfortunately it's typical of the uk

 

[The East Terrace]

Grim ain't it. Maybe Woody will finally snapp and slap Milky up for banging his bird. Not before time I have to say.

 

[PaulHaddock]

Fantastic episode so far!

 

[This Charming Mike]

That dinner scene.

Stunning bit of television.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Masterclass.

 

[White Army]

That scene around the table was one of the most intense scenes on television i think ive ever seen, unbelievable acting.

 

[Techno Natch]

Yeah much better tonight really enjoyed it, looking forward to next week. . Also nice to hear walk tonight although I love this remix even more than original.

 

[The Southbank]

Odds on Woody getting caught up in the fracas between Milky and Combo next week?

 

[Red]

That dinner scene.

Stunning bit of television.

Yes! Absolutely superb acting, the tension was tangible. I reckon Milky will kill Combo too.
I hope Kelly and Gadget get together.


Can't wait for the last one next week.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I think there's got to be more than Milky just bumping Combo off, Woody (or Lol) getting caught in the middle of it is a good shout. I reckon Kelly willl overdose and Shaun will go off to join the army .

 

[Destruction]

Starting to annoy me Gadget only has one outfit in his entire wardrobe.

 

[The East Terrace]

Didn't have plus size in 1990.

 

[The Southbank]

Starting to annoy me Gadget only has one outfit in his entire wardrobe.

Looks like something you'd wear, mate.

 

[Modernist]

To be fair I see updates from people I knew in school who have a similar life to what you have just described. They still hang out with the same people and they still haven't grown up even after having 4 kids each and go out round the town getting drunk, taking drugs and fighting

Unfortunately it's typical of the uk

I don't think it's typical at all. Maybe ts a welsh thang.

 

[Freakyteeth]

Absolutely fantastic.

Spoiler

The flashback scene in the campervan - am I right in thinking that Kelly was abused too and the whole non believing and arguing thing at the dinner table was her being in denial to protect herself?

 

[PaulHaddock]

Might be the only one but I was quite disappointed with that ending.

Spoiler

Everyones happy but Milky. The Combo ending was tense but confusing; who were the white guys?

 

[Aber gas]

Might be the only one but I was quite disappointed with that ending.

Spoiler

Everyones happy but Milky. The Combo ending was tense but confusing; who were the white guys?

His old nf mates

 

[PaulHaddock]

His old nf mates

Oh yeah. Just wish we knew what they did with him.

 

[Destruction]

I knew Combo was fucked the moment he hugged that disabled girl.

 

[Freakyteeth]

fuck.

 

[The East Terrace]

Might be the only one but I was quite disappointed with that ending.

Spoiler

Everyones happy but Milky. The Combo ending was tense but confusing; who were the white guys?

No I thought it was a duff ending really. I hope he leaves it alone now,Ithink the characters aredone and it showed in this one.

 

[iesty wfc]

while it might have been cheesy, i would have liked a 'where are they now' sort of ending. freeze frames of the characters and what they are up to

sean graduated from university and became a freelance photographer etc etc

sad for Combo but it was inevitable it was going to happen. everything else apart from Milky pretty much ties itself up

 

[TimeyWimey]

Only bit I wasn't entirely sure on was Kelly's ending, who went from a complete mess of a heroin user/addict to everything being a-ok and (just about) happy families in the space of a few weeks. Almost like her story was dragged out too long before they realised they had to squeeze a conclusion in the last 5 minutes.

All in all though an absolutely brilliant series (from film to '90).

 

[Red]

I thought the ending was good. Who were the white guys who collected Combo from the black guys though? He's took it as far as he can now I think. Agree with Timey, truly brilliant.

 

[Captain Scumbag]

^
Yeah, that was odd. My immediate reading was that they were old accomplices/mates from his NF days – folk who were out to get him for disassociating himself from that movement. For what it's worth, the four people I watched it with all drew exactly the same inference.

But the more I think about it, the less sense it makes. Would the NF really kill someone over that? I mean, they're not the most amiable chaps, I know, but plenty of young men flirt with far right politics and then realise it's a load of bollocks. They don't usually get murdered for it. Would white supremacists conspire with black men to kill a white man? If that's what really happened – if the idea is that he's killed by the same group of hateful bastards to which he once belonged – shouldn't that have been foreshadowed somehow?

I dunno. There are some pretty gaping holes in Combo's backstory. We never learnt why he originally went to prison in the early 1980s. We never learnt what happened between 83 and 86. Where did he go? What did he do? Why did he suddenly turn up at Sean's house covered in blood? So perhaps in lieu of concrete details, I've just invented some backstory about him falling out with NF guys and then imposed that onto what was quite a confusing ending.

Perhaps those white guys were just hired thugs and their whiteness was Meadows attempting something grimly ironic. Perhaps the whole thing was designed to confuse – to tease the possibility of an unlikely reappearance. Whatever the answer, it detracted a little from the power of the ending for me.

Stephen Graham was terrific, though. As usual.

 

[Destruction]

I originally assumed they were just horrible bastards that could probably be paid to make someone disappear?

Milkys family wouldn't know old NF boys would they, reckon they just knew some shady characters to get the deal done.

 

[Red]

Yes, Stephen Graham is one of our best contemporary actors.

 

[Spirederman]

Yes, Stephen Graham is one of our best contemporary actors.

Without a doubt, along with the massively underrated Joe Gilgun.

Graham, Gilgun, McClure and Toby Jones are all in the upcoming BBC drama The Secret Agent. Really looking forward to that.

No one quite does it like Meadows though, brilliant director who trusts his cast to get it right with improv. Was reading an interview with Vicky McClure the other week and she was saying at points they plead with Shane for direction and he flat refuses, knowing they'll get it just how he wants it.

Anyone who loves This is England ought to watch his other stuff. Dead Man's Shoes has already been mentioned (Amazing, Paddy Considine is one of my favourite actors) , but A Room For Romeo Brass (Considine, McClure and Andrew Shim), Somerstown(Young Thommo) Twenty Four:Seven, and his low budget debut Small Time in which Meadows also stars, are all brilliant. Small Time is so hilariously low budget...it's that bad, it's good!!

In fact fuck it, his whole back catalogue should be essential viewing for any TIE fans.
The only weak movie there is Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, but that's still worth watching IMO.

Considine's 'Tyrannosaur' is also fucking excellent.