Spatz S2E9 (1991) - FULL EPISODE

Things That Go... There are spooky goings on at the restaurant, with slimy green ectoplasm appearing, the sound of heavy panting, random bones lying around, boxes being shredded, and plenty more strange happenings. Is it down to the ancient Roman mass graveyard they're built on, the Great Hairy Bogey of Ballymagorry, or something slightly more sensible and boring? Meanwhile, it's the Spatz Annual Dressing-Up Competition, and TJ and Karen are invited, plus Vince has a secret that's taking up a lot of his time. This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 7th March, 1991.

Despite the unusually dark and mysterious tone, I think there are more than enough regular Spatz moments to carry this one through. The moonlighting sub-plot is clever and believable (just about), while it also ties in nicely at the end with the other two main strands. The old lady helping herself to the food and Karen's subsequent reaction made me laugh, as did the bluntness of the 'If anyone's going to stand on your head, it's me' line. The stuff inside the giant fridge is a little disturbing if you think about the what-ifs too long, but there's also something about it that reminds me of the run-up to the last general election. Oh, and on a brief technical note, there's a lot of hand-held camera work in this, giving it a deliberate uneasy feeling in places.

One oddity worth noting is that Lee Pressman and Grant Cathro wrote the final scripts for series two and three of Spatz, even if the story came from from someone else. (Series one is more complicated than that, with the insistence of a 'writers' room' from the Canadian end.) However, the story for this episode came from David Joss Buckley, and it was he and Lee who worked together on the script, as Grant was off sick that week. So now you know.

Stay tuned at the beginning and end for some Children's ITV continuity, presented by Jeanne Downs, all on her lonesome and going all big sister on us at the end. I will not tidy my room, thank you very much.

Grateful thanks to Joe for lending me this tape.

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