Spatz S1E13 (1990) - FULL EPISODE

Bye Bye TJ. When TJ receives a letter saying he's being promoted, there are mixed emotions in the restaurant. Will he really go back to Canada to take up his new post, and who's going to be drafted in to replace him? Karen has some decisions to make, but things may not be entirely in her control. This episode was originally broadcast on Wednesday, 16th May, 1990. This is the last instalment of the first series, and having watched them all, it's occurred to me that there's a dynamic going on similar to Drop the Dead Donkey (which came slightly later, I hasten to point out). You know how most people in that newsroom get on well enough, but then Gus comes in and is an external agitator because he's more concerned about keeping Sir Royston happy than the workers? Well, compare and contrast that with Spatz. Here, all the staff are friendly and TJ is a nice guy who runs it perfectly well - but then there's Karen. In a strange way, she makes the show, because without her and her determination to toe the Frapelli line, there's nothing that wouldn't otherwise be resolved sensibly and amicably. I don't know whether there was a common problem with upper-middle-management back in the early 90s, or whether it's either a coincidence or my imagination entirely, but there you are. I say all this because Jennifer Calvert is truly brilliant in this one, with her various reactions and extremes of emotions when she's basically defeated that somehow never break character. In many ways, this is Karen's story. Besides all that, I love how Dexter is always looking after number one, and doesn't waste any time in dancing on TJ's grave and pushing to get his own yearned-for promotion. And it's quite daring for a children's show to have a bad guy that's not instantly dislikeable, but that description fits Dan Redican's performance as Melvin. I mean, he's obviously an incompetent, lazy oaf with a penchant for gambling who acts in an increasingly corrupt manner, but he's not the sort of personality you'd automatically hate, and I find that choice interesting. Something else I noticed is that TJ is to an extent goaded into taking up the job offer by Karen, and I can't decide whether that's in character or not. One thing that's for sure is that the whole resolution hinges on the coincidental finding of a particular document, while I love the fact that the mystery of the broken computer is solved without us ever knowing it was a mystery in the first place. Meanwhile, this is the last we see of the characters Lily and Jo in Spatz - and they both go out dressed like *that*! All in all, a good series, but better was to come once the Canadian co-production deal came to an end and Thames - or, more specifically, writers Lee Pressman and Grant Cathro - got full control the next year. Look out for some Children's ITV continuity at the beginning and end featuring Jeanne Downs as Scally's office secretary (or something), plus plenty of ads to give you that full retro flavour. Of particular interest is Stephen Fry explaining the whole Marathon/Snickers changeover. (Coincidentally, I think the next ad is voiced by Hugh Laurie.) Many thanks to Joe for lending me this tape. (To the best of my knowledge, the contents of this video have never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)