This Is England 90's Discussion *Spoilers*

[sludge]

Sept 29, 2015 19:49:32 GMT Dave said:

Sept 29, 2015 3:51:16 GMT sludge said:

It must be Kelly, who else would want Combo beaten?

Banjo???

Perhaps Milky and Banjo have formed a loving relationship since the 83 incident???

Holy moly! Only just thought that maybe Milky was on the phone to Pukey! As Morrell said, he's one of the faces that hasn't been in it for years now.
Not sure how they'd explain where his character has been, but from the only stuff we know in the original film, Pukey was of course the first of the young gang members to question Combo's racism and get exhiled from the new gang! So it would make perfect sense that he could turn to Pukey after all these years!

I'm beginning to wonder if Combo and Milky have the same father, that would now make sense in the grand scheme of things.

[ironbrew]

Well, having quickly read around the internet and watched some clips it seems to be no secret that the man in the picture who Combo is seen looking at during the montage in episode 3 is his biological father. (As stated by Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham themselves in a behind the scenes clip on the channel 4 website)

Having recently re-watched the entire series from start to finish this past week including the film i got a strong impression that whoever Milky was talking to was his immediate family which are only mentioned moments before he is beaten up by Combo in the film.

IMDB states that a black actor called Vauxhall Jermaine will be portraying ''Uncle Rudy'' in the finale so it's a safe bet that is who Milky is talking to on the phone. I don't believe the actor is old enough to be Stephen Graham's father although some sort of family connection between Combo and Milky does now seem probable.

I'm not too sure how this would sit with me as it seems very soap opera-ish in theory but i suppose it could be pulled off with this incredible cast if the last episode was anything to go by.

I've seen the Pukey hypothesis pop up in a number of places but it would make very little sense in my opinion.

In fact if Jack O'Connell were to make an appearance then i can only imagine it would be intertwined with the appearance of another ''lost'' member of the gang from the film in Kes who is officially listed as appearing in the forthcoming episode.

I can't imagine either of them would have such a strong hatred/revenge connection toward Combo that they would wish to be involved in any attempted plot to hurt or murder him having not seen the man in 7 years and having only ever briefly interacted with him during the summer of 1983 when they were teenagers.

Would be cool to see them in the episode though and maybe get a little explanation as to why they are no longer a part of the gang anymore story line wise. I think the chances of Jack O'Connell having filmed a secret cameo are pretty slim however.

One guy who might appear though is Banjo. I've seen he is listed on IMDB also but that may be a mistake given he hasn't been in any episodes yet.

Anyone have any idea why he hasn't appeared this series? I have a sneaking suspicion that if he does appear in the last episode it will be alongside Trudy having got together with her following the events of '88 and subsequently lost touch with his much younger mates. At least that would allow them both to have a little cameo and would explain his absence this year.

[saffy]

Blimey .. quick reply here as I'm more on Twitter these days, but I just wanted to say, I'll be thinking of you all tonight as we go through this together.

Most of what I would have said, has been said, so I'm just making a quick pit stop to say Hello.

I've a hopeful feeling that it will end with everyone dancing at Lol and Woody's wedding.

Someone mentioned that perhaps Kelly had been raped by her Dad and was having flashbacks ... I said this to Mike at the time, but he disagreed. I'm still not sure ... he was an evil fucker and what he was doing to Kelly with the sweet talk, he no doubt did with Lol when she was young. Then again ... the dinner table, she really went off on one to Lol and Trev, with her "Why were you so special and not me?" so .... feck knows.

I'll sign off with wave ... I guess I do hope that this puts the series to bed, in a good way. It's beena roller coaster of a ride, but it has to stop before you get sick.

Saffy xxx

[saffy]

What idiot put that as my avatar? Oh ....... wait .... Ok, I was on lots of pain killers, and they were my only friends to talk to during the day. Ok?

[looper007]

well that didn't go as I thought it would. It was definitely was a lot less downbeat then I thought it be for sure, it did have moments of anguish but I was expecting another one or two characters to die. Aside from Milky (who's going to be forever haunted by his actions)and of course Combo, everyone got a nice happy ending, Kelly is back in the fold, Shaun seems to have grown up and got himself a stunning girlfriend, Harvey and Gadget are back on good terms and Lol and Woody got their perfect wedding.

I did have one problem with the final episode the fact aside from them dancing together at the end, we didn't get a more fitting ending scene between Gadget and Kelly. Aside from that I can't complain too much.

I did love that Meggy and Smell got to show up at the wedding, did anyone love that they turn Smell into a bit of a bitch, you can tell the fight from the first episode was all her doing. She was clearly jealous of Shaun's new girlfriend and tried to cause a little trouble. You can tell Shaun and Smell won't be best friends.

The stand out stuff was of course Milky and Combo, how great was Stephen Graham in that scene in the café and in the warehouse. You can tell Combo's a man who's haunted by his past trying to do good for his past sins. the scene in the old factory/warehouse was truly frightening and sad. Andrew Shim was excellent too in that café scene, he was willing to forgive but his family weren't. I personally thought it was going to be too obvious to knock off Combo but the scene was well written and well thought out.

I did enjoy the Wedding debacle at Woody's parents house, it did break up the downbeatness.

I thought 90 was a fitting ending, although I can't rank the Tv series until I watch them all in order. But 90 did start off slow and probably lacked some of drama of 86 for me. But I did love the ending for 90 and can't wait to pick it up on DVD.

[ironbrew]

I've just watched the finale and i can't help but feel a little dissatisfied by what I've just seen.

I remember reading that Shane said he had to cut Combo from the opening two episodes as his presence was taking away from the other characters.

This was very apparent in the last two episodes as every time Stephen Graham was on screen i felt he completely took over as a point of interest and the Combo story line became the dominant one.

Therefore the finale had to deliver on this plot point more so than any other as Kelly's drug problems and Lol/Woodys wedding were merely distractions (albeit necessary and well executed) to the bigger storyline that had been left hanging since the film.

The frustrating part of this episode is that it was clear that there was so much more Combo and Milky could and should have said to each other and there was a real chemistry between the two actors when they did speak.

I felt Combo's demise lacked impact and as a conclusion to his redemptive story arc it really fell flat. Nameless thugs (related to Milky) throwing him into a transit van and disposing of him felt like it would have made a decent episode of Eastenders but it doesn't cut it when we are talking about arguably one of the best British TV series of all time.

This was preceded by some excellent acting which makes it a shame that there wasn't something more substantial and meaningful they could have done between them rather than a very brief conversation in a cafe followed by the goon squad arriving to give one of the most well developed characters on the show a lackluster send off.

The series peaked at episode three with the dinner table scene. It was superb. The finale is by no means bad TV either but I don't think they've managed to top any of their previous work.

[carolyn]

Very well acted out I thought. I didn't think that the Combo scene was too soft, I found it chilling. Thought Andrew Shim was particularly brilliant in the cafe scene, real emotional acting and suggested lots of mixed feelings which could be more realistic than otherwise. Nice finish.

[sludge]

Why wasnt the mixed race aspect of Combo not brought up and played upon?

I feel there'll be another series of this with Combo surviving his beating and his true ethnicity being disclosed.

[gerry]

Was a tight hard going watch; Gadge and Kelly on the bench had me in tears and the scene with Woodys folks and Lol was unreal.
The diner scene with Combo and Milky was brilliant; even while Combo was saying sorry you knew something bad was coming.
Fantastic watching; I do hope Shane revisits these characters some day down the road.

[gerry]

Also loved the wedding and seeing Meggy and Banjo there was a great surprise

[thegooddoctor]

There's a consensus forming that Shaun's preposterously hot/posh new squeeze looks like the lass from Dee-Lite. I can see it with the hairband, but I definitely thought she was channelling 1990's uber-hottie Betty Boo.

For me, this is the central issue of the whole series

[jill]

Tough to watch-I felt like I'd been punched directly in the heart a few times. The continuing cycle of violence is distressing and depressing, but was the right way to go, I think-formulaic reconciliations and happy endings would have trivialized all that had gone before.I did think Milky would call it off at the eleventh hour, but maybe too late by then. I think the way the two stories ran along parallel lines in this episode-Combo/Milky revenge and the conclusion of Lol's story showing that there is hope (as she said) was very effective. Only one tiny gripe-when Combo didn't return, Lol would have picked up the phone to Milky straightaway? So, maybe in the scene at the wedding, it might have been constructed as Lol probing Milky about Combo yet again. Small point though. The actors have really matured and grown into these roles. Stephen Graham's an excellent actor. Again (previous post) I thought Michael Socha was also excellent, but strong performances all round. Congratulations all.

[Dazza]

Absolutely loved TIE90. Steven Graham and Andrew Shim were superb last night. I was slightly confused in the warehouse (perhaps thinking too much into it) but who were the two white men that Milky's family handed Combo over too? I just assumed the family were going to give him a major hiding but they hand him over to those two white guys and Combo shouts "I don't want to die?" possibly as if he knows the two men and what they are capable of? It was chilling that scene.

[missdonk]

Beautiful end to a beautiful journey. It ending at the wedding party was the perfect way to celebrate the last 10 years, with a few old faces showing up also.

The scene with Combo being taken away said enough, and was brutal enough to watch - it had me in bits. I don't think you needed to see a violent graphic end for Combo, as difficult as it already was to watch, I believe it would have been a million times worse to write and film. Although, there will always be that thought of what actually happened when that door closed.

The scene between Milky and Combo in the cafe was perfect, nothing more needed to be said. Perfectly acted by both, the emotion between them said enough.

I also wondered if there was a Dead Mans Shoes reference in there when Harvey was getting Kelly to leave the house? Michael and Chanel stood out this series, wonderful acting - especially in the final episode.

As a long time fan of Shane Meadows and This Is England, I feel as though last night was more than just the end of another TV series. I know my life has changed so much since the film, and it had been a pleasure as a viewer to watch young talent grow and Shane continue to amaze. Thank you to all involved with the making of TIE, it's been outstanding from start to finish. I don't think there is ever going to be another series like it. I felt involved with the characters and their stories from day one, so last night was an emotional goodbye. Well done.

[Zoe]

I don't think I've got the words to express what I'm feeling about last night's finale. This whole series has been a roller coaster of emotions, and last night topped them all. I was sat with my heart in my mouth. Who'd have thought after Combo's actions in the film, I'd have actually been on his side last night. There were giggles one minute (a particular highlight being Woody's face when Chrissie slapped his mum) and tears the next. The final scene was pure gold.

I had tears in my eyes as the credits started to roll as this signalled the end of a group of characters and their stories that have played a huge part in my life so far. I watched This is England when I was 15 (I'm 21 now) and the film stayed with me for days after I'd watched it. This was the first film I'd ever watched which made me feel that way, and I can only thank Shane, the cast and the rest of the crew for introducing me to some of the most quality pieces of film and TV I've ever watched.

The scene between Combo and Milky was perfectly apt and has stayed with me for the whole of today. Stephen Graham and Andrew Shim have an incredible screen presence when they are together, as do Vicky McClure and Chanel Creswell. I was so pleased that Lol and Kelly had a happy ending. Harvey is brilliant, and everyone needs a friend like Gadget! I was so pleased that what happened to Trev in 86 was finally acknowledged. Going back to episode 3 with the dinner table scene, I think that scene will go down as one of the best TV scenes I've ever watched, an incredibly powerful scene that had me physically shaking afterwards. I am so glad Woody and Lol finally got their big day, and it was also great to see some old faces. Woody and Lol forever!  

I don't know what it is about this cast that works so well, but I'm properly gutted that this may be the last we will see of the gang. The cast are pure magic, and I think last night's episode was a fitting end to what has been an incredible journey.