Recap / Birds of a Feather CS2: Falling in Love Again

Tracey: What? You're gonna be on the telly? Huh, pull the other one.

Sharon I'll pull 'em all if I get the chance.

— Sharon Theodopolopodous telling Tracey Stubbs about her upcoming television appearance on Second Time Lucky.

• Date First Aired: 25/12/1990

Chris owes two fellow prisoners (known as the McCarthys) £3,000 and their wives threaten Sharon and Tracey with violence. Chris rustles a plan to raise the money by having Sharon go to Germany to pick up a collectible car that he had while he was there with the Army during the Cold War. By coincidence, Sharon manages to win a week in Berlin on the game show Second Time Lucky, which is being presented by Leslie Crowther. She's accompanied by Barry, who was the show's other winner, and Tracey. Sharon and Barry get on poorly, and try to keep separate as they explore the city while Tracey tracks down the car, with the help of mechanic Manfred. They fall in love with each other but Tracey realises that she loves Darryl still and ends it. However, Manfred does at least send the car over. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Luke dumps Dorien for a younger woman and she tries to get more romantic with Marcus, who she soon discovers is having an affair with Lucinda, a younger woman, whilst on a business trip.

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Tropes in this episode:

• Accidental Misnaming: Viv pronounces Theodopolopodous as "Theopopolopodous".
• Acquainted with Emergency Services: When Dorien rings the Samaritans, she's met with an exasperated "Again?".
• Added Alliterative Appeal:
  • Chris claims that E wing is full of ponces, perverts and poisoners.
  • Darryl's Mayfair magazine features Newquay's nudist district nurse.
• Affectionate Nickname: Chris calls Mikhail Gorbachev "Gorbie".
• Alliterative Name: Stu Summers, a boy who Sharon was in love with.
• Amusing Injuries: Barry gets bitten by a spooked chimp.
• And I'm the Queen of Sheba: After hearing that Tracey and Sharon are in Berlin, Mrs. McCarthy responds with:
  Mrs. McCarthy: Oh yeah? And I'm Barbara Cartland.
• As Himself: That was Leslie Crowther (a comedian who used to host game shows) as himself on Second Time Lucky.
• Auto Erotica: One of the possible answers to a romance question on Second Time Lucky involves having sex in a car while trucks rush past. Lorraine chooses this answer.
• Bait-and-Switch: It seems that Mrs. McCarthy has cut off Dorien's fingers when threatening her, but Dorien raises her hands to see only her nails suffered. It's still enough to make her Faint in Shock.
• Batter Up!: Viv McCarthy threatens the sisters with a baseball bat.
• Blackmail:
  • Sharon and Tracey threaten the people of Second Time Lucky by leaking the fact that richer and more upper-class people are on the show to The Sun so that they can get a trip to Berlin.
  • Ursula threatens her dad that if he doesn't give Tracey the car, she'll tell everyone he was an informer for the Secret Police.
• Bloody Hilarious: Barry gets bitten by a chimp and his bloody hand is Played for Laughs.
• The Bore: One of the many reasons no one can stand Barry.
• Butt-Monkey: Barry gets bitten by a monkey, mistaken for a drug smuggler, and has his car destroyed.
• Business Trip Adultery: Marcus cheats on Dorien with Lucinda on his business trip, only to get caught by Tracey and Sharon at the airport.
• Camera Fiend: Barry takes photos of anything he can see.
• Christmas Episode: Aired on Christmas Day and is the second total in the series (although the episode has no connection with Christmas).
• Clothing Damage: Dorien accidentally rips Marcus' trousers.
• Comical Overreacting: Dorien's reaction to having her nails ruined? Instantly Faint in Shock.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Sharon once again tries to bring up divorce proceedings with Chris.
  • Chris' reckless driving is brought up again.
• Copycat Mockery: Sharon puts on a whiny nasal voice when mocking Chris begging her to visit him.
• Cut Himself Shaving: Chris claims to have got his ear caught in a door (in reality, the McCarthy brothers beat him up). Sharon doesn't really believe it.
• Deadpan Snarker:
  • Chris and Darryl talking about Newquay's nudist district nurse.
    Chris: Stuff her!
    Darryl: You have to buy her dinner first.
  • Sharon after Chris tells her he won a Messerschmitt.
    Sharon: Oh, I see! You're tellin' me you're the proud owner of a German war plane and we can bomb the McCarthy binches!
• Drives Like Crazy: Chris was kicked out of the army for his reckless tank driving.
• Dumb Blonde: Lorraine, one of the guests on Second Time Lucky, is painfully dense. She even lets slip that she's an actress, which lets Tracey and Sharon blackmail the hosts into giving them a trip to Berlin.
• Extra-Long Episode: At 75 minutes, this is the longest episode of the series ever made.
• Faint in Shock: Dorien expects Mrs. McCarthy to cut off her fingers, but then she sees she ruined her nails, which makes her faint.
• Fat and Skinny: The thin Viv McCarthy and the stout Mrs. McCarthy.
• Fee Fi Faux Pas: Sharon tells Chris it's all in hand... just after he tells her the McCarthy's are going to cut off his fingers.
• Feet-First Introduction: How the McCarthy women are introduced after breaking into Dalentrace.
• Flipping the Bird:
  • Sharon flips off the car next to her when she and Tracey are driving in the bubble car.
  • Mrs. McCarthy flips off Tracey and Sharon after she thinks she's crushed their new car.
• Forgotten Anniversary: Marcus sees the romantic dinner Dorien planned for the two of them and immediately starts to panic about what he's forgotten.
• For the Evulz: Viv McCarthy smashes some of Tracey and Sharon's crockery when leaving their kitchen for no apparent reason.
• The Gambling Addict: Judging by the amount of gambling debt he owes to the McCarthy siblings, Chris is heavily implied to be this.
• Game Show Appearance: Sharon appears on the game show Second Time Lucky and wins a trip to Germany.
• Game Show Host: Leslie Crowther hosts Second Time Lucky.
• Groin Attack:
  • Vic injures Darryl's dick to get him off the urinal.
  • If Chris doesn't pay back the McCarthy's, it is implied they'll cut off his penis.
  • Mrs. McCarthy threatens to set Tebbit on Dorien's groin.
• Historical Character Confusion: Gary thought that Luciano Pavarotti played for Real Madrid.
• Informed Attribute: Gary is mentioned to be painfully dumb, although we never get to see him in action.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Sharon walks in on Tracey and Manfred kissing.
• I Want Grandkids: Dorien's mum blames Marcus' affair on her never having children.
• Noodle Implements: We never find out what Chris tells Sharon the McCarthy's will do to him, only that it'll be done sideways.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Sharon once cried a lot when Stu Summers said that Sharon couldn't go to his party.
  • Marcus still hasn't recovered financially from Dorien's last Surprise Party.
  • Chris was kicked out of the army because his style of driving was more suited for a minicab than a tank.
  • Manfred once got in trouble with the law for owning a copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
    • Nineteen Eighty-Four was banned in the Soviet bloc, unsurprisingly as it is an attack on totalitarian regimes.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Marcus can't stand the thought of Dorien's mum moving in with them.
• One-Shot Character: Vic McCarthy, Terry McCarthy, Leslie Crowther, Mrs. McCarthy, Viv McCarthy, Tebbit the pitbull terrier, Barry, Lorraine, Greg, David, Lucinda, Andrew, Manfred, Estelle Kapper, Ursula and Hazel McCarthy.
• One-Steve Limit:
  • Barry was also the name of an unseen character from "Old Friends".
  • This episode contains the second mention of a Dave (although this one is called "David") in the series after Sharon's ex-boyfriend Dave from "Shift" and "Women's Troubles".
• Precision F-Strike: Chris asks Sharon if she's met some dickhead who wants to marry her when she asks him about a divorce.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: While Tracey has seen the film, she never knew that Nineteen Eighty-Four was a book first.
• Rhymes on a Dime: When talking about Barry, Sharon mentions she wants a bloke, not a joke.
• Season Finale: Of Series 2.
• Shiksa Goddess: Part of the reason Marcus has an affair with Lucinda.
• Ship Sinking: Luke leaves Dorien for Kelly, a nineteen year old.
• Shirtless Scene: Manfred removes his shirt when he meets Tracey.
• Shout-Out:
  • Darryl comments that him peeing is like watching an episode of Mastermind.
  • Leslie Crowther mentions Burt Lancaster starring in From Here to Eternity and Dudley Moore starring in 10 (1979).
  • Romancing the Stone is on after Second Time Lucky.
  • Tracey mentions Dallas as an example of an affair where the man always leaves.
  • Sharon quotes "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka.
  • Mrs. McCarthy telling her dog to sit and Tracey and Sharon sitting instead out of fright is a nod to a scene from the movie Clue.
  • Chris affectionately calls Mikhail Gorbachev "Gorbie".
  • Chris tells Sharon that after they sell the bubble car they'll have "Dosh dosh dosh, loadsamoney".
  • Sharon mentions Luciano Pavarotti and Real Madrid when taking the piss out of Gary.
  • Sharon threatens to leak the cheating on Second Time Lucky to The Sun.
  • Hitler's 1936 Olympic Games is mentioned.
  • Barry mentions the reign of Frederick the Great.
  • Manfred used to own a copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four, while Tracey mentions she saw the film version.
  • Dorien rings up the Samaritans.
  • Viv calls Tracey and Sharon the Ugly Sisters.
  • Mrs. McCarthy compares herself to Barabara Cartland.
  • The McCarthy's call Chris "Zorba".
• Show Within a Show: Second Time Lucky, a game show which Sharon manages to win a week in Berlin from.
• Special Guest: Leslie Crowther As Himself.
• Stuff Blowing Up: Barry accidentally blows up Tracey's toaster.
• Surprise Party: Marcus mentions that when Dorien once threw a rather expensive one.
• Take That!:
  • Sharon mentions Marlon Brando finding an unusual use for ten pounds of Lurpak while starring in Last Tango in Paris.
  • Sharon compares a particularly distraught Dorien to Alice Cooper.
  • Mrs. McCarthy tells Sharon that if Chris doesn't pay up, her boys'll do to him what last year's drought did to the people of Kent.
  • Chris tells Sharon she'd have to win Second Time Lucky because according to him it's always the mouthiest cow with the leeriest dress that wins on those types of shows.
  • Tracey calls Barry as soggy as yesterday's Corn Flakes, while Sharon calls Gary as thick as a McDonald's milkshake.
  • Dorien questions why Sharon wants to go to Berlin as it's got Germans in it.
    • As a Jewish person of her generation, Dorien having an antipathy towards Germans is perhaps not surprising.
  • Sharon doesn't like the bleakness of Berlin because it reminds her of Tottenham.
  • Manfred makes a comment about the British Education System after he finds out Tracey didn't know Nineteen Eighty-Four was a book before the film adaptation.
  • Manfred is described as not having a sense of humour because he's German.
  • After riding in the bubble car, all Sharon has to say is "No wonder the Krauts lost the Battle of Britain".
• There Is Only One Bed: There's only one bed at the hotel that the sisters are staying in.
• Titled After the Song: The title comes from the German song "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" by Friedrich Hollaender.
• Title Theme Drop: An instrumental saxophone version of the theme plays when a postman drops off letters at Dalentrace.
• Vacation Episode: Most of the episode is spent in Germany, although Sharon and Tracey are there for reasons different from each other (for Sharon, it's an actual vacation whilst for Tracey, it's trying to track down a car).
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Dorien accidentally rips Marcus' trousers.
• Waxing Lyrical: Sharon quotes a little bit of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka.
• Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: Tracey, referring to Second Time Lucky:
  Tracey: I carn imagine what sort o' woman would go on a show like that, expose herself to all that ridicule, surrender 'er self-respect and digni'y?
  Sharon: So, you won't want a ticket when I'm in it next month, then?
• Yiddish as a Second Language:
  • Sharon asks Tracey if they should "keep schtum" about Marcus having it off with Lucinda.
  • Dorien calls Lucinda a "shiksa".
• You Can Leave Your Hat On: One of the possible answers to a romance question on Second Time Lucky involves filming an erotic striptease.
• Your Makeup Is Running: When Dorien cries over Luke her makeup smears all over her cheeks. Sharon thinks she looks like Alice Cooper.

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