- Date First Aired: 02/01/2014
It has been many years since we last caught up with the girls and they have been given the sharp end of life's pointy stick. We come to Sharon at a book signing. She comes across her sister Tracey, who she has not seen in a while for reasons. Just then, we see a car come up. It's Dorien, who has gotten famous for her book "Sixty Shades of Green" under the name of Foxy Cohen. The trio talk. It turns out that Dorien left a long time ago in pursuit of fame. It's also revealed that Tracey has since had a second husband, who Sharon didn't like and which led to her being kicked out. The sisters head home, with Tracey giving Sharon a ride back. Back at the book signing, Dorien receives an envelope from a man...
Tracey finds out about the terrible living conditions of Sharon and offers to take her back to her home in Chigwell. It's also revealed that Tracey has left Ralph since he was going through his savings.
Back at the Chigwell house, we get our first introduction to Travis, who's now a secondary school student since we last saw him as a baby in "Holy Ground". Travis butts heads with Sharon, believing that she hurt his mother's feelings. However, this turns out to be a ruse, Sharon having known about Ralph all along and conspiring with Travis so that she can go back to Chigwell. Making matters worse, Dorien comes to the house. She's being sued by the publishers of 50 Shades of Grey, and she wants to move to the house whilst her assets are frozen.
To make the house more crowded, Garth comes along. Since the last episode, he had emigrated to Australia but has since come back with a new girlfriend named Marcie and stepdaughter Poppy. The house has become very crowded indeed.
Tropes for this episode:
- Bland-Name Product:
- Sharon now works at "World of Quid", which is meant to be a stand-in for real-life British discount superstore chain Poundland.
- Dorien has published a book named Sixty Shades of Green, which is meant to be a stand-in for the erotic book Fifty Shades of Gray.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Since we last saw the girls, they have split up, Dorien having gone off to pursue fame and fortune, and Sharon having been kicked out after she became suspicious of Tracey's new husband. Of course, thanks to events, they end up together again.
- Closet Sublet: Tracey briefly threatens Sharon with having to settle down in a cupboard when she moves back in, to the annoyance of Sharon.
- Entertainment Above Their Age: Teenager Travis reveals that he and most of his form class have read the very adult Sixty Shades of Green, much to Tracey's horror.
- Evolving Credits: The opening sequence has been updated again, now looking a lot sleeker, using moving video, incorporating footage from the original series, and most notably, including Dorien in the opening credits.
- Expy Coexistence: Sixty Shades of Green is revealed to co-exist alongside Fifty Shades of Grey when Dorien is sued by the book's publisher for alleged plagiarism.
- Feet-First Introduction: Our first shot of Dorien in the episode is her legs coming out of a car as she greets her fans at her book signing.
- Fictional Document: Dorien's book, Sixty Shades of Green, is first introduced in this episode.
- Get Out!: Tracey is revealed to have kicked out Sharon after she disapproved of her new husband.
- The Ghost: Ralph, Tracey's second ex-husband.
- Gold Digger: Ralph was slung out by Tracey when he was caught looking through her savings, with Tracey noting that he was probably with her only for her savings.Tracey: I caught him going through me knicker drawer so I slung him out.Sharon: You mean he's more Martha than Arthur.Tracey: He wasn't after me undies, he was after me savings.
- Horrible Housing: Sharon's flat, even more so than in the original run. She's been forced to downsize, someone plays percussive music through the wall, and there's an apparent chance of getting monoxide poisoning. It's what convinces Tracey to invite her sister back home.Tracey: I feel terrible, Shal.Sharon: That'll probably be the carbon monoxide poisoning. The boiler's been playing up.
- Multigenerational Household: Tracey's house initially is housing only her and her second son Travis. However, it isn't too long before her sister Sharon and her first son Garth move in, alongside his new girlfriend and her daughter.
- Named by the Adaptation: Travis was previously named in the 2012 stage tour before being officially named in this episode.
- Named in the Sequel: Travis was originally an unnamed baby in "Holy Ground", but is finally given a name here (although he had been previously been given said name during the 2012 stage play).
- Pen Name: Dorien wrote her book under the name "Foxy Cohen".
- Pet's Homage Name: Apparently, Tracey once had a hamster named after the actor Rex Harrison.
- Plagiarism in Fiction: Dorien is accused of plagiarising Fifty Shades of Gray.
- Put on a Bus: Darryl's absence from the series is explained as him having moved away to Wales after he was released from prison and got divorced from Tracey.
- Rearrange the Song: The theme tune has been remixed yet again, with Lesley Joseph (who plays Dorien) now singing some of the lyrics alongside the other two.
- Ship Sinking:
- Garth now has a new girlfriend named Marcie, with Kimberly (the woman he married back in "Nupitals") nowhere to be seen.
- When we last saw Dorien, she had reconciled with Richard and it was suggested that their happy ending involved them together. This episode sees her alone with no sign of what happened to Richard.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode's title is a reference to the The Rolling Stones (Band) song "Gimme Shelter".
- Sharon mentions having watched Dragons' Den.
- Silent Treatment: Tracey hasn't talked to Sharon since she had expressed mistrust over her new husband Ralph. Despite this, she was still able to find out about her divorcing Ralph through Travis.
- Speak in Unison: Both Sharon and Tracey say "Six Months?!" when Dorien that her lawyer will hopefully have the plagiarism case sorted out within six months.
- Tempting Fate: As Sharon, Tracey, and Travis are discussing Dorien, Sharon notes that it's not like they're gonna hear the doorbell and see Dorien. Cue the doorbell... and Dorien with it.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Dorien mentions that Travis looks like the splitting photofit of his father.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Due to the gap between episodes, several questions are left unanswered both here and in future episodes:
- "Maids of Ongar" no longer seems to be functioning, with the sisters and Dorien now in different jobs. What happened to it that led to its end?
- No mention is made either of Garth's new wife from the original or her future child. What happened to them?
- No mention is made either of Richard, Dorien's boyfriend from the original run. What exactly happened which led to them breaking up?
