- Date First Aired: 03/09/1991
Bill Porter is your average struggling mother, having difficulty with the rubbish being driven crazy by her family members, including Bumbling Dad Ben and her two children, Jenny and David. She wants a change, and that change might come when she almost hits a motorcycle driver with her car door. His name is Angelo, and Bill begins to gain feelings for him.
Whilst at the bakery where she and her friend, Rona, works at, Bill comes across a letter put there from Ben asking her to go to a counseling meeting for Jenny. She comes in on the teacher doing a dress rehearsal, who then tells her that Jenny is uncooperative and who regularly skips school. The teachers thus suspect that she's meeting someone. That evening, Bill discovers who it is - it's a young man named Spins. At this point, Bill has had enough and tears Jenny a new one. She quickly calms down however and gets Jenny to stop lying. Unfortunately for Bill, Ben is busy at a bar after a long day of work and leaves before she can surprise him. Out in the rain, she comes across Angelo, who takes her for a lift home and which further increases her romantic feelings for him.
Tropes in this episode:
- Accidental Misnaming: Bill calls Spin "Rinse" when talking to Jenny about him.
- Affection-Hating Kid: David responds to Jenny and Bill hugging with a visible noise of disgust.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Right away, Jenny cements herself as this, being a 14-year-old who complains about her mother and tells her that she doesn't understand her issues. This extends to her school work, with her teachers finding her uncorporative. The episode later suggests that at least part of her behavior where influenced by her hiding a relationship with Spin.
- Casanova Wannabe: One patron at Brief Encounter tries to seduce Bill, although she makes it clear that she considers him a prat due to his actions.
- Chaotic Car Ride: Jenny has to deal with David's singing about how their father is a lavatory cleaner during the car trip to school, and eventually abandons the car halfway through just to get away from it.
- Crash-Into Hello: Bill first meets Angelo when she accidentally causes him to almost crash by opening her car door. The second time, she causes him to crash for real, but it is an opportunity for her to learn more about him and begin to gain feelings for him.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Bill does not like Jenny's new romantic interest Spins at first, and immediately throws him out.
- Death Faked for You: Jenny tried to fake Ben's death so that she could get out of school allegedly to help with funeral arrangements.
- Dreadful Musician: David plays poorly enough on a violin to make Bill allow him crisps.
- Forged Message: Jenny's form tutor has a ton of letters from Jenny claiming to actually be from her parents instead, all so that she can get out of school.
- Gross Gum Gag: Bill has to wait beside a schoolgirl who's chewing gum. The girl proceeds to spit it out and finger it back in,
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Rona seems to find some appeal in Angelo having a leather jacket.Rona: What is it about leather?Bill: Nothing! Except if you're a cow on heat!
- Inner Monologue: Bill has a brief one as she watches a man getting into his car, mainly commenting on how he should not have the strength to start it.
- It Came from the Fridge: Bill claims to be sick of pulling food from David's bed, calling them teenage mutant ninja sandwiches.
- Locked in the Bathroom: Gerry, Ben's assistant, manages to get locked in the toilet.
- Mistaken for Servant: Bill gets mistaken for the rubbish collector by several of the neighbors and is given even more rubbish as a result.Bill: Ben... would you say I could be mistaken for a bin-man?Ben: No. You don't look that good in the mornings.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Spin's real name is Scott, but he's usually not called that as Jenny believes it to be a particularly nerdy name.
- Open the Door and See All the People: Bill opens the blinds on the bakery door and is greeted by a gaggle of people standing outside. When she's told that it isn't due to open yet, she recloses the blinds.
- Shout-Out:
- A copy of The Stone Killer is visible on top of the TV.
- Upon struggling to cope with Jenny's too-large earrings, Bill notes "Why Meryl Streep didn't thank that dingo, I shall never know!"
- Rona compares Angelo to the movie 9½ Weeks, although Bill initially thinks she's talking about 48 Hrs..
- When Rona asks how the letter involving the counseling meeting got into Bill's bag, she sarcastically notes that it wasn't Postman Pat.
- One of the teachers is doing dress rehearsal for Gilbert and Sullivan.
- Speak in Unison: Both Ben and David say "I was watching that!" when Bill turns off the TV.
- Story Arc: This episode begins the arc of Bill's feelings for Angelo, which lasts until Series 2.
- Toyota Tripwire: Bill accidentally almost causes Angelo to crash by opening up her car door.
