Tracey: Look at th' state o' this unit. It's got more sticky fingerprints on it than Dorien's underwear!
— Tracey Stubbs cleaning the kitchen.
- Date First Aired: 29/11/1990
Chris is getting extremely desperate to see his wife, but Sharon is as usual uninterested in hearing about him. Unfortunately for her, Chris' mum is also asking around and she is forced into seeing him. During said meeting, Chris tries to tell her that one of his testicles is swelling, but she doesn't believe him and tells him that she doesn't like him.
As Sharon is trying to pick out a new surname, however, the prison calls to inform them that Chris has a malignant tumor on his testicle and that he needs to have it removed. He wants Sharon up there, but she's reluctant at first until Dorien tells her that she'll regret it. They have a nice conversation for once but Chris expects her to visit him again, making Sharon feel trapped. Still, in spite of her feelings for him, Tracey manages to guilt-trip her into seeing him and choosing to remain with him.
Tropes in this episode:
- Analogy Backfire: When Chris tells Sharon he's got a problem downstairs, she thinks he's talking about his feet.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Happens when Dorien comes in on Sharon taking a phone call:Dorien: Was that the hospital?Sharon: No it's the local convent, want to know if you're still interested in joinin'.
- Auto Erotica: Chris briefly reminisces about the time he and Sharon had sex in the back of their Capri. Well, until Sharon reminds him that it wasn't with her.
- Bait-and-Switch: Sharon gave Chris a right-hander every birthday. He still thinks she shouldn't have hit him.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Sharon discussing why she married Chris:Sharon: Then along come this bloke that promised me everything Tracey 'ad. Then he got me so called "best mate" pregnant an' 'ad t'marry 'er. Chris got me on the rebound.
- Blackmail: Sharon briefly thinks that Chris is trying to pull this by saying that he has some money stashed away which she can have if she stays with him.
- Brits Love Tea: Sharon bemoans how hard it is to get a proper cup of tea overseas.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Chris mentions having a "problem downstairs", Sharon thinks he means his feet (it's actually his testicles).
- Continuity Nod:
- Chris being sterile is brought up again.
- This is not the first time that Chris is stated to have cheated on Sharon in the back of a car.
- Creepy Crossdresser: Darryl mentions that Reg Hollis on C wing not only wears stockings and suspenders, but can also put you off your dinner.
- Crying Wolf: Sharon initially doesn't believe Chris when he complains of swelling in his testicle due to his history of lying and manipulations. Turns out that it was indeed serious.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Sharon, stating her feelings for Chris at that point.Sharon: I've got a blowlamp I'd like to introduce certain parts of 'is anatomy to!
- Deadpan Snarker: Sharon in a bid to wear Tracey's pearl earrings.Tracey: Well bloody well get 'em off! I'm late f'visitin' now, you know they're Darryl's favourites.Sharon: I've told you, Trace; they won't suit him y'know.
- Fee Fi Faux Pas: Tracey tells Chris to cheer up because he'll be out of hospital soon, but Chris reminds her he'll be going straight back to prison.
- Fictional Document: Dorien reads Surnames and Their Meanings to help Sharon choose a new one.
- The Ghost: Andy, a cousin of Chris who Sharon and Chris attended the wedding of.
- Groin Attack:
- Tracey tells Sharon that abandoning Chris after his diagnosis would be a real kick in the nuts.
- Sharon drops a bad of grapes on Chris' crotch after his surgery.
- Historical Character Confusion: Sharon mixes up Jack the Ripper, Benito Mussolini and Arthur Scargill.
- Horrible Housing: Before Sharon married Chris, she was living with her aunt in a damp council next to a bunch of dustbins in Oxton.
- I Warned You: Upon hearing that Chris is ill, Tracey's reaction is to say that she had warned her sister that he was properly ill but had been ignored.
- Malaproper: Chris confuses the word "testicles" with "tentacles".
- Mistaken for Masturbating: An officer believes that Darryl is masturbating when he was really checking to ensure that he doesn't have any lumps on his testicles.
- Narcissist: In spite of Chris' claims, Sharon believes that the only person that Chris loves is him.
- Noodle Incident:
- Sharon and Chris once had a day out at Fontwell Races five years ago.
- Chris once tried to get £200 off a pools winner for a new kidney.
- Chris and Sharon's reminiscences are these, such as the time they went to a nightclub in Clacton and Chris got sick on the chilli con carne. Notably, these incidents usually had them being paralytic.
- Sharon once left Chris and stayed with another girl until Chris convinced her to stay by redecorating the place.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Sharon hates Chris' mum.Sharon: She only knows a dozen words of English, an' four o' them are "Sharon, ya lazy fat bitch!".
- On the Rebound: Chris got Sharon after her best mate had stolen her man.
- One-Word Title: The name of the episode is "Parting".
- Overly Long Name: Sharon once again complains about her lengthy surname of Theodopolopodous, claiming that it doesn't fit on envelopes.
- Pet the Dog: The policeman in Chris' room lets him and Sharon have some alone time when asked.
- Really Gets Around: Chris was having sex with every woman on his floor, except for Sharon.
- Recognition Failure: Chris thought Einstein was a name for a German lager.
- Sexless Marriage: Sharon claims her and Chris only had a tumble every six months.
- Shout-Out:
- Most of the surnames that Sharon considers are these, including Minogue, Bond and Ewing.
- Dorien quotes Casablanca when telling Sharon to visit Chris in hospital.
- Chris remembers dancing to "The Birdie Song" at his cousin Andy's wedding.
- When Sharon talks about her jealousy at Tracey's life, Dorien remarks that she couldn't see Ivana Trump being sacked with envy.
- Tracey calls Sharon the most mistreated wife since Anne Boleyn.
- Sharon compares Chris to John Wayne.
- Chris uses Adolf Hitler as proof you can live a full life with only one testicle.
- Sharon and Chris briefly discuss Jacqueline Kennedy, including the fact that her second husband (Aristotle Onassis) was Greek.
- Sick Episode: Chris falls ill from a malignant tumor in his testicle this episode and has to get it removed.
- Speed Sex: Chris tells Sharon to hop in bed with him because he'll be quick.
- Take That!:
- When Sharon believes that Chris is lying, she states that he's worse than a Sun reporter.
- Sharon asks Tracey if she wants the Nobel Prize for smartarses.
- Sharon calls Jack the Ripper, Benito Mussolini and Arthur Scargill toerags who aren't husband material.
- Two Words: I Can't Count: Sharon claims four of the only English words Chris' mum knows are "Sharon, ya lazy fat bitch!". Tracey calls her out on this error.
- Unusual Euphemism: Chris refers to his testicles as his "tentacles". Subverted however when it turns out that that is what he legitimately thinks they are called.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Tracey asks why Sharon doesn't just divorce Chris if she hates him so much. Sharon replies that the process is too time-consuming and a pain.
