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As Time Goes By

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The Film:

  • Crosses the Line Twice: When Mike reads the newspaper article about Ryder's Standard Cop Backstory, he reads how Ryder, a cricketeer, accidentally killed his own son with a stray ball. The story then adds that, aside from the baby's death, it was an impressive game.
  • Cult Classic: The quirky character and premise and beautiful cinematogrpahy make the film quite popualr despite its low budget, brief run, and lack of DVD or streaming releases.
  • Ensemble Dark Horse: Macauley, the Neat Freak storekeeper so proud of the town's isolation, only has a few, not particularly important scenes, but is constantly brought up along with the main cast.

The TV Series:

  • Harsher in Hindsight: Rocky's doctor stated in season three that he had less than a year to live; this (at least partially) led to him marrying Madge while he still had time to enjoy life. However, while Rocky made it through another seven seasons and all the way to the reunion movie, Madge's actress died near the end of the series, and wasn't mentioned in the movie.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: The American producer gushes over Mrs. Bale's "Plantagenet" face when he scouts the country house for use as a set. In 2015, Janet Henfry played Margaret Pole—a member of the Plantagenet family—in Wolf Hall.
  • Retroactive Recognition: A taxi driver from "Living Together, But Where?" is played by Terry John, who would later be best known for playing Percy in Oh, Doctor Beeching!.
  • Unintentional Period Piece: Given that much of the humor is driven by Jean and Lionel's reaction to the changes in the younger generation, this was bound to happen. Scenes in the office are now notable for the lack of computers on the desk, and among the things used to show Alastair as unorthodox and flash are his use of a cellphone and enjoyment of sushi.
  • Values Resonance: Although she's occasionally painted as a Straw Feminist, many of the difficulties Jean (as well as Judy and Sandy) faces as a businesswoman are still relatable today, such as not being taken seriously or sexually harrassed by male clients, having her career viewed as the second-best option to having a man, and feeling unsafe when staying late at the office.

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