Season 2 Episode 75

Episode 139

 

Sky One Transmission Date:

Tuesday 18th May 1999

@ 8 PM (1 hour episode)

 

Written By

Olly Dennis

 

Directed By

Henry Foster

Sean, Luis

 

Frank, team

 

MacKinley

 

Billy, Denise

 

Lynda, Jerry

GS: Bob Adams (Martin Beaumont)  Trudi Peyton (Shelly Minto)  Clare Farrow (Sarah Farooqui)  Mr MacKinley (Simon Melia) 

Hilary the Travel Agent (Hilary Wilson)  Clayton Richards (Zack Lane)

 

 

Frank guides the first team into Wembley to get to know the place for Saturday. Luis meanwhile, is planning his escape tomorrow with Lynda. Sean goes to him in the gym and tries to apologise for what he went through with Mica, but Luis is still angry and refuses to forgive him. Jerry answers a call from the travel agents Lynda has booked with, and gets it out of Hilary that Lynda has scheduled two tickets to Buenos Aires for tomorrow! Helen hands her hostel keys in to Trudi and says she's heading off on holiday before getting a new teaching job elsewhere. Trudi tells her Ian is in a bad way and is drinking again, and Helen says she'll go and see him one last time.

 

Luis gets outside to find Sean waiting in his car, and tells Luis they will talk things through while Sean drives. Helen goes to Ian but he is preoccupied with studying tapes for the game, seemingly oblivious that he was fired by the club. He doesn't seem bothered when Helen says goodbye for good. Luis realises Sean is in fact driving him to Wembley, and is told by Sean he couldn’t let him leave when they have this historical match in forty-eight hours. Helen bumps into Lynda in the travel agents and notices Pesos on her booking, realising that Lynda is going to Argentina, but Lynda lets her believe it is a surprise for Jerry.

 

When she gets home, Jerry muscles his way into Lynda's bag as a ruse to borrow her car keys, and gets hold of her passport. He tells Lynda it is dangerous for her to be carrying it around when she won't be needing it(!) so puts it in the safe, as Lynda looks on in anguish. As the team look out at the Wembley pitch from the stands, Luis and Sean arrive and overhear Fletch and John point out to Frank how much Luis is needed for this match. The team are delighted as Luis makes his appearance, and adds he hears they have a game to play on Saturday. Luis is concerned that John's knee might not hold the full ninety minutes and suggests covering him with Alex, who hasn't made the squad.

 

Leon is due to return Clayton to Clare, but upon seeing her loved up with Alex outside the flat, he backs out of taking him back to her. When a flabbergasted Frank finds Ian in his old office plotting tomorrow’s formation, he reminds Coates he is not in charge anymore. Coates presents himself at the Block's mansion offering his services, but is shocked when Luis walks in to be welcomed by Jerry. Jerry puts his new plan into action and meets with MacKinley. MacKinley believes having Luis assassinated tomorrow at Wembley in front of eighty million people watching will be impossible to carry out, and he would never walk away free from it. Jerry names his price at one million, and MacKinley tells him he will have to take the equipment in with him, as the chairman can get away with not being frisked.

 

Clare is distraught when Leon fails to bring Clayton back, and Julie visits to remind her Leon wouldn't miss Wembley without a good reason, that being Alex's threats. Luis is on Harchester Sound with Jerry and Bob Adams, while Lynda rearranges their flights at the travel agents. Everyone is gathering outside the club to see the team off to Wembley. Jerry notices MacKinley's car pull up and discreetly hands him a briefcase containing his initial payment for tomorrow. A still-drinking Coates watches from a window as Helen walks away with her cases for good. Billy approaches Denise with how he knows Alex has threatened Clayton and why Leon has taken off with him. Denise, who clearly already had her suspicions, is told to speak with Frank, as he will listen to her. The coach pulls away and Jerry makes a cryptic remark on how it could be the last time she sees Luis, which spooks Lynda.

 

 

Notes:

 

Last appearance of Helen Jensen (Kate Magowen)

 

The Best: Jerry and MacKinley plotting what will be one of, if not the, most iconic scenes in DT history. Billy’s scene with Denise at the coach, confronting her with the truth about Alex: “Can I ask you one thing Miss Wilkinson. Are you proud of your son?”. Hilary the travel agent (see Behind The Scenes) and her lust for Luis, even going as far as phoning Bob Adams’s show to see if Luis has a girlfriend.

 

·          Quotes: Coates once again points out the obvious to Jerry: "With Luis on the scene it's not just your chances of the FA Cup being shafted...is it Mrs Block?!"

 

Continuity: As with 2.1’s montage of HUFC summer 1998’s events, we are shown a recap of the full season's moments: Jerry buys Harchester (2.1) Luis's unveiling (2.11), Coates's referee clash (2.35), his suspension leading to Frank (2.38) and then Luis as player/manager (2.50), FA Cup 3rd Round Harchester 1 - 0 Barnsley (2.38), 4th Round: Harchester 4 - 0 West Ham (2.44), 5th Round: Harchester 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur (2.49), Quarter Final: Harchester 1 - 1 Birmingham City & Replay: Harchester 2 - BC 1 (2.59), Semi Final: Charlton Athletic 2 - 3 Harchester (2.66). To Mica accusing Luis and to today with the team at Wembley. Fletch mentions Sean previously playing at Wembley, for the Under 15's against Scotland.

 

Foreshadowing: Sean’s video camera recording as the team board the coach to leave for Wembley will play an important part in Jerry’s downfall from 3.48 onwards.

 

·          Additional Info: Luis reads out his team sheet for Saturday’s final: Hodson, Richards, Black, Rossi, Russell, Dennis, Brown, Rodriguez, Hocknell, Fletcher, Elliot, Smith, Hughes. Frank tells of playing at Wembley in the Milk Cup Final with Oxford United. This would have been the 1985-86 final where Oxford beat QPR 3-0, and was written into Frank’s history that he rejoined Harchester following this (and The Dragon’s first ever title win) that summer.

 

Soundtrack: Oasis: “Wonderwall”,  Backstreet Boys: "Backstreet's Back",  Madness: "It Must Be Love"

 

·          Behind The Scenes: Hilary the Bud-Jet Flights travel agent given prominent dialogue here, is a DT Storyliner. One of many behind-the-scenes crew that gets an on-screen appearance throughout the show’s run, ranging from writers to directors to producers.

 

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