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Season 7 Episode 19
Episode 311 Sky One Transmission Date: Directed by Rob McGillivray
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Fletch, Abi
Abi, Marcel
Pilar
Stuart, Fletch |
GS: Karl Fletcher (Terry Kiely) Sheik Abdul Al Shaziz (Hassan Shapi) Mustafa Karim (Daniel Lundh) Baby Louis (Max & Harrison Wooley) With a big upcoming match that could decide whether the club survives, Pilar brings Fletch back from Saudi with a Sheik in tow, hoping he will end up buying the club and bring much needed investment. As he and Dean struggle to impress Sheik Al Shaziz with the club’s present operandi, Fletch approaches Jeff for his help in winning the Sheik round. In return Jeff suggests a deal with Fletch that if he convinces the Sheik to buy and Fletch becomes manager, he could become Chief Executive thus they both getting revenge on Pilar for shafting them before. Jeff comes up with a plan for an impressive new stadium for Harchester United and he and Fletch create a computer-generated walk-through model of the final result to present to the Sheik, hoping it will guarantee his approval and convince him to buy. The Sheik is interested in ‘Harchester Village’ but makes it clear he would not be willing to pay a high price for the club if he is also to proceed with the plans for the new stadium. Therefore, Fletch and Jeff manipulate Dean and Donna into agreeing to sell their shares for only two million pounds each. Pilar becomes worried when Fletch and the Sheik’s people cut her out of discussions. Knowing that Jeff is involved, she visits Nikki and tricks her into revealing the full plans. Pilar also (somehow*) manages to get hold of the video tape containing the plans and tells Stuart that Fletch and Jeff are after their jobs. She then goes to see Donna to inform her of the new stadium plans and slyly advises her to demand more money from the Sheik, knowing the deal will fall through. As the contract is presented in front of her, Donna refuses to sell unless she gets twenty million to which the Sheik, furious at being dictated to by a woman, pulls out of Fletch and Jeff’s deal. Abi begs Marcel to not let onto Fletch about what happened between them. He reluctantly agrees, and clearly rattled by Fletch’s return moves out of the house. He remains in a disillusioned state, not turning up for the team coach waiting to leave for Notes: Best Known For: Hassan Shapi appeared in the big budget movies “The World Is Not Enough”, and as Eeth Koth in “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (both 1999).
Daniel Lundh co-starred alongside Marem Hassler again, in 2008's "House of Saddam". The Best: The reappearance of Fletch and he and Abi’s reunion on the training pitch. The Fletch/Abi/Marcel tension throughout the episode, with a clueless Fletch repeatedly gushing over his “mate” Marcel. Stuart standing over Sandra in bed next to Marcel, and her horror as she awakes and sees him above her: “GET OUT!”. A very glam looking Pilar on the Sheik’s plane – a definite “security issue”! Logic: *This was either in a cut scene, or Pilar burgled Fletch’s house in order to get her hands on the Harchester Village plans she is seen watching in her office. Although Nikki spilled the details, she no longer works for Pilar so had no power to make Nikki give her the video. Continuity: Fletch saying he doesn’t know what’s up with Marcel, missing a game and pulling Sandra – like he himself did in 4.11 (#213). Additional Info: Marcel says Louis’ first birthday is next month. Sheik Al Shaziz’s brother owns the club Fletch plays for in Saudi. The Dragon’s Lair seats 30,000 people. Fletch writes on the Studs beer mat that the Sheik is worth £4,500,000,000. The outlook for Harchester Village: an all-weather 80,000 seater stadium featuring six bars, three restaurants and a five star deluxe hotel. What Was The Score?: The game against Soundtrack: Aqualung: "Good Times Gonna Come", Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "Rise Or Fall", Blur: "Sing", Damien Rice: "Cannonball", Fingathing: "Epitaph", |
