Forget about Roz, Daphne's brother and mother are probably the most superfluous characters in the history of television
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Superfluous characters in good comedies
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Originally posted by elguapo4 View PostForget about Roz, Daphne's brother and mother are probably the most superfluous characters in the history of television
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Originally posted by Jah Womble View PostI don't know, I think Polly had a leavening effect on the insane proceedings - and was key to the plot on several occasions, not least the episode about the anniversary party.
Pte Sponge in Dad's Army comes to mind. He was drafted in following the death of James Beck (Pte Walker), although never cemented as a key character.
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Originally posted by Squarewheelbike View PostSeeing as he first appeared in 1968 and went on to appear in most episodes then this is wrong. To use a 70's football analogy, he was the Mick Bates of Dad's Army!
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Polly's essential because she elevates the comedy from standard "difficult situation leads to trouble", to the real classic that the show is. Time and again she gives Basil a way out, and if he'd only take it ... but he doesn't. There are those moments when you feel it's over (or would if you were watching for the first time) because the drama with the dead body or the anniversary or the Germans has been averted. Those glimpses of what could be (like when Basil says "well done everybody!" on Gourmet Night), are actually quite moving. You breathe a sigh of relief, and then ... gut-punch, toes curl. If it was only Basil cocking up it wouldn't be half as good.
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Great explanation, tee rex.
Private Sponge is effectively a 'semi-ascended extra', isn't he? He's the most visible of the 'rest' of the Dad's Army platoon, the only one with a name and the occasional line of dialogue that I can think of who isn't a member of the core cast, but basically never gets out of a strange limbo. He's more of an individual than the unnamed, silent, interchangeable background characters – and in fact I think he's nominally in charge of them ("number 2 section"), in parallel with Corporal Jones being in charge of "number 1 section" – yet never to my knowledge acquires any real characterisation nor edges more than halfway into plot focus. He only replaces Walker inasmuch as he just acts as the extra pair of hands when they need one more person for some group task.
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tee rex and others: yes, I stand corrected. She is the butter in the mental sandwich.
Stop, all of you, with the 'Roz' thing. Peri Gilpin is phenomenal. Not many people can get away with 'slut, for comedic purposes, with a splash of occasional intelligence'.
And Daphne's family don't count. They were not in enough, to be actual characters.
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Originally posted by Southport Zeb View PostThe replacement for Walker was meant to be Private Cheeseman, but it didn't really work out and he was written out after one series.
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Originally posted by Gerontophile View Posttee rex and others: yes, I stand corrected. She is the butter in the mental sandwich.
Stop, all of you, with the 'Roz' thing. Peri Gilpin is phenomenal. Not many people can get away with 'slut, for comedic purposes, with a splash of occasional intelligence'.
And Daphne's family don't count. They were not in enough, to be actual characters.
I wish Daphne’s family didn’t count. They are in a shit ton of the later seasons, it’s not like they’re Gill peripheral. Whenever it’s on repeats, there’s a good chance I catch an episode with Daphne’s Brassy Ma pawing Marty.
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It wasn't a knock against Peri Gilpin. She's a great actor and I liked Roz as a character. But Frasier would have been an equally good show without her. In later seasons the writers seemed to be getting increasingly desperate to find things for her to do.
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Originally posted by Southport Zeb View PostThe replacement for Walker was meant to be Private Cheeseman, but it didn't really work out and he was written out after one series.
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Originally posted by Snake Plissken View PostAnd in Hi-De-Hi, there was a posh couple who seemed to get an end of show credit but never actually seemed to do anything.
I'm sure the twins (cannot remember their names) were in the whole run but had very little input and speaking roles.
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Originally posted by Lang Spoon View PostI wish Daphne’s family didn’t count. They are in a shit ton of the later seasons, it’s not like they’re Gill peripheral. Whenever it’s on repeats, there’s a good chance I catch an episode with Daphne’s Brassy Ma pawing Marty.
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