Episode eight opens with William’s departure.  It’s obviously a sad moment, although the mournful incidental music rather hammers this point home.  It’s characteristic that Gerald, instead of Polly, is the one who consoles Abby afterwards.  Even at this point, with Abby at her lowest ebb, Polly obviously can’t summon up even a smidgen of maternal instinct.

The revelation that Abby is Charles’ daughter was enough to make him drop the marina project, but the fallout continues here.  Gerald always knew he wasn’t the real father but was unaware that Charles was.  This places Gerald in an untenable position – businesswise – and he resigns.  Charles sees no reason why it should make any difference, but he makes no attempt to stop him either.  This is a typical reaction from Charles Frere – he values Gerald as an associate, but is not prepared to beg him to stay – if he wants out, then he’s out.

It leaves Gerald looking like a man of principle, but also as someone who’s rather weak and foolish.  He later tells Polly that he’ll be able to set up on his own, but even he doesn’t sound convinced by this.  Polly, of course, is far from pleased.  She can see her comfortable lifestyle evaporating, once Gerald starts again from scratch (which isn’t something that she’s prepared to accept – divorce would be better than that).

It’s been established in the previous series that Abby and Gerald have never really connected in a daughter/father way.  They seem to be making up for this now, although his next conversation with her – he tells her about her parentage – is a difficult one.  Abby’s reaction is interesting – she’s not particularly upset (or if she is, then she hides it well).   Instead, she treats it as an explanation as to why she’s never fitted in (she later admits that she could easily believe that Polly wasn’t her real mother as well).

Abby and Polly have a heated discussion later, which ends with Polly giving her daughter a hard slap.  Ouch!

Dawn is a fast mover.  Having only just met Jack, she already seems to have moved in (we see the pair of them first thing in the morning, making it obvious that Dawn’s spent the night).  If Jack’s sudden interest in all thing carnal seems to come out of nowhere, then the revelation that he owes nearly ten grand to a bookie is another bolt out of the blue.

True, we’d seen earlier on this series that he’d helped Kate to win a tidy sum at the races (plus it was mentioned in passing last episode that he was spending all his time at the racecourse rather than at the yard) but it would have been better had this plotline been developed a little more.  Otherwise it all ends up feeling rather artificial.  In order to settle his debts, Jack offers 25% of his stake in the Mermaid to Relton Marine, which Avril later buys back – at a price.

Once Dawn knows that Jack’s got financial problems she beats a hasty retreat.  No-one can say that she’s not a transparent sort of person.  She then runs into Ken, who after rubbishing Jack as a “sugar daddy”, make her an offer she can’t refuse.  Ken might be down at present, but with Dawn’s contact (in the power boats business) he’s already planning to bounce back …..

Leo continues to keep Abby’s spirits up, although his choice of venue (as she says herself, “a ruined Abbey”) possibly wasn’t terribly tactful.  The later conversation between Jan and Leo is a revealing one.  She’s tagged Abby as manipulative and self-centred and tells Leo that when he’s no longer of any use, she’ll drop him.  This is a terribly unflattering analysis which says more about Jan that it does about either Abby or Leo.

Is she subconsciously thinking about herself and Ken?  Both Jan and Ken have declared their love for each other on numerous occasions – but Dawn accurately surmises that Ken is partly interested in Jan due to her breeding (he sees her as his entry ticket into a higher social circle) whilst Jan is undeniably interested in his money (without it, she can’t grow her business).

If Jack’s problems with the gee-gees comes out of nowhere, then the engagement between Lynne and Claude is something else which happens with unseemly haste.  Partly this is due to the fact that there’s only thirteen episodes to play with across series two, but it’s all a bit sudden and whirlwind.  Jan’s not happy (once again Jan Harvey gets to practice her disapproving face) but she later comes round a little.

The Mermaid Yard are moving into the future.  They’re going to buy a computer!  No prizes for guessing that Jack’s less than impressed (“that thing’s going back, right?”).  And when he retreats into his office for a quick swig of booze, it’s further evidence that he’s gone off the rails again.  The late arrival of Kate, with her mission to chivvy Jack into mending his ways, is a delight.  Kate Harvey, as ever, delivers a good dollop of common sense and Dulcie Gray is once again immaculate.

Tom’s boat design continues to be called into question by both Bill and Avril, although Tom is still ignoring them.  Last time you could explain this away (Lynne was adrift and uncontactable in the Barracuda, so Tom was preoccupied) but his continuing pig-headiness is harder to understand.  At times he seems more inflexible and autocratic than Jack, but the events at the end of this episode suggest that he should have listened to them ….

Howards’ Way seemed to spend a great deal of time in one hospital or another.  This episode opens with Leo propped up in a hospital bed (looking much the worse for wear) with Jan and Tom by his bedside.  Leo looks to have been the only person to have been beaten up by Ken’s thugs, which seems to prove he was born under a bad sign.

Jan’s still in a state of denial over Ken’s involvement in the tussle.  She tells Leo that it was obviously Charles who paid for the bullyboys, apparently not even considering that Ken might have been responsible.  At first I wondered if her voracious capitalistic streak had taken hold (not willing to rock the boat with Ken, since she still needs finance for her and Claude’s business venture) but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

When Polly later off-handily confirms that Ken was the guilty party, there’s genuine shock on Jan’s face – so maybe she was simply a little gullible.  Ken’s contrite (telling her that he’s never done anything like this before) but it’s somewhat difficult to believe him – is he just sorry he’s been found out?

Ken goes through the wringer in this episode.  With Abby, Leo and (presumably) others receiving court summons, they have to decide whether to go to the Magistrates or Crown Court.  Crown Court would generate a great deal of publicity, which is precisely what they want (and Ken is anxious to avoid).  Charles is wonderfully laid back throughout – maintaining that since he’s done nothing wrong he’s not bothered either way.

But Ken – increasingly stuck in a vice-like grip – sees disaster ahead, so sells his marina shares to Charles for the knock down price of £250,000.  This means he’s taken a considerable financial hit and now has to count the cost of his bruising encounter with Charles.  It’s been obvious from the start, but this simply confirms that Ken is a complete novice in business terms compared to Charles.

Jan has another brief, but very telling, moment later on.  She’s looking to use the house as collateral in order to finance her business.  Remember that last year she was less than impressed when Tom did the same thing.  Since the divorce hasn’t gone through yet, it’s strange that she hasn’t discussed what she’s doing with Tom (who presumably still owns half of the house, unless he’s signed it over to her).

It’s unconvincing stock footage ahoy again as we join Lynne and Claude on their cruise home.  Claude is his usual annoyingly smooth self, telling Lynne that he’s had awful trouble in keeping the deck lounger next to him free (because, no doubt, hundreds of women were panting to get at him).  Meanwhile Lynne cheerfully tells him that initially she thought he was a frog pursuing her mother, but now she’s of the opinion that he’s just a frog with some redeeming features.  Lynne’s looking particularly attractive during the scenes when they trip the light fantastic on the ballroom floor.

Ken’s former girlfriend, Dawn, turns up behind the bar at the Jolly Sailor.  Jack’s immediately taken with her.  “If you need someone to show you around the place, I’m your man. So how about it? I could take you to the village duck pond. Morris dancing, marbles match, conker-bashing. We could really live it up”.  This is a different side to Jack.  Although we’ve seen him enjoying Kate’s company, they were – as the phrase goes – just good friends.  Jack’s never shown an interest in the opposite sex before, certainly not one as young as Dawn.

This doesn’t go down well with everyone.  Avril looks slightly askance at the fact her father’s been entertaining someone as young as she is, whilst there’s another pressure point later on – the launch of Tom’s catamaran.  Jack’s invited Dawn to do the honours, whilst Avril has also asked someone – Kate, in fact.  No-one could do well-bred disdain like Dulcie Gray.  Her comment upon meeting Dawn is priceless.  “Your niece, is it, Jack?”

One of my favourite scenes in this episode occurs when Abby visits Leo in hospital and explains the reason for her present of nuts  “Grapes are bourgeois.  Men don’t appreciate flowers and chocolates are bad for your teeth.”

It’s a brief moment of levity for Abby, as elsewhere there’s not many laughs for her.  It’s the arrival of Orrin’s father, Robert (Bruce Boa), which is the problem.  Canadian-born Boa had a lengthy career playing Americans, often of the very stroppy type (he doesn’t order a Waldolf Salad in this one, but it’s easy to imagine him doing so and being less than impressed).

The appearance of Robert Hudson helps to define Orrin’s character a little more. Up until now it’s been difficult to decide exactly what Orrin’s motivations were.  Did he want to marry Abby because he loved her? Was he more interested in ensuring that the rich and powerful Hudson family didn’t have the scandal of an illegitimate child? Or was he simply designed as a character to come between Abby and Leo?

The influence of his father over him is plain to see (in sharp contrast to Abby, who rarely listens to her parents).  Left to his own devices Orrin’s been somewhat relaxed, but Robert’s dominant (indeed overbearing) personality eventually seems to subsume his own, meaning that by the end they are both of one mind – if Abby doesn’t want to get married then baby William will return with them to America.

This then leads into one of the most intriguing moments in the whole series.  Everything is set up for Abby to declare that she’d sooner die than see her son taken away from her, but instead she somewhat meekly accedes.  It’s just so unexpected (it would have been easy to see this becoming a major storyline) but it’s good that the show doesn’t always do the obvious.

The episode ends with a revelation that wasn’t completely unexpected (hints were laid during the first series) but it’s nice to have it out in the open anyway.   Charles is Abby’s father ….

The spectre of potential tragedy has brought the Howards together – with predictable results (Jan stares into the distance, misty eyed and with a drink in her hand, blaming Tom for everything).

Charles continues to play with Ken rather like a cat toys with a mouse.  Construction on the marina is due to begin, but Charles tells Gerald to cancel it (and pretend that the furore from the protestors has made them pause).  Charles is smoothness personified when he explains to Ken, but Ken smells a rat ….

The fact that the Baraccuda is missing begins to cast a little doubt on Tom’s design.  This mainly comes from Jan of course, but when Bill queries the specifications of Tom’s catamaran there’s a definite sense of tension in the air.  The sensible course, as suggested by Bill, Avril and Jack, would be for Tom to recheck his figures but he’s unwilling to do so.  His concern for Lynne is clearly influencing his decision making (witness the way he erupts after Jack tactfully suggests they take a look at the design again).

Crusading local reporter Steve Windom (Bill Thomas) isn’t happy with the way that planning permission was pushed through without a protest and decides that Ken’s been indulging in corrupt practices.  To be honest, Steve isn’t exactly a Woodward or a Bernstein, but there’s still an effort made to ramp up the tension – such as late night meetings in shady rendezvous as Steve begins to build his case.

It’s interesting that Leo is under no illusion that their protest will fail, but he tells his mother that it’s more important that Charles and Ken realise they “can’t just buy any piece of land and build on it.”  Jan doesn’t come out of this conversation terribly well since she then asks Leo to call off the protest – that would ease Ken’s cashflow problem, meaning he might then be able to invest in Jan’s boutique.  Jan’s being incredibly selfish here, but I guess it was the “me, me, me” eighties.

Lyne pops up about midway through the episode, looking somewhat green around the gills and desperately attempting to get someone to acknowledge her radio calls.  Eventually she does (is it just me, or is there a whiff of Tony Hancock’s The Radio Ham here?).  Lynne’s travails was one of those plotlines which you could sense would have a happy ending.  Had they killed her off it would have created an even bigger fault-line between Tom and Jan (but since it probably would have meant that Jan would never be able to crack a smile ever again, it’s just as well they didn’t).

Down at the protest site, things are hotting up.  Morgan Griffiths (Mark Crowdy), a member of Earthguard, pledges his support – which begins with hot meals and fresh placards.  He zooms in on his motorbike and then out again almost immediately, like a leather-clad guardian angel.

Later, Ken sends in the heavy mob.  Although they’re big and ugly, their language doesn’t quite match their appearance (“why don’t you naff off?”).  Pre-watershed, of course.  And it’s poor Leo who’s first to receive a knuckle sandwich.

Lynne arrives in America, which looks suspiciously like the English coast. Still, it’s amazing what a few American flags, a sprinkling of stock footage and some fake accents can do.  Neither Jan or Tom can make it over, so Claude deputises for them.  The beginning of a beautiful friendship maybe?

Lynne, making good headway in the Barracuda, refuses to heed Tom’s request to turn back.  When he understands how resolute she is, Tom doesn’t seem too unhappy.  Of course it’s plain that Jan’s not going to take it quite so calmly ….

And she doesn’t.  When the news about Lynne comes over the car radio she does a screeching turn and heads back for Tarrant for a typically awkward conversation with Tom.  He’s bursting with paternal pride (“she’s as good a sailor as I’ve ever met”) whilst she’s only seeing negatives (“you’d risk your daughter’s life for a publicity gimmick?”).  But it does generate good publicity, with a brace of favourable newspaper headlines (my favourite being “storm tossed beauty”).

As the weeks pass by, we’re treated to a series of monologues from Lynne.  “I’ve never seen my own weaknesses so clearly before. All the things I shouldn’t have done or said. I can’t change them know. But I suppose I’m learning my strengths too, now that I’m responsible for everything that happens to me.”  She spent S1 as a fairly feckless and self-obsessed character, but it’s clear that she’s recently undergone a considerable change for the better.

Charles still wants the Mermaid Yard and decides his way in will be to buy Relton Marine.  Once he has Relton, then he’ll have a stake in the Mermaid.  Given that he transfers three million for Gerald to start to buy shares in Relton, it’s plain that money in no object.

There’s another entertaining encounter between Charles and Ken.  Ken is starting to get a little anxious about the marina development (he’s pledged over a million, which is a considerable undertaking for him) whilst Charles is coolness personified (he’s obviously delighted to twist the knife a little).   Ken later decides that a little bribery will help to oil the wheels.

We get our first sight of the protest lobby.  They all seem rather worthy.  On the other side is Steven Moffat (John Ronane), Ken’s tame councillor (and the recipient of a hefty bribe from him).  Nice to see Ronane pop up in this one, although he doesn’t do a great deal except look a little twitchy.

Leo organises a protest meeting at home, with a couple of dozen people attending, which doesn’t please Jan.  Poor Jan Harvey, her default expression always seems to be set to disapproving.  Ken, who comes in with Jan, is condescendingly amused by their efforts (no doubt he believes they’re no threat at all).  Delightfully, Kate then arrives and announces she’s going to attend the meeting, shooting Ken a filthy look en-route.  As ever, Kate makes her feelings about Ken crystal clear.

I love Ken’s attempt to buy Claude off (“how much would you take not to come back at all?”).  Our Mr Masters is not terribly subtle!  Claude’s open-mouthed shock is somewhat amusing as is his stern response (“you can’t buy me off”).  Quite why Ken should continue to obsess over Claude when it’s been made clear that he’s got no personal interest in Jan is a slight mystery – presumably it’s an attempt to highlight Ken’s general paranoia (one of his many character flaws).

Richard Shellet makes his final bow.  A pity, but it would have stretched credibility for him to keep on popping up from time to time, vowing revenge and lobbing the odd bomb around.  His face-off with Jack is short but sweet – with Jack playing an interesting psychological game (luckily he guessed right).

Tom loses radio contact with Barracuda.  And with Lynne now entering stormy waters in the North Atlantic it’s the cue for a good deal of anxious acting from Maurice Colbourne and Jan Harvey.

Shellet continues to lurk about, this time he’s casting his disturbing shadow down at the Mermaid.  The incidental music takes a sudden turn for the sinister as Shellet looks over the boat that Jack’s due to take out shortly, which gives us a clue as to what might happen ….

Polly, glass in hand, demands an apology from Gerald over his accusations of her extravagance.  Patricia Shakesby and Ivor Danvers sparkle here – Polly declaims that she provides good value for money as a hostess whilst Gerald counters that it’s all she does do (once again highlighting their marriage of convenience).  It’s slightly odd that Gerald raises the point about tightening their belts though, since this wasn’t really the reason for his outburst last time and – as a trusted lieutenant of Charles Frere – it’s doubtful Gerald will be on the breadline anytime soon.

Charles pays another visit to Avril, once again entering her house without her permission, in a scene which highlights their differences.  Charles offers her a seat on his board, which she refuses outright.  For Charles, it’s purely business (they may have been lovers in the past, but that’s over) whilst Avril can’t see past their failed relationship.   And when Tom walks in, the tension level rises a little more.  Tom and Charles have another brief, but entertaining, face-off.

Shellet may have no money but he’s obviously a man of resourcefulness, as he’s able to knock up a quick homemade bomb and pop it into Jack’s boat.  As Jack (once again nattily attired with a bobble hat) takes the boat out, the incidental music helpfully provides the right mood (eerie and faintly disturbing, rather than the more usual blast of the Howards’ Way theme that normally accompanies sailing scenes).

When the explosion comes, it’s a nicely shot sequence – with Jack being flung overboard following the aftershock.  If one were being picky, then a freeze-frame shows that he’s already got a bruise on his forehead before he’s struck by the sail, but not many viewers would have been watching this frame-by-frame back in 1986.  Kudos to Glyn Owen for taking a dip in the cold and unfriendly-looking water – the scenes of an unconscious Jack slowly sinking deeper and deeper are striking.  Luckily, Jack’s rescued by a passing boat but the fact that his rescuers can’t find a pulse is a worrying sign.

Jack obviously makes a recovery off-screen as he’s later ensconced in the hospital.  He’s quizzed by a police officer called Gray (Albert Welling).  Decades later, Welling would pop on a moustache to play Adolf Hitler in Doctor Who.  Avril is a concerned visitor, but Kate’s a more entertaining one.  “Are you all in one piece or are there some parts missing?”

Having made a speedy recovery of her own, Lynne’s now rediscovered her love for all things nautical.   She offers to sleep aboard the Barracuda in order to safeguard the expensive equipment aboard.  This naturally brings her closer to Tom at the expense of Jan, who’s not very pleased at all.  Jan claims that she’s concerned about Lynne’s welfare so soon after coming out of hospital, but since Kate tells her that she’s fine now, it seems more likely that Jan’s dismayed to find Lynne taking Tom’s side once more.  Jan then mutters that “it’s all so bloody unfair” which is a very telling moment.

But the arrival of Claude soon cheers her up.  Claude (or “Clod” as Ken usually refers to him) still has the silly ponytail and the even sillier accent.  Oh well, he won’t be around for ever.  Claude’s later revelation that his marriage is now off is a strange bit of plotting – it seemed to have existed in the first place purely to provide a not terribly involving cliffhanger, meaning that it’s now reversed with alacrity.   Ken’s continuing dislike of Claude means that he won’t support the business proposal forwarded by him and Jan – meaning that Jan’s prepared to strike out by herself.

Leo’s getting more involved in the campaign to save the nature reserve.  Abby’s as keen as he is, whilst Orrin is much more reserved (no pun intended).  Is fighting this cause Leo’s way of filling his time now that Abby and Orrin are a sort of item, or would he have done so anyway?  A little of both maybe.

Charles is thinking big with the marina development.  He doesn’t just want a hotel (part of an international chain preferably) but also an office block.  Even Gerald looks slightly askance at his ever-developing plans – as if it all goes ahead then it would change the look of the local community for ever.  With great zeal, Charles continues.  “I’m thinking of small to medium-sized businesses who wouldn’t be able to afford or who wouldn’t have the requirement to run the whole range of communications and computer equipment.  Secretarial pool, digital and off-peak transatlantic telephone connections.  Boardrooms and conference rooms for hire. Word processing and computer rental. Post offices and banks. The possibilities are endless.”  Oh, then he decides a Casino would be good too ….

With Jack out of action, discussion turns to who could take the Barracuda on its solo Atlantic crossing.  In a not terribly surprising end of episode revelation, we see that Lynne has snuck out aboard the Barracuda and appears to be well on her way.  I can just picture Jan’s face.

Ken’s attempting to interest Charles in a new business venture – the purchase of a large stretch of land, currently in use as a nature reserve, to be transformed into a marina.  The difference between them is again thrown into sharp relief after Ken tells him that they could build some chalets as well.  Charles, on the other hand, believes a five-star hotel would be better.

It would be a difficult sell to the locals, but Charles decides that the job creation angle (a very Thatcherite concept) would work well on that score whilst Ken declares that it would still be good for the wildlife (all those masts that the birds could perch on).  This line is delivered straight (presumably Ken actually believes what he’s saying) although Charles’ expression speaks volumes.

When Leo finds out about Ken’s plan for the nature reserve he’s not at all happy …

Charles jaunts over to France for a meeting with Viscount Cunningham (Richard Wilson).  Naturally enough, Cunningham arrives by helicopter (the only way to travel, clearly).  Charles’ meeting with Cunningham is designed to try and head off any protests from the environmental lobby, re the proposed purchase of the nature reserve.

Charles pays lip service to the idea that the views of the nature lobby should be taken seriously, but he’s also concerned that whoever makes the final decision should be “objective, someone who has the best interests of the county at heart and who is totally, totally impartial.”  Or in other words, someone who knows what the right decision is.  And in this case, that means what’s right for Charles Frere.

David Lloyd (great, super) wants Avril to join Relton Marine full time.  At present, the members of the Mermaid all take turns to attend Relton’s board meetings – and today it’s Jack’s turn.  The prospect of Jack mingling with the suits obviously gives plenty of scope for both drama and comedy and although we don’t actually see what transpired, Jack returns to the yard to tell them what’s been decided.

A solo crossing of the Atlantic by the Barracuda will give them just the publicity push they need … and Jack’s offered to sail her.  Avril looks appalled, Tom looks pleased, whilst Jack begins to have second thoughts.

Tom and Ken run into each other at the Jolly Sailor.  As with the recent meeting between Avril and Jan there’s a distinct lack of warmth.  Ken tells him that Tarrant’s a small place, so he can’t spend the rest of his life avoiding him.  Tom counters that “I’d appreciate your trying.”  Maurice Colbourne shines during this scene, his intensity plain to see.

Lynne’s back at home but she’s still yet to regain her memory.  Tom offers to take her out in the Flying Fish – and thanks to a spot of psychology from Tom it does the trick.  Before that we see Jack (nice bobble hat, sir) set out for a quick sail, but he comes back in a bad temper, unhappy with the rigging on the boat (and therefore the standards of the yard).  Glyn Owen’s on his usual fine form as Jack annoys Avril (placing his boots in the filing cabinet was the final straw).

Shellet keeps on popping up – at Jack’s house and then round at the Urquharts.  Gerald, whilst not as cutting as Charles in the previous episode, still sends him away with a flea in his ear.  We do see a spark of anger from Gerald when he deals with him though, which continues when Polly wonders why her husband let such a repellent creature like Shellet through the door again.  “It’s part of my job. This house, the clothes you wear, the trips you make, your expenses, extravagance. Where do you think it all come from, eh? Sometimes I have to get my hands dirty.”  This brief outburst is all the more noteworthy as up until now Gerald has been a fairly neutral character.  It’s the first sign that there’s more to him than his public façade would suggest.

With Orrin keen to marry Abby, Jan fretting that Ken won’t commit to her new business venture and Kate concerned that her racehorse trainer is overcharging her for oats (!), there’s certainly plenty going on in this one.

Lynne’s safe, but is far from well.  Jan and Tom rush to the hospital to find her dazed and confused – she’s suffering from complete amnesia.  We learn that she was fished out of the water after about ten minutes (although it’s not explained who rescued her).  It’s also not clear why it took so long for Lynne’s next of kin to be contacted.

Jan Harvey is the one who’s given the lines when they encounter her for the first time (as well a nice two-shot of Jan and an oxygen-masked Lynne) but Maurice Colbourne almost manages to steal the scene with a cutaway shot of Tom wearily closing his eyes.  Sometimes, less is more.

There’s another example of Tarrant’s bizarre eco-system, where it always seems to be sunny indoors (studio) and gloomy outside (film).  We switch from the inside of the Urquhart’s house, with Polly and Gerald discussing the imminent arrival of Orrin (Michael Ryan), to outside Charles’ abode, where he’s surprised to be set upon by Shellet (who’s been lurking in the shrubbery).

This is a great little scene.  Shellet’s now a desperate man (“I’m broke, I’ve got no money”) although Charles responds in exactly the way you’d expect him to.  “You’re trespassing, get off my property or I’ll set the dogs on you.”  The way that Charles looks him up and down with a sense of revulsion is another nice touch.

The party at Abby’s flat provides ample evidence that Leo and rhythm don’t really go together (however, Davy does cut some impressive moves).  The scene’s more of interest due to the way it highlights the current status of the Abby/Leo relationship – they’re more at ease with each other than ever before (she kisses him briefly on the lips and then tells him that “I’ve never been as close to anyone as I am to you”) but with the spectre of Orrin on the horizon, things will change.

Tom sets out with Henderson (Andrew Hilton) for another testing run in the Barracuda.  Henderson’s the possessor of a certain oily charm – when he learns that Avril isn’t joining them he decides that it’s “probably just as well. We don’t want too many distractions, do we?”  Avril wisely makes no response.

Last time, we saw how Avril was upset at the way Tom bailed on the yard’s business in order to search for Lynne.  Positions are reversed here, as Henderson forces him to stay out a lot longer than he’d expected – meaning that he’s unable to meet Jan as planned (the pair had arranged to travel up to the hospital together).

Tom could have told Henderson that his daughter was ill in hospital and there’s every possibility he would have been sympathetic, but instead he grimly carries on with the testing.  But on the plus side, it gives us a charged encounter between Jan and Avril, after Jan rushes to the yard, looking for Tom.

From the moment Jan enters the office you can sense the chill.  Avril is polite, but it doesn’t take too long before some home truths are spelled out.  She tells Jan that “when there was doubt about Lynne’s safety, Tom abandoned this yard when its future hung in the balance, knowing he was jeopardising his business’s survival and ours.  I criticised him, but I now realise his feelings for his family gave him no option.  Today out there he’s trying to make up for it and knowing Tom, I bet he’s sweating blood he’s not here to meet you.  Don’t you understand your husband at all?”  If looks could kill, then Jan’s stare would have finished Avril off once and for all …

The initial meeting between Orrin and Polly is an exercise in awkwardness.  Although given the fact that Abby and her parents are currently estranged, I’m not sure why Orrin came to Polly first – why didn’t he simply go direct to Abby’s lodgings?  The upshot is that Abby agrees to return home, where Orrin will also be, whilst Leo (lurking in the background) looks a little discomforted.

There’s another lovely example of Polly’s monumental lack of tact, after she decides that it would be nice for her, Abby and Orrin to go out for tea.  After all, Leo’s on hand to look after the baby.  It doesn’t occur to her that it might be courteous to ask Leo if he’d mind (something which he rather pointedly mentions) although the fact that he then tells him it’s no trouble is a characteristic Leo moment.

Jack dispenses some more of his words of wisdom after he and Tom visit the production line where the Barracuda is now being mass produced.  “Wood is a living material. A boat is a living thing.  I’m not being sentimental.  By that, I mean she’s the sum total of all the men who worked on her, sawed and steamed her planks and shaved her timbers. When she’s running before the wind, that’s what you feel beneath your feet.”

Later, Jack heads off to the races with Kate, where Aztec Boy (the horse she owns 25% of) is running.  The production team clearly went on a real race day, as the hundreds of race-goers demonstrate, it’s just a pity that they couldn’t afford to shoot footage of an actual race  This means we switch from footage of Jack and Kate (on film) to the horses (on videotape) and back to Jack and Kate (on film) which is a little distracting.  But there’s a nice comic compensation – as the race goes into its final stages, Jack is closely following it through his binoculars, which Kate then snatches off him (nearly strangling him in the process!).

This week’s cliffhanger – Jan learns that Claude has married a key figure in the French fashion world – falls a little flat.  Jan’s concerned that his marriage will impact the boutique, which isn’t something I confess to being too concerned about.  Although Ken’s on hand to soften the blow.  “Not jealous are you? Lucky for you, you’ve got good old reliable Ken. Here in every emergency.”  God bless Ken, he never disappoints.

For the first time we see Polly shaken out of her usual amused self-control.  The sight of Abby being carted off in an ambulance is more than enough to finally bring her long-repressed maternal feelings to the surface.

They aren’t reciprocated though, as Abby screams when her mother attempts to join her in the ambulance.  And Leo offers no comfort either – looking blankly at Polly when she insists that Abby’s tumble down the stairs was an accident.  Since it clearly was (there’s not even a hint that she was pushed) why does Leo seems incapable of offering even a crumb of comfort?

The baby – a boy – is born, although Abby still refuses to have anything to do with her mother.  This results in a tear-streaked Polly leaving her daughter’s bedside, convinced that Leo’s the one who’s turned her daughter against her.  “I hold you responsible for this, Leo Howard. And you’ll regret it, I promise you. I’m going to make you pay.”

After a brief moment of self-insight last time, Jack’s back to his normal, bluff persona.  Telling Avril that, in the words of Aristotle, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” and plonking his shoes into the filing cabinet are two early signs of that.

He later refuses to be kowtowed when David Lloyd and the others visit the yard to inspect the prototype.  Jack’s at his best here, refusing to stand on ceremony and inordinately proud of the craftsmanship of the Mermaid.  The fact that the prototype is made out of wood is something that’s mollified him – it makes him content that although the Barracuda will be mass-produced, at least the original was hand-crafted in wood.

Jan asks Tom for a divorce (which rather oddly happens off screen).  Ken’s delighted to hear this of course, although he has to ratchet down his joy when he realises that Jan’s more than a little traumatised.  Bless Ken, his social skills tend to be somewhat limited.

Sir John invites Ken to lunch at the golf club.  Once again there’s some lovely class-based comedy – Ken orders a gin and tonic (no doubt seeing it as the perfect drink for such an exclusive environment) whilst Sir John asks for a pint.  Once again, this a small moment which illustrates the difference between them – since Ken is anxious to fit in, he attempts to modify his behaviour accordingly whilst Sir John is secure with his place in the world and sees no need to change.

Kate aptly sums Ken up later as “a wolf in wolf’s clothing” and is baffled why her daughter should prefer him over Tom.  Minutes later they meet – briefly – for the first time.  Kate flashes him an incredibly filthy look and refuses his outstretched hand, so they’re plainly not going to be friends anytime soon!

Relationship traumas in the Howard household continue with Lynne.  She’s still besotted with Charles, even though he’s proving to be somewhat elusive (breaking their appointments).   Poor Lynne spends her time moping by the phone and staring into the distance, waiting for him to call.  Charles doesn’t seem at all bothered though.

There’s another example that Charles is a winner – we see him bouncing around the tennis court, playing a range of athletic shots, which eventually ends up with him emerging victorious.

Claude pops up again, much to Ken’s disgust.  Ken does a nice impression of Claude’s accent though!  Claude wants to purchase a fashion house.  Jan’s keen, Ken’s not.

Howards’ Way, like The Brothers, always understood the importance of carrying forward certain plotlines to the next series as well as closing each run of episodes with a strong cliffhanger.  The disputed ownership of the Mermaid Yard is something that’ll be settled early in series two (we see Jack enter the hearing, but aren’t told what happened).

As for the cliffhanger, an increasingly irate Lynne make her way to Charles’ yacht, only to find him in bed with another woman.  He introduces her as “Honey Gardner, my wife” which rather takes the wind out of Lynne’s sails.  She exits, sobbing, and in her haste to get away loses her balance on the jetty and falls into the water.

It might not be the best stunt ever mounted – rather than a simple stumble and fall, the stuntwoman falls to the ground and then seems to deliberately roll over into the water – but no matter, it’s still a strong way to conclude the first series.

Shellet comes calling on the Urqhuarts.  Polly doesn’t exactly take to him, telling Gerald that “there’s a sort of person” to see him.  Shellet needs money for expenses and he also seems deprived in other areas (mentioning to Polly that it gets very lonely when he’s all alone in his hotel room).  Polly might have an eye for just about anything in trousers, but I’ve a feeling that Shellet is a bridge too far, even for her.

Lynne’s glammed up for her evening meal with Charles whilst Ken calls on Jan.  He plainly feels threatened by Claude (or “that froggy dressmaker” as he calls him) and seems to be fretting about the business trip to Cannes that Jan and Claude will shortly be taking.  Far away from home, he no doubt envisages that Claude will take advantage of her in just the sort of way he’s not been able to do so far!

It’s a sunny day in Tarrant, something of a rarity.  This makes Charles and Lynne’s champagne and caviar seem even more intoxicating.  He learns that Lynne’s father is conducting an affair with Avril (uh oh) and then outlines his philosophy of living, which revolves around power and freedom.  “Power to act and freedom to choose.” They’ve hardly finished the meal when he casually mentions that he’d like to sleep with her – which is as good an example of power and freedom as you can get.

Abby decides she wants to keep the baby.  This seems to have cheered her up – for pretty much the first time ever she seems almost happy.

And then we go to Cannes, well sort of.  In later years the budget would actually stretch to foreign filming, but that wasn’t the case here.  So we have a brief montage of stock footage (people lounging on the beach, etc) before cutting to a pool obviously somewhere in England.  But they made a bit of an effort to suggest exotic climes by having two topless women walk past Claude and Jan’s table in a casual manner.  That was a tad unexpected I have to say, especially considering that the episode originally went out just before 8.00 pm on a Sunday evening.

Ken might be right to be wary of Claude, but at present it’s her business acumen he wants (Claude’s attempting to woo her away from Ken – suggesting instead that they set up business together).  I’m afraid his silly French accent is beginning to get on my nerves ….

And then Ken pops up in Cannes, casually offering to take Jan out to dinner.  And of course being Ken he appears at her hotel door with a rose in his teeth and a bottle of champagne in his hand.  After a decent meal (off-screen, which saved a bit more money) they return to Jan’s hotel room and you can probably guess what happened next.

When they meet up for breakfast the next morning, Ken demonstrates that he’s an unreconstructed Englishman abroad since he’s not willing to try any funny food (bacon and eggs is what he wants).  The arrival of Claude sets Ken’s antenna twitching, but he acts casually in only the way that Ken Masters can.

The highly recognisable Hubert Rees pops up as racehorse trainer Stephen Bettins.  Kate’s part of a racehorse syndicate (each owning a leg) but it seems clear that she’s going to struggle to pay her share.  It might have been these scenes which inspired Glaister to later develop Trainer, which unfortunately wasn’t the same sort of success that both The Brothers and Howards’ Way had been.

Polly’s made it quite plain to Abby (before she ran away from home of course) that she viewed her daughter as an extreme disappointment.  But not any more.  After opening her mail(!), Polly’s delighted to read a letter from an American student called Orin Hudson.  He and Abby were obviously close for a while (as Polly so charmingly puts it – “God knows what this boy sees in Abby but it all sounds very lovey-dovey”).  And since he’s a member of an incredibly wealthy American family, Polly sees it as her duty to reunite the two lovebirds.  This is mercenary Polly at her best.

Jack’s solicitor lays on the line exactly how serious things are.  If Shellet’s claim is successful then not only will Jack lose the yard, he’ll also forfeit his house.  Tom will lose everything too, as all the yard’s assets (including the new boat) will be Shellet’s.  That’s a suitably dramatic way to bring the episode to an end.