Something rich and strange...
updated 26 August 1999
written by Stuart McDonald
directed by Brendan Maher
Guest cast:
Bow Tasic as Felix Lewinski
Brett Swain as Griff
Koala's Spiel
I found this an interesting episode. As it unfolded, I was steeling myself not to like it (don't ask me why). Perhaps it was all the double entrendre, the blatantly didactic "playing with fire" themes that were interwoven throughout the episode. Perhaps it was because I didn't like Felix the fire thrower guy at all, or maybe it was because it was another episode where Rupert was an annoying little *beep*.
Robs the Sydney Wollongong Quokka probably summed it up best in his post on aus.tv on 23 August 1999:
I didn't think that much of it. The best bit was the "We started a fire" song... but even that was way WAY overused.
This ep was just trying way too hard for my liking. Yes, a lot of it was very SeaChange, but the attempts at pushing the "Fire" theme right through the episode were lame at best. Watch how the writers clearly just couldn't work out how to fit Karen in, so they simply didn't try... just made her cold and we *know* there's more sides to Karen than that. You only have to recall the infamous Brabey Point to know that.
Max & Laura was going nicely... but then suddenly it all became far too rushed. Harold/Meredith/Heather/Bob/Jules/Craig was *very* poorly dealt with as well - and not in keeping with where this mob were left last episode. The script took them half a step back and left them there.
Miranda/Fire Bloke was a complete waste of time and I wasn't at all convinced of Miranda's interest in him. Even if she is a closet hippie. Likewise the explanation of the materials for Rupert and Trevor's rocket was *very* poorly dealt with... and it was *vital* to the plot. Rupe mumbled something about finding the boxes buried and that was it. Huzzah! The bloke's innocent. Huh??
The only people who got anywhere was Phrani and Kevin... but even some of this was lame... and the last scene of these two was so obvious I felt like I was going to be sick. Even if they did slip in some gratuitous nudity
earlier on, I somehow didn't think we'd be seeing anything "interesting" at the end. Isn't this show rated PG?Overall I was really disappointed. I expect much better of SeaChange.
Many thanks to Wollongong Quokka for letting me reproduce his post. This episode has probably generated more discussion on aus.tv than any other episode - with vastly differing views and opinions emerging. The weird thing is, I ended up liking the episode despite myself. I acknowledge all of the shortcomings raised by Quokka above. I agree that it wasn't the best episode so far..... but still......it was sort of sweet. I can't decide, however, if this is because I'm such a rabid SeaChange fan or whether the episode was truly deserving.
Vika & Linda's song "We've started a fire" is playing aggressively in the foreground as the camera ambles its way through Pearl Bay where there is a heatwave. Max is in the boatshed reading a book called "Burn" - shirtless of course. Kevin's lying in bed surrounded by fans and Laura is lying in bed naked. Suddenly fireworks are heard, lighting up the sky with a multi-coloured brilliance and Laura crosses to the window and stands there, staring out even though she hasn't got a stitch on. We get another unwelcome insight into Bob and Heather's sex life and I was half grimacing, half laughing when the "fireworks" co-incided with Heather's own private fireworks. It was a little obvious and a little predictable.
In the next scene, Sergeant Grey is examining the remains of the community hall which was housing the fireworks intended for the 150 year Pearl Bay celebration. In a really funny scene, Laura walks past wearing a red dress and sunglasses and sucking on a fruitbox. Bob Jelly, Sergeant Grey, Griff and Kevin stare at her lustfully, their jaws dropping and filled with intense attraction and desire towards Laura. What's funny is that the episode never really explains why the men of the town experience this feeling.
Suspician of the arson falls upon Felix, the emaciated, scrawny-looking fire twirler who is the expert employed by Bob to prepare the fireworks for the celebrations. In court, his history as outlined by a discomfitted Karen is consistent with that of a pyromaniac and he admits that he gains sexual gratification from lighting fires. In a somewhat sweeping remark he claims that everyone at some time associates sex with fires. Uh huh? I did not like Felix at all and thought he was a rather pathetic, pretentious, twirling little twerp who strongly resembled a rodent - but Miranda is instantly attracted to him and he teaches her to twirl fire. He also does a fancy thing where he writes her name in fire.
The courtroom scenes, if you ignore Felix were quite hilarious with even Angus becoming heat-affected and seeing Laura in a completely different way. He imagines her purring and growling at him sensually in a way which throroughly disconcerts him. Karen is equally disconcerted when she is forced to read out passages from a text about pyromania and its psychological links with sex.
In a later scene, Laura is feeling very hot and decides to go for a swim. Max, who is sitting in the boatshed reading "Burn" and eating watermelon, hears the splash and goes out to investigate. Imagine his pleased surprise when he discovers Laura paddling about in the water. The scene in the water where Max and Laura are playing Marco Polo was very, very well-filmed. The water splashing around looked so cool, shimmery and soothing, yet somehow I couldn't help wondering why it wasn't bubbling and boiling with all the heat being generated by the two of them. Quokka got back to me on my comment about this scene: "I'm not disagreeing with you, but I was still very dis-heartened from the scene just a moment earlier where she was in the water and he came out to talk to her (from the pier). She's just in shallow water near the beach, where if it's doing anything at all, it's going to be going up and down slightly with the waves. Instead it was swooshing around as if a massive whirlpool had suddenly formed right there... on the beach. Sigrid seemed to be struggling to stay in the same spot! That must have been deliberate and I simply couldn't understand why they would do that." True enough, but it was still a gorgeous-looking scene. =)
I've never played Marco Polo, but Leanne from aus.tv suggests that it may be something like blind man's bluff, except in the water and instead of talking, the participants splash. This is probably the right explanation as Laura had her eyes closed throughout the whole game. Derek from aus.tv said:
Marco Polo is a game (often played in water) where one or more people are chased by a person with their eyes closed. That person calls out "Marco" and the other players call out "polo" so that the person can try to locate the other players using sound rather than sight. Laura and Max played silent Marco Polo so Laura (with her eyes closed) was trying to find Max with no help (she could hear him moving in the water though). All the splashing isn't part of the game, but just a bit of fun they got up to.
Thanks to Derek for allowing me to reproduce the above. At this point, part of me is wondering about time frames. How long is it since Elena has died? I don't want Max to be recovering from such a vibrant and beautiful love too quickly. That would indicate that his love didn't run deeply. Quokka got back to me on this point and said: "Last episode (before this fire one) there appeared to be references to "months" having elapsed since Elena's death. It really caught me as clearly quite an obvious message that we shouldn't be treating it as a week-to-week thing."
Kevin and Phrani's story is an interesting one. Phrani is cooking curries for Kevin and turning him on in a big way, luring him to the spicy, heat of Indian curry despite the sweltering heatwave. (For people who like to cook, you might want to try Yahoo!'s link to Indian recipies - including curry). For some reason, the spirit moves Kevin t propose to Phrani and while she appear moved and flattered - she tells him that she wants him, but doesn't want to marry him. I've always thought that Kevin was very sweet. We all know that he's not very bright, but it's very touching to see him trying so hard to understand all the elements that make Phrani who she is. He struggles to understand the why in order to understand the who.
Max and Angus offer their unenlightened, and dare I say it, typically Aussie male views on women. Max tells him that Phrani comes from the culture that created the Kama Sutra. (I know that Max is a well-read, erudite journalist, but why on earth does he have a copy of the Kama Sutra in the equivalent of his loungeroom????? I'll let him get away with the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, but really!!!) In an interesting aside, when Angus casually asks about Laura, Max grimly tells him to "stay away from that one".
As far as Max and Angus are concerned, Phrani's offer is ideal - all the fun and none of the commitment. It's to Kevin's credit that he wants more than just the sex and more than just the heat of the moment. He is able to recognise Phrani's pain even if he has no idea of the underlying causes. His attempts at research are unsuccessful, although a book discovered by Angus provides him with a disturbing image of dowry disputes.
Kevin confronts Phrani and I thought it was very illuminating that even when Phrani broke down and cried, Kevin didn't get flustered or distressed. He seemed to be very calm and determined to discover the truth of what it was that saddened Phrani. I don't know about everyone else, but it was very affecting to see Phrani crying. Her character always seems so sunny-dispositioned, carefree and pragmatic. To see her crushed and demoralised was very sad. Visit the Allusions page for more on Dowry disputes.
Then, in a scene which verged on humorous to painful, Kevin and Phrani commence their journey of erotic discovery - which seemed to involve feet tickling. I found this very uncomfortable - as though I was intruding on something very private and personal. Visit the Allusions page for more on the "Kama Sutra". I have no idea whether the Kama Sutra discusses foot tickling.
In a parallel romance, Laura accepts a dinner invitation from a slightly inebriated Max. For some reason, known only to Max, he has prepared fondue for dinner even though the heatwave is sweltering. Yahoo! also has a section dedicated to fondue recipes, believe it or not.
Interspersed with the romantic scenes of a blossoming relationship between Laura and Max are the scenes of the dinner party at the Jellies. Heather has invited Meredith and Harold for a small "family" dinner. The atmosphere is incredibly uncomfortable and Heather is on edge, Bob is irritable and the rest of the "family" sit there in very awkward silence. Eventually, Heather's edginess drives Bob too far and he makes a snide remark about Harold's behaviour which resulted in Heather's birth. Heather is appalled at the jibe and Meredith humiliated - but Harold handles it with surprising calm and dignity. His explanation of what happened, and his genuine feeling and love for Meredith, silences even Bob and somehow brings Heather the peace of mind she has been craving.
Kerry Armstrong is an excellent actress - her large eyes appear very vulnerable and her breathy twittiness is tempered by the intensity of her gaze. The second season of SeaChange has given her much more scope to demonstrate her acting ability than the first season.
Meanwhile, Max and Laura are having a delectably tension-filled evening. Laura teases Max into reading the first sentence of his novel, which he does, but Laura is convinced that he was making it up. When she mocks him about "velvet lounges", he makes light of it by dismissing it as a cheap pick-up line. Then, with an abrupt, but infinitely believable intensity he suggests that he and Laura go to bed. The camera whips over to Laura's startled face with an amusing sound effect and it's clear that Laura is not at all sure whether Max is joking or not. The conversation becomes very pointed and angry, and Max says mockingly that Laura has "wounded him deeply" - even though he says it lightly, it's clear that at some level, he is sincere in his hurt.
As Laura gets up angrily, she bumps the table, knocking over the flame and her skirt catches on fire. Max demands if she's wearing nylon and when she exclaims that she is, Max tackles her to the floor and lies on top of her to smother any flames. He lies on top of her for quite a while - the two of them chatting companionably and laughing despite their awkward positions. When they decide that the flames are probably smothered, he tells her that it's a pity as it was nice holding her. All very sweet.
In another storyline, which I almost completely forgot, Rupert and Trevor have been building a rocket - the instructions having been discovered on the Internet. It turns out that despite his pyromaniac past, Felix may not have been the culprit who blew up the community hall......
I suppose I should mention that Miranda has a fling of sorts with Felix the emaciated, fire twirling dweeb who taught her how to "play with fire" and not get hurt. It's all in the fuel. Uh huh?
The celebration scene where the town is all wielding sparklers is rather nice. Laura and Max stare at each other through the darkness, each one conscious of the other and when the lights turn on, they both make their way to the bar and stare at each other but don't say anything.
Some people have complained that this season isn't as good as the first season, others have complained that the Max / Laura relationship is moving too quickly. I'll say it again - although this episode wasn't necessarily an outstanding one, I like the second season better. It's better written, it's more absorbing and some of the scenes and dialogue are brilliant. The relationship between Max and Laura is being handled well and the rest of the cast is being permitted to have more than just a fleeting appearance on-screen.
In relation to this episode, I note that it was written by Stuart McDonald and directed by Brendan Maher. Are these new guys? Perhaps it's the case that the Deb Cox, Andrew Knight episodes are better?
High points:
- Max's satyr-like gazes across the table at Laura were sizzlingly compelling. *melt* This marsupial definitely wouldn't have had Laura's willpower and would have been a puddle of fondue-like goo beneath the table. *grin*
- Phrani and Kevin's touching conversation (before they got to the feet tickling scene)
- Heather's expression when Harold tells his story
- use of "We started a fire"
- Laura and Max playing silent Marco Polo. *sizzle*
- Laura walking by while the men of the town gawk like idiots.
Low points:
- Felix the dweeby, emaciated fire twirler
- Miranda's infatuation with Felix the dweeby, emaciated fire twirler.
- all the blatant phallic/sexual symbols - fire, heat, rockets, gunpowder, firecrackers, Laura sucking on a fruitbox etc
- Phrani and Kevin doing their feet tickling voyage of sexual discovery sequence. Gack
Lyn's Spiel:
Once again, I've had the benefit of reading what everyone else thought before I have to think of how I felt about the episode. Yes, the imagery was cliched, and there were way to many references to 'heat', 'fire' and the symbolic meanings thereof. But I actually think this episode was quite good, and tried to do a lot of interesting things: with characters, with music, and with filming techniques. And I'll say first up because I think he's the unsung hero of the series, Richard Pleasance's music WENT OFF this episode! Listen to the music he's written for Felix's fire-twirling scenes, it's a perfect accompaniment, and switches into a very mellow counterpoint for the more serious reflections of Phrani and Harold later in the episode. I think it's an absolute travesty that volume two of the soundtrack has none of his instrumentals. Shame on you, whoever compiled the CD! Do better next time.
This episode was about attraction: what it does to people, what you should do when you feel it, and what could happen when passion is followed through. The more I think about how this played through with the different characters, the better this episode seems: and I actually liked it better the second time around.
Miranda and Felix's relationship was the ultimate casual fling: no strings, no thoughts about tomorrow, and no conception of any 'commitment'. Miranda actually says that you'd know that's how it would be with a guy like Felix, and in that context, it worked really well for them both. I'll concede that this wasn't as good as it could have been in execution, particularly whenever Felix had dialogue (hope the fire-twirling guy has kept his job in the circus because he can't act), but it was visually fantastic. They related on a very physical level (ie: the great scenes of him teaching her how to use the clubs), and yet you never felt like the sexuality was overwhelming, whatever was happening off-screen. It really was a fulfilling, romantic fling for both of them. And the scene where he writes her name in fire was a really nice touch, as it's just the kind of utterly nonsensical but wildly romantic thing that everyone disparages, but secretly hopes will happen to them. I thought that was what Laura was thinking when Miranda tells her 'he wrote my name in fire across the night sky'. Laura replies 'that sounds nice', and I took this is her concession that she's been wrong about Felix; that Miranda has seized the day, and had a memorable, if transient, relationship.
In contrast to this adolescent fling, Kevin and Phrani are trying to sort out the status of their relationship. Kevin's decision to propose was typically Kevin. Did anyone else notice that Kevin's wardrobe is really cute: the blue shirt he's wearing in the proposal scene is his 'special occasions' shirt, last seen when his de-facto wife got out of prison. But I digress. I thought Phrani's rather sad history was a welcome development to her character: not that everyone needs angst in their past, but because it made us realise her strength. Cleverly, the writers emphasised that dowry disputes and burning brides are a depressing aberration of Indian culture. Apart from the really touching revelation that Phrani's husband tried to burn her, most of the scenes involved Phrani using Indian culture to enrich Kevin's experience. In a great curry scene, Phrani informed Kevin that eating curry is all about anticipation, pain, and subsequent relief. Fantastic! And even though the foot-rubbing scenes made Koala squeamish, the obvious pleasure the two were experiencing reflected the benefits of cultural history. Generally, the way these two came together was so appropriate: they love each other, but they're in for the long haul, and they want to get it right.
Max and Laura. Wow. I agree with Koala that I would have caved like there was no tomorrow with some of those fiery glances! My god! My typing falters at the thought. What I find interesting is who was sending signals to whom at which stage. The first scene between them, the Marco Polo session in the water, was brilliantly filmed. But I think that we should be a little sceptical about Laura's motives: all the miles of beach around, and she swims right next to the boathouse? With a big splash to signal her presence? But Max is just as bad, as his suggestion of silent 'Marco Polo' was obviously going to have extremely sensuous overtones.
(and incidentally, on the Wollongong Quokka's thoughts on how strange the water looked, I think the boathouse is at the head of the river. So it would have just been the current.)
Then Max invites Laura over for dinner. This gets really interesting when Laura asks Max to read the first line of his novel: He does so, hiding the page from both Laura and the camera. It's objectively terrible. Laura responds 'that's beautiful, would you mind reading every word again?' She thinks he's made it up. He says it's possible. She then queries why he used the phrase 'black velvet couches'. Max says 'could be a pick-up line'. She responds with an amused gaze, 'it's possible.' At which point, Max says; 'hey Laura . . . let's go to bed.' Was anyone else not expecting this?
The filming at this point was great. It was like time stopped, the sound dropped out, all you could here was something (fire?) crackling, and a shot / reverse shot exchange between Max and Laura's intent faces. It was a really tightening, sudden tension. Incredible. Then Laura relaxes, draws a breath, the sound of the sea is audible again, and she says 'I almost took you seriously', and goes on to ridicule his first line, which she's convinced is fictional. Max replies half-flippantly that it's possible that he's meant every word, and what she's said has hurt him deeply. The two bicker for a while about who least wants (hypothetically of course) to sleep with the other, and then Laura's skirt catching alight ends the discussion in a rather intimate fashion! But the brilliant close to this scene as the two are in an impromptu, fire-smothering embrace on the floor, is that the camera angle pans back to the table, where Max's first page is burning up. We are now allowed to see that the first line was actually on the page. As Max said, maybe he did mean every word he said. All of them.
I agree that some of the plot lines were fairly messy, especially Felix's trial. Having said that, Felix was a welcome presence in the episode: the use of his fire-dancing as a linking device between scenes was really great, and he was amazing at using those sticks! I haven't talked about Meredith and Harold's dinner with the Jellys; but it was very well acted; particularly by Harold and Heather. Harold's dignity was remarkable, as he explained to Bob how his love for Meredith wasn't 'little', wasn't 'tawdry' . . . and Meredith's expression was beautiful.
Essentially, it all comes down to passion. Miranda and Felix had a casual fling, felt fulfilled, and move on. Kevin and Phrani commit to each other, choose intimacy, start with foot massages and intend to keep upgrading. By contrast, Max and Laura don't know where they stand. I thought the final scene in the bar was great: with the sparklers on and the lights out, the two stared across the room at each other. For everyone else, the cool change has arrived, but their problems have only just started!
© 1999 Lyn
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