Outside Edge (1994–1996)
7/10
Happy Families
4 December 2020
This is a series that I watched so long I had forgotten all about it at a loose end, I decided to catch up with it from the beginning.

It's set amoung the frankly bucolic environs of the home counties and cricket, one of the remaining male bastions.

With their other half's, left doing the matches catering.

We have two couples the Dervish's Miriam and Roger, and the Costello's Maggie and Kevin.

On the face of it the Dervish's are a fairly typical close knit unit, but once you scratch the surface you can start to ascertain that's not necessarily the case.

Roger is a control freak who likes to imagine that he is in sole charge, but in reality he enjoys lumbering Miriam with responsibilities.

When anything goes awry Roger has someone to blame, and he never misses an opportunity to berate her.

The reality that if he, actually bothered to give her a thought. Let alone a helping hand matters may have worked out, never appears to occur to him at all.

Miriam is the sweet unassuming character, that has become accustomed to her lot in life. She is someone Roger never fails to take advantage of, and never hears a single word she says.

The Costello's on the other hand appear to be a thoroughly miss-matched pair, but they actually gell fairly well in their own manner.

Maggie who is good with her hands and appears to be, the one doing all the odd jobs and maintenance.

Kevin is the one with the culinary interests and aspirations, who is in his elements when slaving over the stove.

Any thoughts that Miriam and Maggie could possibly be able to relate to one another, let alone have things in common may appear preposterous.

But when circumstances involving their ridiculous other half's, conspire against them they are flung together.

A fair amount of the story lines revolves around cricket, as indeed apparently does Roger's whole existence.

He is the local team captain, and takes every opportunity to let it known to all and sundry.

Roger's ego is such that he deludes himself, with the notion that everything revolves around him.

Whereas far from being the oil that lubricates the gears, Roger provides the grit that gums up the works.
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