‘COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Series 2 of ‘Fawlty Towers’ begins with one of my favourite episodes! This is the one that features Mrs Richards, an annoying, deaf old lady who comes to stay at the hotel. Basil finds Mrs. Richard frustrating, especially when she keeps demanding things and when she keeps saying “What?!” a lot.
Joan Sanderson guest stars as Mrs. Richards in the episode. She delivers a superb performance as the annoying, deaf old lady. I enjoyed every scene with her when she’s with Basil, Manuel and Polly. I really enjoyed that scene of miscommunication between Mrs. Richards and Manuel from the start.
Also in the episode, Basil wins some money on a horse called Dragonfly. He tries to keep it a secret from Sybil in order for her not to know that he won some money on a horse. This he fails terribly, especially when he asks the Major to look after the money for him and the Major’s in his own world.
It also turns out that Mrs. Richards has lost some money in her room. When the Major reveals he has Basil’s money, Sybil believes it’s Mrs. Richards’ money instead. It was very funny when Basil went all panic-stricken. He attempts to explain that the money is his to Mrs. Richards, but she won’t listen.
Another of my favourite moments in the episode is when Basil tries to tell Manuel that he ‘knows nothing’ in order to keep his winnings on the horse a secret from Sybil. But when Basil asks Manuel to tell the truth about the money to Mrs. Richards, Manuel says the famous line. “I know nothing!” 🙂
This episode features the debut appearance of Brian Hall as Terry the chef at Fawlty Towers. Terry would become a regular character for the rest of the series, even though he doesn’t have a regular cast credit. Terry is a smart, laid-back, cockney chef who does his job well. He’s likeable all around. 🙂
I found that scene funny where Basil helped Polly out with remembering what the name of the horse was when standing behind Sybil. Basil is almost triumphant in having his money back before the Major reveals all in front of Sybil. Mrs. Richard’s beautiful vase is smashed to pieces in the process. 🙂
‘Communication Problems’ is one of my favourites and is one of the best from the series. Mrs. Richards stands out well for me in this episode and it was so funny to see how she became annoying through her deafness to everyone else around her. It was also funny how Basil interacted with her. 🙂
On Disc 2 of the ‘Fawlty Towers – The Complete Collection Remastered’ DVD, there are two audio commentaries on ‘Communication Problems’. There’s an audio commentary with director Bob Spiers and there’s an audio commentary with John Cleese.
‘Communication Problems’ rating – 10/10
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