Marion & Geoff - Series 2 [DVD] [2000]

The second series of Marion & Geoff had an awful lot to live up to. That it might be as good as the mini masterpieces of pathos (and bathos) that made up the first series was all any viewer could reasonably expect; that it actually surpasses them is testament to the achievement of cowriters Rob Brydon and Hugo Blick. These six episodes (plus an hour-long special on the second disc) provide a window into an all-too-painfully familiar world of betrayal, deceit and family disintegration, as seen through the eternally optimistic eyes of Keith, a man who against all the evidence of his own senses somehow manages to retain his respect for the dignity of human nature.

Keith has put his mini-cab days behind him, and is now gainfully employed as a chauffeur to a wealthy American family. In between his duties delivering the young boy to school--and dodging the family's two Dobermans on the lawn--Keith unwittingly forms a personal bond with the boy's mother, Catherine. Slowly Keith is awakened to the truth about her unhappiness, and the activities of her wayward husband Peter, a self-proclaimed film producer much given to auditioning young actresses on his casting couch. Simultaneously, relations with Marion and his "little smashers" are improving, thanks to regular family meetings at motorway service stations. Mirroring events with his employers, Marion and Geoff are heading for trouble too, though once again Keith is the last person to realise what's really going on. Poignant personal revelations follow, leaving Keith with a surprisingly difficult choice at the end.

As before, the joy in Brydon's deadpan monologues to camera as he drives around the streets of London is not what he tells you, but what is revealed by implication. A disastrous night out with Geoff and Peter, for example, contrasts their vicious, self-serving natures with Keith's naive, almost heroic good nature: in a quandary about parking in a disabled space he remarks tellingly, "I'm not disabled, I'm disadvantaged." Marion & Geoff turns out to be a celebration of modest decency in the midst of a painfully cynical world.

On the DVD: The six episodes are presented on the first disc, though unlike Series 1 there's no commentary. On the second disc is the hour-long special episode "A Small Summer Party", in which we see in heartbreaking detail the day when Keith found out about Marion and Geoff (and we finally get to see the famous couple, with Geoff played by a not entirely unexpected guest star). --Mark Walker

Keith, the lovable loser and eternal optimist, returns with more cheery diary updates, from behind the wheel of his car. He may no longer be with Marion, but he’s nothing if not understanding:
"In an ideal world, I’d give Marion a call, but it wouldn’t be right … It wouldn’t be legal either …"

An ‘accident’ has led to Marion being awarded solo custody of his sons and the relationship is still fragile. But things are definitely on the up for Keith. He’s now a chauffeur to an American film producer’s young son, drives a smart new car – "nicer than anywhere I’ve ever lived" – and wears a uniform that he thinks makes him look like Richard Gere. And although his first meeting with his ‘little smashers’ in more than two years was scuppered when Keith pulled into the wrong side of the motorway service station, he was at least able to see the car’s tail lights leaving …

• A Small Summer Party the Director’s Cut version of this special 60-minute film with guest appearance by Steve Coogan

DVD Technical Information:

• Region Code: 2, 4
  
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  
• Audio: Stereo
  
• Running Time: 168 mins approx.
  
• Subtitles: English SDH

"Brydon’s solo performance is as unbearably honest, touching and as revealing of the strength of human spirit as ever. A masterpiece"

It's been 2 years, 6 months and 3 days since Keith Barrett saw his little smashers and thanks to Social Services, he's all set for a happy family reunion. Keith isn't a cab driver any more, he's now a chauffeur.