Just Good Friends (1983) s02e07 Episode Script

1 What would you say If I told you things had never changed and We'll find a way To take our dreams and rearrange them? Who would believe That we could be in love again? So let's just pretend That you and me can be Just good friends There you go, Pen.
Oh.
Thank you.
- You should've started without me.
- Hmm? Oh, no, I've finished.
Finished? You haven't touched it.
I've had some.
Oh, there's a boiled mushroom missing from that side of the plate.
I don't feel like eating, don't go on about it.
OK.
Don't forget it's Lennie and Angie's engagement party this Saturday.
What? Oh.
Oh yes.
- I bought them a present from us.
- Good.
I got them a pound of grapes.
Fine.
Instead of making our ways separately to the party, come round the flat.
- OK.
- For the weekend.
All right.
- To a very special day.
- What's so special about it? I suppose you're right, it's an average day.
Get up in the morning, bit of breakfast, get divorced, go to lunch.
So Graham and I were divorced this morning, that hardly makes it a special day.
I thought you'd be happy.
I am happy.
Blissfully happy.
I can see that, now.
You haven't the faintest idea how I feel.
- Of course I have.
- All right, how? - What? - Tell me how I feel.
Well, blissfully happy.
(Sighs) I feel numb.
Yeah.
Blissfully happy and a bit numb.
That courtroom was like an operating theatre.
You're wheeled in for a local anaesthetic, the solicitor's mumble their ritual incantations, the judge signs a piece of paper, and that's it, a piece of your life is amputated.
People are eating, Pen.
It's just like having a bunion removed.
That's exactly what happened, Pen.
You had a bunion removed.
Graham.
The biggest bunion you're ever likely to meet.
- He wasn't that bad.
- Come on, after all you said about him? We had our good times.
- Name one.
- Well, we There's no need to push me into a corner.
Recently he's gone out of his way to help me.
How's that? The company offered me the chance to do that management training course - I told you about it.
- Yeah, you told me about it.
I found out yesterday that Graham was the one who recommended me.
My boss and he are members of the same club.
It was a nice gesture, particularly as we were due to get divorced.
No, it wasn't, Pen.
Stop and think about it.
This course would mean you'd have to go away.
Graham wasn't trying to help your career, he was trying to break us up.
No.
You're judging him too harshly.
It's not me judging him too harshly, it's you looking for excuses.
You're too nice, Pen, that's your trouble.
That guy used you like an emotional punch bag.
You weren't married, you were just shadow boxing and look at you now.
Your emotions are doing the Ali shuffle.
Well, it's over now, Pen, you won, so sit back and enjoy the victory.
I'd better drink this wine, then.
I've got an interview with Harry Carpenter in a minute.
- Well, you know what I mean.
- Yes, I know what you mean.
It's just that I find the whole thing such an anti-climax.
I'd gone to the court prepared for a fight.
I expected Graham to be his usual, vindictive self, but he said nothing.
There was just one moment, a split second when our eyes met, and his lips seemed to move very slightly.
It may have been a smile, it could have been a silent burp, or maybe he was trying to say something, I don't know.
If I was a gambling man, I'd plump for the burp.
I felt for him.
I got the impression that he was hurt, but refusing to show it.
I remember, once I saw a pigeon that had broken its wing, been hit by a car, it just sat on the pavement unable to move, unable to fly, it just sat there waiting for waiting for its fate, I suppose.
That's how Graham seemed, it was as if I'd broken his wing, and he was just waiting for Well, whatever.
Oh, look, I'm sorry, I Vince! Oh, absolutely, Pen.
- Absolutely what? - Well, I agree.
I was saying that once I saw a pigeon that had broken its wing Don't talk about that sort of thing.
I squashed a hedgehog, once.
It was horrible.
- What do those things eat? - I really don't know.
Vince, will you do something for me? - Name it.
- Will you ask me to marry you? Well, I asked you before and you laughed in my face.
Yes, I know, I'm sorry.
Ask me again.
Please.
All right.
- Penny? - Yes.
Will you marry me? Oh, good one, Pen.
I didn't see that one coming.
I'm sorry, I just needed cheering up.
Yeah, I understand.
Thank you.
- Well? - Oh.
Sorry? - You haven't answered my question.
- What? Will you marry me? - Oh, what er you really meant it? - Yeah.
Oh, hell.
This is a bit unexpected.
Sorry.
Well, take your time.
Look, Vince, after what happened last time That was 1978, Pen, a long time ago.
Things are different now.
I've always felt that we were meant for this, haven't you? Yes.
So? - I'd like to think about it.
- Fine.
I don't want to rush into something as important as this, you do understand? Oh, yes.
Yes.
How long will you need? As soon as I reach my decision, you'll be the first to know.
Thank you.
Don't you forget now.
Mm-mm.
I won't.
Try to be patient.
Of course.
Cow.
(Penny) 'I couldn't wear white.
'I'm a divorced woman, Vince and I have 'Well, I just couldn't wear white.
'I'd have to have a special wedding dress made.
'White with red polka dots.
' Oh, cheer up, darling.
What is it? You seem to be preoccupied.
No, I'm fine, honestly.
Are you worried about this training scheme? Because if it's worrying you, don't do it.
No, it's not that.
Well, what is it? Is it the divorce? - Vince has proposed.
- Who to? Me.
Oh.
I see.
Daddy, don't be like that.
I haven't said yes.
Even if I do, he's not as bad as certain people would have you believe.
It's not that.
I'm just wondering how I'm going to pay for it.
Oh! I see.
Don't worry, if we do decide to get married, Vince and I can pay for it.
No, I'll pay for it, after all, I paid for all your other weddings.
Wedding? Whose wedding? Er, well (Clears his throat) - Penny and Vincent's.
- Vince has asked me to marry him.
I don't believe I'm hearing this.
After what that beast did to you, you're still considering it.
That's all, I'm just considering it.
I don't think my blood pressure would stand the humiliation.
It'll be your third wedding in seven years.
I'm the last person to need reminding about that.
What are you trying to do, break my heart or Elizabeth Taylor's record? I've only actually been married once.
Because you were left at the altar by the man you're now proposing to marry.
So he failed once, isn't he allowed a second chance? We're talking about marriage, Penelope, not the driving test.
I think we should discuss the situation calmly.
Do you think the rest of the family will take it calmly? Yet another present for Penny.
Some of them have opened accounts at Argos.
Oh God.
You've had more wedding presents than Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
I've not said I'm getting married, I'm merely thinking about it.
It isn't an easy decision.
My future hangs in the balance.
I can either accept the company's offer, build a career, travel, have total fulfilment and enjoyment of life, or I can marry Vince.
- What are you going to do? - I haven't decided yet.
Norman, will you speak to her? (Sighs) You do whatever you think best, darling.
Keep out of this, Norman.
How can you give up this opportunity? I wish I could live abroad.
- Don't you, Norman? - Yes, dear.
What can Vincent Pinner possibly offer you compared with seeing the world and having a future? Silly little things like, being with the person you most want to be with.
- Do you understand? - No.
It's every young girl's dream.
Oh, Mummy.
I'm not a young girl.
I'll be 29 next birthday.
You think of me as a female Peter Pan, a child trapped in an adult's body.
I'll be 29 next birthday, after that comes 30.
There are things I'd like in life, other than just travelling to companies in Europe.
Things like, well children.
I'd like to have them while I'm young to avoid those special tests.
I understand what you're saying, darling, but you can do both.
You can go on the course, attain management level, and then adopt.
I think I'd rather try for my own, if it's all the same with you.
Why didn't you have any with Graham? Now this is getting rather personal, Daphne.
It just didn't work out for Graham and me.
We tried a couple of times, but, well You have to try harder than that.
I simply do not understand how you can consider marrying an animal like Thing, two days after divorcing the most wonderful man in your life.
Graham was everything you could want in a man.
He was kind, considerate and loving.
I've never seen you so happy as when you were with him.
Even when you had that silly nervous breakdown, what did Graham do? He took you to the town where he was born.
I didn't know you've been to Bethlehem, darling.
If you can't say something sensible, then keep out of it.
What kind of a future would you have with Thing? He's an idle, itinerant worker drifting from job to job, always on the edge of legality.
An ice-cream vendor, second-hand car salesman and now a bookie.
One day, Vince will inherit the family business.
That's something to look forward to, isn't it? One day, your husband will manage a few scrap metal yards.
No, he won't.
He intends to sell them.
How much will he get? Well, according to his father, at the last audit they were valued at two and a half million pounds.
Two and a half million? Yes.
Well, I've said everything I'm going to say.
You must do as you think fit, darling.
Norman, could I have a quiet word with you? Right away, dear.
(Hums a tune) (Sighs) Hello, Pen.
Hi.
Hmm.
- Ooh, hang this up for me, will you? - Yeah.
(Yawns) Oh, God, the traffic's even worse tonight.
(Sighs) - Drink? - Mmm.
I'd love a gin and tonic.
Vince, do you mind if I ask you something? What's that? Why have you got a hairdryer hanging around your neck? - My lucky charm.
- (Penny giggles) - Can I ask you something? - Fire away.
- What you doing here? - What am I? You invited me over for the weekend.
For the weekend, this is Friday.
Friday is the weekend.
No, Pen, Saturday's the weekend.
I finish work on a Friday evening.
That, to me, is the weekend.
I finish work on a Saturday evening, that, to me, is the weekend.
Oh.
Absolutely perfect.
I'm a day early.
Never mind, Pen, makes a change.
I'm not driving home now, it's chaos out on those roads.
- No problem, stay here.
- Oh, thank you.
- Going out, are we? - No.
Er, why the blazer and the tie and all the smellies? Er, we're not going out, I'm going out.
You're going out and I've got to stay alone? Erm, yes, that seems to sum it up nicely, Pen.
Oh, well, that's just charming.
It's Lennie's stag night.
Oh yes, I forgot, sorry.
His stag night? But he's only getting engaged.
Well, you know him, Penny, likes to celebrate every milestone.
- You'll be all right? - Don't worry about me, Vince.
I'm sure I'll find something to while away the hours.
Most probably knit myself a shawl.
(Sighs) All right, Pen.
I won't go.
I didn't really mean it.
Didn't ya? Good.
- Where are you going? - Only to the local pub.
I don't know what it's called, it's erm - It's over there, somewhere.
- Well, have a nice time.
I shouldn't think so, just a few of us going, Lennie, Me, Stan, Laurence, a few of the others.
Probably be boring.
I'm sure you'll find something to amuse yourselves.
Maybe.
Well, I shouldn't be late, about 11 or just gone.
I'll see you when I see you.
Right.
I could stop off at the Bamboo House and get us a takeaway.
They do those special vegetarian dishes.
Lovely.
Get you a nice egg foo yung.
Mm-hm.
- Bye, then.
- Right, well, bye.
See you about 11-ish.
- OK.
Enjoy yourself.
- Right.
Are you threatening me? No, just get out of here, will you? Bye, Pen.
See you about 11.
Bye.
- Morning, guv'nor.
Here's your papers.
- Sh! What time's your watch say? Six o'clock.
Yeah, so does mine.
Cheers.
(Sighs) (Vince) 'She's not gonna be too happy about this.
'And I forgot the takeaway.
'Six o'clock in the morning.
'I mean, six o'clock in the morning.
'Think positive, Pinner, 'six o'clock in the morning is better than seven o'clock.
'It's not as good as 11 o'clock last night, but' Tell her the truth.
Where's her coat? Her case is gone as well.
Pinner, why do you do these things? You're a fool to yourself.
(sighs heavily) 'Wait a minute, I'll call her later.
The car broke down.
'RAC worked on it all night.
' Yeah, that'll do nicely.
(Vince exclaims) It's six o'clock in the morning.
Yeah.
I couldn't sleep, Pen, thought I might as well do us a breakfast.
(sighs) Disgusting.
Pen.
I got home from work and you'd gone.
I got bored sitting alone, so I went home.
I see.
Drink? No thanks.
I'll finish this, then we'll go to the party.
- What time did you get home? - Me? Yes.
Oh, let me see, it must have been gone twelve, I had a spot of bother with the car.
I sat up till half-past five in the morning waiting for you.
I hadn't been in bed long when you came in.
Six o'clock.
Like I said, it was gone twelve.
Lennie, not me, Lennie wanted to go to a nightclub.
I said, "Lennie, I don't want to go.
" But you know how insistent he can be and I thought, "It is his night.
" I was worried.
You should have let me know.
I'm not concerned that you went to a nightclub, I hope you enjoyed yourself.
As it happens, I didn't.
Still, never mind, eh? - Should we go? - Why did you take that girl home? (Sighs) - Who told you? - You just did.
Oh.
This was all a bluff.
- I suppose you could call it that.
- It's not what you're thinking.
- I can explain.
- Oh, I just bet you can.
- When will you learn to trust me? - Trust you? You spend the night Just forget it, Vince.
It doesn't matter anymore.
Why didn't you mention it this morning? I was trying to pretend it hadn't happened.
- What do you mean? - I lie to myself.
It's an art I've perfected over the years, a self-preservation technique.
I used to be able to convince myself of anything.
Day was night, black was white.
You were telling the truth.
Anything.
Since my divorce it doesn't seem to be working so well.
What's your divorce got to do with it? I've realised that for the first time in, I don't know how long, I'm free.
- But cheer up, not for long.
- Sorry? We're getting married soon, aren't we? Right, well, there's no rush.
No hurry.
Vincent, we're not getting married in the near or distant future.
- We're not getting married, full stop.
- What are you trying to say? I'm trying to say that I'm not marrying you.
I've reached my decision and the answer is no.
Come on, I've told everyone now.
You had no right to tell them, you'll just have to un-tell them.
- How do I do that? - It's easy, Vince, I had to do it once, remember? Oh, I see what this is all about.
This is just revenge.
No, it isn't revenge.
If I'd wanted revenge, I'd have married you.
Well, tell me why? Because you're a thoughtless, insensitive, selfish, worthless, faithless bastard, that's why.
Is that the only reason? No.
I don't love you.
Oh.
No.
No.
That's not true.
Not entirely true.
Come on, Pen, somethings bothering you, I can tell.
It's just that things are different this time.
Something's missing.
What do you mean "somethings missing"? I mean I mean something's missing, that's what I mean.
Well, what is this thing that's missing? Whatever it is, it isn't there anymore.
I don't believe this.
- Please, don't, Vince.
- I'm sorry, I don't understand.
(Sighs) Last night, while I was waiting for you in the flat, I found all the old love letters that I'd written to you years ago.
- I didn't think you'd kept them.
- Of course I did, Pen.
- Did you keep mine? - Yes.
It's in my jewellery box.
I read those letters over and over again.
Every line, every word, every semicolon.
Then I had the strangest feeling.
Although it was my handwriting, my address, my name, I didn't write them.
- You mean, you got a friend to? - No.
I wrote them, but it was the me then, not the me now, do you see? - Absolutely.
- Vince, there's no one else.
- Of course there isn't.
- There's no one else in my life.
Oh, I know that, Pen.
Actually, that's not entirely true, there is someone else.
Who? - Me.
- What are you talking about? For most of my adult life, I have been part of or belonged to another person.
First, it was my mother, then you, then Graham, now you again.
I think like a couple, I call myself "us".
Huh! For the last ten years I've done nothing but think and care about other people, and how do they repay me? Graham sees me as a disloyal charlady.
To you, I'm just another ornament for your flat.
My mother thinks I'm Bonnie Langford.
From now on, I put myself first.
I look after number one.
- Don't start getting selfish, Pen.
- Oh, you! Ooh! We're not going to the party, then? - Yes.
Well, I'm not, at least.
- I don't think I'll bother, either.
- I can tell you now.
- Tell me what? - About last night.
- I don't want to hear about it.
Pen, will you listen to me, please? I drove a girl home last night, but there were three people in that car.
Me driving and Lennie and the girl in the back.
Lennie took her home? From 2:30 to 5:30, I was sat in my car outside a hotel in Victoria waiting for Lennie.
- God! How could he? - Beats me.
He was getting engaged the following day.
I know.
I couldn't leave him in London, it's a dangerous place to be in the early hours.
Why didn't you tell me earlier? It's not the thing you spread around on the way to a guy's engagement party.
- Why didn't you call me? - I tried to.
All the phone boxes had been vandalized.
I see.
Fine.
Is it all better now? Why not? Because something's missing.
We're not back to that again? - What is this thing? - I can't put a word to it.
- What does it look like? - Don't make me cry, you fat rat.
Describe it, I might be able to pick one up at Uni-Parts.
All right.
I'll describe it to you.
It's a bit like looking forward, rather than back.
It's a bit like believing that you're someone.
And it's a lot like needing, really needing.
That's what's missing.
Pen, do you love me? - Isn't that enough? - Not anymore.
(Sighs) All right.
Forget about the wedding, we'll carry on as before.
- It's no good, it's been said.
- Pretend it hasn't been said.
I just want to finish it.
I'm not going to let you walk away cos something stupid's missing.
I'll come round your house every night, I'll phone your office every day.
I won't be there, I'm going away on that course.
- "Away"? Are you going abroad? - Europe.
Well, Europe's abroad.
- Britain's in Europe now.
- Oh, so you're staying in Britain? No, I'm going abroad.
Brussels or Paris, I'm not sure yet.
Suppose you're hoping for Brussels being a vegetarian? I'd prefer Paris, it's nearer to To home.
Well, this is the first day of the rest of my life.
What a bloody rotten start.
Wait a minute, Pen, look, I can change, I'm trying hard.
I mean, I hardly drink anymore.
I hardly drink any less either.
Let's talk about it.
There's no point, I've made up my mind, I'm going.
Don't look at me like that, you remind me of Bambi.
I feel like Bambi, that poor little sod got left as well.
Come on.
I know you.
In a couple of days, you'll meet another girl who'll cheer you up.
It won't be you, Pen.
She won't look at me with your eyes.
She won't kick me in the shins when I annoy her.
She won't put semicolons in her love letters.
I'll never meet anyone else who puts semicolons in love letters.
Look, at least could we meet from time to time? It'll only make things worse.
- I'll come over and visit you.
- Don't.
- I'll start smoking again.
- Vince! I'll phone, be your pen pal.
(Sobs) Please, don't do this to me.
I love you, Pen.
Shut up! Let me walk away.
Oh, be fair, Vince, I've never done anything to hurt you.
Tell my shin that.
Pen? Do you remember that Do you remember that film we drove to Hampstead to see? (Sniffs) Which film? That French rubbish you wanted to see about the penniless artist and the girl who was his model, then he went to Paris to make his fortune and she got tuberculosis.
Oh, yes, you mean 'Couleur de Rose'.
Yeah, that was her name.
You remember the promise they made to each other as they parted? Yes.
No.
What? They agreed to meet one One year, from that day, on the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Don't you see, Pen, you'll be in Paris.
- We'd never make it, Vince.
- We would.
They did.
They didn't.
Don't you remember the end? She died in the lift on the way up and he threw himself off the top.
- You laughed.
- Well, it's only a film, Pen.
Listen, Vince, you know when you go to the cinema and you arrive in the middle of the main film.
So you see it through to the end.
And then you watch the commercials and a travelogue, then the main film starts again.
There comes a point where you've seen it all before.
That's how I feel.
This is where I came in.
And this is where you get out? Before the last bus goes.
I'll phone you, sometime.
Goodbye.