As Time Goes By: Difference between revisions

Line 7:

The series also focuses also on the adventures of Judith, Jean's daughter, Sandy, her secretary who eventually comes to live with them, and Alistair, Lionel's wealthy and flamboyant publisher. The three "young people", as they are sometimes called, provide much preoccupation for Jean, who enjoys managing their love lives, and much hilarity for the audience. Judith and Alistair, after being on and off for nine years, finally get married in the final series of the show. Sandy, who moves in with the Hardcastle/Pargetter clan after a bad break-up, starts dating a policeman named Harry, whom she eventually accompanies to Canada. Adding extra sparkle to the show are Lionel's father and stepmother Rocky and Madge, an older couple, though in their 80s, constantly remaining young at heart, and their housekeeper Mrs. Bale, a Mrs. Danvers-esque figure who is somewhat obsessed with the shipping forecast.

The series lasted from January, 1992 to December, 2005. It consists of nine seasons of 30 minute episodes and two reunion specials. Came twenty-ninth in ''[[Britain's Best Sitcom ~~(TV)~~|Britains Best Sitcom]]''.

The series lasted from January, 1992 to December, 2005. It consists of nine seasons of 30 minute episodes and two reunion specials. Came twenty-ninth in ''[[Britain's Best Sitcom|Britains Best Sitcom]]''.

* [[Adaptation Decay]]: The adaptation of Lionel's book is an in-universe example.

Line 37:

* [[Orphaned Punchline]]: Lionel's "I got so excited I fell off my perch" joke that several people convince him to omit during his best man speech at his father's wedding. He says it's about a parrot with no legs, but the full joke is never revealed to the audience. Just as well since the humor is in the [[Chirping Crickets]] reaction it invariably receives.

* [[Picnic Episode]]: "The Picnic"

* [[Put On a Bus]]: A [[Real Life Writes the Plot]] example. The actress who plays Madge passed away before the reunion special.

* [[Put on a Bus]]: A [[Real Life Writes the Plot]] example. The actress who plays Madge passed away before the reunion special.

* [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: "As Time Goes By", as sung by Joe Fagin.

* [[Sassy Secretary]]: Sandy is definitely sassy, often gossiping with Judy about Jean's PL (personal life), and offering sage dating advice to her boss. She gets away with it because of her warm heart and skill at her job.

Line 53:

* [[Wacky Guy]]: Alistair is a millionaire publisher who is often completely incomprehensible to the other characters, using words like "hype," "mega," and "hey, hey, hey." He also seems to know just about everyone worth knowing, and often offers to help Lionel get dinner reservations or redecorate his apartment.

** Case in point, when Alistair overhears Judy wishing for a [[Knight in Shining Armor]], he appears the next day ''in full armor, on horseback''.

* [[What Happened to ~~The~~ Mouse?]]: During the third series, Lionel learns his father, Rocky, is terminally ill and is not expected to last out the year. He apparently got better, because eleven years later he was still around for the reunion special, and suffering no apparent effects from his illness.

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: During the third series, Lionel learns his father, Rocky, is terminally ill and is not expected to last out the year. He apparently got better, because eleven years later he was still around for the reunion special, and suffering no apparent effects from his illness.

** Although this could be logically explained if you assume the doctor on the other end of the line is the same doctor who made Mrs. Bale and Lionel feel absolutely rotten in one latter-season episode; if he could make Mrs. Bale feel like a used-up old rag (instead of feeling general exhaustion) and Lionel feel like he's on his last legs (instead of suffering from a minor illness), he could certainly convince Lionel that his father was close to his death bed (instead of going through a major but completely recoverable illness).

* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: There was some question as to whether Judy and Alistair would get together. The two [[On Again Off Again|ping-ponged from dating to fighting]] to just friends, and after one offer to move in and two proposals scattered throughout the series, the two finally tie the knot in the final season.