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Back to have a go at this season starting with this...

For the second season there is a slight change to the familiar title sequence which still features the same worthy, relaxed, period specific theme tune from composer Alexander Faris. Yes we have the same introductory large field of green wheat crop in the English countryside. However when the camera slowly pans up to the sky the rays of sunshine give way to an RFC aircraft initially viewed close from its underside before swinging round and then fading briefly to show two aircraft in close proximity. This is slowly replaced by the sky full of white fluffy clouds onto which the oval circular portrait shots of Tim Woodward (Alan Farmer), Nicholas Jones (Captain Triggers) and Michael Cochrane (Lieutenant Gaylion) feature in fairly leisurely succession before being replaced by the RFC emblem and ‘WINGS’ caption. Supporting regular cast members plus the episode title and writer then appear against stock footage of aircraft flying close to the ground with the occupants gesturing to each other about what they have seen below them. The title sequence concludes with the plane safely landed. Just like the first season this (subtitles available) DVD title of the second run of this pleasing series offers the same type of looped main menu where you can either play the entire content or select an episode (approx 50 mins per instalment). At each episode selection you’ll find titled chapter points and like before that’s what I’ll be using when talking about this season.

Right now down to the episodes themselves and kicking off with this...

<<< (01) >>> FORWARD ACTION (by Barry Thomas)
1. ‘New Man’ – We are back in the air once more as in the first sequence of this Season Two opener a photography mission over the Hun lines results in the tragic loss of pilot Simmons. Naturally there is the usual subdued atmosphere back at the C Flight mess although despite this Lieutenant Gaylion courteously converses with new recruit Julian Cornblow. Whilst acknowledging the youngsters keen attitude to get into the air and on to his first mission he conveys a level of understandable caution regarding dealing with the Hun eindeckers. They are soon joined by Squadron Commander Major MacAdam whom is personified with a level of suitable of sour disposition by Simon Cadell. Although agreeing that Cornblow lacks significant flight experience he supports the later cautious decision to use him on a reconnaissance mission by Captain Triggers his reasoning being that C Flight is under strength by four pilots and seven observers. This first chapter also features Captain Triggers and his observer Bravington engaging in flight combat whilst with the Hun.

2. ‘Flying long recon’ – This chapter features a worthy exchange of views between Captain Triggers and Major MacAdam with the latter comparing the aircrew of C Flight to ‘sitting ducks with a ruffled set of feathers boiling to fight back and not having the means to’. So what of Alan Farmer I hear you ask well we switch to a wooded glade in the Becket’s Hill countryside where he and Lorna are engaged in a playful game of hide and seek. Lorna of course is feeling rather sad that there is now only one days leave before her fiancée flies back to France. They pause briefly by a tree where, indicating their long term loving relationship, the viewer can clearly see carved into the wood a heart containing their initials. Meanwhile back in the Farmer household kitchen we find unexpectedly that Harry has elected on pursuing ‘a new life’ away from Molly. This indeed feels like a surprise considering the relationship that was developing between the characters in the latter stages of the first season. In the nearby village of Burley Woods Harry elects to join the workforce of a factory making shells for aircraft thereby doing his bit for the war effort voluntarily before likely enforced conscription is brought in. Later with the kitchen to themselves Alan gives an engagement ring to Lorna with the promise that ‘on his next leave’ they will get married. Naturally Lorna is delighted with this however Alan played for this piece of jewellery with the sale of his prized motorcycle. The chapter concludes with Harry giving Alan a wide large curved metal object which Alan soon surmises can obviously be used as a bulletproof seat!

3. ‘General’s visit’ – For the first time in the series we get to see, in this chapter, the Hun base at Templeware which not too dissimilar to that which we see our regulars operating from. The main aspect of this chapter is a visit from the General Officer commanding the Flying Corps whom we see riding in a prestigious motorcar along a country lane in the French countryside. He happens to pass Alan Farmer whom is returning to C Flight after his period of leave. Rather astonished he stands to attention, salutes and then accepts a lift in the vehicle. As they trundle into the base officers and enlisted personnel rush around to move into lined up standing at attention position relative to the General. Naturally Alan Farmer allows himself a moment to convey a mild smirk across his face as Bravington and Gaylion see him sitting in the car next to the General. Daily events are tinged with sadness as Major MacAdam fails to return from a combative mission. Captain Triggers then takes it upon himself to fly off and, employing his late superiors plan, engage the Hun in a seemingly reckless head-to-head combative manoeuvre. This indeed proves foolhardy as there is a mid-air collision leaving the Captain to limp back to the C Flight field and an emergency landing in plain sight of the General.

4. ‘Fighting talk’ – With the General and his aid in close attendance we learn in Captain Triggers office that the days of reconnaissance for C Flight seem to be over. The new policy is for the RFC to primarily engage in fighting and distracting tactics against the Hun, something that will render the use of observers redundant. So what is the reaction to this news by Captain Triggers? Well with a gleeful twinkle in the eye he turns to Sergeant Mills and puzzlingly says that ‘you and I are going to Paris’ which he says is ‘to partake of a little of what the French are famous for!’ There is a nice quiet moment in the flight hanger between Farmer and Gaylion where the Sergeant asks the Lieutenant if he would consider to be his best man at his forthcoming wedding. Later we see Bravington about to join two observer colleagues in a car ready to take them away from the base. However just as they are about to depart Captain Triggers returns from his Paris trip and states that there will be occasion when this new aggressive stance will be suspended for occasional additional missions and for that he will need an observer. Considering Bravington to be his best the Captain finds himself waving his colleagues a fond farewell before suddenly realising that his kit bag is in the departing vehicle leading to a comic end of scene rush after the departing car. Before he speaks with Bravington Triggers instructs the engineers present to fit the new aircraft engine he’d acquired on his trip to Paris to be fitted, as quickly as possible to one of their planes.

5. ‘The monoplane’ – Captain Triggers elects to be the pilot to test the new engine through a series of excessive manoeuvres over the skies of the base (employing some rather dizzying aerial filming!) and although feeling rather reluctant to watch there is rapt curious attention from Farmer, Gaylion and Bravington as to how their Flight Commander will handle the refitted aircraft. Naturally this test flight is a success and after Farmer’s idea of a new mounting for the gun is approved Captain Triggers’ attention shifts to the physical condition of those under his command. It transpires that the company clerk Sergeant Mills is interested in his personal fitness and therefore he becomes the C Flight physical exercise instructor. I thought if a tad amusing to see him and other regulars in their underwear engaged in early morning ‘jumping jacks’ exercise with Mills taking a moment to encourage Gaylion to put a little more energy into his participation. One of the last sequences of this story finds Alan Farmer in the new engine and machine gun equipped aircraft flying over the Hun base and engaging one of their aircraft. It’s evident through shots inflicted in the air and then later when the pilot returns to his base and shows a colleague the holes in his jacket that their adversary have gained an advantage. With the indication of a more aggressive, combative role for C Flight there is indeed a subtle change of stance for this second season however the series maintains its pleasing link with Becket’s Hill. A pleasing start to this run of stories.

...and of the other episode I watched last week from the first disc...

<<< (02) >>> ZEPPELIN (by Gidley Wheeler)
1. ‘The Eindecker’ – We open with Molly walking along a countryside lane when she hears a sound from above. She looks up and out of the trees the clear sight of a large airship fills the sky. Rushing back to her home she incredulously conveys what she has seen to Lorna. Later in the chapter she looks through the blacksmith accounts and picks up Tom for his inaccuracies in bookkeeping. Meanwhile Farmer has a less than successful aerial reconnaissance mission which results in fairly disparaging opinions about the usefulness of the photos he has taken by Bravington and Gaylion back at base. Major Lancing visits once more to gain an update regarding C Flight’s ‘forward action’ initiative against the Hun Eindeckers but then asks that Triggers forgets this for the moment. The Captain is naturally incredulous about this however the new task would affect the outcome of a forthcoming headquarters meeting where the complete reorganisation of the naval air service and the flying corps into one single operation. Although at this point not directed mentioned it seems clear that the letter which the Major hands Triggers conveys the idea of using C Flight to attack and destroy a Zeppelin.

2. ‘Bombing practice’ – Alan Farmer gains a new bunkmate in his billeted tent in the form of seasoned veteran Sergeant Don Hollywake, an opinionated individual whom since joining up in May of 1913 has logged two hundred hours flying time. Later in Captain Triggers officer we finds Bravington briefing his colleagues about general Zeppelin manoeuvres in the area via a detailed map before handing over to Hollywake. With I believe a mild inflection of Australian in his accent the Sergeant offers his more informed knowledge of the capabilities of the airship and this leads to his later conducting a example bombing run over the local airfield where he attempts to hit a rudimentary staked out white cross in the grass. There is clearly an antagonistic relationship between Farmer and Hollywake and whilst our series lead is writing to Lorna the new arrival further conveys his knowledge and opinion of the deadly capabilities of the Zeppelins. Farmer is resolutely negative towards the serious threat they pose and we find Hollywake continually goading him into altering his priorities away from his single-minded obsession with the Hun Eindeckers (the German name for monoplane). Now lets turn back to Becket’s Hill and in the Farmer kitchen Molly attempts to concentrate on her kneading dough on the table. However nearby she can hear Tom is clearly struggling to continue the daily routine of a busy blacksmiths business without Harry. Leaving her labours Molly confronts the elderly man and says that having spent the best part of twenty years in the kitchen she is acutely aware when things are not going smoothly around her.

3. ‘Working the forge’ – Following on from the previous chapter the plight of the blacksmiths business is clearly central to this portion of the story. As another character adapting to the pressures brought about by the atypical war time situation Molly reasons that the only way to protect the continued trading of the family blacksmiths is for her to become the new apprentice striker! Naturally it’s a surprising sight to see her donning the trademark apron and knocking a horseshoe into shape, something that draws understandable curiosity from the local children whom briefly look on. Back in the air and we gain our first look at the observation deck of a German Zeppelin with two black leather coated men taking a moment to peer through binoculars at the lone British aircraft with Gaylion at the controls flying close to their position. Sadly due to the limits of a weekly television budget the series is unable to make further use of this airship and there are no aerial attack sequences of aircraft making machine gun welding fly pasts the mighty dirigible. There is nothing really of note in this chapter aside from Alan, continuing to be a ‘bear with a sore head’ regarding attempting to seek out and engage the Eideckers with him chewing out Gaylion for berating his single minded immoveable opinion.

4. ‘Planning a raid’ – The title of this chapter refers to Captain Triggers speaking with Sergeant’s Farmer, Hollywake and Mills in the officers mess in preparation for the next sighting of a Zeppelin in their area. Farmer of course expresses a note of caution to which leads him to escort, in a separate plane, Sergeant Hollywake so that the Eindeckers do not use the opportunity to offer a surprise counterattack to their plans. Once again this chapter features Hollywake further goading Farmer’s preoccupation with Eindeckers where we learn that the newcomer has a wife and three children back home. With continual provocation from Hollywake, Farmer’s restrain evaporates and as they leave their billeted quarters there is a mild physical scuffle on the airfield that is halted when Triggers appears.

5. ‘Bad news’ – In the last portion of this episode Farmer and Hollywake fly out in separate planes when a Zeppelin is sighted in Ghent. As they make their way towards its position an Eindecker suddenly appears and Farmer moves to engage the enemy much to the angered disagreement of Hollywake. Evidently this seems to end in tragedy however considering this is only the second episode of the season I think it hardly unlikely that this will mean the end of the series lead character. “Zeppelin” offers us a worthy outsider perspective of C Flight and in particular the mental state of mind of Alan Farmer through the seasoned flying veteran Don Hollywake whom the youngster could learn a lot from. However the limits of a television series budget I feel are certainly exposed as I come away from this story feeling rather disappointed that the airship of the title was not used to a greater extent. Although using this legendary dirigible for political gains makes for a fairly satisfying unsavoury device by endangering the lives of C Flight during combative engagement. Played against this the writer provides worthy Becket’s Hill development in the form of Molly assisting Tom in the blacksmiths so as to enable the continued viability of the business during war time. With engaging drama and worthy character development this is indeed a fine Second Season episode.

Right lets have another go with some more thoughts/observations from me about another first DVD disc story...

<<< (03) >>> ANOTHER COUNTRY (by Julian Bond)
1. ‘Madame Bossier’ – The title of the first chapter of this third episode refers, surprisingly, to a rather dour soberly dressed female British spy whom arrives at the C Flight with orders that they should deposit her behind the German enemy lines. However before she arrives a well spoken man called Michael Starling enters Captain Triggers’ office stating that he is the requested replacement pilot for the squadron. His first encounter with the Flight Commander by presenting himself in civilian attire and admitting to having forgotten his aeroplane due to a drunken state following his enjoying some French hospitality. It is immediately evident that Starling is a well educated individual with an analytically thoughtful outlook on the technical and logistical challenges facing his new posting whom is not afraid of voicing his highly detailed opinions whenever the opportunity presents itself. After spending a brief moment sharing a drink with the other personnel of C Flight in their mess Triggers escorts Madame Bossier out to the aircraft where he informs Gaylion that he intends to be only a couple of hours away in taking their visitor to her intended destination.

2. ‘Forced landing’ – The resulting artillery fire in the area does, like the chapter title infer, force the plane down and whilst on the ground it transpires that the shrapnel has taken a chunk out of the oil feed pipe. Without a skilled local mechanic they are unable to take off and at Madame Bossier’s insistence they attempt to locate such an individual in the surrounding area. Back at C Flight Sterling is showing off by using his knowledge of applied trigonometry to win a game of (presumably) snooker against his opponent Bravington. With Triggers’ continued absence playing on their minds Sterling eventually persuades acting Flight Commander Gaylion to permit him to search for the missing plane. Triggers and Bossier’s search eventually leads them to the local Cure priest whom is played by actor Andre Maranne (whom is probably best known as co-staring in one of the early Peter Sellers’ ‘Pink Panther’ films). Sterling eventually locates the abandoned aircraft and having landed close by he proceeds to barter with a local Frenchman. Eventually he manages to persuade him to pour petrol all over the aircraft and then whilst flying over the field he ignites the liquid with a precision shot from his flare gun much to the obvious consternation of Captain Triggers whom is watching from the recessed shelter of some nearby bushes. The smouldering wreckage of the aircraft is later found by the Germans with a brief inspection by a senior officer whom arrives in the field riding in the back of a splendid red motorcar.

3. ‘Captured spies’ – With Triggers and Bossier eventually in German custody our British duo are put on court martial. This chapter is fairly routine stuff however there are some interesting casting on offer here. Viewers will obviously notice playing the part of the courts prosecuting officer Patrick Malahide (better know for playing Detective Sergeant Chisholm in ITV comedy drama series ‘Minder’) straight away. However for most the identity of the actor playing the defending officer might not be readily apparent. This will test your knowledge of Blake’s Seven but, if you know the BBC’s space opera series well, cast your memories back to the first season “Seek-Locate-Destroy” story where our heroes are attempting a raid on a communications establishment. Following its destruction the individual in charge of the investigation team whom eventually reports to Travis is played by actor Peter Craze whom is the man that you’ll find in this ‘Wings’ episode playing the defence officer.

4. ‘Prison’ – For the most part this chapter is a simple two-hander affair with Triggers and Bossier lying on separate bunks talking together. Although we learn of Bossier’s mission as a liaison officer, of testing the morale of the civilian population it seems far more interesting to hear of Triggers recollection of his mother and father which lead to his decision to join the RFC.

5. ‘Firing squad’ – Another fairly self explanatory chapter title and considering that Captain Triggers is a series regular it really doesn’t give any great secret away to state that this is not a point where his character exits the show. With him looking on down at proceedings it’s a well played scene leading to the inevitable condemnation from Triggers of the senior German officer for not stopping the sequence of events he has just witnessed. Having the promise that Triggers will kill him the next time they meet he leaves in a truck supposedly bound for a prisoner of war camp. Having overpowered the two guards Triggers makes a sudden brief return to C Flight (taking a moment to berate Starling’s design for a two contra rotating spheres gun mounting design) before flying out heading back to the area. It’s a well realised sequence that has the aircraft flying over the countryside and on sighting the red motorcar containing the German officer has the revenge seeking Captain Triggers making an emotionally aggressive close approach with his machine gun firing. The story ends with a quiet reflective moment back in the C Flight mess between Triggers and Starling where we learn that the title of the story “Another Country” refers to ‘Jew of Malta’, a piece of literature that I’m sure most people, myself included, are not familiar but the next line makes it quite apt to what has transpired. Although there are few worthy flying sequence moments and surprise casting choices for the most part I left “Another Country” feeling relatively disappointed with this third episode. Personally I felt that generally it conveyed a distinct lack of dramatic tension plus there was excessive use of unsubtitled French and German which I feel unduly presumes on the audience to be fluent in both languages.

Then of the other episode I watched last week I'd like to say...

<<< (04) >>> TRANSFER (by Julian Bond)
1. ‘Crash landing’ – We open with a very early morning briefing in Captain Triggers office for Gaylion and Bravington regarding the order for C Flight to establish if the location of a new gun emplacement is a bluff or the real thing. It is immediately evident looking at the map on the wall that it is a particularly difficult area to reach which requires an approach through a forest and then under a bridge allowing minimal clearance either side. Despite this our duo fly out in the initial early morning darkness heading towards the target area. Meanwhile the regular routine of C Flight continues with the usual PT session lead by Sergeant Mills. At its conclusion Starling approaches Captain Triggers in his office with some more graceful, relaxed exercise moves which are understandably are (laughably) dismissed. As inferred by the chapter title Gaylion and Bravington run into difficulty resulting in severe damage to their aircraft to which, on their return, Captain Triggers, is less than pleased to put it mildly.

2. ‘Accident on the field’ – Initially we have Starling demonstrating a camera obscura device that they have been instructed to learn to use. Gaylion is extremely dismissive of this leading to a falling out with Captain Triggers before he storms out of the room heading to the mess to cool off where he then berates Bravington’s subsequent attempt to mollify the outspoken attitude he’d just demonstrated. Out on the airfield the moody Gaylion takes the pilots seat behind Bravington and goes through the usual start up procedure with engineer Harris turning the propeller. The blades unexpectedly roar into life and with a blood splattered face Harris falls to the ground, a vocal cry of pain at what had just transpired coming from the injured figure. The subsequent accident report indicates that Gaylion’s plane has a faulty ignition switch (three times out of five it fails to work) but the Lieutenant still feels morally responsible for what has happened. The photographs taken by Bravington from their mission prior to their crash indicates that the gun is sited in the grounds of a hospital which will require pinpoint accuracy for the RFC so as to avoid hitting any patients. We later return to the C Flight mess and Gaylion is woken out of his slumber by the fire suddenly surging. Apparently Bravington had engaged in the childish prank of throwing in a petrol soaked rag something that uncharacteristically results in Gaylion flying into a rage and attempting to throttle the life out of the C Flight observer.

3. ‘Hospital visit’ – We open this chapter with Gaylion mumbling in his sleep the procedural checks he routinely goes through before flying out which ends with him crying out at the moment that Harris is injured. The call to flight stations is supported by Bravington asking the Lieutenant to hurry to join them out on the field. It is there, by their aircraft, that Captain Triggers joins them to say that with weather closing in operations are cancelled and they can therefore go back to bed. At this news Gaylion unexpectedly roars with laughter and suggests that he races his colleagues back to quarters leaving Triggers to ponder the mental state of his senior pilot. Charles Gaylion pays Harris a rather traumatic hospital visit where the former engineer is attempting to come to terms with his amputee status. Meanwhile Sergeant Mills notices that Gaylion’s birthday is coming up and this results in Triggers arranging an impromptu dinner party gathering utilising the finest cutlery and a special present for the Lieutenant. Captain Triggers has been attempting to arrange a period of extended leave for Gaylion and the news of this is delivered, in lavish style, at the table. Whilst his colleagues sing ‘Happy Birthday’ the Lieutenant bursts into tears and rushes away.

4. ‘Home’ – We are eventually back in the Gaylion family home in London and I was impressed with the lavish lovely floral bouquet placed on the table adjacent to the front door. There is the usually well measured dignified performance by Donald Pickering as Charles’ father whom has now been promoted to a Major General although he views this, with some distain, as merely becoming a ‘glorified desk walla’. The most notable development in the Gaylion household is the sight of a uniformed Kate Gaylion whom has now enlisted in the Women’s Driving Corps.

5. ‘Speaking the truth’ – With the entire Gaylion family present they entertain the Secretary of State at dinner that evening (seven-thirty for eight) where Charles is suitably outspoken. He questions the RFC’s role in the war and berates the evident shortcomings of their current BE2 aircraft. Their honoured guest welcomes his frankness although it remains questionable as to whether Charles’ opinions will have any bearing on future policy decisions. Once the Secretary of State has departed the Major General berates his son however Charles’ will not be placated from his experienced view and flies into an impassioned rage with his father. This fourth episode called “Transfer” presents us with a worthy spirited performance by Michael Cochrane where his character clearly descends towards a state of madness although aside from the traumatic accident of Harris I wasn’t overly impressed with this story.

I reckon another five weeks of 'Wings' episode viewing for me before a new series will command my interest come March 2010, speak to you guys soon!

Welcome to February 2010 and thinking back to last week two very enjoyable episodes watched by me from this series. Firstly I would like to say...

<<< (05) >>> STUNT OR DIE! (by Barry Thomas)
1. ‘Visiting Mrs Farmer’ – In an office at Marshfield Reserve Squadron instructor Charles Gaylion speaks with young trainee Second Lieutenant Richard Westerly. Although he berates a flying error, something that he himself used to do whilst he was learning, he informs the youngster that he feels that he is now ready for his solo flight. However it is whilst he is consulting the charts of the area that he observes just how close the base is to Becket’s Hill and the home of his former C Flight colleague Alan Farmer. This leads to a countryside drive in his fine motorcar and having passed the local church (with its clock showing 12.15pm) he parks up outside the Farmer smithy and family residence. Taking a moment to look over the sign and offer an affectionate pat to a horse tied up nearby he approaches the house and knocks on the door. Naturally on seeing this uniformed individual Molly initially assumes that he is the bringer of bad news about her son although after a moment of awkwardness she invites him in. During their conversation we learn of Charles opinion of Alan to be ‘the bravest, most honest best friend I ever had’.

2. ‘A new system’ – In this chapter Gaylion’s decision to allow Westerley to make a solo flight when all other instructors had thought against flying that day is questioned by his immediate superior Major Browlow. We learn that Charles Gaylion has, at this point, spent a mere fourteen days at the training base. Having mentioned it to Molly in the previous chapter Charles presents Browlow with his written proposal for a new flight system. There is a clear state of dissent being expressed by Lieutenant John Towy-Jones regarding the flight instructors to the junior Second Lieutenant Richard Westerly.

3. ‘Tea with the ladies’ – As the chapter title infers Charles Gaylion makes a return visit to the Farmer household where Molly and Lorna get to know Alan’s C Flight colleague. Later Molly makes the offer for Charles to stay the night and in the morning indicating the blossoming friendship between them he offers Lorna a lift in his motorcar to the hospital.

4. ‘Into a spin’ – Charles Gaylion returns to Major Browlow’s office where his superior, having read the Lieutenant’s new flight system proposal states that he views it to be ‘emotional rubbish’ and that he should take it away and burn it. Having survived seventeen crashes in the three years of his service he speaks from experience when he says that he will not have Gaylion ‘undermining the faith of trainees in their instructors’. Back in their billeted quarters Towy-Jones (whom is still has an air of dissent about him (best exemplified when he says that in the two weeks they have spent at Marshfield they have had a total of a mere forty minutes)), with Westerly in close attendance, confront Gaylion as to why they are not being trained in how to deal with a aircraft spin. As a former cavalry officer Towy-Jones is a considerably outspoken trainee whose vocal conflict with Gaylion gets a suitably terse response. Charles says that he will take him up and risking his own life and instructor position will manoeuvre the aircraft into a spy so that the trainee can ‘watch my hands’ as I attempt to successfully. Naturally it’s a worthy flying sequence although whilst they are in the air their aerial manoeuvres are observed, with an air of anxious envy, by Westerly from his car in a nearby country lane. With success achieved Towy-Jones returns to the squadron billet where he is eagerly questioned by Westerley. Although he does impart the necessary information the time he has spent with Gaylion has certainly changed Towy-Jones’ opinion of flight instructors with a much less mocking tone now evident. Again away from the Squadron base Gaylion makes the offer for Molly to come flying in his aircraft around the fields of Becket’s Hill. Mrs Farmer seems to me to be strangely reticent and instead proposes that Lorna take her place. Clearly enjoying the experience Lorna is momentarily distracted to look down towards Molly standing waving at them as they fly past. Whilst Charles also derives much satisfaction from this pleasure trip a tragic sequence of events is put into motion back at Marshfield as Westerly takes to the skies in a solo flight where he hopes to emulate the successful rescue of the craft from a spin.

5. ‘Getting to know Lorna’ – We initially have Gaylion speaking with Major Browlow regarding Westerly where Charles attempts to take the blame for the accident, inferring that it is his responsibility, although his superior officer judges that there is no reason for disciplinary action against his flight instructor. This also impinges initially on Charles’ subsequent conversation with Molly where he conveys that the reason he returned to England was because he had ‘lost his nerve’ as detailed in the previous story. He next meets up once more with Lorna whom is taking a shortcut across the fields that afternoon. To help take his mind off Westerly, Lorna suggests that he accompany her to ‘go and feed the pigs’. It’s a nice light-hearted moment with the pair playfully racing each other towards a nearby fence where Charles momentarily slips over on the grass and is helped up by Lorna. Towards the end of this chapter, having returned to the Farmer kitchen, we learn that Lorna currently works Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at the Hospital which allows Charles ask her to have tea with him on Tuesday. However this continued cosy relationship that they are cultivating is about to be shattered as the final scene switches from the Farmer kitchen to behind the German lines. A young girl looks out of the window as a Hun plane takes off from a nearby field. Her attention is distracted back to her clearly feverish patient lying in a bed nearby. She takes a moment to pour water into a bowl, wetting a towel with the liquid before going to mop his brow and face with the cold cloth. It is clearly evident that this stranger is none other than Alan Farmer! Returning Charles Gaylion to England and a temporary instructor posting provided a worthy and enjoyable means of reintroducing the Becket’s Hill characters of Molly Farmer and Lorna Collins. I felt this relaxed aspect of the story played well against the tense drama surrounding trainees Towy-Jones and Westerly. A very satisfying, enjoyable episode that sets things up nicely for Alan’s Farmer’s likely eventual return.

Then for the other from last week I'd like to say...

<<< (06) >>> DAWN ATTACK (by Barry Thomas)
1. ‘Monoplane menace’ – We open this episode with the sight of Captain Triggers engaged in a dog fight with a German Eindecker plane but it soon becomes evident that the new engine that C Flight are now using is still clearly lacking in speed to effectively engage the enemy. After Triggers safe return to base we switch to Alan Farmer and when the Sergeant attempts to get out of bed and unsuccessfully make his way towards the window it becomes apparent that his right arm is in a bandage sling. We also learn that his attentive ‘nurse’ is a French civilian called Francoise and although there are only a few brief words uttered by her and her father there are native language subtitles plus it’s clearly evident to Alan and the viewers that they are distinctly uncomfortable with his remaining there. However this first chapter will be best remembered for an extremely severe German raid on the highly rated C Flight with much explosions, bomb drops and gunfire in use. There seems to be a fairly token resistance given to the Hun with Triggers revolver seemingly ineffectual to the incoming aircraft. Although all credit to Bravington whom mans the machine gun emplacement with resolute determination. In the mayhem that ensures there is a moment where a young boy looks stunned at the German planes attacking their base before a bomb knocks him off his feet. You feel for sure that he is dead but later when Hun eventually retreat Triggers and Bravington find him alive and offer the lad some recuperative brandy, for medicinal purposes of course.

2. ‘On the edge’ – With papers strew all over the place Triggers’ office is in a total shambles and as C Flight attempt to assess the damage, which leaves five dead and six wounded Bravington is in an uncharacteristically steaming rage about his Flight Commander’s orders. He attempts to countermand a bomb request and questions Triggers’ decision to somehow repair one of their only serviceable aircraft ready for a counterattack. He expresses the excessive length of time normally needed and the fact that at present they only have one engine fitter and two riggers for the job. Away from the chaos and devastation at C Flight we have back in Becket’s Hill Charles Gaylion inviting Molly to return to London with him so as to meet his parents. She declines the offer and instead suggests Lorna accompanies him to which Charles says that he had already asked her, not that this of course surprises Molly! Back in France Alan Farmer takes a moment to peer out of the window down at the horse and cart standing outside before Francoise returns with some clothes for him to wear. He declines them saying that he prefers his uniform and the return of his service revolver before asking if the cart delivers milk to the German airfield.

3. ‘Lorna and Kate’ – With a wide-eyed incredulous look Lorna momentarily looks around the room in the Gaylion family home before Kate enters the room. Yes the two ladies are suitably convivial to one another and, to put her mind at rest Kate feels the need to mention that her meeting with Alan in Paris was merely nothing more serious than ‘just a refreshing interlude’. She also conveys to her countryside visitor, showing just how easily she seems to read her brothers moods, that when Charles acts lightly about something he is actually in a serious frame of mind, something that no doubt indicates his interest in Lorna. Charles eventually returns to the room being unable to locate family butler Levin. Kate informs him that their faithful family retainer is now doing his bit for the war effort, making gas respirators in a factory. At the C Flight base Triggers and Bravington both look equally shattered having spent most of the night, along with others, attempting to make one of their aircraft ready for flight at short notice with the Flight Commander eager for a test flight in immediate combat conditions!

4. ‘Capturing the prize’ – Over in France Alan, now dressed, holds the reins of the milk delivering horse and cart which he guides up to the sentry at the German airfield. The uniformed solider takes a moment to study the features of the new arrival before eventually holding up his cup ready to receive some of the milk he is carrying. He rides in then climbs off the cart and unobserved enters one of the sheds on the airfield waiting for a pilot to enter. As the door closes Alan carefully aims his revolver at the German who enters and, whilst with hand putting on a pilot’s coat and hat motions the pilot out onto the field. It is there that he gets him to start the engine of a plane to which Alan has just climbed into and before the sentry can rush to prevent him he flies up and away from the airfield. In the Farmer kitchen back in Becket’s Hill Molly is understandably suspicious of Lorna’s devotion to Alan even though she still wears the engagement ring her absent son gave her. This is mainly because Lorna can no longer look Molly in the eye and the fact that Mr Gaylion is now referred by her as Charles.

5. ‘An unlikely welcome’ – Again another self explanatory chapter title where we find Captain Triggers making his test flight at the same time as Alan Farmer, piloting a German plane, attempts to return to C Flight. Well naturally Triggers goes in gun blazing and eventually critically disables the aircraft leaving Alan to make a rapid forced landing. It is only when Triggers rushes on foot over to the downed plane that the identity of the other pilot is revealed with obvious delight. Again its another worthy well filmed sequence with Alan, having been unable to convey his friendly status through repeated waving, initially thinking he has evaded Triggers through dense cloud cover. Naturally there is delight back at C Flight from Bravington and Mills at the return of Farmer and to celebrate his return Triggers grants a period of immediate leave which naturally means the chance of a Becket’s Hill wedding! Molly gains the welcome news of Alan’s safe return both to C Flight and eventually home on leave from Charles in the Farmer kitchen before Lieutenant Gaylion then goes on to unexpectedly meet Lorna in his motorcar. He conveys the good news about Alan and you can see it in Lorna’s complexion at hearing this that she is not entirely happy at hearing this. She obviously realises that with Alan coming home their wedding will be forthcoming however her relationship with Charles has understandably complicated matters. As if to further reinforce the point we see Charles passionately kissing Lorna before we see Alan Farmer climbing into a truck leaving C Flight heading home just before the credits roll. For action and excitement “Dawn Attack” is certainly one of the best ‘Wings’ stories with the explosive German raid in the first chapter and the dramatic return of Alan Farmer via the German airfield in the fourth chapter. Alongside this you have the simmering relationship between Charles and Lorna, something that will undoubtedly bring an element of conflict from Alan’s mother Molly when her son returns in the next episode. An entirely satisfying, dramatically engaging slice of period drama which plays to the series inherent format strengths.

Back for a couple more...

<<< (07) >>> MACHINE-GUN POST (by Barry Thomas)
1. ‘Flying navigator’ – The opening titles fade to the sight of a lone plane approaching the C Flight airfield however the pilot in command, making his first solo flight against orders is Richard Bravington. Once back on the ground Captain Triggers is not impressed regarding the initiative shown his observer. It’s understandable considering what this character went through during “Dawn Raid” that his present frustration would result in his desire to become a pilot. Next we turn back to Becket’s Hill where Lieutenant Gaylion calls at the Collins household intent on speaking with Lorna but instead spends some time talking with her mother. Lorna eventually enters the room and Charles invites her to meet him at a local teashop after she has finished her hospital shift with the intention of talking about the return of Alan Farmer.

2. ‘Hun Gun’ – C Flight have a new mission on their hands with our RFC pilots ordered to destroy a gun emplacement that intelligence has identified as being located on the edge of a woodland area. Triggers and Bravington take to the skies and attempt to fly over the area but encounter heavy resistance from a machine gun that, as Sergeant Mills later relates has a 99 out of 100% success rate and repelling any attacking force on their position. After limping back to C Flight base it is clear that a new strategy needs to be devised. Triggers and Bravington are short of ideas however as they continue to struggle with the problem Sergeant Mills approaches his superiors and suggests that if they approach from the cover of trees they will gain valuable time undetected before their attack. Triggers listens to this and then dismisses Mills and then having spent a few moments gaining Bravington’s opinion of the plan calls the Sergeant back to agree that the strategy has merit. Clearly this is a face saving exercise for our officer characters but I thought it was a fairly strange sequence. There is a nice bit of location filming where we see Alan Farmer, kit bag over his shoulder, making his way towards the village of Becket’s Hill, taking a moment to look towards the church tower before he enters the family blacksmiths and the joyous reunion with Tom and Molly. Naturally he asks about Lorna and learns that Charles Gaylion has been spending quite a lot of time in the village and was planning to meet his childhood sweetheart at the local teashop. With Alan’s imminent return Charles uses this opportunity to attempt to conclude his romantic relationship with Lorna saying to her that he has requested to be returned to France at the earliest opportunity.

3. ‘The German General’ – We open this chapter looking down at Alan’s pocket watch where it is evident that he has waited quite some considerable time beyond the end of Lorna’s hospital shift and the Convalescent Home Nurse is still nowhere to be seen. Eventually Alan turns and starts to walk away singing a happy little tune to himself as he goes before he looks towards the road at the edge of the tree line. A car containing Charles Gaylion and Lorna rushes into sight and comes to a halt mere yards from the Collins residence. There is obviously an uncomfortable silence between these two young people however there is still a level of passion still burning which is evident through a final passionate kiss. Alan’s easygoing light-hearted mood at seeing what he thinks is an innocent liaison descend into a covert romance certainly sours his dispossession. Naturally he does not like being ‘kept in the dark’ as to what has been happening whilst he was in France and this frustrated anger is evident as he subsequently talks with Molly back at the Farmer residence. Lets get back to the action and implementing Sergeant Mills plan Triggers and Bravington have another attempt at knocking out the Hun machine gun emplacement. However although they are able to drop four bombs closer to the target success still eludes them. It’s then typical courageous bravado by Captain Triggers whom sets out on foot from a landing field to approach the gun emplacement through the woods and destroy the gun emplacement from the ground. However as the chapter title infers he encounters a German General whom having spotted the British plane landing stopped his fine white coloured motorcar entered the woods gun in hand. Initially he holds Triggers at gunpoint before movement from Bravington distracted him enough for the Captain to gain the upper hand. He instructs Bravington to fly back to C Flight with the high-ranking prisoner and then return for him.

4. 'Rescuing Triggers’ – Well this is all typical comic strip adventure with C Flight’s Commanding Officer having successfully destroyed the machine gun emplacement running through the woods, then in the General’s car to the airfield where Bravington has landed ready for a swift take off, pursued by rifle wielding German soldiers. In Marshfield Reserve Squadron Charles Gaylion enters one of the huts and is initially delighted to see Alan once more however this is obviously not reciprocated and the conversation eventually leads to Sergeant Farmer expressing his anger by violently punching his former friend.

5. ‘First come first served’ – This is the chapter where Alan and Lorna finally have their first conversation together since his return from France and understandably it’s a suitably terse exchange. There is little to celebrate back at the C Flight base where it becomes clear that the General they had captured was not as important as they had hoped for. He had just been relieved of his command and was, at the time of capture, on his way back home for a desk job. Additionally the supposed location for the gun emplacement proves to be none existent and as if that wasn’t bad enough orders from headquarters cancel and chance of RFC observers returning to England to train as pilots. The last dramatic scene of this episode features Mrs Collins visiting the Farmer blacksmiths where she hopes to speak with Molly Farmer. However Alan’s mother is apparently out on her bicycle on business according to Tom. Apparently there is a call for nurses to serve over in France and Mrs Collins says that Lorna has elected to answer the call. Although offering worthy action and drama behind the German lines and emotional conflict concerning the Charles/Lorna/Alan character triangle there is a real sense of futility and pointlessness to the sequence of events chronicled in “Machine-Gun Post”. Yes indeed you’ll enjoy this instalment but I personally think its lacks that certain lasting memory quality that other episodes in this season and the series in general offer.

Now to polish off the second disc of this Season Two set with this...

<<< (08) >>> OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN (by Arden Winch)
1. ‘Commission papers’ – We open with Alan Farmer, machine gun blazing, pursuing a German Eindecker plane however he slowly loses his prey in cloud cover. Through the wisps of white the large grey elongated shape of a barrage spotter balloon comes into sight and our series lead proceeds to shoot it down and having seen the observer parachuting down he returns back to C Flight base. Facing Captain Triggers on his return his superior says that he shouldn’t have shot the balloon down however on his desk amongst the many papers there is written congratulations from a nearby artillery regiment. Then quite nonchalantly the Flight Commander asks for Sergeant Farmer’s signature on a form, commission papers to be put forward for him to become an officer. We then shift to one of the main flight hangers where we listen to two broad London engine fitters talking about what they will do after the war whilst preparing Bravington’s plane.

2. ‘That wasn’t a victory’ – Out on the airfield attention turns to the skies where a Hun plane approaches. The call goes up for adopting a more defensive posture however it soon becomes apparent that this is not an attacking raid. The pilot merely flies over to drop a message attached to what looks like a black teddy bear! We learn that it is merely a courtesy communication informing that a British pilot (from another squadron) has been captured, injured but alive, and that the Germans want C Flight to inform his family. Back above the airfield Alan Farmer sudden appears heading towards the Hun Eindecker guns blazing and despite repeated attempts to call him off proceeds to shoot down the defenceless German whom waves his arms at his pursuer vainly conveying his neutral status. On his return to the ground Farmer gleefully confirms the kill however whilst Triggers merely says with his usual dispassionate cool that he will speak to him in his office on his return it is Bravington whom devastatingly states ‘that wasn’t a victory, that was murder!’

3. ‘Facing the board’ – Whilst waiting to go in Alan Farmer talks with a self assured youngster whom seems confident that he will gain the commission for which he is being put forward for. Once inside Farmer meets the three officers serving on the board lead by Major Ross played by former Colditz series regular Edward Hardwicke. It soon becomes clear that the privileged background and schooling to which the youngster was alluding to is true considering the questions and attitude Alan faces in that room. Back at C Flight Bravington, Starling and Triggers spend some off duty time talking about Farmer’s eligibility for commission following his murder of the unarmed German and it is the company’s sole observer whom is the most vocal against Alan gaining the rank advance.

4. ‘Discussing Farmer’ – Having found it a fairly stressful experience you’d expect Sergeant Farmer to retire to a nearby pub and shortly after entering the local drinking establishment a young infantry soldier attempts to pick a fight with our C Flight flyer. As things start to turn fractious an artillery Sergeant steps in and having sent the troublemaker away to join in the singing round the piano offers to buy Alan a drink. Naturally he questions why Farmer should want to go against established tradition and attempt the seemingly impossible of becoming an officer. That question of background and schooling is upper most on the mind of Major Ross whom visits Captain Triggers in the C Flight officers mess and speaks with him whilst in the background Bravington and Starling are playing chess.

5. ‘A new officer’ – There seems little of particular note during this final chapter aside from Gaylion returning to C Flight, arriving on the base via a Calais taxi and gaining a typically frosty non committal reception from Alan Farmer before Triggers confirms his frankly unsurprising commission advancement to Second Lieutenant. The conversation with the artillery Sergeant clearly plays on Farmer’s mind as we see him during this portion of the episode once more firing at a barrage spotter balloon however this time he also shoots and kills the observer as he parachutes to the ground. As a secondary intermittent plot premise Alan Farmer’s rank advancement would be mildly diverting however I personally think it is far too weak to adequately support an entire episode. Although there is the added doubt of his eligilbity for a commission due to the ‘cold blooded murder’ of an unarmed Hun pilot it was pretty obvious as to the eventual outcome of this story. I think it is a very disappointing instalment that adds little to the overall development of the series.

Just time for only one episode from the third disc of this box set which I watched last week...

<<< (09) >>> GUARDIAN ANGEL (by Arden Winch)
1. ‘Parachutes’ – A bored sentry at C Flight kicks a stone on the ground to attempt to relieve the tedium of his duty when suddenly a roar of an approaching car engine rests him from his lethargy. Unexpectedly the General makes a return visit an immediately instils a sense of panic in the soldiers posted at the base whom frantically rush to attention. After a brief inspection of the main flight hanger the General then speaks with Captain Triggers regarding an American Leroy Schultz whom has developed a revolutionary parachute that he would like C Flight to make an assessment in test conditions. This chapter also finds Second Lieutenant Farmer about to begin sharing quarters with Lieutenant Gaylion, hardly an amicable situation considering what transpired back in Becket’s Hill. Charles has apparently received a letter from Lorna and he attempts to persuade Alan that he reason for writing is that she is concerned for both of them. Farmer’s new rank is still difficult to accept for some personnel on the base and he is a little shocked when Airman Wilkins seemingly exaggerates saluting the new Second Lieutenant. Alan picks him up by ordering him to do it one hundred times at the evening drill parade.

2. ‘An American visitor’ – Obviously perturbed by having to share with Farmer, Gaylion takes the matter to Captain Triggers however the Flight Commander will not agree to his request to being moved out. Instead he makes what I think is a valid point that he believes they can teach each other things like how Farmer can effectively come to terms with the responsibilities that his new rank demands. Obviously central to this second chapter is the arrival of Leroy Schultz, an overtly confident purposeful individual with what I view is a slightly over stated American accident. However I suppose it’s a typical vocal inflection of people from Omaha, Nebraska in Western America. He has apparently been using his parachute invention to some great success in his own Flying Circus. With a proven track record of eighty-two jumps since 1908 he obviously has total faith in the device but now needs military approval for it to go into lucrative large scale production. Farmer is aware but deeply suspicious of Schultz through an article he read in an old edition of Aero magazine, something that comes to light in a later conversation back in the officers mess with the ever observant Lieutenant Starling.

3. ‘Fire on board’ – The main aspect of this chapter features Triggers and Bravington returning from a reconnaissance mission, attempting to make an emergency landing with their plan engulfed in flames. It is an extremely risky manoeuvre with both men needing a drink to steady their nerves when they return to the familiar surroundings of Captain Triggers’ office. Schultz makes the assertion that this is just an occasion when his parachute would have been essential equipment however Triggers disagrees. Despite it being the worst condition that a pilot could face his highly dangerous actions did eventually result in the safe return of an aircraft that would have otherwise been destroyed in a crash. Under no circumstances will Triggers allow Farmer to jump with the parachute however he does agree to his Second Lieutenant, when his duties permit, visiting Schultz at his hotel.

4. 'General inspection’ – Farmer attempts to persuade Schultz to demonstrate the parachute whilst he flies him however the American showman has an understandable reluctance to this. He tells a tragic tale of the thirteenth of June 1913 in Jacksonville, Florida where, as part of the circus act, they were making the offer of $500 to anyone whom was brave enough to jump. However when one young kid eventually stepped forward Schultz had not made provision on his right hand operated parachute for a left handed volunteer. The sight of the youngster lying unmoving on the ground after the tragic accident remains indelibly etched on his memory and taints his outward bravado. Despite this Schultz later attempts to make the offer of 5% on each sale of the parachute however Farmer seems less than enthusiastic at this. Alan eventually manages to convince the merit of laying aside his doubts and making a successful jump in front of the General. However there is an unexpected sting in the tail of this chapter when, on the day of the jump, in Captain Triggers office, an airman accidentally touches the parachute resulting it unexpectedly popping open. He quickly attempts to put the fabric back in hoping that his misdemeanour would not be discovered.

5. ‘Condemned to hang’ – After a period of maintenance work on his aircraft Gaylion plans a brief test flight and this presents an opportunity for Schultz to gain some flying experience. He persuades the Lieutenant for him to join him and whilst they are soaring high above they encounter an Eindecker whom makes an attacking run. The RFC plane is forced to take evading action flying into cloud cover all of which makes for a nerve wracking experience for our American showman. Following this we see Schultz in Triggers office picking up his parachute ready to make his way out to Farmer’s aircraft but he instantly notices that it has been tampered with. He obviously unwilling to use it in its present condition and says to the Second Lieutenant that he needs at least two hours to make the necessary repairs to once again make it safe to use. Farmer is unwilling to countenance such a lengthy delay effectively saying that they have to go now on never. Later back on the ground the General, Major, Captain Triggers together with Gaylion, Starling and Bravington sit watching Farmer and Schultz from a sheltered area of the airfield. There is also attentive focus from the base aircrew anxiously looking skywards from the main aircraft hanger. Now this story could have been used as another effective development in the aerial effectiveness of C Flight and show Schultz conquering the tragic memories of the dead civilian youngster. However instead I was disappointed that because of introducing that uncertainty about the parachutes effectiveness this became a missed opportunity with the visiting showman abandoning his jump. For me there seems a real sense of anticlimax about “Guardian Angel” which promises much but ultimately, in my opinion, adds little to the overall development of the series.

A good couple of episodes last night but it hopefully I'll be back next week to talk about those...

with best wishes

I watched the final pair of episodes last night and noticed straight away a guest star in episode twelve who appeared in a Season Two episode of Blake's Seven but more of that next week. In the meantime turning my attention back to the third disc of this DVD set firstly with this...

<<< (10) >>> THE PRICE (by Arden Winch)
1. ‘Father and Son’ – Over the skies of France Captain Triggers conveys an mixture of frustration, anger and sadness as he witnesses another recon pilot shot down by the Hun. We learn, on his return to his C Flight Office whilst talking with his pilots, that this is the third such incident this week. He makes use of an inordinately large blackboard and chalk to outline his understanding of the Hun attack strategy and proceeds to convey his passionate insistence for any kind of suggestions regarding preventative action they can take. Sadly this meeting of minds fails to produce any results but it does prompt Starling to later spread out a large map across an officer’s mess table where he attempts to form his own solution in his usual educated analytically thinking manner. He gains Bravington’s interest however for his plan to gain success they would need a minimum of ninety-seven planes and at present they only have access to four. Now Triggers continued outspoken dismissive attitude to the aircraft at the RFC’s disposal has not gone unnoticed by command and in this chapter he is called to an informal meeting where civilian Colonel Forbes whom is in charge of the Royal Aircraft factory is present. Apparently there is a private venture plan for a revolutionary new aircraft which hopes to negate the shortfalls evident in the current BE2 plane. There is a surprise for viewers and Captain Triggers when we learn that the driving force behind this project is his father. As part of his becoming an advisor to this new combat aircraft our C Flight Commander receives orders posting him home which much to Triggers indignation sees him leave the camp making the insistence of his pilots to deal with Eindecker problem whilst he is away. Back in England we see him riding in the palatial luxury of the family Rolls Royce next to his father Samuel Triggers and looking at this fine grand tourer vehicle I was reminded of a near identical car which featured in “Carry On Screaming”. If you are familiar with this classic comedy film maybe you’ll remember the scene where Kenneth Williams and Fenella Fieldings’ characters park close to ‘Daniel Dan’, the lavatory man’s place of work.

2. ‘Family business’ – Set in one hundred and twelve acres of countryside land the factory of G Triggers & Sons Limited is a suitably imposing building with its iconic central chimney. Once inside we meet Samuel’s chief designer Tony Snow whom shows the new arrival the first prototype in small and full size proportions. There is some interesting personal back story to the Triggers family here where we learn that our series leads mother left whilst he was still at school although the reason is not entirely clear. One might link this to Triggers father making a business trip just before war was declared, to Germany where he sold a new form of recoil mechanism he’d patented for German machine guns to this eventual enemy.

3. ‘Test flight’ – Well eventually our C Flight Captain takes the controls of the prototype aircraft (codenamed ‘Viper’) and puts it through its paces in the air over a field close to the factory finishing off with an impressive three hundred and sixty degree loop. Despite such a seemingly impressive test flight Captain Triggers remains less than convinced about its current viability which he expresses to his father at the dinner table (whilst calmly stroking the family red setter dog(!)) and the later with Snow in the aircraft hanger. The latter is more graphic where he takes a knife to the right wing to expose the slack cross wires under the fabric. His criticisms include the considerable tail osolation and distinct wing flutter he felt whilst on the test flight.

4. ‘Design discussion’ – There is an initial sense of satisfaction from Samuel Triggers and his project colleagues about the outcome of the test flight. Tony Snow is keen to state that the prototype aircraft has twice the rate of climb of the current BE2 and is forty percent faster than the Eindeckers. They are almost ready to rubber stamp a proposed production rate of twenty aircraft before Captain Triggers forcefully opposes such action on an aircraft that is, in his opinion, so comprehensively flawed, particularly in the engine it is currently fitted with. Our C Flight Commander later spends time away from the factory visiting his mother (something we don’t see on screen) whilst the discussion about the prototype continues. With Samuel Triggers agreement Tony Snow takes to the controls of the aircraft in an attempt to show that any RFC pilot can safely fly however as our series lead returns to the airfield to gaze skywards with the others his doubts are tragically proved correct.

5. ‘Return to C Flight’ – The following morning whilst enjoying a light breakfast Captain Triggers comes into conflict with his father about his preventing him from returning to France and in their conversation he conveys his inherent loyalties to those under his command. Back at C Flight Charles Gaylion commends Alan Farmer on his admirable ability to take on the responsibilities of Second Lieutenant like ‘a duck to water’. However this is clearly a distracting smokescreen which becomes evident when Richard Bravington comes into the officers mess and carelessly lets slip about a certain new nurse at the base hospital whom ‘knows you both very well’. The story eventually concludes with the return of Captain Triggers to C Flight bearing gifts for his officers including the model plane of the prototype aircraft which he gives to Alan Farmer. Given Captain Triggers continued outspoken criticism of the BE2 there was ample scope for his experience to be employed in guiding its eventual replacement and in my opinion “The Price” excellently grabs this opportunity to present a satisfying, intriguing and enjoyable story laced with worthy character history.

I kind of feel like having a weeks break after last nights largely dramatic, action packed final two 'Wings' episodes but March 2010 will see a new series begin for me on my self titled 'new stuff' Tuesday evenings/'second chance' Sunday mornings. All I'll say at the moment is that it is a seven disc set so I'm sure it will keep me occupied for a good two/three months.

In the meantime I'd like to say about the other episode I watched last week the following...

<<< (11) >>> MUTINY (by Julian Bond)
1. ‘Raided’ – From a recessed dugout twelve hungry infantry soldiers look longingly towards C Flight’s base before climbing out and make a swift and sudden raid to steal a weeks rations whilst holding the sentry to the ground. Naturally Captain Triggers is incensed at this action and conveys his rage to the fairly ambivalent Major Ted Anson. This does lead to a Colonel Holdsworth, backed by a platoon of armed soldiers, crossing the field under a white flag to attempt to negotiate a surrender. From their dugout the elected representative, former University lecturer Hawkins approaches also under a white flag however he maintains an unrepentant stance and their conversation rapidly descends into a stalemate situation. When he hears about this Captain Triggers elects to attempt to frighten them to surrender by overflying the area the next morning with limited use of gunfire.

2. ‘Halfway sensibly used’ – Under the cover of a dark and stormy night and against orders Lieutenant Starling visits the mutineers to hear to their point of view and attempt to broker a peaceful settlement. They are unrepentant in their actions and believe they have acted in accordance with the manual of military law every step of the way. Rather than let Starling return he instead becomes a hostage of the suspicious mutineers.

3. ‘Who fired first?’ – As morning dawns Michael Starling is awoken by the approach of the aircraft of C Flight and as he and the mutineers venture outside an intense period of gunfire breaks out. In the midst of the carnage Starling is hit in the leg and once silence is returned Captain Triggers proceeds to take his injured pilot to hospital. Back at C Flight base Major Anson returns and believes that now ‘key to the whole situation is attempting to apportion blame’ regarding the whole sorry business.

4. ‘An accident of war’ – Lieutenant Michael Starling, speaking with Farmer and Triggers from his base hospital bed is certain that it was (unsurprisingly considering what transpired during “Officers and Gentlemen”) Alan who fired first. There is an element of surprise early in this chapter when Starling’s nurse is revealed as being Lorna Collins. Later Charles Gaylion visits Michael Starling in hospital but really his intention is to speak with his nurse. Initially Lorna is pleased to see Charles but her good natured animosity to Lieutenant Gaylion does not last and she reproaches him for the manner in which he and Alan have shared their affection with her. Back in Captain Triggers office the C Flight Commander is guided by Major Anson to officially reprimand Second Lieutenant Farmer for his precipitant action in engaging the mutineers.

5. ‘Hospital drop’ – At the base hospital Michael Starling temporarily vacates his hospital bed, hobbling away to the bathroom on a pair of crutches which affords Alan Farmer an opportunity to speak privately with Lorna Collins. He brings with him a bouquet of her favourite flowers as a peace offering but our hospital nurse will not easily be placated. In my opinion actress Sarah Porter gives her finest series performance in this scene where she, with great passion and self assuredness, conveys to Alan how ‘they are now different people’ and that she ‘doesn’t think he has changed much but I have’. You certainly gain the real impression from the scripted lines delivered with such convincing conviction how Lorna Collins real life experiences dealing with wounded military personnel has brought about considerable character growth and development from her innocent Becket’s Hill milk maid origins. Naturally Alan believes any chance of rekindling his former romance with Lorna has gone however Charles later says to him not to give up hope. The concluding scene of this episode features Alan overflying the hospital so as to drop another bouquet of flowers close to where Lorna is pushing Michael Starling in a wheelchair with the wounded aviator initially thinking that it is an attacking run shouting for them to drop to the ground. On her return from picking up the flowers she returns to her patient and, clearly showing a lighter dispossion regarding Alan’s actions, says ‘Well, you’ve got to admit he’s trying’. Although feeling that the central premise of the fate of twelve starved infantry soldiers is worthy and well told for me it is the reintroduction of a more self assured and confident Lorna Collins and her interaction with Charles Gaylion and Alan Farmer which is the more satisfying and memorable aspect of an enjoyable, dramatically engaging eleventh episode of this second season.

Kicked off this new month with my first 'new stuff' Tuesday evening last night and thought that the first episode had a rather static but interesting stage play feeling to it whilst the second was a fairly routine woodland runabout. Don't worry I can see potential for me talking at length over the hoped for thirteen weeks but in the meantime I'm back to start to polish off this Second Season of Wings firstly with this...

<<< (12) >>> NO MEDALS (by Gidley Wheeler)
1. ‘French mission’ – There is a sense of puzzlement amongst the pilots of C Flight about their newest mission. Late back from patrol Farmer enters Triggers’ office to find Starling consulting a map and he is therefore able to confirm that their destination is a small French village called Veuve-sur-Meuse. Having guessed that part of the real reason for Farmer being delayed in returning might be due to a detour to the base hospital and rendezvous with a certain nurse he cautions our Second Lieutenant not to cross Lorna Collins as with her birthday falling in the middle of April she is an Aries. As he joins them Captain Triggers asserts that he intends C Flight to convey a suitably professional persona of operation on this mission. However this admirable intention soon begins to crumble starting with Lieutenant Gaylion unable to follow the other three aircraft as his plane consistently fails to start as they all depart. At the French airfield Captaine Pierre Boucharlat is less than impressed when out of the three planes that do eventually arrive it is the aircraft piloted by Alan Farmer which develops mechanical problems forcing into an emergency and less than dignified landing. Well Triggers, Starling and Farmer pile into Boucharlat’s luxury Rolls Royce motorcar which whisks them along a country lane, past some school children and into the charming rustic locale of Veuve-sur-Meuse. It is here that they meet Madame Termonier whom cordially welcomes, in the native French tongue (with being momentarily surprised by Starling’s mastery of the language) the new arrivals whom will be guests in her house. There is also at this point a cordial introduction to Madame Termonier’s daughter Marie-Helene and despite this characters bashful, shy demeanour I immediately recognised the young girl playing this character. Now testing your knowledge of BBC sci-fi drama series ‘Blake’s Seven’ cast your memory back to second season episode “Pressure Point” where our Liberator crew attempt to hook up with rebel leader Kasabi for a raid on the main Federation control complex. This freedom fighter has a daughter known as Veron, a youngster played by Yolande Polfrey whom shines in this story particularly during her scene with Servalan and Travis in their country cottage observation point. Well Yolande features in this second season ‘Wings’ episode as the 16-year-old Marie-Helene whom we initially see before C Flight come into land emerging from a farmyard shed clutching a milking stool in one hand and a white bucket in the other as she looks into the sky at the approaching aircraft.

2. ‘Finest German pilot’ – Having experienced about five months of continual aerial superiority in the area C Flight have now been called into effectively combat the threat posed by the German Eindeckers. Lieutenant Gaylion does eventually take off and head to join his colleagues however due to a map reading error he strays into enemy territory and soon encounters one of these Eindeckers. There is suitably effective in-flight combat but on this occasion Charles comes off worse and is forced down to make an emergency landing. Once on the ground he sets explosives to destroy his plane and then starts out across country on foot. Back at the Termonier household Triggers and the other C Flight pilots express concern about Gaylion’s non arrival and Capitaine Boucharlat attempts to defuse their anxiety by offering to spend some relaxing time in Paris which the Flight Commander instantly dismisses by saying that they are one hundred and fifty miles from the French capital. Boucharlat’s callous disregard for their colleague and his low opinion of C Flight gains an aggressive rise from Farmer but Triggers steps into calm him thereby avoiding physical conflict with the Frenchman.

3. ‘Behind the lines’ – With gun in hand Gaylion makes his way through an area of woodland and, peering over a slight hilly rise, gazes down at a German gun emplacement which is aimed towards the clock faced steeple of a nearby village church. While he looks on his presence is detected by one of the soldiers patrolling the area. A momentary hesitation is all that Charles needs to disarm the soldier before he suddenly takes flight, running through the woods whilst the German calls to his colleagues to join in the pursuit of the downed British pilot. Unexpectedly Charles gains assistance from a local Frenchman whom beckons him into a covered dugout. As they shelter underground as the soldiers pass by this figure identifies himself as Shropshire educated Paul Savonnard whom amazingly has a previous connection with the Gaylion family. It transpires that he knew Charles’ Uncle Henry when the relative was the British Ambassador at the Hague some twenty years ago, just what are the odds on this happening?! Back at the Termonier household and it is charmingly domestic having Triggers, Farmer and Starling enjoying a fine meal at the dinner table whilst they share opinions and memories of their experiences with their host Capitaine Boucharlat. Even at this early point there is obviously heightened animosity between Boucharlat and the usually restrained well informed Starling, an element of this story which will later be played out to greater effect.

4. ‘Important intelligence’ – The main element of this chapter is the conversation between Paul Savonnard and Charles Gaylion which shifts from light-hearted to more serious when the former character imparts his knowledge of considerable military deployment in the area. With passionate concern this is confirmed to Triggers and Boucharlat when Starling returns from his reconnaissance flight whom I think conveys his findings with realistic fervour. During this portion of the story Madame Termonier has a bit of light-hearted fun with Captain Triggers when she offers a kaleidoscope for the flyer to look at. He confesses he cannot see anything through the device however when he removes it there is a black smudge around his eye. Later Marie-Helene shows her collection of aviator related items she keeps in a box and in response to this Triggers offers one of his uniform buttons. Marie-Helene expresses her gratitude by embarrassing him and bestowing an affectionate kiss just as Madame Termonier comes in. She immediately chastises the youngster’s actions by sending her off to her room (where she locks her in with Marie-Helene crying into the pillow on her bed) despite Triggers best attempts to apologise for what had transpired although his knowledge of the French language once again lets him down.

5. ‘Tragedy in victory’ – We find Gaylion and Savonnard making their way towards a gun emplacement sadly with tragic consequences. It’s rather poignant to then see Charles riding on the back of a horse drawn cart reflecting on his loss as he made his way towards Veuve-sur-Meuse. He reaches the Termonier household where he imparts the information that Savonnard had told him which effectively confirms all that Starling, also present at this point, had been saying in the previous chapter. Triggers and Farmer later take to the skies and soon engage in combat with an Eindecker. However when they are eventually successful in shooting down this aircraft it crashes directly on the local church whilst a well attended service is being held. We don’t actually see the impact however I believe the horrified reaction of Yolande effectively conveys this tragic event with believable resonance. The episode ends with our C Flight regulars attending the funeral of Madame Termonier with a tearful Marie-Helene exchanging a saddened glance with Triggers. For me “No Medals” will be best remembered for Charles Gaylion’s surprise encounter with Paul Savonnard and for the surprise appearance of Yolande Polfrey in the minor but suitably important supporting role of Marie-Helene. Also worthy of praise is Michael Starling’s aggrieved interaction with Capitaine Boucharlat. However what rather negates this story for me is C Flight’s lack of any real achievement in their Veuve-Sur-Meuse mission, in fact sadly they ultimately do more harm than good. For this reason I feel that it is a worthy but hardly memorable instalment.

There are just two episodes on this fourth disc (sadly no extras on offer (even a limited photo gallery would have been nice) and finishing off this second season I would like to say...

<<< (13) >>> HEROES (by Barry Thomas)
1. ‘Proposal’ – We open this final episode of the series with the unexpected sight of base hospital nurse Lorna Collins entering Captain Triggers office where she takes a moment to look over the blackboard which shows the flight status of the pilots. Suddenly into the empty room comes Richard Bravington whom having established the identity of the new arrival naturally assumes that she has come to see Second Lieutenant Farmer however Lorna is visiting with the intention to speak instead with Lieutenant Gaylion. Bravington then goes to shake Gaylion from his slumber and having straightened his appearance agrees to Richard showing Lorna in. In their conversation our base hospital nurse conveys that she does not have feelings for Alan and this eventually prompts Charles to propose marriage to Lorna. After momentarily switching to see Michael Starling going off on routine patrol we then return to Charles’ shared quarters but whilst the Lieutenant is attempting to gain some sleep Alan Farmer is sitting at the desk writing. This suitably intrigues Gaylion and we learn that our Second Lieutenant is writing an article entitled ‘meeting the hun in the rising sun’ where he answers questions (some of which seem quite ridiculous to Charles) posed by the English general public.

2. ‘Losing a friend’ – We being this section of this story with an infantry push over the trenches into no lands land and amongst the gunfire, mud and barbed wire the camera focuses on two characters whom are identified as Lofy Woodbridge (played by the familiar acting presence of Bryan Pringle) and Coffin Price. Woodbridge is seriously injured and it leads Price to assist him into a sheltered area of a partially demolished brick built structure (clearly in the studio!). Back at C Flight Captain Triggers has a visit from a Colonel Smith whom says that our regulars have been ordered to participate in a ‘Contact Patrol’. This would involve the RFC and infantry working together when a push is happening. Now the title of this chapter sadly refers to Michael Starling whom when fatally wounded after engaging an Eindecker leaves his aircraft strangely continually circling the same area. Naturally there is a suitably sombre atmosphere in the C Flight officers mess and when Alan Farmer returns from patrol Bravington with typical understandable (more than usual) sour dispersion adds that it is something else you can write for your magazine article.

3. ‘General’s flight’ – Despite his cautious reluctance Captain Triggers is ordered to fly Colonel Smith over the current nearby combat area at a low altitude. This is something that not only gains German machine gun fire but also the panicked ‘single pop’ from the rifle of Coffin Price. Well obviously the C Flight plane is shot down and the two occupants then jump from the aircraft and make for the sheltered area where Woodbridge and Price are.

4. ‘Pinned down’ – There is limited vocal interplay between the four men before Colonel Smith attempts to make a break for it across no mans land and it comes as no surprise when shortly after a shot rings out and we see Triggers looking out at the unmoving figure of the officer lying in the mud. Up in the sky ‘Wings’ offers us one more aerial combat sequence and this time we have four aircraft featured. It is quite a breathtaking well filmed scene where Farmer comes to the rescue of Gaylion by shooting down one of the two Eindeckers. He follows the plane down then proceeds to run to the fleeing pilot where he takes a moment to level his revolver at the frightened man before then electing simply to punch him unconscious.

5. ‘Moving on’ – Back in their C Flight quarters once more and Gaylion talks with Farmer about Lorna Collins and his intention to marry her. News of Captain Triggers being shot down leads to acting flight commander Gaylion attempting to mount a rescue mission with the assistance of Farmer and his observer Bravington by attacking the trenches, something that is obviously thought of as madness by the downed pilot. Out on the battlefield Triggers uses this diversion to pick up Woodbridge and carries the injured man out across the exposed wasteground and into a nearby trench. A soldier there cautions him from going any further but the Captain tries once more and this time his luck gives out on him. He is shot but as two infantry men carry him away it becomes clear that he is merely wounded. Personally I was quite surprised that shortly after this we find the C Flight base being closed down and you have a poignant scene in Captain Triggers old office between Gaylion and Farmer where the two fliers wonder what their new flight will be like. Just as they are about to leave a hospital lorry arrives and emerging from the back of it, now supported by a pair of crutches the smiling face of Captain Triggers can be seen warmly making his way to his pilots. “Heroes” is a suitably dramatic, engaging but bittersweet ending to the entire series of ‘Wings’, a show that succeeded well in offering convincing, authentically recreated aerial combat sequences with worthy well portrayed character interaction and development.

Yesterday, just like the debut run of episodes, I looked through a printed copy of all that I have said about this second season and composed the following product review which hopefully highlights the key aspects of the contents of this DVD box set...

WINGS – SEASON TWO DVD
Forward action and worthy character drama
Despite offering the same highly impressive and well realised aerial film sequences beneath the authentically recreated period splendour I feel this second season of WINGS does not have the same distinct linear progression as was evident during the debut run. IMO this is partly due to a lessening of the Beckets Hill narrative coupled with C Flight taking a more proactive stance against the Germans. Although (ep2) ZEPPELIN does not effectively visualise the mighty dirigible it is a worthy episode for both an outsider perspective of C Flight and Alan Farmer plus Molly becoming the Beckets Hill blacksmith striker. There are daring boys own missions for Captain Triggers behind German enemy lines during (ep3) ANOTHER COUNTRY plus (ep7) MACHINE GUN POST and series finale (ep13) HEROES whilst in (ep10) THE PRICE we meet this characters father as the family business test a new aircraft prototype. We have a worthy spirited performance by Michael Cochrane during (ep4) TRANSFER where his Charles Gaylion character clearly descends towards a state of madness. Then in (ep5) STUNT OR DIE in his Marshfield Reserve Squadron instructor role we find him both taking an unconventional approach with a couple of outspoken trainees and cultivating a romance with Lorna Collins. Although presenting us with the traumatic and distressing fate of 12 hungry infantry soldiers in (ep11) MUTINY it is IMO the finest series performance of semi regular Sarah Porter when her character Lorna (by this point base hospital nurse) conveys a more self assured and assertive individual when speaking with Alan Farmer that is the more memorable. IMO arguably the most exciting and dramatically satisfying story would be (ep6) DAWN ATTACK which combines a German raid on the C Flight base with the exciting return of Alan Farmer in a captured Eindecker. It is pleasingly counterpointed by Charles and Lornas simmering relationship. For me the greatest disappointments are (ep8) OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN which needlessly pads out Farmers eventual promotion over an entire episode and (ep9) GUARDIAN ANGEL which I feel fails to take the opportunity of successfully demonstrating a new parachute system. Also although Michael Starlings aggrieved interaction with Captaine Boucharlat is worthy of praise I was relatively underwhelmed with (ep12) NO MEDALS which is a rather pointless mission in the French countryside. These are however minor blemishes in a fine highly enjoyable second season which is an admirable follow up to the series debut run.

For the time being that is all I have to say about WINGS as my thoughts now turn to my new series. I hope to come back next week when I've had to compose something new from the pencil scribbled notes I was taking whilst watching the first two episodes last night.

with best wishes!