TV: Cucumber vi

Bloody hell.

TV: Cucumber v

As funny as Cucumber is - whether its characters realise it or not - it seems to be edging more and more towards a tragedy, in the classical sense, with every episode. The two main characters - Henry and Lance - are forcing their lives to be increasingly separate, even though clearly neither of them really want it. Of the pair, though, it is ironic that Henry, who was initially the one less keen to settle down, is now missing his partner far more than he is missed.

And Henry can't do wrong for right, either. His little foray into internet videos has left his relationship with his sister burned and his mugs smashed. The scene between Cleo and her brother in her kitchen is one of those great Russell T Davies moments of delivering something completely credible, but completely unexpected as she recounts trauma her daughter has gone through as a direct result of his attempted money-spinner. It's just as well Cleo intervenes and shuts the whole thing down when she does, to be honest, as it seems to be spiralling out of hand. More and more boys are showing up to be in the videos, and they're beginning to question why they need Henry. Indirectly, she's saved his bacon.

Speaking of which, Lance's chances of hooking up with Daniel seem to be improving. After spending a very private evening together, the latter's sexuality is surely being called into question. As Anjli Mohindra's Ronnie Chandra (very original!) posits, it does seem likely that Daniel is at least bisexual, but doesn't know it. I'm sure that realising you're gay is one of the biggest moments of your life, and Banana isn't quite long enough to show us that journey. Taking place over a few months, Cucumber provides the right kind of scale, and how interesting to see a man in his thirties undergo that journey. He clearly enjoys his time with Lance, but the confusion in his mind is just as clearly distressing, leading to certain scenes across the series of him refusing to interact with Lance, deciding it's easier to shut it out. 

I continue to be amazed by the production values of this series, too. I don't know whose idea it was, but the imagery of Henry in the forest is stunning, visually and metaphorically. One of the things I've loved about this show since the beginning is how bold it is, and this episode is no different. I love the little supermarket cutaways at the start of each instalment, and the way Alice Troughton shoots her little expansion, which is neatly referenced at the climax of Lance and Henry's lengthy cafe scene, is superb.

Vincent Franklin is once again staggeringly good as Henry, with his strongest scenes being the two handers with Cleo (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and Lance (Cyril Nri), especially that which closes this episode. The shot as his world finally collapses entirely is quite harrowing. No imagination is demanded of the viewer, Franklin puts it all on display. It's clear now that this was merely a phase for Henry, and he did want to move back home. He's blown his chance though, and has to deal with the consequences of his actions - another sophisticated element of Davies' writing. I can't wait to see where this goes next, but I get the distinct feeling something big's just around the corner...

TV: Cucumber iv

Russell T Davies clearly has a very specific vision for this show, and I for one am totally excited about it. Average writers might try to make their stories bigger by building them around cataclysmic external events, but Davies is such a master of his trade that he knows that from a character perspective, the more satisfying option is to explore the things that matter to everyone - namely the first date.

And so this episode concerns itself for the most part, as the first in the series did, with a single night. We follow Henry, Lance, Cleo, Freddie and Dean as they all go on their separate Saturday evenings/Sunday mornings. These are as varied and amusing as you'd expect from a mind as unconventional as Davies'. Even though some of these evenings may seem 'normal' (Freddie, for example, goes for dinner with a girl before taking her home) but it's the personal journeys all our leads go on that makes this so good.

Henry meets with the date arranged for him by Freddie, and it goes very well. Rupert - the date - is very keen to consummate the relationship instantly, but we know from the last couple of episodes that Henry is nowhere near as eager. Instead, he gets him hammered and they go for a takeaway. At a diner, we get one of the most Russell T Davies scenes imaginable, as Henry and Leigh (a friend of Rupert's friend, who happens to show up) discuss the minutiae of their respective relationships in a cafe. An ordinary cafe. Any cafe. They of course end up in Henry's bed, and it's really nice just to see him having fun for once, after all the stress he's usually under. Vincent Franklin is again amazing, and his acting really is all in the eyes. I noticed this first last episode, when he was watching Adam and Tomas, but it's unmissable here.

Lance goes out with a work colleague, but his love for Henry gets the better of him and prevents him from sleeping with them. In a cab home, he phones Daniel, who ends up inviting him over. There's a very brief shot, but it sums up Davies' writing for me. In interviews, he always mentions that life's about the little things that change your future forever. As he notes, he even wrote an entire Doctor Who story about it (Turn Left fact fans). And sure enough, stopped at a t-junction, Lance makes the decision and the cab goes right instead of left. He ends up staying the night at Daniel's, but nothing happens. I like the sly role reversal of the series - while Lance is apparently the one completely up for it to start with, by this point it's Henry who's off having fun with another man. I expect to see more of this before the series is out.

Cleo meets up with an old friend, Brian, for dinner. But as it turns out, they have more than that planned for the night. Even though Brian's engaged, there's clearly history there, but this isn't as simple as cheating. Cleo just wants a man, after all the trauma she's gone through, and he's willing to give it to her once to help her out. She changes her mind though, wanting to wait for the right man who she can be in a proper relationship with. And Freddie learns that there are other people as open-minded as him, and in Anna he's found someone who he might be happy with. After half a series of being portrayed as the ladies' and gentlemen's man, it's nice to see him attempt to settle down a little, no matter how much he's worried about it.

Dean has possibly the strangest storyline in this episode. Apparently kidnapped, he's soon taken to a house out in the country. It turns out his kidnappers are another couple, and making them big burly blokes called Clive and Boris made me hoot. It's lovely to see things turning a corner at the halfway point of the series, but it's equally a tragedy that we're already halfway through. I know Davies has '80s AIDS drama The Boys coming in the future, but after that I'd love a return to the lives of Henry and co.

While this episode sports a great wealth of talent (including Bethany Black, who I know features prominently in this week's Banana), both in front and behind the camera - Murray Gold and Alice Troughton both contribute massively to this - the relationship between Vincent Franklin's acting and Russell's writing is just magic. Each enhances the other, and as such Henry is my favourite TV character for a long time. This really is the perfect series. I can't wait to see where all our characters are taken next.