From the off I was a firm fan of Last Tango in Halifax, and I was thrilled to see it return. What started as an opening concept of two aged people who, after living whole lifetimes separately from each other (with their own very different families) are finally reunited in their twilight years, has become a show that has gone on quite the journey. Of course at its heart, Last Tango is still at its core about the lives of Alan and Celia (embodied wonderfully by Sir Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid). Yet evolution and development is necessary in any successful series, and so to is the case with Last Tango in Halifax.
When the first series hit our screens in 2012, one of the many great things I was struck by was the fact that, although a staunch romantic drama, Last Tango also had a distinct tinge of the highly comedic and ludicrously laughable. This came and still went on to come from brilliant observation, writing and acting but the blend of drama with a distinct hint of the comedic did not escape me. Fast forward a few years, and this dynamic has changed. We have got more dramatic, and he have got a bit more of the full on. Last Tango's creator and writer Sally Wainwright was quoted as saying that there's not much compelling drama to be found in everyone having a good time. This is true, and it definitely shows in the latest series. I did have solid faith in Last Tango to deliver again, but I did in the end detect a hint of the difficult third album, although not nearly enough to detract from what is purely and simply great television.
They say if you have a good formula don't change it and, bar a bit of fettling, they haven't. We may not have as much comedically, but the wit and the joy is still there. As I said, the core elements of Last Tango are still strongly in place - Alan and Celia and their daughters Caroline and Gillian. Yet it was now a case of what happens to them that moves the plot on. We had the reunion driving series one, the slight progression of settling in (in essence) in series two, now that progression needed to be kicked into overdrive in series three. How that progression would alter (or not as the case may be) these characters we have come to know and love would prove to drive Last Tango a series further into our hearts and minds.
The one character that I felt wasn't given much newness to tackle was Anne Reid as Celia. A lot of her elements remained the same - loving Alan one minute, then when affronted turned against him on a sixpence, still staunchly against her daughter's lesbian relationship and eventual marriage, and essentially all other times being a kind of background busybody. The lack of direction for Celia did surprise me somewhat, but that is not to say Anne Reid failed to deliver; quite the contrary. Series three may show Celia as we are used to seeing her, but that is not a bad thing necessarily. Anne Reid still gives a resoundingly warm and well-crafted performance, even if plot-wise it is mostly things we have seen before.
Her daughter Caroline, played beautifully by Sarah Lancashire, for me had the most powerful, the least subtle and often the rawest story arc this time around. I don't want to spoil too much, but Caroline's ride is quite a bumpy one in this series, and we see Sarah Lancashire handle this, again as well as familiar nuances of her character, with superb ease, fluidity and believability.
Gillian again seems to be a bit stagnant in terms of character development oddly enough. On the face of things, Nicola Walker's character could be seen to come a long way in this series, and in some ways she does. Yet in terms of what drives her, her psychology and her internal struggles, to me again not much has changed (despite the fact that there is still a lot going on there!). Again however it is a case of "don't knock a good thing". Nicola Walker is sublime as Gillian. Always brilliantly timed, oozing just the right amounts of charisma and vulnerability combined and all her ups and downs as Gillian are always deliciously watchable.
The character that has the most interesting, the most subtle and the most well executed character shift is oddly Alan I feel. I have been a long time massive fan of the legendary Sir Derek Jacobi, and I adore what he does as Alan. What's more I feel that altering Alan's character make up as they did in series three was a bold move, but one that did pay off. In essence, and rightly so, Alan is still as we know him; charming, lovely, lovable, witty and joyous to watch. But watch what happens to him when we see a skeleton in his cupboard come home to roost. It is not a total character shift, but it adds a powerful tinged streak to his character that is both interesting plot-wise and one that is also delivered perfectly by Sir Derek Jacobi.
So those are the main character shifts, and other tidbits of plot and series progression seem to be instigated by either lack of or the addition of supporting cast. Ronni Ancona's Judith was culled straight from the off, which I disliked at first because I liked the character and the performance, but I can see that they perhaps thought it could not go much further, at least short term. Dean Andrews and Tony Gardner stay as Robbie and John respectively but they don't really add much novelty to the party (once again probably sticking with what they know and adding it to the pot). Rupert Graves is the major new casting addition as Gary, who is linked strongly with the above change in Jacobi's Alan. Graves' performance, like his character, often came across as sporadic and confused but all in all I do like his approach and I feel he is a refreshing boost to the already impressive cast. Finally, there is a big and lasting moment drama wise involving Kate, Caroline's love interest, played by Nina Sosanya.
So yes, an interesting mix for Last Tango this time of old and new, stability and novelty, and risk and reassurance. On balance, I feel they got it pretty much right. As I said, a good way of doing things should not be tampered with too much and in this instance I feel the Last Tango team have done just enough to keep things interesting, but have kept enough old elements to keep us invested and enamored with a series I have no doubt we will see again (huzzah!) and also a series that I am sure will go on to become a TV classic.
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