Stella - Series 4

Stella, Sky 1's smash hit comedy drama, has just left us with its compelling series 4 conclusion. I have been a firm fan of this show from day one, and I am in no mood to change my mind now. I was overjoyed to see it back (particularly so soon after such a stonking Christmas special) and I am now sad to see it go, though  I am hopeful again for yet another outing to Pontyberry before too long.

It is notoriously hard to keep a show going for one successful season let alone four, and I believe Ruth Jones and her fantastic team deserve every credit ; each episode of series 4, like the others before them, were of a good, solid and very watchable quality. Such is what we have come to expect from Stella.
By and large I have no real complaints, and again praise Stella for its consistent good standards. There were a few noticeable chinks in the show's armour this time around that did not sit with me personally, but all in all still Stella at her superb best.

Last time around when reviewing series 3 (see my BLOG ARCHIVE) I commented on the fact that a lot of chops and changes had been constantly made to the cast of Stella since the end of the first series. The same is certainly true of this latest run, yet now I get the sense that the team are well and truly celebrating this.
An intrinsic understanding of the fluidity and popularity of each individual character has been established, and used to good effect this season. We had the warmly welcome series staples (including but not limited to Ruth Jones as Stella herself of course!) that we all know and love, a couple of new faces, plus the fantastic (if a tad brief) return of those we hadn't seen for donkeys. I refer especially to the joyous return of Elizabeth Berrington as Paula, who we hadn't seen since series 2. I loved the character of Paula and always hoped for her return, and was thus thrilled to see her make a comeback, though regrettably without her husband Dai. It was like she had never left, despite the world of Stella having heavily changed in her absence, but her return stint was sadly cut short. The same was said of Mark Lewis Jones, who briefly popped back as Rob Morgan in the series finale.
This was a bit of a jumble, and resulted in a bit of a mixed message for me as an audience member. The evolving and ever growing sizable cast list of Stella is full of utter gems, brilliantly written and executed and as a result it really does feel like a fantastic community ensemble that is constantly flowing in and out of one central Pontyberry story line. Fine, great but at times (and for the first time in all of Stella's run) I did feel a bit fobbed off with this sporadic introduction and reintroduction of faces old and new. Yes the cast still blended together and into the story very well, but it just feels like they are trying a tad too hard at times to please everyone at once just for the sake of it.
I realize it is a difficult balance; to keep introducing fresh elements and characters whilst remaining true to why we fell in love with Stella in the first place. I also know mostly they have struck gold, but I would just say that a little more finesse may have been needed  in alternating the cast list as they did in series 4. Yet as I say - great to see such a superb ensemble strut their stuff again.

In terms of the overall continuing plot of Stella in this latest fourth series; again very good most of the time but there were several moments (again perhaps more so that in previous years) where things got a little stunted for me.
Having successfully coupled Stella and Michael (played by Patrick Baladi) last year, I suppose the next logical step was to uncouple them, which they did in spectacular form. This was a powerful central arc of this series; Michael's betrayal, shame and eventual redemption. in Stella's eyes and everyone else's. Baladi plays it brilliantly, and the chemistry between him and Ruth Jones is still wonderfully tangible. However the flippancy and slightly "soap" style way in which the uncoupling rift was done slightly niggled me. That said, a touch of scandal in Stella was never a bad thing.
The supporting Luke/gambling arc was a bad move in my case. Not because it wasn't compelling dramatically or because the actors couldn't pull it off, but because it was a tad predictable. Still plenty of powerful and comedic moments, but that element left me feeling a bit empty in all honesty.
I mentioned characters for characters' sake; Auntie Brenda, played by Di Botcher, has been a huge hit as a Stella character since she arrived, but her story arc this time around did not add much depth to her persona. I can still see her popularity and the reasons for it, but in small, sharp doses - her election story line showed us nothing we hadn't seen before from her and her fellows, and dare I say it, left the Auntie Brenda character feeling a tad stale.
However, these really are small (if quite constant) niggles within Stella series 4, as by and large it was still more of the same joyous moments to enjoy (including an incredibly funny, touching, and poignant Alan/Celia wedding arc).

All in all, Stella still brought a huge smile to my face. Yes, four seasons in and it may be flagging a tad, but Stella's world is still going strong and still has a lot to give I am sure. At its heart the show is incredibly warming, hilarious and fun, but it is written, conceived and played in a way that borders on the genius in its ability to keep legions hooked. Once again, I must say bravo Stella. It was a joy to see you back, and don't take too long in returning again.