A few weeks ago the fifth series of the SKY TV comedy-drama Mount Pleasant came to an end.  As a big fan of the show, I thought I would share with you some my feelings about this latest series.  I thought it started off brilliantly but then got boring for a time.  It picked up towards the end though and still left me wanting to see more next year, i.e Series 6.

“And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all, the needle returns to the start of the song and we all sing along like before”.

These words are taken from a song by a Scottish group that I used to love called Del Amitri.  In a way they best sum up how I feel towards Mount Pleasant.  Nothing that much happens in it……really, nevertheless it is an enjoyable programme and one that I will continue to watch. I just have an issue with the pace of the narrative at times that is all.  This comment could be applied to this series as well as all the other ones that I have seen.  I think it could have a faster pace to it.  Furthermore, I think the narrative content could have more to it also.  I think some of the characters could have had more storylines per series and this includes this latest one.

I have seen every series of Mount Pleasant but cannot think of a better opening episode to a series than the one that kicked off series five.  In this episode we were introduced to Dan and Lisa’s new neighbours Cameron and Jenna(played by Patrick Robinson and Nicola Hughes).  Straight away Lisa(Sally Lindsay) and Jenna did not see eye-to-eye.  When Jenna knocked on Lisa’s front door trying to say a friendly first hello, Lisa mistook her for somebody trying to flog her something and so was rude to her.  Then there was the very funny catastrophe of hairdresser Jenna accidentally dying Lisa’s hair the wrong colour. It looked horrendous and Lisa was raging mad!

The funniest scene of the entire series for me was when they all in the pub together near the end of episode one.  Peace had just been restored between Lisa and Jenna when Lisa then inadvertently spilt a glass of red wine all over Jenna’s white blouse.  The thing that made it so funny was the fact that the wine mid-air and travelling towards Jenna, was filmed in slow-motion.  It magnified the drama, the horror and the comedy aspect of the sequence.  I loved Dan’s(Daniel Ryan) horrified reaction shot as he saw where the wine was heading.  This accompanied with dramatic music made it a really funny scene to watch.

After a really enjoyable first episode I was so pleased that Mount Pleasant was back in my life once again.  First and foremost, it was a very funny episode as I have highlighted. The new characters in it also made an initial favourable impression on me too. I was happy that the ditzy character Bianca(played by Sian Reeves) was no longer in it because she really irritated me.  I found her character too over-the-top and totally unbelievable.  As a Mancunian, I love the northern feel of the show.  The Manchester dialect and accent of many of the characters gives me a sense of familiarity that I enjoy.  I thought this punchy first episode was a really encouraging sign for what great things were to come our way in the rest of the series.

Unfortunately, I found the next three or four episodes a bit boring.  For die-hard Mount Pleasant  fans they were perfectly watchable, however nothing much really happened in them.  They centred around the continuing feud between Lisa and Jenna but it went on for far too long in my opinion.  It resulted in them competing against one another when it was decided they should both throw and share birthday parties for their two little girls.  The first half would be at Lisa and Dan’s house and the second half would be at Cameron and Jenna’s.  I just found it all a tad corny, especially the way Lisa acted.  I was in Dan’s corner who thought Lisa had lost the plot by being so obsessive about trying to outshine Jenna.  Lisa and Jenna’s feud did not get resolved until the end of episode six.  This was at least one episode too long in my view.

On the plus side, I thought the stars of series five were actors Neil Fitzmaurice(as Fergus) and Clive Mantle(as Trevor).  Up to this series I had sort of been indifferent towards the character Fergus.  I never found him irritating but neither was he one of my favourite characters in the show either.  In his series though I thought this character came across more well-rounded. By this I mean he had more substance to him.  We saw different sides to Fergus. He more maturity about him and I liked this.  For example, we still had all his humour with regards to being scared of Lisa at work, yet it was endearing the way he wanted to look after Denise(the mother of his child) even though they had split up awhile ago. I liked how we saw him faced with that big dilemma towards the end the series too.  He had the opportunity to leave Mount Pleasant for a better job with a much better salary, however he decided to stay because he wanted to live closer to his family and friends(and new fancy piece) .  I enjoyed watching this ‘new look’ Fergus with a more positive mindset about life.

I have always liked Clive Mantle as an actor.  To be honest, I thought it was a bit of a coup for the show to see him in this series. Clive as Trevor was the new owner of the local pub, The Dog and Dart.  On the surface Trevor appeared to be this lovely debonair fellow.  This was just a front though to hide his much darker sinister side. As the series progressed we got more and more glimpses of his darker side.  I am thinking here of that great scene he had with Pauline(Dan’s Mum) when he tried to kiss her outside the pub but failed. One minute he was saying goodbye to her all apologetically, then the next as his head was turned he had a face like thunder.  I thought this was great acting and he certainly gave me the hebbie-jeebies looking all viscous like that.  This character and actor were a great addition to series five.

After a few dull episodes things picked up again towards the end of the series as I mentioned earlier. Episode seven ended on a right cliffhanger after Roger the local Reverend(James Dreyfus), collapsed all in a heap whilst doing a local charity fun-run.  This was dramatic stuff and we did not learn this character’s fate until we saw the final episode a week later.

Roger as a character had got on my nerves in the last few series.  I did not find him that funny or engaging to watch.  Many of the scenes of him with Bianca last series bored me.  In this series though I grew to like this character a lot more.  I think this has to be down to the fact that he had better storylines, plus Bianca was no longer in it.  Not being into exercise but going to the gym a lot because he fancied one of the instructors there was amusing to watch(watching him struggle).  I also found his loathing for ‘training partner’ Fergus funny too.  After recovering from his heart attack we saw Reverend Roger do something very momentous at the end of the final episode.  We saw him post his letter of resignation to the church.  It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, partly ours too also.  This is because he was a crap but funny Reverend (funny in this series).  I hope to see this character in series six however I do wonder if that is the last we have seen of him in Mount Pleasant!

The tension went up a notch further in the final episode as Trevor’s dastardly wicked plan was finally revealed.  He wanted to burn down The Dog and Dart so he could then make a shed load of money via the insurance payout.  Everything did not go according to plan however has Pauline came back to the pub when she was supposed to be away.  It resulted in Trevor and his dodgy mate locking her up in the pub whilst leaving it and her to burn.  We then had the emotionally charged gripping scene of Dan and Lisa trying to rescue his trapped Mum from the fire.  Once she was safe, Finn(Cameron’s son) and his girlfriend Ella then had to be rescued from the flat above the pub.

I found the next bit pulsating to watch, however at the same time it was also a bit corny.  Dan with Cameron had rescued the two love birds from upstairs and all seemed well. That was until Dan was knocked to the floor by some falling debris on his way out of the burning pub.  He was momentarily knocked out and for one second I did wonder if we were going to get the shocks of all shocks , i.e Dan being killed.  However, in true Hollywood blockbuster tear-jerking style, Dan rose to his feet after seeing Lisa staring at him through a metal barred window.  It was like their love for each other is what saved him.  He dusted himself off and duly ran out to safety.  It was dramatic stuff, however perhaps a touch over-the-top for me.

It was a very good last episode bar one thing.  It concerned the storyline resolution about the marriage struggles between Lisa and Dan.  This storyline about them struggling to get on along ran throughout nearly all of series five.  As the series progressed the breakdown of their marriage seemly got worse.  It got to the point when Lisa wanted them to go and see a marriage guidance counsellor.  Dan was mortified at this suggestion at first but then he relented seeing how much Lisa wanted to go.  Things were definitely not right between them.  It then got decided in this last episode that marriage guidance was not what they needed to save their marriage after all, and all that was required was a weekend break together at a luxury beauty spa.  This being the beauty break that Pauline should have gone on.  I just found it too big a turnaround. One minute divorce was looking on the cards but now it was not because they were going away together for the weekend which would sort all their problems out…..really???  This was the same couple who could barely manage a relaxed conversation with each another when Dan specially cooked Lisa a meal in a previous episode.  I just found this resolution to their marriage difficulties too unrealistic.

There we have it then, that is my review of the fifth series/season of Mount Pleasant.  I hope I illustrated enough as to why I put such a headline to this blog at the beginning.  Mount Pleasant will never be the best bit of telly that you have ever seen in your life, but neither will it be the worst.  It is easy watching television that is sure to cheer you up and make you smile every time you tune in. It certainly is not a good as that other Manchester based comedy drama Cold Feet was…….BUT THAT IS NOT SUCH A BAD THING, BEING THE NEXT BEST THING! 3.5/5.