“Lovejoy, you scumbag! You owe me a spiral staircase!” 29 October 2019
In this episode, Lovejoy is involved in two different plot threads involving two different fraudsters. In the first, larger story, Lovejoy has been hired by a man named Palmer (Ray Lonnen) to help open a new antique mall. Lovejoy smells a rat and sets out to prove Palmer isn’t who or what he claims to be. In the second, a local shopkeeper is caught up in a scam involving a forged painting. Lovejoy decides to turn the tables and scam the scammer.
Lovejoy is a unique character. On the one hand, we’re on his side as he takes on forgers and scammers. On the other hand, we root for him when he’s the one doing the forging and scamming. Watching The Real Thing, we can’t wait for Lovejoy to expose the smug Palmer for what he really is. But just a few minutes earlier, we loved watching Lovejoy get one over on Gimbert, when, by lying through his teeth, he basically steals a spiral staircase. I’ve never thought about it before, but I suppose that makes Lovejoy something of a Robin Hood.
Anyway, The Real Thing is another nice episode. It’s all just so leisurely paced, with interesting bits of mid-80s England on display. Of the two plot threads, I enjoyed the smaller one the most. The way Lovejoy gets back at the fraudsters, using their own scam and greed against them, is a treat to watch unfold. Another big plus for the episode is Ray Lonnen. He’s fantastic as Palmer. He’s just so perfectly arrogant and slimy that it’s a pleasure to watch him get his in the end.
7/10
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