Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

ShadeGrenade 'Thomas & Sarah' was the only spin-off from L.W.T.'s hugely popular period drama series 'Upstairs Downstairs', reuniting Pauline Collins as the perky 'Sarah' with ( her real-life husband ) John Alderton as ex-valet cum chauffeur/mechanic 'Thomas Watkins'.Contrary to what was established in 'Updown', Thomas and Sarah never married. As the series begins, they have been apart for some time. He ditched her while she was pregnant. She is now looking after a rich woman's child, while he has his own garage business, which does not appear to be doing too well. They meet up by chance when he almost runs into her as she is out pushing a pram. Naturally, she has a lot she wants to say to him.Over the coming weeks, the series evolved almost into a period version of 'Budgie', with Thomas seeking to make a fortune, and usually failing flat on his face. The title sequence neatly summarised the premise ( as they should do ) by featuring Thomas throwing a coin into the air to see what side it would fall on - it went down a drain! Harry Rabinowitz provided the excellent theme tune. In 'The Silver Ghost', Tom is entrusted with the job of selling Lord Bellamy's Rolls, and gets caught up in a jewel smuggling plot. 'The Vanishing Plot' has him and Sarah buying a Chinese magician's stage act, only to find it is worthless. 'Alma Mater', on the other hand, sees the pair coming to the aid of children being exploited by a greedy headmaster. 'Return To Gethyn' features them in Wales, where Tom is accused of fathering an illegitimate child. Probably the best of the bunch was 'The New Rich' in which they move into a house that looks uncannily like 165 Eaton Place, and come into conflict with a snobbish butler ( played superbly by the late Nigel Hawthorne ).Apart from 'T & S', no other characters from 'Updown' appeared. There were behind the scenes problems - Alderton kept sending back scripts for rewrites, and clashed with producer Christopher Hodson. The show was good overall, but never came close to rivalling its predecessor in terms of popularity. Only one season was made. A second got abandoned thanks to the infamous 1979 I.T.V. strike. The final episode - 'Love Into Three Won't Go' - ended on a cliffhanger, with Tom seemingly perishing when stables caught fire. Sarah is seen weeping over an unidentified grave.Given the staggering success of 'Updown' in America, it is surprising to hear that 'T & S' was not shown out there for many years.

bradstephan Moments ago, I savored the final episode, after enjoying the entire series over the past couple of weeks. First I must confess, I was an immediate fan of both characters in Up/Down. For me, Pauline Collins as Sarah was my favorite, and certainly she was the most interesting and complex of the bunch. Then enters John Alderman (Sorry about that, chief. You know I meant Alderton!). From his very first lines, facial expression, voice tone and accent I was sold on this intriguing, semi-lovable rogue. You knew something was up, the plot had thickened, the game was afoot from his very first lines with "Miss Elizabeth" during the 'job interview.' From the first to the last, you were never quite sure if Thomas is being sincere, facetious or calculating! What a talent, and what a delightful viewing pleasure. Thank you, Pauline and John! (FYI - they are and have been married in 'real' life for many years - how cool is that! And, make sure to check out Pauline's rave success in 1989's, "Shirley Valentine".) In Thomas & Sarah, I love their ambiguous, dynamic relationship, and thought all the plots, situations and various characters were most entertaining. Entertainment, for me, on par with Up/Down -- again, possibly in large part due to my entrancement with the characters/actors (i.e., I have no interest in reading stories about T&S, as I need Pauline and John to be part of the equation). So much so that, I'm eagerly looking forward to watching them in "Wodehouse Playhouse," and hope that I can, someday,find "No, Honestly".Last comment: Most definitely, first get to know these two characters in Up/Down, before watching them in this classic, sadly-short TV series

AnnieCian I could not believe that anyone could reduce themselves to this mediocrity after the success of Upstairs Downstairs. What were the producers thinking of? I only watched it because someone had the bright idea to attach it to the Box set of Upstairs Downstairs. After few episodes I quit. It is the same oxymoron. Sarah and Thomas with their shameless and shady antiques which is so far fetched at times that it comes down as an insult to our intelligence rather than entertainment. I found Sarah's overacting, loud and ear scratching cockney diction quite irritating and Thomas' dishonesty and conniving superficial and borderline ridiculous. I strongly recommend that the fans of Upstairs Downstairs stay away from it not to diminish their uplifting enjoyment of UD. The fact that Thomas and Sarah only lasted a few episodes speaks in volumes.

fraserpatty I personally don't like cliff hangers that you can never know the answer to. I saw on a different site that another season was planned but did not come off due to a strike. That information, if true, would tell us the answer to one thing but not "what happened next".Prior to this episode this was indeed a very good series. I was especially surprised as Thomas and Sarah were never my personal favorite characters in Upstairs, Downstairs. I found Sarah particularly headstrong and annoying. For this reason, I put off watching this spin-off series for several years. Recently, however, I watched it, and due to some excellent, if somewhat unbelievable scripts and dialog, and some very good acting by all involved I found this well worth watching.