You know you're in trouble when you're past the 9-minute mark and you haven't seen Steed or Tara since the credits. The dread increases when it becomes apparent that the star of the episode is Mother, whose very presence is one of the biggest blots on season seven. Apparently, the producers were trying to salvage footage from an episode that was shot and too terrible to use, so they chopped it to bits (along with scenes from other old episodes) and had Mother talk over it, with occasional accompaniment from Laurie Johnson's tack piano. Despite the humorous bits by Mother's old aunties, this script is dead in the water and a mess to follow with any sense of logic. I guess it was a budget-saver, but it was so embarrassing that they didn't air it until the show was on its last legs.
Review of Homicide and Old Lace
