MovieChat Forums > The Sweeney (1975) Discussion > Supersnout

Supersnout

posted 13 years ago by cluniac
6 replies | jump to latest

This posting contains a spoiler.

I very recently watched 'Supersnout' on the 'The Sweeney' DVD collection for what is probably the third time since I bought this brilliant collection a couple of years ago. It's not that I'm particularly fond of this episode, by the way. I like most episodes very much. Anyway, towards the end, I don't think I'd fully understood what actually takes place when watching this episode before and I'm not quite a hundred percent certain I understood this time either. I assume that the rather revolting snout had set up Quirk by being an informant for the Serious Crime Squad behind Jack's back in order to discredit Quirk. I suppose I'm sharing my thoughts so that someone can either agree or disagree with this assumption.

[–] VestanPance1974 13 years ago

I think you're on the right lines. One thing we do know is that Regans snout Stickley set up Quirks snout because he had "previous" with Quirk. The scene 30 minutes into the episode where Regan is "mock" questioning Stickley in a Police Station indicate he's more involved than he lets on. Regan mentions Yannos and the Serious Crime Squad to him, and Stickley's evasive response wasn't entirely convincing.

It's certainly an episode (with a complex plot-line) that divides opinion; apart from the fact that everyone agrees "Stickley the Supersnout" is a horrible little man. He leads everyone up the garden path, which results farcically in Yannos the bald guy walking out with the case undetected and the opposing police officers arresting each other. And ultimately Quirk was dropped in the smelly-stuff (in front of German Police officers). I quite like the episode, but from a viewers perspective it does have a few loose ends that were never tied up.

Hope this helps. I too have had the complete box set for a couple of years now, I'm watching them all again for the 2nd time, having previously watched many episodes years ago.

[–] cluniac 13 years ago

Thanks for that.

Nice to hear from a fellow Sweeney fan, by the way. I was a fan of the Sweeney way back in the seventies when it was first on TV. I was only a kid at school, then. Other kids I knew were also fans. I'm certain my appreciation of it now is on a different level to what it was then, though. Then I probably didn't understand much of what took place for one thing. I probably liked it for the action and the 'adult' content.

[–] VestanPance1974 13 years ago

cluniac, you're welcome.

It's certainly the best UK Police series ever produced, it must've seemed so ground-breaking in the 1970's. I first started watching it around 1983, when ITV repeated it on Friday nights. I was a 9 year old "Minder" fan, but my Dad & older brother convinced me to watch The Sweeney as they felt I'd like it too.

And like you, my love of the show is now on a different level. Even my wife has watched it now & again and enjoyed it. She was always led to believe it was too violent and over the top, but compared with modern TV shows the swearing and violence aren't that bad. The Re-Mastered DVD episodes make it look so fresh. Personally, some episodes were better than others. But I can never recall a total dud. Presently, I'm enjoying the 2nd series, and I feel this was probably the best of the four.

[–] cluniac 13 years ago

My wife can't stand the series. She only got to hear of it a couple of years ago after I'd bought the DVDs. I agree with you that there's a lot to be said for remastering. I wonder what the series would look like if I could go back in time to the seventies, when I first saw it, and see it on the TV my parents had then. I'd probably find it unwatchable. I've just finished watching the second series for the third time since buying the DVDs a couple of years ago and enjoyed each episode.

[–] rainbird131162 13 years ago

I agree with you that there's a lot to be said for remastering. I wonder what the series would look like if I could go back in time to the seventies, when I first saw it, and see it on the TV my parents had then.

There's an extra on one of the UK sets that has Thaw and Waterman receiving an award from Eamonn Andrews (of This Is Your Life fame). Part of the footage includes an unrestored clip from The Sweeney episode Jigsaw. If you want to know what the series looked like on its original tx - you can see it there.

Mai Yamane! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-sYFirfywY&feature=related

[–] john_harley63 8 years ago

Brandy Di Frank! Nuff said!

Shut the door, Mary...