MovieChat Forums > Goodnight Sweetheart (1993) Discussion > Had he never met his parents in the past...

Had he never met his parents in the past before?

posted 8 years ago by H_i_the_2nd
7 replies | jump to latest

I just watched the revival episode, which I enjoyed. I haven't seen any Goodnight Sweetheart since it ended in '99. Even then, I don't think I saw every single episode, but probably the majority of them. So when he met his dad in maternity ward in the 60s, I was a little confused.
At first they did that same-body-language thing seen in Back to the Future, allowing the audience to see that they are father and son, even though they don't realise it. Then Gary's dad introduces himself.
To me it seems Gary didn't recognise him when he walked in (which is odd considering he walked in there knowing he was about to be born, therefore should have expected to see his dad, and doubtless knows what he looked like too).
Also Gary's dad doesn't recognise him either, which suggests that at no point has Gary ever seeked out his parents while in the past, despite the fact they were obviously alive at the time.
So my question is: Did they ever do an episode where he meets his parents in the 40s (or attempts to)? It seems like an obvious episode idea.
I also thought that he might bump into son, now in his 60s, while back in 2016, but I guess that's another one they can do if they bring the show back for another series.

[–] paulbeardsley 8 years ago

There are no previous episodes that feature his parents except for one in which his father visits him in the present.

In one of his earlier trips into the past he passes his own grandmother off as his wife Marilyn Monroe, but this happens offscreen.

Michael appears as a grown-up (played by Ian Lavender) in one episode, and has his history changed.

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.

[–] Deenglow 8 years ago

Thinking back, Gary's reaction to meeting his dad was a little weak and underplayed. Lyndhurst showed no emotion whatsoever at seeing his dad in the past for, as you point out OP, apparently the first time. In the original run, Gary was a bit distant with his dad in the present (when he was played by Roger Sloman), but still - you'd think he'd have some visible emotional reaction to meeting him as a young man. Lyndhurst should have been directed to show *something* when he realised he was sitting right next to his father as a young man.

[–] mark6785 8 years ago

i think he did show a brief flicker of emotion when he saw him , which was why he chose to sit there.

a kind of "theres the dozy bugger thats about to drop me on my head" kind of look

[–] momanari 8 years ago

He never met his parents in the original episodes, but he did track down his granddad.

[–] paulbeardsley 8 years ago

His granddad didn't appear on screen. Are you thinking of Ron's granddad?

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.

[–] freebird1987 8 years ago

No, they never did an episode where he tracked down his parents in the 40s.

[–] cris-07026 7 years ago

I know he would have seen them and maybe interacted with them, But other than that what would have been the point? He could hardly convince them who he was and why he was there.