Rodney Come Home

Infobox Only Fools and Horses
episode_name = Rodney Come Home


Series = Christmas Special
writer = John Sullivan
director = Tony Dow
producer = Gareth Gwenlan
Duration = 75 minutes
Airdate = 25 December 1990
Audience = 18 million
Cast =

Rodney Come Home is the ninth Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1990.

Unlike the other Christmas specials, this episode is not a one-off story, but sets up story arcs that run throughout the following series. As such, it could be regarded as the first episode of the seventh series, although it is officially regarded as the last of the sixth series.

ynopsis

At the Arndale Centre, Albert and Del Boy sell children's dolls that sing Chinese lullabies.

Meanwhile, at "Parry Print Ltd", a starving Rodney discovers that Cassandra made him a very weak sandwich him for lunch, and his new (and quite ignorant and disrespectful) secretary refuses to go out and buy him a hamburger during the lunch break. But when he spots Raquel with shopping bags full of delicious food, Rodney invites her into his office, and they have a nice chat about the tour that Raquel had been on between "Dates" and "The Jolly Boys' Outing", and about how Rodney's marriage with Cassandra is holding out. Then, Alan comes in, meets Raquel, and tells Rodney that Del is making money off their printing paper. Raquel leaves, and Rodney is left with only the sandwich he threw in the bin to eat.

That evening, Rodney returns home to his flat, only to find that Cassandra hasn't bothered to prepare anything for him and is instead going out to play badminton. They argue, and Cassandra accuses Rodney of being childish if he expects her to cook for him like a servant from the 1930s (although she is in fact being immature herself). Shocked and hurt by this, Rodney storms out in a huff. Meanwhile, at Nelson Mandela House, Del and Raquel are enjoying quite a romantic dinner, and just as Del is about to ask Raquel something, Rodney bursts in and tells everyone that he and Cassandra are through, then decides to sleep in his old bedroom, but Raquel tells him that she's sleeping there. Until then, Del tells Rodney that he will be sleeping on the sofa.

A week later, at a nightclub, as Del and Raquel dance, Rodney is getting drunk with his friends Mickey Pearce and Chris, which leaves Del completely concerned.

The next evening, back at the flat, Del Boy tells Albert that when Rodney took the Reliant Regal van down to the Peckham Exhaust Centre to get it fixed, he foolishly arranged a date with an attractive receptionist named Tania. When Rodney tells Del, Raquel, and Albert that he's going to see "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" with Tania, they then try to talk him out of his date, but Rodney ignores them and heads off. Del goes over to Cassandra's flat and sadly breaks the bad news to her that Rodney taking Tania to the cinema to try to make her jealous. Cassandra cries, and Del tells her that Raquel will phone and help cheer her up.

Later, back at the flat at midnight, as Del tries to remove the voiceboxes from the Chinese dolls, he gets a telephone call from Rodney, who took Del Boy's advice, cancelled his date, and has decided to wait at his flat for Cassandra, so they can kiss and make up. Before Del can warn him about something, Rodney just hangs up. Del admits to Raquel and Albert that he told Cassandra, and then races over to Rodney and Cassandra's flat. Cassandra returns home, only to be greeted by a smiling Rodney, but the reunion is short-lived as Cassandra sends Rodney flying out the door. Del arrives too late, and Rodney berates him for ruining his night. But however, Rodney has been locked out of his own home, so he has no choice but to go back to Nelson Mandela House with his older brother Del.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/onlyfools/christmas/1990.shtml "Rodney Come Home" at bbc.co.uk]