A Fine Romance (Episodes 10-18) 2001 Horror Movie Reviews

A Fine Romance, Set 2 contains the nine episodes that comprise the second season of this popular 1980s Britcom. Judi Dench (that's Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench to you) and real-life husband Michael Williams star as prickly translator Laura and "grubby little gardener" Mike, who tentatively navigate their fledgling romance. In these episodes, the mismatched couple move in together, deal with jealousy, throw an ill-fated dinner party, fret over Mike's struggling business, meet Laura's parents, and in the poignant cliffhanger, contemplate parenthood (she wants a baby, he does not). Don't look for any Sam-and-Diane sexual chemistry here. Like the song says, this is a fine romance with no kisses (Mike, while a decent chap, is not the most stimulating of characters). You don't have to be British to enjoy this low-key, intimately observed human comedy (there is nothing like it on American television). But in the case of one episode's running joke, in which Mike is mistaken for some obscure (in this country, at any rate) celebrity, it no doubt helps. --Donald Liebenson