The Frog's Legacy

I agree with phantom_tollbooth's review of The Frog's Legacy.

It is the type of story that works incredibly well if you have no knowledge of its outcome nor that of the overall series. A buried treasure plot is a great idea to involve Del Boy and the character development from Rodney's backstory is excellent. Having certain aspects of Joan Trotter's past simply explained by another character would have been an easy (and lazy) option for John Sullivan, but admirably he turned it into an entertaining treasure hunt. The real treasure of course is the knowledge Rodney obtains by the end of the episode.

Sims is fantastic in her cameo and feels so naturally suited to the tone and humour of Only Fools and Horses. She has incredible chemistry with David Jason and fits into the cast so easily. Her appearance always frustrates me when thinking how great it would have been if Reenie had featured as a Nag's Head regular in more episodes.

This one starts at the wedding of Lisa: the woman Del and Rodney fought over a few episodes ago that featured the sun-bed and glider. After that they are all over the place trying to find a chest of gold bullion that was passed down to them in their late mother's will that Del's only just learned of.

Sounds silly when I say it like that but way it is done keeps the plot intriguing and makes for a very different feel to an OFAH episode. There are still a few laughs here and there but the emphasis seems more to be about telling the story.

Freddy the Frog would inspire a later prequel that I haven't seen.

Great episode. Good fun but not out-and-out comedy.

In this Christmas Special from 1987 Del Boy manages to get Rodney Job at a funeral director. Meanwhile Del and Uncle Albert attempt to flog off some body massagers, When they attend the wedding of Trigger's niece, the boys are told of Freddy the Frog, a gentleman thief who was a close friend of Del and Rodney's mother. He left everything in his will to her which included gold bullion from a robbery which he stashed away somewhere. With Del setting out on a treasure hunt, Rodney muses over Freddy's relationship with his mother, and comes to question the truth behind his paternity.

Airing on Christmas Day, to call The Frog's Legacy a Christmas Special would be something of a misnomer given that there Isn't anything particularly festive about it. That having been said, it's still an excellent hour long one which raises the question of who Rodney's real father was. He and Del meet Trigger's Aunt Reenie, played brilliantly by veteran actress and former Carry On regular Joan Sims. A close friend of Del and Rodney's mother who spills the beans on Freddy Robdal. She notices a strong resemblance Rodney has to him, and that's all it takes to raise doubts about his paternal origins. Of course, the episode ends with a big question mark still hanging over it and wouldn't be resolved until the final episode, Sleepless in Peckham sixteen years later.

At it's heart beyond Rodney's dilemma we have Del-Boy going all Anneka Rice as he sets out to find the gold bullion. Hoping that his old catchphease, This time next year we'll be millionaires will finally come to fruition. It's a truly absorbing story at it's core, but as can be predicted you know that Del-Boy is heading for bitter disappointment. The Frog's Legacy has a bitter sting in it's tail, with a wonderful twist ending where we learn why Robdall's nickname was Freddy the Frog. Much to Del-Boy's consternation. The blend of tragedy and comedy is beautifully handled with John Sullivan's writing never being better. It's as poignant as it is funny. When Rodney is not concerned over the potential revelation about his past, he finds himself being humiliated thanks to the new employment that his big brother has placed him in.

The whole cast are as always on their a-game with David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield never better. Expect a fair dollop of pathos and an even greater one of hilarity. The Frog's Legacy many not be especially Christmassy but It's a sheer classic.