Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Series 1, Episode 1: If I Were a Carpenter (Commentary and Trivia)

All in all, I thought this was a terrific first episode, doing an excellent job of setting up the different personalities of all (but one) of the main characters: Barry subjects others to boring lectures, Neville is homesick, Bomber is generally easygoing, Dennis is the often short-tempered leader and voice of reason, Wayne's successful with women, and Oz's irresponsibility gets others in addition to himself in trouble.  Indeed, the first scene on the ferry illustrates the trio's personalities quite well: Oz is clowning around, Neville's writing a postcard to Brenda, and Dennis reminds them that doing what they're doing is the only way for the 3 of them to make a decent amount of money.

I liked that the episode started with them in transit on their way to the site (and it shows how getting there's an adventure in and of itself), and didn't just start off with them already working at the site.  I also like how it didn't start off with all 7 arriving there at the same time; Bomber's already been working at the site for quite a while, the trio and Wayne are on their way there, Barry arrives later after having transferred from a site in Mönchengladbach, and Moxey hasn't arrived yet (he will get to the site next episode).

Other notes:

• The title of this episode refers to a certain well-known song. 
• Early installment weirdness:  The opening credits and theme, while featuring the same song as other episodes, doesn't use the regular opening credits sequence; rather, it uses several close-up shots of the ferry.
• The bar full of other British workers reminds me of the bar in Star Wars, and not just because it's so packed; it does a great job of showing in just a few scenes that it's not just the 3 Geordies or even the 7 that are doing this: rather, what it does is establish that there's a whole bigger picture with thousands of other British construction workers doing the same thing all over West Germany.  Barry mentioning the other cities and going over to work in Mönchengladbach before coming to the Düsseldorf compound similarly helps establish the setting.
• It's so weird seeing Timothy Spall looking so young and thin, especially considering what he looked like more recently...  
• Other cast members that may be familiar to American viewers:  Herr Grunwald (Michael Sheard) got strangled by Darth Vader and signed Indiana Jones' grail diary (as you can see, AWP isn't the only time Michael Sheard played a German-speaking character with a mustache and an authoritarian streak...).  Speaking of Indiana Jones, Pat Roach (Bomber) got into a fight with Indy several times; his fight near the "flying wing" aircraft ended rather messily.  Pat Roach also played a bouncer in the Korova Milkbar in A Clockwork Orange and got into a fistfight with Ryan O'Neal in Barry Lyndon.  Also, while Phoenix Nights might not be a show familiar to many Americans, I couldn't resist sharing a clip of Tim Healy's (Dennis) guest appearance as a racist folk singer.
• I'm surprised the car they drive even passed inspection in the first place; leaving aside the fact that their car (a Ford Zephyr, which at the time this show was made even the newest model would have been at least 11 years old) has parts in at least 3 different colors (4 if you count primer), the bumper's held on with string, the engine often backfires, and there's often a thick cloud of smoke trailing from the exhaust pipe.
• That weird arrow logo on the front of Nijmegen station is that of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the Dutch State Railways.
  
• Seeing the trio drive over several bridges in Holland (and stopping in Nijmegen station) always reminds me of A Bridge Too Far:
  
• Oz's best lines (other than the ones quoted already in the previous post) At the border checkpoint: Dennis: He's an avid reader, Oz.  Oz: Oh, aye, that's why I left home, I owe so many library tickets.  Dennis and Neville are talking about Dennis' divorce; Oz comes over, not having heard the conversation, but seeing Neville and Dennis with very solemn expressions.  Oz:  So, who's died then?  Dennis:  Me and Nev were just, uh, discussing the meaning of life.  Oz: Oh, I've given that a lot of thought myself, being a bricklayer; it makes you a bit of a philosopher.  Early morning in the hut: Dennis and Oz have an argument about Oz letting Neville out of his sight.  Barry: Could you two be quiet please?  Oz:  Ah, bollocks!  Barry:  Some of us are trying to sleep, you know.  Oz: Ah, DOUBLE BOLLOCKS! 
• It's interesting how the buildings being built use only one outer layer of  "decorative" red bricks, while all the inner parts of the structures use more functional Concrete Masonry Units.
  
• One thing I never noticed until doing this recap: during a lunch break, one of the (Turkish?) workers is sleeping in the bucket of a backhoe:
  
• It's interesting to see some of the 80s European fashion on display; while Bomber's best suit is a rather nice double-breasted blazer (which when combined with his beard makes him look like a sea captain), all I can say about Wayne's pink suit and the outfits the nightclub band are wearing is yikes...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• When Barry starts showing Neville his Polaroids of Belgium, Neville makes this excellent "I should have gone with the others" look (also, there's a bit of a continuity error in that Neville already has a visible tattoo on his arm):
  
• I think a round of applause is owed to both makeup and Kevin Whately's acting for when Neville shows his new tattoo; the reddened skin and the way he winces when he takes his shirt off are both perfect touches.
  
  That's all for this episode!  Up next:  Who Won the War, Anyway?