Green Wing Special

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The cover of the Green Wing Special DVD.

Green Wing Special is the final episode of the British sitcom Green Wing. It was first broadcast in Australia and Belgium on the 29 December 2006. It was aired on the 4 January 2007 in Britain.

1 Plotlines
2 Alternative Ending
- 2.1 Plot
- 2.2 The rejection of the ending
3 Cast
4 DVD Release

[edit] Plotlines

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] The Funeral

The episode begins at a funeral, which Guy, Caroline, Boyce, Martin and Sue are in attendance. Martin performs an over-the-top mime dance whilst the other characters watch amazed, at his sheer stupidity. After the service has finished, the characters leave as Sue begins throwing flower petals. Boyce picks Sue up and carries her over his shoulder, as she continiues to throw confetti. Throughout, Martin continues to mime, until Guy stops him.

The charcaters have a discussion about hair, making the viewer think that the funeral is possibly Mac's. However, the viewers are then presented with a giant heart showing a picture of Angela being carried behind them.

Guy, Martin and Caroline have a discussion about Mac's absence. Guy proceeds to mention how selfish he believes Mac to be. However, he stops when Caroline spies Mac in the distance. Martin runs over to try and reach him. Caroline attempts to do the same, until Guy stops her, pretending to be still in grieving for Angela. When Caroline glances back to where Mac was, he is no longer there, and Martin is looking around in amazement.

[edit] Caroline, Mac and Guy

Mac returns to work, after a month's leave off. When Caroline enquires about this, she is informed that it was "family issues". She then asks why Mac did not meet her at the station, and implies that she is engaged to Guy. Later on in the cafeteria, when Mac turns up, Guy passionately kisses Caroline, to try and make Mac jealous. However, he becomes overly possessive, dragging her away from the table when he wants to leave.

Mac and Guy are then drunk in the hospital bar, where Mac tells Guy he is going to die in a couple of weeks. Mac then makes Guy promise he will not tell Caroline. However, he tells Martin, and when Martin is complaining to Guy that he doesn't care at all that Mac is dying, and about how selfish Guy is, Caroline walks in and over hears. Martin continues to rage until Guy hits him on the head with a metal plate.

Caroline confronts Mac while he is playing a xylophone to little children, and he makes up a story about "Ginger" the hamster being unwell, which is why Caroline is upset. Caroline and Mac continue this story, using it as an analogy for his wish for her to marry Guy ("A hamster with dark, curly fur") as he will live longer, until it gets ridiculous and Caroline informs Mac that this isn't over.

Guy later decides to do the right thing, and tells Mac to propose to Caroline, because she loves him, and he loves her. The wedding goes ahead, and even though Guy tries to interrupt the wedding, Mac and Caroline get married. The special ends with Caroline floating away into the sky, holding a bunch of helium balloons.

[edit] Alan and Joanna

After getting off the cliff, Alan and Joanna are on the run. Soon, they walk into a store, and start eating whatever is available. The shopkeeper soon notices, and they run out the back fire exit, with Joanna popping back in, to return a shopping basket. Soon, they have to go to a garage, to get the stolen van looked out. While leaving, Joanna accidentally runs over the mechanic.

Next they go to a campervan site, where they pretend to be Cherry and Merl, and Joanna flirts with a man who it soon turns out is gay and wants to have a walk alone with Alan.

They try to rob a cornershop, but Alan starts choking on the marshmallows he tried to use to "cover his voice", and the shopkeeper helps him. The shopkeeper hands over cash, which Alan then uses to pay her for the items and goods they are stealing. Joanna tells him to sit on her to make sure she doesn't make any "false moves", and by sitting on her, Alan accidentally suffocates her. Alan, astonished that he is now a double murderer, covers up the body by using food (such as cornflakes) from the shop.

When they visit another farm, Alan runs in the field and steals a sheep. Joanna opens the door to the campervan, which is near the road so they can make a quick escape. Alan forces the sheep onto the campervan, while Joanna claims that she only wanted a chicken. Later, they get the sheep out and Joanna suggests killing it with a metal pole so that they can eat it, however, Alan refuses and puts his arms around it to protect it - but Joanna creeps up behind him. The sheep is never seen in the episode again, suggesting that they either killed it, let it free, or that it is still in the van.

They soon stop outside a cattle farm, where Alan gets mad at the cows because he stood in their poo, so he gets the bucket they have been using as a toilet and throws it over them. Later, they are stopped by a policeman on suspicion of stealing a campervan. Joanna gets her peanut-butter sandwich, and smears it in his face. Alan and Joanna have a raging discussion about the minute odds of the policeman having an allergy and going into a fit, while in the background, this is exactly happening. They then carry the body of the policeman into the van.

Soon, they are out of everything, and Alan changes the engine to run on alcohol and fermented poo. The van then blows up behind them. They soon reach the beach and Joanna gives Alan three options: Give themselves up, swim the Channel to Spain, or commit suicide. Alan chooses the third option, and they are last seen walking naked into the sea, with the sunset on the horizon.

[edit] Sue White

Sue is speaking to Charles in her office, in the squirrel outfit seen earlier in the series. He asks her to fill in temporarily as the head of HR, while they try to find a permanent replacement. She then complains that she deserves the full time job, and then Charles starts to say they are looking for "Someone a little less..." while Sue interrupts and suggests "Attractive". He implies that she is too rude, to which she replies "Well you can fuck off, then!", to which Charles replies "See, now you're getting closer". He leaves, and she answers the phone, speaks in high squeaks, like a squirrel, and slams the phone down. She calls after Charles, shouting, "What was wrong with that?!!"

She also calls Mac into her office, sings to him, gives him a gun, places the barrel in her mouth, and tells Mac to shoot. Mac then suggests that instead of killing herself, she should find someone who loves her back. She agrees, Mac leaves, and she gets out the phonebook, and repeats to herself, "Someone who loves me back". At the wedding, she is seen with her new boyfriend, but stops him mid-sentence, claiming he is boring Mac and Caroline.

[edit] Boyce

Alan's replacement enters the classroom for the first time, and Boyce starts to make fun of him. Suddenly, the replacement shouts at him violently, saying that he will not be interrupted and that they will not be playing Boyce's game. Boyce slowly nods his head, and spends the rest of the lesson sitting with a sad expression on his face. Later, the episode goes back to the classroom, late at night, and Boyce is still there. He picks up Alan's pointer, smells it, and hits his face with it repeatedly, in a manner that was similar to Alan.

Later in the bar, Boyce tries to get Guy to do the right thing, by offering champagne (What Guy wants to do) and ale (What Guy should do). Repeatedly he tries to go to the ale, but ends up going to the champagne. The one time he gets really close, Martin interrupts, and Guy throws the ale over his right shoulder at Martin.

Boyce's plotline with Alan is concluded when Alan telephones him to say goodbye, almost confirming the strange love they have for each other but instead telling him (in code) that he is 'Flying west'.

[edit] The Admin Girls

Karen walks in, dressed smartly, and sits down, she is now more feisty. When the girls realise there is no Joanna to shout at them, they start going wild. They start off by doing mild things, such as swapping desks, tipping up litter, lounging on their desks. They then start interviewing people, using a "trousers-down" selection method.

Soon, they start becoming more wild, slowly turning into a "Lord of the Flies" situation. They fight over the design of a totem pole, and soon there are arguments and Harriet decides to become the new Joanna. Martin gets captured by Rachel, Kim and Karen, chanting "Kill the doctor". Martin calls for his mummy, when Harriet comes out and proclaims she is the new mummy in town, and returns to the office.

[edit] Martin Dear

Martin becomes dramatically upset at the fact of Mac dying, and starts sobbing to Mac, ending with "I heart you Mac", with Mac replying "I heart you too". He also gets kidnapped by the admin girls, but somehow manages to escape, and in a scene with Guy he implies that something of a sexual nature occurred instead of them trying to kill him. Martin also interrupts the wedding after Guy coughs as Mac's first name is read out by the vicar. He asks if the priest can rewind a bit.

[edit] Alternative Ending

An alternative ending was made for the special which was never broadcast, but was put as an extra on the DVD.

[edit] Plot

When Mac goes to fetch Caroline's slice of wedding cake, Caroline begins to fly away. When Mac returns and sees what is happening, Mac runs down the stairs, and out of the castle to save her. Caroline begins to descend, and both Mac and Guy grab hold of one her legs to bring her down, but instead, they are lifted into the air as well, along with Caroline. Whilst the three fly away, Guy is disapointed at the sight of Caroline's fanny and Mac tells Caroline that he has something to tell her.

Alan and Joanna, after walking into the sea, are last seen hanging onto a buoy, waiting to drown. They are still talking and waiting for the ocean to drown them.

[edit] The rejection of the ending

This ending was the favourite amoungst the actors, however, the writers favoured the ending that was broadcast. Eventually, the alternative ending was rejected. It is believed that the alternative ending would have been broadcast if a third series was being made, as this ending was much more ambiguous, seeing as Alan and Joanna are still seen alive, and Mac tells Caroline that he still has something to say.

[edit] Cast

With the exception of the main characters, the following people make appearances.

Also appearing

Charles Robertson - Robert Harley

Vicar - Richard Freeman

Garage Attendant - Cavan Clerkin

Jonny - Spencer McLaren

Replacement Radiologist - Simon Kunz

Shopkeeper - Yvonne D'Alpra

Traffic Cop - Derren Litten

Also with thanks to Jeremy Sheffield.

[edit] DVD Release

The DVD was released on the 8th of January, four days after its premiere on UK TV. Features include:

The alternate ending
A "Behind the Scenes" Featurette
20 minutes of deleted scenes
Commentary with many of the main cast, and some foreign relatives of Michelle Gomez (Sue White) who had not seen the show.