The Psychiatrist

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“The Psychiatrist”
Fawlty Towers episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 2
Written by John Cleese & Connie Booth
Directed by Bob Spiers
Production no. 8
Original airdate 26 February 1979
Episode chronology
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List of Fawlty Towers episodes

"The Psychiatrist" is the second episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Sybil flirts with a young male guest named Mr. Johnson (who Basil believes resembles an orangutan). Meanwhile two doctors arrive at the hotel, and Basil becomes concerned when he realises one is a psychiatrist. He becomes obsessed with finding a woman that Johnson has sneaked into his room, but instead stumbles into several compromising situations with an innocent young Australian woman who is a guest. His maniacal behaviour infuriates his wife and alarms the psychiatrist.

[edit] Cast

Episode Credited cast:

With:

  • Imogen Bickford-Smith as Girlfriend
  • Aimée Delamain as Mrs. Johnson
  • Elspet Gray as Dr. Abbott
  • Basil Henson as Dr. Abbott
  • Nicky Henson as Mr. Johnson
  • Luan Peters as Raylene Miles

[edit] Plot

‘The Psychiatrist’ begins in the foyer of the hotel and the initial significant point is Mr Johnson, a sexually potent stud, swaggering in. As this happens, Sybil alters her mood and she addresses him in an aberrant manner. Sybil is clearly lusting after Johnson and begins to flirt with him. Basil is secretly jealous of Johnson’s forwardness and sex appeal, he deems it improper due to his traditional opinions. He begins to make observations regarding Johnson and claims to Sybil that Johnson resembles an orangutan. Basil also mocks Johnson’s medallions. Johnson mentions his mother will be joining him the next day.

The Abbots arrive, unfortunately for Basil, while he is beating his chest in further mockery of Johnson. Upon hearing the word doctor, Basil instantaneously assumes that Dr Abbot is the only doctor because he is a man, when in fact his wife is also a doctor, which Basil ascertains after much hole digging and misunderstanding. Basil proceeds to brown nose the Abbots believing that they are of a superior class.

Soon after, an attractive Australian guest named Raelene arrives at the hotel, which creates a similar situation for Basil to that Johnson created for Sybil. Basil handles his attractive character quite differently however. While Sybil openly flirted with Johnson, Basil tries to appear disinterested. This makes him nervous and he begins to act as though he did fancy her, via Freudian slips or luckless accidents. One such accident is when while repairing Raelene’s light: he reaches for the switch and instead accidentally tweaks her nipple. Sybil steps in and sees this, leading her to surmise Basil is softly groping her.

While the Abbots are dining, Basil inquires as to the branches of medicine in which they have achieved their doctoral degrees. Upon discovering Mr Abbot is a psychiatrist, Basil becomes paranoid about being observed and dismisses psychiatry as being obsessed with sexual behaviour. Thus, when asked, “How often do you and your wife manage it?”, Basil claims "two or three times a week" until Sybil tells him they were in fact referring to holidays. Basil returns to the dining room and abominably attempts to explain the situation resulting only in a sizeable hole and Freudian slips such as “I thought you were talking about sex ... I mean walks”.

Johnson has smuggled a girl into his room against hotel rules, and Basil is determined to catch him out because everybody else refuses to believe him. After failing to see the girl while delivering a bottle of champagne to Johnson, he goes into the room next to Johnson's to listen, but is disturbed by the Abbotts who he thought were out on a walk. He weakly pretends to be checking the walls. He then sneaks into the room on the other side, frightening a sleeping Raelene. He uses the same excuse for his presence.

Basil then enlists Manuel to assist with a ladder outside the hotel so he can probe Johnson's window, but instead finds himself facing the Abbotts, who stare back bemused. He tumbles from the ladder and Manuel unwisely fetches Sybil, explaining that "the girl" has made Basil "crazy". Sybil assumes he is referring to Raelene and slaps Basil, locking him out of their room for the night.

In the morning Basil explains to Sybil that he was looking in the window because he wanted to catch the extra guest in Johnson's room. She doesn't believe him, but determined to prove himself right Basil hides in a broom closet to catch the guest. In the process he soils his hand on some cleaning product. He jumps on someone he thinks is the woman, only to discover he has accosted Raelene and left large handprints on her top over her breasts. Basil hopelessly tries to explain his mistake to Sybil but she remains unconvinced.

Soon afterwards Basil visits Raelene's room to apologise and finds her changing her top and, terrified at being caught again, he hides in a wardrobe. Sybil then arrives to apologise on Basil's behalf and finds him in the wardrobe, whereupon she lectures him on how Raelene could not possibly be interested in his attentions. He wants to prove to her that his interest has been in the extra guest, and in a rare glimmer of manhood he shouts back at Sybil and orders her outside Johnson's room. He challenges Johnson. Johnson agrees that there is another person in his room: "Mrs Johnson", his mother. Basil mocks this disbelievingly, until Johnson's elderly mother appears and he greets her in a sudden burst of politeness. When everyone has left he crouches, clutching his head and moaning while making small hops. The Abbotts encounter him but Mr Abbott sighs, "I'm on holiday" and they ignore him.

[edit] Trivia

  • This episode resurrects similar themes and attitudes from the episode "The Wedding Party". It similarly deals with Basil's distaste for sexual activity, and it is hinted that he and Sybil are no longer in an intimate relationship.
  • "The Psychiatrist" is the only episode of Fawlty Towers where two of the major co-stars share the same surname (Nicky Henson and Basil Henson).
  • Nicky Henson was once married to Una Stubbs who later played a role in the episode: "The Anniversary".
  • The boom mike is visible at about 9:20 into the episode, when Sybil says "sledge hammer wit", as the camera clearly lowers to move away from the mic. A shadow of the mic appears at 33:54 in the top right of the shot.
  • When Sybil slams her bedroom door at 29:45, the walls are clearly seen wobbling.
  • This is the only episode where the viewers see the paperboy rearranging the letters on the "Fawlty Towers" sign in the opening shot.

[edit] References

  • Fawlty Towers: A Worshipper's Companion, Leo Publishing, ISBN 91-973661-8-8
  • The Complete Fawlty Towers by John Cleese & Connie Booth (1988, Methuen, London) ISBN 0-413-18390-4 (the complete text)
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