Changing Ends – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Episode 4 of Changing Ends Season 1 begins in a car park. Graham and Ron are waiting to meet the new player who is being transferred to the Cobblers football team. In the back of the car is Alan who is birdwatching. Moments later, their new player, Adam, arrives on the scene. He’s in a rough state and, according to Alan, “stinks of fags and booze.”

The next day, Mrs Hudson calls to see Christine. She wants to use her living room for a book club. They’re reading Jackie Collins’ The Bitch. Christine says she has heard of the book, though she might be referring to Mrs Hudson with her withering comment. 

We cut to the football club where Graham, who was told by Ron that his son is a promising football player, is encouraged to call the school to get Alan on the football team. 

At school, Alan is shocked to see his name on the interschool football team sheet. He thinks its a joke but sadly not. He’s not the only one with football on his mind as at the club, his dad is watching his team play alongside their new player, Adam. He’s talented, unlike some of the others on the team.

Later, Alan tells his mum he’s on the squad. He then tells his dad, who acts surprised by the news. They decide to celebrate in style by going to the Carvery. When at the pub, Graham’s celebrations come to a quick end when he sees the state of Adam, who is drunk.

The next day, the bullies threaten Alan with an “initiation.” What could this be? We don’t find out as we cut to the book club meeting, where Mrs Hudson asks the assembled group if they wanted The Bitch to be more graphically explicit. They are distracted by Adam, who is staying at the house and who walks into the room half-naked. 

We then head back to school where Alan is playing football with the rest of his team. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Meanwhile, over at Christine’s house, Mrs Hudson thinks Christine might have fallen for Adam.

Alan is having a hard time during the football game. He has mud on his shoes and he’s the victim of side-tackling. Graham turns up with Adam who is here to show the team a few moves. The bully boys don’t approve but Adam shows one of them up when he proves his skills. 

Adam is worse for wear that evening when he arrives at the house drunk. Graham is worried about the game the next day and is concerned Adam won’t be fit enough to play. 

Alan talks to Adam about the upcoming match. Adam tells him he’s had enough of football. He hates it, which is why he drinks to give him some escape. Alan can relate, although he doesn’t drink and he doesn’t have the bad childhood that Adam did. 

The next day, Graham arrives at the football club where Adam is nowhere to be seen. He finds a letter from Adam, who has decided not to join the team. At the school, Alan shows how similar to Adam he is – by fleeing from the team when they pile into the minibus. 

As the episode nears its end, Alan and his dad sit on a bench in the park. Graham tells Alan the reason why he likes football is because people have your back when you’re on a team. He wants Alan to experience the same support. 

When the two of them leave the park, it’s nightfall. As they exit, they see Mrs Hudson and her husband who have come to the park for some ‘dogging’ fun. Google the term – it’s not a reference to dog walking!

The Episode Review

Episode 4 of Changing Ends is the least funny so far. The jokes are obvious and there aren’t many scenes that tickle the funny bone.

It’s not a waste of time, however, as Oliver Savell still impresses as Alan. But at this point in the series, a bit more character growth wouldn’t go amiss. Perhaps that’ll come down the line but for now, we can at least be thankful that the show has a good cast who, in this episode, do their best with the relatively weak material.