The Full Monty – Season 1 Episode 5 “Re-Homing” Recap & Review

Re-Homing

Episode 5 of The Full Monty begins with Darren meeting his noisy neighbours. He has played a supporting part in the series till now. But episode 5 places him at the centre of things.

Silvan is a Kurdish immigrant seeking asylum in Britain. Along with her other countrymen, she has a warm house party. After they play the music a little too loudly, the authorities arrive, and we see the partygoers vacating the house. Even though Darren didn’t call them, Silvan and the others think he did. It was actually Diane and Regie from next door, the “nosy neighbours”, who were to blame.

There is another guest overstaying his welcome at Dennis and Lomper’s house. Sang-Chol is sleeping on the sofa right next to Lewis Jr., who is growing bigger every day.

Elsewhere, Gaz unexpectedly brings home a pricey mobility chair for Ben. But it makes Nathan suspicious because Gaz clearly cannot afford it.

Later, Darren spots Hassan, Silvan’s teenage son, stealing chicken thighs from the supermarket. He informs Silvan when he visits their temporary accommodation and is heartbroken to see the living conditions – Silvan and Hassan share cramped bunk beds with their fellow asylum seekers. Darren is further riled when he learns that Silvan and the others get a measly 5 pounds for food every day. His eyes are open to the reality of the homeless. Darren’s own job requires him to knock at people’s doors and evict them. He decides to do something and gives Silvan and Hassan a room in his house.

Dennis gets increasingly anxious as Sang-Chol (SC) overstays his welcome. He asks Lomper to get him out of the house. SC has meanwhile established himself as a dextrous baker at the cafe with his baked fish.

Silvan and Hassan gradually become like Darren’s stepfamily. They have delicious lunches together that Silvan prepares, a great level up from Darren’s microwave meals. When Reggie shows up, Darren claims that Silvan and Hassan are his tenants. Silvan takes offence to Darren’s trivialization of their situation. The next day, Darren signs a rental agreement with Silvan, making their tenancy official.

Horse, who had great difficulty in finding a job, loses his new one as he cannot keep up with the pace of modern machinery.

Elsewhere, Reggie and Diane plan to get Silvan kicked out by setting up Darren with his ex-wife, Paula. They have some common interests, including dancing which is something they can connect over. None of the guys at the cafe thinks it’d be a good idea for Darren to get back with her. Paula is brimming with “toxic masculinity” according to Dennis. And that might just be right.

Destiny is creeped out by Brian who watches her changing clothes. Yaz doesn’t believe Destiny or reprimand Brian. When Destiny calls him a paedo, Yaz slaps her and off she goes. Tabani lets Destiny stay in her apartment temporarily. Darren gifts Hassan a new mobile phone, which he accepts graciously.

Silvan and Darren glow closer to each other. She invites him for dancing and drinking at a bar. When they come back home, they share an intimate night. The next morning, he reveals to the guys that Silvan was actually in a rebellion group before. That casts doubts as to their future together. Paula seems to think the same and convinces Darren to give her another chance. She takes over the house and Silvan leaves with Hassan.

Dennis and Lomper learn that SC does not have any friends or family back in Korea. He has no plans of leaving their sofa yet and wants to stay with Lewis Jr. But Mun-Hee beaks down saying she needs to go back to her family. Dilip hands over his resignation and gives Jean one last chance to come with him. But she remains unmoved, even though, deep inside, she wants to be with him.

When they hug each other in the hallway, Dave sees them but doesn’t say anything. Jean angrily dismisses the revenge choir and Hetty from the school. Nathan discovers that Gaz has sold his house and that is how he was able to afford the chair for Ben. Gaz has actually taken refuge in an under-construction building with help from Darren.

In his personal life, Darren grows unhappy with Paula and when he sees Silvan again at a car wash, he breaks up with her. Darren pleads with Silvan to take him back and declares his love for her. She doesn’t say anything and douses him with soap and then water, washing his “sins” away.

Dennis and Lomper decide to let SC stay. But Mun-Hee is allowed to leave. SC gets emotional when Dennis hugs him and optimistically looks forward to staying with his new family.

The Episode Review

The makers have overplayed their hand. Just when the melodrama was beginning to feel annoying and preachy, they pushed the throttle, flooring it mercilessly. This episode felt nothing like the rest of the show and further took it away from the source movie. It seems like a theme in every episode to focus on one of the guys from the group with an intentional sob story.

Silvan and Hassan came out of nowhere in Darren’s life and unjustifiably grew like his family. Episode 5 felt like a short movie where the “goodness” of things feels suffocating.

SC, a billionaire tech mogul, is staying at a gay couple’s mom-and-pop operation serving food because he feels a gaping hole in his life. You’ve got to do better than that!

Gaz’s move to sell the house was in the same tradition of overplaying the hand. Just when it seemed like the series was getting better, episode 5 has gone ahead and spoiled it for us.