Did you watch it? The gavin and stacey finale?

[MumOfOneAllAlone]

I'm in tears. Maybe I'm just emotional but can't believe how much the show means to me

And the ending... tidy!

I did predict the episode would start with preparations for a wedding, which would then be revealed as not being Nessa and Smithy’s wedding.

However I didn’t foresee the return of Sonia. She was in any of the leaked photos etc from the filming. So that was a well kept secret.

Also why did they make Bryn a bit of a dick though??

I think the long haired friend was one of Gary&Simon, who are always named together and no one knows who is who 😄

I can’t speak for other posters but I suspect that the comments about the looks of Larry and Alison and Alison’s arthritis in the Oh My Christ scene and the running-from-the-coach scene, might be driven by the realisation of time passing. These two actors who were middle-aged in the first Christmas ep are now “elderly” and maybe it brings to mind mortality/beloved older relatives becoming frailer etc. Especially at Christmas when emotions are heightened for many reasons. Viewers who binged on G&S in the lead-up to Christmas will have had images of 62 year old Larry and Alison fresh in their minds.

The others visibly aged too, of course, but the process is not so stark at for example 30 - 47 (Joanna) or 45 - 62 (Melanie).

There’s also the thought that in the very, very, very unlikely event James and Ruth reboot G&S in future, Alison and/or Larry may not be able to be involved.

So, I don’t think the comments about age are meant unkindly (in most cases).

He always was a little bit of a dick. Mostly good natured eccentricity but I can understand, when he’d been the self-appointed man of the house (in the absence of his brother and Jason most of the time) the idea of being ousted by Dave Coaches - of all people! - would have horrified him.

I suspect that the comments about the looks of Larry and Alison and Alison’s arthritis in the Oh My Christ scene and the running-from-the-coach scene, might be driven by the realisation of time passing. These two actors who were middle-aged in the first Christmas ep are now “elderly” and maybe it brings to mind mortality/beloved older relatives becoming frailer etc.

Absolutely. Seeing Pam & Mick pushing 80 is unbearably poignant to me at 44 in a way that wouldn’t have even crossed my mind at 27.

I thought she might have taken a leaf out of Doris's book and have a string of very young lovers 🤣

Yeah but it wasn’t just the Dave thing. He was shouting at Gwen in one of the first scenes too. PULL. IT. TAUGHT.

I’ve just remembered Rudy’s kids being called Chingford, Taplow, Brighton and Aldi

🤣🤣

I did laugh at Nessa vaping and then smoking 😂

Apparently the actress didn't even tell her own family she was involved.

I can’t speak for other posters but I suspect that the comments about the looks of Larry and Alison and Alison’s arthritis in the Oh My Christ scene and the running-from-the-coach scene, might be driven by the realisation of time passing. These two actors who were middle-aged in the first Christmas ep are now “elderly” and maybe it brings to mind mortality/beloved older relatives becoming frailer etc. Especially at Christmas when emotions are heightened for many reasons. Viewers who binged on G&S in the lead-up to Christmas will have had images of 62 year old Larry and Alison fresh in their minds

I felt somewhat similarly about seeing Joanna Page and Matthew Horne (47 and 46) who look their ages (which I don’t mean unkindly). I’m of their vintage and seeing them last night reminded me of younger carefree days back in the 00’s, when I too looked younger (obviously).

Sorry, didn't mean to post and disappear, dd, who had refused to sleep suddenly had a complete meltdown and had to be rocked to sleep (almost, she eventually lay in bed next to me)

The finale was so good, I was crying

Mick's speech about smithy being their second son got me, and nessa being ready to move on. Neil the baby all grown up 😢

Dave coaches and gwen 😄🥰

The only thing that irritated me was the stereotypical working class nonsense with smithy's sister rudy and the implication (imo) that he'd gone up in the world

Still, excellent finale, very well done by two people who know how to do TV

Hard agree, didn't expect it to be so good

I liked the Dave & Gwen thing. I was watching it thinking 'hopefully one day I'll have a bloke who looks at me the way Dave looks at Gwen.'

I’m so jealous that you get to experience it all for the first time!

PP have probably already given their take on it, I'm only on page 3!
5 years would have been the end of 2019.
Stacey did reference covid at one point so that probably had something to do with it.

I fully expected Gwen’s lover to be Owain Hughes or Dick Powell! Dave never crossed my mind! Brilliant. I’m glad he got his happy ending too; I know he was a dick back in the day, the way he tried to replace Smithy as NTB’s dad but he adored Nessa and he was very gracious when she jilted him.

Ruth Jones is an incredible actress. Nessa is pretty inscrutable but even so you can see every subtle emotion in her eyes.

One thing I still don’t understand is why Bryn was so horrible to Gwen in the last Xmas special and again in this one.

Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!

Omg yes, I was really happy as I do love her ❤️

I was disappointed that Smithy spent 5 years engaged to awful Sonia and no one said a word (not even Pam). That would have worked better if this episode was a year after the last one rather than five.
I was very happy with the cross country coach trip to the port. I was worried RJ and JC might not give the viewers what they wanted, I am so glad they did.

I felt a bit sorry for Bryn, who's been living with Nessa and Neil the baby for 16 years, now being alone.
The beauty of all of this is that they all feel like real people and I feel privileged to have known them all this time.

I think Bryn had claimed Gwen as his own. Thank goodness she ended up with Dave Coaches!

Agree, I actually liked (appreciated?) how Bryn developed / aged in quite a nasty way. V realistic and v much like my toxic FIL 😂possessive and controlling. Not a good look for Bryn but at least it was realistic!

I don’t think it was that bad with Bryn - he has never coped well with stress, and that’s clearly not improved with age; but I think the Dave thing is understandable. He idolised Trevor, his older brother, and took on the role of caring for Gwen and Stacey when he died, so I think it’s understandable that he’d feel upset at suddenly seeing Dave (who, let’s not forget, knows the truth about the fishing trip) effectively usurp that position. He’s lost his role as surrogate family for Nessa and Neil The Baby, and also his role within his own family.

Loved it! It was perfect. Loved that they took the piss out of the 'running after the girl' scene that has been done to death on so many films. "Why didn't you just ring her"?