Cucumber, Banana & Tofu Episode 8

It was sad to reach the end of Cucumber, but this episode ended the show on a good note. Last week's episode on a positive note. This week, Henry tries to keep that positivism going by having everyone stay with him as part of a collective. Russell T Davies has always had communities in his stories, like everyone gathering in Jackie's flat in Aliens of London or the L.I.N.D.A group get together from  Love and Monsters. This one is just as fun to watch.

Of course, good things never last forever, in life or fiction. Freddie came to realise that Henry was turning him into Lance so he ran away. The fast forward through Henry's life was good. The wordless scene where he, Cleo and Marie are waiting for news of Daniel's conviction is great to watch. You believe all three of the actors. Likewise, the scene where Henry shouts at the cold caller, breaks down into tears and then we see him eating dinner and watching tv a few hours later. Life goes on. The reunion with Freddie was good, both a bit older and wiser than when they first met. It all ends perfectly, with Henry admitting he still hasn't come to terms with being gay.

Banana also ended on a great note this week, with a fantastic two-hander between Vanessa, the cleaning lady and Zara, an illegal immigrant working for Vanessa. Zara's dialogue is entirely in untranslated Yoruba, causing misunderstandings between the two. Yet as a viewer, we are always clear what is going on. Zara admits that she has been raped by Jonjo and Vanessa's reaction is interesting. It's a far cry from the predominantly middle class issues of previous episodes. It all concludes with a music number which is both hilarious as a concept and hard hitting in its actual subject matter. I always think the best shows aren't trapped in any particular genre, and its great to see this bending of rules. It all ends with Vanessa planning to poison Jonjo. This is definitely one of the better episodes of the series.

Tofu was also pretty funny dealing with sex. The stories from the dominatrix were funny to listen to. Overall, we've had a good range of different experiences of sex, and it's been fascinating to watch.

All in all, these three series have each had their highs and lows, and the highs have been some of the best television of 2015 so far. Cucumber is probably the best show, but I personally preferred some of the Banana episodes. Maybe I just prefer more optimistic television, who knows.
It's been a great run of series and it's sad that it has to end. Highly recommended to anyone, regardless of their sexuality.