Episode 2 continues with Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller) inviting Austin Hogan (Michael Theo) to lunch. Austin soon shares the good news with his mother, Mel Hogan (Gia Carides), but it’s clear she doesn’t share his enthusiasm. Lucky for Austin, Bill Hogan (Roy Billing) is there to step in on his behalf.
Things don’t go much better for Julian and Ingrid Hartswood (Sally Phillips) when they break the news to Florence Hartswood (Ellie McKay), who is away at college and just adapting to Julian being a known racist.
While Mel schemes to have Austin’s lunch moved to an at-home event, Ingrid shares her ‘silver lining theory’ about the affair with Julian. It is only minutes later that she puts the theory to the test by flirting with the hotel’s young waiter, Luke (Tai Hara).
Austin stresses that the lunch isn’t going to be fancy enough while Julian gets his first look at Russell’s (Mitchell Butel) drafted apology statement. The lunch immediately begins on an awkward note when Mel questions Julian’s commitment to Austin. It is Bill who, once again, plays buffer but ultimately makes things even more awkward when he attempts a poorly executed condom joke.
As the afternoon progresses, Ingrid and Mel retire to the kitchen to compare timelines about their time with Julian while Bill shares the wonders of prostate exams with Julian. Although the arrival of the meal provides some reprieve for all, things quickly turn awkward again when the book cancellation becomes the topic of discussion.
Ingrid returns to the hotel with a newfound invigoration to enact her ‘silver lining’ revenge theory. Much to her surprise, Luke the Barman not only remembers her but shows a keen interest. While they eventually end up back at his place, Julian spends the night with the mini-fridge. Upon arriving at Luke’s place, Ingrid learns that he is a bit cougar chaser which sends her fleeing at the first opportunity.
By the time she arrives back at the hotel Julian is asleep and they are both fairly sloshed. The episode ends with them in bed together.
Austin Review
I’ll have to say the series is starting to grow on me a bit, which is slightly impressive after the second episode. In addition to that, each episode is merely under 30 minutes. I am still not impressed with Michael’s performance as Austin and at times, he is incredibly annoying. Julian and Ingrid are equally annoying at times and don’t even get me started on Mel. In fact, the only character that I’ve actually grown to appreciate is Bill. I’d give the episode a 5.3 out of 10.
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