As the finale of Nolly begins, Noele Gordon (Helena Bonham Carter) wins an award in 1978. Jimmy Tarbuck (Matthew Crosby) explains that she is the inaugural member of the TV Times Hall of Fame. Noele jokes that someone from Coronation Street may be able to win if she steps aside. At home, she watches aerobics on television. She meets with Tony Adams (Augustus Prew) and tells him about Gypsy. Tony says the show is fine and Adam’s got religion now. Although Nolly says she doesn’t watch, a scene at home says otherwise. Tony confesses that the ratings are going down.
Noele feels that she will have failed if they don’t transfer to the West End, but Tony doesn’t think that is fair. Nolly complains about people asking her what happened every single day. A woman comes over asking for an autograph and eventually asks why they got rid of her. Nolly tells her that she doesn’t know. Tony believes there is still something they’re not being told. Nolly claims they think she is a lesbian in Leicester. She tells the waitress that she’ll pay the fan’s bill. Nolly tells Tony that the pressure is on her and she is going to come in from the back. The entire audience will be facing the wrong way so Roger thinks she’ll surprise them.
She is worried that no one is going to clap because she can’t do it. Noele explains that Rose has been played by Ethel Merman and Angela Lansbury while she wasted her time in a motel for 18 years. She doesn’t think she can do it and she believes the others know that. Nolly tells Tony how Fiona and the others talk nonstop. They ask Nolly about having opportunities taken from her. They also question whether she had someone she loved once, but Nolly doesn’t want to talk about that. Tony thinks she is a coward, a baby, and a bore. He suggests she is determined to fail. Or, she can go back, do her job, and act. When she goes back, the tells the others about being the first woman on colored television.
She knows that they gossip and everyone says she is a lesbian. Noele doesn’t think it is fair when they say a woman has failed or is lacking because she doesn’t have a man. She suggests there is no place for a woman with no partner and no children. Nolly had someone who she gave 20 years of her life. His name was Val Parnell and he was married. Since Val set up ATV, it is questioned whether he set up Crossroads for Noele who quickly denies that. He told her that Helen knew all about her and he needed both of them. He wanted them to be friends. Helen accepted that because she loved him.
As for Nolly, she absolutely loved him with all of her heart. Helen told her she was prepared to accept Nolly as his mistress if she accepted her as his wife. They shared him after that. Although he told them they were the great loves of his life, he ended up running off with a third woman named Aileen. She never saw him again. Nolly knows they think they’d never let a man do that to them, but they’re more clever than they’ll ever know. She explains that every single person asks her every day why she was sacked. Nolly believes she was sacked because she was sackable. Those men did what they always do. Then, they raised a glass of champagne and moved on to the next.
Nolly agrees to sing their song if it gets them to the West End. Although she was sensational, the move to the West End is not happening. Tony comes in to say goodbye and also that he’ll come see it in London. Nolly is told that it is contractual. Since they’re reviving Gypsy on Broadway, there cannot be another production legally. A flashback shows that Nolly paid an audience member to clap for her. Poppy (Bethany Antonia) runs in to tell Nolly that she was amazing. Once she leaves, Michael tells Nolly that there is a chance before mentioning Derek Nimmo. He runs the tours abroad in the Far East. If Gypsy isn’t picked up, he is willing to take the whole company.
Noele agrees to do it since she might need to go somewhere where she can’t be seen. In 1982, Noele packs her suitcase and goes to Abu Dhabi. Once she arrives, she talks to Tony on the phone. She says the motel is nice enough and everyone is pleased to see them. They’re going to Bangkok next. In a strip club, Nolly tells the others what she has done over the years until they’re arrested during a police raid. Eventually, Hansa from the Consulate comes over to speak to her. Fiona (Emily Butcher) is allowed to use the phone while Noele signs the required paperwork. Hansa (Jane Elsmore) reveals she used to work at Cumberland Place for ATV.
She thought what they did to Noele was terrible. Nolly says it was just men being men, but Hansa argues it was one man in particular. She claims she was there and knows exactly why she was sacked. In Birmingham, Noele meets Jack Barton (Con O’Neill) to talk to him about it. A waitress asks her why they got rid of her. Nolly says to ask Jack. She reveals she wrote down the supposed reason for her sacking. The note says she was allegedly sacked because she is a bully and was a difficult asset. Charles Denton said that although he was never there. She wants to know who told him about this version of her.
Jack claims he never said those exact things, but he admits that she was difficult. Nolly complains that he didn’t confront her and instead just sacked her in public. Jack knows that wasn’t the right thing to do. Noele doubts he would’ve done that to a man. She just doesn’t understand why he was so unkind. Jack apologizes before saying he would complain to Charles. He never thought Charles would listen because most bosses never did anything. Noele says her life was destroyed by an accident which is what Jack calls it. He says Crossroads really didn’t work because it is about a motel and they don’t have motels.
Jack confesses that he misses her and he wants her to come back. He wants to put Meg in Venice. When Adam and Jill get married, they go on honeymoon to Venice. Adam can arrange a surprise for Jill to meet her mother at a restaurant there. Noele seems interested in the idea when she learns they’d film in Venice. Before long, Noele ends up in Venice with the cast. Tony and Nolly talk about Crossroads and how it can be a bit mad at times. In the morning, Nolly says hello to the other members. When Jack goes through the scene, Nolly doesn’t offer any suggestions or complain about anything.
Tony tells her that it is okay if she is feeling tired. No one will suspect anything because they’ll think it is the head. She tells him that she was sacked because she was just a good story. Noelle tells him about the men who proposed to her over the years. Out of all of them, she loves Tony. Then, they film the scene. A bit later, Noele goes to the doctor who tells her the situation is urgent. He suggests she has a small number of years at best. She is taken away in an ambulance. Tony visits her at the hospital. When he leaves, he breaks down and sobs. After shooting the scene, Jack welcomes Noele back. Nolly died in 1985. Crossroads did not survive without her and was axed in 1987.
Nolly Review
The final episode of Nolly managed to reach an emotional high point at the end by focusing on her relationship with Tony and her death. Nevertheless, the main focus of the episode and the series as a whole was Nolly’s removal and return to Crossroads. While the series covered this period pretty well, it lacked in other areas so the viewer may not get a full understanding of who Noele Gordon was.
The performances were spot on with Helena Bonham Carter, Con O’Neill, and Augustus Prew standing out. Carter did well with the role and making it her own, but Augustus Prew’s Tony Adams are more compelling most of the time. Nolly was good for what it was which is an exploration of Noele Gordon’s sacking from Crossroads and eventual return.
There is a good chance that some viewers will expect a more thorough biography of Nolly and they won’t be satisfied with this limited offering. For a three-episode series, it is hard not to feel a bit underwhelmed since so much more could’ve been told about Noele. Although it isn’t bad, Nolly only skims the surface so it isn’t going to leave a lasting impact on many. The finale scores a 6 out of 10.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
