At the start of the episode, we see more archival footage about the British soldiers marching to meet the Japanese. We see old footage of Blackett & Webb and learn that the institution is celebrating its 50th Jubilee. After that, Major Brendan Archer (Colm Meaney) tells Matthew Webb (Luke Treadaway) that the Japanese have a foothold in Malaya now. He isn’t sure they’ll be able to make much progress as we see the chaos left behind by the war. Matthew apologizes for the lapse he had earlier. He isn’t sure Walter (David Morrissey) will ever speak to him again. Joan Blackett (Georgia Blizzard) approaches her father and asks if there is a way they can get rid of Matthew but Walter says no because his father left him half of the company.
She suggests buying him out but Walter isn’t sure that is possible. Brendan says Walter believes the jubilee celebrations will be a boost for everyone’s morale. Matthew confirms he wrote to Joan and Sylvia (Jane Horrocks) as well but Brendan doesn’t think they’ll reply. Joan tells her father she doesn’t want to see Matthew again. Walter tells his daughter that they should devise ways to reduce Matthew’s voting rights in the company. That night, Walter and Sylvia talk about Charlie (Joe Bannister) and the fact they haven’t heard from him yet. Sylvia wants her husband to speak to General Percival and ask him to transfer Charlie back to Singapore but Walter doesn’t think he can do that. Walter refuses to speak to Percival and says he has too much on his plate as is.
We join Charlie as he passes by soldiers burying land mines 300 miles from Singapore. Before too long, Jim Ehrendorf (Bart Edwards) arrives on a motorcycle and tells Charlie about his relationship with his niece. He explains that the brigadier asked him to come up there to brief him. They agree to chat in private. Brendan gets dressed as inflation but Matthew thinks it is a devil costume. They discuss Walter and his desire to continue with the jubilee celebrations. When they arrive, they’re surprised by Monty (Luke Newberry) who is dressed as crippling overheads. We find out that the DaSouza sisters are involved in the celebrations. Walter argues with a delivery man before Joan arrives.
Matthew asks her about his letter and she admits she burnt it. Walter turns around and finds out that Matthew has arrived. He thanks him for coming but says there aren’t enough people there to do a proper rehearsal. Then, Walter tells Matthew he has a very important role for him to play in the parade and he wants him to play continuity since the theme of the event is continuity in prosperity. Matthew isn’t interested until Walter tells him that his father would’ve done it. Brendan wonders if this is the right time to be holding celebrations since bombs have been falling on Singapore for weeks. Walter wants to show everyone they have more to offer than the Japanese. Meanwhile, Jim tells Charlie that they’re most likely going to attack tonight.
That is bad because the men haven’t slept in three days and they’ve already lost 250. A Chinese informant has told them there is a long column of Japanese soldiers heading south and they will have to travel through the pass here. Charlies realizes it is bad but Jim says it is actually worse than he thinks. Brigadier Simpson has volunteered to bring in 6,000 sappers to help build proper defenses but General Percival refused the offer. The General thought it would be bad for morale. Jim tells him that there will be nothing stopping the Japanese if they get past the Slim River bridge. There is nothing between the Japanese and Singapore. Charlie suggests exploding the bridge and that could slow them down by a few weeks. Jim confirms that it is being discussed.
Charlie tells him about the chaos of war. He tells Jim about the poem about the panther in the cage. Next, Walter goes looking for Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan) and finds her. He learns that they kicked her out and told her to never come back but she says it doesn’t matter in the least. She tells him about the old Chinese song which talks about a woman being separated from her lover. He asks her if there is a place to go for a cup of tea but Vera says she is going to visit a friend who is drying. She offers to take Matthew with her and he agrees to go with her. Matthew learns that her friend doesn’t have any family and his children disappeared in the civil war.
She goes on to say he has a small parcel of land in Johore with a few rubber trees. Matthew offers to wait on her but she wants him to tag along. Matthew learns that Vera was recruited into the resistance against the Japanese occupation when she was in Shanghai. They walk around the medical facility and Matthew learns about the superstitions Vera has. They sit down with Vera’s friend and she begins feeding him. The man tells Matthew that Blackett & Webb swindled him and all the other smallholders and that the European inspectors do not do their job. There are only 20 in all of Malaya. They write in their reports what the controller of rubber tells them and they cheat the smallholders. A man nearby confirms it is true and says the smallholders produce half of the country’s rubber but the inspectors fiddle the figures.
Matthew listens as others stand up and get involved. He tells Vera to tell the men that he is new and most interested in what they have to say. Matthew promises to do everything in his power to make things right. Next, Walter visits Sir Shenton Thomas (Martin Wenner) and learns that Thomas isn’t going to be able to help him. Walter believes a word from Thomas to the war council would be all he needs to ship the rubber. Thomas explains he is spending most of his time trying to stop the military from commandeering what is left of the current remnants of the private label before Walter offers to pay double the usual wage. Nothing Walter says is going to change his mind since Thomas says they have more important matters to tend to right now. Vera asks Matthew what he is going to be doing Thursday afternoon and he says he thinks he is free. They agree to meet at the Great World around 5.
Vera kisses Matthew before their conversation ends. Joan visits the Blackett & Webb building and finds out that her father hasn’t had any luck. He complains about being unable to trade before Joan suggests getting the other companies together and presenting a united front. Walter doesn’t want to do that because he doesn’t want Langfeld to find out how stupid he has been. He doesn’t believe they would be eager to help him either. She says she’ll think about it because there might be a way to get Langfeld on their side after all. After that, Walter goes to the pub and speaks to Solomon Langfeld (Julian Wadham). Walter tells him it might be time to evacuate the womenfolk but they don’t want to go. Walter wants to arrange for Sylvia and Kate to travel with Mrs. Langfeld to Sydney where both men have branches.
They’re worried that things will only get worse in Singapore. That night at dinner, Monty complains about not being allowed to escort the women to Sydney but his father says his application for an exit permit has been refused. When Monty talks about the colonial office, Matthew says it is too busy swindling smallholders and putting a stop to any kind of a local initiative. Nigel Langfeld (Nicholas Agnew) gets into a debate with Matthew about British actions in Singapore. Joan tells Nigel not to worry because Matthew doesn’t have the first idea about what things are really like out there. Joan spends the night hanging out with Nigel and she uses the same tricks she used in Matthew to sway him. The following day, Vera catches up with Matthew and tells him he doesn’t know what the Japanese are like.
She has seen them in action and is worried but Matthew doesn’t think they’ll ever make it down there. He says he’ll protect Vera if they manage to get down there. That night, Charlie guards the camp and looks for signs of an invasion. He tells his men that they’re coming. The men take their positions and prepare for a showdown with the Japanese. The Japanese soldiers stop as they approach Charlie’s position. The Japanese push forward on foot as Charlie and his men take aim at them. Then, the shooting begins. A tank pushes its way toward Charlie and the others but it is blown up at the last second. The Japanese soldiers continue pushing forward until Charlie is shot and tells his men to fall back.
Matthew admits to Vera that the conversation in the dying room has made him wonder how you can live a just life when you’re rich. She says the important thing is your intentions. He questions if the people struggling there are facing hardships due to his prosperity but Vera says his father’s prosperity helped her survive. Matthew notices two men shaking hands in an odd fashion and questions whether that is the ‘Singapore Grip’ he has been hearing about. A man enters and warns everyone that it is time to go due to the curfew. She says it looks like they’ll have to go back to her room. They walk through the streets while Charlie and his men engage in a firefight with the Japanese soldiers. Charlie notices soldiers coming from the other direction before Vera and Matthew arrive at her place.
Charlie and his men fall back again but many of them are killed. Charlie is shot and killed as the Japanese troops continue past them. Vera lights a candle in her room and shuts the door behind them. Sylvia tells Walter she doesn’t understand how he could expect her to travel when Charlie is still missing in action. He tells her that her whereabouts won’t make a difference before she complains about having to travel with Margaret Langfeld (Nicola Harrison). Meanwhile, Margaret tells her husband the same thing. Bombs are dropped near their house. Nigel enters their room to tell them what has happened. Meanwhile, Matthew and Vera have a little fun. Nigel and his family evacuate their house and move in with the Blackett family for the time being.
After they’ve finished, Vera tells Matthew that the thing she just did was the ‘Singapore Grip’. The following day, Jim learns that the army has lost touch with the forward line. He is told to get up there and find out what is going on with the A&D company. Jim rides up there before crashing his motorcycle when he finds the Japanese soldiers passing by. He runs away before we jump to the Slim River Bridge which is 250 miles from Singapore. Soldiers at the Slim River Bridge learn that the Japanese are closing in on them. The soldiers prepare to blow the bridge while Jim rushes to make it back across before they do so. The Japanese soldiers prevent the bridge from being destroyed and make their way across it while Jim watches from a distance.
Meanwhile, Brendan and the others try to clean up the mess left behind from the bombs. At dinner that night, Solomon suggests Walter will need to cancel the jubilee but Walter isn’t going to do that. He explains that the governor believes it will be good for morale. As for Solomon’s company, he says the wars aren’t with companies. Vera feeds Walter. He says there is something serious he wants to discuss with her. He says Sylvia and Kate will be evacuating to Australia in a couple of days and he wants Vera to go with them. Since Joan isn’t leaving, Vera doesn’t think she should go either. He reminds her that she was in the resistance so she might be on a list or something and they might be looking for her. She says there is nothing saying they will find her.
Walter tells Solomon that they’ve done their bit and their work will be in good hands when the youngsters take over for them. He confesses Monty hasn’t shown an interest in the business but says Joan could be good. He suggests having Joan marry Nigel since that would give Sime Darby and Guthrie’s something to think about. Solomon begins laughing and wonders if Walter is having trouble getting rid of her. He says no boy of his would look twice at her in a hundred years. He continues laughing before telling Walter that is the best thing he has heard in ages but Walter doesn’t find it funny.
The Singapore Grip Review
Sadly, I think people have already turned against The Singapore Grip and they’re hesitant to give it a chance now. It is easy to see why since the first three episodes were anything but spectacular. However, I somehow felt this episode was a bit better than the others. Important things happened in this episode and they pushed the story forward a lot.
We’re getting closer to the final showdown and the intensity is ramping up. Sadly, much of the action is being overshadowed by the romance and scheming going on back in Singapore. I bet this series would’ve been much better if it wasn’t centered around a romance and a rubber company. I suppose it was a good idea but the execution hasn’t been perfect.
I normally love shows like this but Singapore Grip is the least interesting of the bunch. It doesn’t help that 90% of the characters are unlikeable and downright obnoxious. How are we supposed to sympathize with Walter Blackett and his family? Overall, this episode was better but the series could’ve been so much better. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of The Singapore Grip can be found on Reel Mockery.
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.
