Steptoe and Son meets The History Channel

This is my first review under the randomizer system. The randomizer has chosen Steptoe and Son Episode 22 for me to watch and review. While the people who know me do know I watch Steptoe and Son, on rare occasions it is not something I will watch on a regular basis. Which is why I was shocked when this show was picked as my first show to review under this format. Sometimes a shock can lead to good things like new appreciation for a show. Steptoe and Son revolves around father Albert Steptoe and son Harry Steptoe. The two men for the most part simply just can't get along together because of the generational gap. Albert and Harry run a picking business in which all the stuff they pick comes home. Majority of the fights happen over stuff Harry picks, jobs Harry accepts, or women. Either way the fights are some of the most hilarious moments you could watch on TV. Which at times their performances are so good that I wonder if the actors really liked each other in life.

Episode Overview: In episode 22 Crossed Swords we open with Harry out doing the rounds trying to find the pick of the century and find poor old Albert in the bathroom. When Albert tries to leave the bathroom he finds out he is stuck do to the massive amount of junk around the place falling and blocking the door. Albert has a mad fit decides to sit on the toilet and see what is interesting on the magazine newspaper, but can't seem to find anything he goes through every page in the magazine until he finds the crossword. Three hours pass and Harry returns excited with the find of the century. Harry looks for Albert and finds him trapped in the bathroom. He opens the door and starts making funny faces at Albert who is asleep on the toilet. Harry eventually wakes his Albert by pulling the handle of the toilet. The fights begin. Harry tells his Albert about the find of the century and Albert so excited like a little school kid tries to find out what is in the box, but is forced to wait by Harry. In the house Harry begins to gloat about his find and how much better it is than any of Albert's best finds like his prized cracked china and more. Eventually Harry reveals his find a porcelain statue of crossed swords. Not knowing what it is he asks Albert to take a closer look at it. Albert pulls out his big set of glasses and magnifying glass and begins examining. Albert decides they should take it to a shop and have it examined. We fast forward to the shop. The shop owner confuses the Steptoe's as delivery people which upsets old Albert, but Harry clears things up and asks him to look at the object they have came to have appraised. The appraiser begins to look over the porcelain statue and Harry tells him to look at the two cross swords mark. The appraiser looks over at Harry and says that doesn't mean nothing. Albert gives a smug remark to the appraiser saying I told him that. In the end the appraiser offers him 250 pounds, but Harry decides not to take it despite not listening to Albert's advice about the percentage an auction house would take and how fragile the statue actually is. Despite fighting over the selling of the item for awhile Harry wins out and we fast forward to the auction house. 3 teaspoons sell for 8,000 pounds before Harry's porcelain statue comes up for bidding next excited about how much the teaspoons sell for he thinks he might get more for the statue. The auction begins and the porcelain statue gets up to 250 pounds and the bidding stops. Harry is surprised about how low the item is going for so he decides to bid himself to get the bidder who is bidding on the statue to bid more for the statue this move works until the bidder decides he doesn't want it anymore and it looks like Harry is going to pay 500 pounds for the statue he brought to the auction itself. He tries all kinds of moves to get the other bidder to bid again, but it is just not happening. All of a sudden a out of nowhere a new bid comes in at 550 and it looks like Harry is safe, but when the auction ends he sees that the winning bidder is Albert. We now find Harry and Albert arguing in their household about the statue again with Albert explaining he got caught up in the commotion and bidden. Harry leaves the room in disgust and all of sudden hears something like glass break its the statue dropped by Albert himself who is just apologizing to Harry left and right. With all that has happened with the statue since it came into their hands Harry looks devestated and is just at a lost for words. Credits Roll

Episode Review: I have had this show in my collection for quite awhile, but for some odd reason I don't ever remember watching this episode before. With all that being said, I don't think I would of had the appreciation for this episode if I would have seen it before this year. Not much on U.S. television interests me, but I do watch shows like American Pickers, Pawn Stars, and Storage Wars. As a result of watching television shows like that Crossed Swords seems like an episode that could be more relevant today than it was back when it is made. You have Mike and Frank, from American Pickers, who are always on the hunt for the next big find just like Harry and Albert. Sometimes Mike and Frank get lucky and sometimes they are unlucky. Frank tends to try his luck on old beat up cars, but never seems to find the right one and usually loses money. On the other hand, a few episodes back Frank bought a samurai suit and knew nothing about it as far as worth. The suit turned around and made him twice the profit. In this case Harry on the statue had a chance to make considerable markup for what he paid for the item and he didn't take it. Rick and the Old Man, in Pawn Stars, are constantly willing to take the risks and buy items off people. When people are unhappy with what they offer, the two of them always remind the seller that the risk is with us and not you. They also remind people that the item may recieve more at the auction, but then you have to deal with the auctioneer's fee which may be 40 to 50%. Albert tried to warn Harry about the risks of the auction house, but Harry wouldn't listen. Albert also tried to explain the item is so fragile why not let the middle man take the risks and we take what we can get for the item, Harry wouldn't listen. Dave Hester, in Storage Wars, might not want a certain locker, but if he doesn't think it is going for a good price he'll keep upbidding the buyer even on a locker he doesn't want. Most of the time the move works, but sometimes he gets stuck with the locker. In Harry's case, he kept upbidding the item until he was almost stuck with it, but in the end the item want to his father cauing them to take the item for a loss. It is just to see all this stuff from an episode made over 40 years ago. For any fans of Storage Wars, Pawn Stars, and American Pickers your show was being filmed way ahead of its time and its called Steptoe and Son. Albert might be old, but he gave valuable advice that if you were thinking of selling an item you should listen to him and watch this episode.While the episode might be funny the things that happen in this episode happen all the time.

Final Thoughts: This episode is now one of my favorites when it comes to Steptoe and Son because it is more relevent today than it probably was back when it was filmed. The nostalgia factor was there along with the great comedy I expect from Steptoe and Son. Maybe I should pull this show out more often because if yesterday's episode I watch means more now than it did before maybe the other episodes would as well.

Tonight's Show: Thunderbirds Episode 31 Ricochet