As Time Goes By (TV Series)

Future Imperfect (2000)

Judi Dench: Jean Hardcastle

Quotes 

• Jean : No Madge?

  Rocky : No. She sends her apologies. She...

  [kisses Jean hello] 

  Rocky : She's wrestling with the local operatic society at the moment.

  Jean : Well, why is she wrestling the operatic society?

  Rocky : Oh, they're planning a production of "Irma la Douce".

  Jean : Well, I would have thought that Madge would have approved of that.

  Rocky : She does. Trouble is she wants to play Irma.

  Lionel : This could be a long wrestle.

• Lionel : Mrs Bale didn't mention the shipping forecast once, and that's not natural.

  Jean : Well, she did say, "Que sera will be."

  Lionel : Why didn't she say "Que sera sera"?

  Jean : What, a whole sentence in a foreign tongue? I don't think so.

• [first lines] 

  Lionel : Damn and blast. Damn and blast!

  Jean : Do you want a hand, Lionel?

  Lionel : I can manage. Thank you.

  Jean : Fine.

  Lionel : Will you come out!

  Judith : Is she the sister?

  Jean : No, she can't be; the sister went to Australia.

  Judith : Well, she looks like her.

  Jean : Unless there's a third sister we know nothing about.

  Judith : That's not very likely, is it?

  Jean : Well, none of it's very likely, is it?

  Lionel : Look, I know you're in there; will you come out?

  Jean : [to Judith]  I've just got comfortable.

  Judith : What's the matter, Lionel?

  Lionel : Who said anything was the matter?

  Judith : Fair enough. She could have come back from Australia.

  Jean : What, she only went last week!

  Lionel : All right, it's this stupid printer.

  Judith : Oh, what's the matter with the printer?

  Lionel : It won't print.

• [last lines] 

  [Lionel has just been speaking to Rocky on the telephone] 

  Jean : Who's buying the house?

  Lionel : *He* is.

  Jean : Oh, that's perfect! He and Madge belong there. For that matter, so do Mrs. Bale and Lol. I don't know why they left it in the first place.

  Lionel : Oh, my God!

  Jean : What?

  Lionel : He gave me the house, and now the old fool's trying to buy it back from me. I'm rounding off a wonderful day by robbing my own father!