Although I rarely post these days, I am still a devotee… reposting an old blog with some minor revisions at the request of a friend. Enjoy!
Mode under the Mistletoe - the silly season
Yes, well there is quite a lot of agreement about this Ep, that it is the silliest of all the eps and we all know that Christmas isn’t called the silly season for nothing. So it is quite fitting.
Of course the weird thing is that there aren’t any murders: that it is just a little holiday jaunt to the Victorian ski fields for Phryne and her pals in a rather Gothic chalet and that there is to be a fashion parade as part of the après ski entertainment.
Phryne is thoroughly prepared and takes an array of stunning outfits, as does Mac. Unfortunately someone forgets to tell Dot who naturally gets upset finding herself looking quite frumpy in a rather drab coat and woollen beanie with only a sensible cardi underneath.
Dot rings Hugh to ask for some advice, as she has found Hugh’s taste in fashion quite sophisticated in the past.
Jack can’t help overhearing:
Jack: What’s all this about?
Hugh: Miss Fisher’s gone on holiday again sir.
Hugh explains the fashion parade to Jack who is enthusiastic and says they should go. He says he knows some fetching poses, such as leaning against doorways and putting his hands in his pockets.
Hugh tells Dot that they’ll come along and to see if she can make do with something in the chalet for her outfit.
Dot investigates and comes across an interesting possibility in one of the studies. She also meets a man who is to enter the smart casual wear section of the parade who shows her how to strut the catwalk.
Dot takes the lampshade and makes herself a frock and does a bit of a twirl.
Jack and Hugh arrive at the chalet and ask if it’s too late to enter the smart casual wear section of the parade. Phryne convinces them to enter the jumper section instead as she says there are too many entrants for the smart casual wear.
Jack says his jumper is crumpled so Phryne offers to press it.
Jack is grateful for Phryne’s suggestion - he finds her fascinating and she tries to find his.
He then finds out that there are indeed a number of entrants for smart casual wear and competition is fierce.
Jack in fact has to break up a fight between rival competitors.
Isobel, one of the guests at the chalet, tells Dot that she wants to enter the goths category. Dot very politely tells her that goths haven’t been invented yet. Isobel then threatens to tell everyone about Dot stealing the lampshade fabric to make herself a frock and says she has the matching shade to prove it.
Aunt P enters a division of the parade which has something to do with bling.
She also learns that an ice bath does wonders for the complexion.
Unfortunately she forgets to bring a hair dryer so her hair remains wet throughout the Ep and ruins her chances of winning.
Having brought some stunning outfits, Phryne makes a major fashion faux pas and wears the wrong one when the judges make their decision in the red and white category.
All are askance and Phryne goes away and sulks.
Then Jack upsets everyone by changing jumpers at the last minute. Instead of wearing the seductive cream cable, he has a brain snap and wears the controversial green one.
Unfortunately half the people voting think it is a green jumper with cream trim and the other half think it is gold with white trim*.
*this phenomenon was reported much later in the NYT but we know that we noted it first: NYT
Dissension reigns.
He attempts to remedy the situation by showing everyone that you need to see it from every angle but that doesn’t work.
He tries a pose, usually very alluring, of a mantlepiece lean but even this lets him down (or stands him up).
But luckily there is some good news and there are some winners!
Mac wins the smart casual.
There is tension in the air when it comes to the announcement about the jumper category winner.
And it’s Hugh! Ever faithful, ever sure, Hugh comes up trumps. He and Jack are quite surprised…
and Dot is a bit jealous.
Phryne throws a party to celebrate the winners,
and everyone toasts the victors and Dot can’t help but join in and congratulate.
Jane makes a surprise return from Switzerland, bringing with her some local Christmas customs and a rather confusing Swiss-French accent. She insists everyone: ‘ave a snog under ze mistletoe.
Dot and Hugh oblige.
Even Aunt P, Bert and Cec agree, but they mistake Jane’s accent and think she says ‘smirk’ rather than snog. (You try saying snog with a Swiss-French accent.) So they obligingly smirk away…
Jane tries again with Phryne and Jack, but they too misunderstand. They believe she says ‘smug’, which they are feeling anyway as they think their matching outfits should have won the fashion parade hands down.
So they smugly speak to each other in Latin about botanicals … wishing she’d asked them to snog.
