Jean and Lionel are at home, relaxing on the couch -- or so it would seem. Jean tells Lionel that she feels redundant. He tells her that he's only reading the paper. No, at work, she says. Seems as though she feels it more and more. Every time she starts to do something she finds that either Sandy or Judith have already done it. Lionel feels that that is a good thing -- it shows initiative. She wishes they wouldn't show so much.
She wonders if they are trying to tell her something. He's fairly certain that they are not trying to overthrow her. No, but maybe they are trying to say that she's "yesterday's woman." Lionel seems to feel that's on the excessive side. She doesn't know -- maybe she is. Lionel tells her that he thinks of her as his child bride. Jean finds that such a sweet thing to say. She's absolutely charmed until he adds "well, not really, of course." Then she gives him a disappointed look. It's all because he came back into her life, she tells him. He wants to know if she's saying that he's aged her. She says that she doesn't want to say that before he came back work was everything she had in her life, but it was everything she had in her life. "Why don't you retire? he asks. She doesn't expect this -- what, to take up crochet or sequence dancing? He tells her that she's being excessive again. For a start, he says, they could spend more time together. She asks him if he's retired. He isn't sure. What happens if the miniseries is a success? "Fat chance," he says. 
Well, if it is they could ask him to write something else. He tells her the money's good. Exactly, she says -- he could be away working and then she'd be stuck back home doing crochet. Crochet is something she just made up, he tells her, and why is it that she thinks he'd be away working? He works at home. Yes, but he doesn't like to be interrupted when he's working. He'll still be here, he says. The sofa will be here, too, but she doesn't look on it as great company. He tells her that probably no-one will ever ask him to write anything else. They carry on back and forth until he finally tells her that she's gone way off track. All she said was she felt redundant at the office. Which is where we came in, he tells her. Jean tells him that she likes being married, but she's not a wifey sort of person. He isn't sure he's a hubby sort of person. Meaning you'd like to go on working? she asks. If a miracle turns up, yes, he tells her. But you'd like me to retire, she says. It was only a suggestion. You started this, he says -- he was only reading the paper.
Jean is doing the dishes when Judith walks in. In answer to Jean's question about the film she saw she says it was a bit weepy. A short time later Sandy comes in. When asked the same question she tells Jean it was the funniest thing she's seen in ages. 
They admit that they didn't see a film at all, but that they were out looking at flats and are tired of coming back and saying that the flats they saw were awful. Jean asks about the flat. It was awful. The ad said it was a garden flat. The garden was tiny and had only one dead bush in the middle -- it looked like a prison exercise yard. Lionel walks in and asks about the film. They tell him that they didn't see a film and he feels as though his memory must be slipping. They tell him that they saw a flat which was ideally suited to a couple of manic depressives. Lionel tells them that they should give up the search. Jean seconds that -- she tells them that Lionel has gotten used to living with this monstrous regiment of women. Lionel says that the fact is that they may not be there much longer. Judith wants to know if he's talking about dying. No -- he's talking about Rocky and Madge's house. He tells them that they might be moving down there. Permanently? Judith asks. He doesn't see why not -- Jean's thinking of retiring. He leaves the room. This is all news to Jean and her face shows it. Sandy and Judith turn towards her and ask her if this is all true. "Don't let your supper get cold," she tells them and follows Lionel out of the room.
Lionel is fixing himself a drink. He asks Jean if she'd like one. No, she tells him. She'd like an airplane that pulls a banner. He doesn't understand. It could say in big letters JEAN IS RETIRING or perhaps he'd like to announce it on Radio 2. She reminds Lionel that all she told him was that she felt a bit redundant in the office and all of a sudden she finds him issuing official statements. He starts to walk out of the living room and she asks where he's going. He tells her that he is going to retract the official statement.
Judith and Sandy, meanwhile are concerned that Jean not worry about who will be running the office once she leaves. Sandy suggests they run it jointly. Judith wants to know which one of them will get her desk. Sandy is thinking about that when Lionel walks in and tells them that Jean has absolutely no intention of retiring. Jean follows on his heels and says "...but I am thinking about it." Lionel rolls his eyes.
Jean is dusting the living room. Sandy and Judith walk in and tell her they're off to the shops. 
She reminds them not to forget Lionel's custard tarts and they assure her that they're on the top of the list. They tell her that they really didn't want her to retire. They don't want her to feel any pressure from them over that issue just because "we're young, vibrant and ambitious." They would miss her. She doesn't believe them. Okay, says Judith -- she supposes that they could get along without her. Jean gasps. "But it wouldn't be the same," Sandy adds. There'd be less bullying, though. She tells them to go shopping already. The doorbell rings and Lionel shouts out that he'll get it. Sandy tells Jean that they really don't want her to retire. She knows, she says, "but Lionel does."
It's Alistair at the door. "Are we in business," he asks Lionel, "or are we in business?" "I don't know. I don't know," is the answer. Judith passes Alistair and tells him they're going shopping. "Something sexy," he hopes. She tells him that it depends on how he feels about custard tarts. Alistair walks through into the living room and Lionel tells Jean that he doesn't understand what Alistair is saying. Alistair tells her that he said "Are we in business or are we in business?" Jean says that all depends. Do they know something he doesn't know? She asks if he means the filming. "Do I mean the filming?" he says. "Well do you or don't you?" asks an impatient Lionel. Yes. "Everything's going so .... hey ... and the people, I mean everyone's so...you know..." He laughs. Lionel advises him that there are no adjectives in that sentence. "How about superb, wonderful, brilliant." 
Lionel asks how about telling the truth. "Would I lie, Li?" Alistair laughs at his joke. He tells Lionel that Mike Barbosa is so thrilled that he has invited Lionel to Rocky's house tomorrow to see the filming. Jean reminds Alistair that Lionel does not have to be invited to his own father's house. Yes, says Lionel, particularly by an American television executive who is only just out of short trousers. And, Jean says, in case he's forgotten Lionel is the author. Alistair puts his hands up. He wants to know if they can cease fire. He thought that they would be thrilled. This is his chance to see his words leap off the page. Assuming, says Lionel that there are any left on the page. Jean says it could be quite funny seeing two people pretend to be them. They ask who are playing those roles. The answer: Jake Paris and Beverly Branch. They never heard of them. Jean wants to know if they can act. "Can they act? Can they act?" is his standard answer. He admits that they might not be household names yet, but Beverly Branch is a budding actress. He laughs again at his joke, and again he's the only one laughing. He tells them to ask Sandy and Judith to come along and he'll pick them up in the morning about ten. They think that that's a good idea. Alistair sees himself out.
They wonder what these actors will look like. Nothing like either of them they suppose. Lionel says he probably won't even go off to Korea. He'll trot off with Wellington to Waterloo. She probably won't be a nurse -- she'll end up as a camp follower. She hopes she's one of the better class ones. He tells her that she's taking all this very lightly. She reminds him that he once told her that he reached a stage where he didn't care. He, too, should be taking this lightly. He says that if this epic turns out to be the shambles that he thinks it is going to be, no-one will ever ask him to write anything again. She says it won't be the end of the world, will it? And if that does happen -- he can always retire.
They arrive at Hampshire to find the lawn cluttered with people and filming equipment. Mike Barbosa sees the car and tells them that it is terrific to see them. He asks them to come and meet some of the crew. He introduces everyone in the crew very quickly and, of course, they didn't get all the names, nor do they care to. The director, Moses Crispiani, is seated in the chair which bears his name. He's just sitting around mumbling and looks like a nasty man -- something Sandy points out immediately. "Why do we do it?" he keeps saying. 
Mike introduces Moses to the group and points out that Lionel is the writer. "Right, great script," he says with a look on his face that suggests he's smelled something bad. Moses is ready to shoot and he's screaming at the crew to get ready and Lionel asks Alistair what he's doing. Alistair whispers that this is the scene in which Alistair says goodbye to his father and --- Moses screams at him to be quiet and gives them a dirty look.
The man who is playing Lionel's father comes thru the front door wearing hunting pink. 
Lionel wants to know why he's dressed like that. Moses screams "Cut." Mike wants to know what's wrong. Is he the only one there with eyes? Moses wants to know. He sees something moving in the window. It's a sign which says "Ban Blood Sports." Jean says Madge must be at home. Mike assures Moses that he'll take care of it. "Stay cool," he tells him.
Madge moves away from the window. "I thought that would stop them, she says. Rocky tells her that she's being a damned nuisance. She hopes so. "That's the spirit," he says. Mike walks into the room and tells her to give him a break, she's costing them money. She doesn't care. He turns to Rocky for help. Rocky tells him that there is no budging Madge -- she's anti-hunting and that's it. Mike assures them that there is no hunting scene, but Madge tells him that unless they put that man in some other clothes she will persist in her placard.
"And I shall make one of my own," says Rocky. He'll have a word with Moses, he says and walks out, passing a very flustered looking Mrs. Bale who is shocked at what Mike just said. She announces the arrival of "Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle, Jr." Rocky calls her a silly old fool for announcing them. Jean observes that Mike and Moses are both in a bit of a tizz. Lionel tells them that he feels it's all his fault that the film crew is there. They tell him that they rather enjoy it. Madge says that Rocky has taken a fancy to the makeup girls. Rocky says that Madge has become fond of the best boy. Although they've seen that position on the movie credits no-one knows what the job of the best boy is. Madge assures them that he's very personable. Mrs. Bale comes in with drinks. She will be serving a buffet luncheon at 1:23 (unless they prefer to sneak out to the bus in which the film people eat). Rocky admits to having gone there a few times -- "jolly good grub." Mike comes in and says that they win -- the hunting clothes are out. More important, they're shooting now and he asks them to come out and watch. Lionel says he just got comfortable, but Jean is anxious to go.
Judith and Sandy are in the garden. Sandy asks her to be straight with her -- is she finished with Alistair or not? Judith tells her she has no comment. Sandy says that she isn't talking to the press, she's talking to her friend. Judith says she doesn't know. She does like him, but it was like going out with a jumping cracker -- he's all over the place. Sandy points out that when Judith is around, Alistair doesn't have eyes for anyone else at all. You sure? she asks.
She looks up and sees Alistair having a conversation with Beverly Branch, who is playing Jean. The woman is wearing a skimpy nurse's outfit and looks like something in a porno film. She and Alistair are leaning against a car. "He wants to play doctors and nurses," says Judith. Alistair sees them and tells them to come over so he can make an introduction. Neither of them is excited at the prospect -- they turn and walk away.
Moses hollers for "Action!" The man who is playing Rocky walks out the door and starts talking like a stereotypical Englishman. Shortly thereafter he is followed out the front door by Rocky, Madge and Mrs. Bale. "Where did they come from? Cut, cut, cut!" Moses wants to know. He wants to know what the hell they're doing? Rocky says that they're going for a stroll before lunch. "You're in the shot," Moses yells. Madge wants to know if there's anything he'd like them to do. "Get the Hell out of my shot!" he tells her. Mrs. Bale tells Moses that his manners leave a great deal to be desired.
They move away. Jean tells Lionel she feels sorry for Moses. Lionel doesn't. He's annoyed at the stereotyped language the father uses -- "all that rot, wot..." Alistair tells him it is only a tiny change. Again, "Action." Lionel, the actor, walks out of the house wearing a bright red uniform with gold trim. Lionel cringes.
The actor tells his father he has a train to catch and wishes that Jean could be there to say "cheer ho." They see someone just then. Who's that? Jean! Beverly Branch walks up to him very dramatically. "Lionel," she pronounces it as though it were a very long word. "Jean," he says. "Liiiiii-ohhh-nel," she says, eyes wide. "Jean." "Lhhiiiii-uhh-nellllll," she says breathlessly. The father wipes away a tear. The real Lionel and Jean sit by and watch, horrified. "Cut!" says Moses. He says it was terrific. He smells Emmy, he tells them. "Doesn't it just tear at the heartstrings?" Mike asks. Lionel, Alistair and Jean all stare ahead.
They are all sitting in the living room -- Sandy, Judith, Lionel and Jean. Jean is disbelieving -- she never wore a skirt like that, she says. "It looks like something from a Carry On film. Lionel says that he looks like something out of a comic opera. Sandy observes that there wasn't even a car or anything -- how was Jean supposed to have gotten all the way to Hampshire? Jean tells her that she ran all the way from the Middlesex Hospital. "Minor alterations to the script, they said. The only word I remember writing in that scene is 'Dad'," Lionel tells them. Jean wonders if there is any chance that this could be a joke. Every chance, says Lionel. No, she means joke as in "prank." Lionel asks if Moses strikes her as the sort of man who plays pranks. She was just whistling in the wind, she says. Alistair comes into the living room beaming. He notices the mood and turns off the smile. "You didn't like it, did you?" he asks. Lionel says he did like it. He liked it when Rocky and Madge and Mrs. Bale walked through the shot.
They all mock what happened on the front lawn and start laughing. Alistair is happy that they've lightened up. Lionel tells him that they have to treat it as a joke or else he'd have to go out and shoot himself. Alistair says that he had no idea they had gotten that far from the original. Mike comes in and asks what they're all doing in the sitting room. Hiding originally and now just having a laugh, they tell him. He wants to know what they're laughing at. Jean tells him that they are laughing at the travesty that they just witnessed outside. He apologizes -- he thinks they're talking about what happened when Rocky, Madge and Mrs. Bale got into the shot. They inform him that the whole thing is twaddle. Mike turns to Alistair for an explanation. Alistair tells Mike that he really, really hopes he knows what he's doing. Mike tells him "trust me." The only problem, says Mike, is that they're British.
The show is aimed at a U.S. Market. If, for example, Lionel were a potato farmer in Idaho, he'd have to have a picture of England that he could relate to. Jean tells Mike that there are peculiar people in Idaho. "Mary Poppins," he says. Lionel wonders if she will fly in at the end of the film. Mike asks if they remember the cockney accent that Dick Van Dyke had in the film. Lionel says he'd rather not remember that. He tells them that to the potato farmer in Idaho, that represents cockney. Alistair says that that makes a lot of sense. Jean says to hang on to that thought. A crew member comes in and gets Mike's attention. He has to leave because Rocky, Madge and Mrs. Bale have just come back and gotten into the shot again.
They've finished lunch and are all in the dining room. Rocky, who is watching the filming through the window, asks Lionel if he's sure he doesn't want to go outside and watch. They're doing the scene when he comes home from Korea. Madge says there was some talk of his losing an arm. All Lionel can manage is "really?" 
Jean observes that he didn't even bat an eyelid at that news. He doesn't think he has an eyelid left to bat. Sandy and Judith go out -- after all, it's not dull. Sandy will let them know about the arm. Rocky tells Lionel that he and Madge will be leaving the house in two weeks. Jean tells them they can always change their minds about leaving. Madge says they can't wait to go. They hope that Lionel and Jean don't mind if they take the pin table. Jean asks if they're still going to Lithuania. They put that on hold. Now they're going to Mongolia -- both Inner and Outer. "Rock on," says Jean. Rocky tells them that they shouldn't feel obliged to actually live there. They should use it as a retreat if they want to. Madge and Rocky start to leave. Lionel wants to know if they'll be walking through the shot again. "Only if the mood takes us," says Madge.
Lionel and Jean are alone in the dining room. Lionel looks out the window. "I wonder if I do lose an arm," he asks. Jean says he'll probably lose his whole body -- all that will come back from Korea will be his head. She'll have to carry him about in a cardboard box, he says. She must be careful not to lose him. 
She wonders if the Korean scenes will actually be shot in Korea. He tells her that he heard Wales mentioned. Jean hopes that the potato farmer in Idaho will like it. Lionel observes that this farmer is becoming crucially important to this scene. Mrs. Bale comes into the room with coffee. Lionel tells her that she's a real treasure. She tells them that if she is to stay on as the housekeeper, there is something that she thinks they ought to know -- she is over forty. "Goodness gracious," says Jean, feigning shock. "If you'd prefer someone younger..." Jean tells her not to be silly. Well, Mrs. Bale just thought they should know. They'll probably only be down there on weekends anyway, Jean tells her.
After Mrs. Bale leaves, Lionel questions what Jean just said about being there only on the weekends. Jean's been thinking, she says. "You don't want to retire, do you?" Lionel asks. She tells him no. It's lovely at Hampshire, but what would they do with themselves? Lionel tells her that they could take it easy. Sit around on rocking chairs? she asks. He didn't mention that, he tells her. What then? They could take a stroll into the village. 
She tells him that after that they could stroll back. And sometimes after they've strolled to the village, they could stroll round the village before they stroll back. He tells her that she made her point. She tells him that it's important. Why? he asks. Because I love you. He tells her that if she thinks she's going to get around him like that, she's right. She thinks that loving someone is being your best for them. She knows that sometimes she comes home from the office in a bad mood, but she never gets bored. She feels if she ever gets bored, she'll get boring. "What about you?" she asks. He tells her that there's not much of a problem there -- he's boring all the time. He's not boring, Jean says. Well, he's not an Alistair sort of person. That she agrees with. He supposes she's made the right decision. He'll just enjoy as much as he can of her in London and all of her down at the country house at the weekends. She wants to know what about the girls. He tells her he doesn't want them down there every weekend. No, what about their living with them in London? Lionel says he's almost used to it by now. "But don't tell them," he cautions. He wouldn't want them to think he's gone soft.
Lionel gets up. Jean asks him where he's going. 
He walks to the window and tells her that against his better judgment he does want to know if he comes back from Korea with two arms. "Do you?" she asks. He doesn't know -- they're just milling about. He observes that's all they seem to do most of the time. She stands in front of him at the window. He puts his arm around her and they stand, watching. She's sorry they ruined his story. It's our story, he tells her, and no-one can ruin it. There's the first bit, when they were young and then this bit, when they're slightly older. 
They're cuddling in front of the window when Jean notices that someone's waving at them. She notices that it's Moses and she smiles broadly and waves back. Lionel tells her he doesn't think it's that sort of wave. He opens the window and shouts "Can we be of any assistance?" Moses screams "You're in the shot. You're in the shot." Lionel screams back "Hard luck!" They laugh and back off. Jean tells him that they should leave them to it. "I know somewhere we won't be in the shot." They smile at one another and walk off.