Lionel has finally finished the book that Alistair asked him to adapt. Jean asks if he ever figured out why it was called "Thunder and the Moon." He tells her that there was never a mention of either Thunder or the Moon so he has no idea. Jean tells him that perhaps it's an allegory. "Perhaps it's rubbish," he says. The climax was when the shepherd turned into a sheep. He wonders what Alistair thought he could ever adapt the book into. Jean suggests an opera. With a chorus of sheep? Lionel wonders. She says he might be onto something.

As Lionel reflects on the novel Jean is doing the budget and concludes that the agency isn't doing all that well. There are more machines these days and less call for girls with notebooks. Lionel tells her that he prefers the girls with notebooks. Presumably in short skirts, Jean offers. That never hurts, he says. The doorbell rings and Lionel says he'll answer it. Jean tells him to call her if it's a girl in a short skirt selling anything.

Of course it's Alistair. It always is. He's in a particularly jovial mood and he begins to shadow box with Lionel, who tells him to stop it. They walk into the living room and Jean wants to know what Alistair was doing. She says that Alistair will not be shadow boxing with her. No, for that lovely lady there will be a hug. Before he hugs her, though, he asks Lionel if he has the green light, which he is given. Jean observes that either he's in a particularly tactile mood or they are celebrating something. A little of both: Mike Barbosa just faxed him that they are off the back burner. (He actually says "black burner" and I don't really know why). Lionel asks them if they're cooking something together. Alistair ignores him. They punched a hole in the schedule and the mini-series, Just Two People, will be broadcast that evening in prime time. Lionel can't believe they're actually going to run it. Jean tells Alistair that Lionel is turning Thunder and the Moon into an opera. "No you're not," says Alistair, in a charmed disbelief. "No, I'm not," agrees Lionel. Alistair thinks they should be taking this all seriously. He wants to know if they heard what he's said. Lionel says that they not only heard him, they understand him. "This is taking stiff upper lip to super-glue proportions." He can't believe how calm they are. "Aren't you thrilled," he asks. Lionel tells him that no, he is not thrilled. Alistair wants Jean to talk to him. Jean agrees with Lionel. She liked the original script but she saw what they filmed and has no particular faith in this project. Alistair seems to disagree. Jean thinks he's placing a lot of faith in the Idaho potato farmer. Alistair thinks that they represent Middle America. The people are not sophisticated and if they can accept the miniseries as representative of British life then .... "They're all simpletons," Lionel finishes the sentence for him. Both Jean and Lionel bombard him with idiocies in the script -- everyone saying toodle, pip and cheer-ho and nurses in strip-o-gram uniforms, nannies from the last century and the like. "Okay, so you have reservations," Alistair tells them. An understatement they think. Alistair thinks they should wait and see. "Without holding our breath," Lionel tells him. In the meantime they all have a drink and toast Just Two People and the potato farmer in Idaho.

Jean and Judith are in the kitchen going over the books. Jean says they are not in the red, but there is definitely a pink tinge. Judith tells her that if Just Two People is successful, they'll be in for a cash injection. Jean says that if Just Two People is successful they'll probably need an injection of some sort just to bring them round. Jean isn't sure she understands why Judith is even considering that as a possibility. After all, she saw it being filmed. Judith is an optimist, though -- if there is a wind about she generally whistles into it. Sandy walks into the kitchen and asks them to come up into the living room because Alistair is back and he's shadow boxing again. Jean says they'd better hurry before Lionel punches Alistair on the nose.

Alistair is punching the air, pacing about and saying things like "Boy when I get an idea, do I get an idea." Lionel tells him he wishes he would stop asking himself questions and just sit down. Alistair says he can't do that -- he's too pumped up. Just wait until Lionel sees what Alistair has in his pocket. Judging from his behaviour Lionel guesses it might be a lit firework. Jean comes into the room. Alistair pulls three tickets to New York on the Concorde from his jacket pocket. They're for Jean and Lionel and Alistair and they have to leave now in order to watch the broadcast as it happens. Why would they want to do that? asks Lionel. "To be there at the main event," he tells them. To see if it flies or dies, to smell the fear and taste the blood. Lionel reminds him that it's a television program, not Custer's Last Stand. Jean mumbles that she doesn't know about that. Judith thinks they'll never make it in time, but Alistair tells her that the Concorde flies with the speed of a bullet -- they'd be in New York before they even left Heathrow. Lionel says that he doesn't see the point of flying at the speed of a bullet to watch a disaster.

Alistair can't believe that here he is with tickets on the Concorde and rooms booked at an expensive hotel and they turn him down. Jean suggests he ask the younger generation. "Is that an idea or is that an idea," he says. Lionel observes that Alistair is back to asking himself questions. The girls don't think it's very flattering to be the second choice, the reserve team. Then you're not coming? No, of course they're coming. He tells them to grab their passports, throw something flimsy into a suitcase and then it's New York, Here We Come! "You'll love our room...," he tells them. that stops them dead in their tracks. They give him a look. He corrects himself and says he meant your room. "Can't blame a chap for trying," he says and Jean joins him in the saying.

Jean is in the kitchen making a snack. Lionel walks in. Both are wearing robes and Lionel says they are going to bed. The clock in the kitchen says 5:50, but I'm sure they had their reason for going to bed so early or else the clock stopped. She asks him to pour the coffee into the thermos. He wants to know if she plans on having this snack in the garden. She tells him that they will be awakened early in the morning and they might feel like a snack. He wants to know if this is some sort of psychic forecast. She tells him to be rational. The kids will see the show in New York and they're bound to phone and let them know how everything went. He almost wishes they had gone to New York because he would get rid of the flickering hopes that it might not be that bad. She knows what he means. She asks him if he wants a custard tart packed with the rest of the snack. Surprisingly, he says no. Lionel is not going to set the alarm. He just says that if they phone, they phone -- if not, they'll miss a snack, but at least they'll have a good night's sleep. She prepares the tray, carries it towards the door and then tells Lionel to shut out the light. He shuts the light and is about to walk away when he changes his mind and decides that he will take a custard tart after all.

Sandy and Judith are in their room at the hotel. Sandy could get used to all this. So could Judith. She wonders if Jean has ever thought of opening a branch office in New York. They could mention it -- but they'd have to get her drunk first. There's a knock at the door and a voice, which sounds just like Alistair's, claims that it's "Room Service British Style". Judith recognizes the voice and hollers "Come in." She also says, loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear "Sandy, get some clothes on." Alistair bursts through the door carrying three goblets and champagne in an ice bucket. He tells Judith that he didn't fall for that. He asks what they think and they say it's a long way to have come just to watch television. They don't seem too optimistic. Remember Beethoven? They do, but not first hand. His first performance of the Fifth Symphony was booed, but he made a comeback. Judith doesn't think that Lionel can wait that long. Well, what about Al Jolson? asks Alistair. Judith tells him that Lionel is not about to conduct a symphony or sing Mammy -- this is television and if this goes bust, it's all over for Lionel. Alistair is sorry, he was just trying to look at the bright side. Now they're all a bit nervous. He pours the champagne. It's time for the program.

Lionel and Jean are in bed. She's awake, turns and looks at Lionel who looks as though he is sleeping. She turns over and then he raises his head and looks over at her. He gets up and tiptoes towards the foot of the bed. Jean tells him to put on the light or else he'll stub his toe. He tells her that he didn't mean to wake her. She says she couldn't sleep, but that every time she looked at him he appeared to be asleep. He says that every time he looked at her she seemed to be asleep. He figures that if they ever opened their eyes at the same time they'd have been up ages ago. He checks the phone, mentioning he's glad they got it so that they don't have to go tearing downstairs when the phone rings. "A watched phone never rings," she tells him. He asks if she wants some coffee. "Why not?" she says. And she wants a sandwich too. She made eggs and cress or cheese sandwiches. Jean says they're going to have a very crumby bed. He thinks they should face that when they get around to sleeping. She wonders why Lionel is still entertaining those flickering hopes. She thought he'd given up on all that. Yes, but he feels an influx of dollars wouldn't be bad for Jean's business. She thinks that's a pretty noble thought for someone who always recommends that she pack it in altogether. He tells her that he has his moments. There's something else, too. "You're not keeping a woman somewhere, are you?" she asks. Yes, he is, but that's not what he means. The house in Hampshire is a big place to keep up just for the weekends. They have to pay for heat and for Mrs. Bale. Jean mentions that she thinks Mrs. Bale would prefer to be ranked above heating. He thinks that they should sell it. She tells him that his father gave him the house and he can't sell it. Well, they should put it to good use. He says he could make it a hotel. When she laughs at this idea, he reminds her that he ran a coffee plantation in Kenya. She tells him that it's not the same thing. Coffee beans don't make demands the way that hotel guests do. And often they don't do it very politely. Well it was just the first idea. In fact, he doesn't have a second at the moment. If they were stately, she tells him, they could turn it into a stately home. He was just trying to think of something to help, he says. If he really wants to help he could go and get her another sandwich. He's pretty sure the phone should have rung by now.

Back at the hotel, the miniseries is coming to an end. The threesome looks pretty bored. Alistair turns off the TV. "Well," he says. "Well," say Sandy and Judith. Alistair thinks it was beautifully photographed. The girls liked the music. No-one wants champagne. There is the sound of a siren coming from outside. "That'll be an ambulance rushing a viewer to hospital," says Judith. Even Alistair is speechless. Judith tells them to face it, it wasn't very good. Sandy thinks it was one of the most truly awful things she's ever seen. Alistair thinks that they must have done some more re-writes. By a five year old child, Sandy thinks. Alistair thinks that no-one can deny that the Korean battle scenes were great. Yes, says Sandy, even if they were shot in Wales. Alistair tells her that no-one would really know that. Well, if you ignore the sheep on the hillside. And you could see the sign for a Welsh pub through the flap in the tent which served as the field hospital where Lionel was taken when he was shot in the arm. At least he didn't lose his arm -- Sandy mentions that there was talk of that at some stage. Alistair says that he came down very hard against that. Judith wishes he had come down hard against the whole thing. He wishes he had stuck to publishing -- he got right out of his depth. Judith tells him it wasn't all his fault. He never said it was all his fault. Sandy thinks that its about time they phoned home. "Right," says Alistair. Judith thinks she'd better have another glass of champagne first.

Lionel and Jean are remaking the bed. That's a much better idea than trying to brush the crumbs out of the bed. Jean wishes the kids would phone. Lionel will give it five more minutes and then he's going to sleep and that's definite. Make it ten, Jean suggests. All right, he says. She thinks that in the morning she'll look like Death warmed up. He wonders if she remembers the first morning that they woke up together. She looked beautiful. He looked smug, she tells him. He objects. Well, then, maybe not smug but very pleased with himself. Each leans over to meet in the middle where they kiss. The telephone rings. He answers it "Holland Park Home for Insomniacs." It's Judith. He hears what she has to say and assures her that he's not disappointed because he knew all along that it would be a disaster. He tells her to give his love to Sandy and Alistair and then he corrects himself: give Jean's love to Alistair and his regards. He asks himself if that was worth waiting up for. Jean's sorry. Can she lend him a fiver until the end of the week? She reminds him that was only three opinions. Well, if Alistair couldn't find a redeeming feature, they shouldn't be clutching at straws. They decide to go to bed.

Back at the hotel Alistair claps his hands and tells the girls it's time for them to slip into something glamorous. "You've got to be kidding," Sandy says. Judith tells him to go to his room. He means that they should be going to the wrap bash. Mike Barbosa is throwing a big party in his room. Alistair wants to go there saying "Hey, look at us Brits." Judith thinks it will be more like a wake than a party. Sandy says they'll look at them and think they should go home where they came from. They remind Alistair that he's the same man that ten minutes ago had given up hope. He thinks that maybe they're just a bit too close to the whole thing. Maybe they didn't see it for what it really was. They didn't see it through American eyes. They won't know a thing, says Alistair, until the ratings come out and they don't come out til morning. In the meantime he thinks they should just party. The telephone rings. Judith answers it -- it's Mike Barbosa to talk with Alistair. Alistair gets on the phone with a "hey hey" and tells Mike they were just on their way. Turns out the the party's been cancelled and Mike has been fired. No point in waiting until morning.

Judith and Sandy are back home having drinks in the living room. Jean doesn't think it's right that Mike got fired. She liked him. The writers were also fired, but Jean agrees that they deserved to be fired. Lionel wonders whatever happened to Sol. (He changes his mind and asks about Sy, but he was right the first time). Sol survived because he only claims to be involved with hits. They wonder why Alistair didn't come in. Judith asked him to come in, but speculates that he feels guilty about what happened in New York. "What happened in New York," Jean smiles and her eyes widen. "The program," Judith reminds her. Jean tells her that it wasn't Alistair's fault. When it comes to fault, Lionel feels that there is a long list of people to be blamed, but Alistair's name wouldn't be at the top of it. Sandy says that she has never seen Alistair so subdued -- he never even made a pass at them. Jean observes that that is subdued.

Lionel asks out of morbid curiosity how the ratings went. Judith's jaw drops. They started out quite well, but dropped as the show progressed. Sandy informs them that they did quite respectably in Idaho. "Good old Idaho," says Jean. The potato farmer must have a lot of relatives. They wonder what people from Idaho are called. Idahoians? Idahosiers? Jean says that sounds like a sock shop. Judith turns to Jean and tells her there is no need to put on an act. The girls think that they must be upset. They assure them that they are not. Lionel says he told them it was doomed from the moment he heard that they loved the script. The girls say that next time they'll listen to them. Lionel assures them that there isn't going to be a next time. The doorbell rings and Sandy goes to get it.

It's a delivery for Lionel. Sandy carries in a box. He wonders what it is. Jean says that she hates people who say that. Open it, she says. He suggests it might be a bomb from Sol. Or potatoes, from the potato farmer. He sees that it is six copies of My Life in Kenya. Jean tells him to read the letter that's enclosed. It's from someone at Alistair's office. The book is being remaindered, which Jean explains means that what's left of them will be selling at half price. When it rains, it pours.

Sandy and Judith leave a shop and walk onto the sidewalk. Sandy tells her that she didn't say that Judith shouldn't buy it, she said that she wouldn't buy it. That, says Judith, is the kiss of death. They see Alistair across the street, sitting by himself at an outdoor cafe. They walk across the street and talk with him. He asks them if he can get something for them. He looks very depressed. Judith says that they haven't seen him for days. He tells them that he can't think of what to say to Lionel. He feels so badly because he built up Lionel's hopes. He suspects that Lionel is in pieces. No, as a matter of fact, Lionel is in fine form. They ask him to come home with them so he can see for himself that Lionel is okay. There's something else, he says. Sandy asks if he's stuck to his seat. He tells them that My Life in Kenya has been remaindered. They tell him that they already knew that. He tells her that it was the only way to sell more copies, but it feels like kicking a puppy. Judith tells him that there is no way to compare Lionel with a puppy. They assure him that everything is fine. The book, says Sandy, was never meant to be another Gone With the Wind. Despite the blonde on the cover with the torn clothes. That was my idea, too, Alistair says. He feels very badly about the book and the miniseries and they tell him not to blame himself. Judith says he'll feel better if he comes home with them. He says he's got to look Lionel in the eyes sometime. He goes to pay the bill. Judith says she wants to hug him when he's like that. "What, depressed?" asks Sandy. "No, real," Judith tells her.

Lionel is resting on the couch listening to music. Jean peeks in and tells him that the girls brought Alistair home. "Oh, no," he says. Alistair walks in timidly. "Hello, Li," he says. Lionel gets up and offers him a drink. Alistair doesn't know how Lionel can bear to speak to him, let alone offer him a drink. They sit on the couch. "So," say Lionel, "what's the matter?" "What's the matter?" asks Alistair. Lionel tells him that this conversation will make no progress at all if Alistair just repeats everything he says. Alistair leans towards Lionel and puts his arm around him. Lionel turns rigid. "What are you doing?" he asks. Alistair tells him that he is stumbling for words. Lionel asks him to do it without putting his arm around him. Alistair takes his arm away, waits a minute and does it again. "You're squeezing me now," .Lionel says, looking as uncomfortable as you might expect he would. Jean walks into the living room. She asks Alistair why he's squeezing Lionel. Alistair gets up, tries to find the words and then just hugs Jean. "He's squeezing me now," she says. Lionel wants to know what on earth is going on. Alistair says he's trying to say he's sorry. Lionel doesn't know what for. "What for?" shrieks Alistair. "You're doing it again," Lionel shrieks back. Jean tells Lionel to stop shouting -- can't he see that Alistair is upset. Lionel wants to know what the problem is. Alistair feels badly -- he wanted Just Two People to be a smash. He wanted them to make a million dollars. He feels that he let them down. He feels he screwed it up. They tell him that Sol and Sy and Manny all screwed it up. He tells them that he didn't stop them. Could you have stopped them? Lionel thinks there are only ten of his original words left in the script. Alistair wants to know what about the heartbreak. Lionel tells there is no heartbreak -- they gave it a go and they failed. It isn't the end of the world. "While we're at it, thank you," Jean tells him. He looks puzzled. Jean tells him it was an adventure. "I might even write a book about it someday." Alistair's eyes widen -- "hey hey." Lionel tells him that he wasn't being serious. Alistair doesn't look as though he wants to drop the subject all that quickly, but they insist. At least they got some dollars out of it. Alistair assures them that there will be more to come -- the transmission fee. He says that he knows he messes up a lot of things, but never a contract. Jean and Lionel look at one another and smile. "It's hug time," says Jean. She gets up, Lionel gets up, Alistair gets up. She walks past Alistair's outstretched arms and gives Lionel a big hug.