Just Good Friends

- Season 3

(1986)

Two years have passed. Penny, now in a good job in Paris, meets Vince, who has taken over his father's scrap business, at the top of the Eiffel tower as agreed on their last meeting. They return to her flat where inevitably one thing leads to another. Back in England Norman has been made redundant and Daphne is doing her best to keep the news from Vince's mother Rita.

Penny returns to work in London and is irate to learn that Vince has been married - though not especially happily - for a while but omitted to tell her in Paris. Invited to his flat she decides to take revenge by cutting up his clothes - only to find that the flat and the clothes belong to somebody else.

Having heard that Penny is back from Paris, Vince's wife, the elegant but highly unpleasant Georgina, comes to her office, posing as a client, and summons her to a meeting with herself and Vince. Georgina recognizes that Penny still loves Vince and admits that she only married him for his money. Later Vince confesses to Penny that Georgina trapped him into marriage by feigning pregnancy and says that he intends to leave her. Penny is immensely relieved when she sees him indeed walking out on his wife to stay with his parents.

Penny tells Vince she is being sent back to work in Paris - probably due to a complaint from Gina, who is now filing for divorce. In their Portuguese villa the Pinners are taken aback to hear the news of a divorce and Les tells Vince on the phone they are returning to England. Vince sees this as a chance to have the villa just to Penny and himself but on arrival find the family still in residence and Les is particularly annoyed to learn that Vince has been selling on old German army tanks

Some months have elapsed and Gina is attempting to obtain details of Vince's new wine importing business, run in conjunction with Les's Portuguese vineyard, as part of her divorce settlement. Back in London Penny meets up with Vince, who employs Norman as his head of sales though Daphne does not share her husband's delight since Vince caused her to faint in the street. Penny is also unhappy when Vince crashes his car into hers but then he does make up for it by proposing.

Things go badly in the divorce court for Vince, with Gina's solicitor vilifying him and a feminist judge giving her control of most of Vince's businesses, including the wine importers - though Norman's job is safe. He does however hold onto the most lucrative - the scrapyard. In Portugal things are no better for Les, who discovers that the six German tanks Vince bought and sold are now aiding a revolution in Africa.

Penny and Vince are planning to get married again but are being held to ransom by Gina. Not only has she 'arranged' for Penny to go back to work in Paris but is refusing to employ Norman or import Les's wines unless they call off the wedding. So the couple are forced to announce the postponement of the ceremony. However they are not around to attend the party to celebrate Gina's change of heart and ensuing security for their parents - chiefly because they are both in Paris, tying the knot in secret.