Second Thoughts

- Season 3

(1992)

Faith discovers Hannah is sleeping with Kevin, and is alarmed when she asks him to stay the night at their house.

Faith is forced to accept that mid-life crises do not just happen to other people.

Faith catches Joe smoking, and Bill starts work on a top-secret project at home, disrupting the smooth running of the household.

Faith treats Bill to a night in a grand hotel to celebrate their anniversary but they are constantly interrupted by hotel staff and Bill is not pleased when Faith drags him to the theatre when he would rather have dinner. They eventually order room service food but are so tired they fall asleep before they can eat it - or indulge in any romance. Fortunately they have all next morning to themselves before needing to vacate the room.

Faith decides to reconcile Richard with Marjorie, who has thrown him out. Everything is going according to plan until Richard refuses to sack Liza whereupon Marjorie walks out. Faith is no more successful at keeping the peace between Bill and Joe, who has returned the jacket he borrowed from Bill in a filthy state. Matters are not helped when Faith wrongly believes that Joe has been sniffing glue.

Back with Kevin Hannah is moving into a house with him whilst Joe announces that he may be trying for a scholarship to an American university. Faith is delighted as it means she and Bill will be alone in the house but is less than pleased to learn that his new job will take him to Germany for three months, clashing with their plan to holiday in Italy. She lines up Hilary as a companion but when she also backs out Faith decides to travel on her own.

Bill returns from Germany for a weekend and Faith tries to create a romantic ambience despite an unexpected visit from Hannah and a phone call from Joe in America in the middle of the night. Bill accepts an invitation to a quiet drink from Richard, only to find that Liza has organized a belated farewell party for him, which does not go down well with Faith. Worse is to come when Bill gets a call to say that his magazine has folded and he is redundant.

Bill is coping well with his redundancy, assuming the role of the house husband when Faith gets a full-time office job. Hannah, having split with Kevin again, is annoyed when Faith tries to get her back with ardent old flame Christian. Fortunately Christian hits it off with Hannah's friend Sarah and between them they rescue Bill's DIY disaster.

Faith persuades Richard to give Bill his job back and the couple decide to move to a flat for two. However Hannah decides to take a gap year and Joe breaks his leg, meaning that they both come back to live at home and the move has to be put on hold. Returning to work Bill finds that Richard has been sacked for spending so much time with Liza - who has been given his job as the new editor.

Bill is no more happy to have Liza as his boss than Faith is when Callum arrives to build a conservatory and gets on very well with Hannah. Richard is now the owner of the local wine bar where Callum comes in and they drown their sorrows over their memories of dating Liza - though a drunken Callum turns up at Liza's flat to disrupt her photo call for the magazine. Joe also gets drunk, prompting Faith to start a temperance drive in the house.

Joe is working as a door to door salesman and gaining sympathy by keeping his healed leg in plaster whilst Liza decides to date Callum, now working for Richard, when he claims to have inherited a vineyard in Australia. Bill's birthday is approaching and, whilst he professes not to want a celebration, he is put out when everybody seems to have forgotten it. In the event both Faith and Liza have planned surprises for him but he rejects Liza's party for a date with Faith.

Bill is diagnosed with stress brought on by Liza's crazy ideas and his adjustment to domesticity - which annoys Faith. Mercenary Liza, still believing that Callum is to inherit a vineyard, takes him as lover and chauffeur and persuades Richard to make him manager. Richard also employs Hannah, who has finally got over her on-off relationship with Kevin and starts to get close to Callum.

Liza is being interviewed for radio's 'Woman's Hour' but her snobbish, condescending attitude and the fact that she takes a call from Callum on air makes Bill cringe. Hannah faints at work, prompting fears of pregnancy though she is actually on a diet and the real shock comes when Joe announces that he is engaged. Marjorie and Richard however seem closer to a reconciliation.

Faith is shocked when Joe announces his engagement to the very proper Louise, planning an early wedding with no pre-marital sex and eschewing all his erstwhile laddish behaviour. However when exchange student Gina comes to visit and he escorts her to a football match rather than accompanying Louise and her nephew to the Sooty Show the old Joe starts to return and, to Faith's relief, the engagement looks in doubt.

Faith gets a letter from old client Karel inviting her and Bill to stay with him in Prague but Bill has to attend a weekend management course with Liza. It involves quelling a mock picket line but Liza's solution is to injure the other group leader, as a result of which she is sent home early and catches Hannah kissing Callum, so she finishes with him. Faith returns from Prague having turned down Karel's advances and goes to tell Bill, who has just spurned Liza's attentions though Faith gets the wrong idea when she sees them together.