The episode in which Rodney gets married. First broadcast 12 February 1989.
With his wedding to Cassandra coming up, Rodney is downbeat as he has apparently failed the exam on his computing course again, plus he needs £2,000 for his and Cassandra's new flat. Del states that he will take care of these problems, as he announces that he's giving Rodney the £2,000 as a wedding present. He then hands over Rodney's diploma, telling him that his teacher had been delayed in marking some of the exam papers. After Rodney leaves, Del admits to Uncle Albert that he had to bribe the teacher, as Rodney had actually failed. And now, he needs to raise £2,000, either from selling his stock of mobile phones or getting Boycie to pay for the faulty video recorders that Del had sold him a few months previously.
Del has no luck in selling his phones, and Boycie claims to have no money. The situation gets darker when Mickey Pearce and Jevon enter the Nag's Head with severe injuries inflicted on them by local crime bosses Tony and Danny Driscoll, and they reveal that it was in fact the Driscolls who had supplied Del's phones. The Driscolls enter the pub and demand Del pays them £2,000, but Del manages to extend time on the payment. Having seen the Driscolls, an intimidated Boycie asks Del if he'd got the video recorders from them; Del, seeing a chance to get his payment, says he did. The "skint" Boycie suddenly produces £3,000 from his jacket pocket, giving Del the money that he needs.
At Rodney's stag night, the Driscolls show up again looking for Del, who suddenly remembers that he had promised Rodney £2,000 for his flat. He goes off to talk to the Driscolls, leaving Rodney alone with Denzil. Rodney returns to the flat late that night, angry at Del, who is in the bathroom. Del informs Rodney that his money is on the table. Del is then shown nursing his cuts and bruises, unable to stand up straight, having taken a beating from the Driscolls rather than break his promise to his younger brother.
At the wedding, Del is the best man and Rodney is embarrassed as the minister reveals his middle name to be Charlton (named after Charlton Athletic according to Del, as their mum was a fan).
At the reception at the Nag's Head, Rodney thanks Del for his support, and leaves with Cassandra on their honeymoon. Marlene approaches Del and the two talk about past years, and Marlene asks Del why he never got married despite always being engaged when he was younger. Del tells her that none of the women he went out with was willing to help him raise Rodney, and he refused to put his brother into care. As a result, he broke up with them because Rodney meant more to him. The two share a heartfelt goodbye, and Del is left alone to think about life and come to terms with Rodney's new-found happiness.
A few weeks later, Del returns home to the flat from the market, followed shortly by Rodney, dressed in a three-piece suit. Rodney asks Del what is for dinner, only for Del to remind him that he doesn't live there any more. Realising his mistake, Rodney exits the flat in a hurry, to Del's amusement. Del is also left relieved that Rodney will always be around.
Tropes:
- Because You Were Nice to Me: A downplayed example; the Driscolls only give Del more time to pay up because he looked after their mother while they were in prison.
- Call-Back: Del's still after the money for those dodgy video recorders he sold to Boycie in "Danger UXD". Also, he's trying to sell the phones that Mickey and Jevon sold to him in "Sickness and Wealth".
- Embarrassing Middle Name: Rodney Charlton Trotter. At his wedding, the audience can't stop laughing at it so it ends up being omitted from Cassandra's vows. It's made all the more embarrassing by the fact that, despite Rodney's insistence that his middle name was inspired by Charlton Heston, it actually came about because his mother was a fan of Charlton Athletic, a South London football team.
- Every Man Has His Price: For £150, the teacher on Rodney's computing course is willing to fake the exam results to give him a passing grade.
- Hypocritical Humor: Del is asked by Alan (Cassandra's dad) to make a contribution to the wedding, and doesn't want to pay out too much money. Once he realizes that Alan means a contribution of ideas and opinions, he attempts to get out of his earlier suggestion of using the pub for the reception and back to a country club.Alan: But surely you don't like all that type of thing, do you?Del: Oh, I hate it. I hate it, Alan. I mean, those sorts of people only do things for effect.[Del is served a massive cocktail, complete with fruit and umbrellas]
- Knight of Cerebus: The Driscoll Brothers are feared by everyone in Peckham. They put on an Affably Evil front, but cross them and you get a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
- London Gangster: Danny and Tony Driscoll, unseen until now, show up for this episode. While not seen again in Only Fools and Horses, they would go on to become recurring characters in The Green Green Grass. John Sullivan based them on the sadistic Richardson brothers who dominated the South London criminal underworld in the 1960s.
- Running Gag: When everyone toasts the happy couple, Trigger can clearly be heard toasting "Cassandra and Dave".
- What You Are in the Dark: Del could've just used the money to pay the Driscolls off. This would have spared him a beating, but it would also have involved him breaking his promise to Rodney. It's highly likely that Rodney is also unaware that he's the reason why none of Del's earlier relationships worked out.
