"Cold Turkey" (listed on the BBC's "Absolutely Fabulous" site under the title, "Drinkin'") is probably my favorite episode from the fifth series. This is a Christmas special episode, and Edina has decided to spend the holiday at home with her family. Edina is disappointed with Saffy's regular, plastic Christmas tree, and she wants her first Christmas at home to be a grand affair. She imports a giant Christmas tree from Scandinavia, but Saffy is enraged when she sees it. Patsy somehow got caught in the tree when it was brought into the house. Bubble returns from her Christmas shopping assignments at Tiffany's, Gucci, and Prada, and reports things aren't as glamorous as they used to be. Edina and Patsy join Saffy and Mrs. M. in the kitchen. Mrs. M. is making a poinsettia centerpiece, and Saffy is preparing the Christmas lunch. Edina's way of helping out is to eat raw sausage, and burst out into Christmas carols. Saffy is worried Edina will go overboard, and she explains how they conduct their traditional Christmas. Patsy continues to look through a travel magazine, and she's under the impression that she and Edina will be going away for Christmas. Patsy eventually learns Edina is backing out of their usual holiday getaway. She reacts violently by headbutting Edina, which knocks Edina to the floor! Edina goes to talk to Patsy, and Patsy exclaims she really hates Christmas. Eleanor Bron returns as Patsy's mother in a flashback. Patsy's bitter mother refuses her Christmas gift in the flashback, and screams for Patsy to keep Christmas out of their lives. She tells Edina she'll go on the trip by herself, but she's suddenly overcome with pain and collapses to the floor. Unbeknownst to her, the pain was caused by someone jabbing a pin into a voodoo doll. Edina thinks it's Patsy's way of getting attention, so Edina ignores Patsy after she falls to the floor. Edina then prevents Mrs. M. from decorating the tree, and she makes Bubble climb a ladder to place the star on top. John examines Patsy, and Saffy tells Edina that Patsy must go to the hospital. An ambulance rushes them to the hospital. The doctor (Simon Brodkin) tells Edina that Patsy is extremely ill, and he asks who Patsy's next of kin is. Edina mentions Patsy's sister, Jackie (Kate O'Mara appeared as Patsy's sister in "Happy New Year.") Edina goes home to wrap gifts with Bubble. Fleur and Catriona visit Patsy in the hospital, and we see another pin jabbed into the voodoo doll while they're there. Patsy flatlines but is brought back with electric shock. Justin arrives at the house, and John begins to ask him some very personal questions. Bo and Marshall arrive next, and talk about their Christian-based, weight loss product called Staylene. Everyone enjoys a Christmas Eve toast until Marshall has an accident in his pants. Patsy's sister shows up at the hospital. Jackie poses as a loving sister, but her real intention is to get everything signed over to her in Patsy's will. She's also there to kill Patsy with a heroin overdose! Edina and Saffy go to the hospital on Christmas Day, but they are informed that Miss Stone has died. They go in the room and see a body covered by a sheet. Patsy baffles them when she emerges from the bathroom. She's alive and well, and ready to leave the hospital. She removes the sheet to reveal the "Miss Stone" that died was actually Jackie. It seems she had gotten the upper hand when Jackie was going to inject her with the fatal dose of heroin. Patsy is now overjoyed with Christmas spirit, and the day continues with the exchanging of gifts. Christmas lunch is attended by Edina, Patsy, John, Saffy, Justin, Mrs. M., Bubble, and Bo and Marshall (we assume baby Jane is around somewhere!) The gleeful holiday lunch is interrupted when Patsy chokes on a slice of turkey!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
