Only Fools and Horses (TV Series) May the Force Be with You (1983) User Reviews

When OFAH was great comedy.

[graham_525 · 10/10 · 17 December 2008]

Only Fools and Horses began as a worthy successor to Steptoe and Son and Porridge. It was fresh, sharp, witty and relevant. Sadly over time John Sullivan turned it into something completely different. The show most definitely "jumped the shark" on more than one occasion and practically turned into Sullivan's other comedy success Just Good Friends.

"May the Force Be With You" was Only Fools and Horses at it's absolute best. The third series represented a peak in the quality of the show and this episode is one of the best in that series. It's also the episode that introduced one of the best supporting characters, Roy Slater, played to perfection by the amazing Jim Broadbent. Slater only ever appeared in three episodes and yet is one of the most memorable figures in the history of the show.

The story is simple. Rodney drops Del Boy right in it by bringing back his old foe Slater to their flat without realising he's one of the most hated policeman in London. Slater recognises a microwave oven as stolen property and promptly arrests Del, Rodney and Grandad. At the police station he puts the pressure on Del to name the guy who stole it. Naturally Del refuses as this goes against everything he believes in. When Slater resorts to some seriously nasty tricks Del has to think fast.

The ending is one of the of the greatest endings to a sit com episode I've ever seen. Del's quick thinking leads to a lateral thinking stroke of genius.

Strongest episode of series three.

[maureen_smith5 · 10/10 · 18 April 2015]

Each series of OFAH has one standout classic (but I think there are loads in one series) with The Russians Are Coming in series one and A Losing Streak in series two and we get to series three's strongest episode as a old enemy makes his bow in the show.

Rodney by mistake invites Del's old enemy Roy Slater back to the flat but Rodders soon realises from Del he is now Detective Inspector Slater and he then nicks the brothers and Granddad as he see's one of the microwaves that have been stolen in the flat.How can Del Boy get out of this one.

This is a excellent and very well made OFAH episode with plenty of laugh out load moments and some supreme acting from David Jason as well as a great debut for villain Roy Slater played by Brit great Jim Broadbent who is a fabulous creation.

Funny moments include Granddad trying to get the Dukes Of Hazzard on the microwave,Del saying Slater hasn't got one grasses he has a entire lawn,Del and Slater reminiscing about the time at school when they used to play pirates(you played the bloke that walked the plank),Slater telling his deputy Hoskins he can have his dinner(shame the canteen just closed isn't it)and Slater hoping Granddad is OK from the mindless filth that walks our streets before Del says 'I though you drove everywhere nowadays'.

I very strong acted episode and one of the ones where the show morphed into the classic it was becoming with a top debut of Roy Slater and a couple of really funny moments.

The first of three superb Roy Slater appearances

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 24 September 2020]

Rodney bumps into Del's old school 'friend' Roy Slater and invites him back to Nelson Mandela house.

This is one of the strongest entries from the Granddad era of Only Fools and Horses. It has a simple and effective plot with some fabulous character moments. I wouldn't say it's quite as hilariously funny as some of the all time best episodes, but it places the three central characters in a compellingly difficult situation and makes me route for them.

Del, Rodney and Granddad are excellent as always and there are some short but highly enjoyable cameos from Trigger and Boycie. However, what makes this one so good is the brilliant antagonist Roy Slater. I find that many guest stars in this series struggle to hold a candle to David Jason in terms of charisma, timing and range, but Jim Broadbent was an inspired casting decision. He managed to pull off nasty, spiteful, petty and ruthless whilst still being funny at the same time.

The plot is pretty much one long build up to a big final punchline that just about works. It is a clever concept, but I did have to suspend my disbelief a little bit in imagining that a 'bent copper' like Slater wouldn't be able to find a way of countering Del's resolution.

May the Force Be with You

[studioAT · 10/10 · 13 April 2023]

This is another classic episode of 'Only Fools and Horses' and from a third series where the title of 'best episode' is a highly contested one.

Full of great lines and moments, this plays out in epic style, with the cast upping their game you sense to keep up with a stellar guest turn from Jim Broadbent.

The twist is still as good now as it was when it first aired in 1983. I remember this episode being played on a big screen at a convention and it went down a storm. Such is the testament to the genius that was writer/creator John Sullivan, who we miss to this day.

It's an episode I can't recommend highly enough.

We're Looking for a Six Foot, Seven Inch Dwarf...

[Lunerar · 8/10 · 15 June 2020]

Roy Slater, bent copper, arrives and causes trouble for the Trotters. With all of Del's dodgy behaviour you would imagine that every now and then he's going to run into problems with the law.

One thing I really like about this episode is that Slater is an old school pal of Del and the rest of them so we get an insight into the characters when they were young, which is really interesting.

Overall the laughs aren't aplenty but they are there, the story is good and the ending is genius, showing that Del Boy does have street smarts that suit his lifestyle.

A good episode.

What an Introduction!

[jameswyattranks · 10/10 · 10 February 2024]

This episode is simply fascinating, the first appearance of Jim Broadbent's "Slater" is excellent. A slimy character without morals who gives everyone around him an uneasy feeling. It's probably the first time you see Trigger so distrusting and worked up by anyone.

Seeing him feign friendship and gain Rodney's trust when we as an audience already know what he's like, makes for such awkward yet funny scenes. Everywhere he is, you sense there's trouble on the way.

The best scenes of all though, are at the police station, both with the scene where they're questioned separately and with Del's handling of the scenario. The payoff is excellent!

Sums Up a Bad Series

[fcabanski · 4/10 · 13 October 2016]

OFAH was funny in the first season. But this episode sums up why OFAH stopped being funny. A con man, criminal main character isn't sympathetic. The writers tried to pass off the cop as the bad guy and the bad guy as the good guy. It only works for the liberal minder who think in Bizarro, backwards terms.

David made it clear what he thought of police officers: "In his autobiography, David Jason described Roy Slater as "a particularly lizard-like copper". " Yeah, a guy who steals microwaves off a truck, stealing from the people who make it and sell it and ultimately from the people who will have to pay a higher price for a microwave (the retailer will pass the cost of theft to the consumer) isn't lizard like, isn't slimy.

Come on!