Sheer Will

Synopsis

During rehearsals for a show in which Danny is the lead performer, it is discovered that he has leukaemia. Initially Danny doesn't want to do anything about it because he has the same disease that killed his brother and his parents can't handle that. However, Doris and his friends rally round to support him through his treatment.

My Review

This episode was never originally shown by the BBC in the U.K. as they weren't happy with the storyline. I didn't know this episode even existed until I first saw it in the early 1990s when Fame was repeated on a satellite channel.

I remember that the Fame magazine stated that there were 22 episodes in the 3rd season which was made up of 19 regular episodes and 3 specials. This was obviously incorrect but I didn't know that at the time. The BBC only showed 21 episodes (and missed both the concerts and this episode) so I wrote to them asking what had happened to the final episode. They wrote back stating they had kept one back to show at a later date. When they finally showed the Fame looks at the music of 1983 concert I thought that was all 22 episodes broadcast.

It was a lovely surprise then to discover later on that there was this episode that I had never seen before. However that joy was short lived!

Having watched it I can see why the BBC chose not to air the episode. The story itself is fine its how it all takes place in one episode that is the problem as it's totally unrealistic. Justin Lee Collins sums it up brilliantly in Bring Back Fame "He’s diagnosed with Leukaemia at the beginning of the episode but his pals gather round and had a sing song and he made a miraculous recovery by the end of the programme, just in time for a show tune. We didn’t buy these ridiculous stories and neither did the BBC…"

The very format of some shows limits what kind of stories they can do and that is the problem here. To be fair they do mention he’s been unwell for months and missing half his doctor’s appointments but there has been absolutely no indication to the audience that anything is wrong with Danny prior to this episode. Even his friends and teachers haven’t seemed to notice. He may have missed some appointments but that means he’s attended some too and it’s highly likely they would have taken place during the school day so he would have been absent. Also the chemotherapy would have really knocked him about and he should have been out sick a few times recovering. He looks dreadful here and would have done during his other treatments too.

In reality this story would have gone on for months if not most of the school year. From Danny initially feeling unwell and being reluctant to do anything about it, to getting a diagnosis, through the treatment and the recovery and then him feeling well enough to prepare and perform a show.

There is no way that would be done in what feels like a few weeks. Having dealt with cancer in my own family I find it hard to forgive the show for making it look so quick and easy for people to get over cancer. Danny even manages to show up to school and not only do all his normal subject but also perform dance rehearsals for the show while he’s having chemotherapy.

The more I watch this episode the more ridiculous I find it. Danny’s doctor (who I find really difficult to watch as there is something I don’t like about her), one minute refuses to tell Doris anything about his condition then the next is going out to a café or deli to have a drink and a bite to eat with her, where she then completely breaks patient confidentiality and tells Doris all about Danny’s health problem. What reality was the writer living in because this really is nonsense?

Issues of it all happening in one episode aside I also find the story quite confusing. Danny is ill but at first he doesn’t want to do anything about it and doesn’t want people to know because his parents aren’t very supportive and think he’s going to die like his brother. This doesn’t sound very much like the character they build for Danny’s mother in later episodes and I’m sure every Mother would do everything they could to support their child through a major illness and not give up on them because of what’s happened in the past. To me it feels like we never really get to the bottom of Danny’s parent’s issues either.

Then when everyone finds out Danny is all positive and doing everything he can to fight the cancer but also dealing with other people’s fears and ignorance. There just feels like a lot of issues to deal with in this episode and because of that none of them are handled too well as there isn’t enough time.

The best scene is in the dance class when Danny tells everyone not to be afraid to touch him or go near him and they all have a group hug. It’s a lovely and powerful scene and a very realistic reaction for the people around him to be afraid. However, we see no evidence of this happening prior to this scene. It would have been so much more powerful had we had a few other scenes showing people actually not talking to him or pulling back when he gets close to them. Then the dance class is the final straw and Danny tells them how he feels. Here it feels like the writer has a tick list of things that someone with cancer goes through and he’s just ticking the boxes.

The only other scene I really like is where Morloch sees Danny and wants to say something supportive to him but doesn’t really do emotions and stuff so just says “nice sweater” .

This story would have worked so much better had it played over a few episodes. This could have been the main one but Danny feeling ill could have been mentioned in at least one previous episode. Here they deal with all the issues and have him finally accepting the treatment which takes place over the next couple of shows. Nothing really needs to be seen it’s just a brief line of conversation mentioning what’s happening, then in the season finale we learn he’s in remission and can have the bone marrow treatment over the summer break. So at least the whole subject isn’t trivialised as I feel it is in the episode as it’s written.

The songs in this episode are okay but I don’t really enjoy them. I do find it a little strange that everyone initially seems to think it’s a joke that Danny gets the lead in the show but he’s been the lead before and in dance numbers too like “The Secret”, “Life Is A Celebration” and “Friday Night” and no one said anything then so I don’t see why they make a deal out of it here.

One Final thing that bugs me about this episode is how everyone keeps referring to Danny by his full name. Even his friends like Leroy says "We talked to Danny Amatullo, he's doing pretty good..." Why wouldn't he just say Danny?!

Episode Pictures

LINKS:

Screenshots from "Sheer Will"

Videos from "Sheer Will"

Trivia - The Changing Face of Carmine Amatullo