John Sullivan took a lot of risks here. The biggest two being 1) Making a prequel to Only Fools and Horses at all, and 2) making it an out and out drama instead of a sitcom.
It's a tough tightrope to walk, but I'd say that it manages to work for the most part.
The positives pretty much come from the fantastic performances, with the standout being Nicolas Lyndhurst himself, who is quite frankly, phenomenal here! Lyndhurst shows some astounding range in the role as Freddy Robdal, and not once did I see Rodney Trotter on the screen. He was totally convincing as this completely other character, and it really shows what a fine actor he is. James Buckley is really likeable as the Young Del Boy, although I think they could have cast someone who resembles David Jason a bit more, and Kellie Bright gets the lions share of screentime as Joan Trotter which is no bad thing as she uses it well.
There are negatives to be sure and they mostly come from expectations., We've heard so much about these unseen characters over the years that you start to form ideas in your head about what they are like, and here some of them just seemed a bit off. Joan Trotter is a much more tragic character that the "good time tart" we were led to believe, and while this adds interesting dramatic layers, it's a little out of continuity. Similarly, Freddy Robdal was spoken of as a highly likable and charming man, yet here he seems cold, standoffish, and more manipulative than charming. It was a great performance, but again, one which didn't quite fit the continuity.
Other flaws are more subjective, but still exist. The problem with having different actors in established roles is that they tend to do their own interpretation of that character, but after 30 odd years of being used to certain mannerisms, to change it makes the characters almost unrecognisable. The cast here all throw in some decent little nods to their respective characters' known traits, and the highlights were when you spotted something familiar, so one maybe wishes that they had done more of a flat out impersonation instead of keeping the audience waiting for small moments.
The series is very watchable and it's a fascinating look into this world which we have only heard about in passing, although it seems a little unfocused and doesn't know whether to concentrate on the Freddy Robdal/Joan Trotter side of things or the Young Del Boy and his gang. It jumps between them evenly, but this breaks momentum for both and sometimes can make it feels like you are waiting for one side to pick up again.
I feel like this series perhaps wasn't given the attention it deserves. Apparently the BBC did not allocate a decent budget for the production, and with a period piece you need money to make it convincing. However, the show does look exceptionally good for what little cash it had, but it maybe feels like it could have had a bigger scale. It reminds me somewhat of Dennis Potter's "Lipstick on your Collier" series from 1993 and that's a vibe which works well with Rock and Chips, but maybe wasn't quite as well realised here.
It's a shame that only three installments were made. I think if it had been given a proper budget and time to develop it would have become a classic. I'd loved to have seen other characters such as a young Uncle Albert or young Marline make an appearance, and there's so much more lore that could have been explored in the world of the Trotters.
Still, this is a well made trilogy that has a lot of heart, and while it can sometimes lose focus, it's worth it for the splendid performances alone.
