Picnic, The

"The Picnic" is the sixth and last episode in the first season of the show As Time Goes By. It originally aired on 16 February 1992.

## Plot

Judy and Jean are getting ready for work in the morning and Judy gets the door and is greeted by a band for Jean. They serenade Jean on Alistair’s behalf and Alistair arrives. Jean is annoyed that they are there at 8am and demand that they leave. Jean goes back inside embarrassed and when the bands begins to play again, she tells them to shut up.

Lionel is at the hotel restaurant drinking a cup of coffee and Alistair arrives to ask how Lionel is and goes to collect his band, and Lionel ask Alistair why he has musicians in the restaurant. Alistair tells Lionel that he is buying band breakfast after having them serenade Jean at eight in the morning. Alistair also asks Lionel why they are competing against each other for Jean. Lionel answers back at him sarcastically, implying he does not have an interest in competing against Alistair for Jean. Alistair leaves to collect his band and Judy arrives and they have a short interaction. Judy goes to Lionel and tells him that Sandy is ill and that she will be helping with the revisions.

Jean comes into the office and Sandy informs Jean that a client called and asked for secretaries on very short notice and that she said yes and already found the temps. Jean is impressed and asks Sandy why she isn’t at the hotel helping Lionel with his revisions. Sandy reveals that Judy insisted that she go in Sandy’s stead. Jean and Sandy discuss Judy and Lionel’s relationship.

Judy and Lionel are in the Anson Suite working on the revisions of Lionel’s book. Lionel gets cramp, Judy helps relieve it. They talk about their first encounter and Alistair and Lionel realizes Judy’s intention to seduce him.

Jean is in the office when Sandy screams and runs in. Sandy tells Jean it was a gorillagram and Jean tells Sandy to send him away. Sandy lets the gorillagram in to Jean annoyance. Jean acts nonchalantly and makes him take the gorilla head off to hear him better. Jeans takes a message from the gorillagram from his back pocket which is from Alistair. The gorillagram and Jean talk about his job, and Jean sends him in a taxi back to base. The gorillagram leaves and Alistair immediately comes in and asks Jean to go with him on vacation.

Jean comes to the hotel lobby and talks to Lionel about Judy’s crush and the absurdity of it. Lionel admits that if Jean weren’t Judy’s mother, then Lionel would accept Judy’s advances and that he is flattered nonetheless by Judy’s crush. Jean also admits that she is also flattered by Alistair’s advances.

Jean comes back to work and finds her office filled with heart shaped balloons. Alistair rushes and persists in pursuing Jean with a proposal of a picnic in Richmond by the river. Jean accepts with the condition that Alistair stops pestering her for a week and another condition.

Lionel is talking to Jean on the phone from the Anson Suite and they are talking about doing a double date to make Alistair and Judy fall for each other. Lionel suggests that Judy that they go with Jean and Alistair to the picnic and Judy agrees with some persuasion from Lionel.

Lionel and Jean are discussing the plan in Jean’s living room. They both admit that they are still both flattered with Judy and Alistair’s advances and feel younger from it.

They arrive at the picnic spot; Lionel and Alistair are carrying the picnic hamper. Lionel and Jean take a nap. Alistair and Judy walk off together. Meanwhile, Jean and Lionel agree that they're glad to be back in each other's lives, and end the episode with a kiss.