|
Del has
always been able to manipulate Rodney into helping him with
his enterprises and however reluctant Rodney was, he never
quite, certainly in his teens and twenties, found enough gumption
to break away.
His business with Mickey Pearce never took off and he ended
up back working for Del after his job with Cassandra's father
Alan Parry proved too challenging.
"There's
no real wonder though that Rodney never got his own enterprise
off the ground," says Nicholas. "After all, who was his role
model? Del Trotter. Poor Rodney was bound to fail."
Even
now Rodney is dependent on Del - and psychologists might argue
that that all stems back to his total dependence on his older
brother as a child. Yet there's no Machiavellian streak in
Derek Trotter, it's just that being a yuppie before they were
even invented, means he wants to get on and better himself
- and help his brother.
That
might not necessarily be what Rodney wants, and frequently
isn't - but Del thinks he knows best, and as far as he's concerned
the end justifies the means.
Being
in control is what Del is used to, as he explained to Rodney
in one of the most moving scenes in the programme's history,
immediately following Grandad's funeral.
| "I've
survived all my life with a smile and a prayer.
I'm Del Boy ain't I. Good old Del Boy, he got more
bounce than Zebedee." |
|
"I've
survived all my life with a smile and a prayer. I'm Del Boy
ain't I. Good old Del Boy, he got more bounce than Zebedee.
'Ere pal what you drinkin'? Go on Darlin' you 'ave one for
luck.
That's
me, that's Del Boy isn't it. Nothing ever upsets Del Boy.
I've always played the tough guy. I didn't want to but I had
to and I've played it for so long now that I don't know how
to be anything else."
Of
course over the years Del and Rodney have had more fallings
out than Boycie has sold road worthy cars - but like most
sibling rivalries and disagreements they never last forever.
Only
Fools might be fiction, but the causes of their bust-ups are
firmly rooted in real life - with many recognizable areas
of family disputes like money and relationships.
In
many ways Del and Rodney are poles apart. Rodney has his hippy
tendencies and is more caring and sharing, whereas Del is
an unashamed - albeit largely failed - capitalist.
Of
course, one possible reason for the pair's differences could
be their parentage, as it has often been hinted at that they
might not actually have the same father in (1983) and (1987).
"Del
and Rodney fight like cat and dog but actually they care about
each other deeply," says Nicholas. There's a very strong bond
with them and if the chips were down Rodney would die for
him."
That
didn't surprise David Jason. "Del's heart has always been
in the right place," he says. "In terms of human relationships
he is a diamond because he'd give you anything ultimately
and he cares for his family and his friends."
By
Steve Clark, author of The Only Fools and Horses Story
芦
芦 Back to part one of The
Brothers Trotter.
 |
