Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

TV|Shark 20: Blackadder

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    TV|Shark 20: Blackadder

    The final Shark thread is here and we lighten the tone for our final series:




    Blackadder
    Ran:
    1983 till 1999 (4 Series and 3 Specials)
    Episodes: 27 Episodes
    The famous comedy series charted the bloodline of the Blackadder, a weasely and self serving run of recurring Edmund's who seek to better their personal circumstances or to increasingly simply survive them. Aided by the loyal and diminishing in intelligence servant line of Baldricks, Blackadder would also be accompanied by King George, or the Lord Percy Percy's in each generation leading up to the incredibly well thought of fourth and final series ending where for the third time of four series, Edmund met his end even if for once it was finally in a less cowardly manner. The show has popped up over the years in one of sketches but the millennial special marked the last proper outing for the characters. How do you rate the mythology of the Blackadder?


    #2
    Hugh Laurie’s performance as the Prince Regent is note-perfect from the off. A superb comic turn.

    There’s hardly a dud moment in series 2-4.

    Comment


      #3
      Yep. Basically 2-4 is some absolutely brilliant television.

      Comment


        #4
        You hear about plans to bring it back, but it would never work. The chemistry and creative spark isn’t there anymore. Curtis and Elton have never done anything better. The main cast are all in their 50s or 60s. Even the gap between Goes Forth and the Millennium episode felt awkward and uncomfortable. The character interactions just weren’t there.

        In Tony Robinson’s autobiography he alluded to this and pinned it down to the fact that they just performed the script. It didn’t benefit from the creative process of riffing and ad-libbing that improved series 2 to 4. The cast were younger and more energetic in the 80s. The atmosphere wasn’t the same - it was as if the writing and acting team had gotten out of the habit of writing for, or being, those characters. As such, the Millennium episode felt more like a tribute act played by someone else.

        Comment


          #5
          Blackadder is one of the finest comedies ever IMHO. The first series isn't great but shows promise. The rest of it is great. Superbly written with a great cast. So many highlights but my favourite episode has to be Bells in season two.
          The way Rowan Atkinson phrases the word Bob is brilliant and Rik Mayall's scene stealing Flasheart is tremendous.

          I haven't seen the Millennium episode so can't comment on it.

          Comment


            #6
            Yeah, the Millennium special is a bit clunky and feels awkward. Like they had a reason to do it but not an idea for it.

            All four series are gold but I definitely prefer the less slimy Edmunds you get in post-S1 as opposed to that initial incarnation. For me the king of the four series is Series II with considerable ease. Everything from the setting, set ups, characters, humour etc is completely on point throughout. The third series is good as well, doesn't quite stand out the same and never been able to work out why but it's strong still. Series 4 is a great cap and that ending is probably why it's so many peoples favourites along with it covering something that was living memory but it's held back a bit by how it has to rely on retreading Series 2 jokes and set ups because the ideas where starting to run out. It holds up strong, I'd probably vote S2>S4>S3>S1, but was the right time to walk away.

            Comment


              #7
              I know I have seen the millennium special but I don't have a single memory of it.

              Comment


                #8
                Come to think of it, the earlier Christmas Carol special was hit and miss too, the show definitely worked better in a continuous run

                Comment


                  #9
                  My issue was less about what they did with that and more just that I had already seen too many versions of a Christmas Carol. I need people to stop making that. It feels like a lazy go-to thing. So I wasn't really able to just see the Blackadder special for what it was.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Yeah, once Ben Elton came on board the show was the complete package. A near perfect storm of great writing and acting (Fry and Laurie both utterly brilliant).

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                      My issue was less about what they did with that and more just that I had already seen too many versions of a Christmas Carol. I need people to stop making that. It feels like a lazy go-to thing. So I wasn't really able to just see the Blackadder special for what it was.
                      Admittedly when I first saw it, I hadn't seen that many adaptations of the story.

                      It makes me wish there was a proper Victorian Blackadder. [MENTION=16665]Blobcat[/MENTION] and I have always said that Miriam Margoyles and Jim Broadbent made a great Victoria/Albert.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Blackadder 3 is the funniest by far in my view. Adding Hugh Laurie as a regular was a genius move, he's so damn funny in this, he just puts it ahead of the others for me, sublime comedy acting.

                        I liked the Xmas special as well, it came out betwixt 3&4, Xmas '88 iirc, so still has the anarchic spirit goin' on. I really didn't fancy the later 'special', I sensed the comedy flame had burned out by then. Just one of those things I'm curious about but never wanna watch.

                        My verdict: B3>B2>BCC>B4>B1

                        Comment


                          #13
                          My nickname is based on this program so yeah... Love it.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X