# Black Adder. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625 "2008-04-02T02:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/41 "2008-04-02T13:43:54Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] I’m guessing [Remembrance Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_day). [/QUOTE] Almost, it was shown on November 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/42 "2008-04-02T13:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=Tabula Rasa] I’ve Googled in vain. When was it originally shown? [/QUOTE] You can see the last episode on Youtube ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/43 "2008-04-02T14:31:15Z")
Humor, of course, is a matter of personal taste. I rolled on the floor laughing the first time I saw Benny Hill, and I couldn’t NOT snicker every time Mrs. Slocombe mentioned her pussy in “Are You Being Served.” Monty Python was a little over-the-top for me; mostly I enjoyed just watching and thinking, “I cannot believe what I just saw!” So I always thought Black Adder was pretty funny, and got funnier as it went along. I thought Hugh Laurie was the best part of the series. And as an amateur war/history buff, I thought Tim McInnerny, Stephen Fry and Laurie were perfect in their roles in “Blackadder Goes Forth.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/44 "2008-04-02T14:37:07Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Almost, it was shown on November 2nd. [/QUOTE] I believe it was repeated on the 11th. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/45 "2008-04-02T14:45:04Z")
[QUOTE=nofloyd] I thought the last episode of Season 1 was the best. The 7 ? most evil men in England, the prayer by the black monk - “Blessed are the meek …” Others evil guys “Huh, hey?” Monk “… for they shall be slaughtered!” [/QUOTE] Lets get these meek bastards! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/46 "2008-04-02T14:59:51Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] I loved the discussion on whether or not to have a crew on the ship and the two schools of thought (his and everybody else’s). [/QUOTE] Ah, one of my favorites, which I have quoted in it’s entirity more than once on several discussion boards. Just for old time’s sake… **Scene Nine: Rum’s Cabin** _Blackadder finally lifts his head from his hands._ **Blackadder** Look, there’s no need to panic. Someone in the crew will know how to steer this thing. **Rum** The crew, milord? **Blackadder** Yes, the crew. **Rum** What crew? **Blackadder** I was under the impression that it’s common maritime practice for a ship to have a crew. **Rum** Opinion is divided on the subject. **Blackadder** Really? **Rum** Yes. All the other captains say it is, and I say it isn’t. **Blackadder** Oh, God. Mad as a brush. ---
**Author:** ![chocolatefrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@chocolatefrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chocolatefrog)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/47 "2008-04-02T15:53:24Z")
I loved series 3 and 4, but I haven’t gotten round to watching series 2 yet. Maybe I’ll pick it up when I have the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/48 "2008-04-02T16:35:22Z")
What? No love for Miranda Richardson as Queenie in 2? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/49 "2008-04-02T16:39:15Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Rieux] What? No love for Miranda Richardson as Queenie in 2? [/QUOTE] “Hope you’re not too miffed…byeeeee!” “I may have the body of a weak and frail woman, but I have the heart, and the stomach, of a concrete elephant.” Oh, and Nursie of course. I loved Nursie and her udder fixation. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/50 "2008-04-02T18:13:26Z")
My favorites, serieswise, are 2, 3, then a huge dropoff before 1, and finally 4 – not a popular order, but there it is. I vastly prefer the sly, ambitious Elizabethan and Regency Edmund (or ‘Bladders’ as the Prince calls him) to any of the others. The first series is _far_ broader than the next two, and as many have said, features Rowan Atkinson’s rubbery-faced buffoon iteration of Edmund. But the alternate history is fun, and the blustery over-the-top Brian Blessed (as if there’s any other kind!) as Richard IV rocks my world. The final series was a huge disappointment to me. Baldrick became too gross … which is really saying something. The character’s fetish for ordure was tolerable in earlier times, less so in 20th century form. For me things became repetitive and predictable, relying too much on the gimmicks of previous series (such as Edmund’s constant similies “Baldrick, you’re as \_\_\_ as a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_” and so on, as well as the returns of Flashheart and Bob). I did appreciate the ambition of the last episode and was moved by the final scenes, especially the poignancy of Hugh Laurie’s performance. But the rest of S4 leaves me flat. Anyway, S2 and S3 are really where the show shines, IMO. The period satire was sharper, as was the witty, silly dialogue. (Maybe it helps that I grew up a huge fan of BBC productions such as _The Six Wives of Henry VIII_ and _Elizabeth R_.) One of my favorite bits from S2 is when Edmund fires Baldrick in favor of Kate/Bob: > [@](#): > > EDMUND: Sorry Baldrick, any reason why you are still here? > > BALDRICK: Er … I’ve got nowhere to go, my lord. > > EDMUND: Oh, surely you’ll be allowed to starve to death in one of the royal parks. > > BALDRICK: I’ve been in your service since I was two and a half, my lord! > > EDMUND: That must be why I’m so utterly sick of the sight of you. > > BALDRICK: Couldn’t I just stay here and do the same job but for no wages? > > EDMUND: Well, you know where you will have to live. In the gutter. > > BALDRICK: Yes. > > EDMUND: And you’ll have to work a bit harder too. > > BALDRICK: Of course, my lord. > > EDMUND: All right. Go and get Bob’s stuff in and chuck your filthy muck out into the street. > > BALDRICK: God bless you, sweet master! Love Baldrick’s genuinely beatific smile and gratitude on that last line. Plus, Elizabethan Edmund was actually _sexy_. How on earth Rowan Atkinson managed this I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/51 "2008-04-02T18:15:58Z")
Although I agree seasons 2 and 3 are brilliant, I also dearly love season 1 for its own sake. I adore all the Shakespearean references, especially in the first episode with Peter Cook playing Richard III. I also love the costumes, and Edmund’s bizarre “Russian Black” codpiece. Brian Blessed, although a big ham, is also a favorite with me. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/52 "2008-04-02T18:17:55Z")
[QUOTE=choie] Plus, Elizabethan Edmund was actually _sexy_. How on earth Rowan Atkinson managed this I have no idea. [/QUOTE] I thought so, too! I think it was on account of him being so damned mean (though I guess Bob didn’t see it that way). And the beard and doublet and ruffle didn’t hurt either. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/53 "2008-04-02T18:38:30Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit] And the beard and doublet and ruffle didn’t hurt either. [/QUOTE] Definitely the beard. Atkinson wore it very well. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/54 "2008-04-02T19:11:24Z")
[QUOTE=Hamlet] Does Atkinson get any less hammy? His mugging should be considered a crime against humanity. But it is nice to know it gets better. I’ll stick it out and trust you fellow dopers. [/QUOTE] Did he seem to you to be doing some kind of feeble Buster Keaton impression? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/55 "2008-04-02T19:31:58Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Rieux] What? No love for Miranda Richardson as Queenie in 2? [/QUOTE] Loved her…and I don’t think Richardson has ever looked better! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/56 "2008-04-02T19:55:04Z")
Rowan definately looks better with a mustache and beard. It diminishes his nose and creates a chin. I liked the return of Flasheart and Bob. In fact, I like that they would make references to past series. In S4, Baldrick refers to living at the Turnip Street workhouse and Lt George mentions a song about a Mrs. Miggins. S4 was the first series I saw and the moment that made it a favorite for me was when Capt. Edmund demonstrated the futility of going over the top by tossing George’s helmet out of the trench. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/57 "2008-04-02T19:58:14Z")
[QUOTE=choie] Plus, Elizabethan Edmund was actually _sexy_. How on earth Rowan Atkinson managed this I have no idea. [/QUOTE] I thought I was the only one! ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/58 "2008-04-02T22:58:52Z")
Oh, I kind of enjoyed Back and Forth. “You know - Shakespeare. He invented the ball point pen.” ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/59 "2008-04-02T23:25:35Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] Oh, I kind of enjoyed Back and Forth. “You know - Shakespeare. He invented the ball point pen.” [/QUOTE] And when he smacked Shakespeare (Colin Firth) upside his head in revenge for all the misery inflicted on high school kids forced to read his plays. And the ever-shorter skirts the Romans were wearing in the skit about Hadrian’s wall. “Ah, yes, a three-foot wall built across Britain. Terrifying.” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625/60 "2008-04-03T00:07:51Z")
I’m another defender of series one. I think it has the most intelligent jokes, by far, but they were presented in a much less accessible way. It was brilliant, just poorly done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-adder/443625.md?page=4)