We’ve seen them all except I think it was Series 3. Under King George was it? The three we saw, we liked them. The wife is a big Rowan Atkinson fan. Indeed, Mr. Bean is very popular in Thailand.
George the Prince Regent, actually.
Just to join in with the crowd… season 1 is a completely different animal, and while I like it for its own sake, it’s not for the same reason I love the other Black Adder seasons. III is probably the best–start there. Seriously, some of the most quotable lines ever come out of that show. God I love it.
Not a big fan of Mr. Bean, personally.
Does it make me lame to admit that
it made me cry the first few times I saw it?
No way! I pity the man who isn’t moved to tears at the final episode, and would not want to be alone with him in a time of crisis.
I guess I’m in the minority here because I think the First series, while clearly not the best one, is pretty funny. It depends on your state of mind. I find it helps considerably if you view the first Blackadder as a live-action human version of Daffy Duck (in particular, the one from the Chuck Jones-directed cartoons). There are so many similarities between the real and animated characters that there’s no way you can conclude Atkinson’s portrayal was coincidental.
I like the first series too, but it’s certainly a different kind of comedy. The first series is all playing up the whole Shakespearean meldrama type affair, and most of the jokes are based around ludicrousness of characters or situations. The other series drop the overdramatics and add in the wittier lines to go with the ludicrousness.
Wait - just to be clear - is the first season where he’s a prince or somesuch in medeival times and his dad is the king and keeps forgetting his name?
I loved that!
When it went farther into the future (1800s?) I sort of lost interest and haven’t picked it back up since.
That’s how I felt. The rest of the series was too sitcomy for me. The first was so bizarre and lovely.
“So you don’t know the way to France either?”
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).
Season 2’s my favourite too, but I’d take season 4 over 3, just.
“Goodbyeee…” is pretty memorable. It came up several times in the thread on comedy series turning poignant.
That’s the final episode of the 4th series glee’s spoilering. And it was originally shown on the right day which only added to the impact.
The very ending of the final episode (the fade in and no credits list) was actually a last minute idea because the original footage of them running across no-man’s land turned out to be too short and silly looking, due to the size of the stage. That last minute compromise turned out to be the best thing they could ever have done.
As a piece of theatre I can admire the final scenes of series 4 and laugh at the brilliant comedy in the rest of the series but as someone with an interest in the history of WW1 I end up gibbering with rage :mad:
Okay, we know Ben Elton’s (the writer) political views and okay, it is just a TV comedy series, but schools in England use *Blackadder goes Forth * in history lessons :smack:
I’ve Googled in vain. When was it originally shown?
I’m guessing Remembrance Day.
I pretty much like the entire series, but I agree Season 1 isn’t the weakest. The show was feeling out where it was going.
Still, I loved the alternate history take on Richard III, and the Witchfinder General episode (as well as the one where Edmund must marry) are pretty good.
The one with the Spanish Infanta makes me laugh so hard–my favorite of season 1. The Witchsmeller Persuivant is pretty good, too. I love the horse called to testify.
“Again please.”
I liked season 1 because of the way it twisted history. “This is the summer of our sweet content” and Richards hunch just being his cloak caught on a chair arm was great. I don’t like Mr. Bean and that aspect of season 1 was weak. But I think everyone else was great.
But the sebsequent seasons were better due to Blackadder becoming smarter and the others getting dumber. I still can’t watch Edmund greeting his staff as the new executioner without breaking up. “Indeed, you are to be congratulated. We live in an age where disease and deformity are rampant and yet Ploppy, you are the most repulsive man I have ever met. I would shake your hand but I fear t’would come off.”
And she was the Spanish Infanta. That’s Miriam Margolyes, one of my favourite actresses.
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!”