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Post by Thai Ladyboy on Feb 6, 2014 21:42:38 GMT -6
Any fans of this series? Used to watch daytime reruns on a local channel back when I was in high school. It's a shame that Rowan Atkinson is more famous for Mr. Bean when his work on Blackadder is miles above, even the somewhat subpar first season.
I especially love that they managed to inject social commentary into the series. The last episode of Blackadder goes forth was easily one of the saddest finales I have ever watched, probably ranking up there with the first Futurama finale.
"There hasn't been a war run this badly since Olaf the hairy, King of all the Vikings, ordered 80,000 battle helmets with the horns on the inside."
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Post by Doc Quantum on Feb 6, 2014 22:07:07 GMT -6
I'm a fan, though it's been a while since I've seen it. Hugh Laurie was also really great in that series as the foppish prince, and as Lieutenant George.
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Post by mh on Feb 6, 2014 22:53:17 GMT -6
here it aired on PBS. really fantastic! in the first incarnation, the black adder was the strangest inborn psycho imaginable, with his cockpieces & all that, and with brian blessed as the scariest king/father on earth. then in the 2nd incarnation he was a fop, then in the third the black adder became cocky & preening -- almost a robin hood character. it really shows what range as an actor rowan atkinson was capable of
then the WW1 episodes were sad & full of pathos -- like m.a.s.h but way funnier & strangely more heart-felt. and the final 'going over the hill' was really heart breaking. then there was also the scrooge of all scrooges, the black adder christmas carol! what a great cast. laurie and fry, tim mcinnerny, miranda richardson and nursey!
bob was the hottest manservant ever
baldric, the most lovable character of all, and lord flashheart -- don't get me started!!!
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Post by Thai Ladyboy on Feb 6, 2014 23:11:07 GMT -6
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Post by williscorto on Feb 7, 2014 1:38:50 GMT -6
The first series from memory was written by Atkinson and others.
The subsequent series had Ben Elton has a co-writer. Elton is a well known writer (who incidentally lives with his wife in the port town of Fremantle, about a 30 minute drive from where I am currently sitting).
You can see the difference in the humour. In the first series, Blackadder is a bit of a sad turd. There is the shadow (but not much more than that) of the Monty Python school of ludicrous slapstick.
In the next three series, however, Blackadder is a dry and sarcastic cynic. That's Elton's influence on the dialogue. The wit tightens up immesurably.
The last WW1 episode is indeed poignant. That ending - the last 5 minutes where they know they're all going to die, and the final 15 seconds of poppies growing in the field - was a very fitting tribute to the soldiers who died in that war. The message to that series is that the mechanised destruction of men and the 19th century attitudes of the officer-class aristocracy towards the deaths of front line soldiers was even more ludicrous that the humour being bantered around in the series. (Only Flashheart, morally wrong, arrogant, up in the clouds shagging girlies is impervious as a force of nature rather than a human.) Stick pencils in your hair and pretend to be mad? Nothing compared to the insanity of Lord Kitchener and his map room where he gets a trowel and bins every single unit standard on the map in one sweep in anticipation of the failure of yet another Flanders offensive.
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Killian
Junior Member
I'm going down to Shartak station
Posts: 97 
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Post by Killian on Feb 7, 2014 3:30:42 GMT -6
Wonderful, classic show, I wish there were more like it on TV now.
In modern TV, for lack of loveable antihero types, and in terms of cynical humor, Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones does enough for me.
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Post by williscorto on Feb 25, 2014 20:06:14 GMT -6
House? Sherlock Holmes from Elementary? Rake? (apparently there is an American version of Rake being made.)
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Killian
Junior Member
I'm going down to Shartak station
Posts: 97
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Post by Killian on Feb 25, 2014 22:22:27 GMT -6
All crisp examples, I'm fond of Dinklage's performance as he does more with less.
If I see him in real life. I won't gawk. I won't. Definitely won't. Genuine vow here.
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