Black AdderBy Tom Keogh
One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black
Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various
Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of
World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan
Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous
and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem
to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a
deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings,
Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses),
and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in
multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the
saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess
(Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can
either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for
her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir
Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund--as with his ancestor--can never
quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is
in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere
butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly
buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel
Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the
younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special,
the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The
new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same.
Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any
opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny
Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No
small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the
finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and
Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny.
Series 1:
The brilliant and inspired Black Adder comic saga begins with this
collection of episodes from the life of Edmund Blackadder, Duke of
Edinburgh (Rowan Atkinson), a.k.a. the Black Adder. Set in "the
really dark part" of the Dark Ages, the stories concern the
villainous and cowardly Duke's sundry schemes. "The Foretelling"
features a guest appearance from the late Peter Cook as the ghost of
Richard III, who's come around to haunt our "hero." "Born
to Be King" pits Edmund's scheming mind and awful haircut against the
treachery and kilt of a dancing Scotsman. Finally, "The
Archbishop" is the surreal story of a landscape littered with the
bodies of dead Archbishops of Canterbury--a post for which Edmund is next
in succession. Wonderful, funny stuff from Mr. Bean's alter ego.
The Dark Ages comedy continues with "The Queen of Spain's
Beard," a knee-slapper starring Miriam Margolyes as the Spanish royal
whom Edmund (Rowan Atkinson) lures toward his own nefarious ends.
"Witchsmeller Pursuivant" is a hilarious episode in which Edmund
sends for a "witchsmeller" to root out the witch who gave the
king Black Death. "The Black Seal" tells of Edmund's involvement
in the dethroning of a king. Indispensable for Atkinson fans. With Tony
Robinson as Baldrick.
Series 2:
Part one of Black Adder II features the very funny story
"Bells," in which Lord Edmund is distressed to find himself
developing feelings for a fellow named Bob (without realizing
"Bob" is an attractive woman in disguise). "Head"
concerns Edmund's appointment by mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) as
Lord High Executioner, following which he cuts off the head of an
important man. Finally, "Potato" finds the cynical Edmund stuck
with walking in the footsteps of Sir Walter Raleigh by reluctantly going
on a quest for potatoes. Brilliant, now-classic material by one of the
best casts in television history.
The key to the Black Adder saga is the lineage of the title
character's family, and this second series jumps ahead to the Elizabethan
period and the life and times of Lord Edmund. Perpetually courting favor
from England's mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson), Edmund is constantly
walking a tightrope upon which he can either gain the world or lose his
head. Also onboard are Tony Robinson as another generation of the
dim-witted Baldrick, Tim McInnnerny as the luckless Percy, Patsy Byrne as
Bess's companion, Nursie, and Stephen Fry as the imposing (in every sense)
Lord Melchett. Part two of Black Adder II includes the episodes
"Money," featuring a nasty bishop with a hot poker;
"Beer," in which Baldrick falls for a large turnip; and
"Chains," in which Blackadder is tortured by a Spanish
interrogator. Hugh Laurie guests in the latter tale.
Series 3:
The Black Adder saga makes a leap to the late 18th century and
Regency England. A little less fortunate this time out, the new
incarnation of Edmund Blackadder is now a mere butler to the idiotic
Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly farcical performance). Of
course, there's another Baldrick (Tony Robinson) around, and of course,
he's far below Edmund on the food chain of life. This collection includes
"Dish and Dishonesty," in which Edmund helps the prince out of
bankruptcy in order to retain his own cushy job; "Ink and
Incapability," in which Samuel Johnson seeks patronage from the
prince for his dictionary only to meet (temporary) resistance from Edmund;
and "Nob and Nobility," in which Edmund's weariness with things
French runs contrary to the spirit of "Scarlet Pimpernalia"
running through England. Now at its creative peak with this third series, Black
Adder deserves to be considered a television classic.
Part two of this third Black Adder series features the great
"Sense and Senility," in which the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh
Laurie), for whom Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) is butler, takes in a
pair of actors as a show of cultural strength--and Edmund sets a trap to
get them removed. Also in this collection are "Amy and
Amiability," in which the prince is broke and can't marry (meaning
that Edmund can't get on with his life, either), and "Duel and
Duality," in which a duel between the Duke of Wellington and the
prince has far-reaching consequences. Costarring Tony Robinson as
Baldrick. This is a particularly strong collection, a must for Black
Adder fans.
Series 4:
The final stop in the Black Adder epic is this fourth series, set
on the western front in 1917, deep into World War I. (Fans know there is
also a Victorian-era Black Adder Christmas special that precedes
this.) This time, Captain Edmund Blackadder, the most cynical, selfish,
and sour of them all, is surrounded by fools and half-wits as he tries to
negotiate survival. The major male players from the preceding series are
all in this one, creating one of the strongest concentrations of British
comic talent in one place since Monty Python. This collection includes
"Captain Cook," in which Edmund becomes the official "war
artist"; plus "Corporal Punishment," concerning Edmund's
breaching of regulations via cannibalism; and "Major Star," in
which the men on the front have to confront fallout from the Russian
Revolution.
Part two of this third Black Adder series features the great
"Sense and Senility," in which the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh
Laurie), for whom Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) is butler, takes in a
pair of actors as a show of cultural strength--and Edmund sets a trap to
get them removed. Also in this collection are "Amy and
Amiability," in which the prince is broke and can't marry (meaning
that Edmund can't get on with his life, either), and "Duel and
Duality," in which a duel between the Duke of Wellington and the
prince has far-reaching consequences. Costarring Tony Robinson as
Baldrick. This is a particularly strong collection, a must for Black
Adder fans.
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