Humor From The Days Of Yore Closes With Blackadder The Third, Part 2

The Good: Funny, Moments of acting
The Bad: Humor is more predictable, Medium
The Basics: Funny, but not timeless in the way the earlier Blackadder incarnations were, Blackadder The Third still ends well with "Part 2!"


It is tough to go back to the old mediums sometimes. In the case of Blackadder, the classic British comedy from the 1980s starring Rowan Atkinson and written by Richard Curtis, this is even more irksome. For while Blackadder is consistently funny, arguably the problem with the series is that the humor becomes repetitive over the various seasons (series') of Blackadder. Thus, by the time one gets to Blackadder The Third, the dry sarcasm and wit of Edmund Blackadder is largely foreseeable.

In Blackadder The Third, Edmund is manservant to the idiotic Prince Regent, George. As Parliament gains in power, Edmund finds his position more and more tenuous as George's buffoonery threatens his place in society and his very life. This video contains the final three episodes of Blackadder The Third and it is something of a waste, as the entire series (season) could have fit on a single video whatwith each episode being less than half an hour. This video presents the episodes "Sense And Senility," "Amy And Amiability" and "Duel And Duality," which caps off the series.

In "Sense and Senility," Blackadder is tiring of the Prince Regent's constant degradations, especially as he begins to fear an uprising from the lower class (in this case, Baldrick). To reassure the masses, Blackadder writes a speech and George has the idea to have local actors train him in how to best deliver it. Unfortunately, the Regent does not exactly understand acting or how it is not real.

As a result, Blackadder brings two local, esteemed actors to the manor, where they mock Blackadder's writing and train the Regent in the most ridiculous forms of public speaking. Upset by both, Blackadder abandons the Regent as Baldrick stumbles upon their apparent plan to murder George!

In "Amy And Amiability," Blackadder finds the bills piling up and no relief in sight. When he approaches the Prince Regent about getting some additional cash, he discovers that George - gullible as he is - has been taken in card games by his peers. The Regent actually asks Edmund for some money and, realizing the circumstances are dire, Edmund decides that the only solution for their problems is to find someone wealthy for George to marry.

As Baldrick goes on and on about the beauty and glory of being a highwayman, Edmund finds the only eligible bachelorette he can find, Amy. Amy is a complete nitwit and the daughter of an industrialist who has the benefit of having never met Prince George. As a result, Blackadder tries to woo her in the Regent's name up until the moment that he learns she is not loaded and not quite what she seems!

In "Duel And Duality," Blackadder finds himself dismayed when the Prince Regent returns from a night on the town wherein he slept with two of the high commander's nieces. As Blackadder suspected he would, the Duke promises death to the Regent for this deflowering. Desperate, the Regent turns to Blackadder for help. Blackadder, preoccupied with his Scottish cousin's arrival in London, can scarcely be bothered to bail out the Regent yet again.

It is Baldrick who comes up with a plan to save the Regent's life: have him swap places with someone willing to impersonate the Regent. Unfortunately for Blackadder, he is volunteered for this mission and as a result, he faces certain death at the hands of the Duke . . . unless his doppelgänger is willing to step in for him!

Blackadder The Third, Part 2 cements the idea that Blackadder is easily the mental superior of the Prince Regent and is hilarious in moments. So, for example, when King George finally makes his appearance at the climax of the final episode, there are laughs that are well-earned. But for fans of Blackadder, the video is not as strong on content in addition to its merits on this medium. "Sense And Senility" pokes fun at the educated actors much the same way the earlier episode in the season, "Ink And Incapability" poked fun at the educated writers of the day. We get it and Blackadder's disdain is pretty much identical in both episodes.

What saves even the video of Blackadder The Third from mediocrity is the use of actor Hugh Laurie. American audiences might know him best from his dramatic role in House, M.D., but his sensibilities are rooted in comedy and that is where he got his start. His role as the Prince Regent on Blackadder The Third is classic and his ability to play the utter idiot in these episodes is still worthy of laughs.

As for star Rowan Atkinson, these episodes merely illustrate the polish with which he can perfect the role, much the same as Tony Robinson's portrayal of the lowly Baldrick. Atkinson and Baldrick play essentially the same characters through the different time periods and by this point, both seem quite adept at their roles with little genuine challenge for their acting abilities. Atkinson is dry and consistently sardonic, Robinson plays the blank-faced idiot through most of his time on screen and they play off one another well.

Blackadder The Third is a comedy and it holds up fairly well (the humor outlasts the video tape medium) over multiple viewings and while I have seen each of these three episodes over ten times each, I still come back to them about once a year. There are no bonus features, as this is video, not DVD, and for those looking for uncommon British Comedy, it is hard to do better than this, even if fans will see most of it coming by this point.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be Blackadder - The Complete Third Season, reviewed here!
As well, those who already love Blackadder will find Blackadder - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, reviewed here!
Thanks for reading!]

6/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Waiting On The Prince Regent Gives Blackadder The Third Part 1 Something To Laugh At!

The Good: Funny, Clever, Wonderful characters, Interesting (enough) plots
The Bad: Repetitive sense of humor, Poor use of the medium.
The Basics: A bit more repetitive than groundbreaking, Blackadder The Third, Part 1 slides the franchise a little, though it is still quite funny.


I have a huge respect for the Blackadder franchise. Still, as I have been rewatching the episodes for review, I find that the series I had thought of as my favorite for quite some time is now boring me more than I ever thought possible. That is Blackadder The Third and on video, as I watch the episodes that opened this third iteration, my feeling that this comedy is far more average than I remember it being before now.

It is a rare thing that I end up calling a VHS a poor use of the medium. Indeed, it is a poor medium, but the use of it is often limited only to being that medium. In the case of Blackadder The Third Part 1 it is a poor use of the poor medium: the entire third season of Blackadder could easily have fit on one video whatwith its running time being under three hours. As it is, Blackadder The Third Part 1 contains the first three episodes of the third season of Blackadder, (retitled Blackadder The Third) a historical comedy set during in the rise of Parliament.

In "Dish And Dishonesty," Lord Edmund Blackadder, servant to the Prince Regent, finds himself languishing after the general election, in which almost none of Britain's population was able to vote. News reaches Blackadder that the House Of Commons is moving to strip the Prince Regent of his funding. So threatened, Blackadder leaps into politics to try to save the Prince Regent and his own treasury.

Combating the young Prime Minister (Pitt the Younger) quickly turns problematic when the last possible ally of the monarchy in Parliament dies abruptly. Edmund seizes on the death to run a candidate who is a shill for the Prince for the seat in the Commons. Thus, Baldrick is put up for the position of representing the rotten borough and Blackadder soon discovers this is even more problematic than he thought it might be!

In "Ink And Incapability," the Prince Regent, upset at the increasing vocalness of his detractors, seeks to appear more intelligent. Thus, he sends for Cooleridge, who has been working on the first English Dictionary to become a patron. Blackadder, dismayed because of Cooleridge's popularity and because he once sent the author a novel in hopes of being published through him, is expectantly sour and he prepares to sabotage the meeting.

Cooleridge, far more erudite than the Prince Regent, arrives, has a fit with the Regent's stupidity and leaves in a huff, but not before revealing that his plan for the Dictionary was to earn enough money to publish the book Blackadder wrote. Edmund convinces Cooleridge to hang around over a weekend while he gets the Regent to patronize the Dictionary. Unfortunately, Edmund returns to the manor to discover Baldrick has burned the manuscript to the Dictionary and Blackadder must connive his way out of the problem!

In "Nob And Nobility," Francophilia is spreading through London as the French Revolution rages on. Blackadder, peeved about the legendary Scarlet Pimpernel gaining popularity in Britain, becomes annoyed with the Regent and Baldrick, who both have a bit of hero worship of the Frenchman. Edmund goes so far as to accuse the Scarlet Pimpernel of being a fraud by declaring that anyone could do what he does. With a bet on the line, Edmund heads off to France to rescue an aristocrat from the revolutionaries.

Actually, Edmund just heads down to the basement while the Regent attempts to get on his trousers. After a week of loafing around, Edmund and Baldrick head down to Mrs. Miggins' Pie Shop to find a French aristocrat to "rescue." In the process, they are captured by the revolutionaries and Blackadder must find his way out of the mess!

Blackadder The Third is a wonderful mix of historical one-liners that make obscure references to British and European history and universal, timeless humor. So, for instance, in "Nob And Nobility," there are numerous allusions to various events in French history pertaining to the Revolution. Mixed with those obscure references, there are universal jokes like the humorous way victims of the suicide pills die. There's a good balance between the bawdy jokes about sex and jokes about such things as the machinations of Parliament. The balance makes for a smart and simultaneously universal show.

As well, the characters are fun and interesting. Edmund is hilarious with his could sarcasm and the Prince Regent, George, is an utter idiot. Fans of the Blackadder franchise will likely enjoy seeing Edmund evolve from the first two Blackadders to this point where he is as smart as he was in the prior Blackadder, but forced to stay in his place as the Regent's manservant. As a result, he is once again the smartest character on screen and that works for him. In Blackadder The Third, Baldrick is once again an utter imbecile, as Edmund's dogboy. His catchphrase of "I have a cunning plan" resurfaces. Of course, he is always wrong.

On the character front, these first episodes of Blackadder The Third are fleshed out with the Prince Regent, who is an absolute dolt. The Prince Regent is played by none other than Hugh Laurie, who many people know from House, M.D. He plays the idiot in these episodes flawlessly and as the butt of Edmund's jokes, Laurie's Regent is often forced to recap after the laugh track and Laurie is amazing at that! Those who love his crotchety doctor character will respect his acting talents even more when they see him in this!

The primary acting is great as well, whatwith Rowan Atkinson taking the title role of Edmund Blackadder. Atkinson is given a fairly unique acting challenge: the present essentially the same character (Blackadder) a different way while keeping the performance fresh and funny. Atkinson does this by altering the delivery of his lines. While the first season of Blackadder had Atkinson delivering most of his lines with a sniveling quality and Blackadder II has him delivering them all with pomposity, Blackadder The Third is all about cold sarcasm. Atkinson is a master of the solid, deadpan delivery. Atkinson makes for a credible intellectual snob in this series and he plays off the blank-faced idiocy that Hugh Laurie presents with the Regent perfectly.

In fact, the only real strikes against this video is that is it not living up to its capacity and by this point in the series, the humor is getting a bit repetitive. Blackadder makes analogies constantly to illustrate his ironic points and by this point, some of them are downright predictable.

Still, it is not enough to not recommend this as a timeless, classic bit of British comedy well worth the buy from adults who love to laugh!

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be Blackadder - The Complete Third Season, reviewed here!
As well, those who already love Blackadder will find Blackadder - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, reviewed here!
Thanks for reading!]

6/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Still Funny, Blackadder The Third Begins To Show Its Wear Some!

The Good: Funny, Moments of acting, Hugh Laurie makes a good addition to the mix
The Bad: Repetitive plots and concepts, Joke style becoming more familiar than funny.
The Basics: Funny, but wearing a little thinner after ten years of watching the same six episodes, Blackadder The Third is enduring historical comedy!


Have you ever returned to one of your favorite things from your youth only to discover in your adulthood that it is not as wonderful as you remember it being? I think that is precisely where I am with Blackadder The Third, the third season/series of Blackadder. I have been going back through my collection of Blackadder DVDs (I have the Complete Collection, reviewed here!) and I have been watching each of the discs and I was surprised to find I enjoyed Blackadder The Third less this time through than I ever had before. This was, in fact, the series (season) of Blackadder that I had initially fallen in love with the series watching. This time, it felt more familiar than audacious, which I suppose it so be expected some.

Where Blackadder was the story of Prince Edmund, the Blackadder, in the Dark Ages and Blackadder II was the tale of Edmund Blackadder, minor lord in the court of Queen Elizabeth, Blackadder The Third follows Mr. Blackadder, manservant to the Prince Regent, George. Like his ancestors, Edmund is a deeply sarcastic man who is accompanied by his servant (called a dogboy in this time) Baldrick and they wait upon the dimwitted Prince Regent. As well, they take regular trips to Mrs. Miggins' Pie Shop and interact with her. The Prince Regent, largely an idiot, is neglectful but stupidly rich, allowing Blackadder to frequently take advantage of him. In this time period, Edmund is quite intelligent and seldom takes Baldrick up on his "very cunning plans."

Edmund Blackadder is a snobby servant who is abused, neglected and ridiculed by Prince Regent George, who Blackadder is quite a bit smarter than. In his time Edmund tries to get ahead, usually by lying to all involved about his wealth and status, while working to achieve the latter by getting some of the former! Often forced to entertain the Prince Regent, he escapes his social better to pick on his intellectual inferiors, Baldrick and Mrs. Miggins.

In this time, Edmund finds himself struggling for money and eager to keep his employer rolling in the dough. As a result, he attempts to get Baldrick into the House Of Commons and himself into the House Of Lords. He spars with the leading writers of the day, avoids the Francophiles as the French Revolution reigns and despises Baldrick all the more for adoring a highwayman's lifestyle. He treats actors with utter contempt and when the time comes, he becomes part of a cunning plan to save the Regent's life by swapping places with him in a duel!

Three of the principle characters will be familiar to fans of Blackadder as Edmund Blackadder and Baldrick are each played by the same people in roughly the same capacity as they appeared in the first two series' of Blackadder. Gone is Percy and Tim McInnerny, though McInnerny appears in one episode as a liberator of French aristocrats! As well, Mrs. Miggins appears in this new incarnation to add some new blood to the series. This has the effect of keeping the series fresh and she works in one or two scenes, but otherwise does not add anything extraordinary. Instead of simply being Edmund criticizing the Regent's stupidity and insulting Baldrick's hygiene, he is often forced to be deferential to the Regent or George's visitors, who are considered Blackadder's social betters.

The principle characters of Blackadder The Third are:

Mr. Edmund Blackadder - A manservant, he is educated but fairly poor. Waiting on the Prince Regent has left him bitter and he is often dry and ironic. He uses his innate intelligence and disdain for the order of things to scheme to try to get money. He still uses Baldrick to do his dirty work, which includes, standing in as an example of the foul ways the Regent would have to dress if he wanted to go to France,

Baldrick - The completely worthless dogboy of Edmund. His best idea is to have Edmund rewrite the world's only dictionary over the course of a weekend after he burns Cooleridge's only copy in a fire,

The Prince Regent George - A bit of a thicky, he is stupid, lusty and spoiled. He is gullible and Blackadder uses his gullibility and stupidity to advance himself with his own schemes,

and Mrs. Miggins - The somewhat crazy pie shop owner, she secretly lusts for Blackadder and is one of the few people who is kind to Baldrick.

Blackadder The Third works, in part, because the primary actors have great comedic chemistry. As a result Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder plays beautifully with his dry sarcasm off Hugh Laurie's utterly stupid Prince Regent. Similarly, Tony Robinson and Laurie play off one another in a way most comic do not get the opportunity to. In most standard comedies, there is only one buffoon, but in Blackadder The Third, Baldrick and George both fill that niche and it provides a wealth of comic give and take between Robinson and Laurie that works out extraordinarily for the series!

On DVD, Blackadder The Third is a bit of a wash. There are the usual historical notes letting fans know what various obscure jokes are actually referring to. There is also Blackadder's Christmas Carol (reviewed here!) as an added bonus and while it is nice to not have to pay for this separate, it is not a great feature. Despite how unfunny that is and the lack of commentary tracks, the presentation on DVD is still worth the inexpensive price of this.

Despite how I might sound about this, one needs to keep in mind that I have seen all six episodes on this disc at least twelve times each. With humor being based largely on surprise, it is no surprise it is less funny to me now. And if you think that for less than $15, ten years or more of entertainment out of a DVD is a good value, then Blackadder The Third is probably for you, too!

For a more complete idea of exactly what is in this DVD set, please check out my reviews of the individual episodes at:
"Dish and Dishonesty," "Ink And Incapability," "Nob And Nobility"
"Sense And Senility," "Amy And Amiability," "Duel And Duality"

For other works with Hugh Laurie, please visit my reviews of:
Monsters Vs. Aliens
Friends - Season 4

7/10

For other television reviews, please check out my television review index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Blackadder II - Funny In Any Medium, The Second Part Is Hilarious!

The Good: Funny, Good character work, Surprisingly wonderful acting
The Bad: Medium
The Basics: Hilarious and enduring, Blackadder II, Part 2 holds up with humor over many viewings with a man and his schemes in Elizabethan England!


It is a rare thing that I end up calling a VHS a poor use of the medium. Indeed, it is a poor medium, but the use of it is often limited only to being that medium. In the case of Blackadder II, Part 2 it is a poor use of the poor medium: the entire second season of Blackadder could easily have fit on one video whatwith its running time being under three hours. As it is, Blackadder II, Part 2 contains the last three episodes of the second season of Blackadder, a historical comedy set in the Elizabethan Era.

In "Money," the Bishop of Bath & Wells interrupts Blackadder's activities with a prostitute to inform him that a loan of one thousand pounds Blackadder took out the year prior with the Church is now due. Threatened with torture, Blackadder begins to scheme to try to get up enough money to pay the Church back. This shocks Percy who has believed Blackadder's web of lies involving his personal wealth and is dismayed to learn that Blackadder is almost destitute.

While Percy attempts to learn alchemy in a day, the Queen repeatedly calls Blackadder to court as a prank. Drained of his purse each time he goes, Blackadder works with Baldrick to try to save his behind from the Church, selling favors to sailors and ultimately his house in the attempt!

In "Beer," Blackadder prepares to entertain his Puritan aunt and uncle, a meeting which could secure him a hefty fortune for an inheritance. Eager that nothing should go wrong, he orders Baldrick to prepare for the faithful vegetarian's arrival. As Baldrick prepares his turnip surprise, Blackadder is called to the Queen's court where Melchard is on death's door. Only, Melchard is not on death's door, he is simply suffering from a terrible hangover.

Blackadder challenges Melchard to a drinking duel, which Queen Elizabeth becomes excited and fascinated about, eager to see what men are like when not around her. So, Edmund deals with two parties in one night that must be kept carefully segregated: his aunt and uncle and his drunken friends. And when the queen - disguised - crashes the party, things really begin to get out of hand for Edmund!

In "Chains," Edmund finds himself at Queen Elizabeth's court ridiculing a friend of Melchard's who has managed to get himself captured by the French and is being held for ransom. After advising Elizabeth to not negotiate with the hostage-takers, Edmund is captured by Germans. Moments later, Melchard is captured as well and the two wake up in the hands of a tormentor they do not understand.

As Percy and Baldrick attempt to entertain Elizabeth, Melchard and Blackadder struggle with their captivity and make an effort to escape their deranged tormentor. But then they meet the brains behind the operation, a scarred German who they have met in their pasts, a master of disguise, leaving Edmund to come up with a cunning plan on his own lest he never see Elizabeth and England again!

Blackadder II is a pretty tight mix of historical one-liners that make obscure references to British and European history and universal, timeless humor. So, for instance, in "Money," there are a number of references to the depravity of the Church, specifically the Bishop Of Bath And Wells. Mixed in with that is the plain humor of descriptions of acts of sexual depravity that leave a lot to the viewer's imagination, but are clear enough to be quite laughable. As well, there is the utter hilarity of Percy in Elizabethan leather S&M wear. Seriously, it is on-the-floor laugh-out-loud funny!

Despite occasionally obscure or dated humor, the characters are fun and interesting. Edmund is hilarious with his schemes to try to get ahead and Percy is an utter idiot. Fans of Blackadder will enjoy Edmund's wit in episodes like "Beer" where he works to come up with a truly convincing explanation for one of the horrible things that happens and he sits, contemplating it, working it all out in his mind before laying it out for his Aunt. This Edmund has some real brains! On the other side, Baldrick is a complete idiot and takes the brunt of virtually all of Edmund's schemes.

On the character front, these last episodes of Blackadder II are fleshed out with Melchard, whose piousness takes a bit of a hit when the viewer learns of his nocturnal activities with sheep (classic British humor!) and Queen Elizabeth who continues to be characterized by violent mood swings. The finale, "Chains," though, actually depends upon the character of Nursie and the way that is woven together is absolutely brilliant.

The acting is pretty decent as well, whatwith Rowan Atkinson taking the title role of Edmund Blackadder and making him into one of the most beautifully demented British comedy roles ever to grace the television. Atkinson has both a great wit with verbal comedy and a pretty impressive sense of physical comedy. In "Chains," he has to act expressively without the use of his body (he is locked into a torture box) and he pulls it off with perfect execution.

In fact, the only real strikes against this video is that is it not living up to its capacity and the ridiculous (even for the time) special effects. There are still moments when the lights wash out the film and that seems ridiculous that it would happen in a program in the 1980s, but one supposes Blackadder II was not the big budget item for the BBC at the time! In general, it's a wonderful collection of humor that holds up well over multiple viewings.

This is exceptionally funny and anyone looking for something different from their comedies will likely enjoy these episodes of Blackadder, regardless of the medium!

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be Blackadder - The Complete Second Season, reviewed here!
As well, those who already love Blackadder will find Blackadder - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, reviewed here!
Thanks for reading!]

9/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my organized listing of all of the television reviews I have written by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Blackadder Returns With More Wit Than Vengeance In Blackadder II, Part 1!

The Good: Funny, Clever, Wonderful characters, Interesting (enough) plots
The Bad: Poor use of the medium.
The Basics: One of the great British comedies arrives on video with Blackadder II, Part 1 which has the noble Edmund Blackadder surrounded by witless Elizabethans! Hilarious!


I have a love for British comedies . . . at least the ones that are funny. Something about British comedies speaks to geeks. After all, while America is obsessed with reinventing the sitcom frequently and without grace, Britain recasts sitcoms in esoteric ways. They have had great success pushing the comedic envelope with such things as science fiction comedy (Red Dwarf) and historical comedy. For historical comedy, Blackadder might well be tops. Each season (or "series") of Blackadder has essentially the same characters existing in a different historical period and the show is clever, funny and enduring. Easily one of the best seasons of the show was Blackadder II and that series began on video with Blackadder II, Part 1!

It is a rare thing that I end up calling a VHS a poor use of the medium. Indeed, it is a poor medium, but the use of it is often limited only to being that medium. In the case of Blackadder II, Part 1 it is a poor use of the poor medium: the entire second season of Blackadder could easily have fit on one video whatwith its running time being under three hours. As it is, Blackadder II, Part 1 contains the first three episodes of the second season of Blackadder, (retitled Blackadder II) a historical comedy set during in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In "Bells," Edmund Blackadder is a lord in Queen Elizabeth's London surrounded by his useless servant Baldrick - who he is using for target practice - and Lord Percy a dimwit he can't seem to shake. Kate, a poor woman, has been trying to take care of her crazy father, who wants her to become a prostitute. Rather than taking that avenue, Kate runs off to London, impresses Edmund and becomes his servant, disguised as a boy and going by the name Bob.

Edmund, much to his chagrin, finds himself able to talk with Bob and excited by having such a witty boy about the house. They go on long walks and talk and Edmund soon fears he is falling in love with his servant. Distressed, Edmund goes to the doctor who prescribes leeches to prevent him from going gay and he seeks advice from an equally unhelpful Wise Woman. Soon, though, the truth comes out and much to Queen Elizabeth's dismay, Blackadder moves to marry Bob, er, Kate . . .

In "Head," Edmund is promoted to Lord High Executioner when the prior executioner accidentally signs the wrong line on an execution order. Ordered by the Queen to take the position, Edmund immediately attempts to cut corners while taking the job. As a result, he reschedules the execution of one of the criminals from Wednesday to Monday in order to give him, Ploppy (the jailer), Ploppy (the last meal cook) and Baldrick (whose hobby it turns out is being the actual executioner with the ax) most of the week off.

The complications ensue when the Monday executions take place and the wife of Poncenby (who was supposed to be killed Wednesday) successfully petitions the queen to see her husband one last time. Threatened with his own execution, Edmund impersonates Poncenby, despite his many physical deformities and having to wear a bag upon his head.

In "Potato," Sir Walter Raleigh returns to Britain with the potato and all England is abuzz with news of his return. The queen is eager to marry him if he isn't hideous, Melchard is envious and Percy and Baldrick are celebrating with wearing ridiculous hats made of potatoes. Only Blackadder is disappointed by Sir Walter Raleigh's return and he mopes around in a jealous fit while the others swoon over Raleigh's stories.

While Raleigh is telling one of his travel stories, Blackadder challenges his statement that no one could sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Eager to regain his standing, Blackadder says he can, hires an insane sea captain and drags Percy and Baldrick onto a ship with him. Unfortunately Blackadder's cunning plan to simply sail to France and tell everyone they went around the Cape Of Good Hope is complicated by the captain truly being mad and not knowing the way to France, resulting in a sea voyage much more dangerous than the one Blackadder intended to go on!

Blackadder II is a wonderful mix of historical one-liners that make obscure references to British and European history and universal, timeless humor. So, for instance, in "Potato," there are numerous allusions to various explorers while "Bells" includes a number of jokes about the profitability of surviving on prostitution. There's a good balance between the bawdy jokes about sex (and Edmund does get some this time around!) and jokes about such things as the size of the ruffs being worn in the Queen's court. The balance makes for a smart and simultaneously universal show.

As well, the characters are fun and interesting. Edmund is hilarious with his could sarcasm and Percy is an utter idiot. Fans of the Blackadder franchise will likely enjoy seeing Edmund evolve from the first Blackadder from the hapless noble into the more intelligent and cunning lord that he is in Blackadder II. As his servant, Baldrick is cast in Blackadder II as an utter imbecile, for whom "The Renaissance is just something that happened to other people" ("Bells"). Edmund is especially likable in "Bells" and "Head."

On the character front, these first episodes of Blackadder II are fleshed out with Queen Elizabeth who is presented as a deranged flirt and Nursie her equally scatterbrained keeper. Her court is defined by her advisor Melchard, who is a man of faith who is Edmund's intellectual equal. Watching them spar is a great deal of fun in these episodes!

The acting is great as well, whatwith Rowan Atkinson taking the title role of Edmund Blackadder. Atkinson is given a fairly unique acting challenge: the present essentially the same character (Blackadder) a different way while keeping the performance fresh and funny. Atkinson does this by altering the delivery of his lines. While the first season of Blackadder had Atkinson delivering most of his lines with a sniveling quality, Blackadder II has him delivering them all with a pomposity that is rich and developed. Atkinson makes for a credible intellectual snob in this series and he plays off the blank-faced idiocy that Tim McInnerny presents with Percy perfectly.

In fact, the only real strikes against this video is that is it not living up to its capacity and the occasional lighting washouts from pyrotechnics ("Bells") and quick camera movements.

Still, it is not enough to not recommend this as a timeless, classic bit of British comedy well worth the buy from adults who love to laugh!

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be Blackadder - The Complete Second Season, reviewed here!
As well, those who already love Blackadder will find Blackadder - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, reviewed here!
Thanks for reading!]

8/10

For other television reviews, please visit my television index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hilarious And Clever, Blackadder II Makes For A Worthwhile DVD!

The Good: Funny, Well-acted, Interesting characters, Rewatchable, Decent DVD bonus features
The Bad: Only six episodes
The Basics: Clever and funny, Blackadder II is liable to satisfy anyone who loves a good historical comedy!


There are few comedies that attempt a concept - in my experience - that actually work. Blackadder is one of them and one has to give credit to the BBC for trying the concept out and for giving writers Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis free reign to be creative, esoteric and brilliant with the idea. Blackadder (entire series reviewed here!) is a historical comedy where each season is set in a different era of British history with characters who are essentially the same, but facing obstacles indicative of their time. As a result, Blackadder II bears little resemblance to Blackadder Series 1 (reviewed here!) outside the use of several of the primary actors from the first in the second.

Where Blackadder was the story of Prince Edmund, the Blackadder, in the Dark Ages, Blackadder II tells the tale of Edmund Blackadder, minor lord in the court of Queen Elizabeth. Like his ancestor, Edmund is a deeply sarcastic man who is accompanied by his servant Baldrick and the dimwitted Lord Percy. Unlike the Dark Ages incarnation of Blackadder, this Edmund actually sees some action with the women (probably a result of the very fetching beard he sports) and he tends to be more the brains of the operation than relying on Baldrick for the cunning plans (which seldom were as cunning as the servant thought).

Lord Edmund Blackadder is a snobby lord who is favored by Queen Elizabeth, who is more than a little crazy. In his time, Edmund tries to get ahead, usually by lying to all involved about his wealth and status, while working to achieve the latter by getting some of the former! Often forced to entertain Queen Elizabeth, he finds himself verbally sparring with the educated Lord Melchard, advisor to the Queen.

In this time, Edmund finds himself falling for his manservant, who is actually a woman disguised as a boy to try to earn money for her crazed father. As well, he deals with his inability to hold his liquor, attempts to connive his Puritan relatives out of a hefty inheritance, and the ramifications of becoming the Lord High Executioner. To one-up Sir Walter Raleigh, Blackadder and his companions become explorers to sail around the Cape Of Good Hope (praying to reach land before they enter the urine-drinking phase of exploring) . As well, Edmund finds himself in debt to a sadistic bishop who prefers tormenting his debtors rather than getting paid back, which might work out well for the bishop because Edmund finds himself broke when the debt is called in!

Three of the principle characters will be familiar to fans of Blackadder as Edmund Blackadder, Baldrick and Percy are each played by the same people in roughly the same capacity as they appeared in the first series of Blackadder. As well, Queen Elizabeth, Melchard, and Nursie all appear in this new incarnation to add some new blood to the series. This has the effect of keeping the series fresh and it works. Instead of simply being Edmund criticizing Percy's stupidity and insulting Baldrick's hygiene, he is forced to be deferential to Elizabeth and actually use more highbrow wit in opposition to Melchard.

The principle characters of Blackadder II are:

Lord Edmund Blackadder - Educated but fairly poor, Edmund is favored by the Queen and is blessed with a wicked and fast wit. He uses this to scheme to try to get money and to impress Baldrick to do his dirty work, which includes roughing up people he doesn't like or shaking them down for money. Despised by the local children for his stodginess, he is happiest when in control,

Lord Percy - Utterly idiotic, Percy is the companion Edmund cannot seem to shake. In love with a new woman each week (usually a woman so cheap both Edmund and Baldrick have known her at some point in the past) he is strangely loyal to the abusive Edmund,

Baldrick - The completely worthless servant of Edmund, he is replaced almost immediately by Bob (Kate in drag) and when her engagement to Edmund falls apart he is able to return. His best idea is to use his mouth as a mousetrap by dangling a piece of cheese over it and laying on the floor,

Queen Elizabeth - The virgin queen appears to have gone quite mad, possibly from not getting any. She delights in having her enemies executed and treats those below her as playthings. She has crushes on many of the great men of the time and puts up with Melchard and Nursie . . . barely,

Melchard - Witty but boring, the learned advisor to Queen Elizabeth often delights in keeping Edmund below him socially,

and Nursie - The deranged nursemaid of Queen Elizabeth, she is completely crazy, recalls the most inappropriate stories at the worst possible times and has a fixation on cow's udders.

Blackadder II works, in part, because the primary actors have great comedic chemistry. As a result Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder plays beautifully with his dry sarcasm off Miranda Richardson's over-the-top crazy Elizabeth. Similarly, Tony Robinson and Tim McInnerny play off one another in a way most comic do not get the opportunity to. In most standard comedies, there is only one buffoon, but in Blackadder II, Baldrick and Percy both fill that niche and it provides a wealth of comic give and take between Robinson and McInnerny that works out extraordinarily for the series!

On DVD, Blackadder II includes trailers to other BBC productions, biographies of the main cast members and significant guest stars and the (standard for Blackadder) historical references guide. The latter is a handy portion narrated by Tony Robinson (who plays Baldrick) providing historical data behind some of the more obscure historical reference jokes. This is a real boon as even educated people might not catch some of the allusions and it's handy to get them! But the best DVD bonus feature on this set is the skit "Blackadder - The Cavalier Years." This fifteen minute program fills in the gap between Blackadder II and Blackadder The Third, putting a Blackadder and Baldrick in 1682 as loyalists to King Charles I in opposition to Oliver Cromwell and his impending Puritanical takeover of England. Blackadder is hiding the dimwitted Charles I in his manor when Cromwell comes a-callin' and Baldrick accidentally lets slip that Charles is in the house. Moments of humor ensue, then, as Blackadder and Baldrick attempt to alternately save and execute Charles I. It's a cute little skit and it's nice it is included as a special feature!

This is a wonderful DVD collection and one that fans of British humor will want to pick up!

For a more complete idea of exactly what is in this DVD set, please check out my reviews of the individual episodes:
"Bells," "Head," "Potato"
"Money," "Beer," "Chains"

For other works featuring Miranda Richardson, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Southland Tales
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
The Phantom Of The Opera

9/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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