Blackadder/Recap/S1/E01 The Foretelling

""History has known many great liars. Copernicus, Goebbels, St. Ralph the Liar. But there have been none quite so vile as the Tudor King Henry VII. It was he who rewrote history to portray his predecessor, Richard III, as a deformed maniac who killed his nephews in the Tower. But the real truth is that Richard was a kind and thoughtful man who cherished his young wards, in particular Richard, Duke of York, who grew into a big, strong boy. Henry also claimed he won the Battle of Bosworth Field and killed Richard III. Again, the truth is very different; for it was Richard, Duke of York, who became king after Bosworth Field, and reigned for thirteen glorious years. As for who really killed Richard III and how the defeated Henry Tudor escaped with his life, all is revealed in this, the first chapter of a history never before told: the history of... the Black Adder!""

"King: You're, er, not putting him anywhere near me, are you?
 * Alternate History: Or Tudor fiction.
 * Aren't You Going To Ravish Me?: Edmund's mother, upon hearing that Henry Tudor has won the battle of Bosworth resigns herself to being ravished by the conquering troops. When it turns out that Henry lost and the "enemy forces" Edmund is panicking over is his father returning she says wearily to her husband "So I suppose you are going ravish me?" to which he replies "In a moment dear, in a moment. The woman's insatiable..."
 * Cannon Fodder: When the King and Richard, Duke of York are talking about Edmund:

Richard: No, no, no. He'll be somewhere amongst the rabble.

King: Oh! Arrow fodder!

Richard: Precisely."

"Edmund: Then I shall call you Baldrick, Baldrick.
 * But You Screw One Goat: Edmund's attempt to hide his involvement in King Richard's death results in a (somewhat) unfortunate misunderstanding with the Queen.
 * Early Bird Cameo: the Bishop of Bath and Wells is mentioned...no sign of him being a baby-eater yet.
 * Famous Famous Fictional: "history has known many great liars. Copernicus, Goebbels, St. Ralph the Liar.
 * Genius Bonus: Edmund, Percy and Baldrick's conversation about Edmund being very "witty" makes a lot more sense if you know "wit" was an Elizabethan euphemism for penis, and Edmund's enourmous codpiece makes him VERY witty indeed!
 * Miles Gloriosus: After the battle, Blackadder claims to have killed nearly all of the Lancaster nobles.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: And that's if his dad even remembers that Edmund is his son.
 * Nice Job Breaking It Hero: Edmund killing king Richard, and Percy rescuing king Henry.
 * Off With His Head: King Richard got mistaken as a Tudor wanting to steal Edmund's horse. Hilarity Ensues.
 * Schizo Tech: Unfortunately, the workings of the alarm sundial have presumably been lost to history. Or Tudor bastards.
 * Shaped Like Itself:

Baldrick: Then I shall call you my lord, my lord."


 * Shout Out to Shakespeare: So often that the bard is credited with "additional dialogue." Speeches from Richard III and Henry V are parodied, Percy gets an Alas Poor Yorick moment with Richard III's head, Harry says "Good night, sweet king," the three witches from Macbeth show up...you get the idea.
 * Spell My Name With a The: Edmund wants to be called The Black Vegetable. Baldrick persuades him The Black Adder sounds better.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Edmund is asked how does he know King Richard is dead, he says: "Errr, well, I wouldn't know, really. I was...nowhere near him at the time. I... I just...heard from someone that he'd, er... er... I mean, I don't even know where he was killed. I was completely on the opposite side of the field. I was nowhere near the cottage. Not that it was a cottage - it was a river. But, then, I wouldn't know, of course, because I wasn't there."
 * Title Drop: Subverted.
 * Writtenbythe Winners: What Henry VII does to Richard IV's Reign once he gains the throne.