Blackadder/Recap/S3/E02 Ink and Incapability
Prince George is sick of everyone thinking he's an idiot. So to boost his credibility, he decides to patronize Dr. Samuel Johnson's new book, The Dictionary. Blackadder thinks this a ridiculous idea. he hates Dr. Johnson since he submitted him a novel entitled "Edmund: A Butler's Tale," under the name Gertrude Perkins, and never heard back from him. But, unfortunately, the prince is too dumb to be persuaded. Dr. Johnson comes over, and the prince, being himself, fails to understand what exactly a dictionary is, and insults Dr. Johnson, who storms out, but not before saying that the only book he ever read that was better than his own was "Edmund: A Butler's Tale," and if the prince weren't so stupid he could patronize that book as well. Realizing this might be his chance to have his novel published, Edmund tries to convince Dr. Johnson to give the prince another chance, and let Edmund convince him to patronize the book. Dr. Johnson agrees, and after remembering he left the dictionary in the prince's room, tells Edmund to give it to him later at Mrs. Miggins Pie Shop. Edmund manages to convince the prince to patronize the book, but runs into a worse problem; Baldrick has burned the dictionary in a fire, and there are no other copies.
The rest of the episode involves Edmund trying to stall for time and replace the book before he is brutally murdered by Johnson and his poet friends. He eventually tries to rewrite the dictionary, getting only as far as 'aardvark.' But on the morning when the book must be delivered, George appears, having had the book the whole time! Doctor Johnson accepts it gratefully, and allows George to be both its patron and the patron of "Edmund; A Butler's Tale." Edmund finally, reveals himself as Gertrude Perkins, and offers to prove it by comparing his signature to that on the manuscripts title page. However, Dr. Johnson now can't find that manuscript. Turns out Baldrick hadn't burn the dictionary manuscript; he burnt Edmund's. And to make matters worse, Johnson left the word 'sausage' out of his dictionary. He's going to have to hope he has better luck next time; as they all leave, Baldrick sets a third fire, this time throwing the dictionary on it for good!
- Ax Crazy: The poets and Doctor Johnson
- Buffy-Speak: Baldrick calls the manuscript "The big papery thing wrapped up with string," the fire "The hot oragney thing in the grate" and Edmund threatens "That the big booty thing at the end of his leg with connect with the soft dangly collection of objects in your trousers."
- Her Codename Was Mary Sue: Both Edmund and Baldrick's novels seem to be like this.
- Hot Gypsy Woman: Dr. Johnson says that Edmund's novel is "crammed with sizzling gypsies".
- Is That What They're Calling It Now?: George mistakes Dr. Johnson's large words for 'damn saucy talk.'
- Perfectly Cromulent Word: Edmund makes up a lot of these to annoy Dr. Johnson into thinking he has left out words such as 'contrafibularities' "pericombobulations" and "interfrastically."
- Purple Prose: The poets talk like this.
- Moustache de plume: Discussed and inverted. Edmund says all the female writers are actually males. He, too, gives himself a female pseudonym.
- Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: Invoked. Edmund asks what the next greatest book to the dictionary is "The Dictionary 2: Revenge of the Killer Dictionary?"
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Dr. Johnson talks like this at first:
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Dr. Johnson: I celebrated last night the encyclopaedic implementation of my premeditated orchestration of demotic Anglo-Saxon. |
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- Wakeup Makeup: The Prince Regent wakes up (at three in the afternoon) fully made up in powder and rouge, and with his wig already on his head.