Blackadder: Difference between revisions

[[File:blackadder_6161.jpg|frame|[[Identical Grandson|They're all related?]] [[Sarcasm Mode|I never would have guessed!]]]]

 

 

A deliciously vicious collection of [[Britcom|British comedies]], all centering around various generations of the Blackadder family as embodied in its sole visible member, Edmund -- a cynical, snide and outright caustic British nobleman (he'd be a [[Deadpan Snarker]] if he could just stop sneering) who never seems to succeed at most of his schemes, but never quite loses either (except usually at the end, where he dies horribly or wins spectacularly). Each Edmund in each generation is aided by a [[Bumbling Sidekick]] in the shape of his corresponding Baldrick, an ignorant and filthy manservant and dogsbody of unhealthy habits and preoccupations. His typical [[Foil]] is a classic [[Upper Class Twit]] of far higher social station than his own, whom he is forced to serve hand and foot.

 

'''The original four seasons of ''Blackadder'' are:'''

* ''The Black Adder''. An alternate history set during the period of the [[Wars of the Roses]].

* ''Blackadder II''. [[The Virgin Queen|Elizabethan]] London.

 

'''There were also several one-shot ''Blackadder'' specials:'''

* ''Blackadder: The Cavalier Years''. Set during the English Civil War

* ''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''. Victorian era, an [[Affectionate Parody]] of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''

* [["The Villain Sucks" Song]]: You horrid little man!

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: In "The Archbishop", Baldrick shows off a range of priced curses signed by ecclesiastical figures, the cheapest of which reads "Dear Enemy, I curse you, and I hope something moderately unpleasant happens to you, like an onion falling on your head".

 

== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder II'' ==

{{quote|'''Blackadder:''' Trust me to get the hard one!}}

* [[Hello, Sailor!]]: The episode "Potato" is ''full'' of jokes about gay sailors, because it revolves around explorers and sea voyages. In "Money," Baldrick winds up being pimped out to sailors down at the docks.

* [[Insult Backfire]]: In "Beer", two incidents involving Lady Whiteadder:

{{quote|'''Lady Whiteadder''': Has anyone ever told you you're a gibbering imbecile?

** If they thought Farrow was Ponsonby and vice versa, presumably at the time, Farrow was in Ponsonby's cell.

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: Flashheart, depending on your definition of 'wholesome'.

 

== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder the Third'' ==

** Correction: Smedley's death was intended--Blackadder just didn't know that he ''was'' Smedley. {{spoiler|Or the Scarlet Pimpernel.}}

* [[You Look Familiar]]: Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, and [[Stephen Fry]] all made guest appearances in various episodes.

 

== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder: The Cavalier Years'' ==

* [[The Cavalier Years]]

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: [[Stephen Fry]]'s portrayal of King Charles in "The Cavalier Years" is a thinly-veiled-if-at-all-veiled impression of [[British Royal Family|Prince Charles]].

 

== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' ==

** It's notable that Darling enjoys his easy assignment and is trying to get an even easier one in the Royal Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: "The blood, the noise, the endless ''poetry''!"

* [[Badass Mustache]]: General Melchett is hardly a badass, but damn if his lip-cover isn't an impressive specimen!

* [[Bawdy Song]]: Melchett and George's version of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

{{quote|'''Blackadder''': I only smoke cigarettes after making love. So, back in England I'm a twenty-a-day man.}}

* [[Smug Snake]]: Captain Darling

* [[Sudden Downer Ending]]: ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is set in the trenches of WWI, and the writers didn't want to be accused of making light of one of the most tragic moments in British history, so the last episode {{spoiler|becomes steadily more serious and somber as all of the characters but General Melchett (and he's quite callous about sending Darling to his doom) are ordered over the top in what is assumed to be a suicide charge. While the cast are all shown to have died in ''The Black Adder'' and ''Blackadder II'', this time it's not played for comedy at all.}}

* [[Sweet Polly Oliver]]: Bob, in "Major Star".

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: We never do find out if Blackadder or Darling were able to prevent Nurse Mary's firing squad execution in time.

* [[World War I]]

* [[You Look Familiar]]: Miranda Richardson appears as Nurse Mary in "General Hospital".

 

{{reflist}}

{{BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)}}

[[Category:Comedy Series]]

[[Category:British Series]]

[[Category:Christmas Special]]

[[Category:World War I]]

[[Category:TV Series]]

[[Category:Britain's Best Sitcom]]

[[Category:Military and Warfare Television]]