Turnips and all!! (Blackadder)

Member Name: flossy

Product:	Blackadder
Date:	09/03/01 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny and never boring

Disadvantages: only six episodes

Blackadder II is my favourite of the Blackadder series. Every one of the six episodes has a brilliant story that has me laughing from start to finish.

The series was written by the brilliant duo of Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and was first shown on the BBC in the eighties. It is set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and gives a slight insight as to what court life could have been like in the 16th century.

The main characters are: Lord Edmund Blackadder played by Rowan Atkinson. Lord Blackadder is a favourite of Queenies and longs to stay that way. In each episode he is out to prove his loyalty to his Queen and although he is a naughty "Jack the Lad", he does many things to please the Queen.

Queenie played by Miranda Richardson. Queen Elizabeth has been shown throughout history as been very strong headed and always getting her own way. Miranda plays Queenie brilliantly and she is just like a child. Giggling like a child when she makes someone do something really stupid and sulking when she cant get her own way.

Nursie is played by Patsy Bryne. Unfortuantly Queenies old nurse maid as got less intellegence then herself. She always sticks with her former charge though and has got a great love for Queenie.

Lord Percy is played by Tim McInnery. Poor Lord Percy hasnt really got an awful lot going for him. He is another character that has the intellegence for a wooden stool but he means well and will always do his best to stick by his dear (and only) friend, Edmund Blackadder.

Lord Melchett is played by Stephen Fry. Melchy is always by Queenies side and is always there to advise her on matters of great importance. He is very cunning and his greatest ambition is to get Blackadder out of favour and out of court.

Lastly is Baldrick played by Tony Robinson. Baldrick is Blackadders ever faithful servant. He has no morals and has a brain the size of a pea, but he will always do what he can for his master. <
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Thats the characters then, now for the episodes:-

Bells - staring Rik Mayall as Lord Flasheart.
Blackadder gets a new servant and starts to have very strange feelings for him. Bob and Blackadder enjoy each others company so much that Blackadder has decided that he must get rid of Bob before he falls head over heels in love. Bob turns out to be a girl in disguise and the much relieved Blackadder propses straight away. All goes well until Lord Flasheart, Blackadders best friend turns up!....

Head
Blackadder gets the job of chief executioner. He decided that it would make less work for everyone if all the excutions are brought forward. A very cunning plan until dear Queenie decides to give one of the recently beheaded, a pardon. How will Blackadder get out of this one?!

Potato - Staring Tom Baker as Captain Redbeard.
Sir Walter Raleigh has just returned from another great trip to shores unknown. Before he realises what he has done, Blackadder tells Sir Rayleigh that it is no great deal and anyone could do it. Queenie takes him at his word and he has the choice of either sailing the seas or losing his head. Blackadder enlists the help of Captain Redbeard and with another cunning plan in tow they set on on their adventure.

Money - staring Ronald Lacey as the Bishop.
Blackadder loves to live the high life but unfortuantly he doesnt live within his means. He borrows money from the baby-eating Bishop but now payback time has arrived and Edmond being Edmond, is broke. Baldrick offers Blackadder his savings but he had already spend them sometime earlier. Lord Percy tries his best but in the end it was a very cunning plan (and the help of his friends) that saves Blackadders bacon.

Beer - staring Miriam Margoyles as Lady Whiteadder.
Lord and Lady Whiteadder have come to visit Blackadder. These people are his future as they are loaded but they are fiece puritans. Blackadder tries his best to pretend that h
e is too, but the plan backfires when he arranges a beer contest with Melchy for the same day. Will loud singing, false boobs and a parsnip in the shape of a "thingy" be his downfall?

Chains - staring Hugh Laurie as Ludwig.
Blackadder and Melchy finds themselves kidnapped by a crazed German. Ludwig has decided that for a ransom, he will let one of them go but the Queen must choose which one. The Queen finds making decisions impossible at the best of times so this really does leave her in a muddle as to what to do. Ludwig is the master of disguises, so things arent quite what they seem........

All in all, this is a brilliant series that is always funny, no matter how many times you see it. It is full of wit, sarcasm and brilliant acting. They certainly dont make them like this anymore!!

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