Back in Merry Old England again! And it’s Christmas time! Oh joy! And look – it’s Mr. Blackadder! And he’s being…nice?

*cue mind-boggling moment*

First of all, if you’re not familiar with the series or the character, this is the wrong place to start, as that comment above won’t be so mind-boggling. You’d best scroll to the bottom and choose the very first link to go to the original era where this whole Edmund Blackadder nonsense started. You’re a little too ahead of yourself by starting here. You see, he’s not normally nice – at all, really. It may seem a little counter productive seeing how this is using the Christmas Carol format, but it will all make sense in the end.

That’s right, Ebenezer Blackadder’s a nice guy. The nicest guy, in fact. He gives food to orphans, is polite to Baldrick, and hands over money to the poor. He’s so nice, in fact, that people take advantage of him, but he’s too good to notice. You can tell Baldrick is skeptical, and the poor guy wants to have a tree and some decent presents for Christmas himself, but they all disappear until the two are left with no tree, no presents, and no profits for the year. But that’s okay, because being a good person pays off.

Blackadder thinks so – until the Ghost of Christmas Past bursts into his room on accident, but decides to sit for a spell. The two begin chatting, and he convinces the Ghost to show him a little bit of his past and future, just out of sheer curiosity and amazement. What he gets are the Blackadders of the past – Edmund the cad and favorite of the Queen, the sneaky butler for the Prince Regent, and even a hint at the far, far future. Each one has some plan up his sleeve for his benefit through the manipulating of others. Such disgraceful actions shouldn’t persuade the current Blackadder to change his ways…right?

It was a little weird seeing Blackadder (yep, still Rowan Atkinson – who else?) all pleasant, not smacking Baldrick (haha, still Tony Robinson too) around and letting undercutting insults slip at every turn. Not to say that there aren't any, haha. You get a little bit of different Blackadders in this, like mini-episodes all packed into one spot, and then some. Of course, as I liked Black Adder II the most, I was most amused by that section, though the Third was pretty good too. It’s hard not to ignore Miranda Richardson as the Queen, squealing about Christmas and how she’s going to cut off people’s heads and the like. Equally amusing was the shift Blackadder makes at the end and everything he does to people that formerly showed up in the beginning – not matter who it is. That might be a mistake…

It’s a good shift up from all the sneaky, devilish Blackadders from the past, but still very enjoyable when things turn around into that. We’ve gone Victorian here, so of course, the sets and costumes all match up very well (poor Baldrick is still in rags), and the futuristic stuff was quite crazy, with old school semi-special effects and bizarre outfits for Blackadder and lack thereof for Baldrick. Seeing characters again was a treat – even if it seems like I complain about this and that, I do wish they’d made more than just six episodes for the second and third seasons. Another fun tidbit was seeing Robbie Coltrane as the Ghost (you know? Hagrid? Come on people). That man always seems to be thumping around in huge boots and all shaggy with a beard – except in the James Bond movies of course.

A fun nugget to watch. Good during the summer – and probably even more fun during Christmas. I’m sure it would make for a great change from the usual Christmas Carol tale during that time!

NT


Previous Eras:
Black Adder
Black Adder II
Black Adder III – Black Adder the Third

Future Eras:
Black Adder Goes Forth
Black Adder Back and Forth

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD