Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth

Black Adder the Third in my favorite series of Black Adder. I love the time period but I found the jokes funnier. Rowan Atkinson's blank stares at Hugh Laurie were perfect. The first episode, 'Dish and Dishonesty' was a great take on elections. I loved mixing modern election coverage with regency elections. The commentary and exit polls and of course everything was rigged. Everything seems to be geared towards my sense of humor in this series, the cynicism against the French, the evil squirrels and the intertextuality. 'Duel and Duality' had a great bit where Blackadder laments about his wanting episodes of his life played weekly at half 9 by a renown actor of the age was fantastic.

Hugh Laurie was a great lift for the show although I missed Percy a bit. It was strange to see Laurie in comedy since before I've only seen him in House and Sense and Sensibility where's he sarcastic but not goofy like he is as Prince George. He definitely tended to wear a great deal of makeup. My favorite part was when Stephen Fry playing the Duke of Wellington beats up Laurie.

I also have to add that not having Blackadder die at the end was refreshing since I had assumed he was going to die.

Black Adder Goes Forth was a bit of a disappointment and I think my least favorite of all the series. I didn't find it as funny. Rowan Atkinson's usually funny monologues were too long and not humorous. Captain Darling was funny for a while but it was weird to have him in a role different from Percy (even though he had done that in Series 3). Some of Hugh Laurie's stuff was funny but only to a certain point. The stupidity worked better as the Prince. Although I did like the drag look for Laurie. Blackadder's interrogation of Captain Darling was entertaining. They had been going at each other all series with Blackadder always loosing so it was nice to see Blackadder win, at least for a bit. Baldrick's part was for the most part uneventful. I liked the poetry but his character was tiring and old. Even his cunning plans were dull. The greatest joke of the whole series is the coffee.