[TV] UKCC24 - Quarter Final Four - Blackadder vs The Office

[Mellotron]

For balance:

View attachment 172777

Two brilliant and very different comedies. Fantastic tie.

Different comedies for different....needs.

 

[Brovion]

I don't know why it is, but Series 2 is definitely better than Series 3, isn't it?

Personally I rate them the same. I'm not going to die in a ditch over it as the general consensus is that, like the Godfather, #2 is considered better than #3, so fair enough.

I'll admit that Series 3 did miss Tim McInnery, but in S2 I found Patsy Byrne's Nursey a bit grating, and Lord Melchett was to my mind a little bit 'meh' for a comedy character. (Unlike General Melchett in S4 who was phenomenally and hideously brilliant). Those two opinions dampen S2 a bit for me, but it was still brilliant. (Plus S3 had Hugh Laurie who was outstanding as Prince Regent).

 

[dazzer6666]

Personally I rate them the same. I'm not going to die in a ditch over it as the general consensus is that, like the Godfather, #2 is considered better than #3, so fair enough.

I'll admit that Series 3 did miss Tim McInnery, but in S2 I found Patsy Byrne's Nursey a bit grating, and Lord Melchett was to my mind a little bit 'meh' for a comedy character. (Unlike General Melchett in S4 who was phenomenally and hideously brilliant). Those two opinions dampen S2 a bit for me, but it was still brilliant. (Plus S3 had Hugh Laurie who was outstanding as Prince Regent).

McInnerny declined a recurring role in S3 to avoid being typecast apparently….he did make a guest appearance though (Lord Topper).

Tend to agree….both 2 and 3 were equally good, with a couple of irritations, S4 was virtually flawless.

 

[Official Old Man]

I just don't get The Office and don't find Gervais funny at all.
But Atkinson, well he could stand in front of me and I'd roll on the floor laughing.

 

[Mellotron]

Personally I rate them the same. I'm not going to die in a ditch over it as the general consensus is that, like the Godfather, #2 is considered better than #3, so fair enough.

I'll admit that Series 3 did miss Tim McInnery, but in S2 I found Patsy Byrne's Nursey a bit grating, and Lord Melchett was to my mind a little bit 'meh' for a comedy character. (Unlike General Melchett in S4 who was phenomenally and hideously brilliant). Those two opinions dampen S2 a bit for me, but it was still brilliant. (Plus S3 had Hugh Laurie who was outstanding as Prince Regent).

Now I don’t know what to think, as I agree with pretty much all of that.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

This is my final, which Bladder just about wins

 

[A1X]

This feels like one of those World Cup 1/4 finals where the draw throws up (e.g.) France vs Brazil, two genuine contenders where one has to drop out early

 

[Mellotron]

What I love about Blackadder, and what I find so crushingly, heartbreakingly English about it, is how Edmund slowly seems to lose any sense of optimism through the years. I don’t think you see this emotional depth often in an American comedy series.

Don't get me wrong - he’s a sarcastic bastard from S2 onwards, but he still had some spark, some vigour in S2 and S3.

By the time of Goes Forth, he is a beaten man.

Still incredibly funny, but he’s lost hope, which gives the whole 6 episodes this real pathos. He talks and whiles away his time like a man on death row.

That (suddenly very) sincere “Good luck everyone.” at the end absolutely breaks me, every time.

 

[Simster]

This feels like one of those World Cup 1/4 finals where the draw throws up France vs Brazil, two genuine contenders where one has to drop out early

Much like the rugby world cup this year, it's thrown up 2 shit ones and 2 that would've graced the final (this one and Alan Partridge v Father Ted)

 

[bhafc99]

Much like the rugby world cup this year, it's thrown up 2 shit ones and 2 that would've graced the final (this one and Alan Partridge v Father Ted)

Absolutely. And bloody Only Fools & Horses goes through while two of those four drop out, FFS.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Two top quality titans of British comedy. Such a tough call.

As usual, I've plumped for the drier, more awkward one of the two options. I think The Office was more relatable and because of the interplay of the characters, i.e. Tim vs Gareth, Tim and Dawn, Brent vs Finchy, Brent and Gareth, Brent's envy of Neil.

 

[JJ McClure]

It's got to be good old Captain Slack Bladder

 

[Guinness Boy]

Blackadder all the way.

I can still remember being convulsed in laughter at Rik turning up as Lord Flasheart in Series 2. The next day everyone at school was trying to recite it. My first serious girlfriend knew the routine. I've just watched it back to post it on here and it's incredibly childish, hasn't dated at all well, and still had me giggling. Watch Atkinson when Rik's talking to Tony Robinson, he can barely hold it together.

It does help that I hated The Office. Probably because it was very well observed and I was working in an office at the time, and therefore spent more time cringing than laughing.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Ricky Gervais is a cocky so and so and he makes me cringe.

#teamblackadder here.

 

[Badger]

Both absolutely top drawer comedies. Blackadder shades it for me though.

I think this is the only QF match where I'm voting for the winner.

 

[Littlemo]

Yeah I went for Blackadder as well. It was just so well done and I liked the idea of a character/bloodline through the ages, which was pretty original.

I never really got into The Office tbh. I watched a bit but I just never really found it funny.

 

[A1X]

Blackadder might be sitting pretty right now, but can he throw a kettle over a pub? That's the real UKCC24.

 

[Frutos]

That (suddenly very) sincere “Good luck everyone.” at the end absolutely breaks me, every time.

That final episode is an utter masterpiece of television, and I don't just mean in the comedy genre. From when George says "I'm scared, sir" the whole tone changes.

I first saw it in my Year 9 History class - teacher was a huge Blackadder fan and we watched one episode per week. Having never seen the show before, I assumed that they were going to get out of it and all live happily ever after. The realisation that they weren't was shocking and sobering.

The fade to a field of poppies is just genius. For that episode alone it beats The Office for me, even more easily when the rest of the show is taken into account.



"We lived through it. The Great War, 1914 to 1917" - has a more heartbreaking line ever been written?

 

[nicko31]

I'm probably alone, but couldn't stand either of them

 

[Brian Fantana]

That final episode is an utter masterpiece of television, and I don't just mean in the comedy genre. From when George says "I'm scared, sir" the whole tone changes.

I first saw it in my Year 9 History class - teacher was a huge Blackadder fan and we watched one episode per week. Having never seen the show before, I assumed that they were going to get out of it and all live happily ever after. The realisation that they weren't was shocking and sobering.

The fade to a field of poppies is just genius. For that episode alone it beats The Office for me, even more easily when the rest of the show is taken into account.



"We lived through it. The Great War, 1914 to 1917" - has a more heartbreaking line ever been written?

Agree with all of this.

Amazing that they sort of stumbled across the slow motion ending quite by accident. I don't think it would have had quite the same impact without it. It really created the perfect, if heartbreaking, ending with the slow mo included.