Blackadder II - Blackadder, Season 2

It is difficult to decide whether I prefer Season 2 or Season 3 of Blackadder, but one thing I know for certain is that in Blackadder II, Rowan Atkinson is hot. That's right, I said it. Suddenly he has sex appeal, something which I never would have thought possible. It is not just his charm, which I do associate with him; instead, I believe it has something to do with his facial hair and those renaissance breeches and hoes.

We find Edmund Blackadder (Atkinson) in Renaissance England, a friend of Queen Elizabeth (played by the delightful Miranda Richardson). Here, he is very clever, easily outwitting his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson), whose family has clearly become more dense over the years. Percy (Tim McInnerny), meanwhile, is delightfully foppish, and the addition of Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett completes a dynamic ensemble.

If such talent were not enough, the writing too has improved. Certainly, some of the humour is still over the top, but the brilliance of weaving the obvious with the witty as Blackadder pursues a young woman called Bob, whom he believes to be a young man, will make you laugh for days. Sure, that didn't start happening on stage until the restoration, but who doesn't associate the beginnings of drag with Shakespeare - when men fell in love with young men whom they believed to be young women.

The best episode of the season is the last, as is often the case, in which Hugh Laurie makes an appearance as Prince Ludwig the Indestructible. A terrific master of disguise, he surprises both Blackadder and Lord Melchett with revelations of previous encounters with them - none of them are what you would expect, and all of them are hilarious.

How can you go wrong with such a combination of wit, talent, and sexy clothes?

The Black Adder - Black Adder, Season 1

Rowan Atkinson may be best known in North America for his work as Mr. Bean, but to pigeon-hole him as an actor capable only of mute slapstick humour means to miss out on far better, far funnier work. The Black Adder, the first season of his historic comedy series, takes place just after the War of the Roses, and for fans of Richard III, the set up is already enough to win you.

Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, known as the Black Adder (Atkinson) is the son of King Richard IV (Brian Blessed), who was not murdered by his uncle, but became king when Richard III was accidentally killed despite his victory at the battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor, apparently, was definitely not a hero, but his creative writing was even better than previously believed. A terrific premise, even though these 6 episodes were the weakest of the series.

Edmund is quite the useless twit, and he surrounds himself by similar people. If his servant, Baldrick (Tony Robinson), was not the slightest bit more intelligent than he, well, things might have been even more difficult for the young prince whose greatest desire was to take the throne from his father and older brother. His best friend, Percy (Tim McInnerny), was even stupider, if that is possible to believe.

Still, the humour was clever as well as low brow, and the balance results in a show which is suited to anyone who is a fan of British comedy. Edmund's plots and the inevitable results cannot fail but put a smile on your face, and the complex humour which results from an understanding of the historical period, as well as Shakespeare, may have you in stitches for hours.

If you like Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean, this season will impress you even more, and if you only know him as such, Black Adder will give you a reason to love him for so much more than he could ever show as a mute.

Fall Premiere Schedule

Although this summer has had quite a lot of entertaining new programing to chose from (despite my being too busy to check a lot of it out), I'm sure you are all just as excited as I am about the return of the regular season, as well as the start of some new and potentially very interesting shows.

Returning Shows

Vampire Diaries - Thursdays, Sept 9

Chuck - Monday, Sept 20

Castle - Monday, Sept 20

Glee - Tuesday, Sept 21

Bones - Thursday, Sept 23

The Mentalist - Thursday, Sept 23

Supernatural - Friday, Sept 24

Dexter - Sunday, Sept 26

The Good Wife - Tuesday, Sept 28

Stargate: Universe - October

V - November

Pilots

Hellcats (an American cheerleading teen drama/comedy)- Wednesday, September 8

Nikita (remake of/based on La Femme Nikita) - Thursday, September 9

The Event (a conspiracy theory/government cover up drama) - Monday, September 20

Hawaii Five-0 (remake of Hawaii Five-0) - Monday, September 20

Undercovers (New spy series) - Wednesday, September 22

No Ordinary Family (New superhero series) - Tuesday, September 28

If there is a show premiering that I have no mentioned, please let me know what it is.

As for this season, my current thoughts are to give a priority to Chuck, Castle, and Dexter. I plan to be on top of Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and the Good Wife, and everything else will have to earn my attention.

So let me know what you are thinking.

Returning to my Blog

The summer ended up being an unintentional hiatus from my blog. Not something I had intended, but my rule of not watching television when social interaction can be had resulted in very little watching and thus almost no blogging at all.

But with the return of the regular television season looming, I am back. I will check out pilots and premieres, advise you on what to watch and what to give up on. Unfortunately, as I anticipate that I will remain very busy, I won't be able to follow quite so many shows with quite as much regularity as before. Please make sure to give me your input when I post the pilot and premiere schedule so that I know which shows my readers are most interested in me staying on top of.

I will, of course, eventually watch and blog about all the episodes of my favourite shows, and whether you read my posts long after I have written them or wait for them in anticipation, you will get what I have promised.

All that said, I want to clarify what you can expect in regards to blog postings on the summer shows which I have greatly neglected.

True Blood will have its season finale this coming Sunday. I intend to be caught up by then.

Being Human will also be completed shortly.

I have every intention of watching the rest of the seasons of Eureka, Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, White Collar, and Haven. I can't confirm any timelines for those, but it will happen.

Miami Medical will also get a posting for its series finale.

The other summer shows I was watching - Persons Unknown, Pretty Little Liars, The Gates, Scoundrels, Memphis Beat, Rookie Blue - are all off the roster. Some I was really enjoying, and others I would not have got past the pilots regardless, but at this point I don't feel the need to make the effort to catch up.

Finally, Mad Men will also soon be started. I have difficulty believing that I am so far behind on True Blood, but the fact that I have completely neglected this season of Mad Men is practically inexcusable. Never fear, it will be done. And I still intend to watch Pillars of the Earth, as well as check out Rubicon, starting James Badge Dale whom I loved so well in the Pacific.

I am back on board, so please start checking again regularly. Comment so that I know you are out there, and let me know which shows you are most interested in this Fall.