Reviews

I know how passionate they were about writing a period piece, and you can tell by how well the script is written. I'm not that big a fan of period pieces, but this one did a good job. It uses the odd language and phrases they would use and plays around to make them comical. The absurdity is always played up at any opportunity, it has elements of Monty Python, but has their own brand of unique atmosphere and pacing. The pace is well-balanced, with monologues, multiple characters having a quick back and forth and rising uneasiness or laughter among the mob. It's exploration of mob culture can sometimes be related to modern day. Pretty sad.

Ultimately, I think the script is an excellent examples of well-written dialogue, very poetic, as it takes from the language of the time. Lots of research and existing passion must have been involved in this episode to get things as accurate as they should be. Some juxtaposition with modern elements is essential to the comedy, but also simply taking things that would be considered utterly ridiculous and archaic now lends itself to comedy.

This is the first of the episodes to do a double twist. We as the audience believe we know what the outcome will be, no matter what, the witch is going to get burned. It is sewn throughout that she is innocent, as the accusers all have something personal to gain from her death. When it is revealed, Clarke betrays his colleague, that is seen as the big twist. However, the woman actually turning out to be a witch is a fun little counter twist to quickly end the episode, even if a bit predictable. Period pieces and historical fiction isn't really my cup of tea so I found it difficult to get fully invested. But this is a enjoyable and beautifully written episode. Special mention to David Warner as Pike, he absolutely killed the role.

I'm probably going to annoy a lot of people with my opinion on this episode. It's just not really my cup of tea, I guess. I was baffled to discover that this is one of the highest rated episodes in the history of Inside no. 9. Hipster alert! I found it a very predictable and overdone story. I don't usually hate on something just because it's predictable, I mean that it is dealt with in quite a lazy way. It is cliche and feels like an easy structure to follow, it doesn't feel like a challenge... especially when compared to other episodes. The transitions are well done for the most part, basing each year on a world event gives it structure but makes it feel like quite rigid.

The parts that do well for me are the moments when things turn surreal and reality is slipping through the cracks. The flashing of the cheap Christmas tree, the increasing heartbeat and especially those eggs. I just love the eggs, I thought that was a clever idea. The Stranger was a good addition, as he introduced uncertainty and dread, something that disrupts her very normal, mundane existence. These parts drew me in the most. It does have its moments here and there, Sheridan Smith cannot be praised enough, but ultimately, Twelve Days of Christine was a cheesy pun and a cheesy episode.

Absolutely amazing start to the new season. I love the challenge they gave themselves by setting the entire story in a very tight, limiting space. As well as this, there is constant movement, sound and lack of privacy. What is first introduced as a series of clown couplets, the characters each have a good amount of depth to them. Their relationships offer moments of tenderness and softness to, for the most part, a ridiculous, slap-stick comedy.

They do an excellent job with Jorg and Maxwell's characters. Jorg is portrayed as a disgusting, inconsiderate, rude, lecherous and unintelligent man. This is made even more evident by the other character's view of him and the fact he cannot speak English; elements of xenophobia and lost in translation. We (the British) are automatically suspicious of people we don't understand. Maxwell on the other hand is well-spoken, well-educated, neat and tidy. He is uptight but we don't immediately see him as a threat. These pre-judgements are ultimately proven completely wrong. Jorg is a jolly intelligent man that happens to be suffering from an illness and Maxwell is a ruthless, ambition-obsessed murderer.

What I find satisfying is that this was all caused by someone not in their allocated bunk. Feels like a very British problem. It is comical for the most part, some moments of tenderness, a few of Whitehall's jokes felt a bit cliché and fell flat for me. Didn't really mind too much though.

I was a big fan of this episode when I first watched it, I am biased though as I am a theatre kid. The boys are obviously familiar with Shakespeare and have had a good deal of experience in theatre, so they understand how to get an accurate but a slight caricature of people in the actual industry. The way they use Shakespeare to highlight significant moments was well done and added to that sense of unease. Very creepy episode, but it's a shame it was made tacky with quite terrible special effects and editing. That dripping blood did make me cringe.

Worth noting how they write to suggest one character as the villain, only for it to be a very unassuming one. Feeding the audience with an obvious villain while subduing the real villain is done with ease. What makes it more convincing is not trying to completely subdue Kirstie's character. There are moments of symbolism and foreshadowing that suggest all is not actually as it seems. Overall brilliant episode, let down by the editing and effects which took me out of it a bit.

Special mention: Steve's performance as Tony in a wheelchair had me in stitches. His Dr Strangelove-esque performance was hilarious.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this episode. It didn't have the same thoughtfulness as the past scripts. I initially liked the concept and I really liked the absurdity of celebrity, but this concept wasn't developed very well and it ultimately ended up falling flat. The actors did their best with the constraints of the characters, but it did feel a little empty.

There wasn't much of a twist, Frankie coming back to life was a slight one, but it was quite cliché that Tamsin let the balloon go free. I think what let it down the most was the weakness in the concept. It left me with quite an empty, unfulfilled feeling. Still my favourite show! But this is the nature of anthologies - we all have our favourites.

This episode was originally based on a play during their league of gentlemen days, before even the Fringe, when Steve and Reece were sharing a flat together while unemployed. It has evolved into a brilliant TV play that strives to trick the audience into believing they see the ending coming. It's cleverly inter-laced throughout, keeping Migg away from the other people in Tom's life, it implies that Migg may only be a figment of Tom's imagination.

It is naturalistic for the most part, mundane conversations add depth to the world and furthers the atmosphere of normality. Tom's character develops as we learn little by little, usually through the characters of Migg and Gerri (potential voices in his head). He is a school teacher, hates his job, wishes to be a writer (or Charles Bukowski). The various characters that interact with him act as his conscience, rays of hope, corrupters, disrupters and betrayers. It's an interesting exploration of depression.

The way Migg begins to look better and Tom worse, feels like Migg is a sort of vampire, sucking the life force out of Tom until he is a shell of a man. Once Migg is out of the picture and Gerri is back, his appearance changes for the better. This is just surface level, however, as Gerri is the real delusion and his coping mechanism. It's a clever episode for trying to trick the audience and woven symbolism. Brilliant episode, one of my favourites, a great study of naturalistic dialogue.

It is challenging to do a mostly silent episode. Setting, props and unspoken communication is integral in telling the story. The slapstick gags were well written and well executed. The pacing is well-balanced, eased in at the start with all action taking place in the same location. As the plot builds, characters split off into different rooms, cutting between them with increasing tempo. All this to hold the audience's attention and have a natural build up to the climax.

They take care to consistently justify why the episode must be silent. A brilliant episode following 'Sardines' that consists mostly of dialogue between many characters. A great example of Reece and Steve's versatility as writers and actors. Bravo!

Starting the series strong with punchy dialogue and masterful exposition. The use of symbolism is weaved throughout in clever and intreresting ways. It demonstrates Steve and Reece "earning" their dark comedy. They are careful and respectful of not just shocking the audience for the sake of shocking them, but they sow seeds throughout to focus on creating a tone that would allow for the audience to be eased into the moment of darkness. This is what makes a great dark comedy.

Tone is used so well. Dialogue is very purposeful. I love the Sardines song so much. It's so sinister and using it to inform the episode, whether this came first or was discovered later, is just perfect. The pace keeps us engaged; the introductions of new characters shift tone. Perhaps one of my favourite moments was Andrew entering the room. He is a monster, but his introduction comes across as comical at first. His militaristic attitude towards a silly game is funny. We are made to laugh at the monster.

Likewise, we are made to laugh at the character of Stinky John as he is a silly slapstick character, but explaining he is the way he is as a direct result of his trauma and abuse from Andrew almost makes us feel guilty for laughing in the first place. I think that's what I adore most about the script and what I appreciate about dark comedy in general. It makes you laugh, feel bad about what you're laughing about, and then think about it. Absolutely brilliant piece of writing. A dark comedy 101 script.