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Old 01-25-2012, 12:56 AM   #1
Talon87
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Fawlty Towers

From Wikipedia:
Inspired by the rude behaviour of the proprietor of a hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, on the "English Riviera", Faulty Towers follows Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) in his running of the fictional Fawlty Towers hotel in the same area.

In a list of the BFI TV 100 drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted by industry professionals, Fawlty Towers was placed first. It was also voted fifth in the BBC's "Britain's Best Sitcom" poll in 2004.[
Have been meaning to watch this for eleven years now but only just now got around to it. Have seen the first four episodes. So far, I think it's decent. Cleese's performances are more entertaining in Episodes 3 and 4 than in 1 and 2, but on the whole the show finds itself in the uncomfortable position of being more conventional than the absurdist Monty Python's Flying Circus yet less titillating than other conventional Britcoms of the mid-1970s like Are You Being Served? In other words, it is neither all that funny nor can it claim to be all that original. However, given the high praise for the series, I'm hopeful that my opinion of the show will improve as I press onward.
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Old 01-25-2012, 01:08 AM   #2
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My mum and I saw a couple episodes of this once and we both loved it. Always wanted to check out more but never got around to doing so, even though I bothered to learn the schedule at one point.
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Old 01-25-2012, 01:36 AM   #3
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>Start watching greatest sitcom ever
>'it is neither all that funny'

...

Oh, Talon.
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Old 01-25-2012, 01:45 AM   #4
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Well, I'm only four episodes in, but I would still say ...

'Allo! 'Allo! > Keeping Up Appearances > Are You Being Served? > Last of the Summer Wine > Fawlty Towers > Dad's Army > Monty Python's Flying Circus

Trying to think of what other British comedies I watched as a kid, teen, and/or young adult, but these are all that come to mind. Still haven't seen Blackadder, and haven't seen anything newer than 2000 (aside from maybe one or two Last of the Summer Wine episodes from the final years).

Don't get me wrong. I like John Cleese. But ... so far, Fawlty Towers isn't nearly as daring as Python was, and it's far less funny than my favorite Britcoms.
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Old 01-25-2012, 02:36 AM   #5
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Are you seriously putting Last of the Summer Wine above Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Dad's Army.

Madness, I tell you.

I agree with you on the point of Fawlty Towers being less daring than Flying Circus, but it is nonetheless far superior to the rest of your list in my opinion, bar maybe Dad's Army, which is one of the best British comedies of all time.

I would definitely recommend Blackadder. It's fantastic and well worth a watch.

My list:

Dad's Army > Blackadder > Fawlty Tower>Father Ted>Yes Minister>The Good Life>Allo' Allo'>Are you being served>Flying Circus>Keeping Up Appearances >Last of the Summer Wine

Then again, I have seen some of the later Last of the Summer Wine episodes which has dented my opinion a bit. I could've included more on the list (I've seen a lot of classics with my family), but I only wanted to include a few favorites and then those that you listed.
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Old 01-25-2012, 03:11 AM   #6
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Python was very daring. As a result, it failed far more often than it succeeded. For every one Norwegian Blue or cheese shoppe skit we got, we got nine offensive and/or obnoxious and/or daft and/or dull sketches. It was never a favorable ratio, and I think the only reason people look so fondly back on Monty Python's Flying Circus is for the creme de la creme and not the whole picture.

Keep in mind: we're not including the films in this. No Life of Brian, no Holy Grail, none of it: just the television program.

Just watched episode 5 of Fawlty Towers. Good, yes, but not good enough still. Up next is what is apparently a very famous episode, so it's make-or-break time for Fawlty Towers, it seems. Good luck, Basil!
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:55 AM   #7
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Well, I'm only four episodes in, but I would still say ...

'Allo! 'Allo! > Keeping Up Appearances > Are You Being Served? > Last of the Summer Wine > Fawlty Towers > Dad's Army > Monty Python's Flying Circus

Trying to think of what other British comedies I watched as a kid, teen, and/or young adult, but these are all that come to mind. Still haven't seen Blackadder, and haven't seen anything newer than 2000 (aside from maybe one or two Last of the Summer Wine episodes from the final years).

Don't get me wrong. I like John Cleese. But ... so far, Fawlty Towers isn't nearly as daring as Python was, and it's far less funny than my favorite Britcoms.
Flying Circus is not a sitcom. It's a sketch show, and should be classed as such. Sitcoms have a stable scenario throughout an entire run (or season in one case).

And yeah... what Handy said, pretty much. Amusingly, I was considering making a 'Sitcom' thread just last week, but I feared the inevitable clash between Britcoms and the newer-style American sitcoms (Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, etc.) which are both completely different animals.

If we're going to do power rankings then:

Fawlty Towers > Blackadder > Red Dwarf > Dad's Army > 'Allo! 'Allo!

And many more that I really can't be arse to sift through. I'm generally a big fan of sitcoms (though I've never really been fond of Only Fools and Horses which inexplicably bested Blackadder in that godawful Britain's Best Sitcom poll).

Also Father Ted and Black Books are fucking spectacular if we're counting Channel 4-launched ones. I'm bad at digging up topics but I'm more than happy to discuss shows that make me laugh with people.
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Old 01-25-2012, 11:09 AM   #8
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You're right about Flying Circus not being a sitcom. Consider me lazy, then, for including it along with the others and not wanting to restyle the list as "British television comedies."

Ranking 'Allo! 'Allo! dead last though ... yeah, you and I appear to have opposite tastes in comedy.
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Old 01-25-2012, 11:21 AM   #9
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Ranking 'Allo! 'Allo! dead last though ... yeah, you and I appear to have opposite tastes in comedy.
Oh no, you've got me wrong there. I love 'Allo! 'Allo!, I was just too lazy to put stuff after it seeing how there are dozens of sitcoms to choose from. If we're going on other ones you posted I've never much cared for Keeping Up Appearances since it seems to get a bit repetitive. And like I said, not overly a fan of Only Fools... either, despite the rest of the country seeming to love it.
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Old 01-25-2012, 02:56 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Python was very daring. As a result, it failed far more often than it succeeded. For every one Norwegian Blue or cheese shoppe skit we got, we got nine offensive and/or obnoxious and/or daft and/or dull sketches. It was never a favorable ratio, and I think the only reason people look so fondly back on Monty Python's Flying Circus is for the creme de la creme and not the whole picture.

Keep in mind: we're not including the films in this. No Life of Brian, no Holy Grail, none of it: just the television program.
Clarifying that I do realise this (to the last point), and I get what you're saying, but I generally thought that most sketches in Flying Circus were of a good quality rather than as you said.

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And like I said, not overly a fan of Only Fools... either, despite the rest of the country seeming to love it.
Not a big fan either, but I've only ever caught half a dozen or so episodes and never really given them my full attention, so IDK. Just don't get what all the fuss is about.
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Old 01-25-2012, 06:24 PM   #11
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Just watched Episode 6, "The Germans." It was much more different (and not so German-focused) than I thought it'd be. It was a good episode in general. It got rather extreme both during the fire drill argument and at the end of the episode, but extreme scenarios are where Cleese shines best. The bit where the Major mistakes Manuel for a talking moose was the first scene all series long to get me to do more than crack a smile, and I laughed more than a few times before the episode was over. You could see the moose head's ultimate role in the episode from a mile away but it was still well led up to.

All that praise stated ... I'm still not sure if I'd change my rankings any. At most, I'd swap places between Fawlty Towers and Last of the Summer Wine, but that'd be it. But that's a hard sell: I'm much fonder of Norman Clegg and Compo than I am Basil Fawlty and ...

... and perhaps that's Fawlty Towers' biggest problem for me right now. It's basically a one-man act where everyone else -- Sybil's, Polly's, and Manuel's actors -- just throw softballs at John Cleese so he can smash them out of the park. Most other Britcoms have got at least two characters you care about, but ... Polly is dreadfully boring, Sybil's barely any better, and Manuel is barely better still. On a scale of 0 to 10, 0 being so boring you'd put me to sleep and 10 being riveting, I'd put Basil Fawlty around a 6 or a 7 but I'd put Sybil and Manuel around a 3 or a 4 and Polly at around a 2 or a 3. The program sorely needs more interesting side characters to complement Cleese. But perhaps he's too dominating a comedic persona? I don't know. Certainly I think he got the lion's share of best skits in Monty Python's Flying Circus, so perhaps that says something for how impossibly difficult it is for the other three actors to stand out here. *shrug*

Oh! And before I almost forget: I haven't really brought up the R word yet in this thread, but holy shit at some of the lines the Major had in this episode. While not intentionally racist back then in 1975, just lol at how casually he discusses "niggers and wogs" with Mr. Fawlty.
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Old 01-25-2012, 06:34 PM   #12
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Americans in disagreeing with what Brits find funny shocker (and vice versa). Seriously, I lose count of the number of times myself and american friends have just wanted to smash our heads into walls in despair at some of the things the other finds funny.

Also given you mentioned Blackadder, I highly recommend it. Series 1 is pants, but 2-4 are awesome - and each series is self contained, so feel free to ignore 1 if you wish :p. Only Fools and Horses is also definitely worth a watch (some later stuff isn't as good, but David Jason generally speaking it's pretty good), as are Father Ted and Red Dwarf. From what I've seen of Yes Minister, it's also very funny, but none of my American friends appreciate it so it'd be interesting to see what you make of it :p.

However - and I know Dave is going to hate me for this - Fawlty Towers, whilst funny, is definitely not my favourite Britcom.
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:22 PM   #13
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Looks like my ability to watch Fawlty Towers is on hiatus. Youtube doesn't seem to have Episodes 1 or 2 up from Series 2. And I'd rather not just press on to Episode 3, so ... that's that. I guess whichever one I can find on Youtube next between Blackadder and Father Ted will be what I'm watching next.
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Old 01-26-2012, 09:17 AM   #14
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If it helps, you really don't have to watch the episodes in order, but if you prefer to then fair enough (I'm usually the same way).

Though now that you've seen it I can share a story my father told me - back in the 70's he was in the merchant navy and was flying out to a new post. While on the plane, he was offered some headphones but refused due to the then-extortionate cost, so was watching the inflight entertainment without sound. One of the items was Gourmet Night, and upon reaching the scene where Basil starts beating the car with the branch the whole plane (mostly without headphones) burst out laughing at the sight. Yeah I know it was another time, but I've always liked that anecdote of his.

>I know Dave is going to hate me for this

Nah. Different strokes for different blokes and all that. And agreeing about Blackadder, for Talon's sake - Series 1 is dreadful (albeit has Brian Blessed in it), while series 2-4 are excellent.
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Old 01-26-2012, 11:17 AM   #15
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Managed to find someone who had Season 2 Episode 1 up for casual online viewing, so view it I did, and ...

Now that was an episode!

One more like that and it's certainly bumped up above The Last of the Summer Wine and right alongside Keeping Up Appearances. But with only five episodes remaining, I'm not sure it can ever outpace Keeping Up Appearances, only tie it in general terms. In any event ...

This was smart writing and it was funny writing, the best sort of combination for a television comedy program. Mrs. Richardson was loathsome and hysterical: kudos to her actress for doing such a good job! One feels so bad for Basil all episode long. Then ...

Spoiler: show
... the part at the end with "This is my money! " was just priceless. Awesome. Only to be followed, poor thing, with everything falling apart, him dropping Mrs. Richardson's vase, and there goes the money.

I caught a random snippet of "Fawlty Towers Revisited" (part 1 of 6 on Youtube) and quit watching it once I realized that they were of course going to showcase and discuss scenes from episodes I'd not seen yet, but someone said something which I think pretty accurately sums up Fawlty Towers, if not Britcoms as a whole:

"Success is not funny. Failure is funny."

That pretty accurately describes the guiding principle of Fawlty Towers' writing.
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Old 01-26-2012, 02:06 PM   #16
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Watched up thru the third episode of the second series, the Waldorf Salad episode. It was fantastic. Perhaps the best yet, though I really enjoyed the two episodes just before it, too, so it's hard to say. One thing is obvious to me though: whether it's the change in director to be thanked for it or whether it's the fact that Cleese and his then wife were able to come up with some really very clever sketches during the four-year hiatus, Series 2 is far and away superior to Series 1. I'll give the first series' finale, "The Germans", credit where credit is due: it was a good episode. But it doesn't hold a candle to these three, and certainly the other Series 1 episodes don't.

I arranged my feelings about the episodes in the following figure:


(click to see larger version)

I feel like Episodes 1 and 2 were okay but kinda dull and not really worth watching more of the series if this is what everything was going to be like. Episodes 3 and 4 were a little better but still not enough to warrant claims that this is one of Britain's better television comedies. Episode 5 kicked things up a notch, and then Episode 6 kicked them up a further notch still and finally launched the show into the territory of its fellow comedy giants. The quality rose yet again in the transition from the first to the second series, but I wouldn't say that it's improved since. But that's fine: it doesn't have to further improve, it's already plenty good.

It's hard to pick a favorite between S2E2 "The Psychiatrist" and S2E3 "Waldorf Salad." I love S2E1, too, but I think it's defeated by these two. "The Psychiatrist" was just wonderfully, wonderfully written. You really felt bad for Basil and, even though his initial envy-spurred hatred of the Mediterranean guy was unfounded, you really wanted him to prove to Sybil that the Mediterranean had snuck a woman into his room. So ... all the other hijinx were just oh my word. That poor man. "Waldorf Salad" kinda busted my ass a bit since it portrays a stereotypical asshole American -- loud, obnoxious, confrontational, everything's about money -- but in the end the American ends up becoming the hero and poor Basil is restored to his role as hopeless antivillain. Felt so bad for him when the American walked in on him ranting at "Terry" in the kitchen. Felt even worse for him with the group meeting in the lobby. And then the image of him in the rain ... oh man. Even though he's such a horrible person, you can't help but to feel sorry for the guy. ^^;

Now I'm starting to see why people like this show. But it took nine episodes to get here, to get to the point where I felt the praise was deserved. And ... I'd still withhold that praise for Episodes 1-4. ^^; But episodes 6 on forward, and hell, even episode 5 if we're feeling generous, those are the episodes that I would say lend Fawlty Towers its positive reputation.
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Old 01-26-2012, 02:30 PM   #17
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I actually agree, Season one is good, but not really that fantastic (except for the German episode even if only for the funny walk).

I have to say I like S2E1 the best, followed by

Spoiler: show
S2 E I forgot, but it involves a dead man and some dodgy kippers
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Old 01-26-2012, 06:01 PM   #18
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Pretty sure that's Episode 4, Milo.

And yeah, you can kind of tell that Series 2 was filmed about four years after Series 1 with the improvement in quality. Glad you've finally started laughing, Talon xd
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Old 01-29-2012, 02:06 AM   #19
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Finished this but forgot to post about it!

Season 2 Episode 4 "The Kipper and the Corpse" was an excellent episode but for one problem: why did Basil feel the need to move the body in the first place? In real life, you'd just lock the door to the room and wait for the coroner to arrive. Why on earth would you rather the body be anywhere else (closet, other bedroom, office, kitchen)? Any other place is either no better (e.g. another bed) or else is worse (e.g. the kitchen). So it was kind of unrealistic that he would have felt the need to move the body the first time. But from that moment on, the episode was brilliant. Loved it. In spite of its logical fallacy, it remains ranked alongside its fellow Season 2 greats (1-3) and is one of the best in the franchise. Absolutely loved the part where Basil walks into the kitchen real quick and sees the doctor making his own sausages, having entirely given up on the hotel staff making them for him. Really, there are just so many great moments in this episode though. The old sobbing woman? Manuel? The very end when Basil crawls into the basket and leaves Sybil to handle everyone's questions? ("BASIL! BASIL! BASIL! BASIL! ") Just a brilliant, brilliant episode.

Season 2 Episode 5 "The Anniversary" was a potentially good episode but was utterly ruined by one annoying prat: Roger. Absolutely hated this episode as a result which, if I objectively allow for all the episode's other excellent moments, means I'd probably score it somewhere around the same point as S1E5 or S1E6. My problem with Roger was, he was basically the home viewer given voice. But he was so smug about it, so proud of himself for declaring the obvious, that it really got on my nerves. The series has already had similar characters who were far better, like the Californian tourist from S2E3 "Waldorf Salad", who like Roger also caught on that Basil was concocting an elaborate lie but who unlike Roger (1) never broke through the fourth wall, feeling entirely in-universe the whole time and (2) were far classier in how they cornered Fawlty. Roger was just ... not very clever. Paradoxically so, since obviously he's the cleverest one of Basil's guests. I dunno. Don't know to what extent it was the IRL actor and to what extent it was the character of Roger, but I just ... really wanted to sock him in the jaw every time his fug mug showed up on camera. Even if we don't worry about Roger, though, this was still the weakest episode of Series 2. So ... on to the finale! ^^;

Season 2 Episode 6 "Basil the Rat" ... how sad that this is the last of the Fawlty Towers episodes! You mean I've only got five classic episodes to enjoy in future? (Oh, how my tune's changed in just one week! ) This was another great episode. I'm not sure I'd rank it above S2E2, S2E3, or S2E4, but I'd probably rank it above S2E1. A lot of fantastic moments. Totally had the same thought as Basil about Mr. Carnegie "the Scavenger Gourmet" when the scene began, and felt SO BAD for him when we then found out Mr. Carnegie's identity. "Thank God we English can laugh at each other, eh? A ha ha!" LOL @ poor Manuel and his "Siberian hamster." LOL @ the veal. LOL @ the Major. LOL @ the rat's name. And lol @ the final scene ... with the health inspector speechless and Basil having passed out and being dragged out of the dining hall by Manuel.


(click to see larger version)

Final thoughts:
I don't know whether John Cleese and Connie Booth are to credit for it or whether the new director is, but there's a definite difference in quality between the 1975 series (Season 1) and the 1979 series (Season 2). Perhaps the modest popularity of the first series allowed Cleese and Booth, in the four years they had between the two series, to come up with some really brilliant ideas and to play up what audiences loved about S1 while playing down what they hated about it. Because where S1 was rather dull and did not really utilize Cleese very well, S2 was hysterical and found a way to let the former Python breathe unrestricted. In many ways, Fawlty Towers almost feels like a spiritual predecessor to Seinfeld, the popular American sitcom of the 1990s which, like Cleese and Booth's sitcom of the 1970s, did a remarkable job of establishing three or four seemingly separate story threads at the beginning of each episode but then, in cataclysmic hilarity, having them all tie in to one another by episode's end.

Glad I stuck with it, but I still stand by my earlier criticisms. Fawlty Towers is sadly a schizoid franchise with an underwhelming first half and an award-deserving second half. If viewers can suffer through the first four or five episodes, they'll find themselves rewarded with numerous smiles, chuckles, and and maybe even a hearty laugh or two before the final credits roll on the twelfth episode.
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Old 01-29-2012, 11:05 AM   #20
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Season 2 Episode 6 "Basil the Rat" ... how sad that this is the last of the Fawlty Towers episodes! You mean I've only got five classic episodes to enjoy in future? (Oh, how my tune's changed in just one week! ) This was another great episode. I'm not sure I'd rank it above S2E2, S2E3, or S2E4, but I'd probably rank it above S2E1. A lot of fantastic moments. Totally had the same thought as Basil about Mr. Carnegie "the Scavenger Gourmet" when the scene began, and felt SO BAD for him when we then found out Mr. Carnegie's identity. "Thank God we English can laugh at each other, eh? A ha ha!" LOL @ poor Manuel and his "Siberian hamster." LOL @ the veal. LOL @ the Major. LOL @ the rat's name. And lol @ the final scene ... with the health inspector speechless and Basil having passed out and being dragged out of the dining hall by Manuel.
This sounds like the episode my mum and I saw. I remember it definitely involved a rat.

There are really only 12 episodes? Wow. Didn't realize it was that short. You can find them all on YT?
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Old 12-26-2016, 07:09 PM   #21
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Lil' Bluey

So I spent my Christmas Eve marathoning this. Why? I dunno.

Funnily enough, I had an opposite experience of Talon where I found myself laughing out loud more within the first four-five episodes than I did the rest of the show. (Except for the first ep, which seemed pretty slow and boring up until the payoff at the end.) Even though objectively I could tell the difference in improved writing quality between seasons, I barely broke past a smile or chuckle here and there in S2. Strange. =/ Could have something to do with it not feeling as fresh or surprising by that point? *shrug*

The one that had me in stitches the most was probably S1E3 ("The Wedding Party"). Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting so much sexual humor in an old British sitcom (especially when the main couple apparently still can't be shown sharing a bed together - or maybe that is by their choice, given the status of their relationship ^^; ), but the piling up of misunderstandings - cliché as they were - amused me greatly.

There were times when it got a bit uncomfortable due to the era, such as in the above when a woman made a homophobic comment in regards to the implication that Basil and Manuel were sleeping together. Though I was able to brush that one off since it went by pretty quickly, S1E6 ("The Germans") did lay it on thick enough to hamper my enjoyment of it, unfortunately.

Still, I thought it was kinda progressive in a way that they were willing to even address homosexuality at the time. The chef in S1E5 ("Gourmet Night") having a crush on Manuel was honestly pretty cute. XP Poor guy.

I agree John Cleese's acting truly makes him the star of the show; his physical breakdown bits are some of the best parts. "The Anniversary" wouldn't have gotten much of a laugh out of me if not for the moment Basil just drops down on the driveway and pounds his fists in despair after his wife drives off. OTL And in S2E2, when he curls up and frog-hops right in front of the psychiatrist and his wife. 8'3 Oh, Basil...

I lightly disagree that the rest of the cast is uninteresting. I at least came to care about Manuel (caricature though he is), if because of all the abuse he suffers at his employer's hands. Polly is probably the dullest of the bunch, but I was honestly curious as to why Sybil stuck with Basil all these years if they butt heads so much. I was half-hoping to see some glimmer of hope by the end that, beneath all the bickering they really do love each other - or at least learn about how they met and got married in the first place. Shame the series ended after only 12 eps. Where's the rest of the story, damnit. >.<

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Season 2 Episode 4 "The Kipper and the Corpse" was an excellent episode but for one problem: why did Basil feel the need to move the body in the first place? In real life, you'd just lock the door to the room and wait for the coroner to arrive.
To answer this question, I believe it's because the guest was scheduled to leave that day and they had another reservation coming, and all the other rooms were booked.
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