Plot twists seem to be a difficult thing to pull off well as they have a tendency to either be very predictable when done poorly - making continuing to watch feel pointless and the ending totally disappointing if you do continue after calling it so early - or they can just end up being so contrived and convoluted as to be completely ridiculous which feels equally as disappointing.
Inside No. 9 however is like some kind of plot twist master class where the twists are usually impossible to predict, or twist again if you did work it out or sometimes there is no twist at all... which is itself a twist when you're expecting something to happen. On top of this with the format regularly shifting from comedy, to horror to drama and episodes often being dark or whimsical it becomes quite impossible to have any idea what path it is going to take from the outset with the ending either playing out as one big punch line or one horrifying realisation regardless of how funny or dark the rest of the episode was.
Also impressive is the ability to generally set each story in such a confined space without it becoming claustrophobic or boring as is often the case with bottle episodes. Often achieving this through the use of interesting styles and settings like a lack of dialogue or playing around with the flow of time in the story which in itself would make for excellent episodes even if there were no cleverness to the story. So much intrigue and character is packed into every scene that you feel as if you could probably watch for hours without tiring of the repetitive setting.
Some episodes really are genius whilst a few are a little weaker but make it no less watchable but as a series because they keep you guessing and only make you appreciate the next episode all the more. I admit I almost gave up on the series during the first episode when it was described as comedy but was a little tedious and not overly funny but I am glad I didn't because episode by episode it has only become more engrossing, funnier, darker and ever perplexing.
The one drawback it has being quite so clever is it will never be as re-watchable as the League of Gentlemen or Psychoville unless you use electroshock therapy (or just bang your head against a wall) to erase the outcomes from your mind... so I can only hope they're able to keep it going for a few more series before the universe's supply of creativity is depleted.
Inside No. 9 however is like some kind of plot twist master class where the twists are usually impossible to predict, or twist again if you did work it out or sometimes there is no twist at all... which is itself a twist when you're expecting something to happen. On top of this with the format regularly shifting from comedy, to horror to drama and episodes often being dark or whimsical it becomes quite impossible to have any idea what path it is going to take from the outset with the ending either playing out as one big punch line or one horrifying realisation regardless of how funny or dark the rest of the episode was.
Also impressive is the ability to generally set each story in such a confined space without it becoming claustrophobic or boring as is often the case with bottle episodes. Often achieving this through the use of interesting styles and settings like a lack of dialogue or playing around with the flow of time in the story which in itself would make for excellent episodes even if there were no cleverness to the story. So much intrigue and character is packed into every scene that you feel as if you could probably watch for hours without tiring of the repetitive setting.
Some episodes really are genius whilst a few are a little weaker but make it no less watchable but as a series because they keep you guessing and only make you appreciate the next episode all the more. I admit I almost gave up on the series during the first episode when it was described as comedy but was a little tedious and not overly funny but I am glad I didn't because episode by episode it has only become more engrossing, funnier, darker and ever perplexing.
The one drawback it has being quite so clever is it will never be as re-watchable as the League of Gentlemen or Psychoville unless you use electroshock therapy (or just bang your head against a wall) to erase the outcomes from your mind... so I can only hope they're able to keep it going for a few more series before the universe's supply of creativity is depleted.