While any Blackadder episode is better than no episode at all, I really disliked this final installment of the second series. While I noticed that the other review was quite glowing, I had a much, much different reaction. For the most part, the episode was undone by a rather dull plot and horrible overacting (even for this series) by Hugh Laurie.
The show begins with learning that there has been a series of kidnappings. As for Edmund, he is completely unsympathetic about this and recommends to the Queen that she not bother paying the ransom, as anyone stupid enough to be captured deserved to die. Naturally, only minutes later, he and Melchett are both victims of this bizarre gang. Bizarre because the men doing the kidnapping speak Spanish and their boss is a German (Laurie) with an outrageous accent. Every second he's on camera, he mugs horribly his accent is about what you'd expect from a middle school student who is trying to make his classmates laugh--without much success. I frankly found the character completely incomprehensible--one of the worst characters from any Adder series. As for the end, it comes COMPLETELY from left field and actually makes no sense at all--like is was tacked on as an afterthought. The only pluses I can find in the show is the costume worn by Nursie and Blackadder's great one-liners. A sad disappointment to a great series.
