Reading through all the comments, and I'm in agreement about the excellence of this last episode. I love Blackadder, and indeed most British/Irish sitcoms in general. But this episode was really a perfect mix of gallows humor and genuine drama; a very rare thing to find, especially done with such fine balance.
Like others found, this was the episode that for me turned Darling from a one-note lick-spittle into a genuine, real character with hopes and dreams of his own. That one comment about marrying Doris was brilliant for that reason.
But the thing I took away from this episode more than anything else was this was the first time you really see Edmund actually show some real military bearing and leadership. Here's a guy who's a career army officer but never really acts like it, until this last moment when he resignedly puts on his helmet and leads the charge over the wall. No shirking, no holding back; at that last moment he was a true soldier and leader, which made the ending that much more poignant.
One thing I always thought I saw when I watched this, and wondered about others. When they go over the top and the film goes into slow-motion, I could swear it looked like Blackadder at least was shot almost immediately. It's kind of hard to tell, really, because it IS so slow, but it looks like he grimaces, and is being knocked back a bit. It's only for a second, but that's what it looked like to me. Anyone else see that? If you watch this YouTube video, go to 2:51 and pause; you'll see what I mean.
http://youtu.be/vH3-Gt7mgyM
Whores will have their trinkets.
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