The Black Adder episode 5
The fifth episode of The Black Adder was brought out on the 13th July 1983.
Warning this review will contain spoilers.
Story Summery
England is in Chosa, the return of the black death has thrown the kingdom into teramole, and King Richard too is suffering from its wrath, (and making him more violent than usual). Prince Harry was put in charge of a meeting of lords in his place, until he is informed that the king requires his presents. So, Edmund was left in charge, (oh shit). However, it is her that the other lords go rambling on that it was the work of witchcraft, (along with talking about some very crazy rumors of known witchery). It is her they send word to the witchsmeller to hunt out this so-called witchcraft.
Edmund things all this witch talk was ridiculous and goes out to learn more of the witchsmeller, from a woman named Mistress Scott who lives in the village, (the village where everyone is dying of the plague, oh dear). Unfortunately, by the time he gets there she has already been burned by the witchsmeller who accused her of being a witch. Turns out no one knows the apparencies of the witchsmeller, clamming his is a master of disguise, (which is bad for Edmund because at this point he was standing right beside him when he was insulting the witchsmeller). Imagine Edmunds shock and horror when he finds the same person standing in the court room. He then shows them all a test that tells if someone is a witch and what it is if you pick up the dagger while having a hood over your head it proves that you are a witch, so he placed the dagger and the cross on the table and a bag was put over Edmund. However unknown to him the witchsmeller swapped the objects around so that Edmund would pick up the dagger, he then accused him of being a witch and put him on trial.
Unfortunately for Edmund the witchsmeller was a devious trickster and accused him with all sorts of outlandish crimes, like having a cat named bubbles and saying its real name was more demonic. He then put Edmund’s horse on trial, (seriously is everyone at this trail really believing all this nonsense). And accused it of being a servant of Satan that Edmund had summoned forth. Well he “supposedly” couldn’t get it to confess the trail was put on hold as the witchsmeller had ways of making it talk. Edmund was taken to the dungeons along with Baldrick and Percy who witchsmeller also accused of being witches.
It is here where our trio are coming up with plans to get out of this mess. The first plan Failed due to all the great layers of the land refused to help Edmund. But then Baldrick comes up with another “cunning plan”, however we didn’t get to hear it as the scene moves to the guard’s conversation.
We then return to the trail where the witchsmeller revels that the horse did confess to Edmund being a witch before he died, (I mean the witchsmeller killed him). He then called his final witness, a woman who claimed Edmund and her gave birth to a poodle, which was all the witchsmeller needed to have all three men burned at the stake. But before they could all three of them jumped and somehow managed to get into another room, where unfortunately they run into the king’s room, and he chases them out where they are once again captured.
We then see all three men back in jail ready to be burned alive, before this though princess Leia and Edmund’s mother come to say their last goodbyes, it is here that Leia gives him a doll that seems to be a last goodbye present from his mother, (which is really useful to escape “yeah right”). We then come to the day of burning and after Edmund confesses his last words and sins the fire is lighted, (to the witchsmellers delight as this was nothing but a plan to kill Edmund for insulting him.) but it is here where Edmund drops the doll into the fire and then the witchsmeller too is set a flame. The fire then goes out with all three men unharmed and Edmund and Percy praises Baldrick as they think it was his plan that saved them, (when in fact it was thanks to Edmund’s mother who it turned out was a witch, to princess Leia’s shock). The credits then role.
Thoughts and feelings
Well, this episode was certainty interesting to say the least “in a good way”. An example of this was thanks to the actions of the witchsmeller, (played by guest star Frank Finlay). He was a great villain to have in this episode because he basically did everything to get Edmund Burned as a witch, just for insulting him.
It was also interesting to see a mix of the Salme witch trails and the Black Death. This was because instead of looking for any cure to the plague everyone was going around blaming witchcraft for their suffering, (like that was going to cure everyone dying of the Plague).
Also is it just me or is Harry thicker than I thought. Like his own brother was being accused of being a witch and he was just going along with everything the witchsmeller was telling him not even trying to support his brother, (then again Edmund did try to expose Harry as a bastard son so I guess we can call them even now).
I also liked the fact that Edmunds mother was revealed to be a witch at the end of the episode. This was because it explained how the witchsmeller suddenly went up in smoke and how the fire Edmund was on went out, it was thanks to the enchanted doll that she gave him.
Overall, I thought this was another great episode and I look forward to seeing how this chapter comes to an end in the final episode.
