Black Adder the Third Ink and Incapability (1987) watch online HD

"Ink and Incapability" is great from the start. It is far funnier than "Dish and Dishonesty", and is intelligently written - Blackadder's sticky situations really make you feel part of the show. The idea to have an episode around Dr Johnson and his dictionary was an absolutely great one, and one that is brought well to the silver screen. The stupidity of Baldrick and Prince George is at its best here - them helping Blackadder rewrite the dictionary was bound to bring out their extreme thickness. Yes, it is predictable, and the ending should have been done slightly better, but this is a 10/10 episode all the way - I hugely enjoyed watching this, and never has a bad moment. This is the highlight of Series 3, and is a worthy one at that - it is historically accurate (well, in some aspects) and very funny. This is one of the greatest Blackadder episodes ever - no others in Series 3 will recapture its dizzy heights. A great job! 10/10

Like the rest of the episodes of the third series, it really helps to understand the history of the time in which it was set. For example, you need to know who Lady Hamilton was and her relationship with Admiral Nelson, who Samuel Johnson was, etc. to fully enjoy the jokes. However, you don't need to be a history professor either, as the chronology of what occurs is often wrong and most of the jokes are understandable even if you never took British history....but it helps!

This particular episode concerns Samuel Johnson's dictionary--the first in the English language and a work considered one of the greatest of the age. Because it's such an important work, he comes to the thickie (George, the Price Regent) to gain his patronage. But, since Goerge IS a total imbecile, he cannot in any way comprehend what a dictionary is--and he keeps wondering who the hero in the story is! To make things worse, after completely insulting Johnson, George and Baldrick burn the manuscript!!! A bit later, Edmund learns that Johnson's anachronistic friends (various annoying 19th century poets) will kill anyone who would destroy this work! In response, Edmund spends all weekend trying to re-create the dictionary--hoping no one will be the wiser! The twist at the end of the show is painful to watch and thus, quite entertaining! For those who have no idea what British history is about, I'd give this one a 7. For history-lovers, history teachers (like myself) and professors, this would earn a 10. An overall score of 9 seems reasonable.

I've been hearing about this TeeVee series for years and finally watched an episode.

Its probably not a fair assessment because the gimmick depends on accretive jokes. But I was fairly impressed.

The reason is that the basis for the story and many of the jokes depends on a literary awareness. Its a bit of a pleasure. No, the jokes weren't any better in formation than what you usually see. But there's something deep and lasting in literate humor, even silly puns. I wonder why this is so rare, even in films.

This is superimposed on relationship situations. Most sitcoms are, but because this is intelligently British, its not based on friends and lovers, but on class. Even for this non- Brit, that element goes deeper.

If I were going to mess with TeeVee shows, this would be near the top of the list.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

"Ink And Incapability" is THE Blackadder episode to show to someone new to the show. And no, I'm not overselling it.

The premise is about Dr Samuel Johnson lending the prince his newly completed dictionary to be its patron only for Baldrick to burn it when he leaves. This forces Blackadder, Baldrick and George to rewrite the entire dictionary, which originally took ten years, in a single night.

The episode also informs us about Edmund's magnum opus: A Butler's Tale (filled with sizzling gypsies). We also get Baldrick's semi-autobiographical work about a little sausage named Baldrick.

Struggling to come up with definitions is a really clever idea for Curtis and Elton to play with as our hero must define 'A' and 'Aardvark' whilst his servant defines 'Dog' (not a cat) and for the letter C 'a big blue wobbly thing with fish'.

Suffice to say that the randomly hilarious dream-sequence is a deserving fan-favourite moment as Baldrick becomes an Alsatian and Blackadder falls in love with Dr Johnson before his aunt drops by... It's deliciously ludicrous.

By far the best 'main series' episode of them all, except possibly "Goodbyeee". 10/10

Blackadder

Curtis and Atkinson's passionate project of upsetting your expectation on both literature and history, is one of the rare art that inspires us even after decades. The writing still holds for both its maturity and pettiness, never has been before, a sketchy act so witty and truthful to its theme. It starts from the scratch on the infamous royal history of Britain and ends on a dramatic World War note, where both the humor and drama is given sincere respect on writing and performance. Despite of depicting various different stages of history with new characters, the themes often dwells on the chemistry of a master and a squire.

And with equations shuffling like cards, where either there is envy, honesty and vacuous-ness between their relationship, the close calls that is the ignition of the chaotic humor is something that stays with us throughout the series. It often tilts towards satirical where politics, democracy, monarchy and even humanity is put to trial and being laughed at. Atkinson, as the soul and the title of the series, challenges himself on all sorts of personas, from gullible to being cunning as a fox, his necessity on greed and humility is the fabrication of the history itself.

Robinson is the apt supporter of his, on every literal sense where every now and then brilliant actors like Laurie and Fry invests their talent in, to raise the bar. The world built by Curtis and Atkinson is a mirror to our own only with a slight change of post or title or references, the emotions and circumstances it goes through, still can easily be seen around us and it is that nakedness of the game that we are curious to dazzle with. Blackadder is much more than a mere series or a period sitcom, it has memories of ours and theirs childhood that makes it long last.

Ink And Incapability

Atkinson fluently imputing complicated words while mocking is one of those rare gems that can rumble you with laughter at any point, and it would barely matter where the storyline is leading towards, another major triumph.

Prince George has been asked to be the patron for Dr Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language; but can't see what it can be for; who will be interested in a book without a dashing hero and his love interest!? Meanwhile Blackadder, who dislikes Johnson because he ignored his novel, taunts him with words that aren't in his dictionary. Johnson storms out forgetting to take his dictionary with him; he tells Blackadder to get if for him but by then it is too late Baldrick has burnt it! Blackadder must come up with a cunning plan if he is to escape the wrath of Johnson and his friends Byron, Shelly and Coleridge.

This is a fine episode which is helped if you know something about the history of the time… even if the story plays fast and loose with that history. The regular cast are as funny as we've come to expect and Robbie Coltrane is great as Dr Johnson; a serious character who is made funny by his own pomposity. The attempts to rewrite the burnt dictionary are amusing as is the subplot involving the novel written by Blackadder under a feminine pseudonym even if it does lead to an ending that isn't much of a surprise. Overall a really good episode.