Inside Inside No 9…
Merrily, Merrily
Season 6 of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s glorious anthology series was proof that there is plenty of life in the old dog yet. The publication of a companion book and a subsequent live Q & A tour also suggests that there is more to come, and if season opener Merrily, Merrily is anything to go by, we are in for another treat with season seven.
Lawrence (Shearsmith) organises a university reunion with his pals Callum (Mark Gatiss) and Darren (Pemberton). Much to Lawrence’s annoyance, Darren brings along his new girlfriend Donna (Diane Morgan). It soon becomes clear that Lawrence has an ulterior motive.
Merrily, Merrily is classic Inside No 9. It’s laugh-out-loud funny (‘If life gives you melons… you’re probably dyslexic), darkly poignant and also genuinely touching. Shearsmith and Pemberton take the premise of The World’s End (Lawrence shares more than a strand of DNA with Simon Pegg’s Gary King) and turns it into something much more emotionally affecting. It is, of course, wonderful to see them reunited with Gatiss, and the latter is typically great as the more pompous character of the three, and Morgan compliments the League of Gentlemen wonderfully, often boasting some of the funniest lines.
My only gripe with Merrily, Merrily is that the twist is unnecessary and if anything it actually detracts from the ending. Quibbles aside; however, this is a strong start to the season and this bodes well for what is to come later.
Mr King
Despite claims to the contrary, Inside No 9 very rarely goes full horror. Dead Line is too gimmicky, 12 Days of Christine is dark without really being true horror, and Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room has too much heart. The shocking reveal at the end of The Devil of Christmas is probably the closest Shearsmith and Pemberton have come to pure horror… until now.
Mr Curtis (Shearsmith) is a formerly London based teacher who moves to the Welsh countryside for some much needed convalescence. Whilst his headteacher Mr Edwards (Pemberton) perhaps seems a little backward, it appears his heart is in the right place. The children; however. seem a little off, as does their continual references to Mr King, their beloved previous teacher.
So, a genuine straight up horror episode then. One that has few laughs and the ones it does contain plunge the depths of human decency. And the whole thing is played beautifully, the rug pull is superbly executed, and the result is something genuinely unsettling. The elephant in the room here is The Wicker Man. Now, I understand that this is meant as a loving homage to that horror classic, but it sails too close to Robin Hardy’s film for comfort. This really is The Wicker Man crossed with Children of the Corn, and while the overall effect is suitably sinister, Mr King doesn’t offer enough of its own ideas to truly stand alone.
A good episode, but not a great one.
Nine Lives Kat
Inside No 9 has played around with the concept of the unreliable narrator before, most notably on Tom & Gerri and Wuthering Heist, but unreliable narrators (plural) is certainly a first.
When the audience is introduced to Katrina (Sophie Okonedo), a generic, boiler plate character who could have walked straight off the set of any number of uninspired ITV dramas, it is clear that Shearsmith and Pemberton have something else up their sleeves. As this is one of those episodes in which the less you know the better, I would urge anyone who hasn’t already to watch the episode before reading this review.
Also featuring the fantastically named sleuth Barnabus Bull (Shearsmith) and cynical crime fiction writer Ezra (Pemberton), Nine Lives Kat moves skilfully through its various reveals before landing on its final denouement with a satisfied grin. While the conclusion is perhaps more predictable than some of their other entries, the journey justifies the destination and the performances are great across the board.
Kid/Nap
Sometimes, Inside No 9 is at its best when they forget about the twists and turns of a labyrinthine plot and just get a great cast in to have some fun instead. And the Winner Is… and The Bill are both fine examples of what I’m talking about. Kid/Nap isn’t quite as free and easy as those two entries, but it is in the same arena.
Clifford (Jason Isaacs) and Shane (Daniel Mays) plan to abduct Lara (Daisy Haggard), the wife of a wealthy hedge fund manager. As I’m almost contractually obliged to state at this point in the review – things aren’t always what they seem.
Kid/Nap does contain a few plot twists, but it’s mainly just an opportunity for possibly the finest comedic cast they have yet assembled to bounce off each other with giddy prowess for 25 minutes. This is not the most memorable of 9s, but it is one of the most purely entertaining. A good time is had by all.
A Random Act of Kindness
As a teacher, I spend my whole life around teenagers, and I can confirm that they are sometimes truculent, difficult and argumentative. Weren’t we all? But Zach’s (Noah Valentine) bitterness and resentment is on another level.
Following the departure of his father to Singapore, Zach has a strained relationship with his mother Helen (Jessica Hynes) – at one point he asks her why she is being such a ‘fucking bitch’. Things start to change for Zach following the arrival of Bob (Steve Pemberton) – a local science professor who offers to tutor Zach on the finer points of physics.
Without giving too much away, the twist, when it comes, is an interesting one, and its executed perfectly, but a B plot that revolves around Rudolph (Reece Shearsmith) – a different mad scientist – feels tacked on and rushed. There are times when Shearsmith and Pemberton feel hampered by the show’s skinny running time, and this is one of those times. Ultimately, there are too many plot threads to resolve here, and the episode suffers as a result of it.
Wise Owl
I am old enough to remember when public service announcements were absolutely terrifying. I’ve got vivid memories of being ushered into my school hall whilst a huge television was wheeled out, hoping for a film, and instead being subjected to someone being electrocuted or drowned or burned to death. Halcyon days. Wise Owl takes that concept and runs with it to an inevitably dark conclusion…
Messers Pemberton and Shearsmith often throw out a horror episode for the final one of the series, but Wise Owl is possibly the darkest 25 minutes of television they have ever produced. One nightmarish image of a naked man wearing nothing but an owl head costume was pure nightmare fuel, and this once again had me aching for the possibility that they might one day create something that is pure, unadulterated horror.
Wise Owl is a strong sign off for a series that won’t go down as classic Inside No. 9 but which did contain plenty of classic moments.