When construction starts next door to the shop, Manny, Bernard and Fran try to decide what to do while it continues.When construction starts next door to the shop, Manny, Bernard and Fran try to decide what to do while it continues.When construction starts next door to the shop, Manny, Bernard and Fran try to decide what to do while it continues.
Photos
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFran books the flight using a Psion Palmtop Computer.
- GoofsWhen Fran leaves the shop to get her contacts, Manny is wearing a white t-shirt with blue on the shoulders, but when she returns only moments later, Manny has on a blue Hawaiian-style shirt.
- Quotes
[discussing what film to see at the cinema]
Bernard: What's this? "'Blue Tunes' - Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver...
Fran: Oh, I hate her.
Bernard: ...Grouchy Leonard Blue runs a second hand record shop with his half-wit mustachioed assistant Danny...
[Manny tuts]
Bernard: ...when this zany pair team up with bitchy, neurotic neighbour Pam things are sure to be a riot of laughs". Where do they get this crap?
- ConnectionsReferences Sophie's Choice (1982)
The key to it working is that it keeps itself just on the right side of being silly. By this I mean that at no point does the absurdity and surrealism of it all even fall into just being stupid or silly for the sake of it. I did keep waiting for some of it to tire me by perhaps trying too hard to be manic or wacky but it never did and this was because it mostly is inventive and cleverly done. Yes the plots are silly but they are inventive and they add a freshness to the traditional sort of sitcom that it could easily have been. Within these plots there are loads of nice comic touches and the show has a very talented cast to deliver all of this.
Moran and Bailey are the real stars of it to me because they work best off one another and also get the biggest laughs. That said, Greig has a stronger character this time and is more involved in the comedy with a good share of the material and laughs. Cameos come and go here and there and I did enjoy Jonny Vegas and Rob Bryant in the episodes they appear during in small roles. The performances are such a key part of making it work because they do convince and sell it, with their timing making the comedy better and funnier.
It will not appeal to all viewers perhaps but I guess there must be people who do not enjoy Father Ted etc either. Black Books is a great comedy though, silly but creative with it and I really enjoyed being back in the shop for a third season. The second season ends with a link into a plot device for a third and I will look forward to that on the basis of how many times I laughed out loud during this second season.
- bob the moo
- Apr 4, 2011
Details
- Runtime24 minutes
- Color