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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 439665" data-attributes="member: 5079">From the highest to the lowest.&nbsp; It was bound to happen -- with any ranking, something has to be at the bottom.&nbsp; &quot;The Psychiatrist&quot; is my least favorite episode to date and the only one I&#039;ve come even remotely close to disliking.&nbsp; It&#039;s an odd episode with a few funny moments, but overall I found it fell curiously flat.For one, Manuel and especially Polly have notably reduced roles.&nbsp; I barely recall what Polly actually did in the episode, but at least Manuel had one great moment.&nbsp; Him proudly and obtusely explaining to Basil that he had warned Mrs Fawlty that Basil fell off the ladder while looking for the girl was both funny and a bit sweet.&nbsp; I laughed a few times throughout the episode, but those laughs felt random rather than organic.&nbsp; So many presumed gags just kind of sputtered out or trailed off.It seemed like the episode started with plenty of potential -- Basil &amp; Sybil both having their own objects of lust and jealousies, Basil&#039;s paranoia at what the psychiatrist.&nbsp; None of it seemed to amount to much though.&nbsp; One of my curiosities about the first season is how blasé the guests were at Basil&#039;s behavior.&nbsp; I wrote it off as English sangfroid.&nbsp; The (lack of) reactions of people in this episode is inexplicable.&nbsp; Basil peering through windows, sneaking into rooms, grabbing guests repeatedly -- and the guests remain unfazed.&nbsp; It gives the episode an unreal feeling.&nbsp; Even the wildest of comedy needs to be grounded in a sense of reality.The worst for me was the shift in Basil &amp; Sybil&#039;s relationship.&nbsp; Until now, they have been equally contemptuous and indifferent to each other; there was something ambiguous and sublime about their animosity.&nbsp;&nbsp; In this episode, overt insults and slaps made the relationship feel petty and ugly.&nbsp; I found myself disliking both of them.&nbsp; Characters fighting has to be really funny to avoid being awkward and unpleasant.&nbsp; I didn&#039;t find the fighting here to be funny, just unpleasant.&nbsp; Not much of a factor, but this is also the first episode with British references I didn&#039;t understand.&nbsp; Basil referenced several men early in the episode; I have no idea who they were.&nbsp; He also said something to Sybil obviously meant as an insult, but I didn&#039;t get the reference.While this episode wasn&#039;t so bad to qualify as &quot;I&#039;ll skip it next time I watch the series&quot;, I don&#039;t have any interest in giving it another chance now.&nbsp; Fingers crossed that episode 9 is closer in tone to episode 7!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 439665, member: 5079"] From the highest to the lowest. It was bound to happen -- with any ranking, something has to be at the bottom. "The Psychiatrist" is my least favorite episode to date and the only one I've come even remotely close to disliking. It's an odd episode with a few funny moments, but overall I found it fell curiously flat. For one, Manuel and especially Polly have notably reduced roles. I barely recall what Polly actually did in the episode, but at least Manuel had one great moment. Him proudly and obtusely explaining to Basil that he had warned Mrs Fawlty that Basil fell off the ladder while looking for the girl was both funny and a bit sweet. I laughed a few times throughout the episode, but those laughs felt random rather than organic. So many presumed gags just kind of sputtered out or trailed off. It seemed like the episode started with plenty of potential -- Basil & Sybil both having their own objects of lust and jealousies, Basil's paranoia at what the psychiatrist. None of it seemed to amount to much though. One of my curiosities about the first season is how blasé the guests were at Basil's behavior. I wrote it off as English sangfroid. The (lack of) reactions of people in this episode is inexplicable. Basil peering through windows, sneaking into rooms, grabbing guests repeatedly -- and the guests remain unfazed. It gives the episode an unreal feeling. Even the wildest of comedy needs to be grounded in a sense of reality. The worst for me was the shift in Basil & Sybil's relationship. Until now, they have been equally contemptuous and indifferent to each other; there was something ambiguous and sublime about their animosity. In this episode, overt insults and slaps made the relationship feel petty and ugly. I found myself disliking both of them. Characters fighting has to be really funny to avoid being awkward and unpleasant. I didn't find the fighting here to be funny, just unpleasant. Not much of a factor, but this is also the first episode with British references I didn't understand. Basil referenced several men early in the episode; I have no idea who they were. He also said something to Sybil obviously meant as an insult, but I didn't get the reference. While this episode wasn't so bad to qualify as "I'll skip it next time I watch the series", I don't have any interest in giving it another chance now. Fingers crossed that episode 9 is closer in tone to episode 7! [/QUOTE]

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