Ep 1. Captain Cook
- TVPG
- 29 min
-
8.2 (1,032)
In "BlackAdder" season 4 episode 1, titled "Captain Cook," we find ourselves in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars. Edmund Blackadder is now a butler to the Prince Regent, and in this episode, the Prince Regent has tasked Blackadder with finding a new cook to replace their missing French chef. The Prince is particularly keen to have a meal based around an exotic ingredient: the potato.
Blackadder has enlisted the help of his faithful servant Baldrick to scour the country for a new cook, but their search proves to be fruitless until they stumble upon a tall, thin man named George who claims to be a cook. George's credentials are dubious, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so Blackadder hires him and sets him to work on the potato menu.
Meanwhile, the Prince Regent has received news that a French spy is in the country and has been spotted in his own palace. The spy is rumored to be looking for a secret document hidden within the paintings on the palace walls. The Prince calls in two "experts" in art, the Duke of Wellington and Samuel Johnson, to help uncover the document before the French spy can find it.
As Blackadder and Baldrick prepare the kitchen for George to work his culinary magic, they discover that George is not quite what he seems--in fact, he may be the French spy they've been warned about. But in typical Blackadder fashion, Edmund sees a way to use George's presence to his own advantage.
As the tension builds between the French spy and the British authorities, George is left to slave away in the kitchen, attempting to create the perfect potato dish for the Prince Regent's dinner. But will his efforts be rewarded, or will the evening be ruined by the revelation of George's true identity?
"Captain Cook" is an episode of "BlackAdder" that combines the show's trademark humor with its sharper political satire. The episode is full of witty one-liners and acerbic commentary on the British aristocracy and military class, as well as the dynamics of international relations during wartime. The plot is convoluted and full of twists and turns, but at its core is a classic "BlackAdder" storyline: Edmund Blackadder scheming to get ahead and come out on top, no matter what the cost.