Original artwork, not a still
Am I jumping the gun, Baldrick, or are the words "I have a cunning plan" marching with ill-deserved confidence in the direction of this conversation?
— Blackadder · 1983
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This is a joke about knowing someone's script too well. Blackadder makes the phrase itself into an approaching military formation, then questions whether its confidence is deserved. It belongs beside the simple cunning-plan catchphrase because it captures the other half of the routine: the master's weary recognition of exactly what is coming.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BlackadderShow the scene
In ‘Nob and Nobility’, the third episode of Blackadder the Third (1987), enthusiasm for rescuing French aristocrats has become a fashion in London. Blackadder is drawn into a wager about the Scarlet Pimpernel and needs a way to survive it. When Baldrick starts to offer help, his master anticipates the familiar announcement before it arrives. The proposed cunning plan has become so predictable that Blackadder can picture its words marching towards him.
Sources (2)
- Nob and Nobility — episode subtitle transcriptBlackadder the Third — Nob and Nobility; quoted conversationReference checked
- Blackadder the Third — WikiquoteNob and NobilityReference checked
Context reviewed
