Original artwork, not a still
Baldrick, your brain is like the four-headed, man-eating haddock fish beast of Aberdeen. - In what way? - It doesn't exist.
— Blackadder • 1983
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The monster's extravagant description invites Baldrick to expect an interesting compliment or explanation. His sincere question lets Blackadder collapse the whole creation in three words. The complete exchange is the joke: without Baldrick's curiosity, the invented haddock is only another colourful comparison.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BlackadderShow the scene
In Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988), Sir Edmund Blackadder's efforts to survive the fall of Charles I are accompanied by Baldrick's usual offers of help. He compares his servant's brain to an elaborate imaginary beast. Baldrick asks the natural follow-up question, giving Blackadder the opportunity to reveal that nonexistence is the resemblance he had in mind. The exchange gives this seventeenth-century pair their own version of the dynasty's familiar insult routine.
Sources (2)
- The Cavalier Years — episode subtitle transcriptBlackadder: The Cavalier Years — The Cavalier Years; quoted conversationReference checked
- Blackadder: The Cavalier Years — WikiquoteThe Cavalier YearsReference checked
Context reviewed
