Original artwork, not a still
The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed.
— Blackadder · 1983
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Blackadder describes stupidity as a deserted building whose machinery is still running. Percy is not being sly or difficult; he is sincerely proud of something that plainly has not worked. That combination of misplaced confidence and an elaborately polite diagnosis makes it one of the pair's defining exchanges.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BlackadderShow the scene
In ‘Money’, the fourth episode of Blackadder II (1986), Percy tries to rescue Blackadder from his debts by practising alchemy. His supposed gold turns out to be green. Undaunted, he fashions the material into a brooch and a ring and suggests that selling the jewellery will buy back Blackadder’s house. Blackadder has little faith in a market for ornaments that look like mucus, and delivers this diagnosis of Percy’s mental absence.
Sources (2)
- Money — episode subtitle transcriptBlackadder II — Money; quoted conversationReference checked
- Blackadder II — WikiquoteMoneyReference checked
Context reviewed
