Original artwork, not a still
You shot my Speckled Jim?!
— Blackadder ‧ 1983
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Melchett's outrage gives one pigeon an importance that the command rarely grants to the men in the trenches. Blackadder's practical escape scheme has collided with the one casualty his general cannot bear. The name is crucial to the joke: a pigeon suddenly becomes a beloved individual, and Blackadder becomes its unforgivable enemy.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BlackadderShow the scene
In ‘Corporal Punishment’, the second episode of Blackadder Goes Forth (1989), Blackadder shoots and eats a carrier pigeon while trying to avoid orders to advance. The bird turns out to be Speckled Jim, General Melchett's much-loved pet. Melchett's fury makes the resulting court martial anything but impartial. The cry is the moment a supposedly military disciplinary matter becomes an intensely personal grievance.
Sources (2)
- Corporal Punishment — episode subtitle transcriptBlackadder Goes Forth — Corporal Punishment; quoted conversationReference checked
- Blackadder Goes Forth — WikiquoteCorporal PunishmentReference checked
Context reviewed
