Alright. While my wife and her brother went to see Bowling for Columbine last night, I stayed home and watched several episodes of Fawlty Towers. We got the DVD set a couple of weeks ago and I put the first episode in a few days after it arrived. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled. Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was the episode, but I wasn't in to it. Now, don't get me worng, I love Fawlty Towers, have for many years. I haven't watched them in a while, but I don't think that had anything to do with my disappointment.
Last night I found myself completely entrawled with the show. I laughed out loud (which I'm sure the neighbours loved) many times and kept coming up with excuses to put off work so that I could keep watching. It was absolutely magical. John Cleese plays tightly wound better than anyone else alive. To watch him get worked up and up and up, to the point of breaking is truly a thing of beauty, And then when he lets fly - forget about it. When I first saw FT I don't think I appreciated how carefully crafted each episode is, how several plots weave in and out, rapid fire delivery, and how the whole show revolves around one final scene - be it the Germans or the Major's recalling Basil did give him the money. The genius of the show is the path the plot takes to that final scene. So often in comedies today the final scene is obvious, but so is the path to that scene. With Fawlty Towers the trip's an adventure.