The best (structured) episode...ever!

I was watching Fawlty Towers last night and was struck just good the episode 'The Germans' is, not from a laughs point of view particularly but in its structure.

There are effectively 3 episodes in one - the hospital, the hotel fire and arguing with the Germans. Just how was it possible to get all that to work in a 30 minute time frame?

My favourite FT episode is 'Communications Problems' (Mrs Richards) but 'The Germans' is the best in terms of construction.

Can you give an example that betters it?

I will have to watch 'The Germans' again for comparison but the best written episode of anything I thought was the last episode of series 1 of Joking Apart. It's absolutely perfect farce, culminating in the most ridiculous of scenes near the end.

Dan

Frasier has some incredible episodes for structure.. Steptoe too...

Terry and June when Terry drops the shopping and makes that face.

Just so funny, that scene has been my fav writing wank for years.

How did they get that much fun in a mere six hundred episode sitcom.....

Awsome

Father Ted, springs to mind. That whole Chinese episode, or the football one. Where you see props coming, and great big set ups and they still make you laugh.

David Renwick's One Foot In The Grave scripts were always immaculately structured.

Allo Allo is an interesting example. All set up, and no humour.

I don't think you should get too beholden to structure, though. Curb Your Enthusiasm is a good example in that now you kind of watch it waiting for the pay offs to come. It becomes mechanical. Sometimes it's nice just to have a more rough and ready structure, and not try to be too clever. Arrested Development is a good example of a more haphazardly structured show, yet no less funny for that.

Quote: sootyj @ March 5, 2008, 10:41 AM

Allo Allo is an interesting example. All set up, and no humour.

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We've already established you're backwards. No need to provide further evidence.

My nomination has to be pretty much any episode of Coupling. One in particular, I think it's the last episode of series one, has the exact same scene twice; once from one set of perspectives, and once from another - including a language swap.

Some of the stuff Moffat did with Coupling can be described as little short of amazing.

I think Black Adder goes forth, in particular the final episode was well structured, and to a lesser extent so is Porridge.

I think the Frasier episodes where Roz is pregnant and they all stay in that ski lodge were amazingly structured.

Quote: Aaron @ March 5, 2008, 10:53 AM

We've already established you're backwards. No need to provide further evidence.

My nomination has to be pretty much any episode of Coupling. One in particular, I think it's the last episode of series one, has the exact same scene twice; once from one set of perspectives, and once from another - including a language swap.

Some of the stuff Moffat did with Coupling can be described as little short of amazing.

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Well that'sjust rude.

But Allo Allo endless teaspoon deep charcters, repeating the same hackneyed situations over, and over again, and over again. The fallen maddona with the big boobies, lets fake execution, hilarious French, and English accentsm tranvestysim. This is one of those shows they put on in Guatanomo when water boarding alone isn't vicious enough. Play those in Calais on a big Plasma Screen, and immigration, would just dry up. Seriously it's as funny as Country Ways.

Quote: sootyj @ March 5, 2008, 12:43 PM

Well that'sjust rude.

But Allo Allo endless teaspoon deep charcters, repeating the same hackneyed situations over, and over again, and over again. The fallen maddona with the big boobies, lets fake execution, hilarious French, and English accentsm tranvestysim. This is one of those shows they put on in Guatanomo when water boarding alone isn't vicious enough. Play those in Calais on a big Plasma Screen, and immigration, would just dry up. Seriously it's as funny as Country Ways.

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I loathed all that 'good moaning' shite but of all the stuff on the box I think it had something about it that we miss today and that is it was clean in every way. You could watch it with the kids knowing there would be no tourettes involved.

Mind you, that may have "FUKK"!! improved Renee's character

Quote: sootyj @ March 5, 2008, 12:43 PM

But Allo Allo endless teaspoon deep charcters, repeating the same hackneyed situations over, and over again, and over again. The fallen maddona with the big boobies, lets fake execution, hilarious French, and English accentsm tranvestysim.

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Still bloody funny though.

Quote: sootyj @ March 5, 2008, 12:43 PM

Play those in Calais on a big Plasma Screen, and immigration, would just dry up.

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I'll set about acquiring the necessary rights immediately.