I knew, I knew!
(for once)
Sitcoms intending to highlight an issue but failed Page 3
Quote: zooo @ June 16 2008, 7:32 PM BSTI knew, I knew!
(for once)
I was actually going to type a load of stuff about it reminding me of how I felt after the war ended, etc, but that was in another thread and only Zooo would have got it ... but I couldn't be arsed and Zooo still understood .. clever girl 
She is more than a mere girl. She is an all-knowing, heavenly deity. And at just age 21, too!
I can't imagine how a sitcom would ever be the ideal vehicle for 'highlighting an issue'.
I imagine the only issue highlighted by attempting to do so would be one's lack of grasp on reality.
'Father Ted' has a number of allusions to corruption, paedophilia and undue social influence on the part of the Irish priesthood but, very wisely, Linehan and Mathews kept these generally to minimal, one liner references.
Quote: Griff @ June 18 2008, 2:45 PM BSTMaybe we should have a thread on "sitcoms intending to highlight an issue which succeeded". It would be very short. But, for example, I would point to the famous final episode of Blackadder which managed to make a serious point, although admittedly not a contemporary one.
Are you talking about the final scene at the end of Blackadder Goes Forth?
Def.
There is an episode of ''the thin blue line '' where Rowan ~(if I do racism ,sexism, and godawful childish prat falls it is funny , but not when anyone else does it ) Atkinson ,inserted a rant about the private ownership of handguns ( post Dunblane obviously,as he hadn't given it much thought before that.....) into an episode.
I would like to insert the whole thing into Mr Atkinsons arse wrapped around a landmine.
Surely Ben Elton?
The Vicar of Dibley did a lot regarding female clergy.
Ben who?
Quote: Aaron @ June 18 2008, 5:13 PM BSTSurely Ben Elton?
Have you got examples? I know he gets a lot of political banter in to his writing but it's a lot different to how they they put the campain stuff into The Vicar of Dibly.
I stand to be corrected though. I guess you have the example mentioned above of The Thin Blue Line.
Def.
Quote: Deferenz @ June 18 2008, 5:53 PM BSTHave you got examples? I know he gets a lot of political banter in to his writing but it's a lot different to how they they put the campain stuff into The Vicar of Dibly.
Eh? Not sure I follow?
I am the only person on this planet who didn't realy like that ending of Blackadder.
I've never been the hugest fan of it, but it has grown on me. In some ways it doesn't feel quite 'right', being so different in tone from the rest of the series. But on its own, as an isolated 30 seconds or so of television, it's a pretty poignant sequence.
Well I'm not quite sure what I mean. I think I like it in itself, but don't feel it quite fits the show or something.
Yes. I suppose I just don't think it fits.
But didn't all the series have disturbing horrible endings? I remember one ended with them all dead on the floor.
Quite scary when I was young.
Quote: zooo @ June 18 2008, 7:02 PM BSTI am the only person on this planet who didn't realy like that ending of Blackadder.
I thought it was really poignant. I only watched it a year ago, but I thought it was really good.
And yes, most of the time the main characters died at the end in disturbing ways, ie
That chair thing
Murder by Hugh Lourie cross dressing
Hit by a cannon-ball
Yeah, wot Griff said.
The deaths always confused me. I mean, how was the dynasty meant to have continued?