Blackadder II (TV Series) Potato (1986) User Reviews

Edmund goes exploring

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 6 February 2015]

When Sir Walter Raleigh returns from his voyage to the New World, bringing the potato with him, everybody becomes obsessed with seafarers and explorers. At court Raleigh mocks Blackadder and his landlubbing ways so Edmund announces that he is in fact planning a trip round the Cape of Good Hope. He hires Capt. Rum; a legless and crewless sea captain and the set sail… He only intends to go to France and wait a while before returning and claiming to have been round the Cape but Rum can't even find France and when they finally reach land it certainly isn't anywhere in Europe! Eventually they return home but by now the Queen has lost interest in explorers. She does however expect presents for herself, Nursie and 'the boys'.

This was another quality episode with a decent story and lots of laughs. The regular cast do a fine job and Simon Jones is solid as Raleigh; however it is Tom Baker who steals the show as the literally legless Capt. Rum. A character who has no idea how to run a ship and is constantly comparing everybody to a woman... e.g. saying 'you have a woman's hands my lord' when he sees Edmund's hands; he even does this when addressing women! Being filmed in a studio it means we don't get to see the tropical island they arrive at although sound and description gives us a good idea of the place.

Worst of series two, but still classic Blackadder.

[zacpetch · 7/10 · 2 December 2014]

This is the episode that mocks explorers, something that Blackadder is quite right to do being in the Elizabethan era this series. The episode sees Edmund developing an unnecessary rivalry with Sir Walter "Ooh What A Big Ship I've Got" Raleigh upon the explorer's return from overseas in Mumbo-Jumbo Land. Raleigh is portrayed as an arrogant, patronising, snobbish bore who loves the sound of his own voice and so we watch the rivalry on Edmund's side. Very well written to make us do that.

Edmund soon takes it upon himself to out-explore his new rival into uncharted waters but true to form he isn't going alone: He's dragging an unwilling Percy and Baldrick along for the ride. Baldrick's failure to keep Percy's hiding place a secret is pure joy to witness and is one of the funnier moments on display in a relatively unfunny episode.

Most of the laughs in this outing rely upon the legendary Tom Baker of Dr Who fame as the literally legless sea captain Redbeard Rum who cannot help but point out what parts of you are female (Your Legs, Hands and Bottom, to name but a few). There's no particular reason why this is funny but I suppose repetition helps it along.

The episode is not the funniest you'll see but even so it still manages to be a good episode with two excellent one-time characters and some of Queenie's best moments ("I was hoping to greet the dashing pirate who hailed us through the door...?" "No! It was me!" "You utter creep!") and these are good points that outweigh the overdone jokes about drinking urine (which Rum was doing before the water run out).

A memorable pair of guests joining the cast for this episode but over-reliance on urine-related humour lets it down. Still, this is a good enough chunk of classic Blackadder and still well worth spending a half-hour watching. 7/10

Not the best but still watchable

[ericksonsam60 · 7/10 · 21 April 2016]

At the Queen's Court, Edmund dislikes Sir Walter Raleigh stealing his spotlight and decides to upstage him by going on a voyage to the dangerous, treacherous Cape of Good Hope.

I've never found "Potato" to be a favorite episode. It feels a little bit on the mundane side. The plot is too straightforward as it doesn't have the kind of set-up as well as twists and turns that are usually a part of what make a BA episode great. Even Edmund isn't given enough insults and one-liners on this occasion. Also, I never felt that Walter Raleigh's scenes were all that funny (even though I grant that it is probably the point since his attempts at humor in it are suppose to be lame).

However, it still has enough laughs in it to make it worthwhile. Tom Baker (best known for playing Doctor Who though here he is rather unrecognizable) steals most of it as the insane Captain Redbeard Rum. You can't help but crack up as he delivers his lines starting with the words "You have a woman's…." The final scene at end where our characters return from the journey is really funny too, where they bring back gifts that shall we say include a beard, a boomerang, and a "fine wine."

So it is the weakest episode in BlackAdder II but it certainly isn't a waste of time, either.

Excellent episode, still funny after repeat viewings

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 25 January 2021]

Sir Walter Raleigh is in town and everyone has gone sea-faring mad.

This is another excellent episode with a funny story, tremendous amount of razor-sharp banter and hilarious performances.

The plot presents Edmond in full swagger when jealous of Queen Elizabeth's whimsical fancy for Raleigh. In true alpha-male style he wants to get one over on famous sailor by achieving something he has yet to pull off. Then comes a bit of adventure on the high seas which is nowhere near as dangerous as trying to amuse her majesty.

It is a wonderfully written episode with fantastic banter, cynicism and some great satire of royal courtiers, patriotism, conformity and explorers.

Rowan Atkinson, Tim McInnery, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Tom Baker, Miranda Richardson and Patsy Byrne are all on top form.

For me it is a 9.5/10, but I like to round upwards.

Potato - another corker for Series 2!

[general-melchett · 10/10 · 30 October 2006]

Potato is another great Series 2 episode - Tom Baker appears in this, and his role as Captain Redbeard Rum is absolutely hilarious. The humour is once again strong, Baldrick is once again on stupid form (he is much funnier this way), and there are more endlessly quotable lines to be found in this. From the start to the end - Potato is an absolutely cracking episode.

Yes, the budget is still remarkably cheap for this episode - there should have at least been some fancy visuals on Blackadder's boat. However, Tom Baker's legs were hidden quite well during this episode (he is meant to be a legless captain, after all) and the effects aren't to be snorted at. Blackadder 1 may have had a higher budget than this, but this is Blackadder at its very best - clever, cheap, and cheerful. Potato is the last 10/10 episode of this series - the others are good, but they just can't recapture its heights.

On the whole, Potato is a great Blackadder episode - not to be skipped! 10/10

My personal favourite of the Series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 15 January 2016]

Blackadder is not impressed by the return of the famous explorer 'Sir Walter Raleigh,' he's even shown up in the Queen's Court. Not to be outdone by the arrogant Sir Walter, Blackadder plans a trip to the deadly Cape of Good hope, a treacherous and deadly journey, Queenie is suitably impressed. Edmund enlists Captain Redbeard Rum, the only Captain crazy enough to attempt the journey, as well as Baldrick and Lord Percy. When they return they gift Queenie... A boomerang.

'Ma'am isn't that a little rash,' 'well it wouldn't be your first little rash would it?' haha.

'You have a woman's purse m'Lord, I'll wager that purse has never been used as a rowing boat, I'll wager it's never had sixteen shipwrecked mariners tossing in it.' I don't think it can get any funnier.

Potato has me in fits of laughter every time, it's possibly the most surreal episode of the series, but it is crammed full of laughs, the humour is a little more trashy and outlandish, but it is hilarious.

I am a little biased as I'm an enormous fan of Tom Baker, but his performance is just glorious, he is such a funny man, the mix of his natural eccentricity and the wonderful script was only ever going to equal one thing, brilliance. His lines of 'you have a woman's......etc etc were perfection.

If I was stuck on a desert Island I'd want this to watch. 10/10

Potato

[Prismark10 · 10/10 · 14 December 2020]

In 1986 Tom Baker made over the the top appearances in two television series. The Life and Loves of a She-Devil and Blackadder II.

In Potato, Baker plays the Captain Rum the only sailor mad enough to venture round the Cape of Good Hope.

All because explorers are flavour of the month since Walter Raleigh returned from New World, bringing the potato and stories of adventure.

Blackadder plans to go one better as the Cape of Good Hope is regarded as extremely hazardous. Blackadder does not have the sea legs then again neither has Captain Rum.

They only scheme to sail to France, wait a bit and then head back to port only Rum cannot even find France and they are lost for months.

It's a mad and loud performance from Baker as the fat bottomed loving sailor who everyone reminds him of having some part of a woman's anatomy.

At least they bring gifts for the Queen's court. A stick that comes back and bottles of fine wines which smells familiar exclaims Melchett. Another gloriously rude and funny episode.

Simon Jones guest stars as Raleigh but he should had played the part in a dressing gown.

Not bad...but a bit gross--even for Blackadder!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 2 June 2010]

The episode begins with everyone excited at the arrival back in England of Sir Walter Raleigh--and everyone has got 'explorer fever'. All they can talk about is Raleigh's exploits and adventures and Edmund clearly is bored and a bit jealous. Eventually, he's pressured into going on an expedition himself--and unfortunately he hires the world's biggest idiot to be the captain of the ship. Soon they learn that the idiot captain (Tom Baker) has no idea how to sail and eventually this leads to some very, very nasty urine-drinking that made my wife gag as we watched.

All in all, a decent episode but also a bit of a letdown--mostly because it's better sad when urine-drinking is among the funniest moments in the show. If you had to skip one episode, this might just be a good choice.

Ha hav

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 2 April 2020]

This is a great episode. I won't give it away but something really funny happened at the end