Inside No. 9 (TV Series) Wuthering Heist (2021) User Reviews

That's a divisive opener.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 12 May 2021]

Talk about excited for a show to return, I couldn't wait for Inside no 9 to return... One thing I've come to realise with this show, there is always going to be the one episode that has me scratching my head, I didn't care a huge deal for it on first viewing, but Zanzibar has shown me that I can dislike an episode on first viewing, but come to enjoy it later.

I thought this was perhaps a little self indulgent, the guys are amazing writers, and have an intelligence to dream of, but this one feels rather high brow, it's smart and clever, perhaps just a little too much so.

Patterson Joseph is an acting legend, so good to see him doing a bit of comedy, and he did a good job, he never disappoints.

The production of it was sensational, this looks unbelievable, for a thirty minute show, this had some crazy production values, great acting, and it did truly capture the grotesque.

I know what this show is capable of, and when you have a mass of 10 rated episodes, the benchmark is just so high, for me, this was a little over the top.

At least it has Dino Kelly, so that's a plus.

Maybe after a few viewings my score will pick up 6/10.

Wuthering Heist

[Prismark10 · 8/10 · 11 May 2021]

In a sentence. This is Reservoir Dogs meets Shakespeare meets The Police Squad.

A story of a diamond heist, inept crooks and double crosses with deadpan comedy thrown in.

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have excelled once again.

They even make a sly nod that this is the sixth series and creatively they might have to reuse old ideas.

Director Guillem Morales needs to be singled out with his stylistic flourishes that mimic Tarantino.

Theatrically and linguistically innovative

[sledgelam · 8/10 · 10 May 2021]

This episode is so cleverly constructed from the outset. You don't really have an idea what's going on until you do, but when you do, It's a joy. There's a great deal of 4th wall breaking, double entendres, and the signature plot twist we've come to expect from the creators - albeit never quite as anticipated.

All in all, It's one of those episodes you probably have to rewatch to really appreciate its mastery. There have been better, but this episode is a fantastic start to the new series.

Maybe it will grow on me

[fingazmc · 6/10 · 10 May 2021]

It had it's funny moments and references, but it seemed very average to me. Kind of like the first time I saw Zanzibar, but after many, MANY re-watches of the show I quite like that episode now. So if that happens I'll adjust my rating accordingly.

Fingaz MC.

Great music, great episode

[andrewcromar · 9/10 · 20 May 2021]

I loved the music and the The Saint vibes in this episode. I understand why some people didn't like it but I think it was a nice excursion from the usually more serious tone. I think the writers have earned the right to enjoy themselves.

Inside meta

[safenoe · 7/10 · 20 December 2022]

It's only now that I'm finally available to catch up with season 6 of Inside No. 9, and there was quite a whimsical and meta inside jokes galore without a doubt. The line, "But hey, it's series six, you've got to allow for a certain artistic exhaustion." was spot-on, and so was the breaking of the fourth wall by Gemma Whelan's character which kind of anticipated any critical firestorm of this sixth season opener.

The ending was a bit out of left field even by Inside No. 9 standards, but I guess any Inside No. 9 is better than none at all. I understand Inside No. 9 will take a pause after the 9th season.

Didn't like this

[bangel3322 · 3/10 · 11 May 2021]

Oh gosh I hate to do this, because I absolutely love this show, but this episode didn't do it for me. It was really funny in parts, but overall I just wasn't impressed. The first five seasons were so good I have very high expectations.

Shamelessly clever

[Go6565 · 9/10 · 22 May 2021]

Yet another superb episode. As usual the authors get the writing exactly right: deeply original while poking fun at familiar tropes and expectations; challenging and witty, but never obscure or baffling. You don't need to know anything about Commedia dell'arte to enjoy this, but you do have to be willing to learn, pick up hints from the behaviour of the characters, guess and be curious.

The jokes and meta-jokes come in hard and fast - be alert, and keep up! I confess I almost hugged myself for figuring out "Trinidad and Tobago", but a bunch of other -presumably clever- jokes flew right past me. Too bad. This is exactly what I want from this show - the writers stubbornly refuse to assume that their viewers are dumb, or spoilt kids who need to recognise every joke before it's uttered and cannot bear anything that's outside of their reference frame.

The plot doesn't quite land on its feet as satisfactorily as in the very best episodes, which is why I can't give this a full 10.

What?

[mattyedwardes · 1/10 · 11 May 2021]

I love this show but this episode left me scratching my head. I think you need to be a drama student or theatre luvee to appreciate the humour. Hopefully normal service will be resumed next week, fingers crossed!

Fantastic

[lucasade2003 · 10/10 · 24 May 2021]

I understand why this might not be for everyone, but I thought it was fantastic!

Utter Garbage

[bob-1135 · 1/10 · 11 May 2021]

I love No 9 and was looking forward to this new series but this is utter rubbish. For a start there are far too many characters, with the story going off in all directions. There seemed to be two running jokes involving 'Scaramouche' and a sandwich. Come on chaps you can do much better than this - I've seen it.

Genius

[stigdu99-52-293555 · 9/10 · 11 May 2021]

Pathos? Check. Knob gags? Check. Bloody violence? Check. Slapstick comedy, innuendoes and silly one liners? Check, check and check.

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith once again prove the genius they possess with this brilliant introductory episode to Series 6 of Inside No. 9. It's like a 'best of' with all of the above, plus the kitchen sink thrown in, and you know what? It works. Performances are absolutely spot on (with Shearsmith stealing the show as Scaramouche for me), lines delivered with pinpoint dead-on timing ("Trinidad & Tobago" had me in stitches") and of course, a twist which, with the exception of 'Love's Great Adventure', we all expect to come, and either shocks, surprises or amazes us.

Sure, the fourth wall gets broken more often than a load of crockery in a china shop when there's a bull in there, and sure, some of the one liners are blatantly landing in 'dad joke' territory, but it's all just done with such panache and invention, that I for one can't wait to see what Simon Says next week.

9/10.

Poor start

[zeke_21 · 1/10 · 12 May 2021]

Was not a big fan of this episode, I suspect the use of 4th wall was used to flesh out a bad plot.

The crossover no one saw coming...

[danielbellamy-58059 · 10/10 · 12 May 2021]

This episode won't be for some, similar to Hotel Zanzibar, you need some level of understanding of Commedia dell'Arte to fully appreciate the humour. As a former drama student, this means I was able to take great enjoyment from this episode (not least because it meant the useless activity has finally brought some good into my life). It also helps if you're somewhat familiar with Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, so if you're unfamiliar with either, I doubt you'd enjoy this episode. However, I personally found it to be an absolute triumph and will certainly be returning to it again in the future.

Puerile

[ad1962-834-233404 · 1/10 · 11 May 2021]

First five serious were excellent. This is rubbish - story shadows Reservoir Dogs and it supposed to be funny but it isn't. This is the sort of thing 15 year olds would write but it would be better.

fantastic cast and creative plot

[allanmichael30 · 8/10 · 12 May 2021]

A bit of light hearted comedy fun with digs at Miranda hart and Phoebe Waller-Bridge fleabag classic. I loved the masks and plot with lots of great jokes.

Wuthering Heist

[bobcobb301 · 3/10 · 21 June 2021]

Some parts of the episode were actually funny. Gemma Whelan did a good job, but the story was just weak and the same tired style of comedy got nauseating after awhile.

It is Series 6 though, so we have to allow some leniency, as she said.

Caerphilly

[heathrobertj · 8/10 · 11 May 2021]

An absolute delight to watch. An all-star cast including Kevin Bishop, Paterson Joseph, and Gemma Whelan, this is just a fantastic comedy-based episode. The self-aware fourth wall breaking is funny and well-used in the story, not overusing it. The ending, as well, unexpected yet absolutely hilarious. Just like the rest of the episode.

What has happened to this show?

[omorris-71287 · 1/10 · 12 May 2021]

Am I watching a completely different show from the first four season's? Season's 1 - 4 are absolutely outstanding but this episode feel's like a failed first draft. I can't think of anything good about this everything about it is laughable bad from the humour to the story,this and Zanzibar obviously have their similarities but at least with Zanzibar it had a pretty good story/twist while also being very funny. Hopefully the rest of the season is better but wow this isn't a very good first impression.

Not understanding the hate

[tommymoses-82110 · 10/10 · 22 May 2021]

This episode was far better than the second of series 6, but people seemed to love that one and hate this one? Doesn't make much sense to me.

Self referential, meta tripe

[markcoyle · 1/10 · 14 May 2021]

Instead of what works best in IN9 this is all the cleverness, film, TV and drama references overloaded into one episode. I've been with the team since start of LoG and like later Gattis works, this is just too many ideas all at once instead of a coherent story. I just didn't find it entertaining or ultimately that memorable.

Fandango.

[southdavid · 8/10 · 11 May 2021]

The sixth season of "Inside No. 9" begins with an episode that sure to be looked upon as one of the classics going forward, a witty, meta, glorious addition to the series.

Pantalone (Paterson Joseph) is planning a heist on an armoured truck and brings in a group of disparate professionals to carry out his plan. Managed by his trusted advisor Columbina (Gemma Whelan) the gang includes nice but dim Arlo (Kevin Bishop), bomb expert Scaramouche (Reece Shearsmith), the Doctor (Steve Pemberton) and his son Mario (Dino Kelly). The last two have their own plan, to swindle the rest of the gang with a set of fake jewels, but a rogue written declaration of love muddies the waters.

So, it's "Reservoir Dogs" in one sense. The gang plan their heist and then we see the aftermath of the failed job, including the fact that one of them is injured and the boss has gone missing. They then discuss the idea that one of them is a police informant. As a comedic homage, that might, in other hands, have been enough. But, Sheeasmith and Pemberton then infuse the story with a Commedia Dell'arte aspect that takes it to another level. Many of our characters are wearing traditional masks and utilise the tropes of that performance style. On top of that Gemma Whelan's character Columbina addresses the audience straight down the camera, with meta jokes about this being the creators sixth season, so ideas might be running out. Even if the very idea of talking to camera is debated as "Fleabagging" or "Miranda-ing". Whelan, by the way, is phenomenal. Put her in everything.

Why not a slightly higher score then? It perhaps sags just a little bit in the middle. But even as I type that, I feel like I'm trying to pick holes in something that was so clever and genuinely laugh out loud funny.

How to lose most of your audience

[Beyondtheflame · 2/10 · 12 May 2021]

Perhaps this episode was made for the middle class intelligentsia to express their mental superiority. As a working class 'pleb' I thought it was absolute tripe. Might have been funny 400 years ago. Shame as I used to love this series.

What no. 9 is about

[benmancais · 8/10 · 12 May 2021]

The way I see it, inside no.9 is about pushing the boundaries of television, constantly incorporating new ideas and genres into a 30 minute slot. This episode, whilst not amazing in any sense, shows exactly why I love the show as a whole, they are willing to be dangerous. I would much rather three out of every six experimental episodes are amazing than just 6 very average dark comedies. At this point the show is a lottery, but that's why people love it, one week you get a theatrical bank heist the next you get a vampire in the police.

So, overall, whilst this episode was not the greatest, it shouldn't be seen as bad, because if you don't like it, you don't like the process Reece and Steve take to be innovative.

Dire episode

[analogue1001 · 12 May 2021]

Have been a fan of the series for some time, but this episode was dire and a waste of time. Sixth-form students could have done better.