The Comic Strip, Part 16 - Last night I dreamed I went to Aylesbury again

"Consuela, or, The New Mrs Saunders" - January 1, 1986
Although each had written an episode on their own, this is the first Comic Strip written by French and Saunders together, and it seems a dry run for their own television show, which would premiere the following year.

This, to put it bluntly, is a rehash of Hitchcock's Rebecca. And they make it work thrillingly well. There are moments in this episode that are genuinely creepy -- and the attention to detail that has been apparent throughout the series is put to excellent use here.

In the last installment, I was concerned that Ade Edmonson and Jennifer Saunders were playing it a trifle too bland. Here, they are both playing parts that are meant to be bland and manage to be completely engaging, particularly Edmonson's husband, who starts off normal and then gradually descends into one on the contestants on "Upper-class Twit of the Year."


Finally, notice the difference between the original and the reference - both have a "poisoned" glass of milk standing out via a concealed lightbulb, but the Comic Strip version is set up so you can see the glow underneath and the strange big napkin used to conceal the extension cord. It's these little things that keep me going.
















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