The end is in sight for Inside No 9, a delightful, twisted creation – review
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The final season of Inside No 9 has arrived, marking its ninth successful run. Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have demonstrated their endurance, imagination, and meticulousness in creating an engaging show that has left fans eager for more. The fact that the show will soon premiere a live stage production highlights their hard work and dedication to their craft. Bringing the show to a close at nine feels right, given its quirky nature.
The premiere episode, titled "Boo to a Goose," features a group of nine individuals who are brought together on a Tube train that abruptly halts in a tunnel. Despite not being familiar with one another, they find themselves in close proximity. While experiencing a temporary power outage, a shy and amiable nurse named Elena (portrayed by Philippa Dunn) has her purse snatched in the darkness. A rigid and testy physics instructor named Raymond (played by Mark Bonnar), who exudes the demeanor of a strict commanding officer, assumes responsibility for questioning the passengers and requesting authorization to search their bags and pockets.
Some characters in the show are not happy about being harassed and mistreated. For example, Messy, a beggar portrayed by Charlie Cooper with a touching display of vulnerability, is one of these people. On the other hand, Gerry, who is coming back from a theatre performance, is more than happy to cooperate with the show's host, Raymond. However, his wife, Edith (played by Siobhan Finneran), thinks that Raymond is a bully (which he is), and she's becoming increasingly intolerant with Gerry. Edith believes that he has lost all of the passion that he had in his youth, which is a "firebrand" that she desperately craves. After witnessing a disappointing rendition of the famous musical Oliver!, she tells Gerry that she wants more. Pemberton and Shearsmith are still skilled at delivering their trademark witty humor in a relaxed manner.
There is a lot of tension surrounding the missing purse that has caused some people to become upset. One person, named Harold, is genuinely unsettling and earns the nickname "nutter on the train." He carries around a shopping bag with something that smells awful, but we don't know what it is. He also quotes the Beatitudes, which doesn't endear him to anyone. Another person, a drag queen named Wilma Dickshow, is also unlikeable. She has long lashes and wears fuchsia makeup, but her tongue is vicious. During the search for the missing purse, Wilma takes out a fake but very realistic-looking boob just to shock Raymond. She also makes comments like "not everyone who tapes their knob to their arsehole is a drag queen, but y'know," which are intended to provoke.
The group of travellers accidentally split into two groups. The first group, led by Raymond, wants to search for the missing purse and punish those they suspect stole it. They believe it is important to uphold justice and order within their small community. The other group disagrees and believes in respecting privacy and letting the matter go. Even Elena, who had her purse stolen, doesn't want to cause trouble. Finn, a young man with a backpack, is under a lot of suspicion and pressure to find a compromise. Unfortunately, the more trusting members of the group suffer the consequences. However, Elena is able to retrieve her purse in the end.
The blog post is somewhat ridiculous, clearly, and to be frank, it doesn't quite compare to some of the Inside No 9 team's finest works, but it's an enjoyable mockery of our modern obsession with conspiracy theories and fearfulness. The anxiety and sense of confinement that comes with being stuck on the last train home with a handful of peculiar individuals is convincingly depicted - there's hardly any need to leave the train car. Furthermore, the immensely talented cast presents an assortment of peculiar and pathetic caricatures.
This is one of the more science fiction-themed episodes of Inside No 9 and includes references that will be familiar to fans of iconic shows such as The Twilight Zone, Tales of the Unexpected, Hitchcock, The Avengers, and The Prisoner. It's a shame that the inventive and often shocking dramas created by Pemberton and Shearsmith for the nine seasons of their BBC Two series are coming to an end. Unfortunately, there isn't a surprising twist at the conclusion.
