The last season of Blackadder Goes Forth, a comedy, was created by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. Most of the action takes place in World War I trenches in France. A cynical and egocentric British Army soldier, Captain Edmund Blackadder, played by Rowan Atkinson, is the main character of the comedy. He prioritizes surviving the fight, even if it means exploiting others, throughout the whole series.

Setting:

The story takes place in 1917, in the final days of World War I. British soldiers observe the atrocities of war in the trenches where the novel is set. The context enables the program to utilize comedy to examine the ridiculousness and somber realities of the struggle.

Main Characters:

Captain Edmund Blackadder: A clever and cynical cop who tries to stay out of trouble while protecting himself. He regularly schemes to escape dangerous circumstances, usually at the expense of other people.

Lieutenant George: A kind but unintelligent officer from an aristocratic family. Even though he is eager to do his duty, he often doesn’t understand the reality of fighting.

Private Baldrick: A soldier serves as Blackadder’s servant. He is extremely dim-witted and often comes up with unsuccessful plans. Nevertheless, Blackadder, who regularly uses Baldrick in his schemes, treats him with disdain.

General Melchett: a top commander who is not aware of the fight’s reality. Despite Blackadder’s usual lack of interest in him, he often lacks information and turns to him for advice when making military decisions.

Lieutenant the Honorable Stephen Fry: General Melchett’s second-in-command is similarly shown as being inept and uninformed about the real circumstances in the trenches.

Plot Summary:

At the start of the series, Captain Blackadder and his troops are in a trench in France during World War I. The absurdity of the conflict and the incompetent leadership above him irritate Blackadder, who always seeks to avoid danger. He is entrusted with commanding a group of soldiers that often choose survival before fighting.

In the first episode of “The Foretelling,” Blackadder attempts to obtain a promotion by lying to his superiors and using his connections. He wants to escape the atrocities of trench life and find a more straightforward way out of the conflict. After his plan fails, he is left in the trenches by himself with people like Baldrick, who never stops coming up with terrible ideas, and Lieutenant George, who doesn’t see how deadly they are.

In the second episode, “The Lieutenant’s Fancy,” Blackadder is forced to wed a woman he doesn’t want to. In an effort to get out of this situation, Blackadder says he is in love with her, but he later confesses that he was lying the whole time. In the meantime, Lieutenant George develops feelings for the woman, but she rejects him.

In the third episode of “The General,” Blackadder is requested to help General Melchett, who is ineffective, come up with a strategy to end the war. Despite knowing that the plot would fail, Blackadder chooses to help since it will relieve him of more dangerous duties in the trenches. As usual, Blackadder attempts to use his intelligence and guile to get away while his superiors and minions blindly follow orders that will only lead to further disaster.

In the fourth episode, “Private Plane,” Blackadder is placed in command of a dangerous flying job, which puts him in a difficult situation. He struggles more and more to stay alive during the job because of the incompetence of others around him. Baldrick is particularly ineffective since he continuously exacerbates Blackadder’s predicament. Even when things don’t go as planned, Blackadder uses his guile to accomplish the objective.

The fifth episode, “The Pilot,” changes course as Blackadder tries to flee the war by pretending to be a military hero. He quickly learns, however, that those who are not aware of the reality of war often see war heroes as heroes, and he is forced to continue fighting.

The last episode, “Goodbyeee,” marks the end of the series. This episode is particularly memorable because of its awful and tragic ending. It becomes clear that Blackadder and his warriors have little hope of surviving as the battle comes to an end. When they are instructed to conduct a suicide attack over the top of the trench, they all know that they will most likely die. As Blackadder tries to escape death in whatever manner imaginable, he finally realizes that there is no way to stop the war’s inevitable end. In the episode’s tragic climax, Blackadder and his warriors bravely and honorably face their fate, knowing that the war will soon finish, but at a terrible cost.