Blackadder Goes Forth

The fourth season of the British comedy series Blackadder focuses on the first world war and the efforts of Rowan Atkinson’s character to avoid going over the top into the machine gun and artillery blast of no man’s land. His cynical view of the war is contrasted with the naive patriotism of the upper class twit portrayed by Hugh Laurie who – right until the last episode – has a kind of exaggerated cheerfulness that mocks superficial public support for war efforts.

All told, the series is a pretty convincing demonstration of the pointlessness of WWI and the dangers of unthinking nationalism and militarism. The entire season is available on Netflix.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. Between 2005 and 2007 I completed an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. I worked for five years for the Canadian federal government, including completing the Accelerated Economist Training Program, and then completed a PhD in Political Science at the University of Toronto in 2023. View all posts by Milan