When Basil hears of hotel inspectors roaming Torquay incognito, he realizes with horror that guests he has been abusing easily could be among them. Basil becomes increasingly obsessed with trying to determine which guests are the inspectors, but to his frustration his suspects turn out not to be.
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- The Comically Serious: Mr. Hutchinson. Even more so is Mr. Walt, who is baffled when Basil tearfully pleads for him to give the hotel a good review.
- Covered in Gunge: Basil takes revenge on Mr. Hutchinson by hitting him with custard pies while Manuel pours cream into his briefcase.
- Delayed Reaction:
- Basil has delayed reactions to hints that a guest might be an inspector, after Sybil tells him that three hotel inspectors are in town.
- Basil is unhelpful to the fussy and demanding guest Mr Hutchison, until Mr Hutchison mentions that he has a wide experience of hotels, and in his professional activities later revealed to be spoon sales, he is in constant contact with them.Mr Hutchison: In my professional activities, I am in constant contact with hotels.Basil: (Unimpressed) Are you, really?Mr Hutchison: Well, is it possible for me to hire a television set to view the programme in the privacy of my own room?(Basil's face changes, as he realises that Mr Hutchison might be an inspector; he then becomes much more polite)
- He has a similarly delayed reaction when another guest Mr Walt mentions in passing that he is there with a couple of colleagues, thinking that he might be one of the three inspectors. Finally, at the end of the episode, he subjects Mr Hutchison to a Humiliation Conga, then beams at three new arrivals; and screams in horror as he realises they are the inspectors.
- Double Take: Basil does one when he places two previously ordered drinks on a table, only to find that (thanks to Manuel) a completely different guest is sitting there.
- Funny Background Event: Mr. Hutchinson continually gets the wrong meal, including the same Spanish omlette twice. When Basil takes it away, he crumples it up and slips it onto the Major's table, who then proceeds to cheerfully eat it in the background while an argument goes on in the foreground.
- Hypocritical Humour: After violently attacking Mr. Fawlty, Mr. Hutchinson says "I am not a violent man Mr. Fawlty."Basil: (on the floor) Yes, you are!
- The Inspector Is Coming: Basil hears that three Hotel Inspectors are in town, and immediately begins fawning over a guest with an officious manner and a vast professional experience of hotels. He then finds out that his target sells spoons. When another guest mentions he has two colleagues, Basil switches to fawning over him and even resorts to attempting bribery for a favourable report after he witnesses Basil's fight with the first guest. This one is in town for the regatta, though, at which Basil brightens up considerably, and disappears. He appears minutes later to thoroughly humiliate the first guest (who's leaving in disgust), in full view of the real inspectors who have just arrived.
- Landline Eavesdropping: Sybil tells Basil that she listened in on Mr Hutchison's phone call, presumably by picking another extension, and finds out that Mr Hutchison is merely a spoon salesman, not a hotel inspector.
- Mistaken for Special Guest: Played With, as several characters in turn are possible candidates for the hotel inspector, and are disproven at various times, until the real ones arrive right at the very end, at the worst possible time, leading to possibly one of the best closing moments of any sitcom episode.
- Pie in the Face: Basil takes revenge on Mr Hutchison for being the fussiest guest ever, by squashing a squidgy pie in Mr Hutchison's crotch, and another in his face. He also instructs Manuel to pour cream into Mr Hutchison's briefcase.
- Poor Communication Kills: Mr Walt asks Manuel for a table, for one. Manuel thinks he wants table number one. After Mr Walt is seated, Manuel checks a list, and moves Mr Walt to another table, which turns out to be Mr Hutchison's table, which leads to a whole series of misunderstandings about which food Mr Hutchison ordered.
- Revenge Before Reason: You would think that Basil would have learned his lesson about getting back at Hutchinson for (inadvertently) making Basil think he was an inspector when he tries it in front of Walt, and then gets the idea that Walt is an inspector. But no, when he learns that Walt isn't an inspector either, he gives Hutchinson a custard pie in the face, another on his suit, and has Manuel pour a jug of cream in his briefcase. He does this in full view of the real inspectors.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Mr. Hutchinson:Mr. Hutchinson: There is a documentary on BBC2 this evening about Squawking Bird, the leader of the Blackfoot Indians in the 1860s, now this starts at 8:45 and goes on for approximately three-quarters of an hour-Basil Fawlty: I'm sorry, are you talking to me?Mr. Hutchinson: Indeed I am, yes, now, is it possible for me to reserve the BBC2 channel for the duration of this televisual feast?Basil Fawlty: Why don't you talk properly?
- Stealth Insult: Polly delivers one to the demanding Mr Hutchison. Fortunately he is completely Sarcasm-Blind.Polly: You're not by any chance the Duke of Kent, are you?
- Talking with Signs: Basil shows off an attempt to communicate with Manuel, holding up a series of cards showing a suitcase, an up arrow, and the number seven to instruct Manuel to take a guest's case up to room 7. Manuel then produces a card saying "OK" right back at Basil.
- Terrified of Germs: Mr Hutchison does not like to use the telephone, because of the risk of infection. When he does use it, he complains that the earpiece is very greasy.
