History Recap / BlackadderS4E3MajorStar

* TakeThat: When Melchett declares the show unnecessary because the Americans have just joined the war, Blackadder asks in perfect seriousness how that's going to help the men's morale. The answer has nothing to do with personnel or materiel--it's because they've brought an enormous Creator/CharlieChaplain film collection with them.

Captain Blackadder hates showbusiness with a passion, that is until Melchett plans to stage a revue to boost morale, this being a golden opportunity for him to leave the trenches. His plan goes well, until George's drag act catches the General's eye.

* TakeThat: When Melchett declares the show unnecessary because the Americans have just joined the war, Blackadder asks in perfect seriousness how that's going to help the men's morale. The answer has nothing to do with personnel or materiel--it's because they brought an enormous Charlie Chaplain film collection with them.
* TelegraphGagSTOP:

* RecursiveCrossdressing: Bob "crossdresses" to fill for the "deceased" 'Georgina'. It doesn't work -- while the soldiers recognise she is a woman and like what they assume to be a straight female singing performance, Melchett - who thought 'Georgina' was a straight female performer - thinks Bob's is a bad taste drag act.

* TakeThat: When Melchett declares the show unnecessary because the Americans have just joined the war, Blackadder asks in perfect seriousness how that's going to help the men's morale. (The answer has nothing to do with personnel or materiel--it's because they brought an enormous Charlie Chaplain film collection with them.)

* RecursiveCrossdressing: Bob "crossdresses" to fill for the "deceased" 'Georgina'. It doesn't work -- while the soldiers recognise she is a woman and like what they assume to be a straight female singing performance, Melchett finds it disgusting.

* RecursiveCrossdressing: Bob "crossdresses" to fill for the "deceased" 'Georgina'. It doesn't work -- while the soldiers like her act, Melchett finds it disgusting.

* DisguisedInDrag: Lieutenant George develops a drag act as part of an attempt to boost troop morale, and 'Georgina' promptly attracts the amorous attentions of General Melchett, which "she" only escapes by faking "her" death. A revived drag act featuring the General's driver, Corporal Parkhurst, is dismissed by Melchett as completely unconvincing, even though Corporal Parkhurst is [[SweetPollyOliver really a woman]].

Captain Blackadder hates show business with a passion, that is until Melchett plans to stage a revue to boost morale, with this being a golden opportunity for him to leave the trenches. His plan goes well, until George's drag act catches the General's eye.

* ActorAllusion: Baldrick is strongly implied to be a Communist sympathizer (albeit one who's never going to pose much threat as a revolutionary); in real-life Tony Robinson is an outspoken socialist, and was a strong critic of UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher's government when this series was being made.
* AmbiguousSyntax: Bob Parkhurst disguises herself as a man because she "want[s] to see how a war is fought so badly." Edmund informs her that she has come to the right place, as the war is being fought very badly indeed.

* AttractiveBentGender: Melchett falls for Georgina, who in fact is George in drag.

* BreatherEpisode: {{Subverted}}. This is the only episode of the series not directly centered on Edmund's attempts to escape, but instead focuses on him staging a war relief show (with an obvious purpose).

->''That is the worst idea in the history of entertainment since Abraham Lincoln said, "I'm sick of kicking around the house all day, let's go take in a show".''

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Blackadder [[spoiler: gets back at Darling by feeding him Baldrick's dead slug, claiming it's liquorice]].
* ModestyTowel: "Bob" is seen wearing one after a shower.
* PaperThinDisguise: "Bob" tries to pretend to be a man simply by putting on a man's uniform. Edmund tells her that she's "a girl with as much talent for disguise as a giraffe in dark glasses trying to get into a "Polar Bears Only" golf club." It fools everyone else, though.
* RecursiveCrossdressing: Bob "crossdresses" to fill for the "deceased" 'Georgina'. It doesn't work - while the soldiers like her act, Melchett finds it disgusting.

->''That is the worst idea in the history of entertainment since Abraham Lincoln said, "I'm sick of kicking around the house all day, let's go take in a show."''

Edmund hates show business with a passion, that is until Melchett plans to stage a revue to boost morale, with this being a golden opportunity for him to leave the trenches. His plan goes well, until George's drag act catches the General's eye.

-->Well then, Bob, I'll leave you two together, why don't you get to know each other, play a game of crimmage, have a smoke, something like that. They tell me that Captain Blackadder has rather a good line in rough shag. I'm sure he'd be happy to fill your pipe.

** When planning the show, Blackadder commissions an act known as "the 3 Silly Twerps", with the big joke being that [[NonIndicativeName there's only two of them]]. Melchett later criticises the second show because the 3 Twerps were one twerp short "again".

** When Blackadder tries to tell Melchett about his fiancee's "demise".
--->'''Blackadder:''' There's something wrong with your fiancee.\\

* BreatherEpisode: Between the court-martial on "[[Recap/BlackadderS4E2CorporalPunishment Corporal Punishment]]" and the RedBaron in "[[Recap/BlackadderS4E4PrivatePlane Private Plane]]".

** When planning the show, Blackadder commissions an act known as “the 3 Silly Twerps”, with the big joke being that [[NonIndicativeName there’s only two of them]]. Melchett later criticises the second show because the 3 Twerps were one twerp short “again”.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Blackadder [[spoiler: gets back at Darling by feeding him Baldrick's dead slug, claiming it's liquorice]].

* DisguisedInDrag: Lieutenant George develops a drag act as part of an attempt to boost troop morale, and 'Georgina' promptly attracts the amorous attentions of General Melchett, which "she" only escapes by faking "her" death. A revived drag act featuring the General's driver, Corporal Parkhurst, is dismissed by Melchett as completely unconvincing -- even though Corporal Parkhurst is [[SweetPollyOliver really a woman]].

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Blackadder [[spoiler: gets back at Darling by feeding him Baldrick's dead slug, claiming it's liquorice]].

** The final episode establishes this series as taking place in 1917. General Melchett refers to the French Army mutinies "last year." The French Army suffered a series of mutinies in April 1917.
** While Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in the March Revolution of 1917, Germany did not sign a peace treaty with Russia, thereby freeing up most of their forces on the Eastern Front, until the following year.
** America entered the war in April 1917, a month after the Tsar's abdication.