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History Recap / FawltyTowersS1E4TheHotelInspectors

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** In "The Kipper and the Corpse", it takes a while for the gravity of the situation of a dead guest to dawn on Basil, especially as he then mistakenly believes that the guest died from eating kippers for breakfast.
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* StealthInsult: Polly delivers one to the demanding Mr Hutchison.

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* StealthInsult: Polly delivers one to the demanding Mr Hutchison. Fortunately he is completely SarcasmBlind.
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* TheInspectorIsComing: 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.
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* DelayedReaction:
** 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 [[spoiler: 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 HumiliationConga, then beams at three new arrivals; and screams in horror as he realises they ''are'' the inspectors.
** In "The Kipper and the Corpse", it takes a while for the gravity of the situation of a dead guest to dawn on Basil, especially as he then mistakenly believes that the guest died from eating kippers for breakfast.
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* PoorCommunicationKills: 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.
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* LandlineEavesdropping: 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.


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* TerrifiedOfGerms: 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.
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* PieInTheFace: 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.
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* StealthInsult: Polly delivers one to the demanding Mr Hutchison.
--> '''Polly:''' You're not by any chance the Duke of Kent, are you?
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* CoveredInGunge: Basil takes revenge on Mr. Hutchinson by hitting him with custard pies while Manuel pours cream into his briefcase.
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* RevengeBeforeReason: 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 a jug of cream in his briefcase. He does this in full view of the real inspectors.

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* RevengeBeforeReason: 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 suit, and has Manuel pour a jug of cream in his briefcase. He does this in full view of the real inspectors.
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* FunnyBackgroundEvent: 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 eat it in the background while an argument goes on in the foreground.

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* FunnyBackgroundEvent: 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.

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Changed: 1

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* TheComicallySerious: Mr. Hutchinson. Even more so is Mr.Walt, who is baffled when Basil tearfully pleads for him to give the hotel a good review.

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* TheComicallySerious: Mr. Hutchinson. Even more so is Mr. Walt, who is baffled when Basil tearfully pleads for him to give the hotel a good review.


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* TalkingWithSigns: 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.
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* FunnyBackgroundEvent: One man 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 eat it in the background while an argument goes on in the foreground.

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* FunnyBackgroundEvent: One man 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 eat it in the background while an argument goes on in the foreground.
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* RevengeBeforeReason: 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 a jug of cream in his briefcase. He does this in full view of the real inspectors.
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* TheComicallySerious: Mr. Hutchinson.

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* TheComicallySerious: Mr. Hutchinson. Even more so is Mr.Walt, who is baffled when Basil tearfully pleads for him to give the hotel a good review.
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* MistakenForSpecialGuest: PlayedWith, as several characters in turn are possible candidates for the hotel inspector, and are disproven at various times, until [[spoiler: 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]].
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* HypocritcalHumour: After violently attacking Mr. Fawlty, Mr. Hutchinson says [[IResembleThatRemark "I am not a violent man Mr. Fawlty."]]

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* HypocritcalHumour: HypocriticalHumour: After violently attacking Mr. Fawlty, Mr. Hutchinson says [[IResembleThatRemark "I am not a violent man Mr. Fawlty."]]
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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:
* TheComicallySerious: Mr. Hutchinson.
* DoubleTake: 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.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: One man 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 eat it in the background while an argument goes on in the foreground.
* HypocritcalHumour: After violently attacking Mr. Fawlty, Mr. Hutchinson says [[IResembleThatRemark "I am not a violent man Mr. Fawlty."]]
-->'''Basil:''' ''(on the floor)'' Yes, you are!
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: 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?
----

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