In which truths are revealed that are as bitter as a Beetroot Liqueur. Original air date: 4/15/2004 And here we are at last. It’s funny that the final episode of Black Books is a bottle episode . The series has … Continue reading Black Books Series 3, Episode 6: “Party”

Wherein Manny and Fran are swept off their feet, and Bernard goes on a hunt Original airdate: 4/8/2004 This was a fairly light episode. I suppose you could call it the last ‘shop shenanigans’ episode before the end. Manny invites … Continue reading Black Books, Series 3 Episode 5: “Travel Writer”

Wherein Bernard bets the house, and Manny and Fran become rivals. Original Airdate: 4/1/2004   This was interesting. This is the first episode upon watching that I genuinely had no recollection of. Not to say it’s bad or uninteresting, just … Continue reading Black Books Series 3, Episode 4: “A Little Flutter”

 Pardon me boy, is this the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?   Original air date: 3/25/2004 Ah, The Adult Child-Parent relationship. It’s perhaps the most awkward of relationships. This is particularly true if the child doesn’t feel like they’re quite done “baking” yet. … Continue reading Black Books Series 3, Episode 3: “Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa”

Wherein a tale is woven, and dark truths are revealed. Original Airdate: 3/18/2004 The Bet is a classic sitcom trope. Be it Barney Miller or be it Seinfeld, there will always be an episode where the action hinges upon a … Continue reading Black Books: Series 3, Episode 2 “Elephants and Hens”

                       Wherein Manny leaves Black Books for another store, Bernard’s life falls to pieces, and Fran tries to put it all back together again Original airdate: 3/11/2004   Hey everyone, … Continue reading Black Books: Series 3, Episode 1 “Manny Come Home”

In which our heroes go on holiday and come back to a finale. Original air date: 4/5/2002 And here we are at the finale of series 2. Black Books would not return for series 3 until March of 2004. While … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 6 “A Nice Change”

In which Manny and Bernard’s relationship turns Freudian and Fran tries the clean life. Original Air Date: 3/29/2002 Let’s talk about Manny and Bernard. I mean, yeah, we’d be doing that anyway but my goodness there’s a lot to unpack … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 5 “Hello Sun”

Wherein Bernard and Manny try to out-Borders Borders, and Fran goes off in search of her roots. Original air date: March 22, 2002 For all of the early-modern cellphones, standard definition image, and lack of a high-speed wirelessly connected world, … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 4 “Blood”

              In which Fran fakes it ’till she makes it, while  Manny and Bernard attempt to teach a dangerous mind. Original airdate: 3/15/2002   I kind of love how hard it is tell exactly … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 3 “The Fixer”

Wherein Fran find the walls closing in on her, Bernard tries to find a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and Manny desperately tries to avoid his own Tempocalypse Original Air Date: 3/8/2002 Heat can do things to people. There’s nothing worse … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 2 “Fever”

                 Three Blind Mice, See How They Run Original Air Date: 3/1/2002 Series 2 opens with a deftly handled, beautifully crafted episode that has all three of our main characters in one plot. … Continue reading Black Books: Series 2, Episode 1 “The Entertainer”

Wherein everyone is talking at Manny, and Fran and Bernard confront a harsh reality.   Being alone and cynical has its merits. You can concentrate on yourself, do the hobbies you like to do, the world’s your oyster, why, you … Continue reading Black Books: Series 1, Episode 6 “He’s Leaving Home”

In which Bernard stays out all night long, Manny learns essential survival skills, and Fran has a pleasant evening listening to the radio. Original Air Date: 10/27/2000 One of the key aspects in Bernard’s characterization is his intolerance for the … Continue reading Black Books: Series 1, Episode 5 “The Big Lock-Out”

In which Manny gets his man, Fran tries to not to look at hers, and Bernard brings Belly Savalas to a dinner party.    In the episode, Fran and Bernard engage in a discussion on a societal quirk (in this … Continue reading Black Books: Series 1, Episode 4 “The Black-Out”

Bernard and Manny housesit for a friend and Fran goes on a date. Everything goes well.  Streaming? How do? Black Books is available on Amazon Prime, Hulu, Vudu, and the Channel 4 site for those in the UK. This episode … Continue reading Black Books: Series 1, Episode 3 “Grapes of Wrath”

Wherein Manny must prove himself to Bernard to keep his job. Available on streaming? How do? Black Books is available on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Vudu. Update: Commenter Ben has pointed out that UK viewers can stream it on the … Continue reading Black Books: Series 1 Episode 2 “Manny’s First Day”

A recap of Season 1 Episode 1 of Black Books ‘Cooking The Books’. Continue reading Black Books: Series 1, Episode 1 “Cooking The Books”