Black Books

Episode one, as most first episodes do, introduces us to the main characters of the script. Possibly intentionaly, it exagerates all of there main character traits far more then any other episode in the series.



Bernard, the shows main character, is shown to be an impatient, bookshop owning, customer dispising, drunken Irishman. Bernard spends the episode attempting to either finish his tax returns, or attempting to avoid them entirely.



Manny, a hairy, bumbling, job hating accountant, comes to the shop to buy "The Little Book Of Calm", and although we dont see the events (they are shown in a flash back in the next episode) becomes Bernards assistance.



Fran is the owner of the arty, new age junk shop next door. She spends the episode trying to figure out what one particularly unusual trinkit from her shop is, Manny unwittingly infuriates Fran by showing it to be a cigerret lighter.

Fantastic piece of comedy. From Bernard being willing to saw off his own arm to avoid doing his tax returns, to Manny swallowing and reciting 'the little book of calm', in the process doing an impressive impersonation of 'Jesus', and Fran trying to decipher the purpose of an item in her shop; this is one of those episodes that will have you in tears of laughter from the silliness of it all. A+ and well done!



As a pilot episode, this one has been done spectacularly well. Usually, pilot's don't do so well as they are an introduction to the show and it's characters. As a result the plot line's usually rather thin. Not so for 'Cooking the Books'. the creators made it in such a way, that it could easily have been one of the other episodes. ie, it doesn't come across as being a pilot for the sake of a pilot. It introduces the characters smoothly and remains one of the more hilarious episodes in the show. One of my personal favourites, I give it 5 stars.

The show opens on Bernard sitting at his desk, being annoyed by a customer. The customer then wants to pay £200 for some books, but Bernard refuses him, insulting him too. This shows us the basic character of Bernard, an annoyed, stressed, pesimistic, easily agitated irish-man full of cyniscism.



We meet Manny next, a very stressed Manny, but it is only a brief encounter.



Fran is the next person we meet. The ditzy owner of Nifty Gifty, the shop next door. She seems to be a happy person, but her alcohol consumption may say otherwise.



We then finally meet Manny, overworked and very stressed, he relies on a little book to keep himself in order. As the episode progresses, he becomes the Manny we will see in future episodes; laidback, relaxed, happy and optimistic.



And that's the gang, and a fine bunch they all are. This opening episode leads us on to what we will see in the next episodes and seasons, hilarity.



A stunning first episode, and a stunning show.