The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge

"The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" is the third episode of the second series of British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It first aired on 9 April 2015 on BBC Two.

Production

The first series of Inside No. 9 consisted of six episodes, each with a different cast and collection of characters, aired from February 2014.^[1][2] The programme was inspired by an episode of the first series of Psychoville, which was in turn inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Rope. The episode took place entirely in a single room, and it was filmed in only two shots.^[2] The BBC ordered a second series of Inside No. 9 before the first episode had aired.^[3] The second series was written in 2014, and then filmed from the end of 2014 into early 2015.^[4][5]

As each episode of Inside No. 9 features new characters, the writers were able to attract actors who might have been unwilling to commit to an entire series.^[2] "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge", in addition to the writers, starred David Warner, Ruth Sheen, Sinead Matthews, Jim Howick, Paul Kaye and Trevor Cooper.^[6]

Plot

External video

"A Black Imp" Warren and Clarke tell Sir Andrew Pike about a previous witch hunt.

In 17th century England, magistrate Sir Andrew Pike (Warner) summons witch-finders Mr Warren (Shearsmith) and Mr Clarke (Pemberton) to the village of Little Happens. Local woman Elizabeth Gadge (Sheen) has been accused of witchcraft, and Pike is excited that news of the witch has attracted the attention of outsiders. Elizabeth's case is brought to trial the following morning, with the assistance of over-enthusiastic cobbler Richard Two-Shoes (Kaye.) Elizabeth's daughter Sarah (Matthews) and son-in-law Thomas Nutter (Howick) testify that they have witnessed her sucking from the teat of a furry creature, and speaking to a mouse (believed to be a demon). Elizabeth claims that Sarah and Thomas have falsely accused her, and want to get rid of her to make room in their house.

George Waterhouse (Cooper) then testifies against Elizabeth, and the accused is questioned. When others in the courtroom begin laughing at her responses, Warren declares that the next person to laugh will be executed as a witch. After an argument breaks out, the witch-finders and Pike decide that the rest of the trial should be conducted in private. Elizabeth is pricked with a needle to test her for the devil's mark. A remorseful Sarah tries to profess her mother's innocence, but Warren does not believe her. Elizabeth confesses that she has been prostituting herself to Two-Shoes, who wears a fur coat and is the "creature" that Thomas and Sarah saw her sucking from. Two-Shoes denies this, and it is decided that the court should be adjourned until the following morning.

Clarke privately tells Warren that he thinks Elizabeth is innocent and that he is not sure that the witch-finders are truly doing God's work. Warren threatens that Clarke himself will be tried and convicted of witchcraft if he objects further. The court resumes—Elizabeth having been tortured overnight—and Elizabeth's mouse, Snowflake, is released, so that it might lead them to the witch. However, Warren has sprinkled crumbs of cheese in front of Elizabeth. When Snowflake goes over to Elizabeth, Pike declares her a witch, and sentences her to be burned. Thomas and Sarah later say goodbye to a hooded and bound Elizabeth, who awaits her execution. Clarke dismisses them. He removes the hood from the figure to reveal that he has tied up Warren in Elizabeth's place; Clarke believes Warren has been possessed by evil and to have deliberately condemned an innocent woman to death. Clarke puts back the hood, and Pike enters, happy that the trial has seen a revival of trade and visitors to the village. Warren is taken away and burnt at the stake.

Clarke releases the real Elizabeth, but she reveals that she truly is a witch; she breaks Clarke's neck, killing him. There are screams from outside as flames light Elizabeth's face. Announcing that she will go to tell her master about her victory, Elizabeth transforms into a raven and leaves with Snowflake.

Reception

Neela Debnath, writing for The Independent, called "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" a "hilariously dark little half-hour of quintessentially British comedy". The episode was, she claimed, "tightly written with the best is saved till last".^[7] Patrick Mulkern (Radio Times), too, said that "this dark tale soon works a devilish spell".^[8] Rupert Hawksley, writing for the Daily Telegraph, awarded "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" three out of five stars, saying that "despite a starry cast and a delightful twist and counter-twist, [the episode] was nothing like as effective" as "La Couchette" and "The 12 Days of Christine", the previous two episodes of the series. The episode, he claimed, was indicative of a "mid-series lull", and though "occasionally funny", "fell some way short of what we have come to expect from Pemberton and Shearsmith".^[9]

For Hawksley, the episode had several "inspired moments", including a "perfectly pitched" joke about selfies, but the writers had failed to properly exploit the 17th-century setting.^[9] Debnath felt that the jokes, including "anachronistic references" and "dark punnery", were "bang on".^[7] For comedy critic Bruce Dessau, the episode was "all the more hauntingly funny because it is played pretty straight", but noted that the character of Sir Andrew Pike allowed "some offbeat humour".^[10] Hawksley praised Warner's "effortlessly batty" performance as Sir Andrew Pike, and claimed that Sheen "brought an unsettling complexity" to the title character.^[9]

References