The Riddle of the Sphinx (''Inside No. 9'')

"The Riddle of the Sphinx"
Inside No. 9 episode

Reece Shearsmith as Dr Tyler, Alexandra Roach as Nina and Steve Pemberton as Professor Squires in a promotional poster for the episode
Episode no. Series 3
Episode 3
Directed by Guillem Morales
Written by Steve Pemberton
Reece Shearsmith
Produced by Adam Tandy (producer)
Jon Plowman (executive producer)
Editing by Joe Randall-Cutler
Original air date 28 February 2017

"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is the third episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It first aired on 28 February 2017, on BBC 2. The episode was written by the programme's creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales. "The Riddle of the Sphinx", which is set in Cambridge, stars Alexandra Roach as Nina, a young woman seeking answers to the Varsity cryptic crossword, and Pemberton as Professor Nigel Squires, who pseudonymously sets the crossword using the name of the Sphinx. The story begins with Nina surreptitiously entering Squires's office on a stormy night, where she is discovered; this leads to Squires teaching her how to decipher clues in cryptic crosswords. Shearsmith stars as Dr Jacob Tyler, also a Cambridge academic.

The plot of "The Riddle of the Sphinx" revolves around the clues and answers to a particular crossword puzzle. The idea to focus an episode on crosswords came from Pemberton; he had long been a fan of cryptic crosswords, but particular inspiration came from Two Girls, One on Each Knee: The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword by Alan Connor. The crossword featured in the "The Riddle of the Sphinx" was set by Pemberton, and was published in The Guardian on the day the episode aired, credited to "Sphinx". This crossword contains multiple ninas—hidden messages or words. Along with many of the crossword's answers, one nina is integral to the plot. A second was introduced accidentally, and then incorporated into the episode. This second nina was interpreted by some viewers as having a political meaning, but both Pemberton and the BBC have denied that this is the case. A third nina is an Inside No. 9 in-joke.

"The Riddle of the Sphinx", which emphasises gothicism over comedy, draws influence from, among others, Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth and the work of Anton Chekhov. Critics responded extremely positively to the episode, lauding its writing and the precise attention to detail in the production. Commentators noted that the episode was very dark, and probably the cleverest episode of Inside No. 9 to date. Roach's performance was praised, as was the direction of Morales.

Production

Reece Shearsmith (pictured, 2003) co-wrote "The Riddle of the Sphinx" and stars as Dr Jacob Tyler. He selected the episode as one of his favourites from the third series.

The third series of Inside No. 9 was announced in October 2015, with filming beginning in January 2016, at which time Alexandra Roach was named as a guest star in the series.[1][2][3] "The Riddle of the Sphinx" was the third episode of the series, after the Christmas special "The Devil of Christmas" (December 2016) and "The Bill" (February 2017), the latter of which was the first of a run of five episodes.[4][5][6][7] "The Riddle of the Sphinx" was first aired on 28 February 2017. It was shown on BBC 2 at 10:00pm, clashing with first episode of the third series of Catastrophe, the acclaimed Channel 4 comedy.[8]

Pemberton had long been a fan of cryptic crosswords, and he was inspired to develop the episode by reading Two Girls, One on Each Knee: The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword by Alan Connor.[9][10][11] This led Pemberton to ask whether one could "dramatize doing a crossword, which is so un-dramatic?"[10][11] Elsewhere, Pemberton explained that he and Shearsmith relish the challenge set by writing limitations, such as basing an episode around a crossword: these challenges, he explained, would lead to the writers producing their best work.[12] The episode was characterised by Pemberton as a thriller in the style of Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth, while Shearsmith explained that BBC executives characterised the episode as a cross between Sleuth and Willy Russell's Educating Rita that read as if it had been authored by psychopaths.[13] The idea to set the episode during a storm, which gave it a gothic quality, was originally Morales's. For Shearsmith and Pemberton, this was an example of an advantage to having a third party direct episodes, in contrast to "Cold Comfort" and "Nana's Party" from the second series, which they had directed themselves.[12]

With assistance from Connor, Pemberton compiled the crossword around which the episode revolves. The puzzle contains a range of themed entries and ninas—hidden words or messages—making it a particularly challenging crossword for a first-time designer. Pemberton began with ISWAPPEDCUPS, the key nina, and two of the long themed words (PUFFERFISH and ASPHYXIATION). He then experimented with remaining clues, and was able to include MYSTERYGUEST, KNOWITALL, UNDERSLIP and NEUN. The episode's second nina was created accidentally and seen at the last minute; by introducing a middle name for Pemberton's character, the writers were able to make it a part of the plot. In an interview with Connor, published after "The Riddle of the Sphinx" had aired, Pemberton explored the ways in which writing for Inside No. 9 was like writing for a cryptic crossword; in both cases, misdirection is key and utterly arbitrary choices or happenings can serve as important inspirations.[9]

The episode stars Roach as Nina, Pemberton as Professor Nigel Squires, and Shearsmith as Dr Jacob Tyler.[14] Roach said in an interview before the episode's airing that that she is drawn to darker scripts; she said that she loves Inside No. 9, describing the episodes as "very gruesome, psychological thrillers, [which] always have great twists".[15] She described Nina as highly naive.[15]

Pemberton's crossword was published in The Guardian on the same day that the episode aired, credited to "Sphinx";[9] for one critic, this explained and justified the answer MYSTERYGUEST.[16] The collaboration between Inside No. 9 and The Guardian drew inspiration from the collaboration between The Simpsons and The New York Times for "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" in 2008. Pemberton dedicated the crossword, which was his first in print, to the late Kenny Ireland. The two of them, Pemberton explained, had completed the Guardian crossword daily while filming together for Benidorm.[9]

Shearsmith identified "The Riddle of the Sphinx" as one of his two favourite episodes of the series, along with "The Devil of Christmas".[17][11] For the writers, the episode was not comedic, and they expressed awareness of the differences between episodes of Inside No. 9 like "The Riddle of the Sphinx" and the expectations of viewers for television comedies.[10] The pair acknowledged the particular complexity of the plot,[18][17] with Pemberton saying "If you missed two sentences in a row, you'd be like 'what?' Even I was thinking how are people following this? It's insane."[18] Pemberton also noted that not everyone enjoys crosswords, hence "I always hated cryptic crosswords. Why can't people just say what they mean instead of trying to trick you all the time?" from Shearsmith's Tyler.[9]

Plot

External video
"No pressure"
Professor Nigel Squires explains why he goes by the Sphinx.

On a stormy Cambridge night, Nina lets herself in to an office, where she is found by Professor Nigel Squires. He is holding a gun, but it is not loaded. Nina's boyfriend Simon is a fan of cryptic crosswords, but she is never able to help him. She has come to the office of Squires—a classicist who sets crosswords for Varsity as the Sphinx—to seek the answers to the next day's crossword. Squires sets about to teach Nina: "I teach wild creature without hospital building" results in ARCHITECTURE, which Simon studies. They turn to the clues for the next day, beginning to fill a large grid. Squires uses the name of the Sphinx because she would asphyxiate and consume those who failed to answer her riddle: she was "devious and deadly". Squires makes tea, as Nina looks to his trophies. A picture of Squires with his late wife draws her attention, and they discuss the cut-throat world of competitive crosswording. Nina has answered DOWNANDOUT and WRAP; Squires answers DESI and helps with TRENT. Squires asks about Simon, but catches Nina in a lie; with her excuse being that she only wants to learn. Together, they deduce SWAMPLANDS, meaning "bog". Nina, though, suggests that is should be bogs, otherwise Squires would be cheating. Suddenly spluttering, Squires takes a seat, as Nina begins on the next clue. She suddenly displays clear proficiency, answering ASPHYXIATION.

Squires drops his cup, as Nina continues to fill in the crossword, including SOWERBERRY and KNOWITALL. Squires is apparently paralysed in his chair, watching. Nina reveals herself as a marine biologist, and has acquired tetrodotoxin from a pufferfish, which causes paralysis and asphyxiation. Simon was actually Nina's brother, and is visible on the photo of Squires and his wife. Simon had reached a crosswording final only to be beaten by Squires after the latter challenged that a u looked more like a v. Depressed by the trivial defeat, Simon had killed himself. Squires, to Nina's shock, is unharmed. He leaps up to fill out NEUN and ASPS, revealing the nina ISWAPPEDCUPS within the crossword. As Nina induces vomiting, Squires makes a phone call. He had been warned by Dr Jacob Tyler, an old friend and Nina's supervisor. Squires places Nina—for whom paralysis is setting in—on a chair, and goes back to the crossword, filling out UNDERSLIP.

Nina is left alone until Tyler enters. He tells Charlotte—"Nina"—to hang on, before turning to the crossword. With Squires, he works out MYSTERYGUEST. Tyler reveals that he has no antidote for Charlotte, and will not call the emergency services. Instead, he wants Squires to eat Charlotte, as the Sphinx would. Tyler tells Squires that he cannot call the police, as the crossword displays premeditation: the KNOWITALL received a MYSTERYGUEST at number NEUN, resulting in ASPHYXIATION. Tyler reveals PUFFERFISH, predicting that a DOWNANDOUT will find Charlotte WRAPped in her UNDERSLIP in SWAMPLANDS, incriminating Squires. This is, Tyler says, his revenge.

Tyler cuts from Charlotte's buttocks, frying a strip of her flesh on a stove. Squires tells of how he began an affair with Monica, Tyler's wife and mother of his twin children, destroying Tyler's career. Tyler hands Squires the flesh, and he eats, fearing Charlotte will die. Tyler reveals how he hates cryptic crosswords, and how his son entered the Cambridge Crossword Competition, attempting to beat his mother's new husband: Squires. Squires realises that Charlotte is Tyler's daughter. Charlotte and Tyler sought revenge on Squires, but Tyler changed plans so Squires would include clues in the crossword. However, Simon's autopsy—Tyler explains—revealed that Simon and Charlotte were actually Squires's children, meaning Monica and Squires's relationship began earlier than he previously thought. Charlotte is past saving, and Tyler places a bullet on Squires's desk, quoting Chekhov's gun. Squires confirms that his middle name is Hector as he weeps over Charlotte, and Tyler circles something on the crossword. Charlotte is dead, and Squires loads the gun, placing it in his mouth. Blood splatters over the crossword and a second nina: RIP NHS.

Analysis

"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is less comedic than many episodes of Inside No. 9,[19] drawing upon gothic themes.[10][17][12] A number of critics identified Sleuth—"a grandfather of sorts" to Inside No. 9—as a key influence.[19][18][20] William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, the horror film Theatre of Blood and the work of Anton Chekhov were also identified as possible influences.[20] Chekhov and his work are referenced in the episode; Chekhov's gun is referred to in the closing seconds, while Squires identifies the gun in the episode as from a production of The Seagull, which was authored by Chekhov. This play, like "The Riddle of Sphinx", features a character named Nina and a gunshot suicide.[18] Mark Butler, writing for inews.co.uk, noted the references to Greek tragedy, arguing that the episode "followed a long tradition of grotesque dramatic reveals".[21]

Nina, as well as being the name of a character in the episode, is a name given by cruciverbalists to hidden messages in crosswords, such as Squires's ISWAPPEDCUPS.[18][9] The character of Nina is reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle, with Squires acting as Henry Higgins. The episode explicitly references George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, from which these characters originate, while Squires repeats, verbatim, Higgins's line "By Jove, I think she's got it!" from My Fair Lady, the musical adaptation of the play.[18]

Ninas

Butler and the comedy critic Bruce Dessau suggested that the crossword answers may contain a hidden political message;[20][21] Pemberton noted that "most people" think that the nina RIP NHS was political ("Rest In Peace National Health Service"), but that it was an accidental introduction, and only woven into the plot once the crossword had been completed.[9] The political commentator Kerry-Anne Mendoza reached out to the BBC for comment on the apparent political message; a BBC spokesperson clarified that "NHS are the initials of the professor in question who takes his own life", and subsequently that the apparent political message was "genuinely a complete coincidence".[22]

Every episode of Inside No. 9 features an ornamental hare somewhere on-screen.[23][24][25] According to Pemberton, "Because each episode is so wildly different there was nothing really linking them other than the fact they were all inside a Number Nine, I just thought it would be nice to have an object that you could hide and just have there on every set."[23] There is, however, no particular significance to the hare itself.[24][25] The hare is visible in "The Riddle of the Sphinx" on a table in Squires's fireplace. However, there is also a "second" hare. While it is not visible in the partially completed crossword shown at the end of the episode, the crossword published in The Guardian contains a nina spelling ONELEPUS, Lepus being the generic name for hares.[24]

Reception

Critics responded very positively to "The Riddle of the Sphinx", which was variously called a "brilliant episode" of Inside No. 9,[16] comfortably the best thus far of the third series,[26] and even "one of the best" episodes ever.[27] It was praised by Ben Lawrence of Telegraph.co.uk for its "near brilliance",[28] while Dessau characterised it as a "beautiful constructed playlet",[20] going on to list it as the third best episode of Inside No. 9 of the first three series, beaten only by "The 12 Days of Christine" and "The Harrowing".[29]

The episode was widely noted as both very dark,[26][19][27][30][18][21] and very clever.[26][27][21] Dessau characterised it as the cleverest episode of Inside No. 9,[20] and the freelance journalist Dan Owen described it as "undoubtedly the most complex and surprising instalment of [Inside No. 9], favouring attention to detail and narrative precision";[30] similarly, Mellor called it "the most complicated tale Inside No. 9 has ever spun".[18] The plot offered "much to admire" for crossword fans,[19] but viewers' enjoyment, it was suggested, may depend on how much they enjoys crosswords.[20] The latter half of the episode introduced a very wide array of twists;[30][18] Owen speculated that the episode could lose viewers at the end due to its "minimal hand-holding", suggesting that there may have been too many twists. "If you missed just one line of dialogue", he explained, "it would've left you scrambling to understand exactly what's going on between the three characters".[30]

Nonetheless, the episode was, for Owen, "a writing masterclass", created with considerable skill, and with a plot that held together even when scrutinised.[30] Mellor, similarly, praised the intelligence of the plot, provided one takes "on faith the unlikely notion that a mother and her new husband would have no contact with her children from a previous marriage, not even recognising them as adults".[18] "From the lightning flashes that punctuate hints and story shifts to the wordplay and in-jokes peppered through the script", Mellor said, the episode is highly precise.[18] The ending was described on the British Comedy Guide as perhaps the best of any Inside No. 9 episode in the first three series,[24] while Butler called it one of Inside No. 9's darkest and most bizarre. Some, he suggested, "may have found it a bit too unpalatable", though he added that the plot and ironic humour suggested that viewers can "can perhaps avoid taking it too seriously".[21] Morales received particular praise for his attention to detail and foreshadowing of future events in the episode,[18][30] with Mellor explaining that he and the writers

continually draw our attention to the key props of the gun and the teacups. The camera follows Squires' gun to his desk drawer and we're kept aware of its presence thanks to Nina and Squires' "If I’d shot you, here in the dark/With an empty gun? Good luck" exchange. Nina is shown drinking from the poisoned cup one of two times she admiringly calls Squires "devious" (a hint at her true feelings about him) and once again when she emphasises the word "plan". While Squires is telling the story of the Sphinx and she seems to be gazing at the statue of it, she's actually looking at the photograph of her brother on display directly below.[18]

The actors' performances were also commended,[30] with particular praise for Roach,[30][18] who was characterised as "funny, likeable and endearingly crude as Nina, then captivating and clever when the charade drops".[18] Patrick Mulkern, writing for RadioTimes.com, also praised the "zingy funny lines" in the earlier part of the episode,[19] and Butler commended the "smart, gentle humour" offered by the contrast between Nina and Squires.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Inside No. 9 gets a third series". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Dowell, Ben (20 January 2016). "Keeley Hawes and Jessica Raine to star in the new series of Inside No. 9". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  3. ↑ Travis, Ben (20 January 2016). "Inside No 9: Keeley Hawes, Philip Glenister, and Morgana Robinson confirmed as Series 3 starts shooting". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Doran, Sarah (27 December 2016). "When is the next series of Inside No. 9 on TV?". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Newall, Sally (27 December 2016). "TV review: The Real Marigold On Tour and Inside No.9: The Devil of Christmas". The Independent. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Holland, Luke (21 February 2017). "Tuesday’s best TV – The Drug Trial: Emergency at the Hospital, Inside No 9; Inside No 9". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "7 worth staying in for". Western Mail. 18 February 2017. p. 31.
  8. ↑ Bavan, Nathan (5 March 2017). "Bevan on the box". Seven Days, Wales on Sunday. p. 3.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Connor, Alan (28 February 2017). "The Riddle of the Sphinx: how the Guardian's cryptic crossword found its way on to Inside No 9". theguardian.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Mellor, Louisa (14 February 2017). "Inside No. 9 series 3: 'We’re not sadists!'". Den of Geek. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 "Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith Series 3 interview". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 Mellor, Louisa (21 February 2017). "Inside No. 9 series 3: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith interview". Den of Geek. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Semlyen, Nick De (29 December 2016). "Inside information". Empire. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via PressReader.com.
  14. ↑ "Inside No.9 – The Riddle Of The Sphinx". BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  15. 1 2 Monks, Rebecca (24 January 2017). "Alexandra Roach on No Offence, male dominated TV and Inside No. 9". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  16. 1 2 Wollaston, Sam (1 March 2017). "The Replacement review: just when you thought it was safe to go on maternity leave...". theguardian.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 "'It's hard changing things up ever single week'". Chortle.co.uk. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Mellor, Louisa (28 February 2017). "Inside No. 9 series 3 episode 3 review: The Riddle Of The Sphinx". Den of Geek. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Mulkern, Patrick. "S3-E3 The Riddle of the Sphinx". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dessau, Bruce. "TV Review: Inside No 9 – The Riddle of the Sphinx". BeyondTheJoke.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Butler, Mark (28 February 2017). "Inside No 9 review: a devious and outrageous puzzle". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  22. ↑ Mendoza, Kerry-Anne (2 March 2017). "The BBC denies sending a subtle ‘F*ck You’ to the government on air this week". The Canary. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  23. 1 2 Mellor, Louisa (14 February 2017). "Inside No. 9: did you spot this hidden detail in every episode?". Den of Geek. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Find the Inside No. 9 hare". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  25. 1 2 Jeffery, Morgan (15 February 2017). "Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton reveal 9 secrets from Inside No. 9". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  26. 1 2 3 McDowall, Julie (28 February 2017). "TV Picks, February 28: Maternity leave fears realised in The Replacement, and a pitch-black Inside No 9". The National. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  27. 1 2 3 Shennan, Paddy (4 March 2017). "The top TV topics". Liverpool Echo. p. 24.
  28. ↑ Lawrence, Ben (7 March 2017). "Inside No 9: Empty Orchestra – creepy karaoke, white rap and Elaine Paige – review". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  29. ↑ Dessau, Bruce. "Opinion: Inside No 9 – The All-Time Top Six Episodes". BeyondTheJoke.com. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Owen, Dan (1 March 2017). "INSIDE №9 — ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx’". Dan's Media Digest. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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