Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Kevin Bishop, Gemma Whelen, Paterson Joseph, Rosa Robson, Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Dino Kelly.
To take risks is every artist’s right, and whilst there will be those that don’t appreciate the gamble, preferring instead to instruct the artist to stick to what they do best, or to translate, what the observer can comfortably comprehend, the reward received is great indeed, and can bring the artist’s talents in to even sharper, more critical view.
The sheer status of Commedia dell’arte has arguably diminished in its grandness over the last couple of centuries, especially in British theatre where its timelier stepchild of farce has become engrained into the national psyche, less classic, but punching at the pomposity of the British consciousness and spirit with subtler, more acute intent.
To bring in the Italian stage comedy and mould into the fabric of a crime heist is perhaps out of the league of many writers, after all, the premise would not initially be seen as to be popular, too perilous, uncertain of success, but what else are risks for but the overall reward of producing something that nobody else had faith in, and watching their reactions change for the better.
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have always been willing to take those risks, no other pairing, along with the terrific Mark Gatiss and Jermey Dyson, would have conceived the illuminated darkness of The League of Gentlemen, and then Psychoville, and in the opening episode of the new series of Inside No.9, Mr. Pemberton, and Mr. Shearsmith, bring the unique to the screen and delight in its creative freedom, as Wuthering Heist matches some of the series highlights for its absolute commitment to making the inconceivable part and parcel of television’s sharper and detailed wit.
The Commedia dell’arte aspect of the episode will not please all, but that is not the point of art, it is not meant to be welcomed in as a catch all moment and leave all simpering in it’s the glow, it is meant to divide, but ultimately to have the audience talking, arguing passionately beyond the initial debut screening; and as Wuthering Heist shows rather beautifully, and with the keenness of the two writer’s imaginations in full flow, the performance outweighs the negativity that some will feel.
With the sublime Gemma Whelen, the versatile Kevin Bishop, and the framing strength of Paterson Joseph adding their considerable talent to the names of those who have appeared in the show before them, Wuthering Heist is a terrific episode in which to see how truly divisive art can be when placed in the right hands, and for the embracing of dark comedy, the team behind Inside No.9 have proved there are no finer writers to bring the genre to television.
Ian D. Hall