i think anniversary was the worst one as well, the other one i didnt like that much is the wedding party
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Snurbs — 16 years ago(November 10, 2009 08:10 PM)
I'm an american and I love The "Waldorf Salad" episode! I love how at first Basil is simply baffled by it, and by the end he wants one! Every time I hear or read about one (which isn't very often), I think of Fawlty Towers.
My perception of a Waldorf Salad is forever changed.
The "american" in the episode is a total prick, but guys like him really do exist.Most people have encountered a variation of that character sometime in their life! Sad, but true.
I don't really think there is a weak episode in the whole lot. I love them all. -
lornamd-1 — 16 years ago(June 16, 2009 10:12 AM)
The Anniversary is my least favourite as most of it seemed forced. I did not believe that the guests would insist on going up to see Sybill like they did (who would insist on bothering a sick person who has asked to be left alone?) and I also never thought Terry would react so horribly to Manuel cooking paella. Strangely enough the Anniversary is John Cleeses favourite but while it has its moments and you do see a different side to Basil and Sybills marriage I think its nothing compared to the other episodes.
John Cleese said the Builders was his least favourite episode. -
hollygolightlycarat — 16 years ago(June 21, 2009 12:03 PM)
Gee, how typical of xenophobic Brits to latch onto the brash American in "Waldorf salad" as the worst ever episode/character. Why, I wonder? Simply because he is a "hateful arrogant yank" who dares to criticize the British - and watch out! For anyone who has the temerity to commit this offence will be pilloried regardless of whether he speaks the truth or not. Yet I notice not one person mentions the disgusting racist dialogue in much of "The Germans" including terms such as wogs, n**rs,dg's etc. As long as Britain is not at the receiving end of prejudice or abuse "well it's all a bit of harmless fun isn't it?" No thought at all for the Asians, Carribeans, etc who would surely cringe even today at such vile language. And the British wonder why they are disliked the world over (yes you are, you'd be surprised) - I'll tell you why - for being insular, xenophobic, patronizing hypocrites, thats why. And despite pretending to be otherwise - still a deeply racist, flawed society. Just ask Shilpa Shetty. Or better yet - the lovely Prince Harry - surely a worthy representative of this "Great Island".
Now to answer the original question, my absolutely favourite episode is "Waldorf salad"; my least favourite - "The Germans". -
Paparazzo-1 — 16 years ago(October 31, 2009 12:40 PM)
Gee, how typical of xenophobic Brits to latch onto the brash American in "Waldorf salad" as the worst ever episode/character. Why, I wonder? Simply because he is a "hateful arrogant yank" who dares to criticize the British - and watch out! For anyone who has the temerity to commit this offence will be pilloried regardless of whether he speaks the truth or not.
For starters, chill out. It's a light hearted comedy after all! I'm guessing that someone who uses terms like 'gee', 'and watch out!', 'anyone who has the temerity to commit this offense' and 'will be pilloried' is a highly strung menopausal American woman from the 1950s.
And the British wonder why they are disliked the world over (yes you are, you'd be surprised) - I'll tell you why - for being insular, xenophobic, patronizing hypocrites, thats why. And despite pretending to be otherwise - still a deeply racist, flawed society.
Good to see that you're not xenophobic then.
Just ask Shilpa Shetty.
Nuff said. -
professorfate1965 — 16 years ago(November 24, 2009 07:15 PM)
Waldorf Salad. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. I have always loathed that episode. Yes, I'm American and yes, I think the character is a grade A A$$hole that Basil should have just shot and been done with. And yes I agree Americans can be pricks at times. All that notwithstanding I still intensely hate this episode. It's doesn't have the magic that the others (even the not so good ones) still manage to have. My favs have to be The Germans (No, I have not mentioned the war) and The Builders-Sybil going off on Mr. O'reilly is classic and never fails to crack me up. Gourment Night is also a great one. Basil beating that vicious bastard car with the tree branch also has me in stiches.
You're young, you're drunk, you're in bed, you have knives; s**t happens.-Angelina Jolie -
beresfordjd — 16 years ago(January 07, 2010 09:58 AM)
The worst of FT is still head and shoulders above any other comic sitcom. You can watch it over and over and still not only laugh but bust a gut!! Only Frasier, Porridge, Friends, Dinnerladies, Blackadder and King of Queens can make me do that
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scottythefield — 16 years ago(January 27, 2010 10:11 AM)
"The Builders", "Gourmet Night", "Waldorf Salad" and "The Anniversary Party" are the episodes that I call the worst, which means that they're merely 'good'. I'd have to say "Gourmet Night" is the one I like the least. Giving a character a facial tic and pairing him with another character named "Twitchen" is pretty damn contrived, and generating cheap laughs from this guy and his extremely short wife isn't exactly inspired. (And totally non-PC, but that's fine with me.) Also, the actors who played those two gave oddly distracting performances - it seemed like they were from another place and time. And I wish they'd never filmed the (unaired) scene with Kurt puking on the dinner - leaving it in would've been disgusting and unfunny, but as it is, the edit just looks stupid.
(Incidentally, lotta folks here being a bit too hard on "Waldorf Salad"'s American, I think. I mean, yeah he had a major sense of entitlement, but Basil willingly accepted his 20, so the guy
was
at least partly entitled. Plus, the guy wasn't TOTALLY obnoxious - he was polite and friendly enough to Sybil. No WAY was he more insufferable than that deaf Mrs. Richardson! And yet hers is possibly my favourite episode, so whatever) -
Doom — 16 years ago(January 27, 2010 01:16 PM)
I agree about Waldorf Salad - I think a lot of people name it as their least favorite episode simply because it makes them uncomfortable (and rightly so).
The Waldorf Salad ep makes ME uncomfortable too, but I still think it's a good episode regardless - can't say the same for Gourmet Night.
Wait a minute who am I here? -
wristwatchraver-1 — 16 years ago(February 02, 2010 01:58 PM)
It may seem harsh to say of such a comedy classic but there are three episodes I don't like. Two have already been mentioned Waldorf Salad and The Anniversary but I also dislike Gourmet Night. I agree is had one of the funniest endings (Basil bashing the car with a tree branch) but it just seems un-Basil-ish for him to go to all that trouble for his guests. It would've benn more like Basil to tell them to "Shove it, I'll re-arrange it"
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clouseau-4 — 15 years ago(April 19, 2010 11:42 AM)
I agree that The Anniversary was a bit weaker than the others but the Roger character saved that one. Picking out the 'worst' Fawlty Towers episode is a bit like picking out the 'worst' Beethoven Symphony or Van Gogh painting.
It's spelled Raymond Luxury Yacht, but it's pronounced '
Throat-Warbler Mangrove
' -
Russki08 — 15 years ago(August 09, 2010 06:46 PM)
You know, it's kinda ironic but the Anniversary is one of my absolute favorites. It's up there with Basil the Rat and Gourmet Night.
But my least favorite was Communications Problems. I find the episode generally lacking in humor and I didn't like the ending, it was unfair to Basil and it wasn't because of Basil's doing. In most of the episodes of Fawlty Towers, when Basil would lose out, it was funny because it was of his own doing. I mean, if you look at the Builders, had he just listened to Cybil and hired Stubbs and not O'Reilly, everything would have been fine. In Gourmet Night, there are several moments where Basil could have avoided trouble but one is where Manuel comes to see him to tell him about the fight that has developed between him and Kurt. If Basil had simply listened to Manuel instead of ignorning him, he might have been able to stop the crisis. I could go on. But in Communications Problems, he's harmed by things largely out of his control and I didn't like that. Plus the whole thing with a deaf woman, I just didn't like it.