Fawlty Towers - Série 1

The first season of Fawlty Towers introduced me to Basil Fawlty, a slimy small-town guy for whom an encounter with hotel guests is an excruciating ordeal. Unless they are aristocrats or particularly important individuals, then Basil turns into a butt-kisser who tries to ingratiate himself at any cost. Anytime Basil gets too confident, he is consistently put down by his wife Sibyl, he is undermined by being misunderstood by Manuel, who, though he speaks no English, makes up for it by being from Barcelona, and he is ignored by Polly, an amateur artist who, when in need, does not hesitate to turn to the person who has the final say in the hotel. Especially in the early episodes, I felt as if John Cleese was slightly overacting to always be in the spotlight, but things eventually evened out, all the characters were given space, and especially Andrew Sachs as Manuel was excellent. (12/08/2017)