The Cutprice Guignol

Inside No. 9 is, at times, a victim of it’s own quality.

And, especially after an episode as excellent as Boo to a Goose, I think this one was always going to have a lot to live up to. But the show has, for me, reached such an exquisite level of quality in the genre storytelling sphere that when it doesn’t knock it out of the part, I – rather selfishly, I suppose – expect a little more from it.

The second episode of this season, The Trolley Problem, takes its name from the age-old philosophical conundrum – is it better to sacrifice the life of person to spare the lives of many? Inside No. 9’s take on the moral quandary kicks off with Blake (Steve Pemberton), a therapist, intervening in the suicide attempt of Drew (Reece Shearsmith) and bringing him home for a nice hot cuppa and a chat. Well, and the rest, as it’s soon revealed that Blake treated Drew’s daughter shortly before her apparent suicide.

And, to be very clear, it’s not that this is a bad episode – far from it. In fact, there’s a lot of stuff I loved about The Trolley Problem, not least the fact that it’s a two-hander between Shearsmith and Pemberton, who are the only characters we see on-screen in the entirety of this story – after such a crowded episode last week, it’s great to see these two whittled down to the bare bones of the show once more, and they both put in great performances (even if Steve Pemberton is, unsettlingly, styled exactly like my dad, down to the tortoishell glasses and unbuttoned tan shirt). It’s an especially excellent episode for Shearsmith, playing brittle, constantly on the verge of shattering into sharp-edged pieces.

I particularly loved the direction for The Trolley Problem, too, the deep shadows and dark corners of this otherwise-standard modern farmhouse; director Al Campbell delivers on the details, shooting this drama like a home invasion horror movie. There’s a sense of humour to the script, the traditionally-brutal ending I expect from Inside No. 9 – it’s all here, and it’s not exactly a let-down of an episode or anything. It ticks the boxes.

But this episode never really clicked for me in the way so many have. The critiques of therapy and predatory healthcare providers certainly isn’t one I dislike or disagree with, but having the victim of Blake’s abuse stashed away completely off-screen left her feeling thin and functional rather than a fully-fleshed out character in her own right. I’m not entirely convinced that the trolly problem worked as a throughline for this story – it felt a bit laboured in comparison to other thematic elements woven through similar episodes. And those unfolding twists never really quite landed for me – something like The Last Weekend, which had a similarly brutal twist ending, was a satisfying and interesting story before the twists started coming, but here, I found myself just waiting for the various shoes to drop (any references to Diddle Diddle Dumpling purely coincidental).

So, yeah, The Trolly Problem isn’t a bad episode of the show, far from it – but the quality that’s come as a standard for Inside No. 9 isn’t quite on show here. Hey, still better than Doctor Who, right?

If you liked this article and want to see more stuff like it, please check out the rest of my Inside No. 9 reviews. I’d also love it if you would check out my horrible short story collection, and, if you’d like to support my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon!

(header image via Chortle)