The Cutprice Guignol

Finding comedy in the mundane? That’s old hat. Finding horror in it? Now, that’s something I can get behind.

And what’s more mundane, for British people at least, than fighting over the bill – if you don’t nearly come to blows in a coffee shop with your gran over who’s paying for tea and cake at least once every give years, I’m pretty sure you get your passport taken off you. But, regardless, it’s that premise that The Bill springs from – four men (Shearsmith, Pemberton, Jason Watkins, and Philip Glenister), after a night of tapas and chat, set about trying to pay the bill.

After the actual snuff film of the last episode, The Bill might seem like a bit of soft touch by comparison. How, after all, could a story about four men bickering over paying the bill fit into an anthology horror show? Well, two full seasons in, and you should really know by now that this show can turn anything into horror if it really puts its mind to it. While this isn’t literally a “The Weirdest Shit You’ve Ever Seen Happen in a Suburban Semi-Detached” episode, spiritually, I feel it falls under the same purview – that sense of the disturbing in the mundane, the suburban semi-detached are just down the street from this restaurant, you know? This is where the residents of that suburban semi-detached come for their retirement dos.

Watching this episode again, one of the aspects that stood out most to me was the direction, courtesy of frequent Inside No. 9 collaborator Guillem Morales; this is essentially a bottle episode, taking place not just within the confines of the restaurant, but almost completely around just the table where the four central characters have been dining. But Morales shoots it with an absolutely brilliant dynamism that gives The Bill the feel of an action movie, the camera constantly swerving between characters in a way that keeps you on edge. Like the cast, you can never quite settle, never quite relax, and it serves to add so much to the already-brilliant unfolding of this story.

And, truly, I don’t know how many times I will say it over the course of these reviews, but what Pemberton and Shearsmith have created here is an absolute masterclass in small-scale character work. Aside from both of them putting in some of the best performances of the whole show (drawing on their real-life lived-in friendship really adds to the dynamic here), what they do with the writing is downright joyful to watch – bouncing between social commentary, acerbic wit, genuine discomfort, and a constant, growing sense of wild escalation that leads you to places that you would never even have imagined at the episode’s beginning…it’s a delight to take in. The way the episode so carefully and meticulously unpicks this ridiculous masculine production of paying the bill – and takes it to its most outrageous end point – is a testament to their ability to find the horror in just about anything. Not a word is wasted, every character so perfectly-formed that when the twist reveals itself, it’s even more of a wrong-footing.

And the twist really is just the cherry on top here, that reveal of a ridiculously convoluted plot to steal a chunk of cash from Craig serving not as the episode’s whole point, but as a treat to recontextualize the characters and story on a second watch-through. Jason Watkins, especially, shines a whole new light on his character with just a few gestures, turning this squirelly little voucher-collector into an unsettling and commanding figure in a matter of moments. And I would not be doing my eternal obsession with Stath Lets Flats justice if I didn’t mention how brilliant Ellie White is in this episode – her second-language spoonerisms are one of the comedy highlights of this outing.

As a whole, The Bill is an episode that proves Inside No. 9 has totally hit its stride – inventive, polished, and as discomforting as it is hilarious. Where does The Bill stand for you on the all-time Inside No. 9 rankings? Let me know in the comments!

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 IMDB)