Series 7 of Inside No. 9 feels like a real return to form, not a duff episode in sight
“This isn’t a fictional construct. It’s actually happening in your kitchen”
After a couple of series that were decidedly mixed bags, for me at least, Series 7 of Inside No. 9 gets it bang on once again. In some ways, I’d struggle to tell you why the brand of weirdness that is threaded through early episodes Merrily, Merrily and Mr King works better than what we’ve had recently – Greek tragedy and folk horror proving stronger inspirations than true crime and Brexit fallouts? Oh look, it wasn’t that hard after all.
What isn’t hard to see, or appreciate, is a return to the densely intricate writing in some of the stories here. Anchored by stellar work from Sophie Okonedo and Siobhán Redmond, the dream loops of Nine Lives Kat reach Inception-level complexity in a highly entertaining way. And A Random Act of Kindness reveals an audaciously epic scope as it unwinds its twists for Jessica Hynes and Noah Valentine’s mother and son. There’s a pleasing old-school nature to the way Danny Mays, Jason Isaacs and Daisy Haggard play out the shenanigans of Kid/Nap.
And then, and then. Series finale Wise Owl is simply breath-taking in how it pushes the boundaries of what Inside No. 9 can do. Creepy and chilling are common enough notes for the show but the mind-fuck that comes from the interplay of the kids’ instructional videos is inspired as we edge closer to the truth about Ronnie’s childhood trauma. I don’t know if the show has ever gone quite this dark and Shearsmith sells it completely, aided by a scintillatingly good Ron Cook. The final line will haunt you for days.
