Inside No. 9 (TV Series) Boo To A Goose (2024) User Reviews

Brilliant start to series 9.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 15 May 2024]

A late night train breaks down, forcing its passengers to interact with one another, but tempers spill over when nurse Elena has her bag stolen. Homeless man Mossy is the first to be suspected.

Very few shows can boast such consistency, but inside no.9 has forever gone from strength to strength, and in many cases, gotten better and better.

What an absolute belter of an episode, this was a brilliant, terrifying, unnerving thirty minutes, and one I have no doubt that will be remembered as a classic.

That twist was a jaw dropping moment, classic inside no.9, evidence that Shearsmith and Pemberton have lost none of their penchant for the macabre.

What a phenomenal cast too, Siobhan Finneran and Mark Bonnar are two of the very best, they were great.

Definitely a nod to Mrs Slocombe, that costume was terrific.

Wonderful.

9/10.

Boo To A Goose

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 9 May 2024]

The ninth and final series of Inside No 9. Probably one of the most consistent series out there in terms of quality regarding dark, twisted humorous stories.

You'll never think of a replacement service in the same way, the next time you take public transport.

Some passengers on the tube get in a kerfuffle when the lights go out on their train and it comes to a stop.

A homeless man had entered the compartment begging for money. When it went dark, a nurse had her purse stolen. One passenger, a stern teacher takes it upon himself to search the others.

This does not sit well with one paranoid passenger. He thinks people are being watched on CCTV cameras and he seems to be very protective of his bag.

The passengers are a motley crew including a drag queen, a bored middle aged married couple. So the twist was hard to predict.

When it did arrive it certainly was leftfield. Probably too offbeat for me but certainly a homage to the Bodysnatchers movies.

Something in the (Canada) Water.

[southdavid · 8/10 · 9 May 2024]

The ninth and (probably) final season of "Inside Number 9" begins with a really good episode, that hides a political, or perhaps societal, message in its typical blend of comedy and twisty horror.

A late-night tube train breaks down, trapping eight passengers in a carriage. During the power failure, the purse of Nurse Elena (Phillipa Dunne) is stolen, and suspicion quickly falls on homeless Mossy (Charlie Cooper), who arrived, begging for change, moments earlier. Authoritarian teacher Raymond (Mark Bonnar) leads the accusations and impromptu investigation, but his methods stoke division between the other passengers.

The societal message is clear, as the carriage divides along the lines of who resists Raymond's despotic orders and who chooses a quiet life of obedience. This is particularly pronounced when suspicion falls on Joel Fry's conspiracy theorist Finn, who categorical refuses to allow his backpack to be searched, until a vote takes place on it. It's perhaps the most forthright that the lads have been on wider society since the "Last Night of The Proms" episode.

As is typical of the show, the performances are really good and there's some funny lines mostly coming from Pemberton and Shearsmith themselves, as bawdy drag queen Wilma and reserved Gerry respectively. The twist, I have to say, I did not see coming - which is always welcome, and like all the best twists the series as done, some of the earlier moments and lines will work differently if you rewatch the episode with that knowledge. It's almost impossible to talk about that twist without spoiling it, or even referencing the sorts of films it's aping. I will say that, despite not guessing it, I found it a tiny bit anticlimactic, which is why the episode hasn't scored even higher.

Tough to accept that there's only five left. I'm already looking at tickets for the stage show.

Wonderfully quirky

[lucydady · 10/10 · 9 May 2024]

Fantastic start to the new series. In my opinion episodes like this one are where inside number 9 works best: a good mix of on the nose social commentary and realism thrown in with a sense that anything can happen all set in a microcosm of society which happens to be a train carriage. Quits reminiscent of 'la couchette' for reasons that will become obvious, Boo to a goose throws a rabdom set of characters into an odd situation and runs with it. The episode holds up well to subsequent viewings because the foreshadowing and Easter eggs are spot on.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea but it's definitely mine and with 55 episodes to choose from there really is something for everyone.

A Mirror On Society

[kevcargill · 10/10 · 11 May 2024]

I have been struck during the last decade by the decrease in critical thinking in society. Particularly amongst the young. That and the way many (although again mainly those born since 2000) are incapable of reading or watching anything without taking it absolutely literally. Their inability to understand satire, irony and sarcasm means they cannot understand or enjoy comedy as they take it all absolutely seriously and jokes have to have punchlines or simply poke fun at those they disagree with.

For these reasons I think it's increasingly difficult for comedy writers to satisfy their audiences yet Pemberton and Shearsmith always seem to manage. Their ability to combine subtle, nod your head and smile, messages with out and out slapstick, stand up jokes, and intelligent satire is beyond any other writers out there.

This episode holds a mirror to society in exposing how we have moved from an ability to debate, disagree and still maintain respect for each other to one where if you disagree with the virtue signalling minority without even given the opportunity to debate you are cancelled (in the very worst way here by having compliant replacements take your place) and the rest of society is therefore afraid to say boo to a goose in case it happens to them and the wrongthinkers are eventually eradicated.

Far from being the worst episode ever. This is perhaps the greatest and most necessary they have done. Because with the increasing limitations on free speech, hate crime acts to split families and friends, no debate and ever more accusations of wrongspeak we need to heed the warnings from wherever we perceive them!

Superb Episode. Those who don't get it, you are the one's being replaced.

[declantill · 9/10 · 13 May 2024]

I've had my gripes with Steve and Reece but boy, are they back.

A faultless writing demonstration on tight, witty, energetic dialogue and a story that mirrors society. Inaction = stagnation and the big guy likes it when the little guy stagnates.

It was a superb set, acting was phenomenal and like I say a good, well meaning, though provoking story which is less than can be said about 78-85% of all the other shows on TV. Who are you in this situation? Are you the teacher? The homeless man? The goverment drone? Or are you a freedom fighter? A stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in? Either way this episode goes to show two things.

All action taken is better than none...And that Steve and Reece are truly, finally back.

Who are the geese

[safenoe · 8/10 · 17 May 2024]

Boo to a Goose is a season nine opener, and in fact it's the final season before Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton take Inside No. 9 to the stage with Stage/Fright. Anyway, the supporting cast is quite impressive in conveying the claustrophobia and tension of a London tube carriage, possibly set in the near future. Siobhan Finneran, who launched her career in Rita, Sue and Bob Too, is one of the guest stars, as we kind of draw upon Twelve Angry Men and also Nineteen Eighty-Four in a way. The ending is controversial for some, and kind of speaks to the perils of dissent and standing up for what's right.

Very Poor Episode

[tp-25527 · 4/10 · 9 May 2024]

I LOVE the series, but this was the worst episode I've ever seen. Totally implausible and silly ending. Excellent acting from the cast, but the story line was quite ridiculous. I hope the remaining 5 episodes are much better, because this truly is an original, and typically brilliant series. This one episode? It laid a big egg.

Big build-up to an ending that made little sense. The plot twists were confusing and felt like a lazy attempt to surprise viewers. The characters' actions were inconsistent and unrealistic, even for a show that often pushes boundaries.

Disappointing to see such a great series stumble so badly. Fingers crossed the next episodes return to form!

The episode's pacing was slow and dragged out, making the already weak plot feel even more tedious. The dialogue was clunky and lacked the usual wit and charm that the show is known for. The entire story line was subpar and took away from the overall experience. It's clear that the writers were trying to be bold and take risks, but this episode missed the mark entirely. Here's hoping the show can recover from this misstep and finish strong! Really, really bad "twist" at the end.