Mother's Ruin

Brothers Eddie and Harry take part in an unusual ceremony, to contact their late mother, and learn where a fortune is hidden, their plan is interrupted by a couple that knew the departed well.

You never know what you're going to get with Inside no.9, folk tales, musicals, thrillers, they chose to start the penultimate series with a somewhat gory thriller.

An imaginative script, which is dark and twisted, with various moments of humour, and some gore that would sit well in a Saw film.

The twist that came at the end was a cracking moment, it showed that Shearsmith and Pemberton still have a passion for the show, and are still packed with the imagination to keep this show at the top.

Anita Dobson and Phil Daniels were great as the villainous Frances and Reggie, that Father Brown chat was hilarious.

Very good start to Series 8.

8/10.

Mother's Ruin - Inside No.9 S8 E2 (2023) follows two sons who aim to discover what secrets their mother has taken to the grave. This is a fun episode! It keeps the tension high and is paced very well with some great performances and impressive cinematography.

The cinematography for this episode is very impressive! There's some great mood lighting throughout and strong colour palettes that help to set an ominous and unnerving tone. Also related to the visuals, this episode goes hard with the gore and is probably the most brutal episode of the show to date!

The sound design is also quite impressive; it doesn't try to be over the top but really adds to the experience and immersion. The score is equally as eerie and helps to build up tension throughout the duration.

As usual, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith give strong performances that are full of life. Shearsmith is incredibly intimidating, he's always brilliant at playing mysterious and dominant personalities. Additionally, the dialogue is well written and includes a lot of fun little jokes to lighten the mood.

Lastly, this episode has a very eerie and unsettling tone to it, with steady pacing and a gradual build up of tension and mystery. As expected, there are many twists and turns and tonal shifts which are pulled off very well! Finally, the story is pieced together well at the end and concludes perfectly.

After her death, the sons come to the already sold mother's house, in search of hidden money, but the new owners return earlier than they were expected.

This is a dark-humored horror thriller with interesting but not particularly shocking twists and one gore scene. All actors ' excellent performances make up for the somewhat loose script. It's worth watching, but not rewatching.

7/10.

After her death, the sons come to the already sold mother's house, in search of hidden money, but the new owners return earlier than they were expected.

This is a dark-humored horror thriller with interesting but not particularly shocking twists and one gore scene. All actors ' excellent performances make up for the somewhat loose script. It's worth watching, but not rewatching.

After the Christmas special, "Insider Number 9" returns for the rest of it's penultimate run and starts pretty strongly with "Mother's Ruin" an episode that combines the humour and horror that we've come to expect in an episode that falls just a little short of being a top tier one.

Two brothers, Edward (Reece Shearsmith) and Harry (Steve Pemberton) break into the house that their mother died in, on the anniversary of her death, to try and commune with her spirit. Their parents were East End gangsters and when she died a large amount of cash from that time was still to be recovered. As part of the ritual, something she loved needs to die, so Edward has brought her parrot, but sensitive Harry was unprepared for this aspect and allows the bird to escape. Now Edward needs to make a difficult choice. . . And then the owners come home.

As I said, I felt this was a good one. With good performances not just from our regular two leads, but from Anita Dobson and Phil Daniels, who play the couple who arrive home from their holiday earlier than expected and walk in on the brothers. It was one of the funnier episodes, and I enjoyed the grizzlier elements as the show ran on.

Why not quite top tier then? Well, I think I prefer my episodes to have a sting in the tail and this episode peaked slightly before the end, and a few of its elements, particularly around that resolution, were a little more predictable than I would have liked. I also feel a little like Harry was a 'stock' Steve Pemberton character and kept reminding me of "Psychoville's" David.

A solid return from a show I'm always delighted to see but has occasionally been better.

Almost a Ben Wheatley type grisly macabre episode.

Harry Blackwood (Steve Pemberton) and Edward Blackwood (Reece Shearsmith) are two estranged brothers. They have reunited in their mother's old house in what would be the first anniversary of her death.

The new owners are away on holiday and the brothers have broken in. When Edward draws a pentagram with symbols on the floor. It is easy to guess that witchcraft is on the agenda.

Edward wants to find out from her deceased mother where she stashed their gangster dad's stolen loot. It has to be done tonight but then the new owners wander in.

Frances (Anita Dobson) and Reggie (Phil Daniels) are not some random new owners. They knew their parents and they now have an end of life plan for the brothers.

Until Frances reckons that there is some mileage in the witchcraft plan.

There is no glorious twist here but a series of incremental ones that could leave the viewer wrong footed. This is dark twisted comedy.