I recently watched all of Black Books for the first time, and I'm still not sure how to feel about it. When I enjoyed it, I really enjoyed it. Bernard Black is a great, archetypic character; I love Dylan Moran, the actor/comedian/writer who plays him and wrote his material; and when the chemistry between the three leads worked, it really worked. But I felt a lot of the episodes were lackluster, the jokes and the characterization weirdly off, and I guess that's what makes this series a good one for Key Episodes treatment.
Top 3 Key Episodes
1.2 "Manny's First Day": I like the pilot for this show, but the second episode is really more representative of what the show is like (and it is totally unnecessary to watch the pilot, really, since this episode sets everything up). Manny proves to be a preternaturally good bookshop clerk, while Bernard, annoyed by his sunny disposition, undermines his efforts and tries to find excuses to sack him.
3.1 "Manny Come Home": Manny goes to work for Goliath Books, the big-box bookstore which has moved in next door, leading to jealous stalking from Bernard, and a lot of hilarious sequences sending up corporate employers as represented by Manny's hypocritical new manager Evan (Simon Pegg).
3.6 "The Party": In the series finale, which is mostly a bottle episode (just hanging out at the bookshop before an after the big "Party," which we never see), something good finally happens to Manny, and Fran reveals a secret backstory for Bernard which fairly satisfyingly explains a lot about him (although certainly not everything).
Bonus Episodes
1.1 "Cooking the Books": The pilot effectively introduces the character of Bernard, although Manny is more of a cipher (a manic, abused corporate worker who turns Zen after swallowing The Little Book of Calm--it's a weird storyline which seems to indicate they didn't understand his character yet, although it does feature Martin Freeman as the doctor.) Fran also gets a pretty silly runner, driven to distraction by not understanding one of the objects she sells in her gift shop. But Bernard's material is all gold, especially his repeated attempts to avoid doing his taxes. When he is alarmingly hospitable to proselytizers about halfway through the episode, we're already ready for this amusing subversion of his character.
1.5 "The Big Lock-Out": After accidentally locking himself in and Bernard out with the new super-secure burglarproof door, Manny goes crazy with loneliness in the bookshop, turning into a bizarre bee-roasting survivalist, while Bernard is forced to venture out into the world and ends up as a fast-food cashier. Worth it for the sight of Dylan Moran in a paper hat.
2.5 "Hello Sun": Fran undermines her own attempts to improve herself through yoga with a purity-obsessed friend (Jessica Hynes from Spaced), while Bernard analyzes Manny using a copy of The Complete Works of Freud. This is one of the "Bernard is mean to Manny" episodes I hate, but it does provide some interesting insights into that dynamic, e.g. suggesting that Manny is a glutton for punishment.
3.2 "Elephants and Hens": I almost included this in Key Episodes, and it is hands-down my favorite episode of the show, but it's not terribly plot important (not that any episode of this show really is). While many episodes focus on bickering between Bernard and Manny, this one has them working together in an alcohol-fueled haze as they attempt to write a best-selling children's book. Meanwhile, Fran's bad personality ruins her all-girls weekend.
3.3 "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa": Episodes in which parents appear are always good for shaping characters, and it's fun to see all three characters acting like sullen teens.
3.5 "Travel Writer": I really love this episode, too, in which all three characters become enamored with a dashing travel writer who's speaking at the shop (Julian Rhind-Tutt). It is frankly delightful to see Bernard giggling like a fourteen-year-old girl.
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