Always the most problematic of the four Croft
& Perry series, IAHHM has a less successful
introductory episode than any of its stable mates. In half an hour it has to
introduce three different sets of characters (the officers, the troupe and the
Indians), show how the power dynamic within each group operates and how the
three groups communicate with each other (or don't) and establish a less
familiar historical and geographical setting. On top of this, unlike Dad's
Army, it's introducing queer and BAME characters, which requires careful
handling. And it has to be funny, too!
The episode doesn't quite lead the viewer by the hand into the situation, but instead drops us into the action in a rather confusing way. Really, it would have been more sensible (if obvious) to make more of the newcomer as a viewpoint character, but his experience is rather sidelined. The most distinctive element at this early stage is Ranghi Ram, the servant who soliloquises his thoughts to the viewer a figure from a centuries-old theatrical tradition, and something that isn't attempted in the other Croft & Perry shows.
The episode doesn't quite lead the viewer by the hand into the situation, but instead drops us into the action in a rather confusing way. Really, it would have been more sensible (if obvious) to make more of the newcomer as a viewpoint character, but his experience is rather sidelined. The most distinctive element at this early stage is Ranghi Ram, the servant who soliloquises his thoughts to the viewer a figure from a centuries-old theatrical tradition, and something that isn't attempted in the other Croft & Perry shows.
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