Rowan Atkinson has taken on a diverse range of comedic roles over the years, but he is perhaps best known for playing the iconic Mr. Bean. The main appeal of that series was in Atkinson’s facial expressions and silent comedy, a lot of which he has brought back to the fore in Man vs. Bee.
With bitesize episodes, a simple plot, and hilarious laughs, the new Netflix comedy could be considered essential viewing. It has been met with widespread acclaim and Atkinson has been lauded for his return to form.
A Trail of Destruction That Could Happen to Anyone
In Man vs. Bee, Atkinson’s character, Trevor Bingley, is a house sitter attending to a swanky dwelling while the owners are away on holiday. Everything starts off fine until a bee starts toying with him. This inevitably leads to a trail of destruction that involves broken ornaments, fires, and an emergency incident with the family dog.
Bingley doesn’t do anything wrong but is instead a victim of this creature that seems set on terrorizing him. The wonderful thing about this premise is the fact that it could happen to anyone. Many viewers will have empathized with Bingley when certain things happened, such as the need to glue together a priceless figurine.
The show serves as a stark reminder that it’s important to keep refreshing one’s knowledge of household repairs, as you never know when you might end up in a showdown with a bee. For example, a lot of the things that went wrong for Bingley could have been fixed if he’d had some knowledge of how to caulk. This is a useful skill for sealing that can be applied to tiled floors or walls, bathroom fixtures, and even showers and bathtubs. He could have also got away with ruining some of the prized decorations in the place if he’d used the right super glue. However, if he’d has this expertise, the show wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining.
Could Be Among Atkinson’s Best Roles
There’s no doubt that this is up there with Atkinson’s best roles of all time. It also marks a return to television after a long absence. Over the last twenty years, Atkinson’s outings on the smaller screen have been few and far between. The most notable things he has done lately are Maigret and an episode of Horrible Histories. Other than that, he has mainly worked on Mr. Bean projects including Handy Bean and the Animated Series.
Atkinson’s role as Bingley shows that he still has the comedy brilliance that skyrocketed him to worldwide fame in the 1980s. It’s a slapstick part that’s combined with some strong character acting, and it is instantly up there with his most memorable turns. It would take a lot to top Blackadder and Mr. Bean, and Man vs. Bee is not quite there. However, it is still going to appease a lot of fans of the comedian.
Could There Bee a Sequel in the Pipeline?
Man vs. Bee was a big hit for Netflix, and was watched for 18.2 million hours in total across the first weekend of its release. In its second week, it was the seventh-most streamed series on the platform. The series clearly appeals to a wide audience, and it’s likely that Netflix will want to capitalize on that in the future. It’s not quite up there with Stranger Things, but could be a cash cow nonetheless.
Some reports suggest that a sequel to Man vs. Bee will be coming at some point, as there is a huge financial incentive for Netflix to create one. There are plenty of storylines that a new season could explore as well, with Bingley having mentioned an incident with an Asda trolley in the past. Therefore, it could be written as a prequel to the events of Man vs. Bee.
For anyone who loves slapstick comedy that comes in bitesize chunks, Man vs. Bee is essential viewing. It’s great to see Atkinson back in such a role, and there could be more to come.
