Yonderland series 3 episode 2 review: Elders 11

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

This review contains spoilers.

3.2 Elders 11

Question: What happens when you try and make a half-hour heist movie starring the Council of Elders? Answer: You get the best episode of Yonderland so far.

With Debbie deciding to leave Yonderland for good she takes the opportunity, while Husband Pete is on a reccy to Glasgow, to pop back one last time and bid farewell to the Elders and other Yonderlandians (Yonderlandish? Yonderlandites?). No sooner is Debbie back on the other side of the portal than the villainous Cuddly Dick incites a riot, pitting the people of Yonderland against the Council of Elders and forcing them on the run.

Yonderland wears its cineliteracy on its sleeve at the best of times (Jim Howick’s take on Quint from Jaws in series 2’s The Last Fahl is still one of my favourite things) but I think this is the first time they’ve done a full-on genre homage and with marvellous results. As the title of the episode would suggest, the whole last half of Elders 11 is an Ocean’s 11-inspired heist, complete with planning montage, blue prints and a Mission Impossible style descent by rope into the Council chamber. Each of the Elders has a moment to shine and Elder Flowers' constant attempts to disrobe finally come good. A heist might not seem like the most obvious genre for Yonderland to parody but the tropes work beautifully and makes way for countless opportunities for laughs.

Not a moment is wasted on Yonderland, if there’s time to include one joke they’ll probably try and cram about five in. I’m amassing a collection of tiny, throwaway jokes from this series that are making me snort out my tea laughing, and I’m hoping everyone else is noticing them as well. Last week it was the ‘Decimal Tribe’ and this week it’s a tie between the tunes played by the Council Chamber key pad and the names of the three security guards. It’s never forced and never detracts from the story being told but this episode (and the show as a whole) is consistently funny from start to finish.

I’m loving Stephen Fry’s addition to the show. He seems to be having an absolute blast as Cuddly Dick and is perfect for that kind of outwardly benevolent and secretly evil master manipulator. This week he brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “kill them with kindness”. He even has a Willem Dafoe/Green Goblin-esque mirror conversation that’s gloriously villainous. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of Dick.

The return of the Parvuli from series 1’s Closing The Portal was very welcome and their diabetes-inducingly sweet ‘Thank You Debbie’ song has had a few lyrics added (“Now you’ve killed your twin sister, the work is done”). It’s fantastic that they help with busting into the Council Chamber and to be honest, the entire episode is worth it for the shot of their little legs wriggling through the vents, they’re just so adorable, I’d have them back every week.

So with the Elders camping out in Debbie’s loft we’re set for some more earth-based adventures with Council. As endless as the comedic possibilities are with this set-up there’s a part of me that desperately wants them to end up in a Supermarket or having to deal with something super domesticated like a trip to Ikea. That would be brilliant.

Elders 11 is up there with some of the best episodes Yonderland has produced. The marrying together of Yonderland and a crime caper is something that would only have been attempted by a team as creative and talented as this and I’m so, so glad they did. We’re only on episode 2 of series 3 and we have a new high watermark for how good this show can be. I didn’t think Yonderland could get much better but Elders 11 is really is something very special.

Read Rachel's review of the previous episode, A Rising Tide, here.