The first time I saw this I agreed it was the absolute "pits," but on a second viewing I realized it was an attempt at theater of the absurd, along the lines of Samuel Beckett. When you think of it that way, this episode is actually kind of funny. It's clearly not something the writers tried again, though.
Lampoons of British manners were a prime subject for theater of the absurd, as in Eugene Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano." Consider how this episode opens: Nearly five minutes pass with no dialogue and then two characters (Sarah and the Swedish visitor) open the dialogue by saying, "Oof!" one right after the other.
Lampoons of British manners were a prime subject for theater of the absurd, as in Eugene Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano." Consider how this episode opens: Nearly five minutes pass with no dialogue and then two characters (Sarah and the Swedish visitor) open the dialogue by saying, "Oof!" one right after the other.