Ep 2. Elephants and Hens

Bernard, Manny, and Fran are back in the second episode of the third season of Black Books, titled "Elephants and Hens." This time around, Fran has decided to try her hand at throwing a hen party for a friend. Meanwhile, Bernard struggles to cope with the responsibility of looking after a live elephant, which he has rented in order to impress a group of wealthy potential customers.

The episode picks up with Fran excitedly planning her friend's hen party, which she hopes will be the best one ever. She enlists the help of Bernard and Manny, but they are less than enthused about the idea of having a bunch of drunk women in the shop. However, Fran is determined to make it happen, and she eventually persuades the boys to help her out.

Meanwhile, Bernard is dealing with the elephant, a massive creature named Winston, which he hopes will help him win the business of a rich client. However, things don't go quite as planned when the elephant proves difficult to control. Bernard and Manny struggle to keep Winston in check, which leads to some hilarious mishaps and moments of sheer slapstick brilliance.

As the day of the hen party approaches, Fran becomes increasingly stressed out about making sure everything goes smoothly. She goes all out to decorate the shop and provide a fun and memorable experience for the guests, but things quickly unravel when some of the partygoers get a little too wild. Manny is forced to intervene when one of them tries to charge Bernard for a kiss, while Fran resorts to drinking to cope with the chaos.

Throughout the episode, there are a number of great comedic moments, as you would expect from a show as hilarious as Black Books. There's a particularly funny scene where Manny is trying to put a bra on an elephant, and another where Fran gets stuck in a toilet cubicle. The banter between the three characters is as sharp and witty as ever, with plenty of dry one-liners and acidic put-downs to keep you laughing.

Overall, "Elephants and Hens" is a great episode of Black Books that fans of the show will love. It's full of the absurdity and off-kilter humor that the series is known for, and the central storyline about the hen party and the elephant rental is both hilarious and satisfying. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the show or are just looking for a good laugh, this episode is well worth checking out.