I’ve to be fully sincere about The Nice British Baking Present‘s newest installment, “’70s Week.” On multiple event, I questioned if consistent with the Netflix present’s chosen theme, copious quantities of cocaine had been circulated across the tent. Okay, particularly, I might need questioned what expensive Alison Hammond was on. From the chilly open, Alison’s power was particularly piqued. She spent complete challenges eagerly making an attempt to persuade bakers to bounce together with her and fell over not as soon as, however twice. First on a hoppy horse after which when she tried to drag off a dance transfer atop one of many empty workbenches.
Between Alison’s antics, a catastrophic cake collapse, and Prue Leith‘s out-of-character dismissal of booze in a bake, I really felt like one thing was off. There was massive cocaine power in The Nice British Baking Present “’70s Week” on Netflix.
**Spoilers for The Nice British Baking Present “’70s Week,” now streaming on Netflix**
The Nice British Baking Present has had one thing of a manic season this yr. For the reason that twelfth Netflix season’s debut in September, bakers have flat out fast, fainted to the ground, and even suffered the lack of their caramel because of Noel Fielding’s comedian bits. Final week, Prue Leith amplified the pandemonium by purposely asking the bakers to make Noticed Dick and Alison Hammond bought into it about her age with Gen Z baker Dylan Bachelet. This has been essentially the most foolish and unserious season of The Nice British Baking Present ever, and for essentially the most half, I’ve been into it. Life is sufficient of a downer. Why not take a baking present much less significantly?
However there was one thing a bit, I don’t know, off-kilter about The Nice British Baking Present “’70s Week.” It began the second Alison hopped onto the display through the chilly open and promptly fell on her butt. There was an fringe of hysteria to her hysterics, like she couldn’t maintain it collectively for 5 minutes. Quickly, it will lead her to her most iconically ridiculous second on The Nice British Baking Present but!
About midway into The Nice British Baking Present “’70s Week,” Alison shimmied into the tent and introduced, “I’m simply gonna add a bit little bit of happiness in right here.” She then proceeded to hop on one of many few empty work benches left within the tent. Alison tried to swing her legs round within the air like an knowledgeable dancer, however solely succeeded in hurling herself to the bottom.
It was outrageous, it was unbelievable, and it made Noel Fielding seem like the accountable host within the tent. Fielding even went up to now to advise Alison to not do it once more!
Okay, perhaps it was principally simply Alison who appeared a bit extra rabidly excitable than normal, however quite a few different odd issues occurred this week. Prue Leith discovered herself admonishing bakers for utilizing — get this — an excessive amount of liquor of their bakes. She particularly referred to as out poor Christiaan for including an excessive amount of Advocaat, a Dutch booze, into his Showstopper gateau. Prue Leith, physique swapped??
In fact, essentially the most chaotic occasion that was not Alison Hammond-related this week needed to have been when a cake completely toppled over. We didn’t get to see the precise second Illiyin Morrison’s showstopper crumbled, because it was cooling within the fridge when catastrophe struck, however the wreckage was terrible to behold. Illiyin wanted Noel’s assist to spruce up her cake for judging and finally was despatched house.
As a lot as I’ve been having fun with the mayhem this season, I’ve been having fun with it moderately. A few of Alison’s overeager pleas to interrupt out ’70s strikes felt like a producer chirping in her ear to maintain the silliness going sturdy. Properly, that, or there actually was some kind of illicit substance being handed across the tent in honor of the ’70s.
The Nice British Baking Present stays candy, escapist fare, however it is also strolling a tightrope this season in relation to the chaos we’ve seen within the tent. A few of these moments have felt natural, whereas others are beginning to really feel pressured.