- Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 19th September 2015
Bartitsu has been both parodied and showcased on the FX Network’s popular comedy series, The League, which concerns the misadventures of a group of fantasy football league players.
In the recent episode “Draft of Innocence”, insufferable “sapiosexual” couple Andre and Meegan announce a Gilded Age-themed draft party and extol the many virtues of Bartitsu, which Andre has been studying. Their friends are highly skeptical and decide that Andre is somewhere between a Kung Fool and a Tae Kwon Douche.
Later, however, in full Victorian garb, Andre tests his Bartitsu mastery in fending off a group of back-alley thugs:
… and does astoundingly well, employing his cane and snuffbox as well as Meegan’s parasol to take down all four enemies with panache. In fact, this is an excellent fight scene that manages to refer to real Bartitsu techniques as well as deliver a funny and spectacular action climax.
The complete episode is available for purchase on Amazon Prime and is strongly recommended to Bartitsu enthusiasts.