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The 10 Craziest Moments of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony

By Emily Temple on
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Last night, the world watched the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Directed by Danny Boyle (of Trainspotting and 127 Hours), the theme, “Isles of Wonder,” came straight from Shakespeare, that enduring heart of British culture. We oohed over the pyrotechnics, delighted at each cultural nod, and wondered where they got the geese — not to mention who convinced the Queen to play along. If you missed it, or if you’re already itching for a recap, click through to check out the ten wildest, craziest, most amazing moments from the opening ceremony, and be sure to let us know what you thought in the comments!

Shakespeare and sheep.

The ceremonies begin in a pastoral scene, complete with maypole, waterwheel and cricket — not to mention sheep, geese, cows, goats and a variety of other animals. Plus, peasants crawling out of a hole in the ground. Yes, this is a relaxed kind of crazy, but pretty crazy nonetheless. Also, there’s Kenneth Branagh playing Sir Isambard Kingdom Brunel playing Caliban out of The Tempest. So, you know. Photo credit: David Gray/Reuters

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Danny BoyleJ. K. RowlingLondon 2012 Summer OlympicsMr. Bean
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The industrial revolution workers crafted just one ring. The other 4 arrived from the skies i.e. The rest of the world. The Great Britain ring rose up to meet the other 4 and complete the 5 ring symbol.

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I loved the "Thames trip" part - you can also spot Pink Floyd's pig flying above the Battersea Power Staton!

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For those wondering, about @Bob's comment, the Tardis can be heard during the guitar solo of Bohemian Rhapsody. I thought The Wind in the Willows characters during the trip down the Thames was a perfect grace note.

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One of my favorite little nerdy moments occurred in the music section when you could hear the sound of Dr. Who's Tardis. Dr. Who actually had a recent episode set during the Olympics, so it was such a cool shout out. The worst part of many from NBC's coverage, the failure to show the tribute to terror attack victims. While specifically tied to 7/7, it was meant as a tribute to all terror victims. NBC's response that it wasn't "tailored to Americans" is so disgusting and condescending. As if Americans can't understand or comprehend the sorrow of such a tragic attack unless it is on U.S. soil or rather whatever the networks decide to dole out between reality star shenanigans. Given the childish commentary during the Parade of Nations, it just isn't surprising.

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I really liked the opening ceremonies, especially James Bond and Mr. Bean. The only thing missing was a little blue police box mysteriously appearing somewhere in the stadium.

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A bit of trivia for you: The dove release at the opening ceremony *was* traditional. 1988 was the last year they did it. They released the doves, they flew around the stadium, and then they did what doves do and found themselves a nice high perch. The only high perch readily available in the stadium was the Olympic cauldron. So, the torch bearers were lifted up to the cauldron. A couple of the birds flew off. Most of them stuck around. Then the cauldron was lit, resulting in impromptu Korean barbecue squab.

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I loved it, they had a tough act to follow after Beijing, and I thought it was very creative, quirky, and full of fun. I agree that the U.S. commentators were often more of a distraction than helpful -- some of the comments Bob Costas made during the parade of nations were not necessary.

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@Candy Brains, Sex Pistols featured heavily during the ceremonies. They even had punk mascots pogoing on jumping stilts.

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Long live the QUEEN--and, James Bond! (only complaint, why no Sex Pistols amid the music decades???)

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From SLATE magazine. Amen. The opening ceremony of the London Olympics featured loads of references that were lost on American viewers who aren’t familiar with, say, the particulars of Britain’s National Health Service. When unfamiliar facts arise during NBC’s coverage, you can typically count on in-house smartypants Bob Costas to fill you in on the details. But with Costas on the sidelines until the parade of nations, former Today compatriots Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira instead engaged in a reverse battle of wits, fighting it out to see who knew least. Vieira came out on top. Some have complained that NBC’s talking heads chattered too much during the ceremony. I take issue more with how they chattered. At the top of the bizarre set piece celebrating the virtues of texting, Vieira explained that World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee would soon be making an appearance. "If you haven't heard of him, we hadn’t either," she said. Later, Lauer and Vieira described the technology that was lighting up the audience. “These are little pixel screens at every seat that allows the creative team here to actually turn the crowd into a giant LED screen,” Lauer noted. Vieira’s jokey response: “One more thing I don’t understand.” Aside from Chris Berman-esque nicknaming, this is my least favorite sportscasting tic. Vieira is surely very intelligent. She has an army of researchers by her side both before and during the opening ceremony. And yet, likely out of a desire to seem more “relatable,” she plays dumb. This reverse snobbery is insulting to viewers—if she acts dumb, how do you think she feels about the yokels watching on the boob tube?—and perpetuates the poisonous idea that it’s uncool to know stuff. A polite request for Meredith Vieira: Instead of chuckling that you don’t understand how the stadium’s light show works, get someone to teach you so you can explain it to people at home. You would learn something, and so would we.

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It was an amazing spectacle but I thought the end of the huge ‘cyberspace’ song and dance sequence where the house lifts up to reveal Sir Tim Berners-Lee tapping away at his PC was sort of brilliantly anti-climactic. In a good way. I also loved at the end when Team GB entered to the sound of “Heroes” (and is it just me or did the music suddenly get a lot louder?) and there was confetti flying and I had a bit of a lump in my throat and someone at the BBC decided that was the moment to cut to the Queen only to find her busy picking her nails and looking bored.

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