Unkind observers may suggest it was the Baldrick of election campaigns - started badly, tailed off in the middle and the less said about the end, the better.
Theresa May's cunning plan to make the campaign all about her could be said to have been undone by the fairly crucial problem that the British prime minister is clearly uncomfortable revealing anything about herself.
While rival Jeremy Corbyn appeared to relish every second of his rabble-rousing tour of the country, Mrs May presided over perhaps the most sterile election campaign in living memory.
The tour started with weeks of events following the same format in anonymous venues packed with loyal party supporters or workers under the watchful eyes of their bosses.
Re-runs of speeches, re-runs of answers and re-runs of journeys up and down Britain’s M1 meant days merged into one.
Safe, repetitive and dull - just as party strategists wanted - but with little to capture the attention of voters.
In a rare encounter with unvetted members of the public, the prime minister faced one of her most difficult encounters when one shopper in Abingdon, a small market town just west of London, grilled her for two-and-a-half minutes over her government's record on people with mental health issues and learning difficulties.
But it was the launch of the Conservative manifesto that left Mrs May severely wounded. After pitching herself as the woman to look out for the so-called ‘just about managings’, she announced social care reforms that many voters felt penalised those who had done the right thing by working hard and saving their cash.
Taking questions from the media during a visit to Wrexham after a weekend of dire headlines, Mrs May was visibly rattled after she was forced to "clarify" the policy.
Turning the strong and stable mantra against her, journalists suggested the prime minister was weak and wobbly and she struggled to hide her discomfort.
As the campaign entered its final days, however, Mrs May appeared more upbeat, packing in more visits each day, dashing across the country in a private jet.
A little chattier with the voters she met than at any point over the previous seven weeks, those following the battle-bus tour could have been forgiven for thinking the prime minister had seen private polling that put her on course for a decent win.
The increase in tempo, however, proved far too little, too late.
