Canon-Strike XIV: Red Dwarf

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 45 - Back in the Red: Part I
Two years passed as Naylor retooled the show wanting to make it closer to the first two series in terms of tone and execution whilst also steering it toward the set up he wanted to use for his planned feature film. This included a new look and expanding the cast significantly by resurrecting the crew of the Red Dwarf. The gimmick for this run would be the imprisonment of the cast for the destruction of a landing bay, caused by Red Dwarf shrinking around Starbug. Amongst the returning and new cast was Chris Barrie, returning as a new version of Rimmer who has also been revived meaning he was alive but free of all the character development Rimmer had gone through prior. Barrie was keen to return having sat down and watched Red Dwarf VII when it aired and being immediately hit by regret when he realised he would miss it. The eighth run opens with the first of three parts explaining how they come to be imprisoned.

Having tinkered with the design in the remasters, the opportunity in the story was used to introduce a redesigned Red Dwarf exterior based on the very original plans for the ship which stretched out the length and largely removed the asteroid rock embedded in the ships side. Blue Midget was also reintroduced more heavily.




What did you think of the new prison setting?

[Asura]

Though I enjoyed it, it is weird to have 3-part episodes in a franchise where each series is only 6 episodes.

[Yakumo]

For me, this is the worst series of the lot. Two episodes I really don't like out of the whole Red Dwarf saga are in this series. KYRTIE TV and Pete.

[QualityChimp]

The prison setting was OK and added some new potential for jokes.
Thing is, they've been imprisoned before in various forms but didn't need the whole of Red Dwarf's crew to be resurrected.
It's not the prison setting, but the additional characters that overcomplicates things.

I know they're space slobs, but it confused me that they didn't believe the crew and instead of looking into some of the things they'd been through, just put them straight into jail.

I've got to say that one of my fave jokes in the whole show ever is "Flour: Flours"

[Neon Ignition]

That and "they don't like it when you're rat arsed"


Yep, the logic behind them being incarcerated is a stretch. It never really pays off either, the crew add very little and often take away from the interactions of the main cast. Dwarf took a long time to get into extended eps and to be honest they never suit the show and always showcase it at its weakest. This is very much the same.

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 46 - Back in the Red Part II
Having sourced the crew files from Starbugs wreckage along with the Luck and Sexual Magnetism viruses from the Series V episode, Rimmer sets about putting himself on the career ladder fast route. Now being recognised for his knowledge and by all of the women on board, he focuses on himself forcing the others to organise their own escape attempt.



A decline on the first episode?

[Asura]

I know they're space slobs, but it confused me that they didn't believe the crew and instead of looking into some of the things they'd been through, just put them straight into jail.

Yep, the logic behind them being incarcerated is a stretch. It never really pays off either, the crew add very little and often take away from the interactions of the main cast.

I thought the logic was enough to carry the idea, and I how it returned Lister and Rimmer to relative isolation in the prison scenes.

But yeah, this series was pretty weak overall, related to what I said above - that it has 8 episodes, but as some of them are multi-part, only really has five. And I felt some of it had a weird American edge, like the bit where Lister says "you're reneging on our deal, then?" or something (he definitely uses the word "renege", which just felt like a word Lister would never use).

[CMcK]

I haven’t seen that series since it first aired but I wasn’t impressed at the time. It’s maybe one to revisit with some cheap DVDs.

[Neon Ignition]

A bit like a rule of thumb with Dwarf, it has its ups but it has some real downs too. Naylor was still trying to wrestle it to meet his ambitions rather than recreating what had made it a success in the first place and his sense of humour lacks the edge of Grant so comedy is more situational than great lines.

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 47 - Back in the Red Part III
The closing chapter of the opener lands and after Cat woo's a flight controller with an elaborate dance routine the crew make their escape. Unbeknownst to them though, they are all drugged and imagining the events as the Red Dwarf command crew work out if their story holds up to scrutiny and leading to the actual charges they become imprisoned for.




A Part too far?

[QualityChimp]

The dance routine was fun, but went on a bit and lost meaning when it's revealed it's just a simulation.

Still watchable, but definitely a different show from the earlier seasons, what with the whole crew back.

[QualityChimp]

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 48 - Cassandra
Signed up to the Canaries, a doomed to die group sent on suicide missions by Red Dwarf when the full crew happen across unexplored situations, Lister and the others meet Cassandra who is a ships computer capable of accurately predicting the future. Telling them of Rimmer's impending death and other outcomes due to occur, Rimmer sets about trying to save himself whilst the others learn nearly all the Canaries will be wiped out.




As the first stand alone episode of Series VIII, how did this one hold up?

[QualityChimp]

I really liked this episode.
I thought the ideas of fate was really interesting, but added the Red Dwarf twist.
Rimmer thinking he's going to bed Kochanski and her reluctantly accepting fate, plus the realisation that "Rimmer" will die, but Cassandra doesn't know who the real Rimmer is.

Classic Dwarf technique of having a fairly deep sci-fi concept, but using it for laughs.

[Asura]

Episode 48 - Cassandra
Signed up to the Canaries, a doomed to die group sent on suicide missions by Red Dwarf when the full crew happen across unexplored situations, Lister and the others meet Cassandra who is a ships computer capable of accurately predicting the future. Telling them of Rimmer's impending death and other outcomes due to occur, Rimmer sets about trying to save himself whilst the others learn nearly all the Canaries will be wiped out.
As the first stand alone episode of Series VIII, how did this one hold up?

I haven't seen this in 20 years or so, but I remember it being my favourite of the series, even if it was a bit of a retread of Future Echoes in some ways.