Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Red Dwarf

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Dear Dave
    "And another thing, don't you go thinking about her being all naked on all fours and covered in money all the while his finger wetting machine is working overtime!"
    This is a come down from the previous episodes but I think part of it is knowing where it's going from the off and that it's a very low key episode. In a way it's probably one of the closest scripts to the first two seasons but because the shows tone is different and the humour the pay offs aren't as good.

    The Beginning
    "How dare you say I always want to challenge you to dual across time and space! You offend me! Therefore I challenge you to a dual across time and space!"
    It's nice but like many of the attempts to do a big ending to a series falters compared to the other episodes. The shows budget often betrays the costume department these days but overall this is a solid episode even if the end revelation about Rimmer's father ultimately makes no difference.

    RDV > RDIV > RDVI > RDIII > RDX > RD II > RDI > RDVII > RDVIII > RDIX


    Twentica
    "Kryten couldn't be more fried if he was a mars bar living in Scotland"
    This one hits everything except the humour. Despite X's improvements even revisiting XI really rams home how strongly this alligns with III-V in terms of how it's shot. It's really the pretty flat jokes about science that aren't sharp enough to make the episode stand out.

    Comment


      What's presently the best way to watch all of Dwarf past the "Back to Earth" special? As that's kinda where I checked out. I've only caught a handful since, because they're not on Netflix etc.

      Comment


        They're on UKTV Play, the stations own streaming site. You need to set up an account but access is free

        Comment


          Making very steady progress again now and finally closing in on the end:

          Samsara
          "So start squirting your whipped cream on applie pie and not on each others body parts"
          Some of the scenes such as the Lister and Cat discussion are very in tune with classic Dwarf, this episode is largely weighed down by the subplot about the lovers aboard the Samsara that was probably an attempt to do something different with the show structure but ends up bogging it down with a focus on characters who's subplot could have just been delivered in a few lines of dialogue from Kryten.

          Give & Take
          "There was a time when I was a teensy, tiny, teeny, weeny bit... mad"
          Whilst the jokes aren't top tier this feels obscenely like peak Dwarf era in execution particularly the sequences with Asclepius. Sadly they're too brief but this is a fun one.

          Officer Rimmer
          "I made a mistake, I should have promoted to you Flight Lieutenant!" "Hunghhya"
          I like the idea of the bio-printer and of Rimmer finally getting the promotion he's chased for so long but the episode has a definite issue on relying on jokes that have been used too often before particularly the concept of having multiple Rimmers which should be barred from the ideas board going forward.

          Krysis
          "If the Universe is going to die in 14 billion years then what's the point?" "Wait, I'm going to die?!"
          As is the noticeably the pattern of harking back, much of this episode is clearly a repeat of Legion but without the threat. It holds together well though thanks to the mid-life crisis spin and the culmination meeting the Universe is fun too.

          Can of Worms
          "What the hell does a virgin smell of?" "Desperation usually"
          I recall feeling like this point of Dwarf leant hard on past episodes and it's definitely a growing feeling given how this one reuses elements of several past episodes. It's nice to see Cat get a bit more focus for once and much like the others it's a good episode, it'd just be nice if it wasn't more of a greatest hits tour.

          RDV > RDIV > RDVI > RDIII > RDXI > RDX > RD II > RDI > RDVII > RDVIII > RDIX

          Comment


            Cured
            "It's because I'm Hitler, isn't it?"
            The episode where the crew think they've stumbled across a ship where famous figures from history are resurrected and cured of all evil. Again there's some similarities to past episodes but there's enough new spin here and the actors are game enough that this is a very fun episode and good opener for the series.

            Siliconia
            "I got a registered trademark where my wing dang doodle used to be!"
            The one where everyone gets turned into mechs like Kryten. A lot in this one doesn't land but some of the stuff involving Rimmer, Lister and Cat does including the rather sad element regarding how quickly Rimmer gives in to the process because it frees him from a tortured life of hang ups and issues.

            Comment


              Just finished Justice and am looking forward to the next episode.

              So what is it?

              Comment


                Timewave
                "It's rarer than an ungroped bottom at the BBC in the 1970's!"
                Nowhere near as interesting as the title suggests, this one being the one on a ship where criticism is outlawed. However, it isn't really played right and is basically where intelligence is also absent. The idea lends itself to a smarter episode than this one.

                Mechocracy
                "Howdy-Doodly-Doo!"
                I like the opening with the ship escape attempt and how it plays out with the vending machines, the election stuff drags the episode down but there will always be love for anything that see's Talkie Toaster reappear. It might be a retread of the original scene but it's still great.

                M-Corp
                "A think tax?" "You'd get a rebate every year"
                After some thinner episodes this one feels more like an older school episode again, it's nice they still get some good ideas out of the scenario and perhaps a bit more could have been made from showing Lister feeling even more alone than usual on the ship. The ending is a nice callback moment as well.

                Skipper
                "Gordon Bennett. Lister, Petersen - nobody. Nobody's dead. Nobody is dead, Arnold"
                Supposedly written as a throwback for fans for the 30th anniversary it reeks of it and is great given how long the show has been going on. From Holly popping up, the rerun flip of that early scene, seeing the original model, variants like Blue Dwarf, the old bunks, Captain Hollister etc. Nice way to wrap up the season.

                RDV > RDIV > RDVI > RDIII > RD XII > RDXI > RDX > RD II > RDI > RDVII > RDVIII > RDIX

                Comment


                  The Promised Land
                  "I'll take one of Red Dwarf's thermo-nuclear missiles and blow up the moon. You'll be thrown clear by the blast" "Is that safe?" "I'm miles away, I'll be fine"
                  Finally here at the end of the journey, this is an easier watch second time around. The three Cat Clerics remain a weak link in the plot and the main point of curiosity of the episode also remains its weakest element - every time Naylor makes a three parter length storyline he can't resist using it to play out his 'what if we got to make a movie' ambitions. As a result we keep the sets from XI and XII but change the colour tone to something a little more muted, the laughter track is there but dialled down and almost absent in the later parts of the episode, the music score veers into orchestrated key moments instead of the usual better suited snippets and as usual it starts well enough for the first episode length part but begins to fall apart the longer it runs for. These are the same kinds of errors that Back to Earth made and Back in the Red before it, the show is just poorly served by overstretching itself on a single concept or stepping outside of the zone of being a half hour comedy. It hits harder too, given it's fairly subtle really, because XI and XII were getting it so right. On the flip side though, like Back to Earth, I do appreciate some more heartfelt moments after so many years. It's kind of nice to see Cat finally show a touch of allegiance, it's interesting to see how they don't shy away from the aging nature of the cast even for Kryten with them making him look worn now and nice to see Lister try to comfort Rimmer. Overall it's a solid episode and the best of these long form stories that they've done but rewatching it hasn't changed my hopes that the show doesn't keep returning in this form instead of the superior model of proper series. Still, the rewatch of all of it has also made it clear that while the peak series remain the real peak, all of the newer series are more than worthwhile and the consistency of the show after nearly 35 years is an achievement that it doesn't get anywhere near enough credit for.

                  RDV > RDIV > RDVI > RDIII > RD XII > RDXI > RDX > RD II > RDI > RDVII > RDXIII > RDVIII > RDIX

                  Comment


                    Been reading and far as I can tell Red Dwarf, assuming more is made at some point and in term of years, is now just four years away from becoming the longest running comedy/sitcom of all time by overtaking The Last of the Summer Wine's 37yrs. LOTSW didn't air continuously entirely either (though a lot more consistently still) hence ep count aside Dwarf will take the title.

                    Comment



                      Craig Charles says Red Dwarf XIV is coming in 2022

                      Comment


                        I feel like it’s time to bring this to a close now.

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                          I feel like it’s time to bring this to a close now.
                          Nah, as long as they don't bring in crap actors like last time, it will be fine.
                          I mean, that white guy and girl with the scouse accent ruined it for me. Such poor acting. The coloured lady and the guy who played the King of the cat people were spot on though.

                          Comment


                            By the sounds of things now Rob Grant is back the plan is to rinse Red Dwarf as dry as they can before the cast really get too old, I know Promised Land performed well for them but I really, really wish they'd just go back to making regular timed series instead

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Neon Ignition View Post
                              By the sounds of things now Rob Grant is back the plan is to rinse Red Dwarf as dry as they can before the cast really get too old, I know Promised Land performed well for them but I really, really wish they'd just go back to making regular timed series instead
                              I agree. The regular series was best as we could get so many different stories. If one wasn't good, no problem as others could make up for the poor one.

                              Comment


                                Needless drama in the article aside...


                                The BBC has acquired and uploaded every single episode on to iPlayer

                                No excuses anymore people!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X