Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charles

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

I kept hoping for a Queeg style reveal.

I rewatched that episode a couple of days ago.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

That was fun.

Some neat retreads of classic Dwarf character points/prop nods: Lister being aware of his own lost potential (cf Justice, Inquisitor), Rimmer's incompetence at engineering/command and his inability to see women as human beings, talking vending machines, Holly, JMC, Zero-G Football, old VHS style tapes (didn't they used to be triangular though?), punishment by withdrawing a right to oxygen, Lister's guitar, etc, etc.

"Pree" was great concept for the computer; I really enjoyed her interactions and her demise was in keeping with her core concept too. In fact, I'd have loved it if she joined in with Lister's final logical point mid-sentence, so they complete it together, just before she deletes herself.

It's still not quite perfect RD though. A few things felt off: The Cat's scene with Lister just before Lister goes into the dentist's, the computer dentist/Dr himself (they should have played him less zany), the whole Chinese Whispers subplot (Lister could have worked out how to defeat Pree without it), the 90 hours/minutes gag (would have worked coming from Holly, but not from the more competent Pree).

I'd also have liked a final video from Lister-as-dad telling himself he knew he'd figure out how to win. And then for Lister to ignore him and go back to being a slob. Red Dwarf at its best managed to weave in a moral to an episode, before poking fun at that moral, and Lister acknowledging both his potential and his laziness and showing he's happy with both would have been a nice & amusing epilogue.

A good episode overall, mind. I think it still feels like it's trying a bit too hard at present, like they're all working hard to prove they can still do it. But it's absolutely on the right track and I have a feeling the series X episodes will continue to improve, and if there's an XI, that will be even better. If last week's was equal to the worst of S1-6 and better than most of 7/8, this week's is now into the last third of S1-6 eps. Definitely enjoyable!

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Back to Earth was never really a proper episode in the sense, thought tonights episode was the funniest episode since Series 6.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

My faith in the universe is restored.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Is it just me, or was that much better than the first episode? I really only laughed at the moose joke last week, but this had me chuckling straight through!

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Solid episode, I liked the Chinese Whispers gag and the vending machines, the Pre plot and Dave's lineage gags felt like classic RD and some nice FX shots to boot. Plus a poppadom(sp.?) just need a vindaloo reference now...

A couple oddities: were we supposed to see Kryten's sneakers and why wasn't Pre blond (plus her breast size was funny but odd that she's only seen from the neck up)?

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Wow, that was great! Really enjoyed that! Felt like classic Dwarf!

I've forgotten, but what happened to Holly/Hilly previously? Was it ever explained why Holly/Hilly isn't around?

Mr Awe

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

That was the joke, Rimmer was protesting all along "It doesn't matter" then picking qualities he thought he could perv on. Then when it got to questions on personality and "frame size" he told Kryten to choose because he didn't care and Kryten chose to only see her from the neck up. "Frame size: Close-up"

A water tank burst and flooded the computer deck, as mentioned in BTE.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Again it made us laugh enough to be thumbs up. The writers still need to relax a bit and stop trying so hard. Lister's conversations with his dad were very funny. Pree was brilliant, especially the tiny, fleeting smile. There was a bit at the end when they were all trying to air guitar with Lister - except Rimmer who was doing his Dad dance - and I thought "they're really back".

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

I liked last weeks offering better but this week was still a lot of fun and I love the concept of Lister trying to be his own Dad and the Guitar out in space. Brilliant.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Pree reminded me very much of the updated 'evil' guide in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I forget its name now, it took the form of a black bird and had the same predictive capabilities as Pree did, plus the reverse engineering and time-travel powers so it could put things in place before they are actually asked for.

This series is shaping very nicely.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

That was great - two for two so far!

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Another solid episode

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

I agree, a little better than Trojan. Still in the good-very good range in the grand Red Dwarf scheme of things.

Craig's voice is definitely lower than it used to be, I'm noticing that. And his accent (as Lister) isn't as strong as it used to be either.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Hmm, I caught personality and accent but missed the frame size bit.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

A bit of a mish mash episode. The computer stuff was Queeg done seriously mixed with Rimmer's bonkers rule obeying in Quarantine. Harmless enough, but a bit dull. The best- and most subtle gag- was the aforementioned framing one.

The Lister plot was unexpectedly good though as him being his own Dad was one of the more rubbish ideas the show did during its original run. Lots of very silly gags that raised a smile.

The Chinese whispers running gag was like something out of the Chuckle Brothers. And whilst Chinese Whispers themselves may not be racist, the full on "Ah so!" voice of the Taiwanese vending machine was verging on it.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Amazing that computer technology allowed Pree to be seen with a beautiful sloping neck instead of a disembodied head as Holly, Queeg, etc. were all seen.

Another good episode. It felt a little dependent on over-thought action scenes, which were the bane of the seventh seasons. Red Dwarf in ONLY good in front of a studio audience. Without it, the pacing it way off - it felt they they were waiting for an audience to laugh at jokes that weren't as justifyably funny. The dialogue-less sight gags in Dwarf aren't the show's strongest point, "Backwards" nonwithstanding.

Mark

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

I thought maybe that was part of the joke. They want to know if Chinese Whispers is racist when they have that vending machine, Lister suggesting Taiwan is "Chinesey" so ask it about "Fu Manchu" whiskers and Rimmer's not-so-exhaustive list of Chinese accomplishments.

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Did anyone else expect Lister to return with his guitar?

 

Re: Red Dwarf series 9 (or is it 10?) in 2012 confirmed by Craig Charl

Yes!