25 comments on “Garbage World: Cassandra Review

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  • Oooh – interesting stuff indeed. (And, in the case of the ‘colour-lingers’ thing, rather funny, too!)

    “Chris Veale could be the loveliest person on the planet, and I’d still prefer model shots.” He is, but me too. Still – it doesn’t mean the production could afford them…

    Series VII DVD, people; that’s all I’m sayin’. :-)

  • I’ve always wondered about the relative costs of the two. But, I suppose with model shots you’d have to pay for all the physical material, pay for the people to build it, pay for the people to film it, etc. With CGI, you have a few computers and a (presumably) smaller crew.

    But anyway, thanks, Andrew. And Cappsy, as well.

  • Yes, it frustrates me also that Cassandra comes so close to being an actually GOOD episode. Well, it IS a good episode compared to the others in VIII. It contains the best writing and the best ideas (unlike the shit time ideas in Pete). I suppose it’s my favourite of VIII followed by Krytie TV, which I like because of things like the women’s shower room……and Robert Llewellyn hamming it up to the max.

    Every episode of VIII screams that it needs a bigger budget. And Cassandra with more money and used as the series ender would have worked well, I think.

  • Never satisfied…always picking at the episodes, even one as excellent as this. A beautifully contained exploration of mortality, great central character, fantastic jokes, an extremely interesting and totally unexpected look at the chemistry between Rimmer and Kochanski. Cat has some incredible lines in this – ‘Hell, I’d probably have to help dig the hole’ etc. I actually really like the roverostomy exchange, great in it’s rediculousness. A real Hollyism, sanity shot. Arousing nostalgia for first two series. In three million years surely something like this *would* have occured. The world is mad enough. As mentioned, a great dramatic turn mixing humour with pathos superbly. The philosophical ending with Lister is faultless, harking back to his speeches at the end of ‘Justice’ and ‘Back to Reality’. I don’t think the argument that it ends to hasty holds any water. Kryten, throughout the series, figures stuff out quickly and this quibble is too minor to even mention in my book. We needed to see the conclusion to Rimmer and Kochanski’s dalliance and his final request to keep Kochanski’s knickers is inspired – a real knockout punchline. Sets great, guest stars fantastic, music beautiful. Just brilliant.

  • “Never satisfied…always picking at the episodes, even one as excellent as this.”

    That’s your opinion, though. Austin has his own and expressed it very well and very fairly. In fact, it was a deliberately fair review to stop comments like this, I would think. Hasn’t worked, then.

  • Good point. I have overacted. The Review *is* fair and extremely well written. The point I was trying to make is that I find it hard to believe that anyone would want another two-parter considering how previous and later attempts were slightly diluted in terms of quality(although still enjoyable). The reason this episode is the best in two series is that it is a one parter, surely? Any further padding would surely have softened the impact. Indeed, in the VIII script book Doug confesses that *he* intended it to be a two parter, before deciding to shelve a lot of material and cutting it down. Considering BITR pt 3 and Pete pt 2 are, in my opionion, the weakest of the series surely this was an extremely wise decision. Quality not quantity. Cassandra came out as Doug intended and it shows. I’m just saying that we should count our blessings that it came out so good before postulating the benefits of a two parter – the form and odds are against it being any better. My personal opinion is that it is a perfect episode and any opinion i give will reflect this. Perhaps I am a little too sensitive to critisism of it, though.

  • “The point I was trying to make is that I find it hard to believe that anyone would want another two-parter”

    Indeed, I’m sure you’ll find that Austin’s review fully agrees with you on that one.

    I think you’re getting cliffhangers and two-parters mixed up, there. Austin’s theory says that Cassandra would have worked great as a cliffhanger due to the nature of the story, he did not say that it should have been split into a two parter.

  • Gah, I kind of cocked that post up a bit. What I mean is a cliffhanger to a *series* (which is what Austin was suggesting) is very different to a two parter, as the resolution to the series cliffhanger doesn’t need to carry on the story in a two parter kind fashion. (Eg. Parallel Universe/Backwards and Out of Time/Tikka to Ride)

    Am I making sense?

  • I like the point Austin makes about Cassandra as a cliff-hanger. But, to be a little brutal for a moment, the quality of Cassandra immediately after the dragged-out Back In The Red was probably the only thing that kept a good number of people watching. I know plenty of people liked VIII, and good on them, but plenty of people didn’t, and if Cassandra was at the end of the series, then a lot of us might already have been put off by Krytie TV and never even GOT to it!

    (that’s a sensationalist, worst-case scenario, you understand. But I’m bitter and cynical enough to voice it. Expect something a little more even-handed in my forthcoming episode-by-episode analysis, folks…)

  • “the quality of Cassandra immediately after the dragged-out Back In The Red was probably the only thing that kept a good number of people watching”

    This is why I suggested the revision of Only the Good… which could have been, I believe, just as good.

    And yes, Cappsy is correct on the cliffhanger/two-parter idea.

  • “Let’s not get too carried away. ‘Cassandra’ is okay, but it is one long rip-off of ‘Future Echoes’.”

    Well, we all know that the whole series is a rip-off (or parody…) of past Dwarf.

  • “Well, we all know that the whole series is a rip-off (or parody…) of past Dwarf.”

    I’d love to know what the definition of “We All’ is!

    I think any long running series is going to have familiar themes cropping up at times, I happen to think there are as many original ideas in VIII as there are in anything previous.

  • I’m with Cpt. D. And as soon as I get motivated to write that oft-promised “in praise of series VIII” article, I’m gonna prove it.

  • Indeed, ‘Your’ argument Austin, based on your opinion which you have every right to.
    My argument is with those that say ‘we all’ and ‘everyone knows’ etc which simply isn’t true.

  • Take your point with the whole cliffhanger/two part thing. I understand what he’s getting at – just don’t agree at all based on my previous comments. Don’t tamper with something so good. I really do object to the notion that it is one long rip off of Future Echoes. It has similar themes, as Doug confesses, but is an entirely different scenario, more exciting and a better episode in my eyes. And people being put off by Krytie TV? I can see why some people would be put off by the laddishness of it all, but in my eyes that’s why it works. I just think it is on of the most enjoyable and fun episodes of the *entire* run because it is just so simple. Doesn’t get bogged down in to much plot and just lets the comedy happen. There’s some really funny stuff in there. To be honest, the only episode I *really* have a problem with in VIII IS bitr pt 3 because it just goes flat. Irrelevant dialogue about the theory of relativity etc. Though still has funny lines, and I actually enjoy the dance scene. Like seven, eight has really great moments and hopefully they’ll be celebrated on their release on disc.

  • And other episodes are similar in the history of the show, more blatantly and executed more weakly than Cassandra. OK, Emohawk was a sequel, and a great one at that, but it does reek a little of faltering inspiration. Cassandra on the other hand stands alone much more perfectly.

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