Let’s Talk About Krysis (on UKTV Play) News Posted by Jonathan Capps on 14th October 2016, 10:00 WATCH KRYSIS HERE FINAL UPDATE: It’s now properly, actually, online at a time when it’s supposed to be. As you were. UPDATE: It seems like it’s been taken down, indicating that publishing it in the first place was a mistake. This thread now has the added frisson that even people at UKTV Play pace could get spoilered so tread very, very carefully as people who did catch it are discussing it openly in the comments. For reasons that are at this point completely unknown, UKTV Play have managed to completely shit the bed by releasing Krysis a day earlier than everyone expected, mere hours before the *actual* broadcast of Officer Rimmer. This means that within the Red Dwarf fanbase there will is now a subset of people who are a whole two episodes ahead of those chosing to watch on broadcast. The mind actually boggles, but as always this here thread is your early place to the talk about the episode, so dig in everyone!
One can only imagine it’s something to do with Zapped. Why kill the viewing figures of only one show you’ve been promoting for a couple of months when you can kill two?
Gah. No time to watch this until tomorrow evening, by which time this thread will number comments in the jawillions.
Hmmm. That one is going to take some time to process. It was definitely funny. But the talking points are gonna have some biggies this week I expect.
Officer Rimmer? Officer Rimmer was last week. We’re now worried about the quite hideous thing that’s happened to Kryten.
Officer Rimmer? Officer Rimmer was last week. We’re now worried about the quite hideous thing that’s happened to Kryten. Is it what looks to be a reflection of the studio crew on his shiny new reflective suit?
I enjoyed it. Had some nice ideas that didn’t quite click, a few laughs and I enjoyed the opening scene (was that the first time we’ve seen all 4 together in the bunk room?). I don’t think it was a particularly good episode but there was nothing in it that was offensively poor. I do think that the new mech we encountered looked far better than Kryten has, though. The angles on his mask have just been far too soft and squidgy for my tastes – I would say that perhaps this was deliberate to make him look “older”, but that was never referenced so I doubt it. We’ve compared this series plenty to 5/6, I think this is the closest it’s come to 10.
Oh, one more thing – we saw a total of, what, 10 ships in this episode if we include Red Dwarf and Starbug? I’ve not had a problem with the universe feeling more occupied, but it definitely does!
Oh, one more thing – we saw a total of, what, 10 ships in this episode if we include Red Dwarf and Starbug? I’ve not had a problem with the universe feeling more occupied, but it definitely does! I feel the stasis trip may explain this problem from now on though so that’s that actually pretty much sorted.
I do like how the last three episodes have gone off in wildly different directions than I was expecting. This one even has an ending!
They’ve taken it off? Blimey, just finished it in time then. It has an ending. The universe is a very strange concept for Red Dwarf. Feels more like a Futurama concept (mainly because they kind of did it already).
Hmmm… so what’s the spoiler policy for this ep, now? They’ve taken it off? Blimey, just finished it in time then. It has an ending. The universe is a very strange concept for Red Dwarf. Feels more like a Futurama concept (mainly because they kind of did it already). To be honest, I was really worried when that section started because it felt like it came out of nowhere but they managed to just about tie it in enough.
Well that was a balls up wasn’t it! I’ll keep my spoilery thoughts to myself now until tomorrow I guess.
Hmmm… so what’s the spoiler policy for this ep, now? You’re free to talk about it in this thread and this thread alone. The cat’s already out of the bag, after all, it would be ludicrous to just try to remove something from the internet and pretend it was never published…
You’re free to talk about it in this thread and this thread alone. The cat’s already out of the bag, after all, it would be ludicrous to just try to remove something from the internet and pretend it was never published… Good call. Ultimately, it was an ‘official’ release (even if it is now temporarily unavailable until – presumably – tomorrow). I wouldn’t be surprised if it appears on ‘other channels’ before too long (not that I condone that behaviour, of course). The universe is a very strange concept for Red Dwarf. Feels more like a Futurama concept (mainly because they kind of did it already). Agree. Futurama immediately sprang to mind too; as did ‘Legion’ (I recall Dan and Jo mentioned this in the Set Report: http://www.ganymede.tv/2015/11/red-dwarf-xi-episode-3-set-report/). Lots of different entities melded together to form one. I quite like it. Thanks Jonathan. Maybe this whole mess will convince them to scrap the on-demand premier next year… I really hope this is the case.
I like it, since I can just stream instead of waiting for torrents. Much more convenient. But you could still do that if they released it even alongside the TV broadcast.
This Play thing has been a fuckup from start to finish, but the decision to take it back down after accidentally releasing it early is the stupidest thing so far. There’s already far too much about Krysis online this week anyway as it stands, so they could have owned the slipup and spun it positively, yet they’ve just somehow managed to make this split-audience mess even worse, there’s now three segregated streams of viewership. Literally nobody wins, hooray!
It’s thrown us all for a bit of a loop. Around the time I was posting here about everyone being free to discuss the episode, Ian was writing an email to us suggesting we ask people to wait until tomorrow. So obviously this is a bit of a mess with no correct way to handle it. On reflection, I think if possible if we wait until the episode is properly released to get into more specifics, then that might be nice for people who join us here in the morning. But I’m with you, Darrell. Taking it down again is about 1000% worse than the initial mistake. Utterly ludicrous on all levels.
Maybe we need an extra banner/post for this one…….. the UKTV Play people, the UKTV Play +1 people and the Dave people. ;) (I kid, of course)
Cappsy, I’m quite happy to delete my previous comments if you think it’s worth it. No point spoiling it for everyone else who happens to look in here and find after reading that it’s no longer there.
On the subject of whether 12 should have this same arrangement or not, though, I do fear it’s all probably already in the contract or something. I mean, Doug talked about having to fight for the audience last time and so I’m sure there’s been a little, er… “give and take”, so to speak, long-term.
At least Mascots is on Netflix, non-linear home entertainment fans. It’s amusing that Twentica premiering on Thursday was on-message but Krysis doing so is somehow some sort of hideous ‘STOP THE PRESSES!’ disaster. Simultaneously to this UKTV have just put up the Quartet Of Rimmers scene on Facebook as a trailer for the broadcast, just in case you had even begun to get your head around what their policy on secrecy/spoilers was.
Just checked and Krysis is up there on the Android app as well. An even bigger mess than anticipated, then. Want to wait until I can watch it on a TV anyway. Hopefully they might have seen sense by this evening.
From a tweet I’ve seen it’s possible Sky have still got it, too. Let’s just turn this thread ito Let’s Talk About Hyperdrive and be done with it.
Not on my Sky at present. I did just skip to the end credits on Android to clear something fairly obvious up that had been bothering me for two months. I approve of what I discovered.
I did just skip to the end credits on Android to clear something fairly obvious up that had been bothering me for two months. I approve of what I discovered. Is it about this? http://www.ganymede.tv/2016/09/lets-talk-about-give-and-take-on-uktv-play/#comment-84691
Ok i have watched it and a few nit-piks, one i think will be raised as an odd decision, but it felt like a much better structured then the last few episodes, probably cant go into detail till tomorrow
Just started watching it again on Sky Go (PS4) so it’s still up somewhere. Not as good as previous XI showings, not as bad as the worst of X. 6.8/10. It’s got an ending at least but the concept was more Futurama than Red Dwarf. There was also a Red Dwarf history gaf that really annoyed me. I think Doug needs a crack team of Red Dwarf fans to go in and check his scripts for universe errors. Unless I misheard it in which case, sorry Doug and I withdraw that comment.
There is a certain thing that appeared in 2 series previously but looks a little different to that certain thing aswell as has a confusing language barrier this certain thing didnt have before. It made me think of dougs novel last human with its populated universe feel.
It’s gone from Virgin now, but I managed to catch it twice before it went. They giveth and then they taketh away-eth-eth-eth-eth!
I caved and watched it on my phone like a weakling. ‘Spoiler free’-style review – it’s my favourite of the five so far. Partly because it’s an extraordinarily tight script, partly because all the performances are brilliant, partly because despite all the fan service it doesn’t feel like a rehash or a sequel. As for the Futurama influence, not untrue, but that goes for pretty much all of XI so far. And fact fans – there’s an actor who has now been in three consecutive episodes of Dwarf, which outside the main cast puts him even with Ricky Grover and only one behind Jake Wood. He’s also, with Wood and Graham McTavish, one of only three actors not in the main cast to appear in half or more of the episodes of a single series of RD, which awards him semi-regular status. I wonder how popular this will be amongst those who hate VII. It’s the most VII episode we’ve ever had since 1997.
Bugger, I seem to have missed it. No sign on the Android app anymore – not that I can see anyway. If it’s series vii like in tone, I’m all for that.
It has indeed literally just vanished from the Android app. That’s really weird considering I only finished watching it 20 minutes ago. They’ve somehow managed to fuck up un-fucking-up the fuckup. That’s A-level stuff.
It has indeed literally just vanished from the Android app. That’s really weird considering I only finished watching it 20 minutes ago. They’ve somehow managed to fuck up un-fucking-up the fuckup. That’s A-level stuff. There’s only one way to fix this embarrassment, and I’m pretty sure it involves sending a curry into space. Seriously though, may as well just but the damn thing up now. What’s the point of waiting for people to pirate it to see it 12 hours early? Get your ad-revenue.
Last time Dave forgot about daylight savings time and posted Dear Dave spoilers. It’s becoming an episode 5 tradition.
Don’t forget the accidental posting of the XI titles/plots a week early. I think we may need to club together and get UKTV some special cream from Boots.
I caught it on the Android app before it was removed… Krysis has really come out well in the edit – I wasn’t too sure at the recording, but the story is now pretty tight, and the additional sound and visual effects are very nice. The model shots are exquisite. Overall, a fairly low-key episode, but one that offers a nice exploration of Kryten’s character and pushes the boundaries of what we might have come to expect from an episode of Red Dwarf.
One thing that did bug me though…… and I guess this is a slight spoiler but nothing major….. Kryten is portrayed as being a bit stupid and useless in this ep, but that hasn’t felt true at all, in general, for the character. I can overlook it though, it just struck me as odd.
One thing that did bug me though…… and I guess this is a slight spoiler but nothing major….. Kryten is portrayed as being a bit stupid and useless in this ep, but that hasn’t felt true at all, in general, for the character. True, but I suppose that’s to be (somewhat) expected given his mid-life crisis…? Kryten’s character has been fairly inconsistent over years (see VII and VIII versus earlier series), but I’m liking it so far in XI – we’re getting back to the intelligent Kryten we know and love from IV-VI. Great to see.
we’re getting back to the intelligent Kryten we know and love from IV-VI. Great to see. I agree, but then that goes against the Kryten portrayed in this ep ha. I think the main reason it stuck out to me was because Kryten has made some unexplainable leaps in recent weeks such as when he figured out about the affair on the ship causing the crash and then whatever his “Best guess…” was during Give & Take, I forget.
So is it going back up today, or what? It’s on UKTV play but no sign of it on Sky Go. Going well this isn’t it!
2nd episode in a row that’s failed to grab me. And I lost count of how many times the words ‘mid-life crisis’ were said. I get the stories which Doug has wanted to tell these last couple of episodes, but he’s stumbling onto others in the course of those stories which I’d rather the episodes be about. Krysis in particular had too much superfluous stuff, I think. Gelfs? Didn’t see the point. Until last week I’d been really enjoying XI but if Can of Worms disappoints me like the last 2 then I think I’d find XI the singlen most frustrating own goal.
Overall i enjoyed the episode but now its online i will throw in my spoiler nit-piks 1. The gelfs, i wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a different type of gelf at first but then they called them the Kinitawowi which it looked barely like when you compare it to series 6 and 7, but it also spoke english briefly… so did doug mix up the gelf for the beggs?, whats was that about? and those gelfs have a fleet also? i can’t say i was that fond of them having a battle cruiser in Series 7 either because it felt abit star trek 2. The race car stuff with kryten was abit silly 3. I don’t mind the concept of talking to the universe but ain’t they technically speaking to god there? and it answered the question of whether there is other intelligent life in the universe by saying there was only one planet with intelligent life which is fine but may take away abit of mystery from the red dwarf universe. The episode did make me think of his last human novel because of the way Doug is mixing androids and gelfs to make up for the lack of being able to use aliens in the show.
Not as bad as Officer Rimmer (which, upon a second viewing, is right up there alongside the very worst of series VIII), but not too far behind it, either. Again, and much like Officer Rimmer, I have no problem with the plot or the visuals, but the execution (both in the writing and the performances) were just not there for me. Pretty sad, as Samsara and Give & Take were heading in the right direction after all of this time. As it stands, with one episode to go, I actually prefer X over XI so far.
but then they called it the Kinitawowi which it looked barely like when you compare it to series 6 and 7, but it also spoke english briefly… so did doug mix up the gelf for the beggs? They didn’t. Butler said the dialect was different from that of the Kinitawowi which is why Kristen mispronounced something.
We know RD can do a good Kryten episode. I guess the problem is that, by the very nature of this week’s plot, Kryten was being silly and that’s not when he’s used best. Going back to Officer Rimmer, I thought Kryten’s involvement in the Rimmer plot was the best he’s been used – comedically – since the relaunch.
They didn’t. Butler said the dialect was different from that of the Kinitawowi which is why Kristen mispronounced something. So they were not the Kinitawowi? who were they meant to be?
And yeah, the GELF story seemed to come out of nowhere and then end without much satisfaction. That’s also one of the moments in which I thought Kryten was portrayed as a bit stupid, since Butler pointed out the error in his advice in how to handle the fleet of ships. Have we ever seen Kryten give bad tactical advice like that before? Maybe I am looking too much into it, but that’s how I felt. Also, how did people feel about the circumcision line? It feels like Doug is deliberately going for dirtier jokes this time around. I didn’t mind the joke, just felt a bit odd coming from Lister.
They didn’t. Butler said the dialect was different from that of the Kinitawowi which is why Kristen mispronounced something. So they were not the Kinitawowi? No, I quite clearly remember the distinction being made within the ep that they were not a type of GELF we’d encountered before.
Again, I didn’t really like the fact that Kryten – who seems to know every language of every species they encounter – suddenly can’t accurately speak this dialect, but they at least gave a reason for it in the dialogue.
I’m pretty sure Butler mentioned the name of the race and pointed out that their dialect was different to the Kinitawowi. Didn’t strike me as confusing at all. Overall I enjoyed that. There weren’t any cringey bits, it didn’t feel rushed or too slow, overall I think it might be the tightest scripted episode of the series. Even though it went off in several directions (which seems to be a thing of this series in general, and I quite like it – the little encounters along the way make the plot seem more realistic to me) I think it held together very well. I’m now resigned to the fact that every episode is going to have a callback to one or more previous episodes – we had Kryten, Legion, Emohawk/Ouroboros this time. I really liked the scene of them all going ‘margh’ in the cockpit. And obviously it completely contradicted Backwards, which was annoying. The one thing it lacked, however, was big laughs. It just didn’t feel quite as funny as the previous episodes. I laughed and smiled a lot, but there weren’t really any of the massive belly-laughs that every episode so far has had. In that sense, it really did feel like a VII episode. Long, stasis-based trip across the universe, meeting another mech and GELFs, with more plot/drama than jokes. It didn’t have the slight po-facedness of VII though, and still looked more Dwarf-ish, so it was a nice balance. The whole talking to the universe thing I thought was fine. It’s reaching out to do something new with the show which is fine for me. That said, although obviously they always leave tech behind from each episode, I can’t feel it was a bit of a squandered opportunity for the crew. The chance to talk to creation and they barely use it. Oh well. Annoying gripe: the episode opened with the same fly-by and sting AGAIN. And what’s with the bigature that has the ship’s name in the middle of a massive red panel. Where’s that even meant to be? Otherwise, beautiful model work again, the episode looked beautiful. The time-pass shot of them travelling to the Nova 3 was really wonderful.
Rimmer is shockingly petty and out of character now. He was a goit before but now he comes across malicious, cruel and unreasonably in it for himself above all else. This entire series is not sitting well with me, none of the characters are settling and although they’re not cartoonish like Series VIII, they’re just odd and peculiar now. The eccentricities and habits of youth look sad and pathetic when you become a grown man and that’s why you need to shake those out sooner rather than later.
Right, seeing as it’s back up on UKTV Play and on Sky etc, i’ll give you my musings on Krysis… after 2 viewings i do rather like the episode, not without its minor faults. i don’t mind Krytens red suit but i do think the f1 car noises and running around are a bit much. some funny scenes and i did enjoy it overall, more 2nd time round as i think when i watched yesterday that it may disappear at any time having been put up by accident. all the speculation on the nova 5 esqe ship was bang on, the nova 3, and butler was rather convincing as a mech, and i think we seen just enough of him, the universe is a bit of a tricky one as it does beg the question should this be happening? but i can allow it as its in keeping with whats happening in xi but did they make the voice Morgan freeman like on purpose to play into the idea of talking to god? also think krypton giving the universe a mid life crisis is quite funny. for once the episode ties up nicely and unjarringly for me at least, runs in at just under 27 minutes though which surprised me, will be a few seconds shorter on dvd and iTunes minus break bumpers too. my 2 faults that i think require attention… why for the 3rd week have then chopped the beginning off the end credits music? why, in a series with lots of great new model shots and a huge Big-ature have they in this episode, re-used a pass from series x of that big board that looks like Red Dwarf where the name is painted over bits of model? sticks out and looks odd!
I actually preferred this episode to some degree to the last 4 because there were far less gags that took me out of the episode, butler was funny without being a parody and everyone played it quite well.
I assumed I was going to be in a minority on this one… I’ve rewatched it properly on a telly and I like it even more. I think only The Beginning beats it out of the whole Dave era. Few incidental thoughts: – Absolutely loved the GELF redesign by Millennium (getting them on board was the best decision made this whole production block). It’s worth noting that they treated the redesign exactly the same way they’ve brought back classic Doctor Who monsters. It felt like seeing the new Silurians or the new Sontarans for the first time, and nicely erased the ‘pig nose, all-over coat in Pritt Stick and three rolls across a barber’s floor’ look of the BEGGs. – Thematically, it felt like a show 6. DIY episode reorderings of XI is clearly going to become a thing by next week. – The excellent Dominic Coleman (who I like in everything and was so delighted to see in my sneak peek of the credits that I was immediately not bothered about David Ross not being in it, and that’s before he gave one of the best guest performances Red Dwarf has ever had) is the sixth person to wear a Kryten mask on Red Dwarf. Collect the set. – The series is now geographically back in the same busy part of space that IV-VII were set in, although they must have been halfway there for a while. Even if this is never mentioned again, it fixes something that’s been irritating a lot of us since Trojan – that at some point Red Dwarf has turned round. Easy to retrofit into the offscreen search for Kochanski, who Lister seems to no longer give a shit about. Not that Lister’s been in the foreground much this series. The important thing is that it all seems to fit together slightly better than it did before. – Howard Goodall’s theme for the Universe was Observation Dome levels of beautiful but you could barely hear it. Digital soundtrack *please*…! – Speaking of that Universe scene, which is clearly going to cause a few ripples, my first thought was that, despite the obvious H2G2/Futurama echoes it seemed most similar to the confrontation with The Network in The World’s End. The Morgan Freeman impersonation was slightly tone-stretching but worked, and has loads of precedents (Rimmer does Paul Daniels in Better Than Life for no reason, and that’s show 8).
Wasn’t massively fussed with this episode on first viewing. Didn’t hate it or anything, just didn’t grab me. After a few viewings though I’ve really started to warm to it. The Butler stuff is great, and whatever you think of the universe section, they really are trying something new and different. So long as Can of Worms doesn’t bollocks it up, this has been a great series.
I liked the passage of time model shot. And the lift journey was a nice bit of editing. Reminded me of Spaced and everything Edgar Wright. Good story. I also really liked Rimmer’s list of people doing worse than he is. Not sure why the reveal of Butler got a laugh. I didn’t like the universe having the voice of an ubiquitous Morgan Freeman impression. If that was what it was. Very interesting premise. Let down by it’s execution a bit. The script was full of ideas but the jokes were a bit thin. I agree with Better Dead Than Smeg and all those who think this is better than last week’s episode. Phew.
I thought it was ok – the early stuff with Kryten was a bit broad (especially those silly vroom-vroom noises), but Butler was a good guest-character with lots of fun moments, and the premise of meeting the universe and expecting it to reassure you (but instead infecting it with your own neuroses) was a fun twist. In fact, the whole sequence with Morethan Freeman felt a bit like something out of H2G2 (mixed with a sprinkling of Star Trek V).
Oh, and that time-lapse shot of Red Dwarf travelling through the universe was lovely – the highlight of the episode.
Those car noises I liked straight away for a very specific reason, because they’re the sort of touch Ed Bye would have added. Probably from so much Rik & Ade schooling, he’s always been keen on cartoon sound effects as shorthand to enhance a gag, it’s a hallmark of his that goes through everything he’s ever done. And if it’s Ed Bye-esque, then it’s Red Dwarf-esque.
I think what’s bugged me about the last 2 episodes, and it’s entirely personal as your mileage will almost certainly vary, is that big ideas are glossed over very casually while smaller ones are given more attention than, I feel, is necessary. Therefore to the detriment of the more interesting ideas.
Kryten’s 360 body spin was the highlight for me and there were some genuinely nice character moments my favourite of which was Lister detailing his own mid-life crisis. I’m sure that they were talking to a computer designed to replicate the universe rather than the actual universe.
Those car noises I liked straight away for a very specific reason, because they’re the sort of touch Ed Bye would have added. Probably from so much Rik & Ade schooling, he’s always been keen on cartoon sound effects as shorthand to enhance a gag, it’s a hallmark of his that goes through everything he’s ever done. And if it’s Ed Bye-esque, then it’s Red Dwarf-esque. You’re right, after carefully considering that logical argument I now find those sound effects hilarious instead of annoying.
I’m pretty sure Butler mentioned the name of the race and pointed out that their dialect was different to the Kinitawowi. Didn’t strike me as confusing at all. Overall I enjoyed that. There weren’t any cringey bits, it didn’t feel rushed or too slow, overall I think it might be the tightest scripted episode of the series. Even though it went off in several directions (which seems to be a thing of this series in general, and I quite like it – the little encounters along the way make the plot seem more realistic to me) I think it held together very well. I’m now resigned to the fact that every episode is going to have a callback to one or more previous episodes – we had Kryten, Legion, Emohawk/Ouroboros this time. I really liked the scene of them all going ‘margh’ in the cockpit. And obviously it completely contradicted Backwards, which was annoying. The one thing it lacked, however, was big laughs. It just didn’t feel quite as funny as the previous episodes. I laughed and smiled a lot, but there weren’t really any of the massive belly-laughs that every episode so far has had. In that sense, it really did feel like a VII episode. Long, stasis-based trip across the universe, meeting another mech and GELFs, with more plot/drama than jokes. It didn’t have the slight po-facedness of VII though, and still looked more Dwarf-ish, so it was a nice balance. The whole talking to the universe thing I thought was fine. It’s reaching out to do something new with the show which is fine for me. That said, although obviously they always leave tech behind from each episode, I can’t feel it was a bit of a squandered opportunity for the crew. The chance to talk to creation and they barely use it. Oh well. Annoying gripe: the episode opened with the same fly-by and sting AGAIN. And what’s with the bigature that has the ship’s name in the middle of a massive red panel. Where’s that even meant to be? Otherwise, beautiful model work again, the episode looked beautiful. The time-pass shot of them travelling to the Nova 3 was really wonderful. Pretty much exactly how I felt about this one; not as funny as the last couple, but well constructed and paced with a purpose often lacking in Series VII-X. The “margh” business was well executed when it could have been pretty embarrassing. I thought the treatment of the Universe/God element was pretty typical of Red Dwarf so it worked on that level – raise a huge concept then largely dismiss it by the end. The Morgan Freeman-esque voice was amusing. So, GOOD THEN.
I think what’s bugged me about the last 2 episodes, and it’s entirely personal as your mileage will almost certainly vary, is that big ideas are glossed over very casually while smaller ones are given more attention than, I feel, is necessary. Therefore to the detriment of the more interesting ideas. I do see what you mean but that’s typical Red Dwarf though, surely? The number of episodes with massive concepts that are amusingly reset or simply cast aside by the end. Par for the course at this point as it always comes back to four guys floating in an endless, virtually empty universe.
I’m sure that they were talking to a computer designed to replicate the universe rather than the actual universe. That’s how I viewed it too so it didn’t bother me all that much. The Morgan Freeman voice was a little cheesy but…it did make me smile I’m ashamed to admit! The episode gets a pass from me. Some enjoyable moments, not great but nothing highly offensive. I do wish the Ferrari red costume hadn’t been spoilt for us pre-broadcast though – I envy the studio audience who got the full impact of that scene!
I do see what you mean but that’s typical Red Dwarf though, surely? The number of episodes with massive concepts that are amusingly reset or simply cast aside by the end The key word being ‘amusingly’ I think. But I’m more talking about ignoring something that would have made a more interesting story in favour of something less engaging. Focusing on the least interesting thing in an episode is not par for the course for Red Dwarf, but is something I personally consider the last 2 episodes to be guilty of.
Eh? There was no argument, I was just saying they made me smile because they reminded me of Ed Bye. I wasn’t being completely serious, your post just read a bit like empirical proof that those sound effects were “Red Dwarf-esque”, to counter anyone who didn’t like them. To be honest, the show has played with so many different comedic styles at this point that it would be hard to find something that didn’t have a precedent of some form in its earlier days.
I wasn’t being completely serious, your post just read a bit like empirical proof that those sound effects were “Red Dwarf-esque”, to counter anyone who didn’t like them. To be fair, the post started with the words “I liked”, not “Actually, they WERE funny, because…”
Hmm, didn’t particularly care for this one, but we’re 5 episodes in and it’s the first dud of the series to me. I really don’t like the whole ‘meeting the universe’ thing. That just doesn’t fit with Red Dwarf as established at all. As someone else said, doesn’t that essentially mean they’ve met God? When the whole premise of the show is drifting along in a godless universe? Nah mate. Nah. And what a lot of bollocks too. Lister didn’t think to ask if Earth was still there, yeah? Or where Kochanski is? Get tae fuck. The comedy was too broad for my tastes too. Like a kids show at times. On the flip side I don’t quite get where the ‘filthy dirty series XI’ talk is coming from. Yes, the skeletons thing in Samsara was legitimately rude but I fail to see how Lister’s circumcision joke or Rimmer’s sex dream are any ruder than say C.L.I.T.O.R.I.S., black ribbed nobblers, pubic louses, Have a Happy Period, Lister snipping his pubes off, the sex stuff in Holoship, “You’ll bonk anything”, “Have my mother, everyone else did”, the bouncing tent, “Anyone got any whipped cream”, “Having it off with that jailbait ball girl”, losing virginity at age 12 etc, etc, etc. You’ve all got old and are watching with your kids now I reckon. I suppose whether you like Krysis comes down to whether or not you think Silly Robot can carry an episode, and I don’t think Silly Robot can. For me so far top to bottom: Officer Rimmer Give & Take Samsara/Twentica Krysis To add some positivity, looking that it has been a very, very good series so far. Nothing lower than a 5/10 for me.
This is the second episode this series (other being Samsara) that I didn’t much care for, it’s not the worst episode ever…..I just found it kinda “eh”. There are just too many moments his episode that fell flat for me, the gelf stuff, the Universe stuff…it just didn’t do much for me.
To be fair, the post started with the words “I liked”, not “Actually, they WERE funny, because…” Yes, it was a difference of opinion, clearly. But given that the post built to a conclusion that the sound effects were “Red Dwarf-esque” (rather than that they were funny), it seemed like it was equating the two things. I agree that they didn’t feel out of place in Red Dwarf, I just didn’t find them particularly funny. It’s not a big deal. I just think the glibness of my initial response came off as more arsey than I meant it to.
>Get tae fuck. I haven’t got anything to say about this other than I like it a lot. >You’ve all got old and are watching with your kids now I reckon. This made me laugh, too. …At this point I feel like one of those sycophantic little kids who hang around with harder kids so they don’t get beaten up. >I suppose whether you like Krysis comes down to whether or not you think Silly Robot can carry an episode, and I don’t think Silly Robot can. The silly robot bit was utterly awful, but was short enough to look past in an otherwise fairly good episode. If it was referred to throughout I’d be inclined to agree, but they soon got past it (comedy vroom sound effects and all), and the story tied together quite nicely, I felt… Please don’t steal my dinner money.
This was Kryten jealousy done right. Can we retroactively replace whiny VII Kryten with this version? I need to watch it again to fully articulate since I always like it way more the first time, and of course I’ll forget to write another post then as always, but I very much enjoyed this episode overall. It had some emotional beats we hadn’t gotten yet in XI, something I always loved about Red Dwarf and it was nice to see Kryten get the focus in that area for the first time that didn’t involve whining. As someone else said, doesn’t that essentially mean they’ve met God? When the whole premise of the show is drifting along in a godless universe? The Universe was pretty clearly not supposed to be God, not only because they establish it’s not omniscient since it doesn’t know it will someday die (and knowing Earth has intelligence is merely having awareness of its contents) but also considering Kryten specifically says no one knows if there’s a God while speaking to it. They don’t even address the idea that the Universe could be God and, again, specifically state that the existence of God is an unknown while speaking to it, so I think it’s a little unreasonable to jump to that conclusion. I personally don’t think the idea of the Universe being an intelligent entity doesn’t sit wrong with me specifically for these reasons. Feels more like a Futurama concept (mainly because they kind of did it already). To me they’re only superficially similar. I don’t mind seeing a similar idea in two different shows, I mind seeing a similar idea executed the same. If Kryten had gotten sage but extremely vague advice from the Universe, that would been a very similar execution. But the completely different set-up, and the idea of triggering a mid-life crisis in the Universe and having Kryten articulate his own feelings on the matter to help both it and himself work out their emotions was using a similar concept for completely different purposes. Both shows have characters talk to a glowy galaxy and somebody gets advice. That’s really as far as it goes. Huge bonus points to the VFX of that whole sequence, that was a beautiful use of a digital set. BtE did it well too, but this was definitely much more visually exciting. Speaking of VFX, I’ve noticed XI has picked up VII’s annoying habit of having planets in nearly every space shot, but I don’t mind as much because they don’t look like pixellated shit. I thought that galaxy was WAY too much until I realized it was the background for the Universe segement. And yes, it had an ending. While I personally wasn’t jarred by the sudden endings besides Samsara’s (not Officer Rimmer, gape in horror at my blasphemy), this definitely had the best one by far. Give & Take’s was good, but it still felt more like a post-credits coda than the proper end of the episode. Like The Beginning’s coda with Hoguey. Now to rewatch the trailers and pick out what’s going to be in Can of Worms.
Yeah, it could easily have been an episode about Kryten’s crazy new body, but that was done in a few minutes, and through the nature of the story it was intentionally awful. It’s meant to be tacky and daft and cringe-worthy because he’s having a mid-life crisis.
What a lovely episode that was. Less emphasis on the big belly laughs (there was still a lot of laughs however) and more emphasis on characterisation which is nice to see. Some good Lister/Kryten stuff which has always been my favourite dynamic in Red Dwarf.
Looks like Butler was wearing Kryten’s body suit used in series X without the shoulder hoops? He was, that was something that struck me instantly…..so does that mean the suit design changes are just Kryten changing his mech cover?
He was, that was something that struck me instantly…..so does that mean the suit design changes are just Kryten changing his mech cover? That’s the explanation for his change of appearance I always assumed, as well as using his spare heads which may all be slightly different. Kryten just conveniently makes these changes at the end of every series!
>through the nature of the story it was intentionally awful. It’s meant to be tacky and daft and cringe-worthy because he’s having a mid-life crisis. Probably me, but I didn’t feel it was played like that. I felt they were getting too much cheap mileage out of it (Did he say “twin exhausts” at one point while bending over?) But then, I thought it wasn’t at all funny so might be being over critical. The biggest laugh for me would have been the reveal – and that was wasted by them having already shown it. Odd choice.
The Morgan Freeman impersonation was slightly tone-stretching but worked, and has loads of precedents (Rimmer does Paul Daniels in Better Than Life for no reason, and that’s show 8). Please excuse this small off-topic tangent, folks, but this has been bugging me. What Paul Daniels impression in Better Than Life?
The first episode in the season I felt a bit down about. Mostly the continuity issues that we were warned about on the filming night. Suddenly butler : a series 3000 mech is identical to the 4000 series and also has a psudo-American accent which I thought was gained by Kryten when his files were corrupted. I was hoping that lister would be more sympathetic. I knew Rimmer wouldn’t care as he has never liked Kryten much anyway. At least it had an ending this time and was good to see the Nova model. There were a few other good things : Krytens jealousy was much better. And the ships
(The “please rush me my portable walrus-polishing kit!” bit – for some reason he does it in a lazy/softened version of his Paul Daniels Spitting Image voice. Guessing not on purpose – it was probably just a random ‘northern’ voice in his head handy for Rimmer to be mocking Lister with. But once you hear it you can’t unhear it. Besides, when posting that I’d forgot he gives his (deliberate) Jimmy Stewart in Confidence & Paranoia even earlier than that, so I needn’t have mentioned it. TV impressionism show Red Dwarf there.)
Also Krytens age in Krysis contradicts his age in BITR and the Last Day. Also I thought in series VI Kryten said that the 3000 series were more human like.
At least Butler didn’t get blown up…which I wouldn’t have put past Doug. :p Butler is basically Kryten’s ‘Ace Rimmer’, however, it’s a shame there wasn’t a little more to it than that. It was just ‘oh he’s better than Kryten…that’s it’ Anyway, this episode feels really lazily written compared with the other four. Especially stuff like mentioning again that Mozart wrote Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when he was five…is Doug obsessed with that fact or what?? Weak dialogue there. The whole thing could have done with a spruce up IMO to make it a little funnier. Butler’s lines about the ‘creation of the music flow’ etc. just aren’t played for laughs, unlike when Ace is showing off in Dimension Jump, so it’s just a bit…meh. In fact, you could argue the whole thing with Butler is a total misstep because Kryten wouldn’t be pissed off about it, unlike Rimmer with Ace. You can even hear the audience aren’t too arsed about most of it (unless that’s a deliberate decision in the sound mix). Though, without focussing on all the negatives (like towards the end of the episode where Robert goes to say a line but then stops, and also the Blackberry line and ‘Morgan Freeman’ voice, which in particular was proper annoying), there are some GREAT shots in this episode! The ‘Universe’ digital set was rather amazing. Also, the subtle but brilliant corridor extension onboard the Nova 3 (which is odd considering the rest of the set is obviously a little ‘budget’ :D ) Needs another watch, but I’m a bit down on it right now…*sigh* not surprised it’s in the episode 5 slot.
It’s not such a leap to imagine Rimmer doing impressions though, is it. They’ve got a classic film collection on board. (Shame Doug hasn’t brought back the cinema of the first series.) But the universe as Morgan Freeman was quite a tossy idea, I thought. It wasn’t even a good Morgan Freeman impression. Was Terry Mynott busy?
Why the fuck does Butler’s make-up and costume look better than Kryten’s throughout both Series X and XI?
Well to be fair its easier to compare krytens mask to previous masks while we don’t have that for butler
> like towards the end of the episode where Robert goes to say a line but then stops Actually it’s not near the end, it’s when Butler is about to transport away from the ‘bug… > Well to be fair its easier to compare krytens mask to previous masks while we don’t have that for butler It’s pretty much the same mask as Kryten’s from this series, though it fits Dominic Coleman better. Robert’s seems a little too shaped to his head, so it loses it’s angular nature…
Someone needs to mock up a Kryten one of these: http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.7797086.4320/sticker,375×360.u8.png
I expected to hate this. I didn’t. http://noiselesschatter.com/2016/10/14/review-red-dwarf-xi-episode-5-krysis/
Ok, time for Mr Grumpy Pants to weigh in. I watched this at lunchtime and usually I’d jump right in with my thoughts but I realised then I didn’t really have anything to say. I’ve been thinking about it and well, I still don’t. I came away from that episode feeling deflated. It’s definitely the worst of the 5 so far for me. It’s got a series 10 feel about it. I think it’s like there were almost 3 really good ideas that were just crammed into one episode. Kryten has a midlife crisis, awesome. But then that is quickly forgotten for Butler, who entertains for a few minutes before we suddenly jump to Red Dwarf’s take on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Again, speaking to God/The Universe/Some alien purporting to be one of those things is a great idea but it came out of bloody no-where. At one point Starbug was crashing, next minute their walking up to the telephone. No crash, no landing, nothing. That cut is worse than the ending of officer Rimmer for me as it feels like a bit of story was missing that would link those two scenes, if only it were a better model shot to define some continuity. Anyway. I didn’t really laugh, all the jokes I can remember are pretty cheesy (Kryten spinning around etc) Oh god and where did the Gelf’s come from? Their battle fleet could have been an episode in themselves. So that’s 4 greats ideas squeezed into what was a 26min episode. This is the first episode where I haven’t immediately wanted to re-watch it, which is a crying shame. I’ve loved this series so far. Yeah there’s been some odd moments but it’s been funny, entertaining and I can forgive the little moments that don’t quite make sense. But this episode … I’m out of words. I didn’t like it :(
> Again, speaking to God/The Universe/Some alien purporting to be one of those things is a great idea but it came out of bloody no-where. Well, it doesn’t come out of NOWHERE as such…there is, er, one line about it…earlier on…XD I am also wondering whether there is a scene missing between them hurtling towards the space station, seemingly unable to make any manoeuvres of any kind, to them having landed and calmly walking up to the ‘Universe’. Maybe Doug had something planned but they couldn’t pull it off. That would also explain the short running time.
> Again, speaking to God/The Universe/Some alien purporting to be one of those things is a great idea but it came out of bloody no-where. Well, it doesn’t come out of NOWHERE as such…there is, er, one line about it…earlier on…XD I am also wondering whether there is a scene missing between them hurtling towards the space station, seemingly unable to make any manoeuvres of any kind, to them having landed and calmly walking up to the ‘Universe’. Maybe Doug had something planned but they couldn’t pull it off. That would also explain the short running time. Well yes, there’s that one line, but it almost feels like the final act of a completely different story. I bet the missing scene is a game level. I’m almost convinced at this point there’s stuff omitted, maybe not on purpose, that becomes a level in the episodes game
Right, initial thoughts before I trawl back through all the other comments. I thought that was rather splendid. Really good, very funny indeed. Some nice, silly gags, a good, coherent story, nicely plotted, and almost a proper ending. Still abrupt (Doug! Sort it, mate!), but a punchline, at least (An extra line or two into a fade..?). Would have quite liked to have seen another Mech on another ship, in another of Kryten’s old costumes. That would have been amusing. But I’ve very few complaints about Krysis. In fact, I feel the same way about Krysis at the moment as I did after Officer Rimmer last week – laughed myself silly, with the added bonus that the episode ended, and not just stopped. Well done, people.
Man alive, the ships are getting better and better. Who’s been making these things? They look fucking stunning!!!
Man alive, the ships are getting better and better. Who’s been making these things? They look fucking stunning!!! I agree, the guest ships have all looked pretty great from a design point of view. I would be interested to see how many of them were actually filmed as miniatures – it’s difficult to tell from a couple of seconds onscreen, but at first glance, I’d be surprised if the Give & Take space station, the Nautilus and this week’s research station weren’t all CGI. Not a criticism by the way, they still look rad.
Watching it again…..it’s alright, nothing great but not really bad either. It’s certainly the second weakest episode this series. I don’t see this being one that I’d come back to visit often but there actually is some heart to this episode which elevates it above Samsara’s mediocrity. So far I would rank the episodes this series as following: Twentica – 8 Samsara – 5 Give and Take – 9 Officer Rimmer – 7 Krysis – 6
I’ve watched it about three times now and still love it. My favorite bits would have to be: The Blackberries burning in Silicon Hell line Educating Cat on midlife crises Rimmer pointing out Kryten’s acts of “independence” are mostly catering to Lister The Tale of Derek Smitherton Nova 3 model. Interior shots were impressive as well Butler was delightful – felt very Data Excellent GELF character “Maaaaaaah!” Lister encouraging chat with Kryten – felt very IV This version of jealous!Kryten worked way better than he did in VII Rimmer trying to ID the Universe Giving the Universe a midlife crisis “You’ve got him on speed dial??”
The “please rush me my portable walrus-polishing kit!” bit – for some reason he does it in a lazy/softened version of his Paul Daniels Spitting Image voice. Guessing not on purpose – it was probably just a random ‘northern’ voice in his head handy for Rimmer to be mocking Lister with. But once you hear it you can’t unhear it. Nah, he’s just attempting a Lister impression there, surely?
Nah, he’s just attempting a Lister impression there, surely? That’s what Rimmer’s doing, but to my ears Barrie’s unconsciously going past Scouse and dialling nearly all the way into Daniels – the singsong tone, the rolled R’s, the accent wandering a long way from Liverpool. It’s hard to demonstrate as he’s deliberately doing it in a half-arsed way, but to me that’s where he’s ending up. It’s a voice he was doing in his stage act as well so it must have been close at hand. It’s probably not worth the notability I’m giving it, it was just something amusing that caught my attention that Sunday when Dave were repeating II, and I am obstinately claiming it as a Fun Fact!
Hmm, didn’t particularly care for this one, but we’re 5 episodes in and it’s the first dud of the series to me. I really don’t like the whole ‘meeting the universe’ thing. That just doesn’t fit with Red Dwarf as established at all. As someone else said, doesn’t that essentially mean they’ve met God? When the whole premise of the show is drifting along in a godless universe? Nah mate. Nah. And what a lot of bollocks too. Lister didn’t think to ask if Earth was still there, yeah? Or where Kochanski is? Get tae fuck. This nails the problem for me entirely. Red Dwarf established its Godless theme right from episode one even going as far as to establish Lister as the Cat God and, in the process, undermining faith and organised religion. This has been a theme throughout – Lister being called “the ultimate atheist” for example or even as recently as series X with a mistaken Jesus questioning the ten commandments. So for them to meet what is effectively an all powerful sentient being who claims to have created the universe, it just seems to go against some of the core values of the series. Ultimately I think it would have been fine if the Universe had somehow tripped up along the way and revealed through its speech that it’s nothing more than a sentient anomaly. Surely there would have been rich potential for some smart humour here too. But then what is this episode even about anyway? Is it about a midlife crisis or the meaning of life or inter-droid class issues? Thematically it was all over the place.
A few more small points… – Red Dwarf seems to have turned into modern Simpsons this series. Most of the episodes zip from one idea and plot point to another rather than settling in to one single theme and exploring it thoroughly. – Did anyone else get serious Legion vibes during the Nova 3 bits? – Where the hell is Snacky?
Legion’s an obvious comparison point, yeah, particularly with Rimmer’s suggestion of bringing him back with them.
Hmm, didn’t particularly care for this one, but we’re 5 episodes in and it’s the first dud of the series to me. I really don’t like the whole ‘meeting the universe’ thing. That just doesn’t fit with Red Dwarf as established at all. As someone else said, doesn’t that essentially mean they’ve met God? When the whole premise of the show is drifting along in a godless universe? Nah mate. Nah. And what a lot of bollocks too. Lister didn’t think to ask if Earth was still there, yeah? Or where Kochanski is? Get tae fuck. This nails the problem for me entirely. Red Dwarf established its Godless theme right from episode one even going as far as to establish Lister as the Cat God and, in the process, undermining faith and organised religion. This has been a theme throughout – Lister being called “the ultimate atheist” for example or even as recently as series X with a mistaken Jesus questioning the ten commandments. Rimmer is an atheist. In The Last Day, Lister is described as a pantheist. I don’t know what the explanation is for that “the ultimate atheist” line from BTR, but since Timothy Spall’s character was getting a lot of facts wrong, and Lister seems surprised by it I thought that the atheist line was a deliberate mistake rather than a retcon. Incidentally, if the being they spoke to is to be considered a God then it’s a pantheistic God rather than the monotheistic God promoted by some organized religions, so it’s still pretty consistent with the undermining of organized religion. (Unless it *was* a monotheistic God and he was just bluffing.) So for them to meet what is effectively an all powerful sentient being who claims to have created the universe, it just seems to go against some of the core values of the series. Umm, which show were you watching!? Admittedly I’ve only watched the episode once, so maybe I’ve missed the part where they met “all powerful sentient being who claims to have created the universe”. It was supposed to actually *be* the Universe, not something which *created* the Universe, and it’s clearly not all-powerful since if it was it wouldn’t be having a midlife crisis. It would have simply decided to become immortal or wish into existence some more achievements or whatever.
Why the fuck does Butler’s make-up and costume look better than Kryten’s throughout both Series X and XI? Well, I hate to say it, but the clunkiness of the mech suit always kind of looks better on a slimmer frame. That’s not me having a go at Bobby who lest we forget is 60 bloody years old and still getting into the infernal thing.
Kryten didn’t look fat in series X though. Has he really gotten that much bigger? I was looking at his costume in Officer Rimmer (in which I thought he actually looked decent, as someone who dislikes this visual incarnation) and it seems like they’ve deliberately made it more “rounded” because – chubbier or not – his face is definitely less angular and the same for the chest piece. — Lister jokes at one point that Kryten might dump them for a younger crew…. honestly, I think I’d have preferred that storyline. It might have been nice to see Kryten’s dynamic with a new bunch of characters (perhaps those GELFs?) and it would have been interesting to see how our crew reacts to him ditching them. But then I didn’t love the ep, so obviously not so much true if you did.
Kryten didn’t look fat in series X though. Has he really gotten that much bigger? I was looking at his costume in Officer Rimmer (in which I thought he actually looked decent, as someone who dislikes this visual incarnation) and it seems like they’ve deliberately made it more “rounded” because – chubbier or not – his face is definitely less angular and the same for the chest piece. Ummmm yeah….I just watched a few interviews with Robert regarding series X and more recent ones regarding XI, and Robert clearly has put on a notable ammount of weight since series X. Though I remember at the time people were commenting that Kryten was starting to look chubby then…..not that it’s my business, but I think people have to accept the the guy is aging and his metabolism likely isn’t what it used to be.
I liked Krysis, but not as much as Give & Take and Officer Rimmer. This was the episode I was worried about, but Robert Llewelyn gave a much more measured performance than perhaps he would have in VII or VIII and that made the episode work. The Dwarfers meeting the universe didn’t fell very Dwarfy. It didn’t bother me massively, but I would have liked a reveal to the audience that it wasn’t really the universe. The ending was good but I didn’t find Krysis as funny as other episodes overall. The production values for this episode were great. There were some lovely model shots, the GELF was in another league to the BEGGs and the scene in the universe space station was visually stunning.
Sentient non-corporeal beings suddenly existing in Dwarf is a *big* twist, but every Grant Naylor series from II onwards introduced a major new ‘rogue’ addition to the ever-stretching format which stuck from then on – robots, mutants, cyborgs, abstract psychological concepts being corporeal, controllable time travel. We were overdue some mythos building.
Just noticed, the shot of Kryten and Cat dancing in the intro is different to the version they used in this episode.
Waited until Saturday night to enjoy this after a really shit day of work and illness strife, and so the existential Dwarf lovey dovey episode couldn’t have come at a better time to cheer me up. Love to all, who’ve been watching this series. The only other point beyond love is to laugh and enjoy. oh and Beer Milkshakes. Nice. A really nice story episode, effortlessly moving on ideas from, episodes, Kryten, the last day, camile, and more and tying them into the old crew in space reality. It didnt quite have the legs to run to 30 minutes, and the gelf stuff bored me as much as the calculator joke in Lemon’s that always requires a quick fastforward, but beyond that i didnt mind the slower pace, or more reflective content, as that suit stuff really had me in stitches the biggest laughs from me on first watch come from Robert’s brilliant performance early on in the episode, from mopey to youthy he gave us something brilliantly new from old kryten. Dominic coleman’s smug kryten threw me out of the episode slightly, i had to rewind and then check if it was brent spiner, seemed to be channeling data goes to the holodeck and does violin lessons version of what kryten would be. This was Kryten suffering what Rimmer had to in dimension jump. For me XI is s a great series. Twentica my favourite unlikely to be topped now. Officer Rimmer second, Give and take third, this one forth, Samsara last I suspect, and can of worms can play for bumping anywhere in that middle as if it’s a duff episode, i will probably look on it as good that they explored the cat character at least after all this time, even if the result doesnt entertainment. It’s probably funnier overall and definately better budgetly executed than X, but i still think the beginning, fathers and suns, and the pre ape-evolves, section of entangled, are as worthy of a rewatch from me as anything from this series. Twentica is definitely my favourite Dave era episode. Probably my favourite solo doug episode.
3. I don’t mind the concept of talking to the universe but ain’t they technically speaking to god there? and it answered the question of whether there is other intelligent life in the universe by saying there was only one planet with intelligent life which is fine but may take away abit of mystery from the red dwarf universe. . Hollys line early on about being alone in a god less universe, answers both of those in 1988, as does the writers talking about their no aliens aprroach since then.
Hollys line early on about being alone in a god less universe, answers both of those in 1988, as does the writers talking about their no aliens aprroach since then. Yeah but holly saying it doesn’t make it fact, the universe saying it kinda does, even after series one you had episodes like DNA where there was a little bit of mystery over the ship saying it didn’t appear to be of earth construction which it probably was but it gives a sense of mystery when the Dwarfers don’t know what something is.
A few more small points… – Red Dwarf seems to have turned into modern Simpsons this series. Most of the episodes zip from one idea and plot point to another rather than settling in to one single theme and exploring it thoroughly. – Did anyone else get serious Legion vibes during the Nova 3 bits? – Where the hell is Snacky? i don’t see why snacky would be a regular so him only appearing in one episode is hardly odd for dwarf, talkie toaster appeared in only half of the episode white hole before disappearing and hasn’t been seen since.
Snacky died on his way back to his home planet. … Either that, or he’s like Hogey – only appears when we’re not looking.
Hmm, didn’t particularly care for this one, but we’re 5 episodes in and it’s the first dud of the series to me. I really don’t like the whole ‘meeting the universe’ thing. That just doesn’t fit with Red Dwarf as established at all. As someone else said, doesn’t that essentially mean they’ve met God? When the whole premise of the show is drifting along in a godless universe? Nah mate. Nah. And what a lot of bollocks too. Lister didn’t think to ask if Earth was still there, yeah? Or where Kochanski is? Get tae fuck. This nails the problem for me entirely. Red Dwarf established its Godless theme right from episode one even going as far as to establish Lister as the Cat God and, in the process, undermining faith and organised religion. This has been a theme throughout – Lister being called “the ultimate atheist” for example or even as recently as series X with a mistaken Jesus questioning the ten commandments. Rimmer is an atheist. In The Last Day, Lister is described as a pantheist. I don’t know what the explanation is for that “the ultimate atheist” line from BTR, but since Timothy Spall’s character was getting a lot of facts wrong, and Lister seems surprised by it I thought that the atheist line was a deliberate mistake rather than a retcon. Incidentally, if the being they spoke to is to be considered a God then it’s a pantheistic God rather than the monotheistic God promoted by some organized religions, so it’s still pretty consistent with the undermining of organized religion. (Unless it *was* a monotheistic God and he was just bluffing.) So for them to meet what is effectively an all powerful sentient being who claims to have created the universe, it just seems to go against some of the core values of the series. Umm, which show were you watching!? Admittedly I’ve only watched the episode once, so maybe I’ve missed the part where they met “all powerful sentient being who claims to have created the universe”. It was supposed to actually *be* the Universe, not something which *created* the Universe, and it’s clearly not all-powerful since if it was it wouldn’t be having a midlife crisis. It would have simply decided to become immortal or wish into existence some more achievements or whatever. Well he does say that in his time he’s only created one planet with sentient life. So there’s that. I take your point though. As a personification of the cosmos he’s not a God in the Christian sense of the word, at least on the page. But then they got the voice actor to do a Morgan Freeman impression, which kind of undermines that idea really.
Kryten says to the Universe; “there may be no God, no afterlife, no one knows”. The Universe is not “God”, although it is rather muddled, as that’s essentially what he is, by some definition of that word.
I think this was probably my least favourite of the series so far, purely because it didn’t make me laugh quite as much as the others. Could be because it came after Officer Rimmer which I felt was packed with loads of gags and was my favourite of the series. But having said that, it was still a good episode. I was especially relieved that Kryten’s mid-life crisis was nowhere near as cringey and series 7/8-like as I thought it was going to be. And there were some great moments, Butler was very good and not for the first time Cat provided a laugh simply by entering the room. It’s pretty great, though, that there are such differing opinions about all the episodes this series and (dodgy endings aside) there hasn’t been anything universally agreed on as a stinker. Very confident in saying this is the best series since VI by some distance, I’ve still enjoyed my less-favourite episodes of the series and I’ve a feeling that my appreciation of them has had as much to do with my mood at the time than anything else.
Not my favourite episode of this run. Nothing has beaten Give & Take so far. Watching it for a second time now and Roberts outfit is either broken or has been modified to allow for movement but you can see it coming apart at the joint when he’s serving Craig his breakfast. Also that cloche is actually a hard hat with a bit of tubing and a JMC badge taped to it. Was it too difficult to actually get a cloche? One thing I’ve also noticed about Danny is he is always talking in a higher register and his voice sounds strained. It sounds very strange and almost like he’s shouting every line. It’s most noticeable on his ‘nipplenuts’ line after he enters. They’re also getting their monies worth with that CGI lift graphic. 3 episodes so far this series.
One thing I’ve also noticed about Danny is he is always talking in a higher register and his voice sounds strained. It sounds very strange and almost like he’s shouting every line. It’s most noticeable on his ‘nipplenuts’ line after he enters. I have noticed that abit, in give and take when the cat say “we all got out in one peace right?” it does sound abit strained which is odd because in the early days danny made it sound so easy.
i don’t see why snacky would be a regular so him only appearing in one episode is hardly odd for dwarf, talkie toaster appeared in only half of the episode white hole before disappearing and hasn’t been seen since. Well, in Talkie’s case, there was the accident involving the toaster, the waste disposal, and a 14lb lump hammer… Remember, in the corrected White Hole timeline, Kryten never repairs him. Although I do agree that I have no problem accepting that Snacky is just somewhere on board the ship with the rest of the AIs.
I wouldn’t want snacky to be a permanent recurring character or anything, but it’d be nice to see him occasionally. Maybe even have him killed off by a villain to add some peril as that would actually make me sad and I can’t think of many guest characters who I can say the same of (who didn’t die as part of their story).
Also that cloche is actually a hard hat with a bit of tubing and a JMC badge taped to it. Was it too difficult to actually get a cloche? That was surely a deliberate gag, no? The implication being yes, it was too difficult to actually get a cloche three million years into deep space.
Well they had one on Starbug when Kryten was serving his anniversary lobster but then it crashed and presumably their entire supply of cloches went with it!
I’m only human! You were completely naked, starkers, nude, in the buff, totally kitless, no cloche on!
Give cloche a chance #It’s cloche outside, there’s no kind of atmosphere…# Well, in broad terms, I get the front seat in the cockpit, and you’re in charge of the laundry! And I want to see *cloches*! Er, I’ll get me cloche.
Agh! that series 8 style tv channel gag I’m surprised that it has taken someone this long to make that observation. It really is not that much different as a gag than Attack of the Giant Savage Completely Invisible Aliens was. Also: Would anyone like any cloche?
He’s got a swatch watch, and a filofax, so that he can correlate his facts… he’s got cloche… he’s got money.
Looks like Butler was wearing Kryten’s body suit used in series X without the shoulder hoops? I always thought it looked more like Kryten’s suit in BtE instead of X without the shoulder hoops. Is it just me?
Please sirs, this is very bad for morale. I can’t believe you’re arguing about who’s going to have the best cloche!
why do construction workers always wear cloches on their heads anyway – haven’t they got anywhere else to keep their lunch
“We want no muffins, no toast, no teacakes, no buns, baps, baguettes or bagels, no crrrroissants, no crrrrumpets, no pancakes, no potato cakes and no hot-cloche buns – and definitely no smegging flapjacks.”
Have come to the conclusion that Butler is getting the best advice and tips from speed dialing The Universe and thats why he has become so good at novels, medicine, painting and music making.
