Jokes you don't/didn't get

[bloodteller]

i know there’s the thing of “the joke isn’t funny if you explain it” but were there ever gags in Red Dwarf you didn’t get? and if so, what?

i never quite got what Cat’s “stan and ollie” line in White Hole was about, for example. nor did i get what “see you in ten minutes?” (repeat x10) from Pete was all about, and also Rimmer’s “steers and queers, which are you boy?” joke from Meltdown

Topic

[Dave]

The funny thing about Lost is it wasn’t just about the show, I think I got an equal amount of enjoyment from the talk between episodes, listening to podcasts about them and discussing theories with people.

I remember it as being part of (and really leaning into) the growing online-discussion culture around TV and movies of the early 2000s – the height of the AICN era of geek interest and spy reports and (over) analysing this stuff in depth – and I think a lot of the teasing of theories and secret significance of certain aspects was very deliberate to encourage that.

For a long time, it felt like that messageboard-driven culture had died out a bit with the rise of social media, but I do see people returning to it again these days in its more modern Reddit-y form.

[International Debris]

Yeah, Lost was a kind of one-off cultural event, everybody had strong opinions on it even if they hadn’t seen it. One of the reasons I’d never recommend it to people is that, by missing out on that stuff, they’d be losing half of the fun. My dislike of the ending is absolutely proportional to how much I loved watching it as it aired. Sharing theories online, the insane excitement every week as you downloaded it in the early hours of the morning to watch it the second it went out in the US, the official podcast, the whole ARG they built around it in the earlier seasons, knowing the season is going to end on a ridiculous cliffhanger and still getting enraged by it. I’ve never had so much fun watching a TV show, even though there are plenty of objectively better shows that I’ve watched. 

[Warbodog]

The first season of Westworld was probably the closest thing to the Lost experience I’ve had, though I didn’t discuss either of them online. There was a timeline reveal similar to that famous Lost one that I felt similarly pleased with myself for “spotting” just before it was revealed, probably long after more astute viewers did. But I quit early in season 2 for whatever reason, and don’t see it mentioned among the classic shows in threads like this, so I guess I saw the best part.

[Moonlight]

Yeah, Lost was a kind of one-off cultural event, everybody had strong opinions on it even if they hadn’t seen it. One of the reasons I’d never recommend it to people is that, by missing out on that stuff, they’d be losing half of the fun. My dislike of the ending is absolutely proportional to how much I loved watching it as it aired. Sharing theories online, the insane excitement every week as you downloaded it in the early hours of the morning to watch it the second it went out in the US, the official podcast, the whole ARG they built around it in the earlier seasons, knowing the season is going to end on a ridiculous cliffhanger and still getting enraged by it. I’ve never had so much fun watching a TV show, even though there are plenty of objectively better shows that I’ve watched. 

Varying degrees of flawed as the run was, this sort of reasoning is a lot of why Dave era Dwarf means so much to me. The BBC series ended when I was a toddler but I was there, online, for the whole revival. Headfuck Monday, the completely unexpected announcement of two new series, the opening titles shot-by-shot analyses, the debate over whether Chris’s awful Series X wig was a wig, the crippling disappointment at Timewave. There was arguably more to the experience of getting new episodes in the build-up and discussion than there was in literally watching them.

Having experienced the original eight series pretty much in one big block before I was in really active in any online Red Dwarf spaces, a big bag of 52 shows that had seemingly always been there, I feel like I “grew up” with Dave Dwarf in a sense that I didn’t with BBC Dwarf. I don’t feel more attached to it than BBC Dwarf, but I feel attached in a different way.

[Dave]

The first season of Westworld was probably the closest thing to the Lost experience I’ve had, though I didn’t discuss either of them online. There was a timeline reveal similar to that famous Lost one that I felt similarly pleased with myself for “spotting” just before it was revealed, probably long after more astute viewers did. But I quit early in season 2 for whatever reason, and don’t see it mentioned among the classic shows in threads like this, so I guess I saw the best part.

I liked Westworld but it was definitely a case of diminishing returns after that great first season. I remember a lot of theorising with some people guessing the twist and some people convinced it couldn’t be the case.

In subsequent seasons the show’s story was increasingly about goings-on outside the park, to the point that the final couple of seasons were barely about Westworld at all, which felt like it got away from the core appeal a bit.

[Warbodog]

The BBC series ended when I was a toddler but I was there, online, for the whole revival.

Do you have the same affinity for 2010s X-Files, or is that just too mediocre?

[Rushy]

Re: Moonlight

I feel sad that I never had that experience with either era. I became a fan after Promised Land, and I was so so looking forward to my first “new” episode. :(

[Moonlight]

Do you have the same affinity for 2010s X-Files, or is that just too mediocre?

There are a couple really fantastic episodes in the revival, but a fair bit was middling and basically everything Chris Carter wrote – over a third of the entire revival – was absolutely irredeemable garbage (but I will defend Mulder tripping on mushrooms because I was high the first time I watched the episode and therefore very receptive to a trip sequence).

Darin Morgan and James Wong seem like the obvious MVPs of both seasons. The robots and the ageless mediocre TV star organ harvesting episodes were also very good. I especially resent James Wong writing a good mythology ep in the middle of season 11 to bridge the absolutely abysmal Carter-penned My Struggle III & IV, because it made me care enough about the story arc again to be disappointed by the finale after I completely checked out coming off the premiere. Season 10 had caught me at the last possible time I could’ve unironically embraced bad Chris Carter writing (I was 19), especially when fueled by excitement for the show’s return, and I’d grown up a little by time 11 came out.

Then when I started rewatching the show in full in 2022 with a friend who’d never seen it (we finished a few weeks ago, thanks for asking), I started to notice a lot of the pretentious, melodramatic, convoluted qualities that pissed me off about My Struggle III and IV on first viewing were present throughout the series’ myth arc, even early on. It’s just that they were in far better crafted episodes.

I also noticed Fox Mulder is a fucking maniac.

[Moonlight]

I also used to really love 24 as a teenager, and on recently rewatching the first two seasons I found that the show holds up significantly worse than The X-Files once you get further than about the first 13 episodes. But I’d almost guessed that just based on my memory of it. They have one strong, cohesive 13 episode season and then get picked up for 11 more episodes to complete the season at which point the show starts forever spinning its wheels to pad to the required episode count.

Season 2 felt like in many episodes basically nothing important happened and then suddenly they cliffhanger-bait you right at the end with a missile hitting Jack’s plane or something so you HAVE to tune in to the next one to see what happens. It takes like thirteen or fourteen episodes to build up to the best episode of the entire show, but even given that it is the best one it doesn’t feel worth the padding I had to sit through to get there.

I started season 3, got bored during the first episode and stopped watching. It didn’t feel worth the time investment even for nostalgia. There are better thriller shows I could be watching.

[Dave]

24 was another one that I absolutely loved at the time. You’re right though, after that initial run of 13 episodes it never quite achieves the same level of greatness (especially the nadir of the amnesia plot in the back half of season 1), but I do think that the later episodes have their moments – the twists at the end of season 1 were killer and made season 2 much anticipated, the nuke stuff in season 2 was pretty cool as was the reunion with Nina, season 3 had some cold moments that surprised me and season 4 was merely OK before the show came the closest to recapturing its glory days in season 5. They should probably have stopped after that as the whole thing just limped onwards for years after that.

[Moonlight]

Season 2 had a lot of cool stuff but it took absolutely fucking forever for the plot to move.

[Dave]

I will also forever be annoyed that the massive cliffhanger to season 2 was barely acknowledged afterwards and most of the aftermath was dealt with in the PS2 game. Which was quite fun as a game, but not really the place for it.

[Warbodog]

I remember Bob saying something like that at the time anyway.

[International Debris]

Season 2 felt like in many episodes basically nothing important happened and then suddenly they cliffhanger-bait you right at the end with a missile hitting Jack’s plane or something so you HAVE to tune in to the next one to see what happens.

This became the go-to format of so many shows trying to recapture the popularity of Lost and 24. Invasion and FlashForward were probably the worst, the latter in particular would have episode after episode of absolutely nothing followed by a huge cliffhanger. 

[Unrumble]

Season 2 felt like in many episodes basically nothing important happened and then suddenly they cliffhanger-bait you right at the end with a missile hitting Jack’s plane or something so you HAVE to tune in to the next one to see what happens.
This became the go-to format of so many shows trying to recapture the popularity of Lost and 24. Invasion and FlashForward were probably the worst, the latter in particular would have episode after episode of absolutely nothing followed by a huge cliffhanger. 

Wow, I remember FlashForward. It had promise, but the cliffhanger wasn’t enough to save it, and I wasn’t surprised it was cancelled.

[Dave]

Yeah, Flashforward was massively hyped and had a decent premise but ended up very poor and nothingy.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Yeah, Flashforward was massively hyped and had a decent premise but ended up very poor and nothingy.

Flash forward is an excellent book with a TERRIBLE TV series 

The book isn’t about a couple of cops trying to figure what happened, from memory they were chasing down “who” caused it. Completely changed the vibe of the story as that’s not the book at all.  It’s actually heavily science based and much more focused on the immediate aftermath and the human, philosophical and spiritual response to it  
The Flashforward in the book is something like 24 years and last a few minutes, not 6months
I understand bringing it forward as it needed the characters to catch up the mystery in a fairly quick amount of time, but it does dramatically change people’s response to it. 
I would very highly recommend the relatively short book to anyone vaguely interested. I clearly need to re-read it as it’s been probably close to 15 years. 

[Podey]

This in another thread reminds me that I never understood this as a kid. Given the shape, I thought it was supposed to go over his testes and penis for an unknown-to-me purpose.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

This in another thread reminds me that I never understood this as a kid. Given the shape, I thought it was supposed to go over his testes and penis for an unknown-to-me purpose.

Apply the cream to the penis end and have someone roger you. That’s how it works. 

[Warbodog]

It seems that “one-size-fits-all” glove would risk being loose for people with smaller fingers and those with a middle finger missing, like James “Scotty” Doohan, who’d have to shift over.

[Warbodog]

Or does it “fit” all arseholes and that was the joke I didn’t get.

[Dave]

It adds a whole nother dimension to those Lottery ads.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

like James “Scotty” Doohan, who’d have to shift over.

And Walter Jones, the original black Power Rangers

[Ben Saunders]

Or does it “fit” all arseholes and that was the joke I didn’t get.

Absolutely, surely?

[Rushy]

I thought it was a joke about the overall cheapness of the JMC and its products

[Technopeasant]

And Walter Jones, the original black Power Rangers

I doubt he lost his on D-Day though, which you must admit is probally the best way to lose an appendage.

[Podey]

I thought it was a joke about the overall cheapness of the JMC and its products

Now, I think the joke is simply that it’s designed to fit the only finger you’re going to use (as opposed to it being that it’s one-size-fits all) but it’s possible I’m wrong twice,

[Moonlight]

Why was Hollister unable to acquire the anus soothe pile cream himself?

Like, was the location of the anus soothe pile cream in the crew’s confidential documents? Why does Rimmer know the location of the anus soothe pile cream?

Questions need answers.

[Technopeasant]

He also got access to our Holly, so maybe he happened to find a cache at some point.

[International Debris]

Holly had been keeping it hidden from Hollister for a laugh. 

[International Debris]

Is Rimmer suggesting Lister goes on a date with him or… something…?

[Technopeasant]

Well go on and write the fan fic, you know you want to…

[Warbodog]

Is Rimmer suggesting Lister goes on a date with him or… something…?

I think so, I think it’s his crazed fight-or-flight response now his brilliant plan has been foiled and not really thinking through what he’s saying. He’d already rejected Lister as Kochanski and had maybe planned to just pretend to be her for the rest of Lister’s life and continue bossing him around, but now he’s considering other possibilities in the moment. Anything to prevent Lister outranking him.

[Podey]

Why was Hollister unable to acquire the anus soothe pile cream himself?

Like, was the location of the anus soothe pile cream in the crew’s confidential documents? Why does Rimmer know the location of the anus soothe pile cream?
Questions need answers.

I presumed he’d gotten it from the crashed Starbug (possibly with use of the luck virus) and was using it to his advantage. 

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

The luck virus is a good shout

[Warbodog]

The luck virus is a magic wand, so you can always go to that when it’s around.

[Dave]

He also got access to our Holly, so maybe he happened to find a cache at some point.

[Ian Symes]

like James “Scotty” Doohan, who’d have to shift over.

And Walter Jones, the original black Power Rangers

And Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, whose loss of several digits in an industrial accident led to the creation of heavy metal.

[Podey]

The luck virus is a good shout

I also meant that he was lying about having found it in storage. 

[Moonlight]

The luck virus is a good shout

Series VIII is so on the nose about everything it does I refuse to theorize about what might have happened offscreen that might explain something.

[Dave]

Series VIII is an unreality bubble.

[Moonlight]

Series VIII takes place after the second big bang, whereas I-VII take place in the current universe. Dave era is all back in the primary universe except Timewave, which is actually playing on Rimmer’s dream recorder.

[Dave]

The Promised Land takes place in the Backwards universe which is why Bobby looks more knackered at the beginning than he does at the end.

[Moonlight]

The Coronation Street scenes in Back to Earth take place 9 years in the future, which is why Rimmer’s hair is visibly greyer in that specific section.

[Technopeasant]

I presumed he’d gotten it from the crashed Starbug (possibly with use of the luck virus) and was using it to his advantage. 

[Moonlight]

[Technopeasant]

Why would something you put on your butt need flavoring?

[Moonlight]

I was thinking as in menthol cooling but I prefer your sex pervert interpretation. It’s very fitting for Series VIII.

[Ian Symes]

As anyone who’s used Original Source shower gel will tell you, menthol is the last thing you want near any of your bodily orifices.

[Ben Saunders]

As anyone who’s used Original Source shower gel will tell you, menthol is the last thing you want near any of your bodily orifices.

[Author]

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