Refresh For The Memory: Series XI Byte 2

[Jonathan Capps]

You asked for it. Ahead of the extremely imminent 35th anniversary poll, the G&T community is embarking on a big old rewatch, tackling half a series (or one feature length special) per week. This is your designated thread to make notes, share observations and start pondering your rankings.

This week, we’re watching OFFICER RIMMER, KRYSIS and CAN OF WORMS. Have at it!

Previous threads:

Series 1 Byte 1
Series 1 Byte 2
Series 2 Byte 1
Series 2 Byte 2
Series III Byte 1
Series III Byte 2
Series IV Byte 1
Series IV Byte 2
Series V Byte 1
Series V Byte 2
Series VI Byte 1
Series VI Byte 2
Series VII Byte 1
Series VII Byte 2
Series VIII Byte 1
Series VIII Byte 2
Back To Earth
Series X Byte 1
Series X Byte 2

Series XI Byte 1

Topic

[Formica]

Alright, am I being messed with or are people really not spotting it?

[Unrumble]

Eventually. Though I didn’t know what it meant.

From googling, I’m guessing it’s more likely “new/higher level then previously on. Commonly used in forums and online gaming”, than a reference to Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal celebration… 

[Formica]

Yes, I know that it’s the Search for an Intelligent Universe. I’m more indicating that you should watch what the text does in the GIF.

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

Oh, oh yeah. Didn’t spot that before. Thanks.

[Rushy]

Officer Rimmer: The episode that I put on if I just want 25 minutes of Rimmer being an absolute smeghead. I think it’s easily Doug’s best Rimmer episode, because it relies purely on the comedic potential of Rimmer’s existence, rather than its pathos. It also means Barrie has a real excuse to cut loose and his exaggerated portrayal makes more sense than it does in other Dave era episodes. There’s many wonderful gags. My favourite is Rimmer throwing champagne in his clone’s face as the elevator door shuts. Beautiful. 

Krysis: A tight script where everything ties together at the end. A focus on one of the crewmembers. Audience laughter leading into the credits. A single guest star on a downed ship. So is this 1989 or what? Krysis caught me offguard, because it genuinely feels like a script written in the show’s older days, lacking the idiosyncratic traits of the Dave era. It’s slower, less frenetic, lacking in filler and even dips its toes into being about something truly meaningful. It feels like home. 

I will admit that this is not an ideal Kryten story. Pondering over the meaning of all existence is a little too broad to be a Kryten-specific issue, and the answer he arrives to is peculiarly sentimental for a show that once talked about a “godless, meaningless universe”. But a mid-life crisis is at least a relatable problem for him to overcome, handled in an inventive and original way through the spectacularly flamboyant plot device of having him literally speak with the Universe. Completely bonkers, but also delightfully ambitious for a show this old. And I absolutely loved how they handled the Universe, making him both dignified yet somewhat fallible at the same time. 

Can of Worms: no thanks

[tombow]

Anyone else think Krysis and Mechocracy would also be good names for Siliconia, and thus always confuse them all?

[Warbodog]

When the XII titles were leaked, there was definitely uncertainty about which One was The One Where Everyone’s Kryten.

[Flap Jack]

No because Krysis is the one where Kryten has a mid-life crisis and Siliconia is the one that has Siliconia in it. Maybe I’m just built different.

[Dave]

I don’t confuse Krysis but I do sometimes think Siliconia is called Mechocracy. 

[Nick R]

Officer Rimmer: The episode that I put on if I just want 25 minutes of Rimmer being an absolute smeghead. I think it’s easily Doug’s best Rimmer episode, because it relies purely on the comedic potential of Rimmer’s existence, rather than its pathos. It also means Barrie has a real excuse to cut loose and his exaggerated portrayal makes more sense than it does in other Dave era episodes. There’s many wonderful gags. My favourite is Rimmer throwing champagne in his clone’s face as the elevator door shuts. Beautiful. 

Yeah but don’t you find it annoying how it suddenly just sto

[Rushy]

Yeah but don’t you find it annoying how it suddenly just sto

Better than outstaying its welcome

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Officer Rimmer: The episode that I put on if I just want 25 minutes of Rimmer being an absolute smeghead. I think it’s easily Doug’s best Rimmer episode, because it relies purely on the comedic potential of Rimmer’s existence, rather than its pathos. It also means Barrie has a real excuse to cut loose and his exaggerated portrayal makes more sense than it does in other Dave era episodes. There’s many wonderful gags. My favourite is Rimmer throwing champagne in his clone’s face as the elevator door shuts. Beautiful. 

Yeah but don’t you find it annoying how it suddenly just sto

I don’t. I’ve never really subscribed to the “sudden ending” claim for Officer Rimmer or other episodes 

The story is over and the heroes have won. They fire on the Rimmer monster and that’s it. Ok we don’t see it die, but it’s good enough for me.

Red Dwarf is littered with episodes that don’t resolve explicitly, just when the part of their story that we are watching has concluded. 

Unless there was a gag cut from the end of Officer Rimmer that we knew about that would have been a great inclusion (say the final gag of DNA for example) then we’re not missing anything.

I’m way more annoyed by how the credits music is cut short by a bar for apparently no reason. Happens a few times and drives me nuts. 

[tombow]

I thought there could be a final line where Lister says “so, still wanna be an officer man?” and a relieved Rimmer just chuckles happily – “hand me my brush. I’ve got nozzles to clean.” Continuing the Dungo plot of him finding peace with his lot

It’s like one of those 70s martial arts films which say “the end” as soon as the bad guy falls on the spikes

[Rushy]

I thought there could be a final line where Lister says “so, still wanna be an officer man?” and a relieved Rimmer just chuckles happily – “hand me my brush. I’ve got nozzles to clean.” Continuing the Dungo plot of him finding peace with his lot

He never wanted to stop being an officer. They had to blackmail him to resign

[tombow]

Yeah but he would in that final line

[Rushy]

A world where Rimmer is no longer going up the ziggurat lickety-split doesn’t bear thinking about…

[Dave]

Rimmer just chuckles happily – “hand me my brush. I’ve got nozzles to clean.”

[Flap Jack]

I am now thinking about ways you could update the endings to episodes so that they had the stereotypical cheesy/ironic sitcom send off.

[Warbodog]

[Moonlight]

When I first watched Officer Rimmer I thought the list they told it to make was setting up a plan where they’d trick it into completing its list and then it would collapse into paper, as set up earlier in the episode.

I fucking love Officer Rimmer but it slightly falls apart in the last 5 minutes or so.

[International Debris]

The problem the ending has is that it feels unfinished in two ways, which sometimes makes it hard to discuss. Like, narratively, it’s unsatisfying, the whole thing ending with just ‘they shoot the monster’. But also the way it’s edited, so that it feels like it’s midway through a shot, is so fucking weird. 

[Technopeasant]

First time I’ve heard The Two Doctors described as a cheesy sitcom.

[Flap Jack]

First time I’ve heard The Two Doctors described as a cheesy sitcom.

That’s My Two Doctors. The Two Doctors is a sketch show.

[Ian Symes]

It’s “no stop, you’re making me giddy” from me…

…and it’s “carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice” from him.

[Moonlight]

The problem the ending has is that it feels unfinished in two ways, which sometimes makes it hard to discuss. Like, narratively, it’s unsatisfying, the whole thing ending with just ‘they shoot the monster’. But also the way it’s edited, so that it feels like it’s midway through a shot, is so fucking weird. 

Also Rimmer not being able to get into a grunts corridor from his side is certainly a choice.

[Author]

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