Refresh For The Memory: Series XII Byte 2

[Ian Symes]

You asked for it. Alongside the current 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 MECHOCRACY, M-CORP and SKIPPER. 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
Series XI Byte 2
Series XII Byte 1

Topic

[Warbodog]

[Unrumble]

Bra. Vo. 

[Dave]

[Warbodog]

[Warbodog]

[Dave]

[Unrumble]

[Dave]

[Moonlight]

I actually did this one in a different thread a while back. I think even with the same image. Also, what the helll, this isn’t Red Dwarf but I’ll never have another excuse to post this.

[Warbodog]

[Unrumble]

[Warbodog]

[Ian Symes]

[si]

He’ll love that. 

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

Okay, here’s one from the vaults, in case I didn’t post it here the first time, just because I like it so much – 

[Dave]

[Warbodog]

[Warbodog]

[Rushy]

Mechocracy: An election is one of those stock ideas that pretty much every long-running sitcom gets around to eventually. It’s got to be one of the top ten oldest forms of satire ever. Airing during the start of the Trump era gives it a little extra (unintentional) zest, but all in all, this isn’t trying to be groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination. I will say that I enjoyed the daring abortion joke (“when does a document become a document?”) and the sheer surrealism of the premise did a good job of harkening back to the show’s earliest years, when it was all about the crew trying desperately to add meaning to their lives by recreating aspects of their culture onboard. Having an election for the machines is completely bonkers, but it’s the sort of thing that a very isolated group of people would get up to if they had nothing better going on. Being more fond of the quieter Red Dwarf episodes set wholly on the ship, this was right up my alley. 

My only serious complaint is the lack of stakes. There are two major events in this episode: the ship evacuation at the start, and the election itself. Both of them are played as if they’re not really a big deal. Rimmer and Lister banter throughout the evac (compare that to the sweaty tension in Bodyswap), even spending time on a skit where Rimmer spitefully promotes and then demotes Lister. It’s an amusing gag, but it completely kills the idea that the ship might get destroyed. As for the election, nothing about Rimmer’s possible takeover seems very threatening. I realise that upping the ante and turning him into a tyrant would just be retreading Officer Rimmer, but the whole election is so lightweight. Even the resolution is off-screen, because we need to spend the screentime on Talkie Toaster.

I love the Toaster probably more than most. But he shows up so late and adds so little that he may as well not be in it. The scene is basically just a rehash of his first scene from White Hole. It’s cute, I’m glad to see him again, but again, it’s so lightweight. That’s the big drawback with the episode. It’s just kinda stuff happening. At least with similarly minimalistic episodes like Dear Dave, you had an emotional core to the whole thing. This is more like Future Echoes.

Production-wise, I am getting very tired of the overuse of blue lighting. I’m guessing that Doug Naylor (as director) thought that it would give the show a sleeker look. And to some extent it does, but it’s becoming unbearable. Everything is lit blue, there’s a blue haze covering every scene. Nobody would ever live in this much blue. Also, much like every other series 11 or 12 episode, there’s zero variety in the incidental music used during the ship beauty shots. Smacks of carelessness in the editing room. Howard composed loads of music cues, just reuse any of them. 

M-Corp: As a villain, M-Corp is one of the show’s best. A spot-on satire of Apple (incidentally, Apple has been compared with Big Brother since the 1980s, very appropriate for Red Dwarf), a timely parody of global conglomerates taking over our lives and monetizing everything. Aniter with her sickly sweet personality is a terrifying avatar for the company, reminiscent of your typical advertiser. It’s a threat straight out of Black Mirror, a warning about how something we recognise and live with can go totally amuck. It should work. The blueprint for a classic episode is absolutely there, especially with Lister being reminded of his loneliness when the rest of the crew disappears. 

The problem is everything around it. There are a shocking amount of plot holes. Like, why is Lister the only one affected? Surely M-Corp would want to sell products to holograms, if not mechanoids? Why does it turn the Cat invisible? The Cat is not owned by anyone (unless M-Corp regards the Cat’s ownership of himself as competition?). 

And speaking of ownership, why does it turn Rimmer invisible? Rimmer is surely owned by JMC, which is now owned by M-Corp. Actually, why does anything on Red Dwarf turn invisible? Most of it is JMC-owned! How did Lister go from being forced to buy things to happily asking for them? Where is the M-Corp facility supposed to be, and who maintains it? Why does Chippy’s old software cause his monitor to explode? It’s called software for a reason. And if it died, how can it install new software?

Chippy – and the entire heart attack plotline – is only in the episode so Doug can reboot Lister’s brain for fan service. It looks like the episode might have been about Lister’s old age for a draft or two, given the way it starts and how M-Corp ages him. The compulsive buying (which comes back into play in The Promised Land) might be a reference to pensioners who do that sort of thing? But whatever theme Doug was going for there is muddled and lost. 

It’s really a shame, because if you ignore that none of it makes a lick of sense, there is so much value there. There’s definitely a Rob Grant influence in the satire, it’s got a bite to it. M-Corp is very effectively creepy and insidious in its advertising. But it’s got so many basic logic issues that I can’t look past it. Maybe I could if the tone was closer to series 8, which operates entirely on cartoon logic. In an episode that’s clearly aiming for a more sober tone, though, no. M-Corp is a swing and a miss. But what a swing.

Skipper: I felt very cynical watching this. ‘Artificial’ was the word that went through my head the whole time. Every line of dialogue the cast say to each other is now so transparently designed to lead to a punchline or plot point. The cast themselves are so self-aware of the audience that they might as well be winking at the camera. 

I mean, I know that what I’ve just said is technically true of the show since its beginning, but I feel like there used to be at least a token attempt at making these characters seem like real people with real emotions, wants and needs. As opposed to puppets. 

All the dialogue in Skipper (both in good scenes and bad) goes something like this: 

CAT: “Woooow, this thing is happening!” 

KRYTEN: (a shot of Robert open-mouthed in shock)

RIMMER: (unnecessarily loud) “DAMN, this thing is happening! And it’s because of YOU!” (jabs finger)

KRYTEN: (a shot of Robert looking indignant)

LISTER: “Guys, this thing is happening, so we’ve gotta fix it!”

KRYTEN: (a shot of Robert nodding along)

Now that I got that out of my system, I’ll try to review the episode proper. 

The first half focuses on the crew dealing with a phenomenon where the opposite of all their choices happens. This is quite funny material when Craig and Danny are onscreen, and incredibly laboured when Robert and Chris are onscreen. 

The second and more interesting half of the episode focuses on Rimmer travelling through the multiverse. Now, while I don’t think that the opposite choices skit should have been left out or stretched, I do feel that having it in this particular episode takes away valuable time from a concept that’s absolutely bursting with potential: Rimmer exploring different Red Dwarf realities. 

I mean, really, the possibilities are infinite here. But maybe it’s better that I was left craving for more? 

1) Basically a revisit to series 1, as an excuse to dress Chris Barrie up in the old JMC uniform and meet our old pals Norman Lovett and Mac MacDonald. It’s cute fan service, but sadly also the weakest outing ever for both of the returning actors, especially Lovett. The decision to have Barrie standing on the side of the screen so that Lovett never looks directly at him was strange. 

2) A universe where the Cat is the Rat. This was a very funny skit, I loved it. It’s certainly the most creative one. 

3) A bunch of briefly seen universes, none of which are interesting save perhaps for the one where the crew are trying to sacrifice Rimmer in some satanic ritual. I could have spent a few more seconds there. Alas, Doug somehow forgot about the machine’s need to recharge between jumps. 

4) Another revisit to series 1 (!), where Lister and Rimmer are back at Earth, Rimmer is a married officer with children and Lister is the ship’s captain. This took me offguard, because it’s the first time the show featured some genuine pathos since… I dunno, Krysis? Series 10? Anyway, it’s been a while.

Something about seeing these two in the old bunkroom and near Earth awoke feelings inside me. It’s like a little tease of a happy ending after all this time, which is then cruelly snatched away by Rimmer’s inability to cope with Lister being his senior. My only regret is that it’s not Lister himself who sees Earth. 

Ace is not even alluded to. I know Doug likes to be loosey-goosey with continuity, but given how much time was spent on Rimmer travelling to explore the multiverse, it does stand out. 

Overall, I can take Skipper as a bit of fluff. There’s some interesting ideas, some really funny scenes. It comes off more as a pantomime celebration of the show than a fully-fledged episode, though. 

[Warbodog]

I feel like there used to be at least a token attempt at making these characters seem like real people with real emotions, wants and needs. As opposed to puppets.

I think this is a bit of a crap fake-sitcom bit from the early years.

[Technopeasant]

Now, while I don’t think that the opposite choices skit should have been left out or stretched, I do feel that having it in this particular episode takes away valuable time from a concept that’s absolutely bursting with potential: Rimmer exploring different Red Dwarf realities. 

I actually feel the exact opposite. The first half of Skipper is way more interesting conceptually, if not only for featuring the while ensemble, then for as you said the point that alternate Rimmers is well trodden ground.

[Dave]

Yeah, I agree. It’s s bit like Emohawk, the first part is a great little original adventure but then it pivots midway through and becomes overwhelmed by nostalgia and callbacks. Still worth it for Mr Rat though.

[Warbodog]

I probably feel the same, as all the Skipping doesn’t do much for me, but is what comes to mind about the episode (for some inexplicable reason).

[Rushy]

The first half of Skipper is way more interesting conceptually

But there’s only so much you can do with “the opposite of what you say happens”. Even if you do a couple of clever gags, there’s no way you won’t catch on pretty quickly. It’s a cool idea, but it can’t span a whole episode

[Technopeasant]

 It’s a cool idea, but it can’t span a whole episode

Quite possibly, the problem is the episode probally should be more intwerwined rather than feeling like two stitched together.

[Author]

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