The new series continues in a positive way, with several
throwbacks to the classic years. I have come to expect by this stage in the
proceedings that every episode will have its highs and lows, but it is the
presence of those highs that guarantees my continued viewership.
The episode begins with Lister starting a fire in the
cockpit, after spilling the sauce from his kebab over the monitor. The attempt
to put out the fire with a can of lager was a nice reminder of the scene from D.N.A. when Lister destroys the curry
monster. Rimmer and Lister then rekindle their old dynamic, in a sequence which
is very much akin to the opening scene in the very first episode. The exchange
concerning the fact that Rimmer was responsible for the death of the crew was
very well written and well acted – and did a very good job of demonstrating the
pointlessness of Rimmer’s bureaucratic management.
There have been a few character inconsistencies in this
series so far, but this episode did a very good job of reminding the audience
that the writers and actors haven’t lost track of who these characters are.
It was also nice to see more involvement for Kryten and Cat
in the form of their own plot-thread. I’m glad that this series has put Rimmer
and Lister front and centre in terms of focus, but at times the other two
Dwarfers have been somewhat underused. Happily they get plenty of attention
here, and their synchronised dialogue sequences are very well delivered. I also
enjoyed the terrified expression on Cat’s face when he realised what book he
was holding. The line about space-weevil’s having an I.Q of 2, and thereby
being able to outsmart Cat was also funny.
We were then introduced to the episode’s main storyline,
with Lister losing Starbug and Rimmer in a game of cards to an unusual species
called BEGGs. This lead to a scene very similar to the trade off scene in
series VI, where Lister ends up marrying a GELF in exchange for a vital part of
the ship. As much as I love the sixth series, I didn’t enjoy this scene all
that much, so it came as a pleasant surprise when the supposed high-stakes
poker game finale was snuffed out as suddenly as it was presented. Kryten’s
inability to translate ‘choking to death’ as a language was another fun line.
Kryten and Cat’s power of synchronicity is used several
times as a deus-ex-machina, first to lead the crew to the space station where
they find the inventor of the groinal exploder – which Lister is shackled to –
and then to assist in the deactivation of said device. Along the way the crew pick
up Dr Irene Edgington – the aforementioned inventor – initially in the form of
a chimpanzee. They are able to restore her to her original form in a slightly
pervy scene, which would fail if it weren’t for the quality of the performances
from Chris Barrie and Danny John-Jules.
The numerous plot threads all unite in a pretty well thought
out pay off, as Irene strikes up a strong connection with Rimmer, and the two
are discussing having sex, when she accidentally trips over a box of Rimmer’s
health and safety forms and falls into an airlock. Kryten and Cat had previously
deduced that her name Irene E could be construed as Irony, and her demise is
certainly an ironic one. The episode then concludes with an excellently
downplayed one-liner from Lister.
A lot is packed into this episode, and at times it seems a
bit messy, but it becomes clear during the final scene that the episode was
actually rather well thought out. I enjoyed a lot of the call-backs to the
earlier series, and it seems as though the series is leading to some sort of
pay-off to the Lister/Kochanski storyline, as Kochanski has been frequently
mentioned throughout the series. Only two more episodes to go!
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