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Post by angilasman on Mar 11, 2009 12:34:30 GMT -5
A thread for fans of this British sci-fi comedy. I managed to catch as much as I could of this show from the mid-'90s to early 2000s -- what with PBS's erratic scheduling. Now I have five of the 8 seasons on DVD and am eagerly anticipating the new episodes! ...did I mention there are new episodes? The three episode mini-series Red Dwarf: Back to Earth has just finished shooting. SPOILERS Official Red Dwarf site: www.reddwarf.co.uk/news/index.cfmSite for Dave, the cable channel producing this series (check out Cat's hair!) dave.uktv.co.uk/library/red-dwarf/
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 11, 2009 12:45:38 GMT -5
I kept meaning to make a thread for this, but I put it off. Thanks for doing it.
I'm a huge fan. My local PBS station showed random episodes in the late 80's and 90's, and I caught them when I could. But they never showed them in any order, so I was always confused by the cast changes and different continuities. (I.e., Why is Holly a girl now? Why are they on a tiny green ship now? Who's Kochansky, and where's Rimmer? etc...)
I'm also one of those people who got really irritated by what happened in Season 8. To me the heart of the show was always the love/hate between Lister and Rimmer. I was bummed when Rimmer left in Season 7, but the writing stayed really good throughout 7. And even though he came back in 8, having such a different setting really just seemed like it was an entirely different premise to me. The episodes can be still be funny, but they lost what made Red Dwarf something special.
It's probably no surprise, then, that my favorite episode is probably Marooned. It's basically just Lister and Rimmer talking. And as much I love Kryten, that episode to me just encapsulated the heart of the show.
My next favorite has got to be Back to Reality. That's another one where the whole show is basically the four principles playing off one another. And you get Duwayne Dibley. Sweetness.
And here:
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Post by siamesesin on Mar 11, 2009 13:27:56 GMT -5
Many years ago, my roommate and I each got a kitten. She named hers Rimmer. Mine? Ramses Niblick The Third Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops Where's My Thrible? (In case you don't know, Krytie's friend went insane and insisted on being called that. Yes, I am that big of a loon.) I still have Ramses.
I'm startled that you also love "Marooned", Mumms. A lot of my friends who like the show aren't as fond of it as I am. Any time the primary interaction is between Lister and Rimmer the show is perfect for me. I also still adore "Polymorph" and anything with Ace Rimmer. "Back To Reality" is a great episode with a very cool concept-it was really expanded on in one of the books.
Yep, read those too. I am a nerd.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 13, 2009 11:24:31 GMT -5
I want to read the books, but I always forget to track them down.
Have you ever listened to the DVD commentaries? They're actually hilarious. A lot of the interaction is just as funny as the stuff on the show.
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Post by Shep on Mar 13, 2009 22:57:10 GMT -5
An old PBS favorite! Great show. And hey, the gorgeous Jenny Agutter even appeared in one episode.
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Post by siamesesin on Mar 14, 2009 22:32:55 GMT -5
I want to read the books, but I always forget to track them down. Have you ever listened to the DVD commentaries? They're actually hilarious. A lot of the interaction is just as funny as the stuff on the show. The books are worth it, sir. I'm a commentary nerd, so of course I checked those out. They were a lot of fun. I can proudly say that Red Dwarf is the only show I've ever played a drinking game to. It was drinking soda (I was fifteen!), but it was still fun.
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Post by angilasman on Mar 16, 2009 18:39:12 GMT -5
Soooo... anyone excited about the new episodes?!
;D
Only the first one is still in print in the US (it's fantastic!). I bought it about three years ago, and I just got the second in a used book shop a few weeks ago. You can buy used copies of all of them on amazon.com
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Post by angilasman on Mar 24, 2009 15:41:44 GMT -5
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Post by ArtCrow on Mar 24, 2009 20:33:52 GMT -5
Big fan here. I own seasons 1-7. I do prefer the original Holly, Anyone agree? I'm a big fan of the Ace Rimmer episodes, what a guy. Had no idea about the new episodes.
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Post by ash2 on Mar 24, 2009 22:44:15 GMT -5
I agree. Old Holly is the only good Holly.
I own seasons 1-6. I didn't think 7 was funny at all and season 8 was okay, but not nearly as funny as 1-6.
I heard last year they were filming a movie or something I guess that evolved into specials. It is a pleasant surprise that the new material will be airing so soon!
John
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 24, 2009 23:20:26 GMT -5
There were movie rumors from season 6 to the present. They're still going on with people saying that the new episodes were a dry run for a movie. But I'll believe it when, etc.
Holly: Somewhere in the DVD commentaries they mention that they just started running out of ideas for Holly early on. Personally, I liked both, but they obviously gave Hugh (was that his name?) more to say.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Mar 24, 2009 23:46:08 GMT -5
I enjoy all the seasons, even though the final 2 were weak there were huge laughs to be had. Season 7 gets me for the Rimmer song and "Tikka to Ride" (touching and hilarious. Kryten acting out of character without his guilt chip leaves me in stitches) - I actually think season 8 is funnier though.
I also liked Marooned a lot.
The DVDs are some of the best ever released, packed with great extras and easter eggs.
The 2 worlds of comedy and sci-fi often collided, Sci-Fi fans can get so... oh, nit picky (sorry) and it was funny to hear the creators frustration with that (they'd say... it's a comedy, you need to relax about the itty bitty details and continuity. In Dawrf's case I agree. I've been on the boards and I think some purists ruin parts of the show for themselves... but oh well, to each his own. Me I take the "relax and enjoy the ride" rout)
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 24, 2009 23:50:54 GMT -5
I enjoy all the seasons, even though the final 2 were weak there were huge laughs to be had. Season 7 gets me for the Rimmer song and "Tikka to Ride" (touching and hilarious. Kryten acting out of character without his guilt chip leaves me in stitches) - I actually think season 8 is funnier though. I also liked Marooned a lot. The DVDs are some of the best ever released, packed with great extras and easter eggs. The 2 worlds of comedy and sci-fi often collided, Sci-Fi fans can get so... oh, nit picky (sorry) and it was funny to hear the creators frustration with that (they'd say... it's a comedy, you need to relax about the itty bitty details and continuity. In Dawrf's case I agree. I've been on the boards and I think some purists ruin parts of the show for themselves... but oh well, to each his own. Me I take the "relax and enjoy the ride" rout) Exactly. There's one part in the commentaries or the documentaries where Chris Barrie says something to the effect that they were never overly concerned with continuity or with getting the sf aspect right. They'd take a concept and push it just as far as they could before it stopped being funny...as soon as they were a slave to the "idea" of a particular episode, they were lost. As I recall, the example he gave was Backwards where, obviously, all the backwards time things don't really fit together, but that's not the point. The point is that the science fiction aspect lets these characters do outrageous things they couldn't in a normal show. And for season 7, I never "got" it until recently. It really did become a show much more about character studies (and not just character interaction and ensemble funny stuff). Take the one where they're in the air ducts (forget the name), but you have that long conversation between Lister and Kochansky (sp?), something that just wouldn't fit in the other seasons. But somehow there, that moment where the point is to see Lister as vulnerable but still capable of love is the whole point. It doesn't exactly fit the other seasons, but it's really interesting to me that they could turn a gag show into something that could actually hold its own in moments like that.
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Post by angilasman on Mar 25, 2009 18:36:51 GMT -5
There were movie rumors from season 6 to the present. They're still going on with people saying that the new episodes were a dry run for a movie. But I'll believe it when, etc. I believe the plan is for the specials to be a worthwhile finale (since the series ended on a cliffhanger), with an ending open enough so that if the specials are sucessful they can make another season.
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Post by angilasman on Apr 5, 2009 19:12:58 GMT -5
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