Gluben
Saturday 11th April 2009 2:14am
146 posts
Well, I missed the first couple of minutes, which apparently was just a caption saying "Nine years later...". A shame they didn't conclude the cliffhanger of series 8, but then Red Dwarf wasn't always about continuity. After all, series 3 began with that Star Wars scroll, and that worked.
First and foremost, I think it all looks stunning, including the CGI. Even the bits with the squid attacking the crew seemed fine, although it bordered on the sort of knockabout humour from series 7. But the cut to Rimmer listening to Ray Conniff helped make it that much less plastic-y. I think the HD release will make it even better.
The cast all look great too. The worst off, I thought at first, was Rimmer, not just because of his potentially receding hairline, but because of the new hardlight suit he was wearing, which looks like a set of pyjamas my grandad would wear. I much prefer his beefier hardlight costume from series 6 and 7, including the black trousers. The others all looked like they hadn't aged at all. Lister seemed just as Lister-y as ever, as did Cat, and while it was odd to see Kryten in a sombrero and Hawaiian shirt, his revert to form dispelled that image immediately. Sophie Winkleman seems to fit in well - she could make a good semi-recurring character if ever a full series was made.
The "no laughter" thing is a tough one for me. I did enjoy bits of it without the audience laughter, funnily enough, like the aforementioned Rimmer dance, but you could tell that bits of the episode needed it. From what I gather, they didn't use an audience because what with the internet, the entire episode would've been spoiled immediately. Fair enough, although they could've tried it with a "silence" contract, much like they did for the final episode of Seinfeld. It might not be guaranteed to work, but at least it's better than not trying.
Kochanski dead - a good idea, with no offence meant to either Clare Grogan or Chloe Annett, because the character could easily come back as a flashback or hologram or polymorph or something. It helps to re-establish the dream of Lister's to find his long-lost love, and his eternal loneliness as the last human, aside from a hologram, an evolved feline and a mechanoid.
No Holly - again, a difficult decision, one which Norman Lovett dislikes intensely, although Hattie Hayridge has said nothing on the subject. In series 5 and 6, Kryten took on much of Holly's role, so arguably it didn't matter, and in series 8, Holly only cropped up occasionally anyway, so a bit of a waste for the character. However, I can't shake the niggling feeling that if you were going to return to the series after 11 years with a near-full reunion, why not try making it a full one? After all, the Skutters appeared again. In fact, the only "full" reunion was in the Children in Need sketch between series 7 and 8. So a shame, but it didn't destroy the episode by any means.
Nor did the writing. Again, it would be nice to have Rob Grant back, who didn't want "Red Dwarf on his gravestone", hence his leaving after series 6. It's something some fans can pine for, but I'm content to have new Dwarf, and Doug Naylor does a sterling job, both as writer and director.
So mixed feelings, but I'm leaning towards the positive, especially if we get a Red Dwarf IX or X out of it, and if parts 2 and 3 are better than the first one, as this website's review said. One thing I will say about that - I think it would've indeed benefited more from being an hour-long episode (not 90 minutes, unless you're counting advert breaks - each part is about 20 minutes). That way, no one part would suffer at the expense of another. Hopefully, if the BBC are willing, they will show it all in one go on BBC2 at some point.
Anyway, it's back isn't it?
The smeg it is!
).
