Customer Reviews

RED DWARF, Series III, Byte Two ~ 1989 Remastered Programs (Bodyswap / Timeslides / The Last Day) [VHS]

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I love Red Dwarf, if just for introducing me to new colorful words like 'smeg' and 'git'. There's not much else to say that someone else hasn't already said...it's funny, it's witty, it's clever. Some of the 'British' jokes (such as ones about the government or local geography) are lost on me, but it in no way detracts from it.

"Three men were brought back to life tomorrow as two masked men sucked the bullets from their corpses, then went up to the bank clerks desk and demanded that three million pounds be placed in the bank."

Just one of the many surreal 'backwards world' events in this sublime masterpiece of British comedy. The bit were they do a bar fight backwards is classic, "It's not a bar-room brawl, it's a bar-room tidy! Unrumble!"

Do not miss!

It will keep you laughing till you cry! Chris Barrie is a comical genius underappreciated in the eyes of the American public!

More creative stories and interesting concepts abound in the second part of one of Red Dwarf's best seasons.

"Bodyswap" involves Lister having to undergo the title operation in order to impersonate Carole Brown, Red Dwarf's executive officer, who has clearance to override the auto-destruct system. that was caused by a malfunctioning Skutter (service robot) that rewires the entire ship into a booby trap, and which is triggered when Lister orders a milk shake and a Krispy bar. The Cat then says "Lucky you didn't order a double cheeseburger." The success of the operation leads to Rimmer borrowing Lister's body in order to make it trim, but as an excuse to give Rimmer the experience of having an actual physical body after 3,000,000 years. After all, because Lister doesn't exercise, smokes and drinks, he has "more gut than a Turkish butcher shop's window." However, Rimmer says, "I can touch, I can taste, I can smell!" So guess what happens? The mashed potato scene is great, but a pint of cream and a pound of butter? Yuck!

"Timeslides" is one of my favourites. Lister is depressed because he is sick of being stuck in space and blames his own entry into the Space Corps for the twist of fate that has him unable to get a job, meet new people, have a family, etc. As Rimmer says, well, some people get lucky, they get a break. That just might come when Kryten develops photos in some mutated developing fluid. Results, the photos come to life and people can go inside them, but only within the confines of the photo. And I know this is just a comedy, but re one slide, Adolf Hitler, Fascist Dictator Monthly's Mr. October, the footage was taken from Triumph Of The Will (1934), while he didn't invade Czechoslovakia until 1939, and Stauffenberg's attempt on him was ten years later. Lister decides to meet his younger self and give him an idea to make him rich. But what about determinism and causality? As Holly says, there's nothing small about changing history. As for me, yeah, I'd want to change something about myself, and it ain't small. BTW, the hard rock Kryten is listening to was composed by Craig Charles (Lister). And the part of Dave Lister aged 17 is played by Emile Charles, Craig's brother! And the other two guys in the young Lister's band are members of the thrash metal group Napalm Death. Love Kryten's definition of a pub: "A meeting place where people attempt to achieve advanced states of mental incompetence by repeated consumption of fermented vegetable drinks."

"The Last Day" refers to Kryten's. After a message from Diva Droid International saying that Kryten is to shut himself down, Lister sets about giving him a final party. There's an interesting idea of android manufacturers inventing a Silicon Heaven (an electronic afterlife) and even an Electronic Bible for robots ("the iron shall lie down with the lamp"), so that they wouldn't mind getting the short end of the stick for serving humans. Kryten is fastidious in his beliefs, even if it is sham, yet tells Lister that there is no human heaven. "Someone just made that up to keep you all from going nuts." You tell'em, Kryten! Rimmer though says "everyone's entitled to their belief", no matter how crazy. And Kryten's definition of fun: "The employment of time in a profitless and non-practical way." I'm all for that anytime. We also learn in this episode that Lister was abandoned at six weeks old in a cardboard box, an idea that's developed in the 7th season RD story "Ouroborous."

Season 3 ends gloriously with some of the greatest stories and ideas.