Customer Reviews

Red Dwarf - Series 2, Byte 2: Stasis Leak [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my favorite Red Dwarf video. Although the second season is not as stylish as the episodes that follow and more importantly, Kryten had not yet arrived to balance out the crew, the three episodes on this tape are simply wonderful.

Stasis Leak deals with Lister's unrequited love and the Cat's inability to grasp the existence of a glitch in the space-time continuum. Dead Rimmer must try and convince a living version of himself to prepare for his impending demise. This episode flawlessly pokes fun at many of the common recurring themes in sci-fi literature.

Queeg focuses mainly on Holly the computer. Holly (still played by Norman Lovett) must battle a sleeker, smarter computer for control of Red Dwarf. The Dwarfers do not like the changes set forth by Queeg and Rimmer goes jogging while unconscious. In the early days of Red Dwarf Rimmer had much less control of his holographic body. The fact that Chris Barrie is an artist of physical comedy greatly increases the enjoyment of this story line.

Parallel Universe is my personal favorite of all 52 episodes. It begins with a musical number as the Cat performs "Tongue Tied", using Rimmer and Lister as back-up. This episode is wild; the crew travels to the fifth dimension and encounters female versions of themselves. Talk about getting in touch with one's feminine side!

I would highly recommend this tape to anyone, even the poor souls among us who have not experienced Red Dwarf yet. I feel my vocabulary is inadequate to properly express the sheer genius that is Red Dwarf.

Red Dwarf continued its evolution with these final 3 episodes of the 2nd series.
"Stasis Leak" - One of the best episodes. The crew finds a way to go back to Red Dwarf before the accident, and Rimmer decides to try to save himself from his untimely death. It doesn't work.
"Queeg" - The crew votes to relieve Holly of his duties and the much more strict Queeg 500 takes over and begins a reign of terror. Chris Barrie does an excellent job of running while asleep.
"Parallel Universe" - Holly invents the Holly Hop Drive (a box with a start button pasted on), and sends the crew to an alternate universe where everything is the opposite, with female versions of Rimmer, Lister and Holly, and a Dog instead of a Cat. The female Rimmer is hilarious.

This is a great place to start if you wish to find more out about this phenomenon known as Red Dwarf, however, if you have a DVD player I would spring for the set on DVD of which you can now find series I and II. If you still don't have a DVD player and are looking for a good excuse the Red Dwarf series on DVD is it.
The first episode "Stasis Leak" - is one of the more confusing and hilarious combinations of time travel and quick British explanations (which adds to any comedy). You almost feel bad for Rimmer in the end - but not really.
The second installment is "Queeg" - one of my favorite where Holly gets the last laugh.
The final episode in series 2 is "Parallel Universe" guaranteed to split your sides as Lister finds himself in a bad situation.

In Series 2, Red Dwarf really took off as a top sci-fi series with comedy element. "Stasis Leak" was the first episode I ever saw, and from that moment on I was hooked on the stories with their clever plotlines, strong characters and interesting concepts. "Stasis Leak" involves fluid which can block out time, the surviving crew of the ship finding a doorway into the Red Dwarf of three million years ago, before the accident. Lister wonders whether he could persuade his loved one to go into cryogenic freezing, therefore surviving the disaster, but Rimmer has similar plans for himself. "Queeg" involves the previously overlooked Red Dwarf back-up computer which takes over from the senile Holly but soon proves himself to be a total task-master. "Parallel Universe" opens with a marvellously surreal song-and-dance routine and soon has the crew finding an alternative reality containing female versions of themselves (well, some of them do. Cat is in for a disappointment). Three first-class episodes of a first-class series.

I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because it's not DVD. However, if you're a Red Dwarf fan you need to add it to your collection.

I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because it's not DVD. If you're a Red Dwarf fan, you need to add it to your collection.

I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because it's not DVD. However, if you are a Red Dwarf fan, this is a must buy.

I gave it a 4 instead of 5 because it's not DVD. However, if you are a Red Dwarf fan, this is a must buy.