Customer Reviews

Red Dwarf V - Byte Two: Quarantine [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There is only one reason why any Red Dwarf fan must have this video...Mr. Flibble. Chris Barrie's brilliant manipulation of a stuffed penguin hand puppet is the essence of pure comedy. Quarantine, the first episode featured on this tape, is screamingly funny.

The Inquisitor is the second episode featured on Series 5 Part 2. It's never been one of my personal favorites, it's grittier than other Dwarf episodes, but it has a fantastic premise in which the Dwarfers must justify their existence in order to survive. No easy task for these space bums!

The last episode on this tape, Terrorform, is the reason I had to rate this tape four stars. I love the psychological implications of a world created by one's subconscious, but I find the story line here to be rather weak. There's only so many "Rimmer is worthless" jokes that can be repeated in a single episode before it just feels repetitious.

If you are not familiar with Red Dwarf, I highly recommend checking out this series from the starting point (aptly titled "The End"). This is a wonderful British Sci-fi comedy series.

I'm not sure why others hated this particular vid, but I've loved Red Dwarf from Series 1 on. I think there are low points and higher points, but this particular video is solid. The best episode on this tape is Quarantine, where Rimmer has some of his best lines ever. Rimmer contracts a holo-virus in the episode and he goes bonkers. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. And the idea of the luck virus is brilliant! Rimmer is quite interesting and smart in this episode.

The other episodes are good, too. Terrorform has an amusing basis, and while I like Rimmer, too, the episode really fits his character. The Inquisitor isn't as strong an episode, but there are still hilarious moments you won't find in American humor.

The second half of the Red Dwarf V has these stories, done out of order. In Quarantine, Episode 3, we see Rimmer's vindictive side, which begins after he sees Kryten taking more charge over things, and feels shunted aside. In the course of answering a distress call from Dr. Hildegard Landstrom, a virology expert who, like Rimmer is a hologram, Rimmer heads back for Red Dwarf to gain command on the Space Corps Directives Kryten keeps quoting while the others discover the evidence of Dr. Lanstrom's theory of positive strains of virus, such as inspiration, charisma, sexual magnetism, and felicitus populi, aka "lady luck in liquid form." I sure could use an overdose quantity of all four. However, per Space Corps Directives and Rimmer's petty vengeance, the crew are directed to the quarantine, where they will spend twelve weeks with the barest of necessities and entertainment. Reason: Lanstrom had contacted a holo-virus that Rimmer doesn't want to risk catching. However, Rimmer's pettiness turns to downright insanity. Great line by the Cat to Kryten: "I'm going to unscrew your neck bolts and microwave your head!" A good, but not great episode because Rimmer's nasty side goes over the edge.

The Inquisitor, Episode 2: Imagine a self-repairing simulant (android) who survives to the end of eternity and concludes there is no God or afterlife and concludes that the purpose of existence is to lead a worthwhile life. To that end, the Inquisitor roams through time. He "erases all those who wasted their lives and replaces with those who never had a chance at life, the unfertilized eggs and sperms who never made it. He prunes away the wastrels, expunges the wretched, and deletes the worthless." The Red Dwarf crew are in deep deep trouble when it's their turn to face the Inquisitor.

This is an unusual episode exploring time and parallel realities. In fact everybody is killed here at one point, with Kryten dying twice(!) Two of the crew are removed from existence, becoming limbo people and actually meet their replacement selves while trying to defeat the Inquisitor. Lister asks, "who is to judge who's worthwhile"? Kryten's answer is that one doesn't have to be a great philanthropist but to seize the gift of life and to make a contribution no matter how small and to lead a life that's not totally egocentric, vain, and self-serving. Great answer, Kryten!

Terrorform, Episode 4: Behold a crashed Starbug, Kryten, right eye dangling from his socket, trapped underneath a landing stanchion. He sends for help. It turns out that Starbug has landed on a Psy-Moon, "an artificial planetoid that turns into an individual's psyche and adapts its terrain to mimic his mental state." In this case, it's modelled after Rimmer's mind, which as the Cat says, makes this a 12 change of underwear trip because here, all his neuroses, his personal demons will be incarnated here.

We learn here that Lister isn't exactly fond of tarantulas as a species. His reaction on feeling one crawling up his leg is a beaut, as seen in excerpts of a dialogue between him and the Cat typed out on keyboard.

Cat: It's got the eye the size of a meatball
Lister: Kill it.
Cat: How?
Lister: I can't think straight. I've got a taranshula with an eye the size of a meatball setting up home in my joy department. Help me.

...

Lister: The lower half of my body has gone numb.
Cat: That's probably for the best.
Lister: It's moving. Oh *#%^**!!!

Great line by Kryten to Lister: "I wouldn't trust you to opena can of sardines that wasn't already open." And the status conditions Kryten is under a la Condition Red constantly changes from mauve, taupe, marigold, heliotrope, cerise, and tangerine. I shudder to imagine a Psy-Moon modeled after my psyche, nor would I wish even my worst enemy as interlopers in my mind.

The concepts of the Inquisitor and the underlying philosophy behind it, plus that of the Psy-Moon are very creative. Overall rating: (4+5+5)/3=4.7, rounded up to 5.

Red Dwarf 5- everyone loves it. Indeed there's not a dud episode in this bunch. I prefer there to be a definite first and last episode to a series and a overall pattern. But with all these classics- who's complaining!

Quarantine has always been popular. Not one of my favourites but everyone enjoys a good flibble! The Inquisitor on the other hand is my fav ep of all time. Its dark and thilling scifi, with my favourite characters Listy and Krytes showing their courageous side. This ep was surely an influence on RD7 and Last Human- both of which I love (yes, I like to stray from the flock in terms of favouritism). Terrorform is very under-rated (though Rimmerettes do treasure a certain oiling scene). I love the whole twisted psyche concept- and the spider in the boxers scene was sheer class!

Another stunning ep from this series is Back to Reality- just watch it ok! I would recommend RD5 and RD3 to novices, but if your slightly more adventurous check out RD6 and RD7!

I have seen about 90% of all the Red Dwarf episodes. They are all hillarious! This is one of those shows that you either love or hate, as you can see from the 1 or 5 star ratings. Just give the show a chance! Just my opinion here, but Quarintine is one of my FAVORITE episodes ever!

I highly recommend any and all 'Red Dwarf' episodes, so I just chose this one at random to put in my 2 cents -- Ibelieve I'm the only female I know who is a RED DWARF fan, but I can't understand that! Men, get your women to watch, thier missing out (I had to be forced at first, but not for long!) It is the funniest comedy I've seen in years (besides "THE TICK" cartoon). Thank God for the BBC and Amazon for making thier irresistable humor more available to the general masses!! Buy this tape, heck, if you don't have them, buy them all if you want lighthearted goodfun humor unlike anything else (American anyway!) You wont be disappointed! You'll see entertainment at its commedic finest!

a great video, keeping up the standard set by all other red dwarf releases. quarantine is hilarious and the inquisitor is one of the smartest episodes every made for the series. after the somewhat weak 4th season, season five is a breath of fresh air. by the way my wife loves red dwarf.

Besides Red Dwarf V Byte One (Back to Reality)this is a Grade A addition to any collection. The stories are well written. The sets are enjoyably cheesy and the acting is great. In conclusion Red Dwarf, this video in particular, is hilarious and highly recommended.

Excellent, hilariously-funny sci-fi comedy. What makes Red Dwarf so good is that despite being comedy it has thought-provoking, well-written plots which could easily be serious sci-fi and which add to the appeal of it all.

If there's one episode of "Red Dwarf" that I would have to rank as the best of all time, it would have to be the first one on this tape, "Quarantine". Chris Barrie (Rimmer) at his best, tons of great interaction between the Cat, Lister, and Kryten, with rolling in the aisles dark humor and creep-factor. The most quoted RD show with my friends!

"The Inquisitor" is the weakest of the three shows, IMO, coming back to "Terrorform", which has the best 5 minutes in all Red Dwarf at the beginning, with a slight letdown of the plot itself. Unless you're into seeing Chris Barrie naked and oiled. :)