Customer Reviews

Red Dwarf VI - Byte Two: Polymorph II - Emohawk [VHS]

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

 

 

Polymorph II, the first episode featured here, is the only reason I rate this tape four stars. The first half of the episode is hilarious. Lister must marry a GELF, a really hideous hairy beast, in order to obtain a necessary piece of machinery for Starbug. The introduction into GELF culture is an important moment in Red Dwarf history, as the creatures subsequently return in many other episodes.

The second half of Polymorph is really disappointing. It's as if the writers ran out of steam halfway through the script and had to resort to the inexplicable return of several beloved characters (alter-egos of Rimmer and the Cat) in order to finish the show. Ace Rimmer and Duane Dibbly were wonderful when they were featured in the 4th and 5th series. Here, they are used as a cheap ploy to gratify the audience.

The next episode features a timeless Red Dwarf joke (the insipid nature of Rimmer's personality) in a brand new idea. Rimmer must survive 600 years on an adandoned world. His solution - to clone himself for company. The result is really funny.

Out of Time ends the sixth season as well as sets up the beginning of the seventh in a To be Continued cliffhanger. The crew encounter future versions of themselves, and they don't really care for one another. Very noteworthy as Rimmer displays heroics.

The sixth season is very apt at continuing the fine viewing tradition of Red Dwarf. I would not recommend watching this tape as an introduction to the series, but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in and even slightly familiar with Red Dwarf.

Here's the second half of Red Dwarf VI. Not quite as good as the first half but still rather entertaining.

Polymorph 11 - Emohawk
This episode does admittedly have a few hit and miss gags, a plot which ressurrects characters for the sake of pant-wetting fan reaction, but is still ultimately entertaining. The Gelfs are a wonderful creation and the whole 'Lister marriage' thing is very funny. OK, so it is a recycled script (Polymorph)and very contrived in its bringing back of Duane Dibbley etc, but this is not a bad episode. One of the weakest of the series but has enough plus points to make it watchable. 2.5/4

Rimmerworld -
Another recycled script (Terrorform) and quite average when you compare it to classics like Gunmen Of The Apocalypse. It is, though, still funny and entertaining. Would have been better if we had saw more of Rimmerworld itself. This could have opened up a whole variety of opportunities, but as it is the chance is wasted. It just takes too long to get to the damn planet. However, still funny and watchable (As Red Dwarf NEARLY always is)3/4

Out Of Time -
This episode is obviously a budget saver, having only the four regulars in it. However this is no bad thing. It is very funny and has a wealth of fantastic moments (unreality bubbles etc). The best part of this episode, obviously is the cliffhanger. Fantastic television. Powerful drama (shock!)and comedy mixed. A great, great episode. What will happen to our heroes? 3.5/4

I think a lot of the problems that people have with series 6 of Red Dwarf is that there tended to be a lot of running jokes, and it took on a much more soap-opera like format in which each episode led into the next. If you are looking for a definitive Red Dwarf tape, therefore, this is not it. It is still very funny, though, with lots of very funny gags.
"Polymorph II - Emohawk" - Not the strongest of episodes (I am not a fan of the Gelfs). Decent storyline, and some funny gags ("New plan.....Leg it!!!!!), but doesn't compare favorably to the other 2 episodes on this tape.
"Rimmerworld" - I always love the Rimmer-oriented episodes, and this episode is definitely one of them. The ever-cowardly Rimmer abandons the rest of the crew on a derelict and ends up going through a worm hole. He has to spend 600 years all alone on a planet on the other side of the wormhole while the Starbug catches up to him. He ends up making an entire planet full of clones with equipment from his escape pod. He ends up spending most of his 600 years in a dungeon.
"Out of Time" - this series 6 cliffhanger has the Dwarfers meeting up with their own despicable selves from 15 years in the future. They don't like what they see, so they allow themselves to be blown to smithereens......

This is one of the funniest collections in the Red Dwarf canon, however, if you have never experienced Red Dwarf before I would recommend that you start with an earlier tape to break you in. Series 6 has a lot of running jokes and you could easily get lost and lose interest. And we dont want that. Although Im sure this series will have you in stitches because of its hilarious material I do believe experiencing earlier episodes first will lead to greater enjoyment.
The first episode is "Polymorph II  Emohawk"  Fairly good, plus we get to experience Ace Rimmer and Dwayne Dibbly once more and who would want that. The other great thing about this episode is Listers marriage to a gelf (very amusing, Ahhaaakhhakahhaa).
The second episode is "Rimmerworld"  One of my absolute all-time favorites because as usual Rimmer has to suffer. Rimmer finds that he is extremely stressed out and will die (again, as a hologram?) if he doesnt take it easy. What better cure for stress than more stress. Guaranteed to make you laugh and be completely grossed-out at the sight of a female Rimmer.
The final episode  "Out of Time"  Ive never very much cared for. This is simply because it was such a cliff-hanger when it was first released. But now with the release of series 7 Ive made peace with those demons. Hope you enjoy. There are still a lot of very funny gags and series 7 is set-up with a nice change.