Although she gave me permission at the time to use them on the newsgroup Web pages, I've only now, two years later, got round to doing so... Anyway, here they are.
From: [email protected] (LizBeth258) Subject: Red Dwarf Eras (was: Reasons why the early seasons are "better") Date: 29 Jul 1995 18:09:30 -0400 Hey All! This missive turned out _way_ longer than I thought, so it appears that I have to post it into several parts corresponding to the four eras if Red Dwarf.I've been following the "reasons why" thread pretty closely, so I just thought I'd post my own Red Dwarf theory. I agree with Charles Daniels and co. that "Season Six sucked the Big Twinkie" and with most of their reasons, so I won't harass you with a third go-round for my reasons for disliking it. (Is that a sigh of relief I hear out there?!) However, I have run into a number of people who actually prefer the later seasons to the earlier ones, though I will admit that most of them are recent converts to the cause. I have a theory about this. That's because Red Dwarf, the series as a whole, is literally split up into differeint eras. S'true. Each era might as well be completely different show simply because they are so different from one another. I think this will go a long why to explaining why some people completely hate one series but have an unaccountable fondness for another. The theory follows in four posts. Beware, this is from the woman who coined the term "Listerine." Before you start, remember the following important rules for determining Red Dwarf Eras: Rule of differntiating between Red Dwarf Eras: Whenever you see the character of one Arnold J. Rimmer in a completely different uniform from the previous season, expect an entirely different show. Exceptions: There are none so far. Think about it. Please note that the "eras" are in seperate posts. I'll type pointers to this one, don't worry. Praise will be happily accepted and flames cheerfully ignored.... Wonder what y'all will think.... To be continued in "Era I: Seasons One and Two" Liz ;) [email protected]
aka: "Attack of the Khaki Costumes;" or "Look, Ma! No Budget;" or "This show looks so chintzy that we gotta have _great_ writing." Era Seasons: One and Two Rimmer's uniform: For the most part, khaki-like shirt and pants with soft sole sneaker-like shoe, typical Jupiter Mining Corps standard issue. When in hologramatic form, wears tacky JPM tie, when seen as a living body, wears a jumpsuit over the uniform. Takes two unoriginal ideas: "The Odd Couple," complete with Felix (Rimmer, who's anal-rententatively neat) and Oscar (Lister, who's psychotically sloppy) and an unavoidable roommate situation and "Lost in Space" where everyone's hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere and are trying to find Earth, even if it kills them. The combination of the two results in a rather original show. Writing is marked by long-winded, character-driven exchanges that usually tie into the episode at a later point and long-winded, complicated jokes that result in a brief punchline like Lister's "Peterson's Shoes," Holly's "NORWEB Federation" and the ultimate example of the _entire_ episode of "Queeg." There is a minor running storyline of Lister's eventual fathering of twin boys and his eventual return back in time to marry Kristine Kochanski. The "twins mystery" was solved in "Parallel Universe," but the KK mystery has yet to be solved. Is possible to watch the eps out of order since the subplot only shows up occasionally and isn't a terribly strong element. The show also focuses on the comedy aspect of the series so that it is a comedy that _happens_ to be set in an SF universe. By doing this it avoids the pitfalls of many SF parodies (many of which fail), which try and do too much of everything. Clearly sees itself as an "underdog" show, since the scope is small and intimate. It's clear that the creative foces involved are hoping for a moderate success. Lister is a happy-go-lucky slob with a heart of gold who is in total denial about his current situation. He seems to abhor responsibility in the same way that he abhors showers, though he doesn't want to be bossed around either. Rimmer also is denial since he clings to the JPM rule book (of course, JPM probably doesn't exist any more either) and tries to enforce rank on Lister in what is essentially a "rankless" situation. There really is only the two of them on this very large ship. Cat is more "animal- or cat-like" as he independently wanders through the eps serving as a Greek chorus. Tends to have a pet-owner-like relationship with Lister that slowly evolves over time. Holly is there to keep the boyz out of trouble and to spice up their boring confinement. Most of the action takes place on Red Dwarf proper. Focus is on the Lister-Rimmer relationship, which is occasionally violent, extremely uneasy and usually hostile. Occassional forays into the "past" to show "Life before the accident" to fill in some of the blanks, also a brief look at Cat civilization to fill in some of the blanks there. Stress is also on character development, something to which even plots play a secondary feature. Of note: Lister never went out with KK, loving her from afar instead; Space Corps is never mentioned; Rimmer is responsible for the accident that killed the crew; there are only 169 crewmembers on this huge ship and scutters are usually floating around; Holly is "male" and Kryten is introduced as a one-shot character. To be continued in "Era 2: Seasons Three and Four" Liz ;) [email protected]
aka: "We have money for an SFX budget!" or "Help! We're not qualified for deep space living." Era seasons: Three and Four Rimmer's uniform: Green tunic top that goes down to his upper thigh with green t-shirt and matching suspenders underneath. Green matching pants with color coordinated boots that seem to go up to mid-calf. Occasional Captain Scarlet-like hat that makes him look incredibly stupid. Still marked by long-winded exchanges that can get a bit philosophical in nature (though they retain their trademark humor) and do tie in at a later point in the same ep. Long-winded, complicated jokes, however, have disappeared and have become incorporated in the exchanges proper. Writing is still sharp and the focus is still on character development, though now the plots play an integral role. There is no running storyline, so the eps can be viewed in any order without missing anything. Focus changes slightly, though it still remains heavily dependent on comedy. Instead of being a comedy that's _set_ in an SF universe, it's now a comedy that just happens to have SF elements in it. A minor, but important distinction. The era more clearly is a parody of big-budget movies (Aliens is in Polymorph, Cassablanca is written all over Camille), takes shots at SF phenoms (occasional nasty jabs at Star Trek) and makes fun of SF plot convention (timetravel in "Timeslides," alternative universes in "Dimension Jump" and possession in "Bodyswap"). SFX changes gives the series a more handsome look. Creative forces behind the show clearly know they have a cult series on their hands, but seem to be equally aware that the cult is small, albeit dedicated. Reality has hit home with Lister as he realizes that he may well be in a hopeless situation. He sufferes from occasional bouts of depression and isolation and seems willing to try almost anything to change his current situation (except if it involves living in a backwards reality). Rimmer has loosened up to the point where he isn't such a stickler about the rules, especially if they'll work against them or him and has ceased his "rank war" with Lister. Seems to actually be a much nicer/smarter character than he was in first era, despite occasional backslips usually triggered by feeling left out or incompetent (note: Dimension Jump and Meltdown here). Cat has been elevated to "buddy status" for Lister, instead of the pet-master relationship. Though very Cat-like, he certainly can deal with humans as a full equal. Intro of Kryten as a regular character, but his obvious mechanoid shortcomings make him a welcome addition to the mix of people deeply unqualified for deep space life. Holly still serves as the computer with the answers..though his/her increasing computer senelity becomes aparant. Focus remains on the Lister-Rimmer relationship, since those two do the most interacting. Kryten and Cat, as well as Holly, are anciliary characters who add support. Delicate five-way balance is maintained as each character has a "purpose" and a given point of view. Beginnings of teamwork can be seen, though not everyone is working on the same wavelength. Action is split between Red Dwarf and Starbug. Of note: Lister has now had a short-term relationship with KK, which she broke off; Rimmer is no longer responsible for the accident that killed the crew; Space Corps becomes a real entity, but the relationship with JPM is not made clear; there are now 1,169 crew members in the old compliment; Kryten becomes full character; scutters seen only occasionally; Holly becomes "female;" intro of GELFs and Simulants, but the appearances are used very sparingly; introduction of Rimmer's "light bee." To be continued in "Era 3: Season Five" Liz ;) [email protected]
Era season: Five Rimmer's uniform: Same as seasons three and four, only red. Notable exception is "The Inquisitor" where he's wearing the green uniform, but it changes to red after Lister deals with the simulant. I call this "The Twilight Zone" era simply because the eps would play just as well if they were done seriously instead of as a comedy. In fact, if these eps were played straight, they would be right at home in Rod Serling's series. (To prove the point, as a bar bet, I once made up opening and closing monologues for each of the eps in this series.) Just to let you all know, I _love_ "The Twilight Zone," so I rather like this series despite the strong sentiment against it. Long-winded exchanges and complicated jokes disappear completely, with one or two notable exceptions. The humor is now more situation-orientated instead of character driven. Furthermore, the humor is much darker and more gallows-like, since the Boyz are now getting off Red Dwarf more often and checking out surrounding space and thus getting into more trouble. Either a lot more money or time is being spent on the SFX since the sets and effects are very good indeed and usually have a clean high-tech look to them. The comedy and SF is delicately balanced here and usually it works. Red Dwarf now becomes a science fiction comedy, a _very_ sharp departure from the earlier eras where comedy was weighted very much heavier. The fine balance of the series is evident, just as it is abundantly clear that it is very difficult to hold just for the six eps that exist. IMHO, it usually works and most of the clunkers are forgiveable because there is a lot right with what's going on. The creative forces clearly know that they have a large cult hit on their hands as references to earlier episodes start cropping up in this era. The focus is completely taken off the Lister-Rimmer relationship (though it occasionally resurfaces) and is placed on the group relationship as a whole. Lister has become the de facto leader of a very disoranized quartet, though it seems he doesn't really realize that Cat and Kryten will always follow his lead. Rimmer becomes increasingly the outsider and serves as "the character with the alternative point of view" more often than in the past, since it's clear he's often going to be alone in his opinions. He occasionally gets agressive about his place in the posse, especially when it's threatened (like Quarentine) or when it's "my life or theirs" (Demons and Angels). Cat can be a bit dense at times, but still works as a useful part of the team. Though a snazzy dresser, he doesn't seem to be as obsessed with his clothing as he used to be. Kryten does become a bit of a know-it-all, but it isn't constant enough to be annoying. Holly is reduced to being "an atmospheric character" who brings a nice touch, but is not terribly necessary. The action takes place primarily on Starbug. There is no apparant running storyline from the current standpoint, though in the original U.K. broadcast, rumors that Red Dwarf had been cancelled resulted in what seems to be a very weird publicity stunt. Rumors that the series was going to end as a "Total Immersion Video Game," resulted in the phrase "Game Over" showing up distressingly often in the series, including Lister's "Game over, eh? Game over." plea in Demons and Angels and Rimmer's "Mr. Flibble says, 'Game over, boys.'" in Quarentine and the actual phrase showing up on-screen in Back to Reality. (Thanks to Raz for the information on this). However, it is possible to see the entire series out of order, provided Back to Reality is saved for the last spot at all times, not because it would result in plot holes, but because it's more fun to see it that way. Of note: Scutters totally disappear; GELFs and Simulants still appear, but are still used sparingly; the real danger tends to be stuff that Space Corps has left lying around as space liter. To end in "Era 4: Season Six (so far)" Liz ;) [email protected]
aka: "The Blakes' 7 Season;" or "The Lost In Space Season;" or the "Pick-your-own-space- opera-where-people-are-stumbling-through -deep-space for an alternate name for the season Season." also aka: "Let's shoot the costume designers since most of the costumes look _terrible_ on the actors this season." Season era: Six Rimmer's uniform: Basic design is a snug-fitting militaristic number (that is certainly reflected in the actor's near crewcut hairstyle). Jacket is short-waisted, long-sleeved, quilted and constantly fastened shut. A red undershirt (regardless of the uniform color) is clearly seen underneath. Snug-fitting pants. Loose-fitting waist belt and a scanner -like object (whose purpose has yet to be determined) is fastened around right thigh. Boots are heavy and black (again, regardless of uniform color) and go almost up to the knee. Some people have remarked that the basic design looks suspiciously like it's based on the the warriors' uniforms from "Battlestar Galactica." When in "soft-light" mode, the color is red, when in "hard-light" mode, the color is blue. After a long five-season fight for equal time, the science fiction aspect of the series finally wins out as Red Dwarf becomes a science fiction show that just _happens_ to be a comedy, a probably unavoidable development given the direction of the previous eras. The comedy writing is surprisingly weak with exchanges being relegated to a four-way "rat-tat-tat" of one-liners between the characters and heavy recycling of the jokes. Holly's disappearance is felt, though keeping the character might've made a bad situation worse as the writers seem hell-bent on giving all of the characters equal screen time, regardless of what a given charcter can bring to a scene. The apparant "equality" seems not to be an issue in the earlier eras. Overall tone of the series is far more claustrophobic and paranoid as the characters constantly battle outsiders and the threat they pose to the group's safety and have to deal with depressingly deficient supplies. Furthermore, the series plays more as a dramatic series on many levels since there isn't a whole lot of comedy that can be mined out of the given situation. It's clear that the creative forces know that they have a bonafide hit on their hands and that most of those fans are science fiction fans as well (whether or not this is an accurate assumption on their part is a fight for another day.). Note that not only is reference made to earlier episodes, but fan "in-jokes" also show up when Cat in refers to himself as a "Dibbley" in Polymorph II and Rimmer tries to convince Legion to join the boyz since he's got the right stuff to be a "Dwarfer" in Legion. Lister is _clearly_ the leader of the posse, to the point that even _he_ realizes it (he actually gives orders). Rimmer, in fact, will even follow the orders, though he'll complain, try to get Lister removed from command (remember Rimmerworld?) or even hold Lister to earlier convictions/statements (the scene in Polymorph II when Rimmer tells Lister to work for the good of the crew is literally throwing Lister's words back in his face). Talk about a switch! Lister and Rimmer's relationship has completely deteriorated to the point that two new pairings seem to be emerging within the foursome: Lister-Cat the most strongly, since they seem to have more compatible personalities. Kryten-Rimmer plays as a "mirror relationship," in part because they're both electronic lifeforms, Kryten's (usually overly logical viewpoint) and Rimmer's over emotional one and Kryten's constant willingness to please and Rimmer's sulky nature. Though they do work as a team in a crisis, Rimmer still remains the one with the alternative point of view and, more often than not, the outsider of the foursome. The current crisis (or is it his changed relationship with Lister?) has resulted in a serious degradation of Rimmer's character to the point that he's even more of a martinet than he was in season one...except now he _knows_ he's being a pain in the ass and even seems to enjoy it. Cat's character falls on equally hard times as he gains a super smell, becomes completely obsessed about fashion and completely loses his charm and what little brains he had gained in previous eras. Kryten becomes the team know-it-all, which turns him into an annoying git because he seems to know things that even _he_ shouldn't know to the point where he's become a crutch for lazy plotting and writing. It's clear that the show has gotten too complicated to shoot on the old six-day schedule and perhaps even too complicated to shoot before a live audience, since the SFX is heavily used to the point where it can sometimes overwhelm the actors and the writing. Complaints among cast members about late scripts and a "fatigue factor" show that the production schedule has probably gotten too hectic now that so many other elements have to be dealt with. Use of auto-cues were distressingly apparent in this season since you can sometimes see one actor mouthing another character's lines or actors looking in odd directions just before they _do_ say their lines. Despite the problems, the acting _has_ improved (as it does every season) to the point that they nicely pull off the _very_ dramatic second half. "Out of Time" without going over the top. There is a definite story arc here, even to the point where the characters are refering to how many weeks ago a given action has taken place in the series and how long it will take for them to catch up to Red Dwarf. None of the eps can really be screened out of order, since it has a definite beginning (Psirens, which explains the whole premise of the season) and a definite end (Out of Time, in which the Boyz' luck apparantly runs out). Action takes place primarily on Starbug, with frequent forays into "alien landscape," which results in "monster of the week disease," which has plagued many a science fiction show over the years (for a good example, look at "Lost in Space" or "Outer Limits") and "Star Trek-itis" (the Red Dwarf version is: "Set up a great premise in the first 25 minutes and solve the mess in the remaining two...") Of note: Red Dwarf is lost and Holly is gone; Rimmer can now touch things because he has the ability to switch to hard light, the hint is given that it takes up a lot of power, but the issue is never dealt with; Lister gets his appendix out for a second time; Rimmer's light bee actually starts playing as an important part of the character; Cat develops a "super smell" and becomes the team's prime pilot; Kryten becomes the science officer; Rimmer gets the title "security officer" (funny, he don't look like a Klingon); Lister is the leader; first time the show actually uses a "proper" cliffhanger to end the series and lead into the next one. Okay all, what do you think? Liz ;) [email protected]
