The weeks have flown by but here we are at the last episode of Series X, The Beginning. It’s going to be an episode that gets a lot of discussion going for a variety of reasons and we can’t wait to see what you all think. So once again here is a post for you to add your thoughts on the episode. Don’t forget we are also on the lookout for comments on the show for the next episode of The Garbage Podcast, so if you’d like something included this is the perfect place to post it. You can contact us by email at GazpachoSoupRD@gmail.com or message us on Twitter and Facebook. We are also open to MP3 submissions should you be so inclined. We’ll be recording very soon, so if you’d like to be included it’s better to email sooner rather than later. We look forward to hearing from you!
Not the funniest of episodes but this is more than made up for by a great plot. “The slime’s coming home” was absolutely perfect and almost brought a tear to my eye 🙂 If there is no series XI that was a great way to go full circle and out with a bang!
The “explanation” for the series 8 cliffhanger – funnily done, but ultimately a kop out! What ever happened to the original crew who escaped? Are they still out there? They took all the Starbugs and Blue Midgits on escaping so how is there at least one of each on Red Dwarf in this series? Did Rimmer die again and get regenerated as a hologram with combined memories of both versions of himself? Is his version of Ace still out there somewhere? I know I should just forget about it, move on and enjoy the show being back to its original set up and all that tot, but surely this has got to bother some people???
All in all I loved Red Dwarf X from start to finish. Sure it had its problems and a few dodgy moments here and there, but it went down the right route and could have easily been a lot worse. Maybe it didn’t hit the highs of past glory but it was certainly miles better than Back To Earth and 8. The fact that there is no general concensus to a favourite series X episode and that all shows seem to be equally liked and disliked amongst fans just shows that we all have different expectations and are a very hard bunch to please!
Bring on Red Dwarf XI! 🙂
Many people seem to love this episode (but then the dismal Dear Dave has its supporters too. Heh) but I’m at a loss to understand *why*. Apart from the hype for the episode -ooh, obviously this is going to be the Big One – and the fact that Doug Naylor ever-so-subtly titled it *The Beginning* in order to give it an unconvincing and forced link to The End, this was, in my opinion, a very hacky episode in fact if one dismisses Doug’s ham-fisted attempts at manipulation (which have, it must be said, apparently worked if the comments about how The Beginning brought the series “full circle” are anything to go by, despite all the evidence to the contrary) such as the “slime’s comin’ home” line and a few funny moments with Cat and Kryten this was pretty much dog crap. After a few instances of the Dwarfers coming across as sociopathic in recent episodes (Rimmer’s reaction to his brother’s “death”, Lister’s non-reaction to Irene E’s demise etc) Mr Naylor’s excruciating tilt at returning to Rimmer’s backstory to generate some false emotion stunk up the screen as, once again, his writing was just not up to it. Red Dwarf II-V managed to make Rimmer sympathetic despite or perhaps *because* of his myriad (hilarious) flaws; Grant & Naylor’s writing and Chris Barrie’s excellent performance managed this with aplomb, in fact so good were they that Rimmer was often more sympathetic than Lister. The Beginning on the other hand sees Naylor trying to do something similar but in the most maladroit way possible. The introduction of the never-before-mentioned holomessage from Rimmer’s Dad was done in such a crass and clumsy way it was laughable – and not in a good way. I see what Naylor was trying to accomplish and what he wants the audience to think he’s achieved but unfortunately it’s such a mess that I can’t in all good faith buy it, not to mention that it’s peculiar to try to get the audience to believe that Rimmer was only trying to live up to his father all along, what about his dreadful mother? A bit sexist to suggest that cont-
Cont’d
only his *father’s* expectations screwed him up, did his mother’s not matter?! Obviously this was only to set-up the “triumphal” ending but it’s a cop-out and doesn’t really gibe with Rimmer’s character anyway, episodes such as Dimension Jump and Terraform have portrayed him as much more interestingly screwed-up, the notion that discovering his father was working-class would free him up is asinine and serves to make him a lesser character (after all, apparently his real father was a deadbeat dad so it’s not as if he cared about Old Iron Balls at all! So much for the pathetic idea that learning of his “working-class heritage” would be a plus). Poor Chris Barrie is a pale shadow of his former self as Rimmer now and this was *no* new beginning for either the character or the show no matter how much it’s hyped as one. A major disappointment.
A few more points: Naylor didn’t do a bad job exhuming elements of the past for the Cat and Kryten, both Llewellyn and especially John-Jules did very well; Hoagie the Roguie was fitfully amusing but hapzardly introduced and too broad, in fact a whole episode based around the crew being chased through time and space by a demented but harmless droid would’ve made for a better and more Dwarfish story than this; the simulants were *awful, Hoagie’s make-up was far better while the writing was abysmal; Hyperdrive? Yes, that was around the level of much of the “comedy” here while you’d have to be easily pleased if you thought the attempts at action and drama weren’t piss-poor; the non-explanation for the Series VIII cliffhanger was predictable and unfunny, the real joke is that X ignores VII and VIII much of the time not just because Doug can’t afford to bring Kochanski back yet but because even he must know they were pretty shit to be blunt!
My Series Ratings :
Trojan B –
Fathers and Suns C+
Lemons C -/D+
Entangled B
Dear Dave D –
The Beginning C-/D +
Overall Rating : C
Overall Ratings for Previous Series :
I B –
II B
III A
IV A
V A-
VI C +
VII C-/D+
VIII D+
BtE C-(for KK)