Red Dwarf Series XI

[veronica_rich]

I feel like I'm posting too much at RDS, so I figured I'd do this one at the personal journal instead. I just like Series XI so much so far, and I saw where Kat had posted something on Tumblr about scenes she likes from the two episodes that have aired ... so I thought, well, maybe followers would like to yap over here about the stuff they like (without fear of Tumblr-spoiling, if you're like me and figure even if the original post is reader-cut, the comments sure won't be).

I'll just repost what I told Kat, here. For my first comment I need to copy-paste one of her scenes so my comment makes sense:

Rimmer phrasing himself the way he did when the EMP was about to be set off. It’s not just the lines, but how Chris Barrie plays it; Rimmer seems so nonchalant about leaving Lister behind. Which… is rather odd. I can see Rimmer being gleeful about getting rid of Lister, and I can see him being reluctant and secretly fearful about it, but nonchalant? I thought that was an interesting choice, and if I were Lister, that reaction would stick with me. (They refer to their situation as being “stuck together” again in Samsara, but in a very different context. I do wonder.)

Now, back to me:

This scene did stick with me as well; not that I’ve been bright enough to figure out why, per se, just yet. But it did. Rimmer seeems almost … caring-sounding? I think that’s what struck me about it, it doesn’t seem like him. Nonchalant is probably a better descriptor.

Something that sticks out to me is Kryten coming to the conclusion of how Barker reprogrammed the Karma Drive. Did I miss something in how he discovered that? Did he examine the logs to find that and I missed it? Or was it just one of the best deductions since Sherlock?

OK, I just realized, for my next point I need to quote something ELSE Kat posted. I hope she doesn't mind, since Tumblr is public-view too:

Lister getting stuck with Cat and having to listen to him yammer on. I’ve seen various reactions to this scene - some people dislike it because they felt it dragged on, but IMO that was intentional and taken juuust far enough. It’s the first time that I can remember, outside of Quarantine, which was obviously exceptional circumstances, that Lister has shown irritation towards Cat to such an extent. They’re usually shown as being buddies and like-minded, but here we are quite brutally reminded that Cat and Lister really don’t have that much in common, and Lister is, when you get right down to it, more alone than we often imagine. That left an impact on me, especially in light of Rimmer’s words in Twentica, mentioned above.

Back to me: As for Cat and Lister, I’ve always held in mind that they aren’t exactly equals. For one, Cat is shallower than I think Lister ever has been (even at his most youthful and party-hearty); I can’t imagine many deep conversations between them. Second, their priorities are so dissimilar, I’d think. Yes, Rimmer’s priorities are dissimilar to Lister’s, too, but with Rimmer’s I could imagine Lister thinking *He’s gone way too far, doesn’t need to be that strict* whereas with Cat’s I’d imagine him thinking *Why would I care at all?* If that makes any sense …

P.S. This entry is not locked like I do at RDS because it's a community. I'll discuss slash in my own LJ if I feel like it and if someone wants to come looking for it, that's on them. :-P

Comments

[missflibble.livejournal.com]

The thing that sat uneasy with me in the L/C discussion in Samsara was how Lister knew what Formica was and who the inventor of the Magic Marker was. Just as series VIII had criticism that the characters had been dumbed down to suit the comedy, this almost felt like too much of a smart-stretch for Lister comedy.

I can't think of anything better to add. My mind is rather distracted as I debate whether or not to dress up in 1920s garb for DJ's Saturday night...

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I can start the next reaction post in RDS on Friday if you like. ;)

I don't really have anything to add to the Rimmer EMP comments, except that it could just be down to the change in Chris's acting over the years. Sometimes in X / XI he seems quite chilled and benevolent, other times such as the Mine-opoly game, he's suddenly back to Series 1 Rimmer. I did see someone on TOS - note, I said TOS - criticise his acting these days as "shouty and hammy" which seems very harsh to me. It's natural that Rimmer would evolve over - we assume - almost three decades with Lister.

Regarding the situation with Lister and Cat, I actually think this is almost comparable to the "Quarantine" situation. Yes, it's only been an hour or two as opposed to several days, but there are various differences to aggravate the situation - it's pitch dark, they're in a strange environment which has already attacked them twice and there's no Kryten to act as a buffer between them. Plus Lister is almost certainly remembering the "Quarantine" situation and panicking in case something similar happens again.

But yes, there is a difference between Cat and Lister which is shown up quite starkly in "Epideme" and "Nanarchy" when Lister is first dying and then adjusting to life with one arm and all Cat thinks of is himself. You can see in Craig's acting there that Lister is realising that Cat by his very nature will always put himself first and it's not a pleasant realisation.

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

I thought "caring" too about Rimmer's attitude in Twentica, but yeah, it's odd. If you take the strict non-slashy interpretation, you'd think he'd be happier. It doesn't really work either from a slashy (...look, Autocorrect, I don't mean "splashy" or "slushy") point of view. Unless by "we" he means the whole group? He seems remarkably unbothered as well by the prospect of Kryten being shut off, and that's also a little odd to me; yes, he's self-centred, but he's not quite Cat-level self-centred.

Re how Kryten knew what happened, I think since he says "Best guess..." before he explains the affair, etc., we are supposed to assume that he did some Sherlocking.

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

I actually found Cat's misinterpretation of history adorable. He was completely wrong, but the *way* in which he was wrong made a weird sort of sense. I'm sure Lister was annoyed because history isn't his pet subject, but I would have let Cat go on so I could see all the ways he got the wires crossed.

[missflibble.livejournal.com]

Ooh! I had another smart-making thing.

I've seen posts asking why the Dwarfers don't just, y'know, take the Chronos device and use it to go back in time to Earth. Problem solved. Simples.

Well firstly, if we're being pedantic, the Chronos device is merely an amplifier not a time travel device. So there's that....

BUT. It was only when I started watching the opening of 'Tikka to Ride' that it kinda hit me why, EVEN IF THEY DID HAVE A TIME TRAVEL DEVICE, they wouldn't leap at that.

Rimmer: "We have to avoid all forms of time travel. It's the only way of breaking our destiny lines and ending up like our future selves."

Any other time manipulation they've experienced has ended up badly.

"Tikka to Ride" - they interfere and change the course of human history, having to rectify it
The Time Wand - Pete. Enough said
"Lemons" - unintentional time travel but yet again they inadvertently get involved and need to rectify the status quo. Even if it is for an individual.

...aaaand yeah. I'll stop blabbing now.