Red Dwarf - Series 8 - Byte 2 - Krytie TV [VHS]

Every television show must be progressive in some way, and it is foolhardy to think that Dwarf could ever stay within the same boundaries it was trapped in within the Eighties and early Nineties. It's a sci-fi sitcom, for crying out loud - the special effects would have inevitably improved and become a more vital asset during its course of life. It is so petty to compare past glories of a program with its present state - this detracts strongly from the fact that it is still a gloriously written comedy, accessible to fans and novices alike, with the usual standard of well-constructed plots, witty one-liners and superb characters. It has successfully managed to change with the times along the way. The fact is, the annoying ultra-conservative attitude of die-hard fans has prevented this series from getting any worthy praise, and allowed them to throw pigeonholing critiques at it such as "plot recycling" and "lackadaisical writing", when you can see the streams of nostalgic tears running down their faces. I won't lie - this cannot and will not ever be as good as all the original series. But I for one was fully prepared for its development and really enjoyed it nonetheless. The cast would have rejected the idea of another series if they weren't impressed with the script quality, and they made a bold decision.

All the episodes here are very typically Dwarf, but for the next generation; and they totally work. The characters alone can carry the stories well; Rimmer (the brilliant Chris Barrie)is as priggish and altogether side-splittingly arrogant as he ever was and Robert Llewellyn's Kryten remains timeless - I still consider Krytie TV a classic. (Regardless of 'depravity', it is a Dwarf trademark to revert to sex and toilet humour; remember the infamous "sex" between Lister and Kryten in Polymorph?) Pete parts 1 and 2 is just a Dwarf story that was waiting to happen - a curry-munching T-Rex? Priceless. You can see exactly what Doug Naylor was trying to do - take Red Dwarf to a much grander scale - and it really did work. The beautiful thing about Dwarf is it can take supposed 'cliches', put its own spin on them and make them funny again; any viewer with a keen and impartial eye will pick up on this.

I conclude that Series 8 retains all the Dwarf humour of old on a grander scale. The claustrophobia of Starbug may be gone but if a prog has evolved in the way Dwarf has, scale and location details can surely be overlooked. If you are stuck irretrievably with the original essence of the first few series, then you won't really enjoy this. If you are prepared to watch a fabulous sitcom move into a new generation then I can't recommend this enough. Smegging great; here's to the film......

Krytie TV - This episode was easily one of the funniest episodes ever. An absolute laugh riot from start to finish. Some wonderful Lister/Rimmer interaction, and a great premise. There is no real plot to speak of, but that is exactly why this episode works. It is rather reminicent of a Porridge episode, where the guys and girls just generally act very immature and have a lot of fun. The cast look like they're having a ball. Kryten really gets a chance to shine. The only disappointing part is the bit where Kryten tells lister of the bad news concerning Miss Kochanski, this part was weak and resembled the worst aspects of series VII. But other than that, this episode is fantastic. A great, hilarious script with an extremely clever twist. Smegging wonderful episode and one of the highlights of the series. 3.5/4

Pete pt 1 - This is another very fine episode. Very funny and extremely enjoyable. The basketball scenes are delightful and once again the cast look like they're having the time of their lives and who can blame them. Both A and B stories work well, and there is a lot of Holly in the middle of this episode which is no bad thing. He's back to series 11 vintage. Doug's writing in this episode is just so assured. The script doesn't put a foot wrong. This episode serves merely as a prelude to the dino action in the next episode, and so doesn't warrant classic status, but it really is a faultless episode - fantastic in every respect. 3.5/4

Pete pt 2 - This episode doesn't, I'm afraid, live up to the standards of it's predecessor. It's starts off well enough with the dino fun, but after that it tends to drag, especially with all the captain's office scenes, which soon become irritating. There are bright moments, but mostly this episode is repetitive, immature and boring - not in the same class as Polymorph. Doug was presumably trying to replicate that fine episode. As Red Dwarf episodes go, this is weak. It resembles the very worst of series VII (Beyond A Joke) It just has no subtlety. Poor. 1.5/4

Only The Good... - The last episode of the series is again very hit and miss. Some good Lister/Rimmer interaction. Funny moments - Holly etc. But thee are real downsides. Kryten is unforgiveably stupid in this episode. He works much better as the straightman... The whole mirror universe thing is contrived and old hat (Dimention Jump anyone? How the hell does Kryten make that gizmo?)The end is likewise disapointing when you compare it to the cliffhangers of series six and seven. Good music though. Ultimately though you get the feeling this series goes out with a whimper rather than the bang that it should have. Disappointing. 2/4