Red Dwarf - Series XI

Description

All six episodes from the eleventh series of the sci-fi fantasy comedy following Lister (Craig Charles) the last human in the universe, his hologram colleague Rimmer (Chris Barrie) android Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) and Cat (Danny John-Jules) as they float through space on the mining ship Red Dwarf. In this science fiction series, Cat falls in love with a female Cat, Kryten has a midlife crisis, Rimmer saves the life of a bio-printed Captain and Lister has his kidneys stolen by a droid. The episodes are ◆ Twentica ◆ Samsara ◆ Give and Take ◆ Officer Rimmer ◆ Krysis ◆ Can of Worms. Extras ◆ Behind the scenes ◆ Deleted scenes ◆ Smeg Ups ◆ Trailers/Promos ◆ Visual Effects ◆ Model Shots ◆ Image Gallery Review: The most authentic and best Red Dwarf series since 1993 - After the somewhat underwhelming Back to Earth back in 2009, series 10 laid the foundations for 11. It was funny, had some good sci-fi and crucially had a feel of classic Dwarf with its diverse episodes feeling thematically like they could fit into series 1 to 6. However, while it was very good it still did not feel totally Dwarfy and the scripts while a massive advancement on that for Back to Earth still needed to be tighter - the Rimmer-Lister conversations while fine were not comparable to the witty banter of those in the late 1988 to 1993 peak years of the show. While 11 is not absolutely as phenomenal as the Rob Grant's co-written episodes it is pretty amazing, has the most genuine Dwarfy feel since 6 and its scripts are significantly tighter than 10. Twentica is an excellent start and it feels like Doug Naylor has written it to be comparable to New Who - its plot has a resemblance to the Steven Moffat era with the timey-wimey abduction of Rimmer but it is even more like a Russell T episode with the device that cancels out all the Exponoids and Casket of Chronos all combining superbly for the pay-offs at the end. It is great that it has this influence but at the same time it is very much like vintage Red Dwarf too and highly comical. It carries on from where the very solid series 10 left off - a bit like this series' Lemons (e.g. not the real Einstein) - and mixes it with the glory days of series 3 to 6. Although it is closest to say series 5/6, it is also like 3's Backwards with the wormhole they travel back in time to Earth and the speakeasy/bar scene. The new Starbug set and other spectacular sets (great work from the new designer) all look as classy as series 5/6 and a genuine upgrade on the already easy on the eye series 10. The Exponoids looked rather excellent too and it was great to see Kevin Eldon in the role. Initially, the pay off seemed underwhelming with not the real Einstein putting together the device that reverses an electronic pulse to destroy the Exponoids as it appeared too simple and did not make sense with it being Bob who assembles it. But upon re-watch, it was actually really funny that it was not a real scientist and in fact a bum who gets it right. It is funny because you would not expect it to be someone who appears on face value to lack intelligence. What also makes it strong is because it is possibly making comic how the intellectual scientists lack the common sense that Bob used to put the device together. Meanwhile, it follows a similar theme as Give and Take's Snacky in that the lower intelligence human/droid can achieve great things with a bit of encouragement - a nice message from Naylor too. The science innuendos from Harmony were a bit overlong at first but on re-watch Lucie Pohl's performance was enjoyable and those jokes were some of the funniest of the whole script. Although the Exponoids ultimately are more of a comic villain unlike the more sinister one 2 episodes later, Naylor continuing to use these types of antagonists is fine as the two of them bickering was very funny. Some fans have criticised some of the endings to the 11 shows but Twentica's is certainly not abrupt or flat. The Dwarfers fly in Starbug back to their time and then the final scene - which shows the mothership for the 1st time this series and its glorious new more subtle and spacey lighting - provides the punchline of the episode with Lister's over reliance on Kryten as technology contradicting how the future human race had created the Exponoids to prevent technology from ever being a threat. It is a fitting end to a very vintage episode and this is the second best of 11. Samsara is a very strong episode with quite a complex sci-fi mystery in which the viewer tries to figure out with the Dwarfers what happened to the crew. It feels like an early 90s episode while the call back to the justice field was welcome not just for nostalgia but also because it was advanced further in terms of concept. The comedy in this episode was very funny once again and the earlier scenes with the dice game are particularly entertaining and very sublimely clever in the way the link up to the end. The Rimmer-Lister scenes at the start are also an improvement of those in 10 and it is a great bit of nostalgia to have a bunkroom scene. Some fans have criticised this episode as more like series 7 but the only parts of it that were like that were the flashback scenes which did not outstay their welcome and it was a new way for a RD plot to be written. So, while 11 has not just been returning to its classic era, it has also shown some innovation too at times - a brilliant blend. However, the episode was not completely perfect as while the Cat-Lister scenes were funny the script was not as tight in this part and perhaps needed a bit of editing. The end seemed abrupt initially but it is more satisfactory on future viewing not just because the viewer is more used to it but also because Lister's previously hidden board game card appearing in front of Rimmer is the pay off for them escaping the Samsara as it is immoral. It is quite a successful, more of a visual punchline than a verbal one. Samsara is a very intriguing RD episode and it has quite a lot of the old magic back. Another of its strengths is that it has plenty of re-watch value once you know that the karma drive had been reversed by lovers Barker and Green and you try and work out fully what happened to the rest of the crew of the Samsara. Give and Take is simply the best episode of 11 and the strongest Red Dwarf material since series 6. The script is as tight as the series 2-6 scripts with virtually no line wasted. For a start, it is great to have the bazookoids back again (allows for more action too) and a Skutter as well just like they were present in the show's peak years. But what is most pleasing - even though the more comical antagonists are good too in a different way - is that there is a more sinister villain like series 5. Although Asclepius is only present in the 1st half that is fine as this demented droid is like series 5's similarly fruit loop Dr Lanstrome - only a threat in the 1st part and a lunatic medic too. Maybe Asclepius is a deliberate throwback to Quarantine's baddie but this time in form of a droid while the skeleton - like there were in Samsara - is very dark like 5 too! It is nice to see 10's and some of the other series 11 more feel good episodes balanced out with these darker Red Dwarf stories, all like the show's heyday while the power station that was used as a film set for the space station also provides Give and Take with its vintage series 4-6 feel. As for the story, in terms of Naylor writing about medical matters this is no equivalent to 2014's crass Over to Bill. The comedy from the missing kidneys is much more acceptable and funny too than jokes about bone marrow donation! But as for the main plot itself of the missing kidneys in future Lister due to the time loop it is simply spellbinding - it's timey-wimey Doctor Who but in a really good way and crucially really funny too. After series 10 I personally wanted future RD material to have more heavy science like 4-6 and with this, Twentica, Samsara and Can of Worms, Naylor has really achieved the feat with aplomb. Linking the earlier lift slowness to it being the future Dwarfers trying to avoid their former selves to prevent time being destroyed was also cohesive and clever writing from Doug. RD in series 11 is more cerebral again and all the better for it! Give and Take's ending is one of the finest of 11 with the bootstrap paradox pay off and the lift getting its revenge on Rimmer, but one issue though is that it could have been even better if there had been a punchline about how Asclepius never took Lister's kidneys so they never needed to take the former Lister's kidneys anyway. While Naylor did tweet after broadcast to say that the kidneys in Asclepius' lab were not Lister's, this should have been referred to in the story as if they were Lister's then it would not make sense as Asclepius would find no kidneys to organ nap from the younger Lister as Kryten would have taken them already to put into the future Lister. But still maybe leaving it for the viewer to work out as after all Lister figures that he was feeling groggy at the beginning of the episode due to already losing his kidneys before Asclepius could be considered effective too really showing how this episode returns RD back to the sophisticated sci-fi of its peak years. Still while this episode is undoubtedly classic Dwarf, it could have been slightly more obvious that Asclepius only removed the dialysis chip not Lister's kidneys and instead it was a time loop. But Give and Take is simply the finest episode of the Dave era and using the stasis booths to time travel is also a reference back to series 2's great Stasis Leak as well and it feels absolutely like it could come from the early 90s era. Snacky helping to initiate this pay off is decent too and after all the humour comes from how he surprisingly can help as he has taken in the knowledge off the former crew member on Asclepius' ship about using stasis booths to time travel. It was uncertain that RD could ever return to its absolute peak form and this episode is up there with the vintage years - what an unprecedented return to former glory! Officer Rimmer does not totally reach the massive heights that Give and Take did but it is still a very strong episode. In some ways it is an antithesis of the previous one. Give and Take was piled with cleverness and was very cerebral but this although daft is good silliness and refreshing too as it makes the whole series more diverse with this and Krysis being more simple, lighter episodes. It includes some ideas from the early 90s shows but also with a feeling of the first 2 series especially in the way it is mostly set on Red Dwarf. It is good to see not only just more lifts and corridors but also other rooms e.g. officers' club. In terms of the rest of the story, despite the general silliness of this episode compared to the first 3 the concept of the bio printer was quite clever and the opening scenes with the printer jam were rather hilarious. It was a good recall of how the technology in Red Dwarf compared to other sci-fi programmes like Star Trek, Doctor Who etc. is quite often pretty ridiculous and wacky - at the same time as introducing clever sci-fi concepts - obviously for the humour's sake. Although Rimmer populating the rest of the ship with all sorts of other Rimmers was quite reminiscent of Me2 and Rimmerworld, this new idea of bio-printing them ensured that the concept of multiple Rimmers had not gone stale. But mainly this episode is about good silliness and the Rimmer monster was very well designed - grotesque and funny all at once. In fact, it was quite obviously a throwback to the mutton vindaloo beast in series 4's DNA. Although it is similar, because series 4 was 25 years ago, it is very welcome providing 11 with yet more effective nostalgia. The end of Officer Rimmer is obviously the most controversial aspect of the entire episode. The credits then rolling just as the monster is being fired at by Lister's bazookoid appeared to be a bit too abrupt on initial broadcast. But after repeated views although it is a very swift ending and it initially appears a too simple pay off with Rimmer being used as bait for the other Dwarfers to fire at the monster, really it is not too primitive at all as the monster closes the door behind Rimmer therefore trapping him in the line of fire. But what really makes this ending have enough depth is when Lister distracts the monster hilariously by getting it to write a to do list with its pen and a pad so that Rimmer can get out of the way. It is again pleasingly harking back to how the mutton vindaloo beast was destroyed by being thrown a can of lager and the conclusion is overall satisfying as it is an exciting, character based one. After all, other RD episodes in the past e.g. Emohawk had ended pretty fast. Perhaps the explosion special effects for the monster would have cost too much but it is ultimately pleasing as it is a dramatic way for it to go out. Although Officer Rimmer did not fulfil the hype that it was even better yet again from the previous episode, it is still highly entertaining and has a valuable place in series 11 as a different type of episode. While Officer Rimmer is genuinely very strong, Krysis is the superior of the two good silliness episodes. While the concept of one of the characters having a mid-life crisis could have been potentially cringeworthy Naylor has pulled it off and it is great to see a Kryten episode again. For a start, the call backs to series 2 were excellent because it is nice that amongst all the retconning of RD there is some continuity too. The characterisation of the Butler android was brilliant as it impressively blended the traits of Llewellyn's Kryten and the Ross one together - again a great call back to the classic years. He is both smug but not dislikeable at the same time - a funny, multifaceted character by Naylor and not a caricature. Another positive about the plot was the way there were some scenes travelling on Starbug (a bit series 6) and the GELFs were brought back. Although they did not have a massive role they had a sufficient involvement in Butler's plan to make it a worthwhile reappearance for the first time since 1997. But the main reason why this is even better than Officer Rimmer is that Krysis is an even stronger overall story. A sentient universe is possibly more for the realms of fantasy as opposed to sci-fi but unless Naylor intended for the viewer to work out that it was some kind of AI computer that was part of Butler's plan there has to be a creator of the universe after all so ultimately it is fine silliness. The twist at the end that it was Butler's plan all along to cure Kryten's crisis by contriving to lead the Dwarfers to the interaction with Uni is what really elevated this episode. It was classic comedy and a laugh out loud moment as you realise that Butler was indeed the more intelligent one. Although the universe scene is a bit wacky it is still extremely funny and effective so this is the 3rd best episode of 11. Some were critical about Kryten's realisation that love is the most important thing when in conversation with Uni but despite its cheesiness it is an effective pay off for his crisis and rounds off a really strong story well. It is also appreciable that for once Naylor has chosen a different path and it is not a demented droid like say Asclepius, The Inquisitor, Hudzen 10 etc. and in fact one that wants to help - it feels totally welcome as a change from the usual. While Can of Worms is a bit below par it is still pretty good. It was perhaps a slightly missed opportunity to not do a real Cat race episode but overall including polymorphs again is fine as both the 2 previous episodes featuring these lifeforms were legendary and the last time there was one in RD was way back in 1993. Anyway, it is again returning to past glories but writing them with new ideas - in this case their reproduction. This story is certainly a bit weird with the dead polymorph with its phallic mouth, the Cat being pregnant and giving birth but Naylor has pulled it off with it still being funny without it looking too odd. In fact, in addition to the call back to the earlier polymorph episodes there are also back references to Psirens (the start), series 1 (this is mine, that's mine) and obviously Parallel Universe with this time the Cat being impregnated. These call backs help give this finale a bit of a feel-good undercurrent to an otherwise pretty dark episode. The slightly messy plot is mostly a return to the more cerebral RD of the first 3 episodes again with quite a lot of exposition. The scene involving the Mercenoid being taken out which leads them unwittingly to the polymorph is classic Dwarf yet again and very clever in the way it is destroyed by Lister rigging the Dictaphone to shock it with electricity remotely. Another main feature is that there are numerous misleads such as them almost travelling towards the asteroid belt containing vampire GELFs that feed on virgins' blood (would have been too similar to Psirens) until they decide not to because of the Cat though this is also to prepare for the story of the Cat being impregnated by the polymorph. The other main mislead is both a weakness and a strength of the story - it being the personality tuck machine that is featured at the start. If it had been successful in Lister without emotions not being detected as they hoped by the polymorphs and destroying them easily then that would have been a boring conclusion. But because the 2 polymorphs that are taken out at first in the confrontation in the engine room was not Lister shooting them like an emotionless assassin but instead one of the other polymorphs destroying others so it could feast on more emotions, really it has absolutely no purpose whatsoever. So yes, it could be considered a weakness but at the same time it is a deliberate mislead which leads the real Dwarfers into a hilarious Mexican standoff with the remaining 6 polymorphs. While the resolution with the Cat escaping upstairs and then taking out the polymorphs - which he can smell as they are his kids - with his guns after the 9 in the standoff emerge from a lift is fast, it is simply a short and sweet satisfying pay off. Still there should have been an explanation as to why the Personality Tuck had no function and the episode is not of the calibre of Polymorph and Emohawk. But it is still pretty strong with plenty of laughs providing RD with a Polymorph trilogy and though it is too ambitious at times it is quite remarkable how much plot is packed into one half hour. The Cat's dream in the final scene was amusing too and the acting of the female Cats and the polymorph Cat was fine throughout. Although series 10 was very strong, 11 is undoubtedly superior and clearly the finest since 6. Even though it is not as mind-blowing as the Rob Grant co-writes, it is very close to that level and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. It is definitely the most authentic RD since 1993 and the way it harks back to past glories provides this vintage feel. These past concepts are not a detriment because they are still written in an excellent way, interwoven with new ideas too and anyway because they are 2-3 decades old they do not feel stale. 11 also returns the show to its heyday by including more complex, darker sci-fi once again and though the various sub-plots in 10 were very good it is preferable how in 11 the episodes tend to concentrate more on one main story similarly like the classic era. The acting is less hammy, more convincing and more like their old selves in 11 too while there is a bit more antagonism between the characters which is another improvement. Even though the cost of 11's production was lower than even series 10 it is remarkable how amazing on Blu-ray it looks. Some fans have criticised some of the endings as abrupt but either they were fine conclusions anyway or they improve more on future viewings. Give and Take is the finest episode of Red Dwarf since Grant left, while Twentica and Krysis also stand out. Samsara and Officer Rimmer are very impressive too while Can of Worms despite being not quite as exceptional is pretty good. There is not really a weak link in this series and while 10 was very good this 2016 run has generally produced far bigger laughs. It is sensational that there will be an already filmed series 12 next year and if it can have some more new ideas and innovations in it too then it will be an excellent companion piece to this year's vintage series 11. Review: Great - Brilliant show arrived on time and in good condition