MovieChat Forums > Red Dwarf (1989) Discussion > Give & Take

Give & Take

posted 8 years ago by Painbow
6 replies | jump to latest

Hmmm, not a great episode.

None of them have been especially hilarious but at least the first two had some charm about them. So far, the series seems to be focusing more on producing good sci-fi plots than actual comedy. And to be fair, the sci-fi plots have been very good (this one did had a nice time travel loop)

But again... not actually that funny.

I'm also noticing that these new episodes feel like retreads of old episodes (this one had a definite "thanks for the memory" feel about it).

And the less said about Captain bollocks, the better.

[–] H_i_the_2nd 8 years ago

What?! Captain Bollocks was the funniest part of the episode, if not the series so far. Llewellyn's delivery of it was superb. I actually LOL'd, which is probably the first time I've done that at Red Dwarf for a very long time.

I agree with you that the episodes haven't been that funny, but then they haven't been since series VI, so that's nothing new. At least this series doesn't have the cringe-inducing humour of VIII, or the terrible guest-character performances of X.

If only Rob Grant was back to bounce ideas and jokes off of, I think the series could really return to form. Doubt it'll ever happen though. Also I think the cast needs someone to direct their performances better than Naylor is managing. Barrie and John-Jules in particular need to rewatch the old series to be reminded of how to play their characters. They've both been a bit off for a while now.
However, although only half way through, I've found this series to be the best since VI. It really feels like III-V era Red Dwarf, just a rather undercooked version of it.

A particular gripe so far this series; I've found the opening act of each episode to be good, then the middle starts to lose its way, and the end to be rushed and abrupt. Each episode so far has had this same problem. I just hope the next 9 avoid it.

[–] lucy-loo1 8 years ago

It's been suggested by a few people that none of the characters - including Rimmer - should be the exact same 'people' that they were in the early days and that actually, having reminders that the characters are older than they once were ( not just the actors who play them ) would add a touch of realism to this sitcom, even if it's not so much intentional and just more about the actors being older and less energetic. Most of them haven't been regularly acting over the last ten years either, except for Craig Charles.

I never expected the new Red Dwarf to return to the humour of its best years and I think many fans just enjoy having the odd chuckle with a group of characters they grew to love during the early years.

[–] clark_gillies 8 years ago

Captain Bollocks I thought was the best part.

I actually thought this was the best episode of the series, but still nothing special..... it had a series 4-5 feel about it, but at the same time it did kind of drift into a (cheapish) Dr Who feel somewhat.....

The vending machine and lifts were a nice touch, but for some reason they just felt like trying to create a new Talkie Toaster type feel.

[–] Floss-Is-Boss 8 years ago

The episode had it's moments but my main compliment would be how cat acted at the beginning of the episode. They just seemed to throw away any development he's had over the years and revert him back to his series 1 persona

[–] clark_gillies 8 years ago

Samsara did more damage to Cat than Give & Take did (they seem to be pushing him back into his series 1 persona, rather than what they had built up in series 5 and 6 of the character).

[–] shanecybowicz 8 years ago

I think the only development we've seen for Cat is in 'the beginning' where he helps Rimmer with his dad issue. Other than that he's an under developed character.