Desert island episodes?
Nov. 14th, 2008 05:00 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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reddwarfslashIf you were marooned on a desert island (ice planet?) with only five episodes,
I think the "why?" is the really interesting part. I love it when someone points out something I hadn't noticed, or makes me think about an episode a different way.
Here, I'll start off with mine:
1. "Thanks for the Memory"
Some neat plot twists, and some fantastic acting from Chris Barrie showing Rimmer in various stages of inebriation/self-assurance/resignation. Lister and Rimmer are surprisingly sweet to one another throughout, and though RD wouldn't be RD if this happened all the time, I'm a total sap when it does.
2. "Better Than Life"
Love the way the script sets up all the elements at the start. Lots of background on Rimmer, which is always welcome! The observation dome scene is one of my all-time favorites, with Lister's funny-yet-touching speech about his dad. Also contains one of my top RD one-liners in the way that only Cat can deliver them, "I'd prefer chicken!"
3. "Future Echoes"
A super-clever script and great character interaction. Lister's indulgent attitude towards Cat in the "photo album" scene makes me smile, and the "shaving mirror anomaly" scene is one of my favorites (or perhaps I just like seeing Rimmer come running when Lister calls). My only quibble is that Rimmer's motivations are inconsistent throughout: he's afraid of being shut down when Lister talks about stasis/going home, yet shutdown doesn't seem to occur to him later when faced with Lister's "imminent" death.
4. "Marooned"
It's the Lister & Rimmer show, and a drat fine one, too, though my interpretation of their motivations keeps changing every time I watch it. There's a tiny heartbreaking bit just at the end, when Kryten and Cat arrive and Rimmer casts a couple of delighted glances at Lister in the way you do when you excitedly want to share a moment, and Lister doesn't so much as look at him.
5. "Queeg"
What's not to love? An ensemble script, suspense, Rimmer wearing shorts and looking thoroughly worn out, pathos, and a hilarious twist ending. Did I mention Rimmer looking thoroughly worn out? I love love love Norman Lovett's Holly, and here he gets to play his part to deadpan perfection.
Haha, from this it looks as though I thought the series ended shortly after the start of III, but that's not true! Hands down though, II is my favorite series.
Let's hear yours.
- which ones would they be, and
- why?
I think the "why?" is the really interesting part. I love it when someone points out something I hadn't noticed, or makes me think about an episode a different way.
Here, I'll start off with mine:
1. "Thanks for the Memory"
Some neat plot twists, and some fantastic acting from Chris Barrie showing Rimmer in various stages of inebriation/self-assurance/resignation. Lister and Rimmer are surprisingly sweet to one another throughout, and though RD wouldn't be RD if this happened all the time, I'm a total sap when it does.
2. "Better Than Life"
Love the way the script sets up all the elements at the start. Lots of background on Rimmer, which is always welcome! The observation dome scene is one of my all-time favorites, with Lister's funny-yet-touching speech about his dad. Also contains one of my top RD one-liners in the way that only Cat can deliver them, "I'd prefer chicken!"
3. "Future Echoes"
A super-clever script and great character interaction. Lister's indulgent attitude towards Cat in the "photo album" scene makes me smile, and the "shaving mirror anomaly" scene is one of my favorites (or perhaps I just like seeing Rimmer come running when Lister calls). My only quibble is that Rimmer's motivations are inconsistent throughout: he's afraid of being shut down when Lister talks about stasis/going home, yet shutdown doesn't seem to occur to him later when faced with Lister's "imminent" death.
4. "Marooned"
It's the Lister & Rimmer show, and a drat fine one, too, though my interpretation of their motivations keeps changing every time I watch it. There's a tiny heartbreaking bit just at the end, when Kryten and Cat arrive and Rimmer casts a couple of delighted glances at Lister in the way you do when you excitedly want to share a moment, and Lister doesn't so much as look at him.
5. "Queeg"
What's not to love? An ensemble script, suspense, Rimmer wearing shorts and looking thoroughly worn out, pathos, and a hilarious twist ending. Did I mention Rimmer looking thoroughly worn out? I love love love Norman Lovett's Holly, and here he gets to play his part to deadpan perfection.
Haha, from this it looks as though I thought the series ended shortly after the start of III, but that's not true! Hands down though, II is my favorite series.
Let's hear yours.
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Date: 2008-11-15 08:01 am (UTC)1. 'Thanks for the Memory'. It was the first episode I ever saw -- I came into it halfway through, then watched the whole episode from the beginning because my mother had taped it, thank gods. The 'What time is it?'/'Saturday' bit is one of my favourites. The main thing that really gets me is Lister trying so hard to make Rimmer happy and it just backfires so badly and I feel so sad for him.
2. 'Cassandra'. I'm one of those freaks who actually liked season eight (although one of the main reasons was because it made such an excellent jumping-off point for so much fic), and this is my favourite season eight episode, because I'm really fond of the causality and time paradoxes and... um, I stopped writing this comment to eat diner and forgot what I was going to say, but the end of the comment was going to be OMG KOCHANSKI IN A BLANKET, so I'll leave it at that.
3. 'Stoke Me A Clipper'. Makes me cry every single time, particularly when they show all the little yellow capsules in a ring around the planet. Again, it's all about the interactions between the characters, and I didn't want to say 'Blue' because I thought it would be the obvious answer.
4. 'Back to Reality'. Season five is my favourite season and I think this episode is one of the most representative of the need to work together and appreciate what they have and try to make their existing situation better instead of spending too much time thinking about what could have been.
5. 'The End'. An absolutely fantastic introduction to all of the main characters and the situation in which they find themselves. The dialogue is spot-on between Lister and Rimmer from the very first exchange to tell the audience exactly how these two interact.
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Date: 2008-11-17 03:32 pm (UTC)Aw, I know. Call me a sap, but SMAC is too depressing for me to re-watch, mostly for that scene. (It's not just that, really; I have some issues with the script as well, but either way I haven't seen the episode in full a second time.)
'Back to Reality'. Season five is my favourite season and I think this episode is one of the most representative of the need to work together and appreciate what they have and try to make their existing situation better instead of spending too much time thinking about what could have been.
BTR's in my top 10 so I love it, yet the whole "appreciate what they have" angle has never occurred to me. I'm going to keep that in mind next time I watch.