You know what annoys me about S8?

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Well, aside from "Krytie TV". It's the fact that Hollister had Rimmer enter the psychotropic testing without his knowledge. The other four had to sign consent forms, acknowledge that they understood what was going to happen to them and agreed to be placed in the AR environment. Rimmer was just told to lick an envelope that was posted to himself.

I know Rimmer represented himself at his trial, but it never should have come to that, or his entire case thrown out on the basis of entrapment. Nothing he said or did in the AR environment should have been allowed as evidence, which means that Hollister would have had to prove another way that Rimmer was using confidential files for his personal gain. And if Rimmer had a shred of self-preservation (and we know he has it in spades), he might have been able to keep it to himself or at least slide by without being overt. I don't know; that one part has always bugged me.

Comments

[nice-girls-play.livejournal.com]

I thought the narrative turn Series 8 took was interesting and somewhat inevitable -- maybe it's just me but I never thought having the entire crew of the Dwarf restored was going to end well. I always thought that it was going to turn into a creepy, zombie bureaucratic shit show with people ill-equipped for mobility in a universe full of rogue simulants, GELFs and random viruses steering the small rouge one off a cliff while Lister and the Dwarf crew watched helplessly.

For this reason, I could accept the seemingly radical change in Hollister's character. Finding themselves three million years outside of the boundaries of civilization seems to give him and people like Ackerman more reason to act in ways they deem fit as opposed to what would have been appropriate or acceptable before the accident -- hence the entrapment, hence the pitiful kangaroo court, hence hanging charges that essentially only apply to Lister and Rimmer to the rest of the 'bug crew.

Regarding consent and lack of same in series 8... the 23rd century doesn't seem like much of an enlightened place if the threat of rape is still a joke or where having your ability to consent tampered with due to exposure to the effects of a "sexual magnetism virus" *isn't* the equivalent of being roofied. And I don't know whether to say that it's a recurring problem in Doug's writing or a more widespread problem in media narratives (as you said, the writers of "Buffy" didn't think too hard about it either).

[kronette.livejournal.com]

You think it (prison) was done to contain them, so they didn't tell the rest of the crew that they were all dead/resurrected? That I could see and could even accept if it had been hinted at with all those Hollister talking to the camera recaps. It would still be a lousy, cruddy thing to do, but as the audience, it would make sense. What happened - makes no sense.

What I'm struggling with in a story, is regarding the virus and Lister dumping it over Rimmer. Rimmer wasn't affected by the virus, at least not directly. He said something about being wanted was like an aphrodesiac, with a lion's sexual appetite. But what if one person dragged him away from the prisoners, but they were affected? Rimmer could have tried to stop them, but with his state of mind after the prisoners started to turn on him, would he have? Is it considered rape by Rimmer if he has sex with someone while they're under the influence, but he didn't infect them? Or is it rape by the person affected by the virus, because Rimmer couldn't say no? Or do we take it out of the 'real world' and say that sex pollen/virus made them do it?

That is my dilemma. I don't know how to classify it, or if I should even try. Damn you, Doug!!

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

It's a huge mess. The final scene establishes that the virus affects everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation - and they're no longer in AR. What that implies about what happened after the credits is incredibly disturbing.

Oh, hell. *Sticks fingers in ears and tells self that the guards stopped the prisoners and then the virus wore off* :(

I suggest going with "The virus made them do it".

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Oh, hell. *Sticks fingers in ears and tells self that the guards stopped the prisoners and then the virus wore off* :(

I'm writing a fix, don't worry. *pats on shoulder* That's why I'm trying to work out the cause/effect/issues surrounding the use of the virus.

[nice-girls-play.livejournal.com]

You think it (prison) was done to contain them, so they didn't tell the rest of the crew that they were all dead/resurrected? That I could see and could even accept if it had been hinted at with all those Hollister talking to the camera recaps. It would still be a lousy, cruddy thing to do, but as the audience, it would make sense. What happened - makes no sense.

I think that could have easily been one underlying motive, considering how poorly the *ship's psychiatrist* reacted to the idea. But, like you said, if Doug had at least hinted at that in Hollister's intros or his conversation with Holly, it would have lent a lot more credibility to the plot.

The whole virus is problematic for me. In this specific scenario, in the event of Rimmer being rescued in the prison by someone who is then exposed to the virus, if he's aware that it's the virus that is causing all of this to happen, I think any idea of consent is void and it then becomes his responsibility to put a stop to it. If he can. But you're right -- if he can't stop it and says "no," is the person reacting to the virus guilty of assault or is Lister (since he was the one that dosed Rimmer in the first place)?

[kronette.livejournal.com]

I think my scenario it's worse than all of this. Rimmer didn't know he'd been doused, so is he responsible for his actions? For all he knew, this person was coming on to him because they liked him (even if the circumstances were strange, considering a riot had nearly broken out minutes ago). I don't think our Rimmer would have said no to someone coming on to him, and he wouldn't have questioned why - at least not prior to sexual relations starting. Afterward though, I think guilt would get at him, realizing the person didn't know what they were doing, but he'd been affected too, so...it's a convoluted smegging mess. I'm getting it worked out in my head for this particular story, but how this could be considered a joke in a comedy series is still beyond my comprehension. It makes the guys treatment of Rimmer at the end of Terrorform seem nice and sane by comparison.