Red Dwarf X - Dear Dave - Review by @cheezypeas

 
The penultimate episode of the series already?

This weeks episode could be easily described as 'old school' or classic Red Dwarf. There are a lot of nods to earlier series, and themes that have been established throughout the shows history. Like a fine wine, it appears this series is improving greatly with each passing episode.....

.....or perhaps a vindaloo?

 
Lister is feeling depressed thinking about being the last human being in the universe. Kryten tries to console him but it doesn't seem to be working as everything around them reminds him of his loss.

Meanwhile Rimmer has received a JMC notice that they have received a lot of nominations to award him for his devotion to duty. Rimmer is beaming until Kryten then adds they wish him to stop sending the nominations and unless he can argue the case, the fact he has not reported for duty for around 3 million years he will be downgraded in rank to 3rd Technician. Listers rank! Cue Rimmer trying to find lots of medical reasons why he's not reported for duty (apparently being dead doesn't count) When Kryten mentions a loop hole where if he had taken a sabbatical to look after someone unwell he would be excused, Rimmer becomes obsessional over Lister and his troubled, depressed mind to build a case.

 

Meanwhile post has arrived. Lister receives a letter from an old girlfriend announcing she is pregnant but isn't sure if Lister or a bank colleague is the father. The possibility of being a father gives Lister a glimmer of hope that he's done something worthwhile to the human race. He also inadvertently finds himself chatting up a vending machine who takes offence and another vending machine gets jealous! (only in Red Dwarf!) He makes it up to the jealous one by moving her to a more prestigious place but topples her over by accident, and his attempts to pick her up looks like he's humping the vending machine, much to the delight of Rimmer.

Cat doesn't help the parental situation by making Lister see his ex girlfriend was probably cheating on him from the start and although Lister can see this now, it doesn't make him feel any better. He goes searching frantically for another letter to see if she's found out who the father is and almost loses it to Cat who is about to use it as toilet paper (Kryten has confiscated all toilet rolls to save money!) Lister saves the letter to find he isn't the father and Cat makes off with Rimmers evidence instead, runining his chances to save his own skin!

 
The scene where Lister and Kryten lament about the human race was cleverly written as if it was a bad relationship break up. Kryten played the 'there's plenty more fish in the sea' and 'they were no good for you' clichés which were very funny and tied in nicely with Lister's plight. It always amazes me how Kryten's character has evolved from naive and humble, to agony Aunt, rebel and general free spirit.

It was good to see Rimmer's obsession with being a higher rank over Lister returning once again, as its absence over the last few series has been noticeable. At first it could be argued that his character over the years had accepted this and moved on but this is Arnold J Rimmer and if there's one thing he's obsessed about its being more successful than his spacebum crew mate.

 
When the mail arrives I was immediately reminded of Better than Life in series II. I half expected Lister's letter to inform him one of his family members had died, like Rimmer's letter did in that episode, or perhaps inland revenue to be on Rimmer's back again. Luckily although the scene was influenced by that classic episode the plot was fresh enough to show the writers were not being lazy and rewriting old episodes.

 
I'm particularly enjoying the on going theme of the vending machines having personalties, its as if the writers took the best out of talkie toaster (who I would love to see make an appearance again), and applied it to a bigger electrical appliance. This isn't a new thing, as throughout the older series' some vending machines did have characters but it was almost an afterthought rather that being a significant part of the plot.

I found the toilet roll thing not so good, although Cat trying to use letters etc. as toilet paper was rather amusing. The use of an old storyline of Lister and his ex girlfriends was also very funny and added to the richness of the plot.

Another brilliant episode, and the team are really getting into their stride, just before the series ends? Looking forward to the finale!