From: ningynongy@nob.nob   
      
   "Gavin"  wrote in message   
   news:koad23lc0f45dshfkedu6d7ti10rgjnkpe@4ax.com...   
   > Little feature on Red Dwarf in this month's SFX magazine, the "Jumping   
   > the Quark" feature, in which they decide at what point a TV show   
   > started to suck. Lets see whether SFX are talking shit.   
   >   
   > The helpful graph shows that they have a slightly different opinion   
   > than you'd expect: they think the show hit a high in series 2, then   
   > went on a steady decline ever since. I actually agree with that,   
   > because the early series are my favourites; but I thought most people   
   > considered series 5 - "Back to Reality" in particular - the ultimate   
   > high point.   
   >   
   > They say:   
   >   
   > "By the end of the fifth series, the show was visibly flagging - ideas   
   > were starting to feel stale and recycled, with 'Back to Reality' (a   
   > Xerox of 'Better Than Life') concluding the season with a real damp   
   > squid [sic] of an ending. Season six followed down the same path..."   
      
   BTR is nothing like BTL.  In BTL they go in deliberately.  Are they   
   seriuosly suggesting that Holoship, Inquisitor and Quarantine are stale and   
   recycled?   
      
   And Season 6 is, for at least 3 episodes (Psirens, Gunmen of the Apocalypse   
   and Rimmerworld), the equal of any of the previous ones.  Legion isn't bad   
   either.  Emohawk is funny but really playing to fans in bringing Ace and   
   Duane back.  Out of Time has always felt weak to me, however.   
      
   > They consider the introduction of Kochanski in series 7 to be the   
   > biggest blow to the show:   
   >   
   > "Having her turn up as a space cadet that was more annoying to the   
   > audience than the crew did the show no favours; it made you wonder why   
   > Lister had ever cared about her in the first place. The blame falls at   
   > Doug Naylor's feet rather than Chloe's - he simply couldn't write   
   > convincing female dialogue, preferring instead to pile on jokes about   
   > shopping."   
      
   [1] She doesn't turn up as a space cadet; rather the last human alive from   
   another dimension.  [2] He cared about her because EITHER she was his most   
   recent girlfriend OR she was the one unattainable, unrequited love of his   
   life (depending on whether you think Lister and ANY Koachanski had slept   
   together before).  "Did you get Kochanski?" "Was I supposed to?" "It's the   
   objective of the game for Lister!"  [3] Piling on jokes about shopping?   
   There's one line about shopping.  Did they actually watch the show or were   
   they just working from hazy memories?   
      
   I think the weakness of 7 is a combination of the loss of Rimmer, the loss   
   of Rob Grant, the loss of a live studio audience and the increased use of   
   inferior CGI.  Even with Rimmer, Tikka To Ride is damn near unwatchable in   
   places.   
      
      
   --   
   Hercule Platini   
      
   "Bah."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)