Balance of Power is comfort viewing for me.
PLOT
Fed up with Rimmer being a control freak, Lister enrolls in the ship's chef exams in order to outrank him.
THOUGHTS
Like with Future Echoes, there really isn't much of a plot to this episode. But rather than distract the audience with a wacky sci-fi concept that goes nowhere, Balance of Power focuses entirely on fleshing out the show's golden egg, the dynamic between Rimmer and Lister. It's all about their back and forth, and just how far both of them are willing to go to keep on top of one another. Meanwhile, the Cat has a peripheral subplot about overeating fish.
I think this is the best possible version of their dynamics. I like that the Cat is sort of doing his own thing on the sidelines and that it's actual cat-like behaviour this time. It works for the character and gives us just enough of him to be amusing. But the emphasis is on how Rimmer and Lister's enmity builds through the episode, layer after layer. Starting with their tiff over cigarettes and concluding with Rimmer's desperate, insane attempt to maintain his superiority by tempting Lister with a Kochanski impersonation.
It's no masterpiece, but for 25 minutes, it's a very well constructed script that helps to entrench the staples of the show in the viewers' minds. And it's just fun to watch.
CHARACTERS
The episode opens with Rimmer forcing Lister to catalogue the ship's stores ("4691 irradiated haggis!"). It's the first real example of my favourite trope in the show: their refusal to move on from the old JMC command structure. I mean, logic dictates that they don't have to follow any rules at all anymore. Humanity is gone and the ship is theirs for life. But for whatever reason - which is wisely never commented on - they continue applying for exams and following certain protocols. It's kind of eerie when you think about it.
It's C. P. Grogan's shining hour as Kochanski... even though technically she's playing Rimmer-as-Kochanski. I do feel a certain regret that she never got to play the part full-time, as the early tomboyish depiction of her seems to fit Lister's personality much more, and I think Charles and Grogan just have better chemistry than Charles and Annette. It is also a fair argument that Annette is the stronger actress of the two (but also that early Craig Charles was worse than either of the Kochanskis, and if he grew, why not Grogan?). Well, it is what it is. I fucking adore her during the chef's exam scene. She's cute as a button, and the lines are just hysterical. "I'm a bit out of sorts at the moment. I'm having a woman's period!" It's one of the show's best moments.
NOTES
- I love that Rimmer was actually having fun cataloguing the food supplies, and seemed genuinely confused by Lister's hostility.
- If you really think about it, Rimmer probably helped Lister avoid lung cancer by hiding his smokes.
- "Please irradiate your hands." Man, future hygiene is intense.
- Kochanski's look of sheer disbelief at Rimmer throwing her friend's handbag away was hilarious.
- The fact that Rimmer gets scared when Lister stops arguing with him is just so brilliant.
- I love how varied the incidental music is in these early episodes, lots of jaunty tunes. As I understand it, Goodall composed quite a lot for the later seasons as well, but for some reason the editors used them sparingly. Shame.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
- We see a flashback of Lister enjoying himself at the Copacabana bar with Petersen, Chen, Kochanski and Selby.
- Lister claims that his uncle's brain is in a jar.
- Holly claims to have based his facial design on the greatest and most prolific lover who ever lived.
FUNNIEST MOMENT
Rimmer after Petersen's hologramatic arm punches him in the nuts: "I hate everything."
SMEG OFF!
The Cat singing random nonsense in the corridors still isn't funny.
CONCLUSION
It may not be the best script they ever wrote, but it's my personal template for the show at its best. The crew just driving each other nuts.
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