To paraphrase Rimmer: "God, this is a great episode!". We stand on the very peak of Red Dwarf now. Series II is by far my favourite season of the show, and Better Than Life belongs into that prestigious club of golden episodes.
PLOT
Red Dwarf picks up a mail pod containing news about the death of Rimmer's father, as well as a virtual reality game that can provide the crew with all of their fantasies.
THOUGHTS
Better Than Life expertly weaves together two extremely disparate plotlines. Despite the seeming triviality of Rimmer's father dying (because everyone are already dead), this revelation is played with a gravitas and sincerity that the show has never displayed before. Rimmer even points out the obvious - that he already knew - but reveals it never sunk in until now. It's an intensely human moment for him, and really beautifully performed with understatement by Chris Barrie and Craig Charles.
Then we shift into what seems, on the surface, to be an entirely different story about a goofy video game world. But gradually, Rimmer's past and his extreme mental health issues re-emerge in Better Than Life with destructive results. It's spectacular writing.
As I mentioned in my Kryten review, I love the much more colourful and vibrant visuals of Series II. Here, we get the gorgeous observation dome, where Rimmer and Lister can have their intimate discussion in what looks like a gigantic snow globe (a nice visual nod to their predicament), superimposed over a starscape. I also adore the sequence which reuses the "Everybody's Dead" musical cue, when Rimmer, Lister and Cat pass through a surreal environment to travel into Better Than Life. They could have just had them teleport onto the beach, but that little touch of seeing that absurd trio bumble through some mental limbo walking like rock stars just adds so much.
Most of the scenes in the game are filmed on location, which is a refreshing change from the claustrophobic ship and again helps the episode stand out visually.
CHARACTERS
The dome scene is something that Barrie and Charles should both be proud of. For Barrie, it's really some of his best acting, period. It's naked, quiet human emotion, no gurning, no playing it for laughs. He brings so much weight to it.
Charles is mostly there to lighten the mood, but even his own monologue is very dramatically rich. He's not just telling a funny story, he's trying to support Rimmer emotionally whilst also making himself vulnerable at the same time. And the actor carries it off very well, marking a huge development in his skills.
And then John-Jules delivers the perfect punchline.
I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best written/acted/directed Red Dwarf scenes ever made. A masterpiece.
Moving on to the game, I found it a little tonally inconsistent that Lister and Cat would give Rimmer the finger and drive off after his father died, but I can justify it with them being caught up in the game.
I totally blame the Cat for inducing Rimmer's breakdown. Rimmer was fine before the Cat made him confront his father. Still, this episode makes Rimmer's self-loathing almost uncomfortably apparent.
The idea that he can't stop thinking bad things feels very true to life. Have you ever tried hard not to think about something? It's the best way to guarantee that something will keep popping into your brain, and in some sadistically worser way every time.
NOTES
- It's very sweet to see Rimmer trying to cook and keep himself active despite his hologramatic existence. I wonder if Lister's chef exam gave him the idea?
- The first appearance of Holly's iconic "Oi, what's happening, dudes?" He's such a dad.
- I'd love to see Friday the 13th Part 1649. That's the one where Jason Takes Camelot.
- The triangle-shaped VHS tapes were a nice touch.
- I love the Holly/Gordon scene, but saying that Gordon sent the latest move in their chess game and then concluding with a 'that was the first move' punchline is a bit lazy.
- Gordon was written specifically for Gordon Salkilld, an actor best known for his recurring known on Survivors as Charles Vaughan's right-hand man Jack.
- I'm assuming Rimmer's mom is taking the piss by calling her son "Lieutenant General", given that every other episode implies she know exactly how much of a screw-up he is.
- Craig's accent has never been as obvious as when he shouts "Oh, eh! Sorri!" He's more Scouser than man.
- The actress playing McGruder somewhat resembles Clare Grogan. I wonder if that was intentional, to subtly imply that Rimmer and Lister actually have similar tastes in women?
- Rimmer's fake children having tiny H marks on their foreheads was a hilarious touch. I never noticed it until now.
- Barrie's line delivery of "... help!" is legendary.
- Some of Barrie's teeth have been blackened out to give the impression that he's turned into a drunk. This was of course back when Chris Barrie had his teeth.
- Points for the actor playing the lawman, who is putting all of the sadism he can muster into a bit part.
- The news channel that Rimmer watches ("Groovy" Channel 27, manned by a female hologram) was described by Lister earlier in Future Echoes.
- Cat claims he has to lick anyone who gives him food... even though he never licks Lister. Maybe it depends on the quality of the food? Fish > Krispies.
- We finally get to meet Yvonne McGruder. She was mentioned before in Me2 and Kryten. Rimmer also mentions Captain Hollister in this episode.
- The image of Rimmer from his fake autobiography book is a still from Me2.
RIMMER: What?! No. This is wrong. It's wrong. This is well wrong, Lister.
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