Stasis Leak is a fun time travel romp using its wacky premise to the fullest.
PLOT
The crew discover a portal to the past, so Lister and Rimmer enter a race to see who can save their preferred person (Kochanski or the human Rimmer respectively) first.
THOUGHTS
What mainly struck me about this episode is how comfortable it felt. The production, the writing, the acting all feels very relaxed and in the groove. Even when we flash back to the early days of Red Dwarf, you see Lister and Rimmer with a camaraderie they never had in series 1. In one scene, Cat is sitting on the bunk bed, just casually knitting his clothes in the background. It's all very familiar and cozy. Same goes for the idea. Stasis Leak is pretty shameless about the absurdity of its premise, lampooning the writers' thought process in a humorous conversation where the Cat keeps asking about how they arrived in the past and eventually arriving at "magic door? Why didn't you just say so!"
It's a level of silliness that the show toyed with in Confidence and Paranoia, but even there you have the excuse that we just don't know what three million years in deep space would do to pneumonia. This time, it's pretty much literally a magic door with some mumbo-jumbo technobabble thrown over it. Aside from the time travel goofiness, Stasis Leak is pretty much just another of Lister's attempts to win back Kochanski (Rimmer's subplot is so negligible that he apparently spends the entire episode ducking under a table).
What's surprising is that Lister actually wins, technically. The show establishes a future in which Lister wins, returns home and gets the girl, seemingly in defiance of the mournful tone we had only an episode before. I can only assume that Grant Naylor were operating under the assumption that the show might not last more than a few years, and baked in a potential happy ending.
CHARACTERS
The bunk bed scene between Rimmer and Lister is so incredibly wholesome that it almost feels out of character. I'm not someone who gets into shipping all that much, but the dialogue explicitly frames them as being like an old married couple, with Rimmer telling Lister he's given him "the best years of his life", and displaying overt jealousy at Lister wanting to return to Kochanski. It's so very cute, and Rimmer's struggling to admit to his feelings ("I don't like what you stand for, but for some odd reason...") is a good example of how much their relationship has already changed this early into the show.
Of course, they are who they are, so as soon as they get the oppurtunity to bring someone back, they're at loggerheads again, with Rimmer predictably trying to save his own hide (he seems unaware that if the original Rimmer survives, his holographic self would cease to exist) and Lister making a last ditch effort to have a proper family. This simple wish of Lister's is probably my favourite thing about him. The desire for a happy ending and to be surrounded by a loving family keeps him grounded and human, and is all the more relatable the further he gets from this goal (this is particularly true in the books, which turns Lister's constant misfortune into a running gag).
NOTES
- Kochanski (who is rocking that fedora, btw) had to know the accident was going to happen, right? So how come she died? Or is The End not directly canon anymore?
- Rimmer's curly hair is growing out of control. He'll have an afro soon.
- Why do the crew simply not alert Hollister about the drive plate? They could've done a fun subplot where the Cat tries to stop them lol.
- Only Rimmer would have specially designed pyjamas based on his uniform.
- The first appearance of the Holly watch.
- Cat somehow doesn't know what sex is, despite literally announcing his willingness to do it in Waiting for God. Maybe he only knows the technical term (as in, it's something you do with girls) and not the physical sensation?
- For the first and maybe only time, we have an internal voiceover from Lister ("I wonder what Rimmer is up to"). It goes by so quickly that I barely noticed it. Seemed kind of pointless.
- The effect of Rimmer hiding behind the desk is lost when you realise you can see under the desk and he's obviously not there.
- Cat stealing Future Lister's booze to share with Present Lister was cute.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
- The future Lister's beard matches that of his even older self from Future Echoes (and Kochanski was probably the writers' first answer for the existence of Jim and Bexley, before we actually got one).
- Similarly, the future Rimmer's beard matches the one he will have in Out of Time. Maybe that timeline being erased also led to the events depicted in this episode not happening?
- Aside from Kochanski, it was nice to see Hollister and Petersen again (Mark Williams actually gets to be funny in this one).
- It's been three years since The End.
- Rimmer again voices his fear of Lister abandoning him, just like he did in Future Echoes and Balance of Power.
FUNNIEST MOMENT
The XPress lift sequence with the woman who cheerfully talks about cyanide capsules.
SMEG OFF!
Rimmer being such a massive prick to Hollister in person wasn't believable. For one, he'd have been reassigned and for two, Rimmer wants promotion more than anything. I mean, sticking pencils up the captain's nose just over an incident with Lister? Why wasn't Rimmer the one going into stasis?
I also really think they should've given an explanation for why Lister didn't try to undo the original accident.
CONCLUSION
It's good turn-off-your-brain fun with some really heartfelt moments.
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