Ouroboros is an efficient introduction to the new Kochanski with some strong character development, but it's not very fun.
PLOT
The Starbug crew accidentally make contact with parallel universe versions of themselves, which includes Lister's old lover Kristine Kochanski. During a trade of supplies, the link is severed, leaving Kochanski stranded in our universe.
ANALYSIS
We've had good and bad and okay episodes, but Ouroboros surely has to be one of the most forgettable, existing purely to change the status quo. It's what I imagine Dad would have been for series 3, except back then Grant Naylor realised that merely resolving plot points does not a great story make (mind you, they made Backwards instead, so that isn't saying much...).
I'll give Doug Naylor credit for trying to make Red Dwarf more ambitious. The new emphasis on pathos and developing an ongoing narrative is most welcome. Resolving Lister's fate of being the last human by making him functionally immortal (his existence being a cycle) is to me as rich a concept as Rimmer's happy ending in Stoke Me a Clipper. It feels as if the show is braver or more daring now somehow, taking venues that perhaps wouldn't have been acceptable with Rob Grant's presence. They're also sacrificing a lot of the black comedy and sense of adventure in the process, though, so it's a bit of a two-edged sword. Do you want it to be a consistently entertaining sitcom or do you want solid character development? Apparently we can't have both at the same time.
Aside from Kochanski's arrival and the revelations surrounding Lister, nothing really happens in Ouroboros. It's formatted similarly to Dimension Jump, where the new character's presence is the entire story. And that's just not enough for me. What reason would I ever have to revisit Ouroboros when I could just watch a Red Dwarf episode that already has Kochanski and is also a fun time? The show would have been better off introducing her much more quickly and then maybe involving more of the GELF (whose appearance here is just pure fanwank). I'm not a big fan of the Neanderthal GELFs, but at least some space chase would have livened things up a bit.
CHARACTERS
I think it was unwise to throw in a Rimmer cameo immediately after his departure, but I did enjoy seeing a little bit of the old series 1 dynamic between him and Lister. It was a fun throwback.
Lister mostly felt like his old self, although Craig's new hammier acting style is still putting me off slightly (and he certainly doesn't recapture the goofy old Lister the same way that Barrie can effortlessly go back to his irritating anal retentive self)
Let's talk about Kochanski. I'm somewhat mixed on the new version. On her own merits, I really like her. I think Chloe Annette is fantastic, she's both gorgeous and a wonderful performer with a ton of range. The way that she takes Kryten's place as the sensible one while Kryten starts filling in for Rimmer as the neurotic is very cleverly handled.
On the other hand, I do feel bad for Clare Grogan, and must admit that Annette doesn't seem to be playing the same character at all (you can argue that it's the parallel Kochanski, but Lister certainly doesn't notice much different between the two).
NOTES
- Kryten apparently made Lister's tooth cap from "the skeleton in the Medi-Bay". Not sure what that's referring to, if anything.
- I hate the white stripes on Rimmer's alternate reality JMC uniform. On the other hand, Kochanski looks intensely hot. It's even prettier than her red PVC costume, which is already very fetching indeed.
- Props to whoever made the wood glue that supported Kochanski's weight.
- I appreciate that Kochanski feels genuinely upset about Kryten not liking her. It's an interesting character trait. Is she insecure, or just not used to not being fawned over?
- Robert Llewelyn's hip swaying walk is legendary.
- Danny John Jules' deep manly voice for the alternate Cat is hilarious.
- I love the alternate Lister's disappointed shrug when the time tunnel leaves Kochanski stuck with our Starbug crew a second time. As if he was almost expecting it.
- Why does the alternate Cat have "AD" emblazoned on his gold belt buckle?
- Why does Kryten smirk when he welcomes Kochanski aboard? I thought he hated her.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
- The Kinitawowi tribe from Emohawk attacks Starbug to try to return Lister to his GELF bride.
- Kryten references being left alone on the Nova 5, as we saw in Kryten. Apparently, Kryten's crew prior to the Nova 5 also died of old age.
- Kochanski's boyfriend Tim was previously mentioned in Psirens.
FUNNIEST MOMENT
KOCHANSKI: "Do you know what you'll get for smuggling a cat on board??"
LISTER: "What, cat-martialed?"
SMEG OFF!
All the business with the tooth cap and the pink bathrobe.
CONCLUSION
It's not without its merits, but it barely held my attention.
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