Tikka to Ride is a pretty great sci-fi story... not sure about the Red Dwarf side of it, though!
PLOT
In an ill-conceived attempt to steal curry supplies from the past, the Starbug crew accidentally end up in 1963 and prevent the assassination of President Kennedy, thus erasing their own future. With Earth in a post-apocalyptic state, it's up to the crew to save all of humanity.
ANALYSIS
There's a pervading atmosphere of self-awareness with Tikka. Co-creator Rob Grant having left the show, the reins were left solely to Doug Naylor, who began to focus on building the franchise towards a feature film. One of the obstacles to overcome was the episode count: 52 episodes would allow the show to enter syndication. I'm too young to know why that number was relevant for syndication or what that had to do with making the film, but there you go. And with its six completed series, the show was still 16 episodes short so Doug brought it back for a marathon run to reach the much-vaunted movie target. I believe there was also an aim to update the look and style to match these cinematic ambitions.
In short, it's more like a revival trying to establish itself rather than an earnest seventh season. I'm left with very mixed feelings. The redesign of Starbug is visually appealing, for sure. But it looks so big and safe now that the search for Red Dwarf is essentially obsolete. The various supply issues have also disappeared. There's entire crates of Indian food, and Kryten whips up some pancakes and toast with syrup. The idea of a crappy little ship trying to survive against all odds is abandoned, and I can only assume Doug did not immediately re-introduce Red Dwarf as a setting only because he wanted to build up to the moment. But my point is that the show is less compelling for it. Other changes such as the single-camera cinematography, the set design, lack of a laugh track and even the acting contribute to an overall feeling of Americanisation. That isn't necessarily a bad thing (it's professionally made and quite atmospheric at times), but it's different to the kind of Red Dwarf that I'm used to. It's alien. If Red Dwarf USA took off, then this is probably what it would be like. It's fine to watch, but it's not home if that makes any sense.
Now then, let's talk about Tikka to Ride itself. As I mentioned at the start, I think that as a time travel story detached from the Red Dwarf elements itself, it's very good. Probably the cleverest retelling of the assassination anyone could ever write. I mean, how do you top "JFK as the man behind the grassy knoll"? The fact that it doesn't just tackle who did it, but Kennedy's legacy as a whole is superb, even educational. Not being American, I didn't know the kind of man he was behind the scenes until seeing this. The sequence of events leading to the Soviet takeover is exaggerated, but works well enough. Seeing the cast on location in a historical setting is a refreshing change of pace too, and that little part of the episode where they're camping in the abandoned Dallas streets is the highlight for me personally.
But that's where the positives end. As a Red Dwarf episode, it's poor. For starters, the dialogue feels off. I can only assume Doug relied heavily on Rob to deliver the zingers. It's difficult to describe, but the banter between the crewmembers has always had this smooth pace and a naturalistic delivery (well, except for some of Cat's deader-than-tank-tops jokes). Now it feels awkward and stilted. The jokes themselves aren't bad, but there was just something so real about the way Rob shaped them. Doug will partially adapt to Rob's absence as time goes on, but it's a rough start.
The time paradox that destroys the crew's future selves is entirely ignored when it comes to Kennedy. His fate is literally the same, but nothing comes of it.
Worst of all is what they did to Lister.
CHARACTERS
Tikka to Ride is to Lister what Bodyswap was for Rimmer. He's turned into an unlikable cartoon version of himself devoid of any morals or rationality, just there as a vehicle for laughs. Lister has been a selfish prat before, but always against authority and never risking lives. It doesn't help that Craig Charles is noticeably hammier than he was in the previous series. Supposedly he picked up some acting lessons, but all I see is more gurning.
If I was feeling charitable towards Doug, I'd say the disastrous rewrite of Lister's personality has something to do with Chris Barrie's upcoming departure. With him out of the picture, someone had to pick up the "prat baton" and this may have been an experiment to see how Craig could handle it. Fortunately, it's a one-off.
Speaking of Chris, I was surprised to see how muted he was. There's a bit of the old Rimmer in that extended final scene, but for the majority of the episode, he's very detached and doesn't even needle Lister about bungling up history. I suppose he was phoning it in as he was nearly done with the show, but in the context of the next episode, it works rather nicely as a way of showing Rimmer's increased maturity.
The Cat's pretty much the same as always aka he has bugger all to do except provide the occasional oneliner. We'll have to wait until the Dave seasons to see Danny's true potential as a comedian. Not that he's bad or unfunny, but the Cat is never laugh-out-loud funny to me until the 21st century episodes. I don't know what happened, but the skill and timing Danny acquires in his old age is mesmerising compared to the classic stuff. By the end of the show, he's outshining everyone. But here he's just a sidenote still.
Robert as the mischievous unhinged Kryten (going back to his shtick in Polymorph) is great fun. He's the biggest source of entertainment. "Pork away!" We're about to see him take on a much bigger and polarising role this season...
NOTES
- The extended sequence points out that the time drive could get Lister and Rimmer back to their own period in history, but they choose not to in order to avoid contaminating the timeline. While I accept that there are some moral questions to be had (how much would their return alter other people's lives etc), I'm not really sure it's in Lister and Rimmer's nature to be that careful. It's a very very flimsy excuse.
- The locations filmed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (the big wind tunnels) look incredibly gorgeous. It's funny how much Starbug has advanced since its introduction lol.
- Kryten's prop heads bear an eerie resemblance to how he looked like in series 3.
- I adore the car hood gag with Kryten's skull.
- Why does Lister start pulling a random cable from outside the window, and why is Lee Harvey Oswald dead silent when he's about to fall out of a building?
- You'd think that even a Kryten without his guilt chip would be able to navigate his way via his memories of what is and is not acceptable by human customs.
- What exactly is that extended sequence implying by having Starbug abandon Lister? Where are Rimmer, Cat and Kryten going to go without him? I know it's just a joke and all, but it falls flat when you think they'll probably have to turn around right after the end credits to collect him.
- Ed Bye has returned to the directing chair for the first time since Meltdown. Not that you could tell, to be honest. I don't think any director has really stood out in this show on a stylistic level.
- Tikka to Ride is a direct sequel to Out of Time.
- Kryten's Spare Head 2 previously appeared in DNA.
- Lister is now 28. He was 25 when the show started. Don't even try to figure out the math on that.
SMEG OFF!
The scene in which Lister mourns the loss of the curry supplies. I just don't care.
CONCLUSION
Tikka is not without its merits, but it's more of a Star Trek episode than a Red Dwarf one. All the Dwarf elements feel very awkward in it, doubly so because we've just lost Rob Grant.
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