Anna Peekstok Communications
Seattle, WA 206-524-5050 ap@annapeekstok.com
Review: Red Dwarf 7: Byte 1 (video)
Published on Amazon.com in March 2000
The last man in the universe and his three pals (a servile robot, a humanoid descended from a cat, and a pompous hologram) continue their adventures in deep space, skating along the fine line between high concepts and humor that’s lower than a space weevil’s belly after it munches its way through a 10-year supply of chicken vindaloo.
The first three episodes of series 7 explore time paradoxes, parallel universes, and the meaning of good and evil, between bouts of outrageous physical comedy involving Lee Harvey Oswald, the knights of Camelot, and dental floss. Kryten the robot loses his inhibitions, Dave Lister takes his love of virtual-reality gaming way too far, and just when you start to think that all possible jokes involving four guys trapped on a spaceship and getting on each other's nerves have been exhausted, one character leaves and a new one joins the crew.
These changes may distress some fans, until they recall that the greatest charm of this unique sci-fi comedy has always been its refusal to take anything seriously—including itself. —Anna Peekstok