We loved the original’s hilarious chaos, so, yeah, we’re feelin’ pretty groovy right now:
Red Dwarf1 X: Trojan spoiler-free review
by Pete Dillon-Trenchard
When Dave announced that it would be making a new six-part Red Dwarf series after 2009’s Back to Earth, it’s fair to say that many fans were cautious in their optimism; the three-part special had taken the characters down a much more dramatic route, and seemed to mark a shift in direction for the Boys from the Dwarf, one which took them away from their sitcom roots. WouldRed Dwarf X continue this trend?
Put simply: no. Trojan, the first episode of Red Dwarf’s tenth series, immediately feels more like the classic show than anything that’s been broadcast in nearly twenty years, with a pair of opening scenes which each contain some strong jokes and build to neat crescendos for the characters. And yet, nothing here is without a purpose; both of these scenes contain gags that have superb pay-offs later in the episode – there’s one Cat moment in particular about halfway through the episode which is up there with some of the show’s greatest scenes.
It’s hard to say too much about Trojan without giving away the plot, but it’s a Rimmer-centric episode, with some ties to the past which will please long-term fans whilst not alienating any of the new ones. The entire final third of the episode is a treat, with lines and visuals that border on parody of another much-loved franchise, and some excellent guest performances from Susan Earl and in particular Mark Dexter, who brings out the worst in Rimmer in all the best ways.
Easily the star of the episode, though, is Danny John-Jules as Cat. Seeming far more comfortable in the role than he has for a very long time, Danny steals pretty much every scene he’s in, thanks in part to a script filled with some classic Cat lines.
This is very welcome news to us but still leaves one embarrassing question:
What the hell is “Dave?”