Red Dwarf VIII
What's in store for the crew of theRed Dwarfin their final adventures? Well, for one, they've all been re-created--even Arnold Rimmer (unfortunately)--by the Nanobots, but Lister, Kochanski, Cat, and Kryten are almost immediately in hot water for allegedly stealing theStarbug. From there, things get stranger (or back to normal byRed Dwarfstandards): it seems that everything the crew is experiencing is an artificial-reality creation programmed by theRed Dwarf's captain, Hollister ("Back in the Red, Part 2"); Rimmer discovers that despite his recent revival, he's doomed to die soon ("Cassandra"), which puts a serious crimp in his plan to finally make officer; the rewired Kryten turns a pet sparrow into a rampaging dinosaur ("Pete, Part 1") and turns a tidy profit by secretly filming women in the shower ("Krytie TV); and finally, the Grim Reaper comes to call in the series finale, "Only the Good Die Young," which reveals the fate of the entire crew. More bizarre than bittersweet, series 8 is classicRed Dwarflunacy and an inspired sendoff for this unique and clever U.K. cult TV series. As with previous DVD sets, series 8 is loaded with extras, including commentary by the cast on "Cassandra"; "The Tank," which offers interviews with the cast and crew; and featurettes on the show's origins and special model effects designer Bill Pearson. Rounding out the extras are deleted scenes, raw effects footage, a gallery of stills, a frothy "Fight!" music featurette comprised of brawl scenes from the series, a battery of promotional spots filmed for BBC and American PBS stations (as well as the amusingStar Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menaceparody that heralded the beginning of series 8), a 1984 "Dave Hollings: Space Cadet" radio sketch, and as always, a collection of "smeg-ups" (bloopers).--Paul Gaita