RD Vlogs: Meltdown

[@beebware]

It's Queen Victoria, not Mother Theresa who gets sneaked in to the Third Reich building by Kryten btw ;)

[@Cyborcat]

Ah, I guess it was, come to think of it. I'll fix that with an annotation.

[@apex2000]

Easy mistake to make if not hot on History of England...Though I do hope your not flooded by people highlighting this.

[@Cyborcat]

Bite me, they look similar =P

[@beebware]

Admittedly, if you don't know British history that well (or watched Blackadder's Christmas Carol which was on around the same time), it would have been easy to mistake. Larry, why don't you go play with Ashens for a bit ;)

[@Cyborcat]

I do actually know what she looks like, but I just didn't make the connection for some reason. I think it's because Mother Teresa was shown and mentioned a couple times before that, and when I saw another older woman wearing a dark dress, I just kind of thought "oh, there she is again" and didn't really pay attention beyond that =P

[@maxsmith8064]

Meltdown is surprisingly deep particularly at the end when Lister says that the wax droids can now 'happily decompose in a land of freedom', it makes a good point about how wars for freedom and democracy aren't necessarily justifiable.

[@monkfan72]

Didn't Lister beat Talky Toaster to death with a 14 lb. lump hammer for being annoying? So it's okay with intelligent toasters but not for wax droids?

[@maxsmith8064]

@@monkfan72 but the wax droids never asked him if he wanted any toast

[@monkfan72]

@@maxsmith8064 But Talkie Toaster's raison d'etre is to toast. "I toast therefore I am."

[@maxsmith8064]

@@monkfan72 good point

[@jonharrison9222]

And the first gulf war was going on at the time.

[@davidreeder43]

I think it's a great touch that Elvis was Rimmer's Sergeant, since Elvis actually WAS a Sergeant.

[@zachgamemaster3329]

The Pooh bit always gets a chuckle out of me. Just the thought of a childhood favorite character being executed by the worst in human history is really dark, but you're not allowed to see it because they A.couldn't get the rights to him, B.couldn't pull it off with a guy in a suit, and C. find it really dark for a comedy show. I think the chuckle comes from Lester saying it's "somethin no one should ever have to see."

[@GozUnlimited]

Zach Gamemaster I think "he's refusing the blindfold" is the line of the show for me

[@MichaelCarter1967347053]

Cat's reaction is priceless when lister said "it's Winnie the Pooh"

[@Jotari]

"Oh bother."

[@thesmithersy]

And no blindfold, Pooh went out like a badass!

[@YggdrasilAudio]

Alan Moore: "Write that down! Write that down!"

[@pyjama_critic]

I assumed Oliver Hardy died in battle at an earlier point, he is a larger target. x

[@Johnno9989]

I thought the same thing.

[@adambesley4455]

It would explain why poor Laurel is always on the verge of tears.

[@bri55118]

Probably olivers last words where "here's another fine mess you got me into" before he died.

[@jackmehoffe9372]

I always keep coming back to your vlogs on red dwarf. Its like my childhood explained

[@dennett316]

This was the first episode of Red Dwarf I saw...well, partial. I came in just around when Whinnie the Pooh gets executed, and that gag and Lister's reaction to it was enough to make me an instant fan. Didn't see season 1 and 2 until several years after 3-6 because they weren't shown on TV as reruns, and weren't available on video in the UK until later than the others.

[@Majorhappysaccount]

It was also my first episode, my bedtime was 9 but i was allowed to stay up half an hour to watch it.

[@itaylevin4555]

I really love this episode it's hilarious! I think the inspiration came from the original "Westworld" movie. It seems that way since they call the planet Waxworld.

[@MK-rk4no]

At 1:50 notice how the chair moves when Rimmer gets up from his seat.

[@Cyborcat]

Oops. They should have put an H on it XD

[@Nightman221k]

I love this episode. It's one of my favorites.

[@GnomeChildForHarambe]

I'm surprised you didn't point out that Caligula was played by the same actor as the restaurant host from Better Than Life.

[@Cyborcat]

11:26

[@robvegas9354]

it is a top shelf episode packed with laughs and great scenes.

[@jonharrison9222]

Worth remembering the gulf war was breaking out when this series aired.

[@andrewtickle2367]

You missed the aeroplane outtake ... That was great. "You too!" Had me laughing my ass off

[@stephencaesar6475]

I can’t believe you didn’t include the exchange between Cat and Lister about the “rope motif” with a “noosey theme.” Funniest dialogue exchange in the glorious Red Dwarf universe.

[@Helbore]

I remember watching this when it first aired as a child. The bit where Ghandi runs across the battlefield and is unceremoniously blown up made me laugh more than anything else ever had at the time. My friend and I were literally rolling around on the floor struggling to breathe from laughter! Sure, we were young. But then I think we Brits do have something of a sick sense of humour! (The only scene anywhere else that made me laugh as much was the "dog eat dog," scene in A Fish Called Wanda. You'll know it if you've seen it!)

[@GideonGleeful95]

In an alternative universe, where the main source for Gandhi was the Civilization series, he would be evil.

[@Carewolf]

And Queen Victoria would most definitaly have been there, were it not a British show.

[@PassiveSmoking]

For me it was Noel Coward's last words. "Ah, shot"

[@parlerdisscuteretsameliore6005]

Fun fact Caligula’s lines are a reference to the Juanita storyline in the book “Better than Life” where they spend most of the novel stuck in BTL, Rimmer marries her and she cheats on him in a number of very creative ways, some of which are mentioned in this episode.

[@MadScientist512]

I think Kryten sounds a lot like David Attenborough, surely there's some influence. That wax genocide always got to me and fridge horror was the very expression I was thinking of while watching this so it's nice to hear someone think along the same lines; I've just gotta apply the MST3K mantra to episodes like this to make'em palatable :)

[@MichaelCarter1967347053]

There was a smeg up of the scene at 7:39, the full metal jacket parody scene, and out of nowhere, there's always an aircraft overhead and ruined the scene. Took like idk 3 takes I guess

[@Cyborcat]

Oh yeah, I remember that from the making-of documentary.

[@darthdevious]

According to Robert Llewellyn, Kryten's accent is supposed to be Canadian.

[@Cyborcat]

Hmm, I thought I remembered him saying that it at least started out as American, but oh well. It doesn't really sound Canadian either XD

[@darthdevious]

True, but every now and then he does pronounce a word or tow like a Canadian, for example how he says pasta in season 6 :)

[@davidjames579]

Kryten's voice reminds me a bit of Lloyd Grossman, who is American, but speaks with a very posh American accent. He's also lived in the UK for a long time, so that may have had a bearing on it. I suppose Mid-Atlantic is the best description. Kryten also I think is not meant to sound like an American person, but a cheesy advertising like voice. Very efficient and very slick, but not cold and mechanical.

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

I've not read his book for ages but I'm sure he said there was a bit of Swedish in there too

[@angusroberts2548]

“That’s something that no one should ever had to see.” 😂😂😂

[@raymondhamill270]

when Rimmer says thank you Sgt Presley I think it is also a reference to Elvis also being in the army

[@Cyborcat]

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten he was in the army.

[@MrMortull]

Was he not also a Sergeant by the end of that?

[@TheBeird]

“He’s refusing the blindfold” sent me into hysterics

[@guyjackson2062]

In Rimmer's defence here, it looks like the good droids were on the verge of being wiped out by the time the Dwarfers arrived on Waxworld. Obviously, Rimmer being Rimmer, he ended up wiping them out anyway, but in principle I think he was right about their need for a leader to whip them into fighting shape.

[@EthalaRide]

Wow, this did seem like a dark up episode. My thought about turning up the thermostat was that maybe it would melt the wax away, leaving their robot parts intact, so they wouldn't know who was a bad guy or good guy, stopping the fighting and leaving them to develop their own personalities and individuality... but nope, genocide.

[@kickingroses8925]

Considering the huge character growth spurt Rimmer has between this episode and Holoship, maybe that journey through Listy's innards actually did him some good! XD Btw looking forward to you reviewing S5, I think its the best series overall. Most toe the perfect line between dark sci fi and great comedy.

[@callinater6133]

But then he decided to quarantine the others for 3 months lol

[@humantornadah]

John Lenahan was the first voice of talkie toaster. Tony Hawks was a vending machine. I used to get it confused too.

[@mariodude345]

The Actress who played the Marilyn Monroedroid was eerily similar to the real woman haha

[@Mykalwane]

First episode I saw was this on Pbs after Tom Baker Doctor Who. It's why I've seen majority of the episode around midnight. Along with most British shows. I often be drinking a beer before passing out when it aired. Still that scene with Winnie the Pooh made me want to see them all

[@Nige031077]

I could be wrong, but I think the transition from one scene to another is a homage to The Man from U.N.C.L.E series. ☺

[@MamLewis]

Tony Hawks, the comedian, obviously keeps getting confused for the skater. He eventually played up to it and wrote a book called The A to Z of Skateboarding.

[@Baeraad]

Well, there was that time I negotiated a peace between the Earl of Salisbury and the Steward of Levcomagus, and managed to get the latter to find religion at the same time. That Diplomacy crit couldn't have come at a better time! ... ... yes, I realise that I'm even less cool than Rimmer right now. Yes, that bothers me. :P

[@TheTribalgame]

Whinny the pooh refused the blindfold. Went out like a G!

[@MoldyWarts]

The Pooh clip is the first RD clip I saw - it's why I started watching the show.

[@deanmottershead9208]

What is a steer?

[@Cyborcat]

www.google.com/search?safe=active&sxsrf=ALeKk03J6F8AnsWiQM_Gi9qYKx7ieMf8cQ%3A1599512749888&ei=raBWX9fiNYXp-gT7ra3wCg&q=what+is+a+steer&oq=what+is+a+steer&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIHCAAQFBCHAjICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoNCC4QxwEQowIQJxCTAjoECCMQJzoICC4QxwEQowI6BAgAEEM6BQgAEIsDOgsILhDHARCjAhCLA1C5bljZe2D5fWgAcAB4AIABYYgB1giSAQIxNZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXq4AQLAAQE&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiX7ZSq-dfrAhWFtJ4KHftWC64Q4dUDCA0&uact=5

[@MrMortull]

I don't know if anyone's mentioned this yet (probably) but I'd like to add that Meltdown was meant to air as the premier of the series, but was bumped to the back of the pile because of the outbreak of the Gulf War, BBC being concerned that it would be a bit too on the nose if it was broadcast right after the news airing. That sort of adds another wrinkle to the disturbing here by accidentally bringing up both imperialism and worrying parallels to Saddam.

[@kosmokat111]

Ya know a thought occurs, they're like, 3 million light years away from earth right? since the transporter can take you to an S3 planet within 500'000 light years, why not just jump from S3 planet, to S3 planet, on your way to earth. maybe battery life?

[@ameliasegan2138]

5:08 I read that grimdark to

[@Cyborcat]

It's definitely memorable.

[@MichaelBrookham]

I think I liked it a lot more than you did. I thought it was brilliant. It was one of the episodes I noticed that remained with the consistency of the show, rather than veer off and give someone the chance to do something it is said throughout the show that he cannot do for one reason or another. I think my favourite of the figures was Pythagoras, because of how he brings up triangles in just about every second sentence he says, and it drives Einstein crazy. Great episode: Meltdown

[@Cyborcat]

Not sure why you think I didn't like it.

[@MichaelBrookham]

I just thought it was one of the best, and well done.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

The Hitler's fireplace scene always flashes me over to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade... Indi and his Dad...

[@zephyr8072]

You can tell it must've been a British run museum since Queen Victoria isn't one of the evil droids.

[@Simcore999]

Best end song ever!

[@lordbarristertimsh8050]

I think the reason Laurel didn't have Hardy with him was to imply Hardy had been killed off earlier, the villains splitting up an important duo, evil is petty: and all that.

[@Cyborcat]

Well, yeah. It's why there were so few of them to begin with.

[@lordbarristertimsh8050]

@@Cyborcat Touché

[@EnforcerX71]

I love this episode, my only thing about it is that as a series ending is doesn't feel like a "season finale" compared to most others, especially when you compare it to Series III's The Last Day, V's Back to Reality, VI's Out of Time, VII's Nanarchy and VIII's Only The Good. But the highlight for me is definitely "Elvis" singing the theme song in the credits.

[@Cyborcat]

Very true. If I remember correctly, I *think* it originally wasn't going to be the last one--the episodes got shuffled around.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Oliver Hardy got 'zapped' first...he was a bigger target.

[@Cyborcat]

Good point XD

[@charlesjunior5087]

Can someone explain the blooper?

[@zachgamemaster3329]

It's meant to be stone. He knocks on it and makes a wooden sound. This makes everyone laugh, ruining the take.

[@charlesjunior5087]

oh okay, but what's the dump?

[@CrittersRule247]

He was saying dub - as in when they edit they will dub the wood sound over with a stone sound.

[@LadyLunarSatine]

I love seeing these and on a related note, I can't get over thinking "Rainbow Dash Vlogs" when I see the supertitle to these videos.

[@MrATN800]

I think the burger line was more of a reference to the Elvis Burger, somthing he used to eat at the theyday of his career, to go through his crazy schedule. It was a monster 1400-ish calories a serving.

[@NebLleb]

Meltdown... Like the episode before it (Dimension Jump), it's a very fascinating episode. It's basically an anti-war story, with the message being that wars for freedom can't be justified. And it's also probably the highlight of Season 4 in my opinion. Chris Barrie was having WAAAAAAAY too much fun in this episode, and in fact this episode sums up WHY Rimmer is actually my favourite character of the cast: He's the universe's biggest, most egotistical disastrous buttmonkey, so give him an army of wax droids and a commanding position, and... Yeah, whaddaya think was gonna happen? It's probably why Invader Zim gained a fan following and eventually a straight-to-Netflix sequel film in the 2010s: We love seeing characters like Rimmer and Zim fail epically, sometimes with catastrophic repercussions. And the times they actually succeed at what they try to do are definitely worth savouring.

[@MrATN800]

The elvis burger bit was I think a reference to the fact that he was in fact known for his extraordinary daily calorie consumption. Before he got fat in his Vegas years.

[@GamerWho]

You need a robot Hitler counter now.

[@optimisticwhovian1726]

I didn't realise there were so many refrigeration terms tied to television, first you used "locked in a freezer" to describe a one room setting in a show and now you've dropped "fridge horror" which is related to fridge logic. Ive never heard any of these terms before. As for Meltdown it gets a little too ham fisted and precious with it's anti war message at the end for me after all these were only droids he didn't kill real people and it is a comedy.

[@Cyborcat]

A lot of those terms I use are from TV Tropes, I'm a bit addicted to that site =P

[@optimisticwhovian1726]

Yes that's basically where I had to go to find them, Ive never heard them before ever, well you've educated me anyway with your videos so thanks :) @@Cyborcat

[@stephencaesar6475]

I strongly agree: Lister’s self-righteous anti-war speech at the end kind of sours this episode for me. Rimmer defeated fascists; as a good liberal, Lister should have been happy about it.

[@courtneywoodbury5198]

Seems odd that bullets would effect wax droid bodies the same as flesh. You'd think they'd be fine as long as no vital parts were hit.

[@toomanyaccounts]

i presume that they are some sort of special substance that is refered to as wax because the real name is too cumbersome for most people to recall and the wax droids are just programmed to refer to it as wax.

[@davematthews8520]

I wonder if hardy had be killed by the point the crew arrived. It would explain why only half of the double act was there

[@Cyborcat]

I think that goes without saying.

[@JKOT05]

IMHO Hardy joined evil droids.

[@ridbensdale]

I’m sure Kryten’s accent was supposed to be Canadian.

[@Cyborcat]

It sounds even less like Canadian to me, tho XD

[@Bellpipe41]

I always wondered why a theme planet with historical characters from earth would be so far into deep space.

[@Cyborcat]

Good point XD

[@jaxtonlango3287]

It was 3 million years. They would've had plenty of time to explore outside the solar system

[@polkadot8788]

I thought the teleport maybe took them closer to earth

[@callinater6133]

Actually, it likely wasn’t 3 million years away from earth at all. Kryten stated that the planet was 200,000 light years away from their location, and they only managed to get there by a teleporter.

[@whoselineforever2986]

I never thought about it until now, but Meltdown and South Park's Imagionationland is basically the same thing. Kinda.

[@Cyborcat]

Oh yeah, they are similar.

[@Wabajck]

Was it season 6 when it takes a more dramatic angle? I anticipate your commentary on that season

[@Cyborcat]

That was Season 7. Definitely an interesting point in the series.

[@1interesting2]

You meant senior drill instructor Heartman.

[@FildasKirk]

Ah, the first ever episode I saw. My introduction to the Red Dwarf - I instantly loved it. BTW, Cyborcat, when you do Holoship, do you think the Enlightenment's uniforms are parody of Star Trek - The Wrath of Khan uniforms? Share your thoughts please.

[@Cyborcat]

Interesting--it seems like a lot of people are saying this is their first episode. And I'm not seeing a similarity between the Enlightment uniforms and the Starfleet uniforms in Wrath of Kahn. Aren't they a red tunic and black pants, where the Enlightment uniforms were red and gold bodysuits?

[@FildasKirk]

Well, at the time, the Red Dwarf was being broadcast by my country TV all the time in a loop - all 8 series, then again from ep. 1. I just jumped in in ep. 24. So just a coincidence :D As for the uniforms - in Star Trek, take notice of the frontal flap of the tunic (it is usually closed, but it's shape is indicated by the black line, going from the left side of a neck to below right shoulder, then down on the right front side) and the patch on the right shoulder (where rank insignia is). Now compare with Red Dwarf - the front has sort of a flap of the same shape, it just is in gold like soft fabric. It is held by gold patch going over the right shoulder, just without any rank insignia. Also the "collar" is sort of "fluted" (not smooth, it has these vertical lines as if it was sewn there). In RD it is also gold, in ST it is the department color. Well, anyway, the episode premiered in 1992, almost a decade after the first ST movie with this uniform (althought they did use them in movies all the way to this date). Perhaps I am seeing more than there really is. Thanks for commenting.

[@Axaul]

Roll on Series V then...

[@willadeefriesland5107]

I was the D&D player that did that!... our group took out Tiamat!

[@Megaspartan23]

Maybe the Winnie the Pooh that was executed was the Blood & Honey version but was killed because he refused to follow Hitler's orders.

[@Cyborcat]

It's funny the stuff that's come out since I made this video. Not just Blood and Honey, but there was a South Park episode where Randy went to China and ended up graphically murdering Pooh. My response to that was about the same as Lister's.

[@Megaspartan23]

Did Randy Marsh kill Winnie the Pooh?

[@edwardedwards6785]

I had a friend who was exactly like rimmer with risk stories. Now I have another friend who’s like that with video games. Lol

[@Cyborcat]

I think everyone knows someone like that XD

[@ghostparty2062]

I think Kryten was just going for a robotic accent and it just came out Americanish.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Yep, the Queen mum...

[@SDK2K9]

9:20. KRYTEEEEEN!!! XD

[@Burori1]

Shouldn't Mother Theresa technically be with the villains? BO;;;

[@kickingroses8925]

Oooh snap!

[@Foebane72]

Yep, Mother Theresa was definitely out for herself and blaming God for it.

[@adamsanter9385]

'Hands Uch! Pig Dogs!'

[@ThePunk7777]

Reminds of Mister Lonely.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Caligula literally 'Little Boots'... :)

[@Cyborcat]

Yep. He hated that nickname.

[@stephencaesar6475]

His real name: Gaius

[@jordangreen9201]

I love this

[@willadeefriesland5107]

And let's not forget Elvis Presley was in the service...

[@RThyrring]

As a D&D player myself, we actually do sometimes 😜

[@reloadpsi]

Also Rimmer's "amazing" game of Risk blatantly comes down to a run of dumb luck.

[@callinater6133]

Though rimmer is often unlucky in a lot of situations.

[@reloadpsi]

@@callinater6133 And the few runs of luck he does have make him genuinely believe he's hot shit. Unsurprising really.

[@callinater6133]

@@reloadpsi yeah I think that’s the point of the scene. That rimmer is such a sad loser that his finest moment is beating someone at risk. Gotta love rimmer.

[@PassiveSmoking]

A lot of fans hate this one. I personally think it's hilarious but I do get why it's not liked because it again forces the characters into a bad place. You already covered keyten but then there's rimmer. It's possible this was the result of a malfunction but there's also an implication that rimmer had this in him all along (with the risk stuff at the start). So either rimmer is a mass murderer (something the show has worked hard to exonerate him of with episodes like justice) or it was a malfunction in which case lister is to blame but refuses to accept any responsibility. So I laughed a lot but some of them were uncomfortable laughs.

[@callinater6133]

I do think it’s due to a malfunction otherwise the writers wouldn’t have brought attention to it by having kryten bring it up. Kryten is written to be the source of exposition and is very rarely wrong about most things. Though I didn’t like how they just glossed over that detail. Maybe lister simply forgot or didn’t listen to kryten.

[@thomasgrogan7296]

Excuse me mother Theresa, the wax droid Kryten snuck in the evil wax droid base was clearly queen Victoria, she was wearing a wide dress and had a bun with a vail, mother Theresa was obviously the nun looking wax droid that got blown up on the battlefield.

[@Cyborcat]

There's a pinned comment about this!

[@thomasgrogan7296]

@@Cyborcat yeah I saw that last minute, I apologise if that was a bit harsh about how I said that.

[@Cyborcat]

@@thomasgrogan7296 Thanks, I appreciate it.

[@leejones66]

I do not like this episode something seems off about it plus the scene transitions are make up for the space shots not being in the episode

[@adamsanter9385]

The romanticisation of war is an inaccurate truth

[@reoreborn]

Its funny how thos one is often voted aa the one of the worst episodes of RD (series 1-6). It has an odd feel to it but i personally likenit.

[@dvd11811]

The Mother Teresa wax droid is actually Queen Victoria ... I believe the Mother Teresa Droid is the one who bites the bullet after Gandhi...

[@Cyborcat]

See the pinned comment.

[@d.fortner6653]

Rimmer looks like ben savage a little bit.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Oh, Pooh!

[@dissident_media]

It's queen Victoria

[@Cyborcat]

There's a 4-year-old pinned comment about that.

[@dissident_media]

@@Cyborcat my bad. Still, mother teresa 😁

[@ANIMALFLYER456]

That wasn't mother Teresa sneaking on the bad guys, it was queen Victoria the first. But not being a Brit, I wouldn't have excepted you to know that. I'm binge watching your episodes cause I love your retrospective

[@Cyborcat]

Thanks, glad you're liking the series. Yah, the Mother Theresa/Queen Victoria thing was a brain fart. I think it was because they mentioned Mother Theresa earlier and then when they showed Queen Victoria later and didn't mention her by name, I saw an older woman wearing a black and white dress and my brain just went "there she is again" and I just didn't really think about it. I did add an annotation about it afterwards, but apparently most people aren't using devices where they show up anymore.

[@ANIMALFLYER456]

Thanks to responding to my comment, I've loved the show ever since I was a child, and apart from the actor who played Kat, I've met all the actors at MCM Manchester over the last 3 years or so, Rimmer was always my favourite, so I got tongue tied when I met him. He was awesome thou and I have a great photo of Rimmer, me and my then 3year old daughter. She's five now and watches the show with me when ever it's on TV Link to photo:facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=785668464829132&set=a.162918217104163.41320.100001579568673&type=3&theater

[@Dim4323]

THEIR ONLY WAX DROIDS

[@Cyborcat]

And you're only a shallow incurious person with a broken keyboard. So I guess no one's perfect.