Polymorph (paw-lee-morf)
Noun.
A vampiric GELF (genetically
engineered lifeform) that can take the form of anything—anything—and
feeds on the negative emotions of its prey.
(In addition to preying on live creatures, the Polymorph is also able to
prey on mechanoids and holograms. Don’t
question the logic.)
The conflict of “Polymorph” taps
into the psychology of the boys on Red Dwarf in a way that is direct and
easy to understand. Before the Polymorph
wreaks havoc on the ship, the episode establishes the characters’ normal
personalities very clearly. For
instance, the episode opens with Lister making breakfast with medical lab
equipment. This scene shows a look
inside the mind of a man who’s living his third year with three other eccentric
shipmates on the same ship after being frozen in time for 3 million years. What works about it is how it completely
sells this as a lighthearted comedic moment perfectly. Though it may help if the viewer has first
watched maybe a few other episodes to get a better understanding of the
characters in their normal states, any first-time viewer will find it easy to
pick up on those personalities.
There is an insecurity in every
member of the crew that the Polymorph exploits.
When the Polymorph takes that negative emotion away, it’s so funny
seeing the characters have completely different personalities. My favorite of the bunch is Rimmer losing his
anger and literally turning into an upper middle class liberal college hipster. I don’t know what’s the best thing about
him—is it that the costume designer nailed the stereotype so perfectly, right
down to the smoking pipe? Or just the
fact that his demeanor has completely changed to a calm and collected academic
who talks like he’s writing for Pitchfork? Whatever the case, it also allows Chris
Barrie to show off a different side of his acting chops, and he does it well.
Considering this was made on the
low budget of a late ‘80s to early ‘90s sitcom, the Polymorph animatronics look
quite dated by today’s standards, with the small Polymorph puppet looking really
fake today. But you have to admit, the
Polymorph in its giant form is actually very convincing, with the suction
tongue being the most realistic part of the monster. You get a sense of the scale of the monster
and how threatening it is in its full form.
The Polymorph’s transformation effects are just sudden jump cuts, but
they happen at such a fast speed they are actually come off as really
funny. However, that puppet kebab that’s
moving on Lister’s plate looks so realistic in 2019 it’s quite shocking. It comes to show that practical effects tend
to age not all that differently than CGI.
“Polymorph” is home to some of
the most hilarious scenes on Red Dwarf.
Along with the aforementioned scene with Lister making breakfast,
there’s also Cat running away from the particle beams and Rimmer relaxing over
some old home movies of himself, his brothers, and his mother. By far the funniest part has to be when the
Polymorph first attacks Lister in his quarters.
Just everything about this scene is perfect, from Lister’s frantic
desperation to the sheer insanity of the gags that happen. What I also love about this scene is how it
introduces the Polymorph as being scary and unpredictable with how it can
change its form so quickly.
“Polymorph” represents Red
Dwarf at its best. It injects a
straightforward science fiction horror concept with a huge set of crazy gags
and antics, all going off of the comedic timing of its eccentric cast. It epitomizes so much of what makes the show
just so funny to watch.
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