The plot of “White Hole” could be
best described as a perfect example of mission creep, which is when a goal or
task that is first assumed to be easy suddenly unravels into a grander conflict
with a wider scope than ever originally conceived. In this case, Holly’s showing her wear and
tear as a computer, so Kryten comes up with a complex plan to “reboot” and fix
her. At first, the plan seems to go
smoothly… that is until it goes awry, putting all of Red Dwarf at risk.
What this episode gets right is conveying
the level of danger that the boys are in on just spoken lines alone, with the
dialogues not only explaining what’s going on but showing how the characters
react to it. All the while, Grant &
Naylor still manage to throw in some well-executed lighthearted jokes and gags
that flow seamlessly with the mood.
Since most of the conflict is the boys trying to fix Holly—and thus, the
ship—before it’s too late, the jokes help keep the audience attentive and not
bored by all the technobabble before the climax.
One of the best things about
writing sci-fi is the ability to simplify technobabble in a way that the
average viewer can understand it while still making it believable. For one, the entire conflict is cryptically
foreshadowed when Kryten explains to Lister how he fixed Talkie Toaster. This is very well-done on the writer’s part
because the viewers likely won’t notice it until the second time they watch it
(and also, it’s so hard not to laugh watching Lister get pissed off at Talkie
Toaster). Also, the part where Kryten
explains the effects of being near a white hole holds value in its exposition,
but actually displaying the effects of the white hole on the crew in that same
scene gets more across—and done so in a very funny way while still keeping the
tension high. It’s “show don’t tell” at
its best.
As far as the crew is concerned, Kryten
gets to shine more than all the other boys, as he’s the one who’s informing the
crew on what’s happening on the ship. If
this episode’s conflict were a group project for school, then he’d be the guy
who does 99% of the work. Holly may be
mostly a McGuffin for this episode, but she is a character being a plot device
done right. Though the conflict is
mostly centered on her well-being, Holly still has enough agency to push the
plot in certain directions herself—especially since she spends most of the
episode with an IQ of over 12,000.
Another notable standout is Lister, who actually has an arc this
time—watching him get treated like dirt by both Rimmer and Cat (who act like
kind of a jerk in this one episode, even when compared to other episodes) and
have to prove himself—which he does by ending up being the one guy who saves
the whole crew—is handled in a way that is rewarding and satisfying.
After all, the part where he gets
to prove himself is visually amazing to watch, especially with a TV budget dated
to 1991. The climax has Holly develop a
ridiculous plan of moving planets, and the whole complexity is simplified by
Lister likening it to a game of pool—it is “pool with planets,” as he words
it. Saving most of the CGI for only the
computer screens is a great workaround to portray the action that is most
difficult to shoot. From what I’ve read,
those planets used for the actual space shots are scale models. The usage of pyrotechnics to simulate solar
flares and planets colliding add to the sense of practicality in this scene. (Tongue Tied)
The scale models of the planets (as well as Red Dwarf and Starbug,
of course) age better than any CGI special effects from ‘90s television (e.g. Babylon
5). It’s all-around impressive.
“White Hole” is a perfect example
of Red Dwarf taking its space opera potential to the full. It presents its scenario in a way that is
neither dumbed down nor too smart for the audience to comprehend. It also benefits greatly from staying
consistent with the tone of the show, with how the characters make do with the
situation according to their personalities.
Overall, the episode is proof that Red Dwarf can make a sci-fi
high concept thoroughly entertaining.
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