The End (Red Dwarf episode)
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The End is the very first episode of Red Dwarf. It aired on February 15, 1988.
Plot
Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer have been assigned to fix the chicken soup machine as it has been on the fritz again. After a successful mission, they meet up with Todd, a superior officer, who checks up on Rimmer's constant reports on Lister, then leaves.Soon, Todd arrives at a funeral commemorating the death of MacIntire, who's remains are fired off into space. Everyone is brought to the hall for the "welcome back George MacIntire" service.
Everyone is sat at tables, Lister with his group of friends, Peterson, Selby and Chen, while Rimmer sits alone. George, Todd and Captain Frank Hollister are sat at the desk at the front of the hall, celebrating the return of George as a hologram. The cake is cut and everyone cheers.
Rimmer starts to worry about his upcoming astro-navigation exam and schemes to cheat on it by writing all over his body. He leaves, and it is then that Lister climbs out of his bunkbed and his caring side is shown. He has a cat which is given milk and cared for, and is seemingly pregnant.
At the examination hall, Rimmer prepares to cheat, but the ink on his arm has stained and been smudged. He ends up with ink on his hand, which he then proceeds to put onto the exam paper, sign it, salute, and then faint.
Lister is about to be seen by the Captain, but beforehand he talks to Kristine Kochanski, a navigation officer and love-interest of Dave. Unfortunately the conversation is cut short as the Captain has an urgent discussion. It turns out that Lister's cat, named Frankenstein, has been discovered by accident when he sent the photographs of himself with the cat to be processed in the ship's laboratory. Therefore, he is given an ultimatium; go to statis for eighteen months and lose his wages, or give up Frankenstein to be cut up and have tests done on it. He chooses the former.
Going to statis and being guided by Todd, he meets with Rimmer, who is in a strecher after failing his examination. Rimmer is taken away as Todd explains the rules of statis. Then, Lister enters the chamber, and is left, seemingly for the time set.
However, when he comes out, he discovers that no-one is around, and after being constantly told by Holly, the ship's computer, everyone is dead. He reaches the navigation area where Rimmer, as a hologram, enters the room. The former crewmember blames Lister for his death, although it was his own fault for failing to fix the drive plate. As the two explore Red Dwarf, a being known as the Cat appears, making himself "look big."
In the quarters, Lister mentions Frankenstein, which sparks a religious statement from Cat, labelling Frankenstein as the "holy mother" and the "virgin birth", who was saved by "Cloister the Stupid", and that he will return and lead them to "Fuschal." Lister instinctively figures out that Cloister is himself, and promises to bring the Cat race to Fiji.
Trivia
- The scene where Lister feeds Frankenstein is an inferior take, replacing a previous one that featured a guest appearance by one of Craig Charles' testicles
- An original version of the funeral scene also saw Cat's introduction done differently
- George McIntyre was originally supposed to have an Australian accent, not the used Welsh one
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