Psirens

Infobox Red Dwarf episode
name = Psirens


number = 1
airdate = October 7, 1993
writers = Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
director = Andy de Emmony
guests = Jenny Agutter
Samantha Robson
Anita Dobson
Clare Grogan
Phil Manzanera
series = 6

"Psirens" is the first episode of science fiction sit-com "Red Dwarf" Series VIcite web | url =http://www.sitcom.co.uk/red_dwarf/series6.shtml | title =British Sitcom Guide - Red Dwarf - Series 6 | publisher =www.sitcom.co.uk |accessdate =2008-02-01] and the 31st in the series run.cite web | url =http://www.tv.com/red-dwarf/psirens/episode/10975/summary.html | title =TV.com - Psirens summary | publisher =www.tv.com |accessdate =2008-02-01] It was first broadcast on the British television channel on 7 October 1993.cite web | url =http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NMRE270E | title =BBC - Programme Catalogue - RED DWARF VI - PSIRENS | publisher =BBC |accessdate =2007-12-12] Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and directed by Andy de Emmony. The episode - which involves Psirens who try and lure the crew to them to feast on their brains - had its script published before the episode was broadcast.cite web | url =http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck05/series_6/writing.html | title =Red Dwarf series VI Writing | publisher =Red Dwarf.co.uk |accessdate =2007-12-17]

Plot

Lister awakens with amnesia and Kryten explains that he's been in Deep Sleep aboard "Starbug" for the past 200 years. When Rimmer and Cat both recover from their hibernation, Kryten updates them on the situation. "Red Dwarf" has been lost and they have been chasing the ship's vapour trail ever since. Now there is a good chance of recovering "Red Dwarf" at last by heading through an asteroid belt that the large mining ship is forced to circumnavigate. However, the belt turns out to be a spaceship graveyard inhabited by Psirens, shape-changing GELFs who lure unwary travellers to them and suck out their brains.

Cat is almost lured by two attractive women and Lister sees Kristine Kochanski, who tells him that she has two children, Jim and Bexley, that are his. Following another illusion "Starbug" crashes onto an asteroid and Lister has to blast the front landing gear out, but is tricked twice while on the surface: once by an attractive woman, then by a Psiren masquerading as Kryten. Lister manages to get back on board "Starbug" safely. However, the airlock monitor fizzes on again and a second Lister appears on the screen. To determine who the wrong Lister is, the crew ask them to play guitar, which Lister does poorly but the Psiren does extremely well. They have found their imposter and blast it away. However, as Lister gets suitably upset by their accusations that he is a poor guitar player, the Psiren has disappeared.

A trail of yellow Psiren blood leads to the engine room. Lister and Cat stay behind to deal with a meteor shower, while Rimmer declines the offer to help, leaving Kryten to follow the psiren blood trail alone. When Kryten finds the Psiren it changes into Professor Mamet, his creator. With no choice but to obey her commands, he climbs into the waste compactor and starts it up. Lister, Cat and Rimmer quickly appear to find Kryten's psi-scan and bazookoid, abandoned on the floor. Rimmer suddenly fades out as his hologramatic light bee battery runs flat. Now just the two of them, Lister and Cat walk up to the Psiren disguised as a vending machine. As they are attacked by the Psiren, Kryten, now cube shaped, waddles over to the edge of the walkway from the deck above and crashes down on top of it.

Production

This episode features the first appearance of Kochanski since series 2's "Stasis Leak", albeit as a Psiren illusion used to fool Lister. Clare Grogan returned to play Kochanski. Samantha Robson plays a Psiren that lures him with an illusion of one of his teenage fantasies -Pete Tranter's sister. Jenny Agutter plays another Psiren, this time an illusion of Kryten's creator Professor Mamet. Anita Dobson also appears as Captain Tau, part of the psiren illusion to fool Lister. Zoe Hilson and Elizabeth Anson both appear as Temptress' in a Psiren illusion to tempt the Cat.cite web | url =http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0684173/fullcredits | title =Psirens cast and crew | publisher =www.imdb.com |accessdate =2008-02-01]

"Red Dwarf - Primordial Soup: The Least Worst Scripts" contained, among others, the script for the "Psirens" episode. Edited by Grant Naylor and published by Penguin books, it was released just a few months before the episode was broadcast.cite web | url =http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck05/series_6/writing.html | title =Red Dwarf series VI Writing | publisher =Red Dwarf.co.uk |accessdate =2007-12-17]

Cultural references

The scene where Lister has to convince his crewmates that he is the true Lister and the other Lister is in fact a psiren seems somewhat inspired by a similar scene in in the "Star Trek" episode "Whom Gods Destroy", where there are two James T. Kirks and the real one has to convince Spock that the other is a fake.

Among the derelicts in the asteroid field are models of the Narcissus escape shuttle from "Alien" (1986) and the Eagle from "" (1975).cite web | url =http://www.imdb.com/rg/title-tease/movieconnections/title/tt0684173/movieconnections | title =Psirens movie connections | publisher =www.imdb.com |accessdate =2008-02-01]

Reception

The episode was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 October 1993 in the 9:00pm time slot. The ratings had yet again increased on the previous series,cite web | url =http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck05/series_6/writing.html | title =Red Dwarf Series VI Aftermath | publisher =www.reddwarf.co.uk |accessdate =2008-02-01] although the series' new direction received a mixed response from critics, Sci-Fi.com stating that it was "no less funny",cite web | url =http://www.scifi.com/sfw/screen/sfw1823.html | title =Red Dwarf VI review at Sci-Fi.com | publisher =www.scifi.com |accessdate =2008-02-01] while others felt that the character-driven comedy replaced by exploration of SF concepts and situation-based humour did not work as well.cite web | url =http://www.reviewsbygavrielle.com/dwarf3.shtml | title =Red Dwarf VI review by Gavrielle | publisher =www.reviewsbygavrielle.com |accessdate =2008-02-01]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.tv.com/red-dwarf/psirens/episode/10975/summary.html Red Dwarf: Psirens - TV.com]
* [http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/deck03/season6.html Episode Guide - Series 6 at RedDwarf.co.uk]