Cassandra (Red Dwarf episode)
Encyclopedia
"Cassandra" is the fourth episode of Red Dwarf VIII
and the 48th in the series run. It was first shown in the UK on 11 March 1999 in the 9:00pm BBC2
time slot, Written by Doug Naylor
and directed by Ed Bye
.
at Canary initiation. Their first mission is aboard the wreck of the SSS Silverberg, a prison ship for its computer, Cassandra, who can predict the future with 100% accuracy, and she predicts Rimmer is soon to die.
Cassandra claims that only Lister, Kryten, Kochanski and the Cat will make it out alive and that all the other prisoners will die (although Rimmer will die first). Though told it is impossible to prevent Cassandra's prediction from coming true Rimmer comes up with a plan. He realises that no one ever referred to him as Rimmer in front of Cassandra and since she doesn't know everything she may believe someone else is Rimmer and have predicted that that other person will die first. He manages to ruin Knot's jacket and to gives him his own with his name tag on it as a replacement. When Cassandra sees Knot die of a heart attack she of course believes him to be named Rimmer so her prediction comes true. The real Rimmer is prepared to celebrate until she points out he's still going to die. He questions how it happens and she claims that Lister kills him after finding him in bed with Kochanski. Rimmer is quite happy about the concept, Kochanski is not. She believes that even if she were blind drunk that would not excuse her other senses; Rimmer still tries to persuade her, but she disagrees. He then turns on the water valve, soaking Kochanski with water, as a way to encourage her to take her clothes off.
Very much to his annoyance, before Rimmer can have sex with Kochanski, he is interrupted by Lister. Kryten has figured out that Cassandra must have known her whole life that she was going to die and furthermore that Lister was going to kill her. She lied about Rimmer and Kochanski as a means to punish Lister for what he would do. Lister then goes back to Cassandra's chamber, telling her that he doesn't like the idea that his entire future is already picked out, and plans to prove he can make his own decisions by refusing to kill her. As he exits, he takes chewing gum out of his mouth and idly sticks it to the wall. It lands on the fan, turning it on, and ricochets to a glass of water; the water spills and lands on Cassandra's power wire, killing her inadvertently. Seeing Cassandra's annoyed (and knowing) look, Lister realizes what he has done, and leaves, cursing "Smeg!"
Mac McDonald
appeared as Captain Hollister, Graham McTavish
as Governor Ackerman, Geraldine McEwan
as Cassandra, Jake Wood
as Kill Crazy, Ian Soundy as Guard.
" episode "The End of the World
".
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
and the 48th in the series run. It was first shown in the UK on 11 March 1999 in the 9:00pm BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
time slot, Written by Doug Naylor
Doug Naylor
Douglas R. Naylor is a British comedy writer, science fiction writer, director and television producer.Naylor was born in Manchester, England and studied at the University of Liverpool. In the mid-1980s, Naylor wrote two regular comedy sketch shows for BBC Radio 4 entitled Cliché and Son of Cliché...
and directed by Ed Bye
Ed Bye
Edward Richard Morrison Bye is a British film and TV producer and director. He is best known for his work with Grant Naylor, Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott, and has worked with many of British TV's best known comedians and comedy actors...
.
Synopsis
Lister, due to a misunderstanding, signs the gang up for "the Canaries", a group of expendables who go first into dangerous situations—not, as Lister thought, the prison choir. At the last minute, Rimmer, Lister, Kryten, Kochanski and the Cat try to get themselves released from the Canaries on the grounds of Lister's misunderstanding by singing You Are the Sunshine of My LifeYou Are the Sunshine of My Life
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 pop single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number one on the easy listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. This song was...
at Canary initiation. Their first mission is aboard the wreck of the SSS Silverberg, a prison ship for its computer, Cassandra, who can predict the future with 100% accuracy, and she predicts Rimmer is soon to die.
Cassandra claims that only Lister, Kryten, Kochanski and the Cat will make it out alive and that all the other prisoners will die (although Rimmer will die first). Though told it is impossible to prevent Cassandra's prediction from coming true Rimmer comes up with a plan. He realises that no one ever referred to him as Rimmer in front of Cassandra and since she doesn't know everything she may believe someone else is Rimmer and have predicted that that other person will die first. He manages to ruin Knot's jacket and to gives him his own with his name tag on it as a replacement. When Cassandra sees Knot die of a heart attack she of course believes him to be named Rimmer so her prediction comes true. The real Rimmer is prepared to celebrate until she points out he's still going to die. He questions how it happens and she claims that Lister kills him after finding him in bed with Kochanski. Rimmer is quite happy about the concept, Kochanski is not. She believes that even if she were blind drunk that would not excuse her other senses; Rimmer still tries to persuade her, but she disagrees. He then turns on the water valve, soaking Kochanski with water, as a way to encourage her to take her clothes off.
Very much to his annoyance, before Rimmer can have sex with Kochanski, he is interrupted by Lister. Kryten has figured out that Cassandra must have known her whole life that she was going to die and furthermore that Lister was going to kill her. She lied about Rimmer and Kochanski as a means to punish Lister for what he would do. Lister then goes back to Cassandra's chamber, telling her that he doesn't like the idea that his entire future is already picked out, and plans to prove he can make his own decisions by refusing to kill her. As he exits, he takes chewing gum out of his mouth and idly sticks it to the wall. It lands on the fan, turning it on, and ricochets to a glass of water; the water spills and lands on Cassandra's power wire, killing her inadvertently. Seeing Cassandra's annoyed (and knowing) look, Lister realizes what he has done, and leaves, cursing "Smeg!"
Production
"Cassandra" was the first episode to be seen by US audiences before being broadcast in the UK. Some PBS stations were broadcasting the entire series in the United States, even showing the last five episodes before the BBC broadcast, "Cassandra" being the first of the five.Mac McDonald
Mac McDonald
Mac McDonald is an American actor. He is best known for playing Captain Hollister on the BBC TV series Red Dwarf and frequently plays American characters in other British TV shows...
appeared as Captain Hollister, Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...
as Governor Ackerman, Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
as Cassandra, Jake Wood
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood is an English actor, best known in his homeland for playing Max Branning on "EastEnders" and in the United States as the current voice of the GEICO gecko.-Biography:...
as Kill Crazy, Ian Soundy as Guard.
Cultural references
In the DVD commentary to this episode, Danny John-Jules claims the name and appearance of Cassandra were homaged in the "Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
" episode "The End of the World
The End of the World (Doctor Who)
"The End of the World" is the second episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, the episode was first broadcast on 2 April 2005....
".