Emohawk: Polymorph II
Encyclopedia
"Emohawk: Polymorph II" is the fourth episode of the British
science fiction
sitcom TV show Red Dwarf VI
and the 34th in the series run. It was first broadcast on BBC2 on 28 October 1993. Written by Rob Grant
& Doug Naylor
and directed by Andy de Emmony, the episode features the crew again being hunted by a polymorph. The first appearance of these creatures was in the popular series III episode "Polymorph
".
zone where the probe will not follow.
With Starbug on fire, the crew deliberately crash-land on a moon with a shallow ocean to extinguish the flames. However the moon is not uninhabited - a primitive humanoid tribe of GELFs, the Kinitawowi tribe, reside on the moon. Lister
is forced to marry the chief's daughter in exchange for an oxygen generation unit so that Lister and the Cat
can breathe once Starbug leaves the moon. While his new bride may "be the looker of the family", Lister
is less than pleased with marrying someone whose name "sounds like a footballer clearing his nose". However, without any options, Lister marries her intending to escape in the dead of night. However, due to his bride's desire to immediately consummate their union, Lister makes a run for it just as the others are leaving the village with the O/G unit and they make their escape in Starbug. However, the chief sends his pet emohawk, a domesticated polymorph, after them; and it manages to get on board by disguising itself as Lister's hat.
As Lister and Kryten leave to install the O/G unit, the Polymorph attacks the Cat and Rimmer. The Cat loses his cool and morphs into Duane Dibbley, while Rimmer
loses his bitterness and becomes Ace Rimmer. Ace decides to save the day and locks Kryten
and Lister in the hold so they will be safe while he sacrifices himself by opening the airlock to remove the emohawk (he plans to snap Duane's neck so he won't suffer from the rapid decompression). Lister and Kryten foil his plan by blasting their way out of the hold, and together the four of them track the creature down and freeze it. This allows them to extract the DNA
of Cat and Rimmer to return them to normal and the entire crew is unaware of the GELF's return months later.
", and the writers crammed in a sequel to all these aspects with "Emohawk: Polymorph II". The title was originally the other way around "Polymorph II: Emohawk" until someone pointed out that it sounded like a football score.
Ainsley Harriot played the role of the GELF chief. Harriot later became a celebrity chef and hosted the television shows Can't Cook, Won't Cook
and Ready Steady Cook
for the BBC. Later, in 1998, Harriott presented a special edition of Can't Cook, Won't Cook called Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg for the 10th anniversary of Red Dwarf with the cast cooking a meal while remaining in character. The Tribal chief's daughter, Hackhackhack Ach Hachhachac, is played by Steven Wickham. Hugh Quarshie also played a Computer and Martin Sims also played a GELF.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
sitcom TV show Red Dwarf VI
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 34th in the series run. It was first broadcast on BBC2 on 28 October 1993. Written by Rob Grant
Rob Grant
Robert Grant is a British comedy writer and television producer, who was born in Salford and studied Psychology at Liverpool University for two years....
& 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 Andy de Emmony, the episode features the crew again being hunted by a polymorph. The first appearance of these creatures was in the popular series III episode "Polymorph
Polymorph (Red Dwarf episode)
"Polymorph" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the fifteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 November 1989. It is considered by some to be the series' best. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed...
".
Plot
An orb-shaped, computer-controlled, class A Space Corps External Enforcement Vessel warps near Starbug and decloaks to scan the transport ship. After doing this the probe accuses the Starbug crew of looting derelict spaceships and sentences them to death under frontier law. Starbug is pounded with pulse missiles and is nearly destroyed, but manages to flee into a GELFGELF
G.E.L.F. or simply GELF is an acronym for Genetically Engineered LifeForm. It was used in two science fiction television programs, originally appearing in the BBC's cult sitcom Red Dwarf, and later on in the U.S...
zone where the probe will not follow.
With Starbug on fire, the crew deliberately crash-land on a moon with a shallow ocean to extinguish the flames. However the moon is not uninhabited - a primitive humanoid tribe of GELFs, the Kinitawowi tribe, reside on the moon. Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
is forced to marry the chief's daughter in exchange for an oxygen generation unit so that Lister and the Cat
Cat (Red Dwarf)
The Cat is a character in the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. He is played by Danny John-Jules.-Character development:According to Danny John-Jules, the character of Cat is based on a combination of Little Richard's look, James Brown's moves and Richard Pryor's facial...
can breathe once Starbug leaves the moon. While his new bride may "be the looker of the family", Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
is less than pleased with marrying someone whose name "sounds like a footballer clearing his nose". However, without any options, Lister marries her intending to escape in the dead of night. However, due to his bride's desire to immediately consummate their union, Lister makes a run for it just as the others are leaving the village with the O/G unit and they make their escape in Starbug. However, the chief sends his pet emohawk, a domesticated polymorph, after them; and it manages to get on board by disguising itself as Lister's hat.
As Lister and Kryten leave to install the O/G unit, the Polymorph attacks the Cat and Rimmer. The Cat loses his cool and morphs into Duane Dibbley, while Rimmer
Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, played by Chris Barrie. He is unpopular with his crew mates, and is often the target of insults or pranks...
loses his bitterness and becomes Ace Rimmer. Ace decides to save the day and locks Kryten
Kryten
Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kryten's registration code on Red Dwarf is "Kryten additional 001". The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M...
and Lister in the hold so they will be safe while he sacrifices himself by opening the airlock to remove the emohawk (he plans to snap Duane's neck so he won't suffer from the rapid decompression). Lister and Kryten foil his plan by blasting their way out of the hold, and together the four of them track the creature down and freeze it. This allows them to extract the DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
of Cat and Rimmer to return them to normal and the entire crew is unaware of the GELF's return months later.
Production
Both the characters Ace Rimmer and Duane Dibbley were huge fan favourites, as was the Red Dwarf III episode "PolymorphPolymorph (Red Dwarf episode)
"Polymorph" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the fifteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 November 1989. It is considered by some to be the series' best. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed...
", and the writers crammed in a sequel to all these aspects with "Emohawk: Polymorph II". The title was originally the other way around "Polymorph II: Emohawk" until someone pointed out that it sounded like a football score.
Ainsley Harriot played the role of the GELF chief. Harriot later became a celebrity chef and hosted the television shows Can't Cook, Won't Cook
Can't Cook, Won't Cook
Can't Cook, Won't Cook was a UK game show and cooking programme that was broadcast on BBC1 on weekday mornings usually after the Breakfast News from 20 November 1995 to 7 July 2000.-Format:...
and Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
for the BBC. Later, in 1998, Harriott presented a special edition of Can't Cook, Won't Cook called Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg for the 10th anniversary of Red Dwarf with the cast cooking a meal while remaining in character. The Tribal chief's daughter, Hackhackhack Ach Hachhachac, is played by Steven Wickham. Hugh Quarshie also played a Computer and Martin Sims also played a GELF.