"Cured" is the first episode of ''

Red Dwarf XII ''Red Dwarf'' is a British comedy TV series which primarily comprises twelve series and a feature-length special of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1993 and from 1997 to 1999, and on Dave in 2009 and 2012 ...

'' and the 68th in the series run. Originally broadcast on the British television channel

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

on 12 October 2017, it was made available early on 5 October 2017 on

UKTV Play U (formerly known as UKTV Play) is a video on demand service owned by UKTV, which is operated by the BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Studios. The service launched on 4 August 2014 and offers catch-up programming and previously live broadcasts fr ...

. The crew happen upon an abandoned research facility where several infamous figures from history reside, supposedly "cured" of their

evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

Synopsis

The crew play a game of

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

, with Lister attempting to teach Cat how to have a proper poker face, but Cat failing to understand. Kryten interrupts to report on a resource-rich station to scavenge, which the crew head off towards onboard ''Starbug'', which requires an elaborate start-up sequence to work due to its state of disrepair. A powerful sandstorm leaves them temporarily stranded there. The crew venture through the base, encountering "cryobooths" bearing the names of

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. They are then greeted by Professor Shaul Telford, who reveals that the occupants were in stasis and their arrival has triggered their release, but that they have been cured of their formerly

psychopathic Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to s ...

ways. They are introduced to these infamous figures over dinner. Surprisingly, they prove to be kind and pleasant, and claim to be completely reformed. Lister gets to know Hitler, and the pair perform "

The Happy Wanderer "The Happy Wanderer" ("" or "") is a popular song. The original text was written by (1791–1877).

" on guitar. The rest of the crew pull Lister aside to chastise him for socializing with Hitler, but are all knocked unconscious and put into separate torturous scenarios. After escaping from their traps, the crew meet up and accuse the base occupants of trying to kill them. They decide to test everybody using a device that scans who among them is a psychopath, which returns the results that of them two are psychopaths, one being the Cat, due to his inherently selfish and vain personality, and the other being Professor Telford. Telford reveals himself as the base's real patient, with the other occupants having been his android caretakers, who he reprogrammed. Telford holds the crew at gunpoint, but due to not knowing how to start ''Starbug'', offers to take the Cat with him. Cat, seemingly, agrees and requests a gun to kill the other three with, only to immediately kill Telford with it. He credits his deception to his newly-learned poker face.

Production

Originally, "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

" by Toto was going to be used in place of "The Happy Wanderer" during their guitar performance, but the rights were denied because Lister would be playing it alongside Hitler. Early drafts of the script originally had Professor Telford be revealed as the real Hitler, though that was scrapped in subsequent rewrites.

Reception

"Cured" was met with positive reviews from critics and fans.

References

External links

*
Series XII episode guide at www.reddwarf.co.uk
{{Red Dwarf episodes 2017 British television episodes Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler Red Dwarf XII episodes