Red Dwarf Season 2 Episode 4 Stasis Leak

Red Dwarf season 2 episode 4 titled "Stasis Leak" begins with the crew of Red Dwarf finding a hidden stasis booth. The stasis booth is used to preserve living beings for extended periods of time, usually for long journeys through space. The crew decides to use the booth to jump back in time by doing short stints in stasis. Their aim is to return to Earth just before the accident which caused the ship to be marooned three million years in space.

The episode gives an opportunity for the characters to develop their personalities and for the show to experiment with a variety of comedic situations. Each of the crew members has a distinct personality, and their interactions with each other create a variety of comedic scenarios.

The crew discovers that the stasis booth can take them back to the ship's third year through an unoccupied cargo deck, which was sealed off after an explosion. They each exit stasis at different times and suffer from temporal disorientation. Dave Lister, the last crew member to enter stasis, finds himself in a world he thought he left behind - his own flat on Earth before he joined the Red Dwarf.

Kryten, the android, accidentally revives a Nazi officer from stasis, who was concealed in one of the bunkers aboard Red Dwarf. The crew hide the Nazi officer in one of the cargo bays and avoid him during the show. The show also features an alternate version of Arnold Rimmer, who is now a wealthy and successful officer in homeworld security, completely opposite to his current self.

Initially, the crew members are relieved as they believe that they can change the timeline with a few minor adjustments. As it turns out, they themselves are responsible for the catastrophic accident that happens, which resulted in Red Dwarf being stranded in space for three million years. The truth is that they were trying to repair a food dispenser and created a tiny hole which resulted in a radiation leak. This little error led to the death of the entire crew aboard.

The episode is an interesting plot because of the different angles that are explored. The comedy is in high gear when the character of Dave Lister finds himself back in time, where he reunites with his cat, Frankenstein. Lister decides to stay in that past world and live there indefinitely. The rest of the crew members must convince him to return with them to the present time.

The episode's finale wraps up these overlapping plots, with a surprise twist. The crew of Red Dwarf returns to the present, much later than they intended. They also end up bringing back with them a stowaway. That stowaway is revealed to be none other than Adolf Hitler himself, who they met in the past and accidentally brought back with them.

"Stasis Leak" is a thrilling episode that plays with interesting ideas while still maintaining the show's comedy. The characters' distinct personalities are exploited to full comedic effect, making Red Dwarf a classic comedic masterpiece. The episode covers different aspects of time travel and the consequences that come with it, never leaving the audience bored while also keeping them engaged in an exciting plot.