In need of entertainment, Xev decides to join in the fun on a planet where a ratings war has left the population headless, and Stan and 790 find themselves next for the chop.
A particularly dark and unpleasant episode, Lafftrak is the LEXX equivalent of Doctor Who's Vengeance on Varos where how a group of still-living heads feel about a certain show can mean the difference between life and death. An unsubtle metaphor for bad ratings meaning death, and looking at our obsession with television, Lafftrak delivers plenty of memorable images, and some great entertainment from Xev whose shows go from strength to strength while she plays on her sexuality, but whose ratings nosedive when she tells of her tragic life.
The compere of it all is suitably sinister, and the various types of show are suitably saccharine entertainment, although seeing each character go through similar events gets a little tedious after a while. However, the whole concept is sufficiently outlandish and well-made to sweep you along. The only other real problem I have is that Kai unthaws apparently on his own, and it's getting a bit simplistic to have him come along and be killed on someone else's behalf regularly rather than having the others think or fight their way out of a situation on their own.
This aside, though, this is a strong entry in the LEXX canon.
****
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