Red Dwarf 25th Anniversary

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I almost missed this date. With this year being the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, it almost slipped past me that it’s another anniversary year as well: the 25th anniversary of Red Dwarf, which aired on BBC2 for the first time on 15 February, 1988. Of course, I didn’t see it on that day. In fact, I’m not sure when exactly I first saw Red Dwarf. It was on the Canadian station YTV, which picked it up around the time of the third series (I recall this much because I remember the initial previews that ran on YTV showed scenes from “Backwards”, the opening episode of Red Dwarf III). I do remember that the very first episode I saw still managed to be “The End”, the very first episode, although I’m pretty certain this was on a repeat viewing after YTV had already run the first three series and then had cycled back to the beginning. Whenever it was, I was hooked from that very first episode. I laughed so loud and continuously through it that I received numerous complaints from my brother who was watching it with me, but who didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did.

I watched every episode after that—well, until YTV decided not to purchase new episodes after Series IV. I guess the show just wasn’t doing well enough for them. They didn’t even air the final two episodes of Series IV until after they had moved the show to a late-night timeslot, at which point they just cycled repeatedly through those first twenty-four episodes airing five nights a week at 1:30 a.m. (or thereabouts). Eventually, they dropped the show entirely. I knew there were newer episodes, but there was no way to see them. No other Canadian stations carried the programme. PBS in the States did, but the only PBS station we got was one of the ones that never carried it. (They never carried Doctor Who either. I was always annoyed at that PBS station for seemingly being the only one that didn’t carry my favourite shows.) So I had to wait for the episodes to come out on VHS, and when they did, I snatched them up immediately.

The Science of Red Dwarf

I doubt many people would think that Red Dwarf, comedy that it is, would contain much in the way of real science. Science fiction as a whole tends to not contain much real science, so it's not surprising people would think this of a sitcom. Nonetheless, I've always noted that the show has a slightly more realistic approach to space travel than most other science fiction programmes out there. As such, I'm not surprised to learn that Doug Naylor put some thought into the science behind Red Dwarf (such as the design of the ship itself). In this interview, conducted by Robert Llewellyn (who plays Kryten on the show), Naylor discusses the science behind the series. It's an entertaining and informative, and I recommend watching it.

Red Dwarf X - The Beginning

Wow! What a great episode! In my reviews of the Red Dwarf X episodes, I’ve often commented something along the lines of, “While not the best Red Dwarf ever, it’s still a good episode.” I made a comment like this with the first episode, “Trojan”, and stated that it was a great start to the new series. With the final episode, I have to change the pattern. In this case, I would easily place it as one of the best Red Dwarf episodes ever, and, ironically, “The Beginning” is a great end to this year’s series. It has all the best aspects of Red Dwarf and none of the weaknesses: strong characterization, excellent performances, funny jokes that aren’t forced, and a good story that is excitingly paced. It’s definitely the best of Series X, and as I said, ranks among the best Red Dwarf of all time.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Red Dwarf X - Dear Dave

I don’t have a whole lot to say about “Dear Dave”. It is the most inconsequential episode of Red Dwarf X so far (and with only more episode to go, probably of the whole series). I don’t say this as a bad thing. Not every episode can be deep and meaningful, and an inconsequential episode here and there can actually be fun. However, it does leave very little to discuss. It is a Lister-focused episode, with a minor subplot focused on Rimmer, but neither of the plots really explore anything new about the characters or develop them in any meaningful way. We get to see Lister trying to deal with the loss of the human race, but this is something he has always had to deal with, so it treads no new ground. “Dear Dave” is also the least-funny episode of Red Dwarf X so far (although there are a couple of hysterical moments), but conversely, it has the best performances from the cast so far this series. So, on the whole, I’d say it was a decent episode, but it’s not an episode that is likely to stand out as particularly memorable. This is perhaps deliberate so as not to overshadow the finale next week, but at the same time, it’s a little surprising. I would have expected a little more to help create hype for the finale. Whatever the case, I think “Dear Dave” ends up, as a result, the weakest episode of Series X.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Red Dwarf X - Entangled

With the latest episode, Red Dwarf X is now two-thirds over, and it continues along quite strongly. “Entangled” is an episode that focuses quite squarely on the crew, particularly on the relationship between Lister and Rimmer, but it’s really Kryten and, especially, Cat who steal the show. While some jokes are little too drawn out (particularly Rimmer ones), it’s a very funny episode with some absolutely hilarious moments involving Cat and Kryten being “quantum entangled”.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Red Dwarf X - Lemons

While the previous two Red Dwarf X episodes each focused primarily on one of the crew (“Trojan” on Rimmer and “Fathers and Suns” on Lister), this week’s episode, “Lemons” is more of an ensemble piece, with each of the main cast getting more-or-less equal screen time (although Cat probably gets the least). The character focus of this story is instead on the episode’s guest star, making for a bit of a change of pace from the previous two stories, made especially so by the fact that this is the first episode of Series X to have some fairly serious social commentary going on in it as well. The episode is a bit slow to start, with a few forced jokes, but once it gets into full swing, it’s very entertaining and quite funny—not as fall-out-of-your-chair funny as I found “Trojan”, but still funny enough to leave me quite pleased by the episode as a whole.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Red Dwarf X - Fathers and Suns

The tenth series of Red Dwarf got off to a great start with “Trojan”, heralding a triumphant return of the show. Unfortunately, the second episode, “Fathers and Suns”, does not live up to the heights of the first. That’s not to say it’s a bad episode. It deals with some clever and funny concepts, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, while I laughed, it didn’t have me in stitches the way “Trojan” did. Nonetheless, I still think Red Dwarf X is off to a very good start indeed, and I remain eager to see the remaining episodes.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Red Dwarf X - Trojan

I’ve been a fan of Red Dwarf ever since I first discovered it playing on YTV in the early 90’s here in Canada. It was a brilliant mix of science fiction, great characters, and absolutely hilarious comedy. The fact that it was a science fiction comedy series when science fiction comedies were extremely rare (they still are) certainly helped make it stand out, but it had much more going for it that made it unique: the last human alive, travelling with a very small band of misfits, three million years away from Earth. I was hooked right away.

The series went through a number of changes through its original eight years. Series I and II had the feel of a standard sitcom that just happened to take place on a spaceship in deep space. While there were many science fiction elements, the focus was very squarely on the relationships between the characters of Lister, Rimmer, and Cat. Series III began making the science fiction elements more overt and upped the slapstick and silliness factors considerably. It also added the android Kryten to the main cast. The next few years kept to much the same pattern, although even so, there were changes, such as the gradual fading out of the computer, Holly, and the complete loss of Red Dwarf itself in Series VI. In general, Series III through VI are the most highly regarded by fans (although I and II certainly have their defenders, too). It is certainly true that some of the best and funniest episodes (like “Gunmen of the Apocalypse”) come from that period, although the same could be said of some of the worst (“Meltdown” comes to mind).