Canon-Strike XIV: Red Dwarf

[QualityChimp]

No, because I told you, I'm happy knowing that our Rimmer is somewhere out there saving the universes.

[Neon Ignition]

Unrelated but... any plans that will mean your offline in about a fortnights time?

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 40 - Duct Soup
As Lister attempts to ease Kochanski into life on board Starbug with a warm bath, the ships power goes out leaving it on a collision course with a sun. The only way to restore power is for the crew to spend hours crawling through the ships air ducts. Responses were mixed, some not taking to it and others liking the focus on character interactions.




Hot stuff of Gazpacho Cold?

[Yakumo]

Episode 40 - Duct Soup
As Lister attempts to ease Kochanski into life on board Starbug with a warm bath, the ships power goes out leaving it on a collision course with a sun. The only way to restore power is for the crew to spend hours crawling through the ships air ducts. Responses were mixed, some not taking to it and others liking the focus on character interactions.




Hot stuff of Gazpacho Cold?

Considering this episode is spent in an air duct, I think it's rather entertaining. The feedback from lister when he hears about Kochanski's lister being gay is it one part I always remember.

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 41 - Blue
Breaking up the heartache experience of Rimmer having left the show, this episode see's Lister experiencing a longing for his old bunkmate. Having become increasingly lost in dreams and memories of Rimmer, Kryten decides that urgent intervention is required. Some elements of the episode were mixed in reactions such as the flashbacks but the dream sequence and finale are often cited as fan favourite moments.






This would have originally been the very, very last time Rimmer would appear in the show. Was it a fitting final appearance for the character?

[QualityChimp]

Yeah, that's an amazing episode. Lister is so confused why he's thinking nice thoughts about Rimmer.
That flirting scene is so hilariously cringe!

I think it also adds to Holly's choice of Rimmer being an awful choice to bring back, but actually did help Lister stay sane.

Fair play to Chris Barrie for creating such a memorable cretin of a character and throwing his all into it.
The Rimmer song was delivered with such self-serving panache, it's brilliant.
Fair play, it's pretty catchy too!

[Neon Ignition]

We're long overdue a third song, though jokey they always seem to manage to come up with an earworm

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 42 - Beyond a Joke
Written by Robert Llewellyn, this episode see's Kryten's frustrations over Kochanski and Lister hit boiling point when they miss the anniversary of his rescue from the Nova 5. Things culminate in Kryten's head exploding and the others find themselves having to deal with a rogue simulant in order to revive him. Don Henderson played the Simulant they trade with, it would go on to be his final ever role with Henderson passing away very shortly after broadcast. The episode, though, is considered to be one of the weakest in any of the shows runs.




Was the episode beyond a joke?

[Yakumo]

Ketchup? Ketchup on lobster! BOOM!
Classic
I love lister's response. "just a dollop, it's not like I've got no class.." or something like that
I'm not sure why this is not a popular one. I quite like it although the closing joke is lame.

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 43 - Epideme
What if Talkie Toaster was evil is essentially the premise of this episode where Lister contracts a sentient deadly virus called Epideme. As the others race to save Lister, who eventually resigns himself to his demise, the virus bides its time. The episode was a well received one with responses also citing that this was the episode where Kochanski found her footing as a character.




One of the series best or a kiss of death?

[Asura]

Episode 43 - Epideme
What if Talkie Toaster was evil is essentially the premise of this episode where Lister contracts a sentient deadly virus called Epideme. As the others race to save Lister, who eventually resigns himself to his demise, the virus bides its time. The episode was a well received one with responses also citing that this was the episode where Kochanski found her footing as a character.

One of the series best or a kiss of death?

"My right arm, I said! Right! Not left, right! What kind of navigation officer doesn't know left from right?!"

[Neon Ignition]

"As you can appreciate, killing you ain't exactly a career highlight. No offense, but when you're a virus, there's not much call for knowing how to open a lager bottle with your anus!"

I do like this one, one of the best of this run

[Neon Ignition]

Episode 44 - Nanarchy
Kryten raises that if the crew can locate his repair nanomachines then they could reprogram them to reconstruct Lister's severed arm. After locating them in Listers socks they realise the shocking truth, that Red Dwarf is in his sock basket as well. As the finale of the run it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger as they knew an eighth run was going to happen and though this episode isn't considered to be one of the funniest it aired to the tune of 8m viewers, a record high in the shows history.




Is the show better with or without Red Dwarf involved and was RDVII really a marked drop in quality?

[QualityChimp]

I think it's telling that I saw these episodes fairly recently, but still barely remember them like I can with the original few series.

[Neon Ignition]

I think with VII there's a notable absence from Grant's input. It gives the impression that Naylor is really on point with coming up with fun episode ideas and holds ambition for the show but Grant is the one who holds the sharpness of humour that the prior series have. VII is uneven in ways that kind of become an issue for a while here onward. We're about to get into VIII but I think it helped cement that feeling, it's a more consistent run but rarely delivers as well as the better moments of VII.