Den of Lists News Posted by Jonathan Capps on 6th June 2008, 17:09 Stacy Kidd over at Den of Geek has gone and posted her Top 10 Dwarf Episodes for all to scrutinise. Not a bad list, really, but personally I’d have none of that Series VII or VIII nonsense sullying my own top 10. Extra marks for recognising The End for the excellent episode that it is, too, as it really is better than YOU THINK. Obviously, the immutable, 100% correct ranking of the episodes can be found right here, if you ever need to be reminded what the correct opinion is.
>as it really better than YOU THINK. Quite right. I’ve always thought it was better than I thought. Interesting list. Wrong, but interesting.
“I deduced that including a VIII episode was only fair.” That is interesting. (And The End has more in common with Series VIII than the rest)
> (And The End has more in common with Series VIII than the rest) NO, YOU ARE WRONG, SHUT UP, THANK YOU.
I still maintain that Series VII is better than everyone thinks it is. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than most Dwarf fans give it credit. Series VIII, however, can fall in a well and die.
Indeed. Series VII is successful at what it tries to do (well, apart from being funny), but series VIII fails on almost every level. This is crucial difference.
Ackerman’s funny. >:( (Hell, so is the delay fight for me) Where are the original series VIII posts on G&T? By which I mean the discussion about series VIII not some rhetorical sarcastic question. (Did you see Den of Geek? – Spoilers!)
Where are the original series VIII posts on G&T? By which I mean the discussion about series VIII In the archive section, filed between “November 2002” and “June 2008”.
Indeed. Series VII is successful at what it tries to do (well, apart from being funny), but series VIII fails on almost every level. This is crucial difference. And here’s the problem. Seeing as I watch Red Dwarf to laugh, if VII isn’t funny, then it does PRECISELY nothing for me. VIII, for all its huge immense faults (and to be clear, I don’t think it manages to be as good as even an *average* sitcom) makes me laugh more. Which is why I prefer it.
The thing that bothers me about VII is the huge potential that was there but not realised. It WAS to a degree in the first two episodes (horrible CG aside…don’t you wish they had redone the millions of Rimmers ending of Stoke for the DVD?) but then proceedings proceed to spiral down the plughole of despair.
Having finally read this list… it’s just rubbish, isn’t it? Not especially the choices of episodes (although predictably, I’d say that Krytie TV and Stoke shouldn’t be anywhere near it) – but with the odd exception, the list reads like a synopsis of the episodes, rather than any critical analysis to say why they’re any good. Which makes the list pointless. I’m not expecting much, but the odd intelligent reason for the choices wouldn’t exactly go amiss.
I thought VIII was great, apart from that awful final episode. A little overlong at times (Back in the Red III, Pete II), but a funny season. But that’s just me.
There are plenty of things to like in series VIII – Ackerman, Hollister, Mirror universe, G Tower, Canaries… – it’s just the whole package that’s a bit dodgy (Series VIII was a “bit dodgy”?), like The Phantom Menace.
