Let’s Talk About The Beginning News Posted by Ian Symes on 8th November 2012, 18:41 Yes, it’s the last of these weekly posts that start with the words “Let’s Talk About”. Possibly ever, but hopefully only for a couple of years or so. Tonight, it’s time to talk about the final episode of Red Dwarf X, ominously entitled The Beginning. We know that bits of it were based one of the movie scripts, that it contains a big gun-toting bastard with a moustache, and it’s been suggested that we should make sure we keep watching after the end credits. This is EXCITING. What’s more exciting, however, is the prospect of us not doing any more live Dwarfcasts of a Thursday night. Sadly for you, we’ll be live from 10pm tonight, and the link will be posted on here and on Twitter at around 9:40pm. As it’s the last one, I’m sure you’ll all have plenty to say, so post comments here, or tweet us @ganymedetitan, if you don’t want to miss out on the final opportunity to have us to ingest your points. In the meantime, there are many ways to keep yourself occupied for the next couple of hours. You could start with Cappsy’s spoiler-free set report for tonight’s episode. Or, if you’d prefer to get your Red Dwarf fix from people who write or star in the show, why not try the latest episode of Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged, in which he interviews Doug Naylor about the vague science of the series. Meanwhile, Den of Geek also have an interview with Doug, although I’ve only read half of this, as there’s a big-ass spoiler warning half way down the page. Tread carefully. Oh, and speaking of spoilers, please spare a thought for our spoiler policy graphic, which will be removed this evening after a year’s solid service. Goodbye, spoiler policy graphic. We’ll miss you.
Ive been so hyped for this episode! especially since the ship shace explory episodes are my fave type of red dwarf, also from what we seen from trailers it looks like cockpit scenes :) woooo how ive missed them!
Not sure what to expect tonight but bloody well looking forward to it! Also, I was going to post this tomorrow in the comments for the next dwarfcast, but what the hell, I’ll post it now: What’s made this experience with Red Dwarf X even more enjoyable is the G & T Instant Reaction Dwarfcasts that follow immediately after. For the past five Friday nights now, I’ve found myself slipping into a routine where I listen to the latest Instant Reaction Dwarfcast after not being able to listen to them live the night before due to no longer having a laptop. I’ve honestly enjoyed listening to every one of them and there’s not been one I haven’t listened to more than once. I’m a little sad that that will be over for now. So a big thank you to Ian, Jonathan, Danny, Jo, John and Tanya (if there’s anyone I’m missing, then I apologise) – you’re all wonderful cunts and I love you all :o).
Shame about the spoiler graphic, got so used to it being there. Maybe you should replace it with a giant graphic of something else, like a logo or a MASSIVE IMAGE OF MY FACE!
I would love it if the explanation for the Series 8 cliffhanger turns out to be that they were in fact in AR for the WHOLE of the series! I have despised the change in dynamic the show took in bringing the original crew back and putting them in prison ever since first watching it back in 1999 to present day! Wiping out the whole series so none of that ever really happened would make me retrospectively a very happy bunny :)
This wait is killing me. Not literally, obviously, but, y’know…I’m really rather excited. me tooooooo! :)
“What’s made this experience with Red Dwarf X even more enjoyable is the G & T Instant Reaction Dwarfcasts that follow immediately after.” Well said, that man!
Oh, and speaking of spoilers, please spare a thought for our spoiler policy graphic, which will be removed this evening after a year’s solid service. LISTER: I didn’t know you had any medals! What are they? GANYMEDE & TITAN SPOILER POLICY GRAPHIC: Three Months’ Long Service, Six Months’ Long Service, Nine Months’ Long Service… Twelve Months’ Long Service.
Stephen R. Fletcher is my kind of guy.Aww shucks! Agreed. So excited!! Let’s just hope no-one gets called a slag tonight
Goddamn, this is gonna be good! Just about the whole series has been good! There butter be a series XI. Also, due to time differences between our two fair countries, from episodes 2-4 my alarm was set for the same time RDX started in the UK. It’s nice knowing as soon as I wake up a new episode was being aired. (I’m in Australia BTW) 13 minutes to go, wish I could watch it live with you all.
My disdain for Top Gear has grown weekly throughout this run of Dwarf. Fuck off, Hammond and your smug gittishness.
Swear this same Top Gear episode was on before Fathers and Suns. The one with three smug gits? They’re always showing that one.
if you listen really carefully, you’ll hear a ‘thump!’ That’s the sound of me being so excited that I exploded…
My disdain for Top Gear has grown weekly throughout this run of Dwarf. Fuck off, Hammond and your smug gittishness. At lest you don’t have watch him be a CowBoy! but he makes a good rodeo clown
Richard O’Callahan!!! As the previously mentioned on the back to earth commentary. Hogie the rougie there. :-) Definately one of the things from the movie.
These model shots are supurb!!!! loving this episode already!! proper simulants looking like the simulants of old.. the mexican simulant looks like the ‘justice’ one and the ones on the mothership look like the rogue sims from VI!!!
Fuck me, is that… it can’t be, can it? Yes, it is! It’s JEOPARDY! Wonderful! I’ll take blue midget missle attacks for $20
Wasn’t the “hari-kari” [sic] bit basically taken wholesale from a Mitchell & Webb sketch? Yeah probably. I wasnt so keen on that at the recording, myself.
Wow, what an amazing opening first half. Opening scene with young Rimmer and his dad was great and totally not what I was expecting at all. Taken from the movie script, apparently? I can’t wait to see how it becomes important in the episode.
Woah! Awesomeness! This is certainly a pretty wacky episode isn’t it? :D Great casting for young Rimmer. Some beautiful visual effects. Loving the model shots. Loved that opening shot too! Also, Cat’s sleeping quarters! ..and other things I’m probably missing at this point. :)
Christ, this is fucking DREADFUL. Second half better be much better…. At least the young Rimmer scene and the model shots are good.
Turns to Cappsy during the recording: That’s not… O’Callaghan is it? IT IS! :D Well, I must say, I enjoyed that. If that’d been a one-off, I’d have loved Series X. Well, really liked, anyway. :)
SO MUCH to talk about, my head’s spinning. I’ll leave it to the DwarfCast. So, the Rimmer thing. He died in a radiation leak, yet remembers what happened at the end of series VIII. Hmm. Doug loves messing with our heads, doesn’t he? I’ll post later, once my brain can function.
I absolutely loved that!! (other than the lack of gazpacho soup reference in their death bicker) felt very series 6 for me!
Hoagie the Roagie from the Movie? I wonder how much of this episode was actually taken from the episode?
He died in a radiation leak, yet remembers what happened at the end of series VIII. Hmm. Doug loves messing with our heads, doesn’t he? Yeah, he’s taking the smeg. Doubly so after BtE had Rimmer reference being in “Back to Reality”. At this point, I’m going with “Rimmer II died, they made a new hologram, hologram includes both pre-VIII (at least to the end of V) and VIII Rimmer’s memories.”
By far the hardest thing to keep quiet about since January, well both things in this ep. Rimmer parentage, and the series 8 joke. Every time some one has posted “I cant wait to hear about the series 8 cliffhanger” I’ve had to bite my lip and snigger like a git.
I loved it. Have been quite a harsh critic of the series so far. Could’ve done with 2 more minutes to let the Dwarfers bask in their glory towards the end, apart from that it was great. I didn’t mind the comedic simulants… Something that would grate on me in VIII worked here. A bit of self-referential humor not taken to far. I like to think that Rimmer would’ve continued to say ‘You think that was a coincidence I turned up as Ace Rimmer and saved the day?’ or something along those lines, perhaps returning from a Paralel universe with the antidote or something alone those lines. Doesn’t explain how he knows about series VIII though. However, great episode. The simulants on the death ship could’ve done with a bit more development. Line of the week: ‘Kill him.’ Trojan – 7/10 Fathers and Suns – 5/10 Lemons – 6/10 Entangled – 4/10 Dear Dave – 3.5/10 The Beginning – 8/10
Saved an epic ship battle for the last episode to go out on a high then. And that’s where “we’re smegged” comes from to be reused as the documentary title. But this episode works so much better obviously with the model shots seen. Much much different to being there on the night this one.
Series 8 explanation… Funny but ultimately a total kop out! :( Totally disagree. How the cliffhanger was resolved was NEVER important this late on. Doug Naylor didn’t care about resolving it, and a large percentage of RD fans didn’t care either. Now we can just forget about it and get on with enjoying the show :-D
I’m actually angry at how bad that was. “Only The Good…”. Angry. Good model shots and the flashback scene were the only saving graces of that. Crap plotting, characters appearing from nowhere… And great idea, comedy simulants! Way to kill their menace. Sigh. Oh well.
WELL, FUCK ME, THAT WAS EPIC! At first, Trojan was my favourite from this series, but I think this episode now takes that place. Definitely Chris Barrie’s best acting this series!
They saved the best til last, pity series didn’t start with this episode but in someways it book ends the start of the series, what with Rimmer & his brother. this concludes that loose story arc, I’m glad they didn’t have the crew or explain it away…yet.
While not the funniest episode of the series for me, it was definitely the one i enjoyed the most as an overall package. A nice character story, some great gags, that hilarious resolve to Series 8 (As the explanation started, i was almost expecting a long winded piece of fanwank, but the running gag was a master stroke). FANTASTIC model effects. Probably some of the best visual effects i’ve seen in a long long time. Great music from Mr. Goodall. Just great everything. Doug has finally made the right choice this series as to where to put the money. In the last couple of series he put all the money at the beginning of the series leaving no money for the end, which always ended the series on a bit of a whimper, but here he puts the money at the beginning and end, and leaves the bottle episodes in the middle. Best possible decision. I’ve got to say it. I loved Red Dwarf X. I want more! And please give us a cat story!
The effects were absolutely beautiful. I just can’t get over how good they were. At last, we finally get to see Hoagie the Roagie! Very funny character. The whole Io bit at the beginning was nicely done. The actor playing young Rimmer was perfect. I have nothing but praise for this episode.
What a strange episode. Not packed with jokes, but some of the stuff, like Young Rimmer, was delectable. Glad they got such a similar actor for Rimmer’s Dad. The model stuff in the asteroid field was amazing, not sure about the missile movements. Perhaps it’s the fast movement, but they look too fake. I don’t know whether to laugh or tweet in anger at the resolution to VIII. So we know Rimmer saved them, but by accident…did the Mirror Universe paper somehow warp reality and destroy the virus? He doesn’t do anything beyond that except for snogging a nun and annoying a vending machine.
As someone who really couldn’t give a shit about having an VIII cliff hanger explanation I got muchos laughter out of the non-explanation. Rimmer’s parentage made for some good character stuff and makes sense given what we know about his mother. Great stuff in this episode though. The second half was particularly brilliant. *Goes and sits by the front door and impatiently waits for the blu ray*
Excellent. Young Rimmer was spot on. The episode started well with the Io bit, I wasn’t too sure about Hoagie but I’ll proably come round on re-watch, and then the second half was brilliant. The models were fantastic, although I don’t think the simulants were as threatening as in VI – there was just a bit too much humour with them. But the Rimmer storyline and the general simulant threat situation made for an excellent episode.
Wasn’t the “hari-kari” [sic] bit basically taken wholesale from a Mitchell & Webb sketch? Yes, it was. The way the hull breach got plugged was very similar to the novel Backwards, too…
That was brilliant! The first half was a bit weak but the second half was possibly the strongest of the series. The advert break was in a weird place again, i think the episode will benefit from being one big glorious whole on the DVD. I really liked the twist that the simulant on board was actually friendlyish and they had been messing around with him as a way to pass the time. Who was his brother though? Rimmer felt the most Rimmery he has the whole series for me, i had been disappointed with both Chris’s delivery and the material he had throughout the series but this really made up for it. However Rimmers last words will always be “Gazpacho soup” and not “Mummy” or whatever was said. Also, was this the first time we’ve had a scene with just Rimmer and Cat since series 1? The model shots were excellent and the shot of the moon at the beginning was beautiful. I didn’t particularly like the design of the Simulants on the ship though, their costumes looked a bit tacky. The officer who stabbed himself was very funny though. I can’t believe that the series is over already, i’m really hoping we get an announcement of series 11 early next year. I’ve enjoyed every episode and they’re definitely strong enough for me to give them many more watches on DVD. Now that the sets are built and the cast have re-found their characters i think that series 11 could really take Red Dwarf back to top form.
I think the reaction from the audience made the series VIII explanation joke gold. If I was in the cast I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself laughing and shouting ‘WE FOOLED YOU BASTARDS.’
I think the reaction from the audience made the series VIII explanation joke gold. If I was in the cast I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself laughing and shouting ‘WE FOOLED YOU BASTARDS.’ And yet I remember the laugh being much bigger.
“But will you give me an adequate explanation for buggering me?” It’s obvious, isn’t it? I – oh, hang on, there’s someone at the door.
I thought that the Simulants weren’t as threatening/scary as others we’ve seen because it was a whole fleet. And that the reason the ones we’ve encountered before are pretty ruthless and evil was because they’ve been living in small groups and are scavengers.
Oh i forgot about the map their simulant friend showed them! Is that something the crew could use to track down Kochanski?
I officially declare series X a triumph. An eclectic mix of drama, character pieces, sci-if and comedy… Just like it should be. I just hope we don’t have too much of a gap between series X and series XI.
So many people on t’interpipes are complaining about the retcon re. Rimmer’s last words. Odd. Seemed pretty clear that Lister was just winding him up as part of a throwaway joke… Anyways, have this amusing comment what someone done said: ‘Your father is Dad’ – No, he isn’t.
I think the reaction from the audience made the series VIII explanation joke gold. If I was in the cast I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself laughing and shouting ‘WE FOOLED YOU BASTARDS.’ And yet I remember the laugh being much bigger. I imagine they cut that laugh down, to stop the average viewer wondering what the hell was so funny.
Am I the only one who initially thought the post-credits scene would have Kochanski appearing? Not to say it disappointed me, if anything it made the reveal funnier for me.
Oh i forgot about the map their simulant friend showed them! Rogue droid, not simulant (they’re very sensitive about being confused for the latter :p).
Yes, you make me tongue, tongue (tied, tied) Tongue Tied. Why can’t I tell you clearly? (clearly) Tied, tied tongue, tongue (tongue tied, tongue tied) Whenever you’re around. Loving the easy listening version while I wait … Oh and that map gives us a really nice arc for XI
The effects were absolutely beautiful. I just can’t get over how good they were.At last, we finally get to see Hoagie the Roagie! Very funny character.The whole Io bit at the beginning was nicely done. The actor playing young Rimmer was perfect.I have nothing but praise for this episode. I want more of the young rimmer in series XI. And wouldnt mind Hoagie back. We are getting quite a few rimmer scenes now of him at various stages be good to cut them together into one youtube video some time.
And great idea, comedy simulants! Way to kill their menace. The simulants reminded me of Lord Fear and Lissard for some reason. Which was nice.
Rimmer’s battleplan timetable: “‘How to defeat an army of (M???) Russians whilst still finding time to be the world’s greatest golfer’ by Kim Jong Il” :D
Hmm, why do I feel like I’ve just been kicked hard in the bollocks? Not addressing the cliffhanger we’ve wondered about for thirteen years… forgivable. Actually taking the piss out of people who want to know the answer *in the episode*…? On top of that, a badly paced monstrosity of an episode – which is stupidly ironic given that it had some of the best character moments Dwarf has seen. Cat psychoanalyses Rimmer and genuinely helps him, whilst transfixed by a stick and a piece of string. Love it. Rimmer continues to judge himself by his father’s standards but following the bombshell now believes his father would be proud of him. Love it. Rimmer shows confidence and conviction, and even inspires it in other people – entirely in character. Love it. So much potential… stupid amounts of potential, and smatterings of genuine greatness… but, oh God… what a messy mess. This episode played the “we’re in mortal danger but we’ve still got time to stop for one-liners” card far, far too much. Previous peril situations have managed to fit the comedy in around it… Striking up a “do you remember when….?” conversation right in the middle of being surrounded by simulant killers… for no reason whatsoever other than to dangle the answer to the cliffhanger in front of us and then deliberately cut it off… it’s funny in a peripheral sort of way, but at the same time the show is actively mocking its viewers. I don’t like that – both from the perspective of a viewer and a fan, and because it’s just a little bit too meta for me. Oh, well…
Alright – a couple of knee jerk thoughts: That whole Hara Kari sequence had me properly woofing. Yet another instance of perfect execution. so much of this series has been like that for me – the timing of most of the guest stars has been impeccable! I must admit, I now want that wibbly gun! – anyone got it? I think ‘two forks and a pencil sharpener’ would have been much funnier had it not been graped by the advertising… I find it really interesting how ten series down the line, that Rimmer still goes through cycles of personal growth and decline, how his backstory keeps getting expanded without trampling (too much) on what we know as canon. Mrs Rimmer consistently seems to be a massive slapper though. how many’s that now? Uncle Frank, Porky Roebucks’ dad, the gardener.. I wish John Abineri hadn’t gone and done a dead – it would have been nice to have him as a callback for the role. RIP matey boy I Really can’t quite work out just why Doug’s choosing to mirror the first episode in such a way though, I wonder (if like with BTE) it’s his way of setting up a ‘thank you, hallelujah and goodnight” in case a series XI doesn’t come about… (oh, and the explosion mirroring the title sequence was a beautiful touch.) either way, I really loved this episode. Visually it was stunning, the modelwork was (for me) bang on and I honestly can’t complain about it one iota. I are a happy Jez…
That. Was. Brilliant! Not at all what I expected, but brilliant non the less. I bloody love Doug Naylor – I love his boldness and willingness to take risks – and to play with our minds like the evil genius he is…okay so I may be getting a tad carried away now. But yeah, loved it! :) Although I realise that some of you may be a tad smegged off with him at this point. But I enjoyed this episode muchly!…did I mention that yet?… So many revelations, so much..awesomeness. :) I don’t think I’ve ever rooted for Rimmer before as much as I did in this episode. Could it be that Rimmer…has now truly evolved? Anyway, I’ve so much to say about this episode but I’ve leave it there for now. Looking forward to watching it again though.
So…I realized something tonight. If Red Dwarf can’t make me laugh (which it hasn’t done since Trojan), an adventurous plot that takes my mind off the weak humour will at least cover the gaps. The Beginning isn’t a funny episode. But it is a damn sight better than Dear Dave and Entangled because the story has a beginning, middle and an end with a flowing plot rather than a bunch of scenes strung together. It’s not a complex plot and there isn’t any innovation on a par with anything from Series I-VI but it’s OK, even if we do get some clunky plot points (the gun, Rimmer’s holo-message from his father – did this really need to be setup in such a contrived manner?) The comedy droid who breaks into Red Dwarf was an interesting idea…but the performance ruined it for me, quite frankly. Was that a nod to The Princess Bride? And, if so, why? Is this episode worthy of the hype? Not a bit. In terms of surprises, there wasn’t really any…aside from that revelation about Rimmer’s father. I have misgivings about that as it treads on backstory of BETTER episodes. The special effects were iffy. Some of it was good…some of it was not. And the other stuff? Which Rimmer it is…the series VIII cliffhanger….Kochanski…intangible .light-bees…. Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care. 6/10.
Ummm, I think I may have allowed my expectations to rise too high in anticipation of this one. As a result, I’m pretty disappointed. A few rewatches to consolidate my thoughts will possibly even things out. It’s my own fault, rather than the episode’s. Found the non-explanation of the VIII cliffhanger amusing (less so the second time though) but didn’t like the way Doug willfully allowed the “which Rimmer is this?” bollocks to continue to simmer. Enjoyed the story as a VI-style small craft in peril episode, but I just didn’t find it very funny on first watch. I don’t revel in declaring that, I wanted to find it brilliant. Summary: story was fine, jokes didn’t hit the spot, for me.
I had assumed that the Howard scenes in Trojan would be all we’d be getting about Rimmer’s past this series, so I was really pleasantly surprised that the episode had so much emphasis on Rimmer’s relationship with his dad. Really liked the juxtaposition of the Cat offering his most intelligent advice at the time he’s playing his most cat-like game. I’m someone who’s felt for a long time that the resolution of the series VIII doesn’t need to be explained, and had hoped that this series WOULDN’T provide an explanation. So I really enjoyed the interruptions every time the story was about to be retold. I was surprised by how much time was spent with the guest cast (young Rimmer, his dad and classmates, and the simulant crew) rather than the main crew. Not the funniest episode of the series, but it did have a couple of great moments, the highlight of which was probably Lister’s “And a billion-piece jigsaw falls into place…”
Oh, and yes, Tanya’s completely right. Completely contradicts Trojan. Are they both the offspring of Dennis then?
Was the simulant at the start meant to be the brother of the one from Justice? Sorry for stupidity but I’m lost with this Hoagie the Rougie talk…
I’m a little underwhelmed…but there’s LOTS to like, not least the wank-worthy model shots, as well as some real jeopardy for the crew (omg just pissing myself laughing at the ‘cast intro Gladiators music!!) and a triumphant conclusion!! As far as Rimmer episodes go this is definitely one of the best, and obviously most crucial in the show’s history. The Io scene is more than we could ever have expected (nice performance by the young actor, and Rimmer’s dad). Carrying around his father’s hologrammatic ‘officer’ message doesn’t feel shoed in after 25 years….at all…;) but it worked great in the end as a nice piece of Rimmer development. There’s soooooooo much more that can be said but thoughts need to come together in bonds of coherence…
I enjoyed that one. A nice little episode with a trying-to-be-more-epic than is possible in 30 mins of TV feel to end on. I liked the Rimmer stuff in particular, though nothing made me laugh out loud. Once again I felt there were a lot of lines/scenes that were variations on stuff we’d heard/seen before – but it can be forgiven. Would have liked to have had a definite explanation about what happened at the end of series 8, but I still found it funny that they didn’t tell us. Series X left me with spinning beach balls of doom, dental pain with no anasthetic, the bitter taste of lemons, a fetish for upside down glasses, a penchant for vending machines and an urge to play about with a bit of string tied to a stick.
I disagree with Tanya’s point on the Dwarfcast that the Rimmer dad reveal doesn’t make sense in light of the Howard story in Trojan – Howard and Rimmer are still *half* brothers. Also as to the point that it should have been Lister doing the heartfelt scene rather than Lister – it was different, but not bad. The Cat has been around for 20 plus years at this point, nice to stretch the dynamics a little rather than have Lister regurgitate his “Don’t try and be something you’re not” speeches of yore to Rimmer.
‘I did it the reicht way – Adolf Hitler’ Rimmer’s battleplan certainly was a top notch part of the episode.
If Rimmer’s mother was knobbing the gardener, Howard could also be a product of this affair. What an absolute…. Better not.
Rimmer felt the most Rimmery he has the whole series for me, i had been disappointed with both Chris’s delivery and the material he had throughout the series but this really made up for it. I totally agree with this and take back my contentious Chris-comments from Entangled. Just shows how good writing makes for a strong performance.
Rimmer’s battleplan timetable: “’How to defeat an army of (M???) Russians whilst still finding time to be the world’s greatest golfer’ by Kim Jong Il” :D Mutant Russians.
LOVED the episode. Not living in UK, I went through a lot of trouble to watch this series in real time (4/6). This time, due to technical issues, I missed 2-3 minutes of the episode. Important minutes. And you spoiled them for me in the first minutes of your dwarfcast, you cunts! :) (It’s Rimmer’s dad’s speech)
Maybe it was a reboot of rimmers hologram using both rimmers personality and memories.. im a bit confused with the gazpacho soup / mummy scene.. part of me thinks maybe Lister was just winding Rimmer up.. another part of me thinks maybe gazpacho soup wasnt the only words he said before he died..
> Rimmer’s last word being “mu…” could refer to his second death… Radiation leak, BtE despair squid reference. It’s got to include original holo-Rimmer. Either it’s him, crashing back as Ace and destroying the metal-eating thing, or it’s a combination including a backup of him.
We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Apart from pain. And maybe humiliation and obviously death. And failure. But apart from fear, pain and humiliation, failure and the unknown and death we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Who’s with me?
A notable quote from Doug’s DenOfGeek interview: >Moving on to the last episode of this series, there’s a big revelation for Rimmer. Do you think it could change how long >term fans see him? It’s not going to change your perception of Rimmer because he’s always presumed something and acted accordingly. Now there’s the question of: will this change his personality in the future, it may or it may not. Or it may be something else like a twist on top of a twist. In terms of does it change your perception of what happened in the past, no I don’t think it does. But it could affect his behaviour in the future.
Ummm, I think I may have allowed my expectations to rise too high in anticipation of this one. As a result, I’m pretty disappointed. A few rewatches to consolidate my thoughts will possibly even things out. It’s my own fault, rather than the episode’s. Or maybe it just wasn’t good enough. It had some good moments sure but like the rest of the series I feel it’s just put together with a lot of dud moments and lame predictable set ups. Hence the need for Doug to write with someone else, someone to bounce ideas off and write tighter scripts like he did with Rob Grant………… Though the whole business of Rimmer’s dad was a good gag with a nice pay off. Thinking on it I don’t really like the idea now because it’s fucking with the whole history of the show – not worth it for a pay off to a series ending story. I still welcome a series XI though, which will probably be announced during the 25th anniversary next February – that will also give time for the dvd sales etc. I still feel Trojan is my favourite of the series. Every character gets some good gags and moments. It felt the most old school Red Dwarf to me. I don’t honestly think Kryten had that many great moments in X compared to the others. Looking forward to the dvd. Surely you will do another Dwarfcast for that?
Now it’s complete, what are people’s thoughts on series X as a whole? Where does it sit in the spectrum of RD series? Personal opinion, it sits nicely alongside series 4 as a mid-level series. My opinion may change when I sit and watch the 6 eps back to back. I’m thinking if series XI occurs in the coming 3 years then we’ll see even better things to come as the team hot their groove from all fronts even quicker. Oh and one small point, what’s people’s opinions on Cat becoming even Cattier this series? I’ve enjoyed it and think DJJ had the most woofers this series.
red dwarf X has been to busy, it doesn’t feel like the 4 guys are in a lonely universe because its full of gelfs, beggs, simulants that has been made even more louder this series does feel more like star trek
Cat has been the best in this series! i really hope he gets an episode next series!! (maybe a version of identity within?)
And now suddenly they have a Simulant buddy who drops by every now and again for a cup of tea and a duel to the death, when things get a bit boring.
I knew the interrupted Series VIII cliffhanger explanations reminded me of something, but couldn’t remember what. Now I’ve realised what it is: teenage Maggie Simpson about to speak in “Lisa’s Wedding”!
Will Rimmers so called fathers death in better then life lose its meaning to viewers now we find out he wasn’t really his father?
> Rimmer’s last word being “mu…” could refer to his second death… Radiation leak, BtE despair squid reference. It’s got to include original holo-Rimmer. Either it’s him, crashing back as Ace and destroying the metal-eating thing, or it’s a combination including a backup of him. No, they could have been discussing the second Rimmer. Nothing in the dialogue discounts that. Rimmer could refer to the nano Rimmer as “me” as it was him, just not the same version, but you would imagine they would generally react in the same way.
Will Rimmers so called father death in better then lifes lose its meaning to viewers now we find out he wasn’t really his father? No, because Rimmer didn’t know he wasn’t his father at this point so he is still emotionally at the same place.
A notable quote from Doug’s DenOfGeek interview: >will this change his personality in the future, it may or it may not. Or it may be something else like a twist on top of a twist. It was never really explained, other than in the subtext, how exactly Rimmer was a ‘guinea pig’. Unless I missed something. I’m not calling it a plothole, it works fine even if there’s not more to it. But could this be another example of Rimmer being fucked with by his old man?
Looking forward to the dvd. Surely you will do another Dwarfcast for that? I hope so, and I DEMAND THAT THEY DEVOTE AT LEAST 10 MINUTES TO DISCUSSING THE STICKER.
Unless I missed something. Rimmer’s pa was using him as a test subject because he was late. Although I might have missed something as well. *flees*
Im not sure how i feel about Rimmers father as it makes better then life lose some meaning =( I know what you mean. That was my first thought. in a kind of Hmmm way. But when I looked more at the whole thing, I kind of felt the tragedy of Rimmer is till all there because of what he believes about his upbringing. So althought we now know more than him watching that stuff back he’s still none the wiser, infact he’s wishes are more of a waste of his time than he knows.
Regarding which Rimmer this is. Maybe Holly somehow merged Series 8 Rimmer’s memories with a backup of original Rimmer and he simply remembers everything that happened to both.
Small point: Didn’t Rimmer do a maintenance course at “Saturn Tech” (Thanks For the Memory)? Maybe he got kicked out of Io Polytechnic.
So does that mean the spoiler policy is now defunct? Also SFX have published a lovely little piece: 10 Things We Learnt About Red Dwarf X From “We’re Smegged” http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/11/08/10-things-we-learnt-about-red-dwarf-x-from-were-smegged/
Young Rimmer’s school scene really reminded me of The End’s famous exam scene. Almost makes me wonder whether the lad watched that bit to prepare for the role…
We cant hear anything. Exactly. And do you know why we cant hear anything? Cus there is no dwarfcast to hear!
…and here’s me thinking they listened when people were screaming ‘shut the fuck up!’ What you gonna do then peeps? – a fresh stream link?
I spend every Thursday night fighting with my utterly fucking shit internet connection to listen to the DwarfCasts, so this is about normal for me! Jo: Cabaret? They’re not giving Cappsy a karaoke machine are they?
I actually thought they were going to end it as Blue Midget flew over the camera, in the style of Gunmen.
i have a small point: the Lovely Linda Glover mentioned on twitter that she only had 24 hours to cast Jr. Rimmer, I’d say that was a damn good call picking Philip Labey!
Hoorah!!!!!!!! The spoiler policy (on the main broadcast episodes) Is over!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rimmers brother dies!!!!! as a hologramme. Pre is a bitch. They Meet Jesus’s Cock. The beggs choke. Haley Somers is a Slag. Rimmers Dad is a gardener!!!! Feels good to let it all out. :-)
Another small point! Ellard said on twitter that for the first time; this series’ broadcast order is the same as the filming order…
1. Fathers And Suns 8/10 2. Entangled 8/10 3. The Begining 7/10 4. Trojan 6/10 5. Dear Dave 6/10 6. Lemons 5/10 All of it better than Duct Soup, Epideme episodes, Beyond a Joke, Waiting for God, Krytie TV, Only the good , Some of it better than some of Balance of Power, Last Day. Holoship, Meltdown, Pete episodes, and some of Back in the Red.
Some of it better than some of […] Pete episodes IMO Red Dwarf X at its worst was still better than the best parts of both Pete episodes!
Trojan: 5/10 Fathers and Suns: 9/10 Lemons: 4/10 Entangled: 8/10 Dear Dave: 2/10 The Beginning: 9/10 VI > III > V > IV > VIII > X > IX > VII > 2 > 1 Series VIII is ahead of Series X by the narrowest of narrow margins.
I think I’d rather watch Pete again. Than Lemons myself. I rather a pretty pointless episode/s around meeting a dinosaur, than around meeting a jesus like character.
IMO Red Dwarf X at its worst was still better than the best parts of both Pete episodes! Taiwan Tony is my worst RD moment ever. Worst thing in Pete got cut. ;)
i have a small point: the Lovely Linda Glover mentioned on twitter that she only had 24 hours to cast Jr. Rimmer Aww. And here I had a mental image from presumptions of all pre-casting at the beginning of filming, of this kid and Mark Dexter having to take a “How To Be Rimmer” class together on-set. (Doug or someone would be teaching it; Chris would be off having tea somewhere.) I liked it. It could’ve possibly been a little tighter, but by and large, I was entertained and touched by the father subplot, especially Cat’s observations about old man Rimmer. In response to someone who thought it should’ve been Lister … it lands more of an impact coming from Cat, who’s never troubled himself with Rimmer’s state of mind, whereas Lister’s done it several times before. Rimmer might actually *listen* this time.
1. Trojan 7/10 – better than a couple of Series 1 episodes, better than VII, VIII and BTE. 2. The Beginning 6/10 – better than VII onwards, aside from Tikka to Ride 3. Lemons 5/10 – On a level with most of VII, better than VIII and BTE. 4. Entangled 3/0 – Awful. Series VIII standard. 5. Fathers and Suns 3/10 – Ditto. 6. Dear Dave 2/10 – Ditto. Classic Red Dwarf was great comedy (not the greatest, but great) and wonderfully innovative stories. X has underachieved on both aspects. It’s unlikely we’re ever going to get another episode built around an amazing idea like Justice, Future Echoes, Thanks For the Memory, Camille. That’s not putting the early shows on a pedestal, that’s just acknowledging the fact that we haven’t had an idea to match them in almost 20 years. X has been made with a lot of love and, hell, I really wish VII had been made like this as that series had some FAR BETTER ideas behind it, but essentially, I’d be happy if it ended here on this “serviceable” ending. No cliffhanger. No Kochanski reveal. No getting back to Earth. I just find it disheartening to watch the show and not find it as funny as other stuff that’s on that I’m not so emotionally invested in. And when there’s no real innovation in the plots and the stories, it depresses me futher. V>III>II>IV>VI>I>>>>VII>X>>>>Colonic Irrigation>BTE>>>Chipmunk feasting on your testicles>VIII>Death
1. Dear Dave 8/10 2. The Beginning 8/10 3. Trojan 7.5/10 4. Lemons 7/10 5. Entangled 6.5/10 6. Fathers and Suns 6/10 All of it is better than series 8, most of 7 and various episodes from the others. If i ranked series, at the moment i’d currently say: V > IV > II > I > VI > X > III > VII > BTE > VIII
In response to someone who thought it should’ve been Lister … it lands more of an impact coming from Cat, who’s never troubled himself with Rimmer’s state of mind, whereas Lister’s done it several times before. Rimmer might actually *listen* this time. This!
In response to someone who thought it should’ve been Lister … it lands more of an impact coming from Cat, who’s never troubled himself with Rimmer’s state of mind, whereas Lister’s done it several times before. Rimmer might actually *listen* this time. This! exactly! Its the fact the Cat isnt expected to have a point
Does anyone else feel doug should have left the father stuff alone rather then changing it? after all his death hit Rimmer pretty hard in better then life and in marooned lister burns the box his father gave him and is the only thing he ever gave him Will these things still be meaningful to us viewers?
Does anyone else feel doug should have left the father stuff alone rather then changing it? after all his death hit Rimmer pretty hard in better then life and in marooned lister burns the box his father gave him and is the only thing he ever gave him Will these things still be meaningful to us viewers? So you’re saying someone who finds out at 20 that they were adopted is able to travel back in time and change their reactions to everything involving their adoptive parents before then?
Does anyone else feel doug should have left the father stuff alone rather then changing it? after all his death hit Rimmer pretty hard in better then life and in marooned lister burns the box his father gave him and is the only thing he ever gave him Will these things still be meaningful to us viewers? So you’re saying someone who finds out at 20 that they were adopted is able to travel back in time and change their reactions to everything involving their adoptive parents before then? well no but from watching these episodes back with well he aint his real father in mind will it effect anyones view of them episodes
I’ve not read all the comments above yet, so apologies if, in what will surely be a rambling mumble of a comment, I repeat anything that’s already been said… I was a little underwhelmed, if I’m honest. Seb’s already held his hands up and taken the blame for that, as he’s been Tweeting how it was going to ‘kick our asses and blow our minds’ in the last few days. And my ass remains unkicked, and my mind has had a slight breeze drift through it, but nothing major. There was lots about it I liked, nay, loved – again, that Young Rimmer scene was outstanding, performance and casting spot on. All this has been covered, I know, but I wholeheartedly agree. I wrote a Tweet before the episode started, which I intended to post during the ad break – “FUCK ME THIS IS AMAZING” I didn’t Tweet that, because it wasn’t. I settled for ‘rather good’ in my ad break tweet. But I loved the Hogie stuff, and I loved the reveal about Rimmer’s parentage. And the first time that the series VIII resolution was mentioned, I actually applauded, despite being sat on my own. I thought some scenes could’ve done with a bit more music, and thought a lot of scenes could’ve done with a few more laughs. But a great story, and one I’m going to have another good look at tomorrow. And cheers to all at G&T Towers for the last six weeks’ Live Casts, crashes and all. Looking forward to a Live cast from Saturday night of DJ. ;) If I think of anything else, I’ll be back. I’m just going to borrow my sister’s laptop now to correct the spelling mistakes I’ve made while typing this comment on my phone’s touchscreen keypad.
Im not sure how i feel about Rimmers father as it makes better then life lose some meaning =( I know what you mean. That was my first thought. in a kind of Hmmm way. But when I looked more at the whole thing, I kind of felt the tragedy of Rimmer is till all there because of what he believes about his upbringing. So althought we now know more than him watching that stuff back he’s still none the wiser, infact he’s wishes are more of a waste of his time than he knows. I’m thinking back to Dimension Jump now, and that opening scene with Rimmer hanging upside down in the gardens (on a side note, good job, Dung- er, Dad; that’s a hell of a grand-scale terrarium to keep up). I’m guessing the poor gardener probably didn’t know Arnie was his son all those years. Kind of sad when you know what a twat Mr. Rimmer was to the kid. Also, considering Ace Rimmer basically smoked all three of his (half?) brothers out of the water with accomplishments across time and space, this reveal makes him doubly amazing. What a guy!
Does anyone else feel doug should have left the father stuff alone rather then changing it? after all his death hit Rimmer pretty hard in better then life and in marooned lister burns the box his father gave him and is the only thing he ever gave him Will these things still be meaningful to us viewers? So you’re saying someone who finds out at 20 that they were adopted is able to travel back in time and change their reactions to everything involving their adoptive parents before then? well no but from watching these episodes back with well he aint his real father in mind will it effect anyones view of them episodes I suppose that’s up to each individual viewer. It won’t bother me, though it might amuse me when I rewatch some of them. :-D Or make me feel more sympathy toward Rimmer.
After all these years a little bit of change to a key characters backstory can only be a good thing. It would be interesting to see Rimmer now feel a little bit more confident in himself after this revelation. Lister has matured since the early series and now it’s the other main characters chance to change his dynamic a bit. Rimmer can still be a twat but maybe a bolder twat.
Totally agree with John’s assesment in the dwarfcast of the series 8 fanish joke being not typical of Red Dwarf. I can only think of a smiliar moment in 6 when Ace says “he’s so geeky I dont even think he could get into a sci fi convention”, and thats not quite as close in self reference.
After all these years a little bit of change to a key characters backstory can only be a good thing. It would be interesting to see Rimmer now feel a little bit more confident in himself after this revelation. Lister has matured since the early series and now it’s the other main characters chance to change his dynamic a bit. Rimmer can still be a twat but maybe a bolder twat. Yes I agree and wil be interesting to see where they go with that. But I also think it’s not the first time Rimmer’s character has turned around. It’s been trigged briefly in Terrorform at the end of the episode, and it’s come about a bit in Out of Time, perhaps slightly more so in the cut version where he is sucessfully heroic, where as he’s more attemptive in the actual 6 to 7 bridge cliff hanger. And in the middle of thanks for the memory he’s a changed man also. But yeah all of those had a rug pulled out from under him again. I think with his age and being dead 3 million years in space, it’s a case of how he now moved on from both Howard and Dungo revelations that remain the truth about his past in cannon at the end of X.
Look who ranting on twitter about the last Ep! Charmantides (@Charmantides) 11/8/12 5:48 PM @bobbyllew I will actually pay you folding cash money to punch Doug Naylor. In the word hole. RD deserves better than whatever that ep was.
@bobbyllew I will actually pay you folding cash money to punch Doug Naylor. In the word hole. RD deserves better than whatever that ep was. Nice use of a full stop there.
@bobbyllew I will actually pay you folding cash money to punch Doug Naylor. In the word hole. RD deserves better than whatever that ep was. Nice use of a full stop there. The person is MAD!
well no but from watching these episodes back with well he aint his real father in mind will it effect anyones view of them episodes I was going to say that Rimmer being adopted doesn’t make that much of difference to me since he’s still a product of that man’s parenting, or lack thereof, and that it might taint the Uncle Frank French kiss gag if you’re big on the incestuous aspect of it. Then I remembered the sperm alibi joke. That’s retroactively become fact now and that does bother me a bit as I’m attached to the character/story as well as the gag so in a way my investment in that line can no longer be the same. It won’t change the episode as a whole but an aspect of it has been changed. It’s similar to how I don’t like the way Bender’s Big Score manipulates two of my favourite Futurama moments from Jurassic Bark and Luck of the Fryrish thanks to time travel shenanigans. S’funny, my concern with Series X was that it would undo my experience of Stoke Me A Clipper by confirming BTE’s Rimmer as the original hologram. However, Mr. Naylor has deflected that quite nicely. And to be (uncle) frank, I preferred the Rimmer who thought he was incredibly close to his brothers and blind to their being horrible. Anyway, the man who raised him is his true father whether he was the sperm donor or not. ;) But oh how I wish Dungo was the gardener’s real name. :p
i give doug credit for wanting to give the characters some development but when Rimmers back story was ok how it was changing it just adds some questions wasn’t the original idea that Rimmer blamed all his mistakes and shortcomings on his parents but isn’t doug trying to say now the reason Rimmer fails is because of his heritage? which is a shame when you look at the message in the story of dimension jump
Well, whatever else, Ace does and always will stand as a testament to what Rimmer COULD have achieved if he knuckled down and tried, whether he’s descended from Napoleon or Baldrick. Rimmer didn’t fail because of his heritage. He failed because of his attitude.
its a shame doug didn’t give Rimmer what he always wanted his father or the man who raised him to say and thats well done =/ would have sealed the deal quite well i think
But oh how I wish Dungo was the gardener’s real name. :p Dennis. Is mentioned by Rimmer near the end. But yeah we dont have his surname.
But oh how I wish Dungo was the gardener’s real name. :p Dennis. Is mentioned by Rimmer near the end. But yeah we dont have his surname. Um, maybe “Dungo” is his surname.
Great FX work, but other than that, utter shite. I’m stunned by how bad this was, and by how horribly cheap the opening scene in the school room looked. So many weird fan moments, and nice ideas, completely crushed into a dogshit 30 minutes. I’ve recently been watching VIII and beside a few embarrassing moments, it’s so much funnier than X. It’s like a shell of it’s former self, and is starting to really feel like Last of the Summer Wine in Space.
Not a half bad episode. The good: Opening flashback scene. Reminded me of the start of Dimension Jump. Rimmer centric plot, and showing how his father worked to really mess him up. Cat insights. Some great effects shots. The bad: The “this happened then this happened then this happened” chain of events. The way the episode all flowed really felt like Doug could do with someone else to help polish up his good ideas into a more cohesive whole. Or maybe just someone else to direct his scripts. Can see where he is going most of the time, but the combination of writing and directing himself means stuff can often seem rushed or not fully clear to the audience. The neutral: The rogue droid. Don’t like the busy universe feel from having him just show up onboard the ship like that. At the same time however the sequence with him walking through the ship and being repeatedly directed to Lister was funny, and the dialogue between him and Lister was good. Overall this series has been a definite improvement over VII, VIII, and BTE. I really hope a series XI is commissioned because Doug obviously still has it in him to do great work, and with the production team slipping back into gear I think there is lots to look forward to.
I loved “The Beginning”. It may well be the best episode of the series, second only to “Trojan”. Series X is definitely a hammock. Strong opening and closing episodes, with some sagging in the middle. Overall, significantly better than Series VIII, but perhaps as quite as good as VII (which, counter to popular fan consensus, I maintain wasn’t actually terrible). I hope we get another series, and I hope Doug’s able to bring in someone else to help him polish the scripts. At this point I’d like to remind everyone that I am available for hire in that regard. Cheers.
Ooh, me too! I’d like a job, please! This was definitely the best of the lot. It had something that I think has been lacking in the other five episodes – heart. Up until now, I was wincing a bit at how callous the characters were becoming. There were some truly hysterical bits all the way through, but the Dwarfers seemed a bit too casual to the circumstances surrounding them. Loved Rimmer’s big revelation and how it effected him. I think we just saw an Ace being born. Or reborn. Still not clear on that yet.
Absolutely amazing series over all. Trojan 8/10 Fathers and Suns 7/10 Lemons 7/10 Entangled 8/10 Dear Dave 9/10 The Beginning 8/10 Series wise III>VI>II>V>X>IV>I>BTE>VII>VIII A real return for the boys from the Dwarf and I hope there is a future for it in some form! :) (series, movie, specials, novels etc.)
One thing that’s just occurred to me: this is only the third time Cat has ever referred to Lister by name, the other two being in Parallel Universe and The Inquisitor.
Best of the lot, my feelings on series x have been mixed. It seems half of it like Trojan, Fathers and Suns and Dear Dave are unfocused and messy episodes which while have some great elements don’t really fully hold together while the other half Lemons, Entangled and The Beginning are strong episodes that had the whole series been like that it would have been a return to form.
Well now, wasn’t that fucking awesome! I just loved that episode, such a strong end to the series. I can’t think of a single thing wrong with that (lack of Gazpacho Soup aside). I’m sure rewatching it a few times will amount in some minor nitpicks and such, but that’s about it. Now for the ratings: Trojan 8/10 Fathers and Suns 7/10 Lemons 9/10 Entangled 7/10 Dear Dave 6/10 The Beginning 9/10 II>VI>IV>V>III>X>I>BTE>VII>VIII Red Dwarf hasn’t been this good since 1993, which I might add was before I was born. Which technically means that this is the best Red Dwarf in my lifetime.
Jesus, is it me or are people just MUCH harder to please these days? I thought the episode was EPIC! Loved it, loved it, loved it! Definately my fave of the series, and I think it actually deserves a place in my top 10 fave episodes of RD. Probably somewhere between Quarantine and Gunmen. And I challenge anyone who disagrees with me to a duel across time and space!
One thing I can say for RDX is that the episodes stand up to repeat viewings as all the best Dwarf does. I got the season pass on iTunes on Day 1 and have watched the episodes (including the Beginning now) multiple times and can say that the epsiodes that I enjoyed the least improved on the repeat viewings and that each episodes had more laughs/details than I originally noticed. That’s the main reason I think this series is a triumph because I will whack the DVD/Blu-ray in the player for years to come and enjoy it just as much as I have over the past 6 weeks. …anyone who disagrees I challenge to a dual across space and time.
V>VI>II>IV>I>X>IIII>BTE>>>>>>VIII=VII Bestest to worserestest: Series: Five Six Two Four Ten One Three (controversial) BTE Seven = Eight X Episodes: Dear Dave Lemons Trojan Fathers & Suns The Beginning Entangled
>Jesus, is it me or are people just MUCH harder to please these days? It’s just that Red Dwarf is MUCH worse this days.
Series 8 explanation… Funny but ultimately a total kop out! :( Totally disagree. How the cliffhanger was resolved was NEVER important this late on. Doug Naylor didn’t care about resolving it, and a large percentage of RD fans didn’t care either. Now we can just forget about it and get on with enjoying the show :-D I care! So many questions… What ever happened to the original crew who escaped? Are they still out there? Also they took all the Starbugs and Blue Midgits on escaping so how is there at least one of each on Red Dwarf in Series X?
I care! So many questions… What ever happened to the original crew who escaped? Are they still out there? Also they took all the Starbugs and Blue Midgits on escaping so how is there at least one of each on Red Dwarf in Series X? My theory is this….. Rimmer saves ship from disintegration, crew return Starbugs and all, Rimmer then fails to repair the drive plate properly, wipes the crew out a second time (although Nano Rimmer’s first), hence the “mu…..” instead of “Gazpacho soup” final words. Lister/Cat/Kryten/Kochanski are off ship when it happens. Nano Rimmer comes back as a hologram. Done.
have we not Established yet that Lister said Rimmer’s Final words were ” Mummy Mummy” Because Lister Promised Him never to mention gazpacho soup again? other than the ” Souper” gag obviously.
Man my feelings on X are so complicated. I certainly enjoyed every episode and, apart from The Beginning, have watched each episode at least 6 times. I’ve never watched any episode after the next one has come out so am looking forward to seeing, in particular, those earlier episodes again once the blu ray is out. Things I liked with X: – Some great jokes. Character-based jokes! – The Cat arguably being the best he’s ever been (and there’s a strong case for that). – A lot of nice ideas and concepts. – Some great guest performances and, apart from the odd moment, great main cast performances. – Great production values (considering the show). Things that weren’t so great: – The pacing of episodes (Hayley Summers introduced in the 16th minute!? Not to mention the incredibly rushed ending of Trojan). – Laborious set ups. – Some ideas undercooked (usually by there being too many in one episode). – Some not so great guest performances. Also, can I just say Howard Burden has done an incredible job this series. His work has been far too often overlooked in people’s responses this series. I feel like there are some episodes in X that are probably better than some Series I episodes and I prefer it to all of VIII and BTE and put it on par/maybe a bit better than the best of VII. However, I find it so hard to judge against episodes in the first six seasons because feel I’ve become pretty blind to their flaws over the years because I know them so well and any parts I didn’t like upon first viewing (and there were quite a few with quite a few episodes) I can scarcely remember or can’t see why I thought that now. There are now just a few stand out moments that grate with me rather than a lot. Which tbf is kind of how I feel about X. XI just needs some Dougy discipline as one G&T reviewer wrote.
>Jesus, is it me or are people just MUCH harder to please these days? It’s just that Red Dwarf is MUCH worse this days. Give it a few years and you’ll be calling this series ‘Classic Dwarf’…
>Jesus, is it me or are people just MUCH harder to please these days? It’s just that Red Dwarf is MUCH worse this days. Give it a few years and you’ll be calling this series ‘Classic Dwarf’… Give it a little over 6 weeks………we’re all probably be dead. * How did Super Mario manage to escape where he was, to get the door at the end….without causing more suckage??!! Plus where did he get another gun from? ** ^ Maybe he ate a mushroom and made himself bigger. *** ^ LOL **** Nice use of the classic emergency siren!
I care! So many questions… What ever happened to the original crew who escaped? Are they still out there? Also they took all the Starbugs and Blue Midgits on escaping so how is there at least one of each on Red Dwarf in Series X? My theory is this….. Rimmer saves ship from disintegration, crew return Starbugs and all, Rimmer then fails to repair the drive plate properly, wipes the crew out a second time (although Nano Rimmer’s first), hence the “mu…..” instead of “Gazpacho soup” final words. Lister/Cat/Kryten/Kochanski are off ship when it happens. Nano Rimmer comes back as a hologram. Done. I like that! But wouldn’t that mean they’d have had to wait another 3 million years for the radiation to reach a safe background level? ;)
>Give it a few years and you’ll be calling this series ‘Classic Dwarf’… Yup, just like I did VII, VIII and BTE.
*confidently forms an opinion *sees everyone else raising their hands *hesitates Um… I liked it? Seriously, though, I couldn’t really get into it during the broadcast, but I’m thinking it might be a grower. The fiddling about with Rimmer’s backstory set me on edge, but for all I know, a lot of the stuff that’s happily in my head as “canon” from the first six series would have set me on edge in the same way when it was first introduced, if the first time I’d watched them had been as a fan and an adult. I find it so hard to judge against episodes in the first six seasons because feel I’ve become pretty blind to their flaws over the years because I know them so well and any parts I didn’t like upon first viewing (and there were quite a few with quite a few episodes) I can scarcely remember or can’t see why I thought that now. This. By the time I became a hardcore fan around the age of eight, I’d already absorbed pretty much every episode of I-VI via gentle osmosis while my parents watched them. Trying to think critically about them in the same way as I’m instinctively doing with X would be like trying to pull out your own light bee to have a look at it. Once I’ve come to terms (!) with the additions to Rimmer’s backstory, I might be quite happy with that episode. But the thing that’s bugging me was the line about Rimmer’s dad’s lineage being “Austrian princes” – was that it? Did I miss that bit of canon from before? I thought he claimed his problem (well, one of his problems) was that he didn’t have “the right nobby parents”. It’s little things like that that have tipped X over from being “jokes at the expense of continuity” (which is fair enough) to becoming a bit of a self-parody.
Well!! This was almost, nearly, the Red Dwarf I fell in love with. We were given a cohesive plot and character development instead of a cheap string of tacky modern references and shadows of previous series. Teenager Rimmer was perfect, and as a Psychology nerd I appreciated the nod to Asch’s conformity studies, and the reappearance of Mr Rimmer. There were still some moments that I didn’t like… the hari-kari was funny, but I don’t think that we needed to see the “guts”, as well as being gross it was just a bit uncalled for and unpleasant. The “let’s duel across time and space!” simulant was a bit silly, but somehow explained the rest of the story. Rimmer’s timetable reminded me of the novels, when he’s studying for his exams and instead spends weeks colour-coding it, so that made me happy. Actually, just seeing Rimmer succeed and feel good about himself was great. Just imagine how grateful Kryten would have been for a wibbly gun back in White Hole!
We;re obviously never gonna get an explanation about what Rimmer this is, other than the fact he remembers stuff from all the series (although Lister has previously mentioned the events of White Hole when he shouldn’t anyway…) Doesn’t really bother me, he’s a merge of the two, so presumably his data disc had both old information on it and recordings from the new resurrected Rimmer.
*confidently forms an opinion *sees everyone else raising their hands *hesitates Um… I liked it? Seriously, though, I couldn’t really get into it during the broadcast, but I’m thinking it might be a grower. The fiddling about with Rimmer’s backstory set me on edge, but for all I know, a lot of the stuff that’s happily in my head as “canon” from the first six series would have set me on edge in the same way when it was first introduced, if the first time I’d watched them had been as a fan and an adult. I find it so hard to judge against episodes in the first six seasons because feel I’ve become pretty blind to their flaws over the years because I know them so well and any parts I didn’t like upon first viewing (and there were quite a few with quite a few episodes) I can scarcely remember or can’t see why I thought that now. This. By the time I became a hardcore fan around the age of eight, I’d already absorbed pretty much every episode of I-VI via gentle osmosis while my parents watched them. Trying to think critically about them in the same way as I’m instinctively doing with X would be like trying to pull out your own light bee to have a look at it. Once I’ve come to terms (!) with the additions to Rimmer’s backstory, I might be quite happy with that episode. But the thing that’s bugging me was the line about Rimmer’s dad’s lineage being “Austrian princes” – was that it? Did I miss that bit of canon from before? I thought he claimed his problem (well, one of his problems) was that he didn’t have “the right nobby parents”. It’s little things like that that have tipped X over from being “jokes at the expense of continuity” (which is fair enough) to becoming a bit of a self-parody. I thought old man Rimmer might’ve been exaggerating to make a contrast with the gardener and make Rimmer feel that much worse about himself – it’d take a big man not to take a swipe at a kid he raised who he later found out wasn’t of his own DNA, and Mr. Rimmer is far from a generous soul. Also, without looking again, didn’t he say Austrian and French royalty? Which are defunct and assassinated? I thought that might be Doug’s joke. :-) But I could be not remembering right.
Dennis. Is mentioned by Rimmer near the end. But yeah we dont have his surname. I know it is, that’s why I wanted his real name to be Dungo. Um, maybe “Dungo” is his surname. Could be but I interpreted the delivery as a cruel nickname.
Dennis. Is mentioned by Rimmer near the end. But yeah we dont have his surname. I know it is, that’s why I wanted his real name to be Dungo. Um, maybe “Dungo” is his surname. Could be but I interpreted the delivery as a cruel nickname. Entirely possible. My only logic was trying to figure if Doug is going to offer up another possible surname for Arnold, not much beats ass-licking, except maybe shit. :-)
Now that the series is over, I guess I can officially declare that Entangled was my favourite of the bunch. The most laugh out loud episode of the run with a fun story and lots of good ideas. I guess Dear Dave was the weakest for me, despite my opinion improving on re-watch. I did like it, just not as much as the others. I think the series overall has been a triumph. I didn’t expect to ever see new Red Dwarf in that mould, but we got it. All six episodes had strengths and weaknesses but I believe as a season the former outweighed the latter. Presumably, with a series XI not starting from scratch production wise, we would get a slight expansion in range (Starbug cockpit, some location shooting etc.) on a series II scale, and that excites me. Very much hope it happens.
In case anyone in a position of awesomeness is reading this, I’d officially like to raise my hand to volunteer in some way to Series XI. I don’t care how, even if I have to service the snack machines….but I want smegging IN!
I like that! But wouldn’t that mean they’d have had to wait another 3 million years for the radiation to reach a safe background level? ;) Ah bollocks…..you’re right!
>Give it a few years and you’ll be calling this series ‘Classic Dwarf’… Yup, just like I did VII, VIII and BTE. In the words of DJJ……..BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
I just got a tweet from Richard Naylor saying the series 8 cliffhanger WILL be explained properly on the DVD documentary… That is of course if he isn’t carrying on the tease!
Taiwan Tony is my worst RD moment ever. …….Man up and listen to some brass band music! Oh and it looks like Seb didn’t post a spoiler after all. So it looks like I should say sorr……sssshhh! What’s that? – RUNS AWAY.
The “let’s duel across time and space!” simulant was a bit silly, but somehow explained the rest of the story. Hogey’s not a simulant, when he enters the ship and his general appearance is meant to make you think that he is, but his just a busted up old droid that has just gone batty likely because of drifting around in space for what has been probably millions of years.
I’d love to see Hogey back as a semi-regular. His little combeover flapping around in the wind was awesome!
I want the audience to clap and cheer every time he pops in for one of his weekly visits. Here’s Hogey!
I want the audience to clap and cheer every time he pops in for one of his weekly visits. Here’s Hogey!
I want the audience to clap and cheer every time he pops in for one of his weekly visits. Here’s Hogey! wouldnt that be a tad ‘american sitcommy’
He should definitely enter and mug to the crowd for about a minute before actually starting the scene. Maybe even do a lap of the audience seating area.
Doug should really wrap up his storys and jokes better as i notice most hardcore fans end up having to come up with there own reasons or excuses for things just so they feel better about it, which is fine but not every viewer is a huge dedicated fan and quite alot will be just casual viewers and it doesn’t look good =)
I think every episode of Red Dwarf from now on should cut away for 5 minutes towards the end to see what Hogey is up to this week… his own theme music and everything. I really think this could enrich the show and give it the new life it needs.
But the thing that’s bugging me was the line about Rimmer’s dad’s lineage being “Austrian princes” – was that it? Did I miss that bit of canon from before? didn’t he say Austrian and French royalty? Which are defunct and assassinated? I thought that might be Doug’s joke. :-) Ah! Thank you. It makes perfect sense if Rimmer Sr is big on family trees and has discovered he has (overthrown) royalty tucked away in a corner somewhere. Stupid of me to misunderstand it as the Rimmer family still being firmly in the very upper classes. It was such a rushed little thing, and it took me by surprise. Probably indicates how wary I’ve become of all the cavalier backstory retcons – I wouldn’t have put it past Doug to decide it would be funnier if Rimmer came from a direct line of aristos… Lots of daddy issues in Doug’s Dwarf, aren’t there! Lister becomes his own father, Lister nearly becomes someone else’s father, Rimmer finds out his father isn’t his father… Maybe in XI we’ll discover that Cat’s father was actually the Cat Priest!
I want the audience to clap and cheer every time he pops in for one of his weekly visits. Here’s Hogey! wouldnt that be a tad ‘american sitcommy’ Yeah, I guess so. Let’s not do that.
Seriously though, I loved Hogey the Roguey and I am really not a fan of OTT silly voices in Red Dwarf. I think it’s because the concept was just so funny. Great stuff. Some really great guest performances in this ep.
Yeah, I guess so. Let’s not do that. Lister: “Oh smeg off Rimmer.” *Hogey barges in* Hogey: “YOU KEELED MAI BRADDAAHH” *audience laugh* Lister: “Hogeeeyyyyy!!!” *audience laugh and applaud* *credits*
Yeah, I guess so. Let’s not do that. Lister: “Oh smeg off Rimmer.” *Hogey barges in* Hogey: “YOU KEELED MAI BRADDAAHH” *audience laugh* Lister: “Hogeeeyyyyy!!!” *audience laugh and applaud* *credits* I just spit my coffee all over the screen. You owe me a new Internet.
Every time they said Hogey I would think of Meatball Parmesan Hoagie is a sandwich in the North Eastern U.S. These sandwiches are known by various names depending on where you live in this country. Some of those names include: Submarine, Heros, Hoagie, Grinder, Po’ Boy, Rocket, Torpedo, Dagwood, Hero, Zepplin, and Italian Sandwich. These are king-sized sandwich on a loaf of bread approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide, filled with various cold cuts and many different trimmings http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoagieSubmarinePoBoy.htm
Fact from SFX: Simulant Wednesday’s intestines were sausages covered in chilli and HP sauce. Gross – but why would a simulant have human body parts, aren’t they droids?
Re: Gazpacho soup/Mummy issue: https://twitter.com/DougRDNaylor/status/266986805197406208 @DougRDNaylor @realrobgrant @TORDFC I thought Rimmer’s last words were “Gazpacho Soup” @Steviefraser @TORDFC They were. Lister was taking the smeg. Which I thought was pretty clear, but hey-ho, you have it from the man himself now!
Jo: Cabaret? They’re not giving Cappsy a karaoke machine are they? If I were you, I’d be far more concerned about Ian getting microphone time during the Friday night karaoke… ;-)
Here we are: http://noiselesschatter.com/2012/11/09/review-red-dwarf-x-episode-6-the-beginning/ The Beginning > Lemons > Entangled > Fathers and Suns > Trojan > Dear Dave If we’re grading them… The Beginning: 7/10 Lemons: 6/10 Entangled: 4/10 Fathers and Suns: 2/10 Trojan: 1/10 Dear Dave: 0/10
I like that they thought to ask Rob his view on the matter. Yep, I bet Rob is too. And I just typed that in whatever the same tone is that you wrote yours. LOL
Shit I never knew Rob was on twitter. Not following Doug though but following Norm, DJJ and Bobby…..interesting. Anyone asked him what he thinks of X?
>Anyone asked him what he thinks of X? I’d imagine lots of people have asked him. I imagine he’s probably very annoyed by the question.
>Anyone asked him what he thinks of X? I’d imagine lots of people have asked him. I imagine he’s probably very annoyed by the question. Well maybe he should just tweet what he thinks of it and have done with it. Anyway what does he expect? Together with Spitting Image, Red Dwarf is highly likely to be his legacy. *Seb you were fucking funny in the Dwarfcast!
I’m fairly certain Rob’s said somewhere before series X that he hadn’t watched any episodes since he left so I would think that’s unlikely to have changed. I might be talking bollocks though since I can’t remember where I think I’ve seen that.
I’m late to the party, but have to chip in and say how much I loved that episode. Best of the series, without a doubt. Lister got some emotional background in BTE and it was great to see Rimmer develop further in this episode and have his hero moment, which was certainly handled better than the crappy ‘Smeg, I’m a hero’ alt ending of Only The Good. I find the fact that Doug is still willing to add new information and development to these characters, 20 odd years in, really admirable. RDX has been a great series from my POV. A few cringey moments here and there is about the worst criticism I could give it. It was frequently very funny, the stories were good for the most part, the main cast’s performances sound, Cat better than he’s ever been, some beautiful model shots and the best series finale since Out Of Time. Roll on XI.
I watched this again for the third time and I’m loving it more and more with each watch. The opening scene, Hogey the Roguey, Dominator Zlurth, the model effects, that Blue Midget set, Rimmer’s talk about Dungo/Dennis/Dad, his fear speech, Chris’ performance in general, the great final battle, the last line and of course Howard Goodall’s brilliant score. So much that I love in this episode. Despite not being the funniest episode of X, there were still plenty of laughs and if every episode could deliver plots and characters as well as this then I would be very happy. Also I’ve never really been a fan of Rimmer flashbacks in the past as I never could really see that kid as being Rimmer, but Philip Labey couldn’t have been more spot on!
I’m fairly certain Rob’s said somewhere before series X that he hadn’t watched any episodes since he left so I would think that’s unlikely to have changed. I might be talking bollocks though since I can’t remember where I think I’ve seen that. I recall a BBC radio interview around 2005 I think. He said he watched the first two episodes of VII, thought it was so bad he didn’t bother watching the rest of the series. Didn’t bother with VIII either – maybe it was the Star Wars parody trailer that did it…… * I think what Doug did with Ace fucked him off big time.
I’m fairly certain Rob’s said somewhere before series X that he hadn’t watched any episodes since he left so I would think that’s unlikely to have changed. I might be talking bollocks though since I can’t remember where I think I’ve seen that. I recall a BBC radio interview around 2005 I think. He said he watched the first two episodes of VII, thought it was so bad he didn’t bother watching the rest of the series. Didn’t bother with VIII either – maybe it was the Star Wars parody trailer that did it…… * I think what Doug did with Ace fucked him off big time. I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I agree with people who say he couldn’t/shouldn’t care less – and if he does, well, it’s presumably his own fault. He’s never contradicted Doug’s story that he chose to leave, has he? It’s not like he was forced out; he had other stories he wanted to write.
Do we *need* to turn this into another ‘Rob & Doug: what *reeeeeally* happened?’ thread? Been there, done that, and will probably do so again, but this is about the finale of season X of Red Dwarf, which Rob Grant had nothing to do with, save for half a dozen ‘Created by…’ co-credits. /rant.
Do we *need* to turn this into another ‘Rob & Doug: what *reeeeeally* happened?’ thread? Been there, done that, and will probably do so again, but this is about the finale of season X of Red Dwarf, which Rob Grant had nothing to do with, save for half a dozen ‘Created by…’ co-credits. /rant. Yeh but with the series now over, It’s quite clear Doug although in terms of form being the best since VI – he needs someone to bounce ideas off and make a tighter script. It’s only natural to bring Rob up at this point.
I didn’t see many problems in the scripts personally. My main gripes (of which there aren’t many) are in the over the top performances on occasion. Not as broad as VIII but it did creep in too often for my taste. Kryten particularly felt ‘off’ for the entire series for me, with maybe the exception of Entangled. But overall I think the series was great, and the best solo Doug Dwarf by far.
Nice to see that tonight’s repeat of the first three shows is Radio Times pick of the day. They’ve championed this series all the way through. A cover would’ve been nice though!
Alright – a couple of knee jerk thoughts: That whole Hara Kari sequence had me properly woofing. Yet another instance of perfect execution. so much of this series has been like that for me – the timing of most of the guest stars has been impeccable! I must admit, I now want that wibbly gun! – anyone got it? I think ‘two forks and a pencil sharpener’ would have been much funnier had it not been graped by the advertising… I find it really interesting how ten series down the line, that Rimmer still goes through cycles of personal growth and decline, how his backstory keeps getting expanded without trampling (too much) on what we know as canon. Mrs Rimmer consistently seems to be a massive slapper though. how many’s that now? Uncle Frank, Porky Roebucks’ dad, the gardener.. I Or she was a deeply embittered and unhappy woman married to a cruel and cold man, of course. As I said in the Dwarfcast, Rimmer’s mum is clearly just as responsible for his personality, but all she seems to get is swipes about her sex life. Which is a shame.
I disagree with Tanya’s point on the Dwarfcast that the Rimmer dad reveal doesn’t make sense in light of the Howard story in Trojan – Howard and Rimmer are still *half* brothers. That’s my point. For the father reveal to be as significant as it’s clearly meant to be, Howard’s dad must be the same as Rimmer’s, surely (or someone else entirely)? If Howard can fail and have the same father as the other brothers. then Rimmer’s dad doesn’t really matter, so the plot makes no sense.
I disagree with Tanya’s point on the Dwarfcast that the Rimmer dad reveal doesn’t make sense in light of the Howard story in Trojan – Howard and Rimmer are still *half* brothers. That’s my point. For the father reveal to be as significant as it’s clearly meant to be, Howard’s dad must be the same as Rimmer’s, surely (or someone else entirely)? If Howard can fail and have the same father as the other brothers. then Rimmer’s dad doesn’t really matter, so the plot makes no sense. so basicly doug saying Rimmer is a failure because of his heritage on his real fathers side? or at least that would be the way for it to be significant? hmm.. think i prefered the dimension jump logic
I think Doug’s implications are that most of Rimmer’s hang ups are the result of how his father treated him and put so much pressure to succeed on him. Rimmer struggled because of the ideals his father placed on him. Now that he knows his real father was a humble gardener who would’ve been proud of his small accomplishments, it takes a lot of the pressure off, and it clears his mind up. I don’t think it’ll take away all of his neuroses. He still had to grow up in that environment, with those parents and those brothers, but I think this is “The Beginning” of him making himself a better person. I really think this was his ‘coming-of-Ace’ moment.
I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I agree with people who say he couldn’t/shouldn’t care less – and if he does, well, it’s presumably his own fault. He’s never contradicted Doug’s story that he chose to leave, has he? It’s not like he was forced out; he had other stories he wanted to write. Rob abandoned the show but he still co-created it and i wouldn’t be surprised if he was hurt to see where doug took the characters but what can you do if writers differences starting to effect the relationship and i generally do believe both rob and doug had huge ego’s at that time and why wouldn’t they? they had just won a comedy award and an emmy for series 6 and the show was growing in fandom
>I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I’d say I honestly can’t imagine any situation, and certainly not the one in question, in which someone has forfeited his or her right to have an opinion.
>I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I’d say I honestly can’t imagine any situation, and certainly not the one in question, in which someone has forfeited his or her right to have an opinion. Correct. It’s just that having voluntarily abandoned any creative input in the characters, his opinion is of no more relevance than yours or mine.
I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I agree with people who say he couldn’t/shouldn’t care less – and if he does, well, it’s presumably his own fault. He’s never contradicted Doug’s story that he chose to leave, has he? It’s not like he was forced out; he had other stories he wanted to write. Rob abandoned the show but he still co-created it and i wouldn’t be surprised if he was hurt to see where doug took the characters but what can you do if writers differences starting to effect the relationship and i generally do believe both rob and doug had huge ego’s at that time and why wouldn’t they? they had just won a comedy award and an emmy for series 6 and the show was growing in fandom It was a job and he left it for another job – it just happens to be a writing job. I’ve been employed full-time at three different publications in my career, have freelanced for several more, and at least for me, I don’t worry about what’s going on at the previous two publications where I was employed, nor at the others to which I contributed. You might wonder about it for a while after you leave because you still have a connection to it and an immediate memory of it, but if you wanted to leave, you move on mentally. (And then you have reporters who will stay with the same publication for 30 years because they like it and like the area and feel a tie to it – kind of like Doug and Dwarf.) I can’t pretend my humble job is anything on the scale of creating a TV show; I’m just saying, I can understand how creative types look at a project or job they’ve worked a LOT on and say “OK, I’m done with that – there’s something else I want to do more now” and move on to that – not despite their ego, but because of it.
Alright – a couple of knee jerk thoughts: That whole Hara Kari sequence had me properly woofing. Yet another instance of perfect execution. so much of this series has been like that for me – the timing of most of the guest stars has been impeccable! I must admit, I now want that wibbly gun! – anyone got it? I think ‘two forks and a pencil sharpener’ would have been much funnier had it not been graped by the advertising… I find it really interesting how ten series down the line, that Rimmer still goes through cycles of personal growth and decline, how his backstory keeps getting expanded without trampling (too much) on what we know as canon. Mrs Rimmer consistently seems to be a massive slapper though. how many’s that now? Uncle Frank, Porky Roebucks’ dad, the gardener.. I Or she was a deeply embittered and unhappy woman married to a cruel and cold man, of course. As I said in the Dwarfcast, Rimmer’s mum is clearly just as responsible for his personality, but all she seems to get is swipes about her sex life. Which is a shame. If young Arnold spent more time around her than his father and all he saw from her was a constant stream of criticism and the fact she was with a different man often, that’s what he’s going to remember. Just like all he remembers from Dad is being physically abused and starved and berated for not knowing enough. Arnold clearly makes it known early on that he doesn’t like either of his parents, but don’t you imagine he probably spent more time in his mother’s company (a lot of children still do, especially when they’re younger, and we have no reason to believe Mum had an outside which took her away from the house or children like Dad did) … which means he might have been more privy to her social life than his dad’s? Dad might have had women (or men; that wouldn’t surprise me) on the side too, but Arnold wouldn’t have necessarily known about them, to criticize.
>I’d say if he voluntarily abandoned the series and those properties (the characters), he doesn’t have much room for an opinion. I’d say I honestly can’t imagine any situation, and certainly not the one in question, in which someone has forfeited his or her right to have an opinion. Correct. It’s just that having voluntarily abandoned any creative input in the characters, his opinion is of no more relevance than yours or mine. Exactly. It was Rob’s choice to walk away. I think it’s unfair on Doug to use a thread devoted to the series finale he wrote and directed to discuss what Rob might think. Maybe a separate thread should be created. Regarding “The Beginning”, I really liked it. I’m not bothered about the change in Rimmer’s background as the important thing when his father is discussed in early eps is what he believed at the time. Also, the Rimmers are the ones who formed his personality, so whether they were related by blood is irrelevant in that respect. It will be interesting to see how this affects Rimmer in Series XI though, assuming we get it.
>Correct. It’s just that having voluntarily abandoned any creative input in the characters, his opinion is of no more relevance than yours or mine. Absolutely. I will say however that I’d personally find his opinion to be more INTERESTING, simply on the grounds that he played a large part in shaping the characters as we know them. But, no, I’d never argue that it’s more relevant. Just that he has a right to have one.
I think it’s unfair on Doug to use a thread devoted to the series finale he wrote and directed to discuss what Rob might think. Agreed. As to this series, it had a few low/questionable points, but overall I was entertained and made happy by new Red Dwarf, and this last episode was especially fun from my fan POV, at least. There’s a lot of potential for new stories and I want another series – but if we didn’t get one, I agree with those who said it’s not a bad end for the show altogether. These characters can go on having adventures in our minds for as long as we want them to.
“Rear Admiral Lieutenant General Rimmer… I am writing to inform you that your father is dead.” So, depending on whether or not we think Mrs Rimmer would have known about Mr Rimmer’s holo-lamp, we can read it that actually she was writing to tell him that the gardener was dead, not knowing that he didn’t know that he was his dad… Fucked-up continuity is fun when you can play games reconciling it.
On the other hand, Rob turned Lister and Cat into two teenagers who wank all the time.Fuck off. (Applauds.) Cant be doing with this “Doug would be better off still writing with Rob” misty eyed reunion wishing. Watch Dark Ages and read a couple of his solo novels, and acknowledge all the other changes that mean Dwarf isnt as emmy award as it used to be. I will read any intelligent posts at this point about what might have been better or worse about RDX under a 2012 ed bye direction. Or failing that someone can bring up the fat slags movie and tell me to fuck off also.
“Rear Admiral Lieutenant General Rimmer… I am writing to inform you that your father is dead.”So, depending on whether or not we think Mrs Rimmer would have known about Mr Rimmer’s holo-lamp, we can read it that actually she was writing to tell him that the gardener was dead, not knowing that he didn’t know that he was his dad…Fucked-up continuity is fun when you can play games reconciling it. Ah but did the gardener own a Jeep? ;-)
Or failing that someone can bring up the fat slags movie and tell me to fuck off also. Hey Jonsmad… the Fat Slags movie. Now fuck off. (I actually didn’t know Bye directed it.)
Alright – a couple of knee jerk thoughts: That whole Hara Kari sequence had me properly woofing. Yet another instance of perfect execution. so much of this series has been like that for me – the timing of most of the guest stars has been impeccable! I must admit, I now want that wibbly gun! – anyone got it? I think ‘two forks and a pencil sharpener’ would have been much funnier had it not been graped by the advertising… I find it really interesting how ten series down the line, that Rimmer still goes through cycles of personal growth and decline, how his backstory keeps getting expanded without trampling (too much) on what we know as canon. Mrs Rimmer consistently seems to be a massive slapper though. how many’s that now? Uncle Frank, Porky Roebucks’ dad, the gardener.. I Or she was a deeply embittered and unhappy woman married to a cruel and cold man, of course. As I said in the Dwarfcast, Rimmer’s mum is clearly just as responsible for his personality, but all she seems to get is swipes about her sex life. Which is a shame. If young Arnold spent more time around her than his father and all he saw from her was a constant stream of criticism and the fact she was with a different man often, that’s what he’s going to remember. Just like all he remembers from Dad is being physically abused and starved and berated for not knowing enough. Arnold clearly makes it known early on that he doesn’t like either of his parents, but don’t you imagine he probably spent more time in his mother’s company (a lot of children still do, especially when they’re younger, and we have no reason to believe Mum had an outside which took her away from the house or children like Dad did) … which means he might have been more privy to her social life than his dad’s? Dad might have had women (or men; that wouldn’t surprise me) on the side too, but Arnold wouldn’t have necessarily known about them, to criticize. That wasn’t quite what I meant, but it’s a fair point. I’m surprised we don’t hear more about his mother, but then, Rimmer did go to boarding school, didn’t he?
One issue with doug touching upon subjects from the crews pasts that have already been set up over 10 years earlier is that its at risk of contradicting itself and i think he has slipped up quite a few times this series, and for what reason he feels the need to bring up or even bring back the past as often as he does i have no clue both Rimmer episodes were Rimmer finding out members of his family were not who he thought they were
fans opinion i guess, personally i wouldn’t class them as brilliant, alot of good stuff in them id maybe they good,decent or solid episodes =) similar to series 7 for me =)
Series XII, Episode 6: “Only the Good II: An Only the Good Day to Die Hard” – Nano-Rimmer steals Death’s robes and scythe and begins harvesting souls to atone for his bastardness. Meanwhile, everyone is Kryten for some some reason.
Only the Good Die Hard The everyone’s Kryten thang could mean anything from them adopting his personality to becoming offensive homosexual stereotypes for thirty minutes. If they become robots (which I think someone mentioned)… that’s an eyebrow raiser like Bread Dwarf. Thought Entangled was a missed opportunity for Cat and Kryten to have a Bodyswap episode.
Cat has been the best in this series! i really hope he gets an episode next series!! (maybe a version of identity within?) I can’t see them doing that.
