Should Series VIII have kept the original ending to Only the Good?

Why did you combine three separate people’s opinions into one though?

I agree with both the opening post, and the two responses. If there was only some way we could somehow combine them into one perfect ending.

the original ending was obviously better because it wasn’t total shit, and also put an end to the pointless prison arc (how do they even escape the prison so easily earlier in the episode?)

> This is a serious discussion.

I think you have got the wrong forum mate.

Honestly before you’d even begin worrying about which ending works better, you need to convert the entire rest of the episode into a coherent, focused narrative centered around a single big idea.

Or, you know, just do more escalating prank shit for the THIRD EPISODE IN A ROW, randomly pull a mirror universe portal out of nowhere, go make a bunch of jokes based in inconsistent cartoon logic rather than any kind of intelligent sci-fi concept, and then pull some undeserved drama out of your ass at the last minute.

Only the Good is a shit piece of television regardless of how it ends.

I think they should have had Rimmer wake up on a train on his way to interview for the Second Technician job and realise the whole series had been a dream.

I’m just glad there’s finally a thread about whether series VIII was any good. Been waiting ages.

It’s weird to think that there’s a version of the episode without Tony Slattery’s vending machine reappearing. That’s about the only genuinely good part of the episode, and the only part that makes it seem like the episode’s structure was considered in any real way, that I can’t imagine it not being in it.

Although obviously the original ending has the benefit of not bringing in a fantasy character for Rimmer to kick in the balls, followed by more incoherent font usage and ‘the smeg it is’, it also has several things going against it, including everyone knowing the name of the microbe (utterly unhilarious and narratively appalling) and the whole ‘intentionally leaving the rest of the crew to die in their Starbugs’ aspect.

It’s weird to think that perhaps the original, much longer ending, should have been kept, which does have Tony Slattery’s vending machine.

There hasnt been a good ending to that bad episode that im aware of yet. I dont think doug has really finished writing that episode yet. he got close in series X.

clearly that episode had to finish the status quo of the prison story, return the possibility of a red dwarf with only a small crew onboard of central characters, so the see no ships ending might have done that better. but the third thing that was needed was an appetite for dwarf to return, at the time, as a movie.
“The smeg it is” while total shite helped the audience at least into a very long mode of “sitting and waiting for more dwarf” as opposed to a “dwarfs over forever” mind set. Now thankfully it’s a significant “end of chapter” marker, rather than the rubbish end to a tv show petering out forever and failing to fund a movie.

cesium….cock.

Id like to know what Dougs frame of mind was during series 8 (apart from the Movie!)

The scene in Cassandra where lister says kryten figured it out for example feels abit like either a subtle joke or just Doug was just saying Fuck it fans will accept kryten will come up with things and be right about it.

Same with alot of Only the Good, it felt like Doug was going through the motions but didn’t feel any pressure to take any of it seriously.

Kicking Death in the balls is a funny premise but its also one of the most cartoony thing the show has ever done. let alone the fact that i don’t honestly believe Doug had any real plan to make another series because in one of the early fan club magazines in 2002 he pretty much said he just wanted to stick to red dwarf movies now.