Americans watch Red Dwarf for the first time and it's…

[Warbodog]

Reaction videos aren’t a genre I enjoy or would normally bother sitting through, but when I saw this pop up I thought it might be interesting to see what newcomers make of the series.

Would they start at the slow-burning first episode or an obvious favourite recommended by their followers? At 1:30 they announced the episode they would be watching to base their opinion of Red Dwarf on and it was too awkward a prospect for me to handle, so I bailed.

It is not Pete Part Two, and it’s an episode most of you probably like a bit more than I do, but still pretty insane and discouraging as the episode you’d base your opinion of Red Dwarf on. Did someone recommend this to them specifically or what? Let me know if you make it through:

[bloodteller]

Well, thank god it’s not Timewave. Still a really odd episode to start with though

[Lily]

Ok yeah, that’s a really odd one to watch with no knowledge. I like the episode itself, but there’s no surprise that the woman sat there looking utterly confused.

At least in the comments they recognise it was a bad one to start with and are asking for recommendations.

[Warbodog]

I was too curious so powered through – and they give up after about 15 minutes, ha ha! But it’s their fault for expecting something from season seven of something to be easily understandable or still on top form.

Anyway, still some things I found interesting or funny:

– If you haven’t seen Dimension Jump, you would assume the zany Nazi stuff was related to the Medieval stuff, like the disparate stuff in Meltdown.

– On Cat: “Why is he in a vampire’s outfit?” Classic.

– Ace Rimmer’s “mid-Atlantic” accent comes off Australian (though it might be their sped-up, stretched-out copyright-infringing copy).

– Don’t notice that Rimmer and Ace are both played by Chris Barrie for ages.

I haven’t watched Stoke for years – “your brain moves quicker than a nun’s first curry” made me laugh.

[Dave]

Bizarre choice. It’s not like it’s hard to identify a good jumping-on point for TV shows these days, given the wealth of information available.

[Ridley]

Stoke was my first episode and I’m not a massive sneery I-VI snob so there.

[NoFro]

I still think Backwards is the ideal jumping on point for a modern first time viewer.

[Dave]

I think they should have started with Back In The Red Part Two.

[tombow]

I started with Series 3 (though I had seen Queeg before) and then read the (then) 2 novels while watching on. I didn’t think Series 1 and 2 were as good as the books when I finally saw them.

[Warbodog]

They specify that the episode has to be (a) on YouTube and (b) not on an official channel – probably because that’s easier to embed and less likely to get taken down. Sped-up-n-stretched Stoke is the first full episode that shows up when I search for ‘red dwarf,’ so that explains that. Other episodes are available in similar quality or worse.

[Lily]

I think a lot of the episodes from 4/5/6 would be good. Preferably ones without any alternate realities or duplicate characters.

A bunch of them say to start at The End, but if it’s only going to be a one off, it’s not really representative. Likewise with Back to Reality and Gunmen, although great episodes they spend so long in another reality it’s too confusing for a one off.

Something set mostly on the ship or a shape station, with minimal guest stars would be the better choice. DNA, Justice, White Hole, Inquisitor, Quarantine, Psirens, Legion etc.

[bloodteller]

My first episode was Demons And Angels, which I think is a fairly good one to start with

[Dave]

My first was The Inquisitor, which did the job.

[si]

I imagine Justice could be a good starting point.

[International Debris]

Justice would work. Thanks for the Memory might. Maybe Quarantine. Possibly even Psirens.
Outside of VIII and IX, I think Stoke is up there with Emohawk and Nanarchy in terms of least appropriate first episodes.

[Ben Saunders]

I rated Stoke top 5 in the pearl poll but it’s a totally inappropriate first episode, not least because it deals with the departure of a beloved main character, relies on your seeing a previous episode to understand what’s really going on and would most likely give the wrong impression of what the show typically is to newcomers.

[Ridley]

“Normalizing the traditional family in a liberal world”

Maybe Timewave would have been a better episode after all.

[Lily]

Actually fuck these guys, I want to take my view count back from them.

Clicked on the Yes Minster one, and they literally watch a 3 minute clip then spend 5 minutes saying how they don’t understand who anyone was or the context of the 30+ year old political landscape being made joked about.

At the end they ‘defend’ not watching a whole show as they say it’d be taken down for copyright. “we’re just making react videos here”. So basically they’ve no interest in the show, or really reacting to it much they’re just putting up clickbait videos because they know that suckers will watch any video with the title of a well loved british comedy show in it

… like us lot.

[tombow]

The first 2 episodes I saw properly were Marooned and Polymorph. They still have sacred status in my memories. I felt like I completely “got” the characters after that.

[Pete Part Three]

Future Echoes. Hooked instantly,

I’ll stick up for the first few minutes of Stoke, as I think that’s interesting enough to lure anyone in, but the rest of it would be pretty incomprehensible.

Bearing in mind these guys are just clicking on links of dodgy uploads on YouTube, I don’t think much thought was put into this,

I don’t get the point of these videos anyway. Just the way they’re sat put me off.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

Stoke is a good episode, but yeah, starting with it is like starting Doctor Who on The Parting of the Ways

[Ben Saunders]

or Hell Bent

[International Debris]

Imagine starting on Skipper.

[tombow]

If they can’t even be bothered to get a dvd, hard to see why they deserve any views.

[Captain Bollocks]

i introduced an American to Red Dwarf once, and figured if we were going to watch it, we might as well start at the beginning… or in this case, The End, an episode which I like, though mostly because it’s the genesis point for everything that’s to come rather than an actual stand-out in its own right.

It was fucking excruciating.

I love Red Dwarf, so sitting there in stony silence, watch a very dated-looking show, not laughing as they set up the premise of the series rather than tell any jokes. And then it’s three million years in the future and the Cat shows up and what the fuck is going on? What even is this? It was so painful.

At the end of the episode, I asked if she wanted to try episode two with the meek promise of “it does get better…” and she said “sure.” And by the end of Future Echoes, she was asking if we could watch more! And then I got spend a giddy few weeks watching the entire run through the eyes of someone who was experiencing the show for the first time, and it was GREAT.

Her reactions to all the various theme tune/set/character/costume changes were the best, although the impending sense of them killing the show off with Back to Reality or Out of Time, the lengthy waiting periods between seasons, and the mind-melting build-up to Back to Earth were all lost on her since she already knew how many DVDs were on the shelf. But yes, definitely one of my favourite experiences of having been a fan of the show, especially with the all the backseat audio commentary-ing I was able to do. “Did you know Tongue Tied actually charted in the UK?” “WHAAAAT?!” etc.

[tombow]

I really don’t like the Dad of the post modern family (who this video is by). He has that “cult member” smug charm mixed with wary paranoia. No surprise to hear that they are strict religious members who home school their kids.

[Ben Saunders]

That quote from Ridley, “Normalizing the traditional family in a liberal world”, told me all I need to know about them, unfortunately.

[tombow]

just seen them start off “Only Fools” with the “selling the watch” episode. they really know how to pick a jumping on point.

[Plastic Percy]

Watched it mainly for the guy’s reaction to anything remotely sexual, where his eyes get filled with somekind of prudish fear and dread.

[International Debris]

And then I got spend a giddy few weeks watching the entire run through the eyes of someone who was experiencing the show for the first time, and it was GREAT.

I’d got to the stage where I could watch even my favourite episodes in silence because I’d seen them so, so many times, but had the same experience when I showed my girlfriend the show for the first time. It was the closest thing to actually discovering it for the first time again myself. That was eight years ago, and she’ll have forgotten most of it by now, so we’re due another rewatch soon and I’m looking forward to it a lot.

[Paul Muller]

I have a friend who’s really into a particular 90’s US TV show, which I’d never heard of prior to him introducing it to me. It’s pretty good. He’s a huge fan and it’s nice to see his reaction to me watching scenes for the first time that he knows off by heart.

I’ve been threatening to introduce him to Red Dwarf for months. He’s only vaguely heard of the show, and I don’t think he has any idea what it’s about. But yeah, I’m wary of starting with The End, due to its overpowering greyness and slow pace (at least until the last 10 minutes). I think I’l probably end up doing a The End/Future Echoes double bill, and then maybe skip forward to Series II.

[Ben Saunders]

I read that as overpowering gayness, lmao
I banged on about Dwarf for months to my mate and he finally sat down to watch The End… and he said he fucking hated it because it was so slow. He disliked sci fi in general, though.

[Paul Muller]

That was the backup plan, to skip the series and go straight to the murkier corners of DeviantArt…

But yeah, I worry that might be his reaction.

I wouldn’t class him as a sci-fi fan, but we watched Silent Running recently, and he really enjoyed it – so I guess that’s a plus.

[Taiwan Tony]

What’s the 90s US TV show?

I love the end but it wasn’t the first one I saw. For my money you’re better off starting at series 3, even though Backwards is a bit wonky. Danny’s stopped doing the screeching, it’s a nicer colour palette, Kryten is on board, and Marooned.

[Mr-Stabby]

I gave up after they decided after watching Ace for a few minutes that it was an ‘Indiana Jones’ parody. Surely the British accent, cheesy one-liners etc would give off much more of a Bond vibe.

[Paul Muller]

Northern Exposure. Very peculiar, but quite charming comedy/drama set in Alaska.

[Paul Muller]

One day I’ll work out how to use the blockquote HTML tag.

That day is not today.

[Warbodog]

They probably thought Indiana Jones because he’s fighting Nazis.

I’d never watched a Bond film properly until last week, I always thought they’d be too blokey but they’re a lot of fun. Watching them in order and enjoying the suspension of disbelief ramping up with each installment. Thunderball is just flesh Supermarionation.

[Paul Muller]

James Bond…Bloody Bond…I bloody love him.

Interestingly, you can draw a direct line from Thunderbirds, through 70’s/80’s Bond to Red Dwarf, via FX legend Derek Meddings, who was involved in all of them to varying degrees.

[Ben Saunders]

I’ve been meaning to get into Bond after catching a couple of them on ITV, they look great. Loved the PS2 games.
The bomb defusal scene in Goldfinger is just brilliant

[Warbodog]

This thread has been salvaged.

Goldfinger was the first I watched before backtracking. “Shocking,” the dick laser, “I expect you to die,” shagging the evil out of Pussy Galore. I recognised a lot of it from spoofs that don’t need to exist, it knows what it’s doing already.

[Dave]

You Only Live Twice is the best Bond, obviously.

[Pete Part Three]

Hmm, you’ve spelt The Spy Who Loved Me wrong, Dave.

[Dave]

Stop getting Bond wrong!

[tombow]

Ace has some strange mixtures really. Bond, Biggles/WW2 RAF, Top Gun.

[Dave]

With a bit of Lord Flashheart too.

[clem]

“I’ve heard that it’s gold, I’ve heard that it’s a finger!”

YOLT is overrated imo. Connery’s crap, for one thing. Great in the first three, phones it in a bit in Thunderball, and clearly doesn’t want to be doing it anymore in YOLT.
TSWLM is a corker, FRWL maybe still objectively the best. Moonraker drags for a while but I do love it, TLD, TWINE (“I don’t know any doctor jokes.”), LALD and OHMSS.

> Thunderball is just flesh Supermarionation.

I’m having that.

[Dave]

You Only Live Twice is one that I love more for the scale and the outrageousness of it all. It might not be the best film but it’s where Bond really seems to have lodged itself in the public consciousness.

Often I find I like each actor’s first movie best – Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, and Goldeneye are all my favourites for each Bond.

[si]

You Only Live Twice is the best Bond, obviously

Best Bond? Goldeneye on N64.

[Plastic Percy]

<<Northern Exposure. Very peculiar, but quite charming comedy/drama set in Alaska. >>

To be fair, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far of it. Fish out of Water Jewish Doctor from Manhattan finds himself pressganged into spending five years as a rural doctor in a small town in the wilds of Alaska when he’d rather be on a sunny Californian golf course. One of those shows that’s a perfect antidote for the stress of city life I’ve found.

[Author]

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