Which episode makes the best use of both Kryten and Holly together?

[Nick R]

There’s been discussion in the unpopular opinions thread about Holly’s role in the crew, and the different ways that Norman and Hattie’s versions of Holly were handled. But I have a slightly different question that might be worth its own thread.

The story goes that Holly was removed from the series largely because Kryten and Holly’s overlapping roles meant that Rob and Doug struggled to make good use of Holly.

So with that in mind: are there any episodes from III, IV, and V that contradict that, by proving that both characters could work well together? Are there any episodes that stand out as making great use of both characters, in both plot importance and joke delivery?

A good place to start is White Hole, since it’s generally thought of as Hattie’s big Holly showcase episode. But I don’t really think of it as much of a Kryten episode, even though he gets a few memorable moments (the “I’ve never seen one before…” loop and his insult in the fading timeline at the end).

Conversely, there are Kryten-focused episodes like The Last Day and Camille, but I don’t think Holly’s particularly prominent in them.

Back to Reality might be a good candidate, since Kryten gets a good arc, and even though Holly is absent from the scenes within the hallucination, she’s vital to saving everyone at the end.

So does anyone see a clear standout episode where both characters get used really well?

I’m concentrating on Hattie’s episodes there, because those are the episodes where Holly and Kryten were around together and led to Holly being written out. But we could also consider how well Kryten worked with Norman’s Holly in Kryten, Nanarchy, series VIII, and The Promised Land. (And, to a much lesser extent, Skipper.) But most of those are either cameos or series VIII (and Holly’s depiction there is one of the perennial criticisms of VIII), so pickings are slim.

It occurs to me that Kryten’s reintroduction to Holly in Nanarchy (“face, I suppose”) might be one of the most extensive dialogue exchanges the two characters directly have with each other in any Red Dwarf episode.

Topic

[Warbodog]

If Kryten hadn’t joined, Holly trolleys or equivalents presumably would have got more use in future episodes. He’s practically a robot already, just stick some arms on.

[Rushy]

You bubble-headed Bibby! 

Edit: in response to Quinn

[Doomitron]

I just assumed the science room they’re in for most of 11 and 12 is in a similar place to the officer’s quarters they inhabit beginning in 3, similarly white, glossy, and clean between them.

[Author]

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