Your Unpopular Red Dwarf Opinions

[Piplup2003]

The title says it all. What opinions do you have about Red Dwarf that no-one else seems to agree on?

For me, it’s that VIII is my second favourite series (behind V) and that I prefer Chloë over Claire as Kochanski (this may be partially influenced by the fact that I’ve met Chloë).

And please, no arguing.

[Stephen R. Fletcher]

Series VII is one of my favourite series. I like Ouroboros and Duct Soup. And Nanarchy is one of my favourite episodes. THERE, I said it.

[International Debris]

Gunmen of the Apocalypse is an average episode.

[Piplup2003]

>Gunmen of the Apocalypse is an average episode.

I feel like this for the majority of VI if I’m honest.

[Taiwan Tony]

Series 1-4 are top tier
Series 5 is mid tier
Series 6 is lower mid tier

Johnny Vegas is shit in everything he has acted in (but is a great stand up).
Duct Soup is an okay episode. No worse than the rest of VII.

All IMO, obvs.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

I don’t think endings like Officer Rimmer are rushed or cut short. I think they work fine. It’s an odd edit but I don’t lose sleep over it.

And I largely think most of the Dave era is just as good as the first 36. Only exceptions are Dear Dave for obvious reasons and Timewave for obvious reasons.

Mechocracy is a bit shit but no worse than some of the mediocre early eps.

Cured is one of my all time favourite episodes.

[Dax101]

Red Dwarf X,XI and XII are abit poop.

Mechocracy is a weird episode that feels nothing like Red Dwarf

My possible unpopular opinion.

[bloodteller]

my unpopular Red Dwarf opinions are:

-i really quite like Waiting For God (why do people dislike this one?)

-i really rather like Series VIII (except for Back In The Red Part 3 and the latter half of Only The Good)

-Series XII isn’t very good, and i don’t like the constant satire of current events in it. did we really need an episode of Red Dwarf parodying the US election?

– Dear Dave is okay, i like the vending machine romance plot. it’s very cute

-Series VI isn’t that great. i mean it’s good, but not anywhere near as good as anything from I-V. Emohawk and Rimmerworld are bad (the latter’s only redeeming feature is the excellent teleporter gag imo)

[Piplup2003]

> I really quite like Waiting For God (why do people dislike this one?)

I don’t know, I love this episode!

[GlenTokyo]

Series VII is better than BtE, X, XI and XII for the simple fact it feels more like the Red Dwarf that went before imo.

The new Starbug is fucking awful, although I appreciate the cockpit looks nice, it’s just not Starbug

[Ben Saunders]

Series VII is good, for the most part
M-Corp is nowhere near as good as people seem to think

I will say I quite -like- a good chunk of VIII, I won’t argue about it being “good Dwarf”, though

[Pete Part Three]

Moving the show to Starbug in Series VI doesn’t actually benefit the show in any way, beyond the opening 10 minutes of Legion. Emohawk and Rimmerworld have such half-arsed second halves that they might as well have had Moe Szyslak hurriedly wrapping things (“And the crew were saved by…let’s say, Kryten”).

Holly coming back is a shit idea, as Doug hasn’t written anything worthwhile for the character for 30 years.

The show falls spectacularly on its arse now when it does scenes of character comedy that do not specifically drive the plot forward, whereas up until Series IV, that was one of its greatest strengths.

Series X looks like they spunked the budget up against a wall. With the exception of the bunkroom, all the sets look crap; especially the much-lauded market in Lemons and the Simulant ship in The Beginning. Trojan is the only episode that’s a notch below good, and the rest are a few drafts beyond being evenpassable. Entangled is horrendous long before the finale, and its scripting problems were clearly evident long before we found out about them on the DVD.

When the cast say the “show is back to its best”, they don’t have a fucking clue what they’re talking about, as they’ve been pedalling that bullshit since 1999. The Cast commentaries are shite for much the same reason and aren’t worth a second listen.

Samsara is a load of wank. Skipper aint all that.

Chris Barrie has been on autopilot since VI.

Kevin Eldon was wasted in Twentica.

Most of the Smeg-Ups aren’t remotely funny.

Give & Take and M-Corp are the only two episodes that convince me that Doug can write Red Dwarf without Rob.

[bloodteller]

>M-Corp is nowhere near as good as people seem to think

i’ll side with this. it started off okay but fell apart completely in the second half. it felt like it was setting up a theme, with the beginning of the episode showing age is catching up to Lister- yet he turns into an old man late on in the episode, and absolutely nothing is done with this idea at all. Kryten buying a virus that shuts M-Corp down is an incredibly lazy solution to the plot, and the ending with Lister losing all his memories of the past 30 years just so they can do that scene from The End again is stupid. i also generally don’t like the idea of social/political commentary in Red Dwarf.

[bloodteller]

another unpopular opinion- Rimmer is dreadful in the Dave Era episodes, in terms of both performance and writing. Chris overacts almost every line (SHAKESPEARE, IT’S OVER!!!) and the majority of the time it feels like i’m seeing a pantomime version of the character. coupled with the writing of the Dave era where Rimmer is constantly portrayed as a truly nasty bastard with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, he’s a character that becomes genuinely unlikable most of the time. no wonder Cat makes so many jokes about wanting him dead.

he doesn’t at all feel like the Rimmer from 1-8, where yes he was a bastard, but you liked him. you could relate to his struggles, you could tell he genuinely cared about the crew and there were enough sympathetic moments for him that you actually liked the character.

[Dax101]

The Cat has his moments of being way too dumb, whiny and degrading in XI and XII.

Unpopular opinion.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

-I think Series X is legitimately the best series of Red Dwarf

-Timewave wasn’t that bad

-Rimmerworld was a shit episode

-Have your opinions about Doug writing solo; after reading Backwards (the novel), I don’t think Rob going solo would be good either

-I still think a movie could work

[International Debris]

Moving the show to Starbug in Series VI doesn’t actually benefit the show in any way, beyond the opening 10 minutes of Legion.

Yes. And keeping this as the case for VII as well was a terrible idea.

Waiting for God is one of the better episodes of the first series.

Duct Soup isn’t the worst episode in VII.

The Inquisitor isn’t a particularly funny episode in general.

Back to Reality, although excellent, is nowhere near the best episode of Red Dwarf.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

>he doesn’t at all feel like the Rimmer from 1-8

That actually kinda works for me lol, since I like to think the Dave-era Rimmer is nano-Rimmer that only has the memories but not the actual emotions of the original Rimmer

[Ben Saunders]

>The Inquisitor isn’t a particularly funny episode in general.
Very strong plot, though, very good science fiction.

>I think Series X is legitimately the best series of Red Dwarf
Oof

Talking of Barrie’s performance, I thought he was -really- on point in parts of XI and XII, but off in a couple too.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

I’m a little biased, it was my first series of Red Dwarf, but I always enjoy every episode (even Dear Dave)

[GlenTokyo]

Red Dwarf doesn’t need to be funny to be good. Although by that I mean ignore ‘jokes’ altogether and write good sci-fi or character moments and let the comedy come if it comes, don’t shove 10 jokes in because you think you’re missing a woofer.

[bloodteller]

really unpopular opinion- the Pete duology isn’t that bad. yes it has some dodgy moments- that awful VFX shot where the dinosaur breaks through the wall, See Ya In 10 Minutes etc. but there are so, so many moments that make me laugh- i especially enjoy when it becomes apparent, after much conversing about the mechanics of airplane toilets, neither Rimmer or Lister have any clue what they’re on about.

even the really silly gags like “The whole hog? Like it wasn’t hard enough getting the whole cow…” made me laugh, and i don’t mind the episode being about repeated trips to the captain’s office- it’s a funny idea, and it plays out almost like a sci-fi version of A Shot In The Dark. it’s an episode that’s really grown on me over time, and i don’t think it’s the worst episodes of Red Dwarf. i used to, but i think that was just because the general opinion of it was that it was awful.

[Piplup2003]

>The Pete duology isn’t that bad.

Pete is probably one of my favourite episodes.

[GlenTokyo]

Pete would move up at least 10 places in my own personal rankings if they’d done the frozen canaries with effects and not li-i-i-i…ive – I get that there’s an audience but we know that there needs to be effect shots. Oh and if the time wand looked less like a rampant rabbit from the 22nd century I’d bump it up another one or two.

[clem]

> Chris Barrie has been on autopilot since VI.

See, “autopilot” suggests he’s phoning it in, whereas I think he tries a bit *too* hard if anything, at least in the Dave era. I can’t tell whether Chris thinks a broader performance is what’s required based on the way Doug writes the character these days, or he’s just… forgotten how to play Rimmer properly. Bit of both probably.

Based on the Pearl Poll results I agree Waiting for God is very underrated. And Polymorph is very overrated.

[GlenTokyo]

Thought Chris was great at times in XII, but that moves segment and Shakespeare bollocks for example was horrendous material to work with. Nobody can do anything with that. It’s like Doug was working on some terrible stand up for an English Literature convention and shoved it in when he ran out of time.

[Ben Paddon]

Back to Earth is a lot better than people give it credit for. Beyond that, the single-camera studio-audience free take works very, very well indeed. I think, meta story aside, BTE provides a template for which a single-camera comedy-drama version of Red Dwarf could be like.

I feel much the same about some of the Xtended versions of VII. Not all of the jokes land, but the show works a lot better without a studio audience than people seem prepared to admit.

[Dave]

The original theme and opening sequence used in Series 1 and 2 is miles better than the rock/montage version from III onwards.

[Warbodog]

Parallel Universe is an VIII quality episode and the worst of I-VI by a long way, even if the banter at the start is good.

I don’t see what’s so amazing about Marooned. Lots of good lines, but I prefer the average Lister-Rimmer interactions in series 1-2.

Marooned and The Last Day aside, Series III is a bit frivolously zany and needs to calm down. IV was an improvement.

Possibly in a contradiction, I like the running gags in VI bringing back a jokey tone after peak gloom in V, even if it’s diminishing returns after Legion.

[Dax101]

Balance of power is still fairly forgettable to this day.

The remastered colour grading is actually better then the original.

Roberts performance as Kryten has been abit off for the last few series.

I prefer the series 3,4 to 5 bunkroom to the series 1 and 2 version.

I actually didn’t mind the CGI skutter in BTE.

[Plastic Percy]

Back to Reality really doesn’t deserve to be the best episode of all time, at this stage it’s almost entered Doctor Who ‘recieved fan wisdom’ level that its the greatest episode ever

I really don’t have a problem with Dear Dave. The word doesn’t bother me.

I think III, for all its whizzbang new changes, actually looks horrible. Kryten’s mask in particular looks dreadful.

I quite like Kryten’s costume in X. The shoulder hoops in particular give it a very III – V feel, especially now the shoulder pads are part of the main chest piece again.

[Ben Saunders]

>Red Dwarf doesn’t need to be funny to be good
>Back to Earth is a lot better than people give it credit for
I really don’t have a problem with Dear Dave. The word doesn’t bother me
Agreed

>The original theme and opening sequence used in Series 1 and 2 is miles better
Agreed but the rock theme really does suit III-VIII more. Maybe the old theme would suit X?

III is a bit wacky and looks like utter shit at points, but it’s still very funny. Kryten looks so sweaty.

I don’t think Red Dwarf needs an audience. I think the comedy drama angle works. I think they should calm down on the gag rate, Rob and Doug going off to America and learning about one-liners was a mistake.

[Bargain Bin Holly]

I think the Series I and II theme fit their respective series but wouldn’t clash well with any other series (minus maybe BTE)

Since the theme helped convey how depressing the concept was, but after Series II the premise got a bit more peachy (if that’s an appropriate way to describe it)

[Moonlight]

Backwards is profoundly overrated. Polymorph is an average episode with an exceptional third act. Outside of Marooned (which is basically the best episode of Series II delivered a series late), I’d have to rank Series III in the lower half of the first six, definitely not one of the best. It’s a bit overly silly in many places, clearly very excited to play with its new toys and so hasn’t yet developed the restraint of IV, which far more successfully balanced sci-fi and character comedy.

[Jimboid]

Back to Reality is overrated.

Dear Dave is one of the best episodes of X.

Cat was at his best in V and VI and has been shit ever since.

The cast are good performers but aren’t naturally funny people.

[Jimboid]

Oh, and they probably should have called it a day in 1993.

[Flap Jack]

‘Dear Dave’, ‘Entangled’ and ‘Can of Worms’ are perfectly decent episodes despite their problematic elements.

‘Stoke Me A Clipper’ is outright bad.

Hayridge’s Holly is easily better and more definitive than Lovett’s Holly overall (actually, this might not be an unpopular opinion at all, but Doug doesn’t seem to agree or realise).

Kochanski has the potential to be great as a regular character.

‘Bodysnatcher’ is nowhere near as good as ‘Me^2’, and as far as unmade episodes go, I feel we lost more for not getting ‘Identity Within’.

The phrase “THE END? THE SMEG IT IS.” (along with most other instances of over-reliance on “smeg”) doesn’t actively annoy me, outside of it being an unresolved cliffhanger.

The 2 Grant/Naylor novels are just OK.

‘The Last Day’ is the best episode of Red Dwarf ever.

[GlenTokyo]

White Hole puts Hayridge over Lovett for me. She’s got range, and gave them far more options but they just didn’t use them. Norman has some classic lines don’t get me wrong, and Queeg but he’s playing himself really, I think Hattie could have done Queeg well, but I don’t think Norman would have been as good in White Hole and Demons & Angels. It’s a shame she’s sort of an outsider.

[bloodteller]

possibly unpopular opinion- the show really ought to end soon. just have an episode where they finally get back to Earth and be done with it. Red Dwarf is one of my favourite shows, and i don’t really want to see it last forever and progressively get worse as it goes, like the Simpsons.

i wouldn’t really want to see Red Dwarf continue past XIII, imo. honestly, it could have ended after X and i would’ve been fine with that.

[Flap Jack]

I don’t think there’s any real chance of that happening. The Simpsons’ longevity is due to:

(A) It being a global mega-franchise, so merchandise and syndication sales are too great to want to stop – not true of Red Dwarf.

(B) The actors only being needed for voice work, so it’s easier to get them to record 20+ episodes per year: no need for costumes, lighting, lengthy rehearsals, live audiences, getting all of them on set at the same time etc. – not true of Red Dwarf.

(C) The writing/direction being shared by dozens of staff rather than forever tied to 1 or 2 people with a specific personal connection to the show – not true of Red Dwarf.

I wouldn’t want RD to overstay its welcome either, but limiting it to just 1 more series seems too soon. It’s got more potential life in it than that!

[Dave]

Hmmm, this may be an unpopular opinion in itself but I think I’d prefer it if the show never had a ‘final’ episode in that sense. The whole setup is so nihilistic and laced with the inevitability of loneliness and eventual death that I can’t imagine an ending feeling true to that while still being satisfying and enjoyable.

I prefer an ending like Skipper, with a certain acknowledgement that the situation of all these characters is hopeless and unchanging, that they’re stuck with each other, but which leaves them still out there, three million years in the future, chugging along without ever reaching the end.

[Ben Saunders]

Given that Red Dwarf has been getting -better- in recent years (in my opinion), I see no real reason for them to pack it in just yet. As long as it’s good I’ll welcome it.

[bloodteller]

>Hmmm, this may be an unpopular opinion in itself but I think I’d prefer it if the show never had a ‘final’ episode in that sense. The whole setup is so nihilistic and laced with the inevitability of loneliness and eventual death that I can’t imagine an ending feeling true to that while still being satisfying and enjoyable.

the originally planned finale for VIII called “Earth” would’ve been a fitting ending, i thought. The crew finally getting the ship back to Earth to discover the human race miraculously survived that whole time, only to wipe out the entire planet as they land- there’s quite a nice bit of irony to that, and it probably would’ve been really a really funny and epic way to go out.

The Beginning was also a fitting ending, imo. the final line being “the slime’s coming home” as they head back to the ship felt like quite a nice way to end it all- it’s as if the ship itself has become home for them.

[cwickham]

I thought the ending of “Earth” was meant to involve the race human beings had evolved into.

If VIII had ended with “Earth”, might Doug have considered the matter closed? Would he have never even tried to get Series IX off the ground? When UKTV came asking, would he have declined? Whatever the failings of The Beginning, Skipper or even Back to Earth, they’re still better ways to go out than Series VIII.

[Ian Symes]

Last Human is better than Backwards.

[Moonlight]

Red Dwarf doesn’t need to be funny to be good. It just needs clever science fiction and good characters, and jokes can spring naturally from the story where appropriate. An episode like The Inquisitor is absolutely brilliant and one of the best ever despite not being close to the funniest episode even in its own series.

I also don’t dislike a single episode of VII. That’s not to say it isn’t among the weakest series, but there’s no episode in it that feels like a boring, unwatchable slog to sit through the way the majority of VIII does. I don’t tend to go back to VII, but I don’t sigh in frustration when it comes next on a complete run-through.

My unpopular opinion about VIII is that Cassandra is an unfunny, sloppily plotted rehash of Future Echoes that spunks its only interesting new idea (invulnerability by fate) in favor of more sex jokes and perving.

[International Debris]

If VIII had ended with “Earth”, might Doug have considered the matter closed?

Given that he spoke in early-’00s interviews about handing over the series to other writers and just focusing on the reboot films, it definitely seems that he was done with the TV version at the time.

[Dax101]

Doug wanted to close the show off after series 8 so they could jump onto movies. its just they didn’t have the budget to pull off the “earth” ending they wanted to do. so Blessing in disguise? not sure.

Then again Doug may still have made Red Dwarf X by continuing in some sci-fi parallel universe idea. after all its not like Doug has shown all that much care about the ending to Series 8.

[Hamish]

I am okay with the Blue Midget dance.

Gary Martin is not annoying as Epideme.

Series VII gets better towards the end after Rimmer leaves, in spite of the fact I still do not like Kochanski as a main character.

Series V is the weakest of the first six series.

Kryten’s costume in V is shit.

X is better than XI and XII.

[clem]

Kryten’s whininess and jealousy of Kochanski in VII don’t bother me at all. In fact I think quite a lot of funny stuff comes out of it.

[Author]

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