Red Dwarf V Episode 6: "Back To Reality"

Often held to be the best episode of Red Dwarf ever, "Back To Reality" is the first and best "group hallucination" story in the show's history, and almost certainly the best "alternate identity" exploration of the characters as well. I don't really have a "favourite" episode of Red Dwarf, and if I did it wouldn't be this, but "Back To Reality" is still definitely a very good one. The model of the Esperanto seeding ship is excellent and the work with sets, lighting and location shooting, with limited resources, to create a vision of earth under the heel of a fascist government, is in my opinion more or less completely effective and convincing.

I get the impression that this episode has a reputation for being "good, but not that funny". I fail to see how this impression has arisen; it's loaded with jokes around the effects of the despair ink, how the behaviour of the characters would appear if Red Dwarf was really a serious sci-fi adventure, the confusion over their identities and the way their hallucinations are being played out in reality. Probably the only truly "serious" sequences are the establishing material at the beginning, the majority of the scene in the car park and aspects of the scene in which the characters become suicidal at the end. These work for what they are, and reinforce the comedy elsewhere.

Even the premise is established in a funny way through Lister's quick realisation that "there's some huge damn fish out there [...] some kind of gigantic, weird, prehistoric leviathan who's porked his way through this entire ocean." The idea that an "oriental" person would "commit seppuku" seems like a weird stereotype. The funniest part of this opening sequence is Lister, Kryten and the Cat all getting weepy in the Esperanto airlock. Timothy Spall's scene as Andy the technician is an amusing way of playing up Lister and Rimmer's anxieties: Lister's led to believe that he failed to achieve his purpose and Rimmer's convinced that even his life within the game was a lie. I particularly like the way Chris Barrie delivers Rimmer's line " 'Jump starts the second big bang'?!"

Probably the highlight of the episode is the scene in the "recuperation lounge". It's impressive how much humour can be injected into the scene with a few facial expressions as the Cat realises that he's "Duayne Dibbley", and I've always enjoyed Kryten's dramatic, cliché speculation on what his personality as "Jake Bullet" must be like. The way Rimmer runs around behind the Cat and says "It makes perfect sense... Duayne," is another memorable moment. Probably the only weak line, in my opinion, is "Oh my god. My name's Billy Doyle and my cologne is Eau de Yak Urine" because it comes off as a repetition of Lister's joke about the coat smelling "like an elderly male yak has taken a leak in both the pockets." It should be noted that some lines are deleted here; in the deleted scenes, the "Eau de Yak Urine" joke works better because it's separated from the previous joke by Rimmer desperately trying to rationalise his situation as "Billy Doyle".

The scene in the carpark is arguably the "dramatic highlight", although Kryten's "move one inch and I'll crush every bone in your body" line is pretty funny. It's interesting how easily the idea of a totalitarian society is conveyed through some shooting in a darkened car park, a sign, some posters and a scarily intense man in an overcoat, played characteristically by the late Lenny Von Dohlen of Twin Peaks season 2 fame. The idea that Sebastian Doyle changes people "from being alive people to being dead people, to purify democracy" has always stuck with me as well as a line which very effectively conveys the nature of this nightmare world. I've seen some people argue that the cutaway to Starbug, revealing the hallucinatory nature of the episode, is done too soon, but it should be remembered that without this we wouldn't have the very funny car chase sequence; that being said, my favourite of all of this is how, after they "dump the limo" and take to the streets, the characters just run around and around the four boxes they were sitting on to simulate travelling a great distance. It's also interesting to observe that all of the "enemies" they face in the car chase – motorbikes with rocket launchers, fascist cops, a barrier, a raising bridge, helicopters and so on – are mentioned by Rimmer who, as established in "Better Than Life" and "Terrorform", is mostly likely to dream up horrible things happening to himself.

The "attempted suicide" scene, despite being pretty grim, has some good laughs too, mainly from Rimmer. The line about "being on the run with a murderer and a mass murderer and a man in a bri-nylon shirt" is classic, but I feel like a bigger reaction is deserved for "my best flashing mac is about to be splattered with an android's brain." You know, for a long time I never realised that the "fire extinguisher" Kryten turns on at Holly's subconscious instruction is actually the canister of mood stabiliser gas he suggested they use at the start of the episode. Since we see Lister and the Cat using gas masks when they get back to Starbug, I always assumed that they'd already taken the gas and it was simply taking a long time to take effect. Furthermore, I have to admit that I find Holly's explanation for what happened to the despair squid at the end to be a bit of a cop out, although obviously the creature had served its purpose as a plot device and was no longer relevant. If they had these "limpet mines", though, why didn't they think to use them earlier?

These minor quibbles aside, "Back To Reality" is definitely a strong episode indicative of what made the Grant-Naylor era so special: an effective use of the ensemble cast, an ability for the show to reflect upon itself with insight and competence, pervasive atmosphere despite budgetary limitations and plenty of memorable humour. The episode is also rather interesting in terms of how it explores the idea of what is fundamental to our self-image, and the traits around which we construct our own identity, indicating how complex and fragile our sense of self can be. I also found it, rather confrontingly on my most recent viewing, a bit of a reflection on how, as viewers and particularly as "enthusiasts", entertainment becomes an escape. Like the "sad acts who want to spend four years playing a computer game", there's a possible implication that consumers of media can be people "running away from god knows what" or who "have nothing worth living for in the first place." The world in which they're "sad acts" is the fake one, however, so perhaps the episode is not condemning the consumer's indulgence in worlds of imagination, but encouraging them to use it constructively to reflect on what they value in real life. Or perhaps I'm overanalysing a show about four idiots mucking around in space. 

Red Dwarf V Episode 5: "Demons & Angels"

Arguably the weakest part of Series V, "Demons & Angels" is nonetheless still a funny episode with some strong effects and costuming work and amusing performances. As I believe has been pointed out elsewhere, one issue is that the episode tries to get through two whole sets of "alternate personalities" for the characters in the space of half an hour. Admittedly it does a surprisingly good job of this, perhaps largely because the "high" or "good" versions of the characters are so homogenous that their personalities are all more or less the same. The show really shines through the diversity of the "evil" characters introduced later in the episode. Perhaps the other issue with the episode in general is just how "magical" the entire scenario is, with good and evil qualities being extracted from the original source somehow. What defines "good" and "evil" and how would a machine be able to separate the relevant components? It's a bit arbitrary. In some respects this plot device reminds me a little of "Timeslides", which also has a quite ad hoc approach to its core concept, especially because the triplicated objects are revealed part-way into the episode to have a limited lifespan, conveniently adding another threat to the story.

The joke that I primarily think falls flat is Rimmer's "Dorksville" gag early on, which is pretty weak. The rest of it is pretty strong; I like the way Cat runs in at the end of the scene to encourage them to do the "Awooga Waltz" and the way Lister says the chances of Red Dwarf exploding are "one in... one" as it actually does explode. The way Rimmer mocks the others with "Okay, homeboys, let's posse!" is a funny reflection on the way the other characters act at times in Series III to V, taking the piss out of stuff like "the Red Dwarf shuffle" of "Backwards". There's another Pot Noodle joke in this episode as well, much like "Marooned". Rimmer's explanation for why he thinks Jesus was a hippy amuses too: "He had long hair; he didn't have a job. What more do you want?"

The High characters are funny when they do the dance sequence, and I've always enjoyed the hopping walk High Rimmer and High Kryten do out of the bunk room, but their mindless optimism later in the episode becomes a bit repetitive after a while as they are all easily killed off. It's not quite clear why they lack the intelligence or common sense of their counterparts; is the implication that this is a "Low" trait? Still, there's a good laugh from this after High Kryten gets shot and, as he's dragged away, exclaims "He accidentally shot me five times! Oh how I love him!" As I said, the dance sequence is also a top moment, especially when High Cat jumps in with his hand to his ear. The way Danny John-Jules says "No part of me would ever be seen alive in sandals," is really funny for some reason; the delivery more than the line. Low Rimmer is another classic element, especially "And then... I'm going to have you." The title of the horror film "Die Screaming With Sharp Things In Your Head" is memorable, setting up a recurring joke of ludicrous horror film names in later episodes, although I find it weird that Lister's love of horror movies is seen as a "low" trait. It's also interesting to note that "Weapons Magazines" are among the Lows' inventory, a suggestion which I'm sure would piss off some viewers. I've always liked the way Kryten says "Cinema hot dogs?!"

The remote-controlled Lister sequence is a good bit of action, and the delivery of "Look out, I'm gonna kill ya!" has stuck with me for years. More could possibly be done with the spinal implant gag, although it might get annoying after a while I suppose. Of course the instant it comes into play at the end, the nerdy part of me thinks "How would it work if Lister sat on it?" It's also a rare moment of the Cat and Rimmer sharing a joke. At the end of the day I do think "Demons & Angels" has a few issues in terms of what it's trying to do. The strengths are found not just in the jokes but in the costuming of the different versions of the characters and the set-dressing used to differentiate the different versions of the ship. It's worth noting that this is one of the only times the bunk room set is used in Series V, and as with "Quarantine" it's not used as itself. Perhaps the overall issue is that it adds one too many "alternate versions" of the characters, given that an alternative Lister and Kryten appear in "The Inquisitor" and more interesting and memorable versions of the main characters would appear in the next episode.

Red Dwarf V Episode 4: "Quarantine"

The birth of Mr Flibble. "Quarantine" is very much an episode in two halves, the first feeling more like a horror show than anything else, with the second half going more for straight comedy. Dr Lanstrom is effectively unsettling, and I like the exchange about how they never meet anyone who is nice or who can shoot straight. This is also the episode that first proposes that Kryten is not actually an android butler but rather an android toilet cleaner, and reflects on the idea of his becoming, due to his bravery and scientific expertise, the effective leader of the team, which rankles upon Rimmer. I wonder if aspects of this characterisation were dropped in later series, in favour of making Kryten more interested in domestic activities and more fussy and short-tempered, in order to avoid him becoming too heroic a character and therefore not conducive to good comedy.

The "We're going to... live" line is funny, as is the speech leading up to it. I also like that this episode, much like "The Last Day", features a brief bit of Chris Barrie impersonating Robert Llewellyn-as-Kryten when Rimmer says "Space Corps Directive". I have to admit, the first part of this episode does contain some material which isn't terribly funny, largely Rimmer calling Kryten names and being deliberately difficult over the radio. The best bits in my opinion are Lanstrom's lines, particularly her first one: "Schopenauer said 'life without pain has no meaning'. Gentlemen, I wish to give your lives meaning." We get some more good bits later, including Lister imagining vultures reading 'What Carcass?' magazine and Rimmer's "I hope the next eighty-four days pass as swiftly and pleasantly as the Hundred Years' War." A similar joke is used in Series VI's "Rimmerworld". I note that Rimmer says he's going to play them music by "Reggie Dixon", while in previous series it was "Reggie Wilson" who was Rimmer's favourite hammond organ musician.

The whole scene with the argument in the Quarantine room is good, particularly the stuff about Kryten being "tetchy", the Cat's "feckles, heckles, hackles, schmeckles", and particularly Kryten wondering why Lister always looks at his handkerchief after he blows his nose: "I mean, why? What do you expect to see in there? A Turner seascape, perhaps? The face of the Madonna?" Something I've always wanted to know in this scene, given that the set is just a repainted and adjusted bunk room set, what the thing is that the top bunk's been turned into, because it looks like a roller door and I want to know why it's not possible for anyone to sleep in there.

Some of the best stuff in this scene is, of course, from Rimmer. I've always enjoyed the way he says "...and army boots", and the line "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's crazy people." I do think it's a bit odd that they never thought to use the luck virus earlier, however. It's a bit of a cheap plot device but it works in this episode because of the overall use of "disease" as a concept (which is why it doesn't work in "Back in the Red"). The idea of "positive viruses" is pretty ridiculous, however. I like the way Mr Flibble is used, which seems to rather invoke Sooty. The bit where Flibble "whispers" in Rimmer's ear and he says "We couldn't possibly do that. Who'd clean up the mess?" is particularly good. It's just such a silly concept in general. I also enjoy the calm way Kryten says "I have a medium sized fire axe buried in my spinal column," although I think the resultant joke goes for a little too long. The final gag of Rimmer waking up in quarantine to see the others dressed like he was is a satisfying ending after the show's turned him into an outright antagonist. By and large, "Quarantine" exemplifies the slightly dark and sinister humour of Series V, although it's perhaps a little light on funny jokes in the first half. Nonetheless it gave us Mr Flibble, another example of how every series the show could add something else to its repertoire of relatively minor elements that would come to somewhat define the show's humour and unique qualities.

Red Dwarf V Episode 3: "Terrorform"

One of the reasons this episode is noteworthy is, in my opinion, due to the very effective use of location shooting. The psi-moon swamp and its surrounds are, to my mind, entirely convincing and seem sufficiently otherworldly for the purposes of suggesting a hastily-assembled dreamscape. The model work is also very good, with the shots of Starbug sinking into the swamp looking far better than one might imagine could be achieved with miniatures on a BBC budget in the early Nineties. The sparing use of the self-loathing monster is sensible, and the line drawing attention to the "unconvincing red eyes" of the silly "hooded hordes" makes them more amusing, especially the shot, which I particularly love when it's featured in the title sequence, of the three hooded things peeping over the top of the mound by the swamp in sequence.

This is another Rimmer-centric episode, but attention should be paid to the opening sequence featuring the damaged Kryten, another example of the kind of highly convincing detail which Red Dwarf's special effects crew could achieve, particularly the various puppets of the severed hand. The typing scene with Lister and the Cat is classic, although amusingly dated given that the Cat thinks Lister is playing a text adventure, which even by 1991 was becoming a pretty outmoded genre of video game. Lister's line after fixing Kryten about how material tends to be left over after do-it-yourself is clever and deserves a bigger laugh. On the other hand, how on earth does Kryten know about psi-moons? This is one of the many episodes in which the amount of exposition Kryten is expected to deliver borders on the ridiculous. It's a very dark and in some respects quite unpleasant episode, exposing that Rimmer's greatest problem is self-hatred, something also implied by "Holoship".

Despite these rather serious musings, there are some top notch jokes in this one, especially Rimmer's "boy am I glad to see you" when the self loathing beast appears, although it's delivered in a very Blackadder kind of way. The Copacabana music playing when Kryten goes offline always amused me, as well as the swashbuckling Rimmer-metaphor's over-the-top declamation "may your foulness rot in hell." I also like the line "I nearly had a knobbly thing the size and shape of a Mexican agave cactus jammed where only customs men dare to probe." The "jet powered rocket pants" exchange is a classic too. Kryten's actions as he says "four way hug situation" are a favourite as well. It should be noted that this is the second episode in the series in which Rimmer gains the ability to physically interact with the world, presumably as a result of the "psychic" nature of the setting, something which leads to the implementation of the hard-light drive in Series VI.

This episode clips along at a fair pace, and sometimes I'm surprised at how briskly all the pieces are set out, but it ensures that all the funny bits happen without anything outstaying its welcome. The end joke is a classic, and it really emphasises how much of a winner the writers were really onto with the character of Rimmer, whose neuroses could be endlessly mined as a source of plot and humour. It's also important for introducing me to the phrase "sit here like lemons" which I've always found to be a useful expression. Ultimately, it's an interesting, funny, largely convincing and atmospheric example of just how engaging Red Dwarf could be in terms of writing, performance and effects when all hands were on deck.

Red Dwarf Series V Overview

When talking about the "classic" years of Red Dwarf, the "Grant Naylor" era in which both creators were writing for the show, sometimes it's a little hard to think of things to say other than "this is good and I like it". This series is, as I understand it, often considered to be a particularly high point in the show's history, and while I'm not sure I personally have a "special" affection for it, I definitely think it's probably the most consistently strong set of six episodes from Series III to VI. More or less every series (apart perhaps from VIII, I'm afraid to say) added some new memorable thing to the "fabric" of the show, and Series V gave us Mr Flibble and Duayne Dibbley. There's far more to it than that, however, and Series V stands out somewhat from the eras of the show around it.

If one thing in particular strikes me about Series V of Red Dwarf is that it generally feels "darker". The characters appear to be in some kind of mortal peril in all but one episode and the quandaries they deal with typically seem to be of a heavier nature: the meaning of their existence and their inner demons and neuroses. In fact, virtually the entire series is about this in some capacity. It's also noteworthy that the characters spend more time on Starbug or in dark and dingy parts of Red Dwarf itself rather than in the brightly-lit quarters, which are actually only used in the very first episode and are then revamped to serve as the quarantine accommodation and the quarters of the good and evil versions of the crew in later ones.

The characters themselves are a little visually different as well. The addition of a long overcoat to Lister's fur hat gives him an oddly Russian look, while Cat looks more feline than ever with some quite heavy eye makeup. Kryten sports his most "boxy" head in this series, and arguably a more expressive one, but also quite pale compared to other series, contrasting starkly with the dark body. Although the green costume appears briefly in one episode, Rimmer primarily sports a red uniform in this series, which is quite distinctive but further adds, I feel, to the more intense visual scheme of the series, making everything look more darkly warm. Notably, this series would set the scheme of red as being the dominant colour of "soft light" holograms, recurring in Series VI and Rimmer's brief switch to soft light in Series X.

The series also sees some character changes. Something reflected on in "Quarantine" is the fact that Kryten comes across in this series as the "leader" of the group, and they seem to spend more time exploring nearby space and salvaging vessels, which sets up the narratives of three of the episodes. Kryten not only has to deliver reams of exposition but also seems to make many of the major decisions. Cat almost reverts to a Series I style role of hanging around to throw out the occasional one-liner and almost functions at times as "Lister's sidekick", whereas Lister himself takes on a more proactive role, perhaps implicitly instigated by his experiences in "The Inquisitor". It's particularly noteworthy that in "Holoship" it's discussed that he spends most of his time mucking around, playing games and eating curry, but we see very little of that in this series; there's less of the idle time-wasting that seems to preoccupy him in the previous two. Rimmer, who at times seemed to have rather mellowed out in the previous two series (with the exception of "Meltdown", mainly) comes across as more vindictive and unpleasant again in this series. The series is in many respects heavily Rimmer-centric, with the plots of "Holoship", "Terrorform" and "Quarantine" all substantially involving Rimmer in some position separate to the other three protagonists. Watching this it seems no wonder that many viewers, as I understand it, came to see Rimmer, rather than Lister, as the "central character" of the show, and I wonder if this is simply because, as the more psychologically complex character, Grant and Naylor found him more interesting to explore.

Series V is probably also the zenith of the show's self-insight and reflection on the characters, with multiple alternative versions of the characters appearing, most prominently in "Back to Reality". It's also probably the series which crams the most musing and philosophical thought into the nature of being into half-hour sitcom episodes, with plenty of consideration of what makes a worthwhile life in "The Inquisitor" and "Holoship" and the fundamental building blocks of identity in "Terrorform", "Demons & Angels" and "Back to Reality". The plot devices, particularly in "Terrorform" and "Demons & Angels", at times feel a bit "magical", but as this services interesting ideas and effective comedy it doesn't really matter. Series V shows how, at its peak, Red Dwarf could keep doing new and interesting things, and more or less encapsulates the show's combined strengths as both a character-driven sitcom and a contemplative science fiction show.