Closing Thoughts on Red Dwarf

Closing Thoughts on Red Dwarf

I just saw the final episode of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth and I am subsequently willing to amend my negative review of the first two episodes. The ending episode had some moving moments to it, including the final scene (?) with Dave Lister and his love Kristine Kochanski (played by the still beautiful Chloe Annet). However, the episode was reduced by a Three Stooges like scene where Kryten and Cat step on broomsticks. While physical humor can be done well (see the classic episode "Justice" for a textbook example), this was certainly not the case here.

Without spoiling things, the conclusion borrowed from both the classic Dwarf episode "Back to Reality" and the novel Better than Life. If Dwarf fans were hoping for something new out of this series, they will be on the whole very disappointed. Back to Earth acts mostly as a wink to fans and far from the rip-roaring and thought-provoking enterprise that Red Dwarf once was.

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New Red Dwarf Tanks

New Red Dwarf Tanks

Two thirds of the Red Dwarf series Back to Earth have aired so far. Frankly, I have to say that it pales greatly in comparison with the bulk of the series.

It pains me to criticize Red Dwarf, not only given the fact that I grew up on the show but also given the enthusiasm that Robert Llewellyn, who plays Kryten, has displayed on Twitter, his website, his podcasts and YouTube videos. The criticism that is already mounting seems to have hurt Llewellyn, as evidenced by one of his Twitter postings, "I have had literally 1000's of positive tweets, e-mails, you tube comments, forum postings, but the neg ones are often cruel."

I don't want to be cruel at all but, to coin a phrase of Rimmer's, I'm only being a realist when I say that Back to Earth is missing the elements that made the show great throughout its 1990s run. The plot, which shows the Dwarfers arriving in 2009 and finding out that they're only sci-fi characters, seems almost intentionally unbelievable, whereas there was a very strong element of the genuine throughout most of the Dwarf run. It almost seemed as if writer Doug Naylor wanted to make a Red Dwarf version of Star Trek IV, with the main characters going back in time in order to visit modern London, drive a "Carbug" and hunt down their creator instead of visiting modern San Francisco, riding the BART and chasing humpback whales.

If the third episode is hilarious (something the first two episodes are anything but) then Doug Naylor may be able to save this project in the way that Revenge of the Sith saved the Star Wars franchise. That seems unlikely though. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth likely will be remembered in concert with the chronically unappreciated Star Trek IV and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

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Dwarfmania Continues

Dwarfmania Continues

It's time for another Red Dwarf fix, as we get closer to the new series:



Robert Llewellyn has a podcast out called CarPool where he interviews various people. The newest episode will be an interview with Craig Charles, who plays the main Dwarf character Lister.

I'm always engaged enough to know that the average reader of WYP has no idea what I'm talking about. Here's a sample of Red Dwarf that will give you a pretty good idea of what it's like:

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New Red Dwarf Photo!

New Red Dwarf Photo!

Another shot has been revealed from the new series of one of the best shows in broadcasting history, Red Dwarf:

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More Red Dwarf Revealed!

More Red Dwarf Revealed!

A new screenshot has been revealed by Dave from the soon-to-be-relaunched British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf:



Here's the description:

This exclusive image reveals for the first time the nature of guest-star Sophie Winkelman's character. Named Katerina, she's a surprising addition to the crew - a resurrected hologram of a Red Dwarf science officer intent on replacing Rimmer.

That's right - she's Arnold's nemesis!

My own two cents - Katerina, Arnold and the set all look delightfully Star Trekian. If writer Doug Naylor is following the 1970s Star Trek films, as I recommended he do on my personal blog, as a blueprint for rebooting his own science fiction franchise, he could go in much worse directions.

ADDITIONAL: Here's another shot released by Dave. This is of the main character Dave Lister (played by Craig Charles):

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Red Dwarf Is Coming Back

Red Dwarf Is Coming Back

The classic science fiction comedy program Red Dwarf is returning by way of British comedy network Dave. Red Dwarf was (and I guess still is) a very unique show. While presented in the standard half hour sitcom format, complete with laugh tracks, Red Dwarf was quite different than normal sitcoms. While the average sitcom portrays an office workplace or a dysfunctional family, Red Dwarf centered around a curry-obsessed slacker stranded in deep space 3 million years into the future. It was not only creative, however, it was also hilarious.

Let's hope that the upcoming new season is up to snuff with what Dwarf fans have come to expect. Here is Robert Llewellyn, who plays the robot Kryten, talking about filming the new episodes:

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