![Red Dwarf: The Promised Land [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71QNPm6ArlL._AC_UL165_SR165,165_.jpg)
![Red Dwarf: Series XI [DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81fCdxpulSL._AC_UL165_SR165,165_.jpg)
While it's not unusual for shows to change over time, it's rare for that change to be driven by creative necessity rather than simply getting better ratings or increasing the demographic base. Two shows come to mind immediately - both of which I consider to be nothing less than great: "Primeval" and "Red Dwarf." If they were changed merely to give their audience greater titillation or bathos, as most shows are, it wasn't apparent. These two shows didn't just suddenly get different; they slowly evolved from how they started to how they ended. And they evolved creatively, in both instances expanding the show's original parameters. Likewise, in both shows, the harbinger of change was there from the start; it wasn't simply tacked on: in "Primeval" it was, of course, Dr. Helen Cutter, whose descent into madness drove the show relentlessly toward its harrowing conclusion; but in "Red Dwarf" it wasn't anything as apparent as a character's psyche. In "Primeval," the evolution is obvious: it began as a "monster a week" show then widened its parameters to include an intriguing plot-line which raised it to the level of a psychological thriller. But in "Red Dwarf," though the change from beginning to end is as enormous as anything in TV history, it's a much subtler process. You can't really point to a definite season (i.e., series) or a particular episode or character and say "Ah, that's where it all changed!"
Series 1 can best be characterized as having the natural charm of innocence and naivete. I loved the show from the very first moment. The four main characters - Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer, Cat, and Holly the Computer - were absolutely enchanting, with all their quirks and foibles and vanities. And though their interaction was awkward and tentative, even at times hostile, they made do with their lot in life: four characters all alone on a spaceship which, according to Holly, would have taken years just to turn around, let alone go anywhere. Every episode of Series 1 focused on their attempts to establish something approaching a normal life; yet each episode took them a little farther from where they started - as well as farther from anything even approaching normalcy - leading to the introduction of a fifth character, the android Kryten, in Series 2. Kryten comes closer than anything else in the entire Series to fitting the standard sit-com prescription of having been added to breathe new life into the show. However, that's only because he disappeared for the rest of Series 2 and didn't reappear till Series 3, which does make it seem as if the producers wanted to test his audience appeal before they made him a permanent fixture. And it is true that, once he really got going, he came very close to stealing the show at times. Just as there's never been a leading man as self-indulgent or uncouth as Dave Lister, or a Hologram as neurotic as Arnold Rimmer, or a computer as obtuse as Holly, there has never been an Android even remotely as goofy or self-effacing as Kryten. Of course there's simply never been a humanoid evolved from a cat; but even a real cat's vanity and preening wouldn't hold a candle to Cat's.
One thing is certain: "Red Dwarf" becomes increasingly surreal with each passing Series. It begins with the death of the entire crew except Lister, who had been locked in stasis for smuggling a cat on board, and Cat, who had evolved in an air shaft which had somehow been protected from radiation; and it ends with the entire crew being reanimated by an army of overzealous nano-bots. Ironically, but not unexpectedly, life for the original survivors becomes increasingly more harrowing once the crew reappears on the scene. And, in between, each Series takes the five main characters on one outrageous adventure after another - each adventure fully capable of being developed into an edge-of-your-seat traditional sci-fi show, but in "Red Dwarf" developing into a comic nightmare of epic proportions.
It's easy to say which are your favorite episodes; but virtually impossible to say which are the best episodes. From Series 1, "Confidence & Paranoia" is one of my favorites - Confidence getting his come-uppance being one of the most hilarious scenes of the entire show. From Series 4, there's "Camille," which is also one of the very few episodes one might call "poignant" - a quality which, except for one or two episodes, mostly disappeared after Series 1. From Series 5, "The Inquisitor" has just about all the elements that make the show great. "Tikka to Ride" from Series 7, besides being hilarious, is quite possibly one of the most ingenious episodes in the history of TV. And from Series 7 comes "Blue," which has one of the most wonderful sequences of any episode, relating to Kryten's on-going dissatisfaction with the Kochanski from a parallel universe. From Series 3, my all-time favorite episode: "The Last Day." This is Kryten's crowning glory as a character, what with his notion of "Silicon Heaven," where all the used-up electronic machines go. And from Series 2, "Thanks For The Memory" is my back-up all-time-favorite; plus, it's Holly's crowning glory as a character, especially as he relates his chronology of what seems to have happened. Then, from Series 4, there is "Meltdown," which shows Rimmer at his worst and Lister at his best; Dave's final observation on the catastrophe Arnold has wrought stands as one of the great anti-war statements of all time and raises this otherwise ordinary episode to a much higher level.
Over time, my favorites have changed somewhat. After six airings and counting, I no longer find it necessary to watch the complete series but to focus on whichever episode I'm in the mood for. And the ones I now find myself heading for are "Holoship" and "Terrorform" from Series 5 and "Ouroboros" from Series 7. The beginnings of "Holoship" and "Terrorform" are absolutely priceless; and "Ouroboros" is kind of the ultimate "feel good" episode of the entire Series. But as I said, I wouldn't dream of offering these, or any other episodes, as the best "Red Dwarf" episodes. Because they're all great, even my least favorite: "Demons & Angels" from Series 5. And even including "Demons & Angels," I consider Series 5 to be, if not the best then the most characteristic of all eight Series. If you could only watch one of the eight, I think Series 5 would be it.
But by far and away my favorite thing about "Red Dwarf" is the anticipation of watching it all over again from the start. Now well beyond my sixth go-round, the episodes are as fresh, as interesting and as funny as the very first time around. You can't ask for more in a TV show.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Frequently bought together
This item: Red Dwarf: The Complete Collection
$49.49
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 20
In Stock
+
$32.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 20
In Stock
+
$36.56
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 20
In Stock
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Stellar British Comedy
Quick delivery. Funny British Comedy. Great storyline. One of my favorites since first catching an episode in '92. Good choice for watchers of AbFab, and The Young Ones.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2025
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2006
- Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2025
- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2025
Quick delivery. Funny British Comedy. Great storyline. One of my favorites since first catching an episode in '92. Good choice for watchers of AbFab, and The Young Ones.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on April 10, 2014
Red Dwarf At It's BEST! And as originally aired on the BBC.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Australia on July 12, 2024
Great humour, and value for money.
