This was the first series I watched. A friend from college lent me a VHS of it and I think it sat on my tv for over a month before I decided to give it a try, and then watch it from beginning to end. I think for that reason alone it's my favorite series. I still quote it all the time.
Fun fact; Meltdown was my first experience to Red Dwarf ever. I knew that there was a show called that before hand, but this was the first episode I ever saw. The truly bizarre setup (for my young mind of 12) made such an impact on me that I decided to check out the series as a whole. That´s how I became a fan of Red Dwarf in the first place.
Season four really WAS full of some amazing work, wasn't it? I'd have to say that Justice is probably my favorite of them, although Ace Rimmer definitely was one of the best additions to the show. What a guy!
I just wanted to say how much I'm loving these red dwarf videos, I was so excited when you started doing them. :D This is the first show guide style videos you've done on a show I've both seen all of *and* genuinely love. The behind the scenes trivia is great, as well as hearing your opinions on the episodes. Its a great way of be reminded of all the bits I love about one of my favorite shows, which I haven't watched in way too long. Like time efficient binge watching haha. I look forward to each video! On a side note, scathing reviews on bad media are super funny and satisfying but it's also really interesting and fun when people talk, good and bad, about stuff they seem to really like. So I'm glad you do that as well. Anyway, keep up the good work!
I choose to believe that the character Robert Llewellyn is playing is an alternate version of Kryten's creator's ex. The one she based Kryten's model on as a mean-spirited joke at his expense.
It's not really important, but I think Kryten actually did have issues with Camille's appearance. Take the fact that he'd just been taught how to lie, followed by Camille revealing her appearance and Kryten says "I think you're really sweet ...I can't lie, I'm a mechanoid". He was lying all along to save her feelings.
a white hole and a kugleblitz are two different things A white hole is a hypothetical opposite of a black hole. a kugleblitz is a mass of pure photons that's so heavy it could be confused for a black hole, also hypothetical.
The VERY first time I had seen anything from Red Dwarf was on Comedy Central. They had a show called Short Attention Span Theater where they showed clips from other comedies and they showed the part where Rimmer was going down the line of wax droids from Meltdown and I had NO idea what was going on. I thought it was from a sketch comedy show and Kryten was supposed to be the robot from the movie Millennium, lol.
I think a lot of people don't like Meltdown because it has Rimmer committing genocide. Yes, he's a dick, but that just seems downright evil compared to what we know about him.
The music used in Camille and Kryten's dance is Do the Boogalloo, a disco stock track also used in Halloween 3 when the Kupfers' camper arrives, Memento, Rocko's Modern Life, etc. www.imdb.com/name/nm0621429/ th-cam.com/video/MHvE0_xhLbs/w-d-xo.html
Ah yes, who doesn't like Ace. What a guy! I kinda do see why people don't like Meltdown; it does turn Rimmer from obnoxious to borderline evil but they more or less cover that with the fact that his light bee may be damaged.
my mother had the vhs of this season when i was a child and I used to watch it with her while she was ironing. I can't believe my child brain didn't pick up the adult jokes... still I'm sure it's not negatively impacted me, my blob girlfriend says so!
Here's a fun observation: [Spoilers] When Rimmer is judged (I think) next season by a being who can see all of time, he's told that he did the best he could with his shitty childhood and limited potential. That's because Ace Rimmer isn't a result of a good decision or a lot of effort, it took a crushing failure to set him on his path. Turns out, just because you decide to judge every person in the universe throughout all time doesn't mean you're very good at it.
However it's important to note that the Inquisitor didn't judge Rimmer. Rimmer judged Rimmer. And Rimmer convinced himself he could never really be anything better.
Thing with Rimmers behavior in Waxworld is that he may have been malfunctioning due to Lister chewing on the light bee. I think that could be true, Rimmer is a smeghead, but hes not usually that much of a smeghead.
I do hope in the new series, Ace Rimmer does return, in someway Series 7 Rimmer -> Ace vs the Rimmer who escaped death by *muffled voice*. Rimmer meeting Gordan Brittas... would be a fun sketch
Two continuity issues with this series. One is the episode D.N.A. could explain how Lister got his appendix back for Legion in series 6. Also White Hole did happen as Lister remembers "playing pool with planets" later in Deamons and Angels.
I always preferred it that Lister just had a crush on Kochanski and never actually a full on relationship. Being the last human alive probably would make you obses over any woman you could remember as you'd be lonely and horny.
I disagree about Cat not being humanised. He only felt like a cat to me in Series 1 + 2. After that he just turned into the regular 'dumb character' that you find on most sitcoms. I think they ran out of ideas for making 'human acts like a cat' jokes, so they just reduced him to the role of dumb character. Dimensions Jump is ok but it feels unfinished in a weird way. Nothing really happens, Ace just shows up and rescues them then leaves. It's better than Emohawk though. Stoke me a Clipper is the best Ace Rimmer episode.
And Gappa: The Triphibian Monster is going on my to watch list, I'm pretty sure half of that list has been taken from you, just last night I was entertaining friends at a halloween party with The Dragon Lives Again XD
I would love big finish to do some red dwarf stuff, nick has tried in the past but there have been rights issues, if they ever manage to get the rights, I'd love them to adapt some of the lost stories like Dad and Identity within and possibly even do a Ace Rimmer spin off
"Grant and Naylor wanted him to come back as Elvis, but it wasn't meant to be." What a weird way to say the actor of Elvis literally raped a teenage girl and was tried.
'Justice' kind of confuses me. If that was the same facility where the simulant was imprisoned, why would he be unable to comprehend the justice field? And how was there ever an uprising?
The Red Dwarf Official Site, you can get some information on one of the season 8 characters and their connection to the Justice System. www.reddwarf.co.uk/features/fiction/nicey-ackerman/
i swear early red dwarf is far superior to the later series/seasons that followed, in my opinion they relied too much on CGI over practical effects, and coupled with the lack of rob grant as one of the creative forces behind it's genius eventually hurt the show as time went on.
I hate Meltdown because it's so damned preachy. I agree with you that it has some amazingly funny stuff, but Lister's speech at the end is so heavy-handed and insufferable that it spoils the whole thing.
Its the same thing I've been doing for the other series', trying to balance explaining it, giving trivia and peppering it with examples of jokes so people can judge the humour and decide if they want to watch it themselves. If you have any sugestions for how I can do it better please let me know.
+Jayfive276 Idiot. I'm criticising the execution, not the format. It is easy to describe/critique a show without giving every single joke and plotpoint away. Diamanda usually does this extremely well but in this specific instance,this specific video is not up with her usual output.
+Dino Goldie - I have watched these episodes before and wonder how you can describe these guides as "giving every single joke and plotpoint away". Sure, there is a bit of a synopsis, but I like that Hagan discusses background info and a short critique and comparisons. Most of the clips are played without audio, which reminds those who have seen the episodes before, but probably don't spoil much for those who haven't. Two minutes of description and two minutes of trivia for each story would only give everything away if Red Dwarf was a very empty show indeed. As a fan, I have found these guides entertaining, and even learned a few bits here and there.
This was the first series I watched. A friend from college lent me a VHS of it and I think it sat on my tv for over a month before I decided to give it a try, and then watch it from beginning to end. I think for that reason alone it's my favorite series. I still quote it all the time.
Fun fact; Meltdown was my first experience to Red Dwarf ever.
I knew that there was a show called that before hand, but this was the first episode I ever saw.
The truly bizarre setup (for my young mind of 12) made such an impact on me that I decided to check out the series as a whole.
That´s how I became a fan of Red Dwarf in the first place.
Season four really WAS full of some amazing work, wasn't it? I'd have to say that Justice is probably my favorite of them, although Ace Rimmer definitely was one of the best additions to the show. What a guy!
Surely given this is season 4 the title should be:
"The Smeeeeee.....The Smeeeeeeee....The Smeeee Heeeeeeee Guide to Red Dwarf Series 4"
A complete and totally good title.
I just wanted to say how much I'm loving these red dwarf videos, I was so excited when you started doing them. :D This is the first show guide style videos you've done on a show I've both seen all of *and* genuinely love. The behind the scenes trivia is great, as well as hearing your opinions on the episodes. Its a great way of be reminded of all the bits I love about one of my favorite shows, which I haven't watched in way too long. Like time efficient binge watching haha. I look forward to each video!
On a side note, scathing reviews on bad media are super funny and satisfying but it's also really interesting and fun when people talk, good and bad, about stuff they seem to really like. So I'm glad you do that as well. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Ace loved by Hagan, what a guy
What a guy indeed.
Ah, the man, myth, legend that is Ace Rimmer... what a guy
I choose to believe that the character Robert Llewellyn is playing is an alternate version of Kryten's creator's ex. The one she based Kryten's model on as a mean-spirited joke at his expense.
That makes sense!
It's not really important, but I think Kryten actually did have issues with Camille's appearance. Take the fact that he'd just been taught how to lie, followed by Camille revealing her appearance and Kryten says "I think you're really sweet ...I can't lie, I'm a mechanoid". He was lying all along to save her feelings.
I've always thought that too.
Canon
Dimension Jump - the most Rimmsical jig of the series!
Damn you for using THAT Ace Rimmer theme. That episode legitimately made me choke up.
a white hole and a kugleblitz are two different things
A white hole is a hypothetical opposite of a black hole.
a kugleblitz is a mass of pure photons that's so heavy it could be confused for a black hole, also hypothetical.
Took the words out of my mouth. However, kugelblitzes aren't confused with black holes, they actually are black holes.
So what is it?
That lying scene at the start of Camille is still one of the funniest bits of British TV I've ever seen
Thank you so much for all your vids.
I really wanna watch this series now
The VERY first time I had seen anything from Red Dwarf was on Comedy Central. They had a show called Short Attention Span Theater where they showed clips from other comedies and they showed the part where Rimmer was going down the line of wax droids from Meltdown and I had NO idea what was going on. I thought it was from a sketch comedy show and Kryten was supposed to be the robot from the movie Millennium, lol.
Smoke me a Kipper I'll be back for breakfast
Stoke me a clipper, I'll be back for Christmas
What a guy
Some serious theremin chops - that's not an easy instrument.
Been waiting for this. Good video, Diamanda!
"I fucking love Ace Rimmer" In other news water is wet and things tend to fall down.
Can't wait for series 5. Hope it comes out soon!
I think a lot of people don't like Meltdown because it has Rimmer committing genocide. Yes, he's a dick, but that just seems downright evil compared to what we know about him.
Yeah, I can see that. That IS a bit far, even for him.
Shouldn't mother what's her name have been on the side of the bad people?
I loved Red Dwarf, it made me laugh.
Thanks Diamanda
The music used in Camille and Kryten's dance is Do the Boogalloo, a disco stock track also used in Halloween 3 when the Kupfers' camper arrives, Memento, Rocko's Modern Life, etc. www.imdb.com/name/nm0621429/ th-cam.com/video/MHvE0_xhLbs/w-d-xo.html
Well done!
Ah yes, who doesn't like Ace. What a guy! I kinda do see why people don't like Meltdown; it does turn Rimmer from obnoxious to borderline evil but they more or less cover that with the fact that his light bee may be damaged.
I can see Rimmer being species-est enough to do it without the light bee damage.
I dunno, I never read him as quite that bad. I mean he's technically an artificial being himself.
my mother had the vhs of this season when i was a child and I used to watch it with her while she was ironing. I can't believe my child brain didn't pick up the adult jokes...
still I'm sure it's not negatively impacted me, my blob girlfriend says so!
Here's a fun observation: [Spoilers] When Rimmer is judged (I think) next season by a being who can see all of time, he's told that he did the best he could with his shitty childhood and limited potential. That's because Ace Rimmer isn't a result of a good decision or a lot of effort, it took a crushing failure to set him on his path.
Turns out, just because you decide to judge every person in the universe throughout all time doesn't mean you're very good at it.
That's a fascinating take, I may have to steal it. :P
I helped!
However it's important to note that the Inquisitor didn't judge Rimmer. Rimmer judged Rimmer. And Rimmer convinced himself he could never really be anything better.
Noel Coward played by Roger Blake
Delighted to meet you dear boy.....SHUT UP!
Thing with Rimmers behavior in Waxworld is that he may have been malfunctioning due to Lister chewing on the light bee. I think that could be true, Rimmer is a smeghead, but hes not usually that much of a smeghead.
So cute when she says "moon"
I wish you had to edit my voiceovers, it'd be nice for someone who likes listening to me to have to do that:P
I do hope in the new series, Ace Rimmer does return, in someway Series 7 Rimmer -> Ace vs the Rimmer who escaped death by *muffled voice*.
Rimmer meeting Gordan Brittas... would be a fun sketch
Arnold "Ace" Rimmer, a man so charming his nickname is a dirty joke and no one questions it.
The joke does not need to be dirty! It can always be cleaned first.
Meltdown is, of course, Westworld reloaded and is as funny as war is.
Two continuity issues with this series.
One is the episode D.N.A. could explain how Lister got his appendix back for Legion in series 6. Also White Hole did happen as Lister remembers "playing pool with planets" later in Deamons and Angels.
I always preferred it that Lister just had a crush on Kochanski and never actually a full on relationship. Being the last human alive probably would make you obses over any woman you could remember as you'd be lonely and horny.
I disagree about Cat not being humanised. He only felt like a cat to me in Series 1 + 2. After that he just turned into the regular 'dumb character' that you find on most sitcoms. I think they ran out of ideas for making 'human acts like a cat' jokes, so they just reduced him to the role of dumb character.
Dimensions Jump is ok but it feels unfinished in a weird way. Nothing really happens, Ace just shows up and rescues them then leaves. It's better than Emohawk though. Stoke me a Clipper is the best Ace Rimmer episode.
And Gappa: The Triphibian Monster is going on my to watch list, I'm pretty sure half of that list has been taken from you, just last night I was entertaining friends at a halloween party with The Dragon Lives Again XD
OK, I guess me and Arnie are the only ones hating Ace Rimmer?
It's funny, I always thought humanised Kryten looked like a member of Split Enz.
Or Eraserhead
I would love big finish to do some red dwarf stuff, nick has tried in the past but there have been rights issues, if they ever manage to get the rights, I'd love them to adapt some of the lost stories like Dad and Identity within and possibly even do a Ace Rimmer spin off
Chris Barrie would easily flourish in Big Finish.
What a guy....
"Grant and Naylor wanted him to come back as Elvis, but it wasn't meant to be." What a weird way to say the actor of Elvis literally raped a teenage girl and was tried.
What a guy
'Justice' kind of confuses me. If that was the same facility where the simulant was imprisoned, why would he be unable to comprehend the justice field? And how was there ever an uprising?
Sorry if I was unclear, the uprising happened on a ship on the way to the Justice Facility, it was a regular prison ship.
Ohhh. That makes sense. My fault for not parsing it properly or remembering the episode.
what a guy
Smoke me a kipper!
The Red Dwarf Official Site, you can get some information on one of the season 8 characters and their connection to the Justice System.
www.reddwarf.co.uk/features/fiction/nicey-ackerman/
I don't believe that Red Dwarf changes realities during different series, I have theories for the individual changes
Wait, when you say "an episode coming up" do you mean the Series XII finale?
Nah, there's an episode after s4 where I think Ace would have fit but they didn't use him.
i swear early red dwarf is far superior to the later series/seasons that followed, in my opinion they relied too much on CGI over practical effects, and coupled with the lack of rob grant as one of the creative forces behind it's genius eventually hurt the show as time went on.
I agree, after s8 it improved again but 3-6 is the golden age.
yay i was just about to complain about this being late :D
No such thing as late, I do stuff when I do stuff :P
When is your next one coming
In Feb, barring accidents.
I hate Meltdown because it's so damned preachy. I agree with you that it has some amazingly funny stuff, but Lister's speech at the end is so heavy-handed and insufferable that it spoils the whole thing.
damn holly looks a lot better without the bangs. not that bangs look good on anyone... ever..
Thumbs down. This isn't so much a "guide" as a complete precis of every single plotpoint and joke.
Its the same thing I've been doing for the other series', trying to balance explaining it, giving trivia and peppering it with examples of jokes so people can judge the humour and decide if they want to watch it themselves. If you have any sugestions for how I can do it better please let me know.
+Jayfive276 Idiot. I'm criticising the execution, not the format. It is easy to describe/critique a show without giving every single joke and plotpoint away. Diamanda usually does this extremely well but in this specific instance,this specific video is not up with her usual output.
+Dino Goldie - I have watched these episodes before and wonder how you can describe these guides as "giving every single joke and plotpoint away". Sure, there is a bit of a synopsis, but I like that Hagan discusses background info and a short critique and comparisons. Most of the clips are played without audio, which reminds those who have seen the episodes before, but probably don't spoil much for those who haven't. Two minutes of description and two minutes of trivia for each story would only give everything away if Red Dwarf was a very empty show indeed.
As a fan, I have found these guides entertaining, and even learned a few bits here and there.