The Dwarf comes under attack, and it’s Rimmer to the rescue. They’re smegged…

After last week’s disappointment, it’s good to see the show return to form for the final episode – although given the ratings that Dave has enjoyed with this new season, I’d be amazed if Red Dwarf XI isn’t hitting our screens this time next year.

The running gag through the episode pays off properly; there are some good moments for all of the cast, and even, amazing as it may seem, some character development which potentially allows for some very different interplay in future stories.

The resolution is going to annoy a lot of people (notably fans of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) – you do actually wonder if they are really going to try to get away with something that simply shouldn’t work. But they do, and the comedy outweighs the other problems (not something that can be said about everything this season).

There’s also sensibly some scenes not featuring the main cast, both in flashback form and on board the attacking ship. The former gives us an idea of the source of Rimmer’s lack of self-confidence; the latter is predictably groanworthy, but still fun.

Hopefully Red Dwarf XI will move away from the slight obsession with fathers that this season has seen, but if the team can maintain the average standard of this year, and raise it to the level of this and episode 4, then there’s still a bright future for the Dwarf.

Verdict: Going out on a high! 8/10

Paul Simpson

Watch Robert Llewellyn interviewing Doug Naylor here…

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