Review: Red Dwarf: Backwards and Marooned

Series 3, Episode 1 - Backwards

"Wilma Flintstone is the sexiest woman who ever lived."

New Title Sequence! New Holly! Kryten! All of the cast changes are explained in a quick, Star Wars style flyby as the episode starts, beginning the period known as Classic Dwarf.
           The episode first focuses on Rimmer and Kryten, who are working on Kryten's driving test. On the way, they fly through a Time Hole, and end up in a universe in which the Big Crunch has begun, meaning that everything is backwards (They're also conveniently on Earth). Lister and The Cat follow on a supposed rescue mission, and for a period think they're in Bulgaria. They soon find themselves in a club where Rimmer and Lister are working, as "The Incredible Reverse Brothers" - "Watch... as he drinks a glass of water... FORWARDS!" While Rimmer and Kryten can only see the positive attributes of this world, their plan to stay here in the Backwards earth is cut short when they are fired, and then get in a reverse-bar crawl (the one they are fired for.)
          For an episode that has to introduce new characters and concepts to the series, it works well as a piece of speculative fiction. It also has very few scenes in the original ship, and this negligence of the vast spaces of grey makes it an overall more cheerful series. I'll talk more about the characterisations and the effects of Kryten in my overview.

Series 3, Episode 2 - Marooned

"You see the thing about black holes is, they're black. And the thing about space is, it's black. How am I supposed to see it?"

To make up for the lack of character drama in the last episode, Marooned takes a breather and develops Rimmer and Lister.
          Escaping from five black holes, Rimmer and Lister end up stranded on an ice planet, waiting for Kryten and Cat to rescue them. Rimmer shares some deep thoughts about his past life as Alexander the Great's cheif Euneuch, as well as his family life and his dependance upon military ideas. Lister talks about how he lives for excitement, while eating a tin of dog food.
          This was a welcome look back at the desolation of Series One and Two, while still sharing the warmth of Series Three.

Thanks.