Si(X) of the Best

Remembering Series X's best bits.

12 April, 2013

Given how long the wait for it to arrive was, we can scarcely believe it's already been six months since Red Dwarf X made it to the air. Personally, though, we're not sick of rewatching it just yet - so we thought we'd take a trip through what we think are the standout moments of each episode, the scenes or gags that are destined to enter the canon of classics in years to come...

Trojan: "Was he Swedish?"

It had to be, really. The moment that confirmed to everyone that Red Dwarf was back with a bang, and set the word "moose" trending on Twitter to the general bafflement of all those not watching. The beauty in this scene is the way the gag gradually builds - it's funny enough that we know Lister's going to smugly get the answer to the puzzle, before Kryten offhandedly does the same, and finally the Cat gets a raucous laugh from the audience just by entering the room. We know exactly how things are going to play out before they do, but it doesn't make them any less funny; and the way Danny and Chris have to wait for the laughter to subside is a great vindication of the decision to shoot before a live audience. Buy Trojan on iTunes.

Fathers and Suns: "I've never been a proper dad to you..."

The cleverest Red Dwarf scene since the likes of "White Hole", or even "Future Echoes"? Quite possibly. Lister having a father-son conversation with himself is the sort of thing that could only happen in Red Dwarf, and a devilishly smart bit of scripting is matched by a tour de force performance by Craig - who was suffering from the twin effects of a nasty bout of flu and having to down a ridiculous number of glasses of apple juice masquerading as GELF hooch. It's a scene packed with one revelation and seeming-punchline after another, but the real kicker is the brilliant visual gag of the "guitar" reveal... Buy Fathers and Suns on iTunes.

Lemons: "Jesus!" "Yes?"

Sometimes the simplest gags are the best, and there's just something inherently tickling about the way a simple linguistic misunderstanding leads to this accidental encounter. It's another moment that relies heavily on the presence of an audience - you can hear the laughter building as each of the three hundred in-studio viewers gradually realise in turn what's happening, and what sort of ridiculous developments might be afoot. Irrespective of what the episode itself ended up being about - i.e. not the actual Jesus - it was a daring statement of intent. Buy Lemons on iTunes.

Entangled: "Why are we saying everything together?"

One of the smartest things Series X did was to, for arguably the first time, play with the natural chemistry that exists between Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules by giving Kryten and Cat substantial scenes together. Here, that effortless rapport pays dividends, as the pair rattle through their quantum-entangled, synchronous dialogue in perfect unison. Despite what they might have you believe, it did take a couple of takes to get it all right, but it's still mightily impressive. And the visual payoff of Cat holding up the Koestler book is particularly exquisite. Buy Entangled on iTunes.

Dear Dave: "He means charades, sir!"

Ludicrously silly it may be, but the way the Cat's extended charades sequence - purely to tell the gang that the mail has arrived - is drawn out for so long contributes to it being far funnier than it should be. The increasingly frantic, overlapping guesses of the others feel adlibbed rather than scripted, and the whole thing is topped off by the "How was that two words?" punchline. Buy Dear Dave on iTunes.

The Beginning: "Working class hero you and me both!"

We could have picked many of the superbly funny moments in "The Beginning" - particularly those involving Dominator Zlurth and Chancellor Wednesday - but our vote goes to the aftermath of the revelations about Rimmer's parentage, and subsequent defeat of the Simulants. All of a sudden we see a side of Arnold that's rarely been glimpsed: calm, confident and at ease with himself and his station in life, and even sharing a moment of bonding with Lister. Whether this newfound respect for one-another carries forward into any potential future episodes, though, we'll have to wait and see... Buy The Beginning on iTunes.

Those are our picks - how about yours? Join the debate on the Forum...