Season 4 – Red Dwarf

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews

Audience Member I'll put it bluntly: The first half of Season 4 is 4~5 star level, whereas the second half is 2~3 star level. It's sad because Season 4 really steps up the high-concept, more creatively focused story-weaving, but in regards to the later episodes, they didn't really get to do much with them. To start off is 'Camille', which is a sweet story that, like the S3 finale, really expands upon Kryten as a character, yet still gives a lot of time to the other characters. It's slightly more creative, however, and ends on a more poignant moment. Up next is 'D.N.A', a somewhat straightforward sci-fi concept used to some solid comedic effect, and with multiple layers. The main story is about Kryten accidentally going from Mechanoid to Human, and his attempts at understanding what it is to be human (this scene is particularly funny), but it also climaxes in a failed attempt to manipulate DNA, resulting in Lister's dinner becoming a giant monster. Next up is 'Justice', the best episode of the Season and a master class in taking a high-concept idea and pushing almost every facet of it to its full potential, while throwing in some mid-brow comedy with it. Then, starting a downturn, is the somewhat good but hardly great 'White Hole', which does at least feature a solid execution and climactic solution; it's just not as entertaining as a lot of other Red Dwarf episodes in the early 90's, and the final joke just falls flat. Then comes the immensely overrated 'Dimension Jump', where Rimmer's woefully, overly perfect alternate universe double meets them. This episode does feature an excellent dual-performance from Chris Barrie, and normal Rimmer's reactions are sometimes funny, but the episode has almost no plot whatsoever after the initial setup, and I get the distinct feeling that I was supposed to like "Ace Rimmer" more than I actually did. Last but not most is 'Meltdown', an interesting premise that is fun but completely outlandish, and while it results in a genuinely high amount of laughs from time to time, the story somewhat nosedives at the end, and the last few minutes just feel like semi-comedic mush rather than something smart and cohesive like the show usually is. This is by no means an outright bad episode, but it's not one I tend to re-explore very often, and sadly, that is how Season 4 ends. The Season itself is solid overall, with good shining through even the worse parts, but the episodes are most certainly not of unanimous quality, and it's a shame as this is the show during its apex. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This season offered the first signs that the writers were running out of ideas and looking at shopping the show to the USA, and later developing an American version showed in the writing and the direction of the show this time. This was the first season i watched of Red Dwarf and it is very funny but it is the first season made in the 90s and with the bigger budget they opted for a very science Fiction comedy. It feels like less of a sitcom as the characters seem to be in constant motion. Still, a very strong season and up-to now lacking any of the catchphrase cliches you find in sitcoms. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Some genuinely funny concepts and storylines in this series, undoubtedly the best of the show so far, and the most introspective... Best Episode: 24 - Meltdown Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Red Dwarf — Season 4

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Watch now on