Backwards

Huge fan of Red Dwarf though I've always been since it first appeared on British TV back in the 80s, I've never been able to enjoy this episode much, going all the way back to the very first time I watched it on "live" TV back in 9891 (and there's a hint right there).

It's basically just one gigantic continuity error. Nothing, but nothing, hangs together - just like Philip K Dick's book Counter-Clock World, which I'd read some years earlier (or did I un-read it some years later?). I've always been a huge fan of his, too, but the book drove me mad for all the same reasons this episode does.

A major plus is that Kryten makes his first regular appearance, played by the excellent and ever-likeable Robert Llewellyn. Interesting to be reminded that the character just reappeared one whole series later with no explanation whatsoever - I like that! Saves bothering with a back story when it's a thorougly silly and quite surreal show in the first place, even allowing for its basic premise.

But you still need to be able to suspend disbeilef for silly and surreal! This one is just silly for all the wrong reasons.