"He's refusing the blindfold!" Let the record show, everyone; Winnie the Pooh was a total badass!

I can FINALLY type this " He is refusing the blind fold" and "They shot Winnie The Pooh!!" I broke out is long fits of laughter and tears for years when ever I remembered that scene.

Funny how the people who complain about politics being brought into art usually seem to be the people who should be paying attention to the message and actually learning from it.

I don't know why anyone who knows about Red Dwarf would not realise its political undertones... The writers and creators, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor were writers on the legendary political satire show Spitting Image, where Chris Barrie provided multiple voices. Before Red Dwarf, Craig Charles was a performance poet, commenting on the social and political issues of the day. Robert Llewellyn started his comedy career in a comedy troupe that explored the sexual politics between men and has gone to create the You Tube channel Fully Charged, an EV advocacy channel and is an advocate for renewable energy. Red Dwarf was always political.

The anti-war message caused a few minor headaches on original broadcast because at the time the UK was involved in the first Gulf War. Originally this episode was intended to go out first, but BBC bosses were nervous about being accused of pandering to one side, so it was decided that "Camilla" would air first- which was fitting as it aired on Valentine's day. Equally, Dimension Jump was pushed back for similar reasons, as Ace Rimmer is a homage to Tom Cruise in Top Gun. However, by broadcast time a ceasefire had been called. On the whole though, I think the episode works better as a season finale and coming off the back of being introduced to Ace Rimmer.

Lister's final speech is indeed chilling. They'd often give Craig those morality-play speeches, like the one about free will at the end of "Justice" which, with his performance poet background, he nails. The cast and crew talk at length about the message of this episode on the DVD BTS doc. Humanising the cost of war by putting famous historical faces on cannon fodder was genius.

Red Dwarf has always had tons to say. Religion, politics, gender roles, war, artificial intelligence. It’s mad that people only notice it when it says something they don’t like.

There's more than a few lines/ deliveries that Craig Charles gives that really remind you that he was a poet before he was an actor. Chills

Its worth mentioning that Caligula, is played by Tony Hawks, you may have noticed hes popped up in several episodes now, even playing the voice of the robotic suitcase looking for its owner, He is a long time friend of the show as for the first three seasons he was the audience warm up act before the live recordings

this is one of, if not number 1, of my favorite Dwarf episodes. Between Elvis stealing every one of his scenes and Lister's speech at the end. A wonderful anti-war piece of art. I'd put this episode against any anti-war episode of Star Trek anyday. A++

An anti-war episode weeks after the first Gulf War finished was a bold move by Grant and Naylor.

Rimmer's a great character and the perfect sidekick for Lister. They make you like him, then remind you why it's ok to take pleasure in his misery.

Gallifrey Gals: *Reacts to what they're seeing* Haters: "Stop reacting to stuff you're seeing!"

I've always found "Rasputin I'm very cross indeed!" A very handy phrase in time of stress, although Rasputin has long since migrated to the end of the sentence.

This one does hit differently. As funny as this could have been, they took the darker path and it's not a happy ending. Love all the serious points discussed, and they were meant to be!

This is what I love about Red Dwarf. On the surface it’s a silly comedy with a lot of corny jokes, but at the same time can pull off genuine sci-fi “what if…?” scenarios and messages that make you think and feel.

As Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Even a silly comedy show can shine a light on stuff like that. The writers are very intelligent guys. And they don't insult the audience's intelligence.

What made me smile the most about this reaction is in 2023 seeing two young Americans say "Smoke me a Kipper" and do the Rimmer salute. If you ever get the chance to read the books they are great. They fill in a lot of the detail and you really get to explore more deeply the types of things a TV episode only touches on. The first book is a chonker "Red Dwarf - Inifinity Welcomes Careful Drivers". The second book was Better than Life, which was an entire book about them being in the Better of Life game. Then there is a book called Backwards. etc etc. The books are written without following the storylines of the TV series. The books give the writers a chance to riff on the topics and just play with them whilst the Tv series keeps moving on. I don't think that is typical of tv/book adaptions. The books were written after the TV, so why write what people have just watched? Explore the world further.

I remember Meltdown being largely considered one of worst episodes of Red Dwarf for a long time afterwards, but it’s got a lot of really good character moments. Red Dwarf was my favourite show as a kid, loving rewatching it with your perspectives.

The looks on your faces when winnie the pooh faced the firing squad was great lol

The guy that they have impersonating Stan Laurel is really good. You could almost believe it really is Stan. 🙂

YES YES YES YES!!! Art, even comedy, is about something. Always.

Definitely an anti-war message here. To the point that "Meltdown", which had been meant to be the first episode shown in series four, was moved to the last position due to beginning of Gulf War coinciding with its sheduled broadcast. Also the footage of monsters is taken from 1967 Japanese 'kaiju' film.

I was in the military, 1982 - 86, when PBS got a hold of Red Dwarf and started airing it here. I've loved it ever since I first saw it. I was no longer in the Military when this episode aired. I still remember my outrage though over them not airing Dr. Who alongside this. That was due to a funding issue. Later on, they did fix that issue and got both. My first introduction to Dr. Who was when Tom Baker was the Doctor. The first gulf war was fought over oil. The only reason I was okay with it was freeing Kuwait, which had been invaded by Iraq. The US would most likely have never lifted a finger if it didn't threaten our oil supply.

Yay, a perfect end to the day by watching the gals react to red dwarf.

Your point about the difference between experiencing a show through bingeing and watching it week to week is well taken. And there is 100% an antiwar message to this episode. The "unconvincing" dinosaurs are from a 1967 Kaiju film called Gappa the Triphibian Monster (it's American title) In Japanese it's Daikyojū Gappa. Rimmer's line to St Francis of Assis is a paraphrase of Louis Gossett Jr's line about Texas in An Officer and a Gentleman. This is one of my favorite Red Dwarf episodes. In my top ten for sure!

The extra playing Gandhi was so old and frail that Chris Barrie (Rimmer) genuinely felt bad to yell at him to do push-ups in freezing weather, and was afraid he would die of exposure. Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) also reported that for once he was not miserable filming in location, because the mecanoid makeup protects him from the cold.

9:34 this scene with Caligula slapping lister is one of the funniest things ever... always has me in hysterics.

A lot of classic UK comedy can't resist making the occasional serious point as well. I think it's good, as it helps us keep things in perspective.

Really looking forward to you reacting to series 5, where things get even better, and you'll be meeting two absolute legends. Episode four, and the season finale are superb ..

I love that you are enjoying Red Dwarf and see the messages. I watched it as a kid and got the obvious jokes, but as I got older, I watched them again, and I don't know many programs that challenged sexism so directly as Parallel Universe and this one about war, and that's why they all stand-alone, not part of a continuity. Love your reactions and keep having fun! Don't listen to the haters ;) Season 5 is my favourite.

I'm very tempted to recommend Blake's 7 to you two. It's another 80's classic BBC sci-fi series and it is surprisingly unique and influential in its own right. However, it can be a bit difficult to watch. Much like Red Dwarf it takes a few seasons to really reach its stride and it doesn't have the benefit of being funny. So, it might not be the easiest series for reaction content but I sincerely think both of you would love in it.

That Winnie the Pooh execution really did a number on Lister.

This is right in the middle of peak Red Dwarf when the show was at it's best. You are absolute spot on about the political themes of the show. They certainly weren't preaching every episode by any means but the undertones and messaging in more than a few episodes was very clear and made the show better for it. Social commentary is frequently a part of great works of fiction in all types of media, a comedy sitcom is as good a place as any for it, especially when does as well as it's done here. You have many great episodes of this show to look forward to, enjoy it, as will the rest of us watching you do so.

Go Paula! If people enjoy it, they can watch it, if they don’t, they don’t have to. Rimmer is just a Smeghead. Neither of you apologise for being you. The hater’s need a new home. Keep up the good work, it’s why we watch.

You guys should feel free to say whatever you want to about these shows, these are reaction videos after all ( and the Dwarf episodes would be dumb material if they didn't give people things to think about ). You've got my support.

Another great reaction and may I just say, Paula, you drinking from the Outer Wilds Ventures coffee cup makes me immensely happy.

Rimmer is sad, pathetic and pitiable. Those are his best qualities. It’s nice to have someone like that portrayed as the kind of person who thinks war as glorious, since those are the people who start wars and don’t fight them.

This episode would be Rimmer at his most complete and utter and total smeghead. I actually saw Jack Klaff (Abe Lincoln) in a play of Gulliver's Travels. Tony Hawks' Caligula is a definite highlight.

I think great comedy series have deep and meaningful moments. The Office UK, Blackadder and Only Fools and Horses had those and Red Dwarf also had a sprinkling of them over the years

This was going to be S4E1, and this episode was thus going to air while the first Gulf War was ongoing. Grant & Naylor were never shy about wearing their political heart on their sleeve during the show's run. Unfortunately (but all too predictably) it's airdate was delayed and it became the last episode. Although I think it does work better as a series finale in the end. Lister describing Winnie The Pooh facing the firing squad is, of course, the Red Dwarf hall of fame moment from this episode, along with Rimmer channeling Full Metal Jacket. But I'm forever partial to the subtle gag of Stan Laurel being reduced to even more of a whimpering mess than usual without the presumed dead Oliver Hardy by his side. This is also the introduction of the "light bee", a retcon of how Rimmer's image is projected that's become increasingly necessary in this new era of the show with more off-ship adventures. He's come a long way from needing that cage in "Thanks For The Memory", and has still further to go.

The Winnie The Pooh bit is one of my favorites. The fact that is also just Lister talking about it. Also, it is not too hard to see the message here. Even if you just take it at what cost is the war not worth it.

Always great seeing your reactions to the zaniness of Red Dwarf! The balance of dramatic and comedic writing is what makes this show amazing. Also, that "Oh my god!" reaction to a certain character in the Villain HQ made me laugh 😂

Can’t wait for you guys to get to seasons 5 and 6. Red Dwarf at its best!

A lot of people really don't like this episode partially for what Rimmer did (after all the time the show has spent on absolving him of blame for wiping out the Red Dwarf crew this felt really out of character) and partially because it also put Lister in a position where's also potentially acting out of character. The episode establishes that Rimmer might be malfunctioning because of Lister playing around with his light-bee earlier on, but never makes that definite. So either everything that happens in this episode is Rimmer's fault because deep down he is capable of being that nasty, or it's Lister's fault for damaging his light bee and Lister shifts all the blame onto Rimmer who wasn't in his right mind at the time. As Lister is normally the sort of guy who owns up to his own mistakes this didn't sit well with a lot of people. Personally I find this episode really funny, though I do recognise that the humour is pitch black in this one and I understand why a lot of fans don't like it. But how can you not like an episode where Winnie The Pooh goes out like a badass, Mother Theresa gets blow'd up good, and Queen Victoria guns down a Klansman?

I can’t wait for series 5 and 6, my favourites. I have been watching these so long that I VHS copies of the first 6 series!

Same shit happens with Doctor Who, people claim it's "becoming political" or fans make it political, but everything has a veil of politics on it. The difference is when it's politics those people don't like, so they don't WANT to hear it.

Hi, just to say it’s brilliant watching you enjoy something that has been a part of my life growing up. It makes me smile that something so quintessentially British can bring you so much joy.

"In universe" it's Lister's fault that Kryten is like that now. He was destroyed, and Lister didn't know how to repair him properly - and he had a lot of parts left over!

I subscribed to your channel when you started reacting to Red Dwarf, being nearly 60 I watched it back in the day, I really enjoy you watching it with fresh sets of eyes and look forward to it every week

You’re now heading into peak Red Dwarf. Seasons 5 and 6 are some of the best the show has to offer

There are some great messages within this series. Now, Who wants some toast ?

I like how Elvis sings during the credits.

Wait people were mad about yoour reaction to Parallel Universe? That wasnt even politics, it was about being a decent human being.

Shows you why Rimmer is a total Smeg Head, but he's only there to keep Lister Sane :)

There is always a message in Red Dwarf, some are just more in your face than others.

It's honestly ridiculous that anyone would think "women should be treated as equals, as people, not just sexual objects" is political. Red Dwarf meant to make that point in that episode, just like they meant to make the anti-war point in this one. I love you two honestly. You make great content 🙂

Love you are doing Red Dwarf!! Series 5 & 6 to come, some classic's on the way, can't wait to see your reaction to them. Oh, my brook has been babbled!! 😂😂

Red Dwarf has always been brilliantly political. Ignore the incels.

I comfort myself regarding Rimmer's actions in this episode with Kryten's explanation, that Rimmer's light bee had been possibly damaged, leading to his obscene behavior. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to forgive him. Also, people that say "don't bring politics into it" when all you're doing is commenting on a piece of art, and how it relates to real life events, or your own personal experiences, are the ones who are usually trying to force an unrealistic POLITCAL ideology on everyone. These shows, and all true art, express human truths. Commenting on that, is all part of the experience. Don't let the "haters" get you down.

Rimmer's remote hologram projector had, by this point, upgraded from a cage like structure to a small satellite thingy. This episode was probably the first time we've ever seen it. Also, the only highpoint I can think of for this episode is when Elvis sings the closing theme song.

I enjoy your reactions to a series I loved growing up it's always great seeing new people enjoying this amazing series

"Because that's not real Hitler"😅

Next ones for the best series in my opinion. You two are amazing.

"They have to make Rimmer more likeable" Oh, my sweet Summer Child. XD

This is such a Fantastic FUNNY Episode! Elvis sining the ending theme is soooo FUN!!!!

Lincoln and Einstein also showed up in the Star Treks ; and so many, Queen Victoria etc, from Dr Who..

I am reminded that, when Princess Diana died, Craig was of the opinion that Elton John was the only queen that gave a fuck. I am also reminded that, when the first Mission: Impossible came out, some people couldn't get it, and that's why the sequels were all just action movies. Thus was I introduced to the idea of 'turning your brain off' at the theatre, which was never its intended purpose. Our society will always influence what we create. The man-children whining about the genderswap episode, or this episode's rhetoric, come across as people who don't want to think at all, and are therefore not worth your consideration.

Red alert tier... I'll enjoy that later 😂

Red Dwarf is one of my favourites and rewatching it through you eyes has been so good. Thank you. Why people whinge about two seconds of meaningful empathy every two series of a sitcom, does make me lose faith in humanity a little. And the boys don't even learn from these experiences, they don't realise the message infront of them, so it shouldn't matter to haters because it's not constantly in their face. But. A planet populated by a dozen immortal wax droids isn't worth much, and preventing the spread of the evil wax druids was probably worth the sacrifice. The cruel dictatorship of all earth's historical villains over the universe is terrifying. Not Rimmers thought process but still. And I'm one of those people who would love to meet their alternate self what change has caused what difference and all. But Cat's absolutely right some people know what a turning point is in their life and that's rough what your dad did. Thank you again, I won't miss any for the world.

This is up there as one of my favourite episodes. Love the modern art joke and, of course, winnie the poo. Great video, ladies. Look forward to your next one

Love this episode and this channel. Amen to all that was said at the end. 🙂

Richard III is a great example of the power of propaganda. He wasn’t any worse than any other medieval ruler, but was presented as villainous by Shakespeare. This was because he needed to cosy up the queen, who supported the theatre, and shitting on the Plantagenets made the Tudors seem more legitimate.

Have you seen there's talk of a Red Dwarf prequel? It's called Titan based around Lister and Rimmer when they are on 'shore leave' just before the pilot episode but in a universe 'one over' so similar but changes can be made

Another great watch. As for the “haters”, sometimes you just gotta vent.😂 Watching is making me want to break out my box set and watch all over but I have to hold off until you both finish!

The actor who originally portrayed Kryten later voiced Talkie Toaster - most notably in White Hole

Damn, season 4's already done. Really feels like the laughs are carrying us through the show!

lol considering the milky way galaxy is only 100,000 light-years across, them finding the nearest habitable planet 200,000 light-years is kinda funny XD

Two shows I loved when I was growing up were Red Dwarf and Kids in the Hall. Both are excellent and I think they made me a better person for the future.

I always did love seeing Tony Hawks (Caligula in this) in Red Dwarf episodes, given the boys considered him one of them too if I remember right from the DVD commentary tracks. He was the warm up/transition guy for the live crowd, got them laughing before they began filming, kept them entertained between scenes when things needed shifting about, generally kept the energy of the live audiences up there.

Since seeing this episode, I've always stopped to consider, that the answer to my problem possibly involves triangles... I think Pythagoras was really onto something. :)

The lines "You have this major psychological defect that blinds you to the fact you're boring people to death" and the "I am in a state on complete un-gripped-ness, I'm completely smegging un-gripped" make this a golden episode, even if the rest sucked, which it doesn't.

"Don't you see? The deranged menace that once threatened this world is vanquished!" "No it isn't, pal. You're still here." "I've brought about peace! Peace, freedom, and democracy!" "Yeah, Rimmer, right. Absolutely. Now all the corpses that litter that battlefield can just lie there, safe in the knowledge that they snuffed it under a flag of peace, and can now happily decompose in a land of freedom, ya smeg'ead." Still hits hard, decades after I heard it last.

A little board game content for Paula.

"There's only two sorts of people from Assisi..."😂

Now you get to watch the 2 best series of red dwarf 5 and 6 are the best series in my opinion

BTW they didn't hire Rimmer's army bike. That's what Chris Barrie owned & drive to location in😂.

The dinosaurs footage was taken from the 1967 Japanese film Gappa: The Triphibian Monster.

Well said, Red Dwarf definitely brings socio political issues up

It's been so long since I binged the series I had to take a sneak peek at next season's titles. Almost all gold according to me. Can't wait!

I think you guys should check out another British series called “The Prisoner” in the 1960s

You've got it spot on. The point of the holly hop drive episode WAS to demonstrate guys getting a taste of their bad behaviour. This IS an anti war episode. Sci fi often is at it's best when addressing current political and social themes from an altered perspective. If people don't get that, they're missing the point. At least the double polaroids will keep them happy.

It is good, you realize and think about the political, social and mainly philosophical underlying topics that are at the core of many episodes. Especially since the shows, thanks to its specific setting, allows them to take on unusual conundrums.

People always complain about politics in media they watch, then they'll go and watch or play things that are blatantly political without even noticing it. Like people who play Metal Gear Solid and don't think it's overly political. Your commentary on the episode with the female versions of Lister and Rimmer was spot on, how could anyone miss it. Same with this eoisode. Really enjoying these reactions. I find it interesting seeing how you react to these episodes that i first watched when i was 8 years old decades ago. Are you gonna watch the latest 2 part special, tv movie thing once you get through the series? Hopefully there'll be more new RD before too long now the rights issues have supposedly been sorted out.

Please ignore the negative comments, some people just can't accept that people on youtube are just that: people and not two-dimensional characters. Y'know, with opinions and stuff? And it's your channel, you can express whatever the f you want 😆 no one is forcing them to watch! For the record I think you both do what you do charmingly 😁

The monster footage is from Gappa the Triphibian Monster - so not an old Godzilla movie, but from a kaiju movie, so close enough.

For those who are not familiar with James Last, he was a German composer of big-band music, great stuff for grandmothers, not so great for the rest of the population.

this one has always been my favorite episodes ever sice i was a kid watching Red Dwarf

I love that you love Red Dwarf, and that you like looking deeper into the messages etc. I subscribed for the Red Dwarf nostalgia. and am staying because of the lovely and intelligent yet humerus reactions.

Clayton Mark (Elvis) was confused by the lyrics of the theme tune, as he didn't understand them when he went to record them. He still did a great job.