I've loved "Red Dwarf" from the very beginning, but I'd also be the first to tell you that it hasn't exactly been consistent in its quality. While rarely flat out terrible, there are almost as many middling episodes as there are great ones. This thankfully is one of the truly great ones.
This is a case where the A and B stories merge together into near perfection, culminating in a pitched perfect climax. Lister has seemingly come to terms with the fact that he is in fact his own father (see Series 7) but when he truly starts looking at the relationship he has with himself in father/son terms, he suddenly feels inadequate in both roles. While he tries to sort this out in a way that only Lister would ever think of, the rest of the crew try to install a new operating system for the ship with predictably non-ideal results. The actual way this pans out is quite clever despite the initial set up being predictable.
All performers are in top form, but Craig Charles as Lister really knocks this one out of the park. It's hilarious, exciting, oddly touching at points and genuinely clever in its execution.
This is a case where the A and B stories merge together into near perfection, culminating in a pitched perfect climax. Lister has seemingly come to terms with the fact that he is in fact his own father (see Series 7) but when he truly starts looking at the relationship he has with himself in father/son terms, he suddenly feels inadequate in both roles. While he tries to sort this out in a way that only Lister would ever think of, the rest of the crew try to install a new operating system for the ship with predictably non-ideal results. The actual way this pans out is quite clever despite the initial set up being predictable.
All performers are in top form, but Craig Charles as Lister really knocks this one out of the park. It's hilarious, exciting, oddly touching at points and genuinely clever in its execution.