RED DWARF: Top Ten Countdown - 6. Backwards - Warped Factor

Andrew Jero presents the next installment of his Red Dwarf Top Ten Countdown. We're at number six, and it is SDRAWKCAB, or Backwards!

With my number six spot I think I’ll take a look at all the great moments from the episode in story order. To start we have the mock Star Wars credits telling us about Kryten and the Red Dwarf crew. Backwards feels to some like the episode of Red Dwarf where the team really is together, and for their first time on screen the new crew of four work superbly.

To start us off with the third series, we get a new mix of scenes for the title sequence but also the legendary guitar rendition of the Red Dwarf theme.

The episode starts with Lister and the Cat discussing Wilma Flinstone, whilst Kryten takes his driving test. Recently the driving test scene seems even better to me as I will be taking my test soon and feel that I, like Kryten, may mess up everything possible.

I really love the concept of the big crunch and it plays in perfectly with the tone of the show, which is one of the reasons why this episode makes it to this spot on the list. I love the initial scenes in Nodnol (London) where we first have Kryten and Rimmer who figure out that it’s English backwards, but it gets even funnier when Lister and the Cat arrive, and Lister tells the Cat that they’re in Bulgaria. They go on to steal a bike, which goes backwards, they get in a car, which goes backwards and eventually drink two pints of beer... backwards. The most disgusting bit is when they 'eat the pie' together, with pieces of it coming out of their mouths until the uneaten pie sits on the table.

Lister and the Cat watch as Kryten and Rimmer, the Sensational Reverse Brothers, do their novelty show which consists of eating an egg, and drinking a glass of water, forwards! Kryten and Rimmer take Lister and the Cat to their dressing room and explain that they want to stay, that everything makes more sense backwards, no death, disease or famine. And best of all, the Second World War is a wonderful event where millions of people spring back to life, Hitler retreats across Poland and disbands the Third Reich. Lister brings up the other side of the coin, Saint Francis of Assisi, goes around and maims small animals, and worst of all, Santa Clause, who is a fat git that breaks into people’s houses and steals their kids’ favorite toys.

After discussing the pros and cons of living in a backwards universe, Kryten and Rimmer get fired for a fight they will start in the future, Lister figures out that the fight starts after he un-eats some guys’ pie. They have a bar room brawl which really turns out to be a bar room cleanup.

The best part is at the very end of the episode when the crew are about to leave and the Cat makes a pit stop in the bushes. As everything is backwards, the effect is hilarious and makes a great end for a fan-smegging-tastic episode!