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Recap / Red Dwarf Season VIII "Back in the Red - Part 1"

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"Look, this is gonna sound nuts, but the whole crew died, including you. And you've all been resurrected by these microscopic little robots."

In the wake of Kryten's nanobots rebuilding Red Dwarf, the boys find themselves in for a huge shock when they learn that the nanobots restored the entire crew to life as well.

This episode includes examples of:

  • Ass Shove: Red Dwarf has been built far too large and is returning to normal size. Starbug encounters a huge rat and ends flying into its backside, propelling it along.
  • Bring My Brown Pants: Cat declares the opening Starbug crash a "Brown Alert".
  • The Bus Came Back: Well, sort of. Chris Barrie returns as Rimmer but, as Lister quickly works out, it's a recreation of Rimmer from before the accident who lacks all the Character Development that the Rimmer from series I-VII went through.
  • Call-Back: The Positive Viruses from "Quarantine" make a reappearance.
  • Chick Magnet: Thanks to the sexual magnetism virus, Rimmer becomes this.
  • Cut and Paste Environments: The episode goes out of its way to invoke this by accurately replicating the original bunk room from the first two series, right down to the awful painted wood look... for a scene that couldn't have lasted more than five minutes!
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: Upon being arrested, Lister is asked if he requires any form of aid. He replies, "Yeah- lemonade and a really large scotch".
  • Prison Rape: Rimmer shows his credentials on his re-introduction.
    Lister: (ref. to his sentence) Two years without sex...
    Rimmer: You hope.
  • Rebuilt Set: This episode features a sequence set in a close recreation of the sleeping quarters from Series I, right down to the guitar and porthole. It's most likely be due to the fact that the timeline the ship is running on is set before the radiation leak and those were Rimmer and Lister's quarters at the time.
    • The crew admitted they had forgotten the set from Series I and had to watch Series I in order to recreate it as accurately as possible.
  • Silent Snarker: When Rimmer swigs some sexual magnetism virus, Holly pauses his image and flashes the caption:
    Sick bags on standby.
  • Whole Episode Flashback: The first of three episodes almost entirely taking place in the past and setting up the change in venue.
  • Written-In Absence: Mark Williams wasn't able to return for Season VIII, so Petersen's absence is explained as him being drunk.

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