#Duane Dibbley

[lizardthelizard]

Arnold Rimmer and Duane Dibbley in 'Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg'

[astralbondpro]

Red Dwarf // S06E04: Emohawk-Polymorph II

[mirion7]

Red dwarf tarot card - The Fool Featuring Duane Dibbley (been crying with laughter the whole time drawing)

Next card will be The Magician, so feel free to drop some ideas in the comments (feeling like it could be Kryten)

[womanofwestminster]

Duane Dibbley 🤓

[ottosump]

18th February 1964. The Beatles meet Muhammad Ali. When you see a picture and it reminds you of another picture.

Back to Reality, the final episode of season 5 of Red Dwarf....

where we were introduced to Duane Dibbley,

the best alternative character next to Ace Rimmer.

[7andaswitch-blade]

took the jam from earlier and expanded on it, mostly playing with sounds on the ms-1

[zzdigital]

So the previous poll was admittedly a sort of trick question, being a prank played by one character on another. This one will be more out and out a "did not happen." So

[elusivehoney]

About Back To Earth

Ok, i've now had a number of people question what exactly my problem is with BTE, and why it's my least favourite Red Dwarf series, so let me explain:

Some works benefit from metatextual humour and forth-wall breaking, for me, Red Dwarf isn't one of them. So the choice to have the characters enter the 'real' world and discover that RD is a tv series and that they are just fictional characters does not work for me, especially given that this ultimately goes nowhere.

Outside of the cutesy scene of a fan indulging in RD trivia, there's really no point to any of it. The characters don't really dwell on the fact they're unreal, they just go 'oh well better find our creator to get more unreal life' - they don't explore what they/their lives could be outside of the 'fictional' reality they've known (see Back to Reality for how they did it right and better the first time round). The closest we get in BTE is Dave's coming to terms with his failings and the seeming worthlessness of his life but being willing to keep going. It's interesting but it's been done before and after much better.

Most of the scenes in the real world are unfunny and drawn out past the point of tolerance - The tv store, the mall, the bus, Coronation Street (dear God, Coronation Street - I hate BTE on the basis of them going to CS alone tbh) - again, RD does not benefit from fourth wall breaks and meta humour. The characters also aren't that funny here, but nor are they poignant, except Dave - which is also an issue because this is an ensemble cast not a one-man show, it's fine for an episode but not a film-length special.

Then there's the Blade Runner of it all. If I wanted to watch BR i'd watch it, I don't come to RD for BR rip offs - and they are rip offs. This is not homage, pastiche, or parody, it's taking scenes from BR and inserting the RD cast with no intent or commentary (with the sole exception of the photo zoom-in/enhance gag which actually was a parody, just not a fresh or funny one). Truly, what's the point? If you're not commentating on those scenes through parody, or paying homage by referencing BR visually/tonally in a RD style, there's no point in doing it. It's a bizarre creative choice that does not work for RD, it just wastes time they could of spent actually exploring the characters and premise.

And speaking of the premise, it's an inferior Back To Reality. In BTR they actually explored what it would mean for the characters to learn that they weren't real and had completely different lives. The episode did an amazing job at making the world created for a single episode feel real and lived-in. The revelation that the despair squid made them face their worst fears about themselves (Duane Dibbley, Rimmer no longer being able to blame anyone else for his failings) and had them act in ways that made them feel as though they couldn't live with themselves afterwards (Kryten taking a human life, Dave being an evil dictator) made perfect sense when you rewatched BTR. None of this is true for BTE.

The choice to make their 'real' reality our actually reality felt cheap and unsuited for RD's universe and tone. All the characters but Dave felt like an afterthought, they had no exploration, no arcs, no point in being there other than the fact they had to be because it's RD. The revelation that the female relative of the despair squid causes joy rather than despair makes no damn sense - Outside of the end of their fantasy when Dave gets to be with Kristine what exactly is joyous about this reality? Rimmer getting one joke about being happy he's not actually Rimmer?

Why not have them go back to an Earth where they are famous and treated with reverence for surviving in deep space and making it back home? Why not have Rimmer promoted to Admiral and become popular and loved? Why not have the Cat meet several female cats who made it back to Earth and need good loving? Why not give Kryten an upgrade and all the time in the world to clean to his heart's desire? Why not have Kristine already back on Earth and ready to commit to Dave fully; love, kids, growing old together? Have the characters get what they most desire to fill them with joy, so much that they'd never want to leave this wonderful 'reality', only to have them eventually question why everything's too good to be true and realise they need to snap out of it because their real selves are wasting away in the real world.

Nothing about their time in the 'real' world is actually joyous, or happy, or pleasant, or fun, or any other positive emotion this anti-despair squid should be making them feel. The revelation makes no damn sense and only gets sillier the more you think about it and the more times you rewatch BTE.

Look, there are things I like about BTE: Craig Charles' acting is fantastic here - arguably the best he's ever been. We have the iconic 'I'm pretty cool' final Lister speech (which you know I love). For being low budget and quickly made BTE looks great - the cgi backgrounds and effects hold up really well (mostly, we don't talk about the mini-Rimmers). And i'm always happy to have Kristine back.

Overall, I feel as though BTE was an idea with a lot of great potential but ultimately was badly executed, and i'm annoyed by it because I know RD can do this plot better (Back To Reality).

I used to give it more of a pass because it was only three episodes, so unlike Series VIII the badness had less time to linger, and because at the time of release we didn't know how much, if any, more RD we were going to get. But now we have several new series and a new special (The Promised Land) that, though very flawed, showed RD can do long-form if it wants to, i'm less inclined to give BTE some slack. There are things to like about BTE, but the sum of its parts does not make up for the whole lacking.

[janamelie]

"Emohawk: Polymorph 2" Podcast

A podcast to discuss Red Dwarf from the perspective of female and LGBT+ fans.

"Emohawk: Polymorph 2" with @arcanemoody.

The show's first sequel brings back both Ace Rimmer and Duane Dibbley. Arcanemoody and I have fun dissecting what they say about both Rimmer and Cat's psyches.

We also cover the sleeping arrangements on Starbug, cultural differences between the US and UK and why Lister agrees that ACAB. And of course, the slashy vibe between Lister and Rimmer-as-Ace.

[dykedave]

Y’know in Polymorph 2: Emohawk Cat was in Duane Dibbley’s clothes for a while. He must’ve still been in them when his personality got restored.  Poor guy. 

[doctorwhoarchiveofrandomness]

Scene from next year’s Red Dwarf movie.

[cbarriefans]

The universe needs more of Rimmer and Duane #RedDwarf

[downonthepharm-red-dwarf]

I have a fic prompt. Explain who Duane Dibbley is in “Back to Reality.”

- Sebastian is our pretty little murder-muffin of a Voter-Colonel, and presumably the one who decided that an extended stint in an AR game would be a refreshing change from changing people.

- Billy, his alcoholic, yak-urine-smelling half-brother, is most likely along to keep him from ending up dead in the streets somewhere while Sebby is busy in the game.

- Jake probably knows Sebby from his up-and-coming days as a young, ambitious secret policeman. He could also be along as a condition of Billy’s participation, like a parole officer/personal handler. His presence can be explained somehow.

So, who the hell is Duane Dibbley?

The party is booked in as the Dibbley party. Is he a wealthy, eccentric Party backer who financed this as a favor to the Voter-Colonel? Is he Sebby’s personal bodyguard, a deadly assassin in dork’s clothing, able to dispatch an assailant using only a Thermos and a triple-thick condom, whose name is used in bookings to disguise Doyle’s involvement? Or, is he the mysterious and little-known Glorious Leader of the party, the guy who pulls all the strings and holds all the cards? Dude needs a back story!

[puremoose]

Did you know Toad snorkels? Me neither. Rare footage was captured in this Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Premiere Episode!

[transferengi]

Red Dwarf 30-Day Challenge

Day 15 - Favorite Series 5 episode

Please don’t do this to me I love them all.

Season 5 is pretty much perfect in that every single episode slaps (except, unpopular opinion, I really don’t like Quarantine all that much? Like, I think it’s iconic I just never actually enjoy watching it...)

Let me try and rank them to get to an answer.

6th -- Quarantine Like I said, not a fav. 5th -- The Inquisitor Okay, I love this episode, and it only ranks so low because everything else is god tier. 

4th -- Back to Reality God I adore this one. The premise is funky and wild and I am such a sucker for the way Rimmer and Lister interact, they way they grab onto each other, the way in this nightmarish fantasy the worst possible thing that could happen to them is that they’re brothers... hm!!! Also, who doesn’t love Duane Dibbley?? It’s just a very jarring and freaky season finale leading into the chaos that begins in season 6.

3rd -- Holoship This episode is one of Rimmer’s strongest in terms of character development (subsequently making me very angry that that development never sticks). It has two of his most iconic quotes, and one of Lister’s, and also Nirvanah Crane is my WIFE I love her lots.

2nd -- Demons and Angels I actually almost put this one below holoship, but in the end I kept it just because of how explicitly gay it is. It’s simply one of the most iconic episodes in the entire show. It’s not without its problems (I’ll talk more about this on day 23) which is probably why it isn’t #1 but I unashamedly love it.

1st -- Terrorform Honestly, this makes sense. Terrorform is basically a perfect episode as well, with some really interesting insight into Rimmer’s psyche. My one problem with it is of course the ending. Obviously Cat and Kryten didn’t mean any of the nice things they were forced to say and do, but it’s upsetting that Lister says he also didn’t. So this episode makes me very frustrated but it also makes me stupidly happy, so. Win some, lose some. (And if you too were hurt by the ending of Terrorform, you may be entitled to financial compensation) (or rather, fic compensation, in the form of this lovely fix-it by my friend @dammitspawk, which you can read here!)