Red Dwarf/Parallel Universe

Parallel Universe
Season 2, Episode 6
Airdate	October 11, 1988
Written by	Rob Grant, Doug Naylor
Directed by	Ed Bye
← 2x05 Queeg	3x01 → Backwards
Red Dwarf — Season Two

Parallel Universe is the sixth episode of the second season of Red Dwarf, and the twelfth episode overall.

Guest Stars: Suzanne Bertish (Arlene Rimmer), Angela Bruce (Deb Lister), Matthew Devitt (Dog), Hattie Hayridge (Hilly)

Plot Overview

This episode starts out with a look at one of Cat's dreams. The dream features the Cat, Rimmer, and Lister doing a dance number on-stage and singing the song Tounge Tied. Holly is there too.

Back in Lister's quarters, Holly announces that he has invented a technology that can take them back to Earth immediately. He calls it the Holly Hop Drive.

The Holly Hop Drive doesn't take them home, instead it jumps them into a parallel universe where there are duplicates/opposites for each person on the ship. When they visit the other ship, they learn that society in the parallel universe is female-oriented. Sexual attitudes are reversed as well.

The two Lister's have a drinking contest, get drunk, and make love. It turns out that because they are in a parallel universe, our Lister can get pregnant. So when they hop back to their own universe, Lister takes a pregnancy test.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Our Rimmer can't stand the female verison of himself, because she's such a sexist. In spite of that, he is unable to make the connection between those undesirable qualities in her and the exact same qualities in himself.
• Holly is infatuated with his female opposite, Hilly; as evidenced by lipstick marks on his face. This leaves a lasting impression on Holly that will have repercussions next series.

Referbacks

We saw in the episode Future Echoes that somehow Lister was going to have two baby boys. This episode finally offers an explanation.

Trivia

Allusions and References

After his female alter-ego makes lewd advances on him (and is preparing more), Rimmer decides to go hide somewhere. Lister asks "What are you, a man or a munchkin?" Rimmer responds (in falsetto), "I'm off to see the wizard ...", a clear reference to the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.

Memorable Moments

• Rimmer's idiotic chat-up line to get women. It's supposed to work like this: "Would you like a worm-do? ... What's a worm do? ... It wriggles along the ground like this."
• Rimmer announcing the results of Lister's pregnancy test.

Quotes

• Holly's announcement of the Hop Drive:
  Holly: The Earl of Sandwich invented the sandwich. Samuel Morse invented the Morse Code. Plato invented the plate ... and now I, Holly, have invented the Holly Hop Drive.
• Lister is ecstatic when he first hears about the Holly Hop Drive, but his reaction is a bit different when he actually sees it for the first time:
  Lister: It's just a box with stop and start on it.
  Holly: Fairly straightforward.
  Holly: If you want to start it, press start. You can work out the rest of the controls for yourselves.
• After they use the Hop Drive and nothing changes:
  Rimmer: Holly, the thought occurs that we haven't actually reached Earth. The further thought occurs that we haven't actually budged a smegging inch!
• On the parallel Red Dwarf everyone has a female opposite, so the Cat rushes excitedly to the cargo decks to find his opposite.
  Female Lister: I think he's in for a bit of a surprise.
  Lister: Why?
  Female Lister: His opposite isn't female.
  Lister: What is it?
  Female Lister: It's a dog.
• After the female Rimmer makes a sexual advance on our Rimmer.
  Rimmer: You're disgusting. You're only after me for one thing.
  Female Rimmer: Why? How many have you got?

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