Contents 1 Overview 2 Summary 3 Notes 4 Noteworthy Dialogue 5 Guest Stars

OverviewEdit

Red Dwarf jumps into an alternate dimension and encounter a parallel version of themselves.

SummaryEdit

Rimmer tries to explain his method of meeting women to Lister. Most of his methods involve hypnosis and most attempts end in failute. Meanwhile, Holly claims to have invented a faster than light device called the "Holly Hop Drive" which appears to be nothing more than a red box with a stop and start button on it. The crew try and use it, but it doesn't bring them to Earth. Instead. it brings them to a strange parallel universe.

In this universe, women are the dominant sex, with men having had to catch up. Each of the normal Dwarf crew has a female analogue. Holly meets a younger, female version of himself, Hilly, and the two fall in love. Lister and Rimmer's counterparts (Deb and Arlene) have the same personality as their male counterparts. Arnold tries to avoid his opposite's Arlene's sexual demands, most of which are ironically the same methods used by Arnold. Dave gets on well with Deb (although he does not find her attractive, stating that all she wants to do is get drunk and eat vindaloo). Cat's opposite (unfortunately for him) is a (male) dog, who unlike Cat, is very kind, slobbish, and gets along easily. The two crews party all night long while Holly and Hilly fix the Hop Drive.

The next morning, Deb and Dave wake up, and find out that they have slept with each other. Arlene, ironically sickened by the sight, hopes that Dave winds up pregnant. In the alternate universe, the men give birth to the babies. Dave is horrified, despite Deb's defense that Dave should have taken precautions. However, Holly reveals that the Hop drive is fixed, and they need to get back to their universe immediately. After returning to their own universe, Lister uses a pregnancy test, and while waiting for the results, Holly realizes that if Lister is pregnant, he could give birth to the two babies seen in Future Echoes. Rimmer then reveals the results to Lister: "I'm going to be an uncle!"

NotesEdit

• This episode marks the final appearance of Norman Lovett, until Series VII's "Nanarchy"; and also the first appearance of Hattie Hayridge, who will replace Lovett as Holly in Series III-V.

• It is also the final appearance of the original Red Dwarf/JMC uniforms. For Series III, new costumes were designed for Rimmer and Lister. The Red Dwarf crew do wear similar (though not identical) uniforms in Series VIII.

• When Cat says "Lister - Female opposite; Rimmer - Female opposite; where's mine?", it is one of only three times Cat ever says the name 'Lister' on the show. The other times he says it are in Series V's The Inquisitor and Series X's The Beginning. Whenever he refers to Lister he calls him "buddy", "dormouse cheeks" or just "Hey, you".

• The "Tongue Tied" musical number evolved from a brief gag, to a full-blown song and dance sequence. Danny John-Jules (credited as "Cat") released his own version of the song in 1993. It reached #17 on the UK charts. It is also the first and only musical number by Howard Goodall to reach the Top 20 of the UK Top 40 Music Charts.

• The "Tongue Tied" routine was choreographed by Charles Augins, who played Queeg in the previous episode.
• This is the first episode that the Cat refers to Rimmer as "Goalpost Head".

• The title of this episode "Parallel Universe" doesn't appear at the start as in others. Instead, we open with the Tongue Tied musical number. The Remastered version has the title appear after the song finishes. This is also the first episode to not include the standard opening sequence, and in fact the title Red Dwarf does not appear on screen until the very end of the closing credits.

• The concept of parallel universes will be revisited in Series VII when a parallel-universe version of Kristine Kochanski joins the crew.

• The Cat breaks the fourth wall when he first discovers The Dog, delivering several of his lines directly to the camera.

Noteworthy DialogueEdit

• Rimmer: You know -- cats have a very strange attitude toward women if you ask me.
  Cat: Say what, Goalpost Head?
  Rimmer: It's all sex, and no sense of settling down and having a long term relationship.
  Cat: Hey, I want to settle down. And as soon as I find the right small group of girls, the seven or eight women who are right for me, my wandering days are over, buddy.

• Lister: What are you, a man or a munchkin?
  Rimmer: I'm off to see the wizard...

• Holly: No, no, it has gone. The entire Solar System is missing!
  Rimmer: Well, what is actually out there?
  Holly: Nothing. Just space.
  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!

Guest StarsEdit

• Angela Bruce as Deb Lister
• Suzanne Bertish as Arlene Rimmer
• Matthew Devitt as The Dog
• Hattie Hayridge as Hilly