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universe, but the microbe has destroyed the laser. Believing it to be his only hope, he prepares to create the antidote but the dispensing machine points out that the formula he has written down is now the formula for the virus, having reverted into its mirror opposite. After exchanging insults, the machine finally gets its own back on Rimmer by launching a can at his head and hitting him, knocking him to the ground and causing the now useless slip of paper containing the formula to burn up from the surrounding flames.
289:. Hollister notices that Rimmer has tried to slip in a form pardoning him from all crimes. Rimmer explains his ambition to become an officer someday, perhaps even a captain. Hollister tells him he is not officer material and dismisses him as Talia enters. It seems that the Captain and Talia know each other from the past. Rimmer, disgusted at the Captain's success with women and his own failure in that regard, leaves. In the corridor he attempts to steal some chocolate from the vending machine, only for the
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Technician, for being useless. When Talia comes in, Rimmer, thinking she is his lover, snogs her, only to be told she is his spiritual advisor. Rimmer quickly goes to the science lab to talk to the professor, the alternative Cat, who knows the formula for the antidote (Cesiumfrancolithicmyxialobidiumrixydixydoxidexidroxhide). Given the complicated name, Rimmer asks for it to be written down.
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name of the microbe in our universe as the opposite of the antidote). However, Rimmer memorises the antidote just in time for Kryten to make up some of the chemical antidote and use it to destroy the microbe, ironic as everyone else already knew its name as common knowledge or from foundational chemistry lessons.
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In this version of the episode, Rimmer successfully remembers the antidote to the microbe that is eating the ship. It takes him over two hours to memorise the name of the antidote, as he has to alternate between the mirror universe and back to read the name of the antidote (which becomes the chemical
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plays in the background. Rimmer kicks Death in the crotch and runs off down the flaming corridor, claiming that "only the good die young" as Death winces "That's never happened before ..." The episode ends with an ominous "The End" caption, but is soon refuted with its sudden erasure and replacement
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crew arrive back at Earth only for the ship to accidentally crash through the world's major landmarks. This was deemed too expensive to film, so an altogether different finale was written. Naylor would blame the expensive CGI dinosaur from "Pete" as the cause of the lack-of-budget for "Earth". One
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informs them of a cell inspection. Knowing that being caught with it will cost them probation, and with the water tank full the two have no choice but to drink the hooch. As a result, both are drunk when
Ackerman arrives for the inspection. When Baxter finds out, believing his hooch was stolen by
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a flaming inferno falling apart with the others gone. The dispensing machine tells him that the other
Dwarfers had repaired the prism and followed him into the mirror universe and Rimmer is now the ship's Captain since he's now the only crew member remaining. Rimmer tries to return to the mirror
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and directs it at a mirror to create a dimensional gateway. Rimmer crosses over with a sample of the virus, only for the device to break and trap him in the mirror universe. He realises he is not a failure in this universe but is instead
Captain, and berates the alternative Hollister, now a 2nd
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proposed ending was to feature Arnold Rimmer's dashing and heroic alter-ego Ace Rimmer returning to save the day (in reality, the 'original' Arnold Rimmer). However this ending was not filmed. This, too, was changed at the last moment and the character of Death itself was introduced.
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having been saved from destruction, Rimmer takes up residence in the captain's quarters. Lister, Cat, and
Kochanski party and celebrate at having survived, being no longer imprisoned in The Tank and once again having free run of the vessel. Kryten resumes his ironing duties.
308:'s calendar, as she had earlier complained to him that it was "The wrong time of the month". Lister realises what is going on and instructs Kryten secretly on how to behave. Kochanski returns to her cell and discovers Kryten has attempted to celebrate her
418:. The events of "Only the Good..." are never referred to throughout the episode. It is not revealed what happened to Lister, Cat, Kryten and Kochanski once they crossed over into the mirror universe, or how or indeed if Rimmer escaped the decaying
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is forced to disguise himself as a nurse after his attempts to get beaten up only result in the toughest prisoner in The Tank offering to be his bitch. As the
Dwarfers escape they find that the microbe from the
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The alternative ending concludes with Rimmer paying the money he owes to the dispensing machine he stole from earlier. However, the machine still fires a can at Rimmer's head, knocking him unconscious.
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in 1801 (in accordance with his military fantasies), replies 'Full ahead, Mr. Kryten, I see no ships!', sardonically saluting
Hollister from afar.
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An alternative ending where the
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of the machine to promise revenge. Rimmer tells the machine that the day that happens he'll be captain of the ship.
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as Holly. Both characters would reappear in a guest capacity in later episodes. This would be the last series of
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where everything is opposite; negative becomes positive and a virus becomes an antidote. Kryten builds a
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will be abandoned—however, due to a shortage of escape craft, the prisoners will be left behind to die.
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and encouraging her to try it on and give it a twirl. Kochanski makes Kryten realise he's been tricked.
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Television episodes about personifications of death
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572:. Red Dwarf.co.uk. Archived from
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828:Thanks for the Memory
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1001:Demons & Angels
1219:Fathers & Suns
1138:Series VIII (1999)
1086:Stoke Me a Clipper
696:Kristine Kochanski
608:"Only the Good..."
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159:Episode chronology
131:as Warden Ackerman
78:Original air dates
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671:Dave Lister
580:17 December
554:18 December
406:cliffhanger
377:Grim Reaper
226:Doug Naylor
152:as Big Meat
72:Doug Naylor
58:Directed by
1469:Categories
1339:Mechocracy
994:Quarantine
987:Terrorform
941:White Hole
895:Timeslides
727:Last Human
663:Characters
603:BBC Online
534:References
392:Production
100:1999-04-05
87:1999-03-07
68:Written by
1325:Siliconia
1240:Dear Dave
1233:Entangled
1160:Krytie TV
1153:Cassandra
1100:Duct Soup
1093:Ouroboros
881:Polymorph
867:Backwards
734:Backwards
654:Red Dwarf
516:Red Dwarf
500:Red Dwarf
492:Red Dwarf
484:Red Dwarf
474:Red Dwarf
420:Red Dwarf
398:Red Dwarf
369:Red Dwarf
347:Red Dwarf
343:Red Dwarf
321:moonshine
275:probation
268:Red Dwarf
242:Red Dwarf
217:Red Dwarf
137:as Baxter
53:Episode 8
35:Red Dwarf
1454:Category
1332:Timewave
1265:Twentica
1128:Nanarchy
973:Holoship
955:Meltdown
888:Bodyswap
874:Marooned
745:Episodes
504:Starbugs
434:Androids
170:Previous
50:Series 8
43:Episode
1353:Skipper
1272:Samsara
1121:Epideme
1026:Psirens
934:Justice
920:Camille
761:The End
686:The Cat
522:at the
334:the Cat
183: →
168:←
98: (
85: (
38:episode
1346:M-Corp
1293:Krysis
1226:Lemons
1212:Trojan
1033:Legion
814:Kryten
691:Kryten
512:Kryten
438:Kryten
381:Ed Bye
339:Hermes
314:tampon
310:period
302:Lister
300:tells
298:Kryten
260:Hermes
230:Ed Bye
62:Ed Bye
1410:Other
1318:Cured
842:Queeg
705:Books
681:Holly
550:. BBC
494:crew—
361:laser
358:prism
325:Holly
1167:Pete
1107:Blue
612:IMDb
582:2007
556:2007
506:and
416:Dave
254:Plot
222:BBC2
181:Next
175:Pete
105:(UK)
92:(US)
927:DNA
796:Me²
610:at
601:at
45:no.
1471::
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