Was Season 7 easily the worst?

Many fans didn't like S7 partly because of the absence of Rimmer ( mostly ) and partly because with the introduction of Kochanski came the introduction of more sexist jokes. I didn't mind that series and I liked Kochanski well enough but she was no replacement for Rimmer.

Back to Earth isn't popular with fans either.

I've never seen series 8 but apparently many fans disliked the dubious 'rape' jokes, which included Lister wishing he could have taken advantage of K when she was drunk or something and the implication that Lister was happy to allow Rimmer to undergo sexual assault by hoards of women or something when Rimmer was clearly unhappy about it. Many fans regarded this behaviour as being totally un-Lister like in nature. What's interesting is that a few years earlier, the writers rejected a script involving a sex virus or 'perfume' because they felt some of the jokes were too near the knuckle in terms of implied rape, so the fact that similar jokes were passed for S8 is strange, unless it's because one of the writers left and Doug Naylor was less nervous about such jokes. The other issue with S8 is that Lister is meant to be "all alone, more or less" and with 5 main characters now - with Rimmer returning alongside Kochanski - it feels less and less like Lister is stuck in space with people who aren't entirely human.

Think its major problem was how big a cliffhanger series 6 had ended on, then we had almost 3 full years of suspense to get through (series 6 was 1994-ish....series 7 in 1997ish?).... and when you watch it back to back its ok, but at the time Tikka to Ride was just such a poor opening episode ("Stoke me a clipper" was much better, but was something of a false dawn).

Agree, the character change from Rimmer to Kochanskwi did not really work, and as a result they changed Kryten (though not as bad as series 7, the "love triangle" thing and making him cry like a baby at everything just got annoying).

They didn't purposefully choose to lose Rimmer for half of series 7. Chris Barrie chose to expand his portfolio with football sitcom A Prince Among Men. And either didn't have time, didn't want to devote the time at that stage (after filming since 1988 the not small 6 series of a not particularly easy to film show) or felt that Kochanski could fill the gap in effect or be allowed to breathe as a new dynamic more anyway if Chris had a break from a few episodes. The loss of Rob Grant from the show might also have aided confidence in Chris in trying this out for a while. It was already a changed 'ship' as a TV programme at that stage in a few ways after the neat ending of series 6 and you only get so many offers at trying out other sitcoms.

With Series 7 it just felt like the show had come back from its three year long hiatus wrong somehow.

It felt more indulgent, drawn out and over-wrought over the show's bleaker, melancholy undercurrents. Lister and Kryten seem far sadder, more pitiable characters (even before Lister ends up armless) making for a more uncomfortable watch.

And it's partly because of this that the drama and comedy seem to clash abrasively this season rather than work in harmony.

It was a gamble to change the essential dynamic by having Rimmer leave and Kochanski join, but nothing reassured us that this new direction was one worth looking forward to

The conflict between Kryten and Kochanski, and the hell he ends up putting Lister through in Duct Soup makes the characters feel far more unpleasant and vindictive, putting a far uglier face on the show.

And that's the problem. We saw Lister mellow in his relationship with Rimmer over time and regard him as one of the crew, even though he didn't exactly like him. Whereas Kryten's bizarre and appalling behaviour to sabotage Kochanski and Lister just sees him become a repeat offender.

Infact some of Kryten's behaviour this season is downright creepy, and his paranoia about Kochanski's provocative influence on Lister sounds like something from a particularly vitriolic MGTOW video. In trying to force a sense of conflict they end up making the show feel nastier, and the characters' pettier.

Kryten was my mum's favorite character up to this point, but this season put her off him (she also didn't buy the retcon in Beyond a Joke about him always having a Negadrive that was now causing his hissy fits).

I have sometimes wondered if it might have been better if there had been no seventh season, and they'd just let the show end on a high with Out of Time or Back to Reality. I certainly didn't quite care about the show in the same way again after that point (although some of Series 11 has felt like getting the good old days back again).

But on reflection, there are some things worth salvaging abut Series 7. Tikka Ta Ride is mostly a solid episode, as is Epideme. Much of the material surrounding Rimmer's goodbye is exemplary and does give me a real lump in my throat- particularly the Saturn's ring of light bees and the Rimmer song. Which certainly was more poignant at the time since it really did feel like something of the show had come to a permanent end with Rimmer gone (not knowing he'd be back as a permanent resident the next season).

In hindsight I can appreciate ways that it was trying something different and stretching the show's legs. I don't think it was a case of the makers or cast no longer trying or caring, that's for sure, and in that sense I have to admire it a bit.

Paul McGann IS the War Doctor in my fic
http://dalekwars.blogspot.co.uk/