tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65037586397045748412024-03-13T13:23:19.794+00:00Visual MutteringsH E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-54011388345700424112020-06-18T11:47:00.002+01:002020-06-18T11:47:36.285+01:00Visual Mutterings has moved!What are you doing? You shouldn't be here!<br />
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<br />H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-19276620869067856022020-06-12T10:54:00.000+01:002020-06-12T10:54:10.891+01:00The Goodies - Radio Goodies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujoZ-IsbAag/XqdBXj52ObI/AAAAAAAABmM/hARg-G0m9_MBwtX13p6DcbL5iiqzSXEPQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TheGoodiesS1%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujoZ-IsbAag/XqdBXj52ObI/AAAAAAAABmM/hARg-G0m9_MBwtX13p6DcbL5iiqzSXEPQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/TheGoodiesS1%2B%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Radio Goodies</b></div>
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<b>First broadcast: 20th December 1970 on BBC-1</b></div>
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This was my favourite episode I've seen so far. The Goodies decide to take advantage of the recent introduction of commercial radio licences - at least that's how it appeared to me. My knowledge of the history of commercial radio is slim but nonetheless, 1970 seemed a tad early for the Goodies to be applying for a licence - and that's because it probably is.<br />
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The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 helped turn the Independent Television Authority (ITA) into the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), so independent radio gained a regulator. It seems likely that the regulator needed to exist before licences could be handed out. Yet it's unsurprising that the Goodies would be keen already by December 1970 because in June that year the Conservatives had won a General Election with a manifesto that proposed the introduction of commercial radio.<br />
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Until then, pirate radio was the only alternative to the BBC's airwaves monopoly, with stations basing themselves on vessels positioned several miles out to sea, and thus beyond the legal reach of UK law. When the Goodies are turned down for a licence, they opt to launch their own pirate station, which also then becomes the base for their independent postal service.<br />
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Bill and Tim's enthusiasm for the radio station is best exemplified by the fact they have spent considerable time perfecting a jingle before they even hear about their licence. When they do get their station, Bill has worked hard on his presenting skills to emulate an upbeat, fast-talking disc jockey. He's clearly hoping for superstardom and I'd be curious if his style is based on any contemporaries in particular. With both these important aspects in place, we then discover that they have neglected to acquire any records so are left playing one single on repeat.<br />
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Graeme is emerging as the technical bod of the three, which suits him as I think he looks like he should be presenting something from the Open University. He masterminds the design of their sea base and after proposing their postal service, later descends into increasing power-crazed megalomania, finally morphing into a villain who is Nazi-like in appearance. I hugely enjoyed watching this change in Graeme, who had seemed like the most sensible and ordinary of the three in the previous episodes I'd seen.<br />
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The design of the radio station is extraordinary. Graeme's drawing shows a small fishing boat that sits atop the water, with a cylinder heading down beneath to the full station, complete with living arrangements and sleeping quarters. Graeme presents his design to the others, placing it in our imagination, thus it doesn't matter that we never actually see most of this.<br />
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I adore the radio station set. It seems superb and unnecessarily huge for a single episode of a sitcom that also spends plenty of time on location. It looks wonderfully futuristic, immediately making me think of sci-fi series. I like the continuity that means it has a large silver 'G' on the door, similar to the one at the Goodies headquarters.<br />
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The structure of the Goodies' postal service is never explained and I couldn't work out how they were supposed to make any money from it, so it's best not to dwell upon that. Bill and Tim are left to do the bulk of the manual work, roaming around as rogue post boxes, trying to trap people into giving them their post. The sorting operation is even stranger, with Bill and Tim attaching balloons to the letters, which are directed out to sea for Graeme to shoot down and retrieve. I particularly liked the idea of the first class delivery that is delivered singularly by a Rolls Royce, then carried to the door on a silver tray by Tim, dressed up to the nines.<br />
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I mentioned my early enjoyment of <i>The Goodies</i>' musical choices and <b>Radio Goodies </b>excelled. I was particularly keen on the postal song that served as a background to Bill and Tim's rushed activities. It really contributes well to these lengthy, silent sequences of visual comedy.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-42288534248253350792020-05-30T10:42:00.000+01:002020-05-30T10:43:02.942+01:00The Goodies - Cecily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Cecily</b></div>
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<b>First broadcast: 13th December 1970 on BBC-1</b></div>
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The Goodies are struggling to find work and one does wonder whether 'anything any time' is just too vague for the general public. McCall's newspaper advert in <i>The Equalizer</i> is similarly brief but at least he narrowed it down to helping people that had a problem with the odds against them. I think the Goodies may need some simple marketing support that conveys that they can do anything for YOU, any time that suits YOU.<br />
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However, I admire their persistence and the 'anything, any time' remit does feel like it's started to stretch - I certainly hadn't imagined them taking on babysitting duties. Of the threesome's new roles, I particularly enjoyed Tim's role as Nanny - it was the voice more than anything; it isn't just high-pitched, but he's got a crackly tone that ages it.<br />
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Part of me keeps expecting to have a fairly normal episode of a sitcom. The openings do give that impression to a degree when they set up the plot for each episode. We could easily just progress onto standard sitcom events, so I tend to experience a "What?!" moment midway through.<br />
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With so little set at their headquarters compared to the previous episodes I'd seen, I like how <i>The Goodies</i> feel part of the real world, despite the fantastical elements of it. While I disliked <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-goodies-tower-of-london.html">Tower of London</a></b>'s long, silent sequence, since then I've begun to love these sections of the episodes. I am still getting to know the limits of <i>The Goodies</i>' world so tigers in suburban gardens and plants moving of their own accord all take me by surprise. I enjoyed Graeme's battle with the garden as well as the separate mayhem in the kitchen, and I liked how it came together when the garden began trying to invade indoors. This was a nice way of linking the location and studio scenes, helping them feel one and the same.<br />
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While all this is going on, we are still waiting to meet Cecily and are unsure what to expect after her aunt and uncle have made us trepidatious. She has a decent-sized role in the episode, despite so much happening before we actually see her. I liked the double twist that we first feel sorry for this lovely little girl, only for it to be flipped back later on.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-11871452790598839912020-05-17T00:01:00.000+01:002020-05-18T19:27:42.734+01:00Blake's 7 - Rumours of Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rumours of Death<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Rumours of Death</b> feels like a rare privilege to
learn more about Avon's emotional past, and I daren't look away in case we
never get such access again. It's another strong character piece from Chris
Boucher, whose scripts have been my favourites in Series C so far.</div>
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The opening scene had me gripped from the start as we
moved up an unknown body, only for it to roll over and show us a
haggard-looking Avon. This was such an atypical start to a <i>Blake's 7</i> episode
and I liked the directing immediately.</div>
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Unsure how Avon could have ended up in that cell, I
presumed we must be watching something that had happened long ago. Right up
until he got out of there, that seemed the most logical conclusion because this
didn't seem like the Avon we know; he looked so bloody terrible and appeared a
little nervous, even afraid. I was worried for him so was relieved at how
swiftly he regained his usual self-assuredness once back on board the Liberator.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do I have the
right?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Avon's desire for revenge is totally understandable and
receives little protest from the others, with only Cally questioning it. As
Avon's about to take Shrinker off to kill him, I'm glad she does because it
made me stop and think whether I was comfortable with our heroes committing
cold-blooded murder. They have killed plenty of people but it has always been
for <i>something</i>. Avon's mission has a plethora of unnecessary risks and won't
result in anything quantifiable when it's finished - he's not planning to stick
Shrinker's head on a pike near a Federation base, so although it's
understandable, that doesn't necessarily make it justifiable.</div>
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I was concerned Avon would be too trigger-happy without
Blake around but he's actually been sensible and this is the most illogical
thing he has ever done. I <i>am </i>glad Cally called Avon out - we should ponder the
implications of such actions. But I don't agree with her on this occasion
because killing someone like Shrinker would be doing the world a favour. As
Avon pointedly says: "All executions are in cold-blood," and in the
<i>Blake's 7</i> universe, where the myriad outcomes in the Federation's favour have
filled me with despondency, I think this kind of vigilante justice is sometimes
justifiable.</div>
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The Liberator crew have always blurred the line between
heroes and anti-heroes - Avon arguably most of all - yet it's interesting that
Chris Boucher provides a get-out clause for Avon. There is still no reason to
leave Shrinker alive, but in an episode showing a more human side to Avon, it's
right that we don't watch him execute Shrinker. In fact, I think Avon's choice
to leave him with a choice of starvation or suicide is much more delightfully
cruel.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inside Avon<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Avon has always
been guarded and therefore fairly impenetrable. I was pleased at the end of
<b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-countdown.html">Countdown </a></b>when he didn't reveal anything about Anna to Blake, but so much of
the effectiveness of <b>Rumours of Death</b> is because we see a hitherto hidden side
to Avon. It's enlightening that even when we experience his memory of being in
bed with Anna, he is still someone who struggles to express his emotions. She
asks, "Why do I never know what you're thinking, Avon?" and he
replies, "I could never say it."</div>
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If he couldn't share these thoughts with her then, he
certainly isn't going to suddenly open up to the rest of the crew. I found the
insights into Avon's thoughts a fantastic way of showing us more and liked the
director's choices for these.</div>
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Shooting them from Avon's point of view provides us with
a closeness for his most intimate of memories. I liked that this removed a
common problem with shooting flashbacks: characters inevitably look just as old
as in the present. As we don't see Avon, we remain uncertain just how long ago
he knew Anna.</div>
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I like the way the cuts to the memories are edited when
Avon is with Shrinker in the caves; we hear Anna before we see her, giving the
sense that these memories are intruding on Avon's thoughts. It's also done the
other way around, with Shrinker's voice being heard while Avon's mind's eye is
still on Anna. Director Fiona Cummings also makes great
use of a fisheye lens when Avon is imagining Anna alone in a cell. The
distorted effects these techniques produce suit them as buried memories now pushing
their way to the surface, and a vague picture of something that may or may not
have happened.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The real Anna
Grant<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I did not really make the Anna Grant/Sula connection and
I've pondered if we are supposed to; I struggle to remember faces, so wonder if
I got a vast reveal later on compared to the rest of the audience. When we saw Anna
in bed in Avon's memory, I was distracted by a thought process of, "Oh,
this is a flashback, and it's a bedroom memory - she's <i>naked </i>on <i>Blake's 7</i>! - why
can't we see Avon? Ah, that's clever... Blimey." When Avon was thinking
about her in the cell, I <i>thought </i>they could be the same person but I wasn't
sure and after that, I got too caught up in the adventure to consider it.</div>
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In the cellar, with Servalan there too, there was a lot
going on for me to process and I felt slow on the uptake - certainly a few
seconds behind Avon's dawning realisation about who Anna really had been.</div>
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I knew <i>Blake's 7</i> was never going to give us a happily-ever-after
moment, but this seemed so cruel. When Avon finally meets Anna/Bartholomew in
the cellar, it felt unfair that he should be forced to experience that publicly.
Paul Darrow's performance in this episode is smashing, but the foundations laid
in <b>Countdown </b>add a lot. I love the way Avon speaks about Anna - not what he
says, but his tone and expressions. The closest we get is when he's holding her
in his arms and tells her lifeless body, "You never let go." He may
as well add, "And neither did I." I was a little bit moved.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shrinker and
Servalan<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Shrinker had not been what I was expecting. I had
envisioned a strong young man in the mould of Anna's brother or Travis.
Shrinker's sudden transformation from formidable torturer to whimpering
prisoner was also surprising. <b>Rumours of Death</b> proved satisfying for its
fulfilment of the proverb, 'All bullies are cowards' as first Shrinker and
later Servalan became husks of their former selves as soon as their power was
torn from them. I had expected more stubbornness from both characters yet I
still enjoyed seeing such cruel sadists have the tables turned on them.</div>
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I predicted the rebel's attempt to take over the
President's residence would fail, so watching them succeed was increasingly
exciting. When they walked into Servalan's office and <i>slapped </i>her I was
stunned. It was odd that we didn't see the slap; I know it was a big one but
I'm curious because the only reason I can fathom is that it's because she's a
woman and it's early evening telly. Yet we had the delicious delight of seeing
her slap Travis last series so I felt a tad cheated that we missed her turn.</div>
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It's as though that moment knocked something out of
Servalan because when we next saw her, I was astounded at how pathetic she was.
I thought she would be holding her head high, issuing vicious threats of what
would happen when her inevitable rescuers arrived. It was strange watching her
reduced down. She's a sideline to events in this story too; I'm so interested
where her story will go next as I don't think she needed to be in this episode.
Avon heads there because it's Servalan who can tell him where to find
Bartholomew, yet the story could have used any important Federation leader. Why
is she there then? Why have they chosen to depict her like that? What are we
being set up for?</div>
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She wasn't really even in a position to gloat over Avon's
pain. While I was egging him on to shoot her when he first walked in, in the
end, I didn't mind that he let her live because this wasn't the Servalan I've
wanted to see our heroes defeat.</div>
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She bounces back wonderfully once she's sure that help is
on its way - it's only when she has that safety behind her. Left alone with
Avon, the episode provides us one more moment to hold our breath through. That Avon
doesn't care, that the loss of Anna - in more ways than one - has battered him
that much, made it sad rather than just the usual anxiety.</div>
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I loved watching Servalan caress a dispirited Avon with a
gun, enjoying herself as she tells him, "I'm going to send your friends a corpse."
After a few episodes of seeing softer emotions in Servalan, it's nice to return
to exactly the kind of sadistic evil I like from her. We haven't often seen her
pointing guns herself and she only misses out on killing Avon because she casually
turns to shoot someone else.</div>
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Servalan's plan to send Avon's body back to the Liberator is a wonderful touch; if Avon's grim treatment of Shrinker invited moral questions about our heroes, this moment is there to reassure us who the real villains are.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Location,
location, location</b></div>
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For a sci-fi series set in the future with a spaceship
that can go to any planet, you could forgive any members of the audience who
were fed up of seeing planets that resemble Earth. <i>Blake's 7</i>'s counterpoint to
this is that they are generally visiting planets that have been colonised by
humans and therefore it makes sense that they should support Earth-like conditions.</div>
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This is, I think, only the third time <i>Blake's 7</i> has
visited the actual Earth and, rather than attempt to create something
futuristic on a budget best suited to blowing up models in wide shot, using a country house as a historical building is ideal. Tyrants and dictators always
want a grand residence and one with history attached to it is even better, as a
home from which to hammer their own mark on the records.</div>
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There is a sense of time passing properly as the day
progresses and it turns to dusk. One aspect I appreciated in these location
elements was that the later scenes do look like they were shot at dusk, as
opposed to day-for-night shooting, which I had noticed in last series' <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-hostage.html">Hostage</a></b>.
On reflection, it may be that the production was lucky and had an overcast day
with no sun to provide shadows in these scenes. I accept day-for-night filming
as something that had to happen, but it drags me into reality as it rarely
passes and I hate that.</div>
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I'm uncertain whether all the outdoor scenes were filmed
near the house, or if the exterior and interior are even from the same ones -
it hardly matters as it was shot well enough that I didn't notice. I enjoyed
the fight between the guards and the Liberator crew on the patio that then
turned to tension as they crept indoors. I loved the contrast between the
traditional aspects of the house and the cast. Having something from well
before 1980 helps too as I never felt suddenly pulled out of the fiction. One
of my favourite shots for this mixture was as the camera panned to follow the
crew as they withdraw their guns, with Avon covering against the wall with his
gun raised in front of an oil painting in an ornate frame.</div>
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I hesitate to use the word, yet <b>Rumours of Death</b> is a
pretty perfect <i>Blake's 7</i> episode for me. It is bookended by wonderful opening
and closing scenes and in that final one, Avon's implication that a part of him
has died is the closest he ever gets to sharing his feelings with the crew.</div>
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I could go on and on - I haven't even mentioned how
lovely the lighting in the caves is or the great writing for the two security
guards. It's a superb script that stretches Paul Darrow in particular and I
think it's at its strongest when the dialogue is between just two people: Avon with
Shrinker or Anna, and, quite differently, the CCTV security guards, where two
new characters are established swiftly and substantially, even though they
aren't pivotal to the plot. As a result, while I like that it has some action, the
greatest joy this episode provides is in simply watching its characters
together.</div>
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Both of Chris Boucher's scripts in Series C have been
marvellous character pieces, done in different styles. Not quite to the same
extent, we also had a larger focus on Cally for <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/05/blakes-7-series-c-children-of-auron.html">Children of Auron</a></b>. Avon and
Cally's episodes have shown us their pasts, while Vila's <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/04/blakes-7-series-c-city-at-edge-of-world.html">City at the Edge ofthe World</a></b> was focussed on the present. I'm hoping we are treated to something
similar for both Dayna and Tarrant. I would especially like to learn more about
Tarrant's past as it remains mysteriously dodgy.</div>
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-48510150103070637482020-05-15T05:30:00.000+01:002020-05-15T18:21:08.037+01:00The Goodies - Gender Education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Gender Education</b></div>
<br />
My next episode of <i>The Goodies</i> moves us swiftly further along to series 2, episode 11. At the Goodies' headquarters, a well-turned-out, mature woman with glasses sneaks up on Tim and Graeme. She's instantly recognisable as a faux-Mary Whitehouse and I must admit I was surprised that I saw this so quickly, yet she really did have a distinctive look. It's confirmed that she is a Mary Whitehouse figure when we learn Mrs Desiree Carthorse represents the Keep Filth Off Television Campaign - similar to Whitehouse's well-known Clean Up TV Campaign.<br />
<br />
It's an extreme caricature, with her horrified at anything not perfectly prim and proper, particularly anything to do with sex - to the point that she won't even spell it out and just mimes writing the 'x' in the air. That the Goodies all take this up as well is great.<br />
<br />
Mrs pretend-Whitehouse has sought out the Goodies because she wants them to make a 'clean' sex education film. We get to see the results of this and there are some marvellous touches. A naked man and woman are covered with white sheets, and after reference to "the birds and the bees", we cut to shots of tiny white cloths covering hovering pairs of birds and bees.<br />
<br />
I was fond of Bill as a television mogul, who heads off to make things with lots of violence because he knows it's what the people want. I loved how power-mad he had gone. The comedy is maximised by using Bill as the shortest chap with an absurdly massive cigar, like all good moguls should have.<br />
<br />
We again get plenty of time on location when Tim and Graeme take Mrs Carthorse to Bill's latest shoot. It feels like real evidence of their enthusiasm for filming out of a studio because this is exactly the sort of thing they could have more easily done in a studio! Yet it means we are perfectly placed for the manic fun that follows. Unlike <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-goodies-tower-of-london.html">Tower of London</a></b>'s lengthiest location sequence, I adored the extravaganza on Bill's set here. It has another lengthy run-around but there was more variety watching both the Goodies pelting around the set as well as some of the supporting cast.<br />
<br />
I had been impressed by <i>The Goodies</i>' music previously but enjoyed it even more on this episode and by the time I had finished <b>Gender Education</b>, I was in love with the style.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-84064666156542702662020-05-08T00:30:00.000+01:002020-05-08T00:30:06.751+01:00Blake's 7 - Children of Auron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Children of Auron</b></div>
<br />
I find it fascinating when programmes reflect contemporary events or appear prescient of future ones, either by intent or sheer coincidence, but I haven't had that with <i>Blake's 7 </i>- at least I haven't noticed it. One attractive element of the series is that its setting makes it somewhat timeless. 40 years on, film-making techniques and technology in the series may stand out, but the plots still seem valid.<br />
<br />
<b>Children of Auron</b> was the first time I felt a connection with the present. If I'd watched this six months ago, the similarities to the current COVID-19 pandemic would have meant nothing, and perhaps in five years' time they will mean something different. I was watching a world suddenly overcome by a swiftly-spreading virus, with a scramble to find a solution. It was acknowledged that there were certain people, like the Liberator crew, who could have it and spread it, without immediately showing symptoms. It was strange experiencing something that felt weirdly close to home.<br />
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<b>The fall of Auron</b><br />
I can't remember if we had any details about Cally being exiled from Auron when we first met her in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-time-squad.html">Time Squad</a></b>, but I didn't think so. There has clearly been some thought and planning before this episode as Cally's exchange with Tarrant and Dayna in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-dawn-of-gods.html">Dawn of the Gods</a></b> hinted that there was more to why she left Auron. We were cryptically left with the line, "Perhaps I'll tell you about it one day." Before then, it wasn't something I had given much thought because I was under the impression that Cally had left voluntarily.<br />
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Despite how she ended up with the Liberator, it's a tad odd to think of Cally as a rebel, but I'm enjoying seeing her personality become more fully formed - it's well overdue and I like learning about this defiant, determined side of Cally.<br />
<br />
I feel sorry for the Aurons as their policy of isolationism seemed wise considering everything else going on in the universe; it's dreadful luck that Servalan became interested in them. I was caught out by Michael Troughton as the pilot who brings the plague - this is the earliest part of his I've seen and I'm used to seeing him in larger roles, so certainly wasn't expecting him to get killed off so soon!<br />
<br />
The older male Auron can be blamed for much of what goes appallingly wrong. His stubbornness prevents Cally's help being considered as a real option and his rushed decision making immediately allows the other ship to dock. Once Servalan is in, that's it. He's - justifiably - panicked, but as a senior leader he should be experienced enough to keep a cool head in stressful situations and make calm, considered choices.<br />
<br />
It's a desolate ending - related: see footnote. We've watched numerous people hit by the virus, the senior leaders taken out to be shot, and, with the reproduction unit blown, apart Auron's future looks grim - raising those 5,000 kids surely won't be fun. The death of Cally's twin is simply the icing on top because while there are attempts to show an emotional connection between them, it's minimal. Cally has never mentioned Zelda when Auron has come up, there is no gushing delight at the prospect of seeing one another, and with Zelda herself hidden behind a mask most of the time, we see little of any expressions that would give a hint in the other direction. Their hands meeting through the glass is the only moment that tells us anything. I would have liked a little bit more shown there.<br />
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<b>Location, location, location</b><br />
Like several other stories, this is one where imagination is required as we never see the vast swathes of Aurons dropping down with the virus. We see little of Auron itself either and it's difficult to guess what sort of landscape the planet has.<br />
<br />
However, I was again impressed with the location filming for this series, despite its briefness in <b>Children of Auron</b>. The scenes as the crew make their way to the cloning unit look fantastic. Having been informed these were filmed at a dam in North Yorkshire, I've discovered it was Thruscross Reservoir Dam. The value of location filming for giving <i>Blake's 7 </i>real scale is demonstrated as, watching Avon, Tarrant, Cally and Franton all clamber across the dam, they look tiny against this mass of concrete. <br />
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Andrew Morgan's directing deserves credit here: after searching for images of the dam, I discovered that the bridge they cross is in reality further from the dam compared to how it looks on screen, where the choice of shot and angle is effective in making it appear much closer. With the awesome size of the dam in the background, watching everyone run along that bridge with an explosion right behind them was superb.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thruscross Dam's footbridge can be seen on the far right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br />Team Blake</b><br />
Blake hasn't been mentioned for a while. I had initially thought Series C would be about the search for Blake but this was the first episode in which he seemed to have been forgotten. Before the episode's events took over, Avon announced plans to head to Earth to take revenge on Shrinker, the man who murdered Anna Grant, who we heard about in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-countdown.html">Countdown</a></b>. So what's happened about finding Blake? Have they given up on searching for him? It's odd that this plotline has apparently been quietly dropped. I did little but slag off Blake when he was around but I would like to see him again.<br />
<br />
<b>Team Avon</b><br />
Avon must have been mulling on avenging Anna for some time. Perhaps he had suppressed his grief but meeting her brother last series stirred something. It's been hinted to me that there is another episode connected to Anna so I remain intrigued. Since <b>Countdown</b>, I have been wondering whether she is still alive...<br />
<br />
While events derail the trip to Earth, it isn't Avon's choice as the others take a vote, with the change of course for Auron winning the majority. I was astounded and delighted - actual democracy on the Liberator! Blake irritated me immensely for being blinded by his determination but Avon accepted this vote and did not attempt to deceptively alter the course back to Earth, as Blake may have done.<br />
<br />
Although the Liberator is Avon's ship now, it seldom feels like he's a leader in the same way Blake was - the decision-making on board is collective. Previously, I considered the Liberator to belong to all of them; after all, they had found it together. But they were always following Blake's mission - his cause, his movement, his tactics - so he quickly became their natural leader and it was only Avon who was a reluctant follower, keener that they should lead a different life. It seems right that the Liberator should firmly belong to one or more of the original crew now that we have Dayna and Tarrant, who joined through invitation.<br />
<br />
<b>A personal touch</b><br />
Another difference is emerging. Blake's mission was never particularly personal. Despite his history with Travis, the targets he aimed for were much bigger than just one man. Along with Blake's admirable 'know your enemy' strategy, attempting to get rid of Travis and Servalan would have required considerable effort and risk, which could have more impact elsewhere - their hunters would only have been replaced by another set anyway. They represented the Federation but Servalan was distant and the majority of the Federation remained anonymous. Even as we saw more of Travis, it did not seem to change Blake's relationship with him, and he only finally took a shot at him when his life was seriously threatened. Blake was facing down a whole system - not individuals.<br />
<br />
Yet there is no strategy to bring down the Federation anymore - they run away from the Federation and not towards it. The crew no longer appear to be fighting one great mass and this seems reflected so far in Series C as we are getting much more familiar with the enemies. Travis's absence has resulted in a variety of Federation officers having larger roles. With Deral and Ginka, <b>Children of Auron</b> has impressed me most because they were developed characters: there's a relationship and a history between the two of them, they have distinct personalities and are not the simple obedient guards or clones that have previously shared scenes with Servalan. I enjoyed trying to work out Ginka, suspecting he may have lied to Servalan about the clones, and knowing he would be a goner if she found out.<br />
<br />
Significantly, we are seeing different sides of Servalan, and they are much more intimate parts. I may have disliked how her relationship with Jarvik was portrayed, but it was nonetheless intriguing to see how she behaved. At first in this episode, I thought she just liked the idea of cloning herself - a host of tiny evil Servalans being brought up to rule the universe. But as we discovered she has maternal instincts, it felt like we had seen below another layer of her. Seeing her anguish when her babies were destroyed was amazing.<br />
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<br />
It's fascinating unravelling more of Servalan and I remain particularly interested to see where her relationship with Avon goes. Blake was a nuisance and a moral crusader, yet I think Servalan would happily have Avon at her side and would keep him for as long as he proved useful - just like any other Federation officer. When they have met in this series, there is a familiarity written in now that, combined with the subtleties of both actors' performances, adds considerably to those scenes. Basically: more please. <br />
<br />
Avon's planned personal vendetta should deliver this personable element elsewhere. It's left me immensely curious about what other types of stories the series might pursue. It's interesting that I came to see Blake as this incredibly passionate man, yet it is now Avon, the man mocked for being machine-like, who now shows far more care for an individual than Blake ever did. With Avon, I often find myself thinking back to <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-duel.html">Duel</a></b>: “I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care. Or indeed why it should be necessary to prove it at all.” In <b>Children of Auron</b>, he has a faraway look and speaks unusually quietly when he explains that Shrinker killed Anna, simply stating, "She was important to me." Avon's is just a different sort of passion.<br />
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<b>Footnote</b>: <b>Children of Auron</b> loses major points for ending with the crew laughing. The repeat of this bizarre, cringe-inducing way of finishing episodes started as simply being baffling but is also now like nails on a chalkboard with me desolately screaming, "WHY?". It should have a place in any <i>Blake's 7 </i>drinking game - please down your glasses of crème de menthe or adrenalin and soma.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-56882978857554476272020-04-30T23:30:00.000+01:002020-05-15T18:21:34.456+01:00The Goodies - Tower of London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first watched <i>The Goodies</i> without realising. In my early forays to YouTube, I was searching for <i>Doctor Who </i>content when I came across something featuring Patrick Troughton up against three other blokes. Split into two videos, there were no titles and when it finished I still I had no idea what it was but I enjoyed its style.<br />
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A short while later, I recognised the three chaps elsewhere. I was certain for years that I had watched several episodes of <i>The Goodies</i> over Christmas 2005. Now I can check these things, I've learned it's likely that I actually saw clips from <i><a href="https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5a849a1eb84a4d129f1a96079f9a0fd4">Return of the Goodies</a></i> and these may have been supplemented afterwards by a <i><a href="https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/30921043c4ba41d281585f4e35a58981">Comedy Connections</a></i> episode on <i>The Goodies</i> - that documentary series was helping me discover various programmes around that time.<br />
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Over the years I saw more clips but despite years of keeping an eye out, <i>The Goodies </i>hasn't really turned up as repeats and soon faded into vagueness in my memory. However, when someone sent me their spare <i>The Goodies...At Last </i>DVDs, I knew I would eventually get around to them.<br />
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<b>Tower of London/The Crown Jewels</b></div>
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As the first episode, this proved an excellent introduction to <i>The Goodies </i>as it opens with the three leads - Tim, Graeme and Bill - arriving at their new headquarters. It's a clean-looking, modern main room for 1970, although we are placed firmly in period when we see the patterned decor of the other rooms. I got a shock when the doors were opened to a CSO view of a couple of other rooms, then it gave me a nice laugh when, as they were repeatedly opened, the view changed to show more rooms, so that this otherwise tiny floor has kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and more. Even better was the CSO used with the blinds to change the view out the window. It seems such an innovative way of experimenting with technology when I'm used to CSO simply being a necessity for science-fiction in this decade.<br />
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Having got this spanking-new headquarters, it appears the gang hadn't been entirely certain what they were going to do with it, but Bill's adverts in various publications inform people they are willing to "anything anytime". Their first request comes from the Tower of London.<br />
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The Beefeaters at the Tower cannot get enough beef as it is all disappearing and they have begun to waste away. Two small Beefeaters appear at one point, disgusted to be told the only thing on offer is corned beef. Later, we are presented with two piles of clothes as they have disappeared completely. Despite everything around it, I was just tickled from the off by the idea that Beefeaters cannot survive without beef and enjoyed the reinforcement.<br />
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I also liked the visual gags at the Tower as a torture chamber has been converted into a kitchen, with a guillotine being used as a bread slicer. As the corned beef is about to be cut, I was expecting something similar to drop down from the ceiling, so it caught me out alongside the trio when a pendulum swung across instead.<br />
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<i>The Goodies</i> have to deduce a word puzzle from their computer at one point - that in itself feels a new-fangled thing as it actually has a screen, rather just providing a print out on ticker-tape. Four images displayed to our detectives. I'd kept up with them that the first two equalled 'crown', the third was a profile view of an old lady, while the fourth was a bell with a cross through a 'b', so we had 'crown something ells'. I ended up ahead of them in guessing 'crown jewels' but gasped and cringed as I realised.<br />
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Even though this is a BBC programme, <i>The Goodies</i> has 'Part One' and 'Part Two' sections. Initially forgetting this, I didn't think to question it and it only makes sense when you realise they have created their own adverts. I liked this idea as it's a way for them to get sketches in within a sitcom.<br />
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The amount of location filming in the series is wonderful and a refreshing change when many other shows from this era are still predominantly studio-bound. <i>The Goodies </i>appears almost the reverse - a location-based series that enters the studio when it has to. It provides plenty of opportunity for visual gags, such as the use of their 'trandem' bicycle. There is one extended sequence of the gang chasing Prince Charles across London and this is the only part that didn't entirely work for me as it feels lengthy without quite enough comedy to fill it.<br />
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The programme avoids having to try to record sound on location by overlaying it with music. This isn't just any old library music or a rehash of the title theme either - they are unique pieces recorded for the series by Bill Oddie with William Gibb. The more I heard, the more I liked this.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-59708458465693720502020-04-25T16:03:00.000+01:002020-05-02T16:09:41.896+01:00Blake's 7 - City at the Edge of the World<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>City at the Edge of the World</b></div>
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After being disappointed by <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/04/blakes-7-series-c-harvest-of-kairos.html">Harvest of Kairos</a></b>, I was just hoping to find <b>City at the Edge of the World </b>less dull. The title got me thinking about the other cities we have encountered with <i>Blake's 7</i> - Space City and Freedom City, but this one turned out quite different.<br />
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I deployed some expletives exceptionally quickly for Tarrant in this episode. Everyone knows Vila is a coward but threatening to dump him from the Liberator was cruel. As I am gaining a growing dislike of Tarrant, I was particularly behind Vila when he argued, "I was here first!" <br />
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I had even more sympathy when Avon expressed his attitude, which I found cold, as he says that he doesn't like Vila but he is useful. He might be more tactful but he came across almost as harsh as Tarrant. I think I'd forgotten recently what a nasty sod Avon can be as he so often displays it with sarcasm.<br />
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<b>Vila the hero</b><br />
Vila hasn't had much limelight in Series C - the only time we've seen a substantial amount of him was in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-powerplay.html">Powerplay</a></b>. This is understandable and I haven't minded because there has been a lot else going on: we've watched Avon's position within the crew change, got to know Dayna and Tarrant, and seen Cally get more to do. But I love Vila and one of the best things about this episode was watching him have such a leading part.<br />
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I think Vila can sometimes just be used like a tool by the crew and it certainly seemed to be Tarrant's attitude initially here, so I like that Vila didn't need them in this episode. He's able to solve the mystery, figure everything out, and has a way to escape Bayban, with his own experiences being enough. Seeing him work out first the mysterious door and then deducing what had gone wrong on the ship was great.<br />
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Vila proudly sees himself as a skilled and experienced thief, but I enjoyed watching him as more than that: he's an expert problem-solver with superb intuition; he's exceptionally good at thinking on his feet; he's marvellous at outmanoeuvring people bigger or more powerful than him. While he may have gained practise at all that from his many years of thievery, he is now putting his experience to a wider variety of uses. <br />
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<b>Vila the lover</b><br />
The Liberator crew don't get a lot of romantic interests - I'm sure the last proper one was when Blake snogged his cousin. I often feel sorry for Vila; he puts up with so much and I thought he deserved his slice of happiness, which is why I was so pleased for him to become the only Liberator resident to manage a shag in the last couple of years (I've never ruled out that he may have managed this earlier during his drinking binge in Space City). I thought his brief relationship with Kerril was set up well and it seems perfectly plausible that if you know you've only got minutes to live, maybe it's a fun idea to spend it as happy as possible.<br />
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I'd been concerned we were about to lose Vila once he and Kerril were teleported to the ship. Either they were going to die then or be stuck floating through space forever until they did. Once they reached the planet and the fuller story was clear, I knew they would have to return for the others. However, it still looked like Vila might not return to the Liberator. I really wasn't sure what he would do and became a little anxious.<br />
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Vila is so certain when he begins telling Kerril that he has to leave and gives confident reasons. But when she counters with the life they could have, he barely has time to hesitate before Bayban turns up and the Liberator crew have to make a hasty escape. I love that Vila is given his moment of doubt back on the Liberator and that he isn't certain he's made the right choice. <br />
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It's interesting that Vila doesn't think a relationship would be fulfilling enough for him. Despite everything he told Kerril, I think he was scared to give up doing what he's always done. Prior to this, I had expected any temptation to be free of the Federation's pursuit of him would be sufficient - I thought that was what Vila really wanted. Now, I'm trying to unravel exactly what motivates him. He's a coward but he's also brave and perhaps he's realised he has enough of that bravery to continue having adventures.<br />
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<b>Bayban the Butcher</b><br />
Focussing on Vila away from the others meant the tone didn't have to be adjusted so much and there were greater doses of his characteristic humour. But this feels balanced once we meet Bayban, whose appearance emitted a delighted, "Yay!" from me because he's played by Colin Baker. Due to <i>Doctor Who</i>'s <b>Timelash </b>DVD commentary - where he's joined by that story's guest Paul Darrow - I knew Colin Baker turned up at some point in <i>Blake's 7</i>, but not when.<br />
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I found Bayban enormous fun and would happily have watched him return to the series. He's utterly bonkers and quite mad so I adored watching him. I love him stomping around shouting angry threats and I love him early on when he's on the verge of outrage because Vila hasn't realised who he is. I love that he has nicknames like 'Bayban the Butcher'. I love that he's vain and arrogant and that he ultimately dies because he refuses to listen to anyone else's advice.<br />
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<b>Blake's One</b><br />
<b>City at the Edge of the World</b> is easily vying with <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_164053338"></span>Aftermath<span id="goog_164053339"></span></a></b> for my favourite episode of Series C so far. Interestingly for me, both are episodes that mainly focus on just one of our regular characters - accepting that we only meet Dayna in <b>Aftermath</b>. I think one reason this has succeeded is that in both circumstances they have been unable to contact the other crew. Without this, any sense of peril would disappear because they could direct someone to teleport nearby at any moment.<br />
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More than in previous series, in Series C I've noticed manoeuvring to prevent the bracelets being used either to teleport or to communicate. We've had episodes where the crew have been out of range of the Liberator and one another, plus other people they encounter have started to recognise the bracelets for what they are and remove them. I thought the plot technique used in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-dawn-of-gods.html">Dawn of the Gods</a></b> was an innovative approach to this challenge. It feels increasingly necessary to raise the stakes and I'm curious if <i>Blake's 7</i> will find new ways to do it.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-88875179497892334892020-04-11T12:35:00.000+01:002020-05-02T15:09:55.266+01:00Blake's 7 - The Harvest of Kairos<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>The Harvest of Kairos</b></div>
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<b>The Harvest of Kairos </b>has ideas with good potential, but it doesn't work well for me overall. Despite some high stakes, I found the episode dull in parts. Intersecting the space pursuit with the introduction to Jarvik slowed the pace and it did seem to go on for a long time, but without the usual tense, exciting action I usually enjoy from these "battle stations" moments. I think these parts of the episode should have been edited down, partly because I'd have liked more time for another element.<br />
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<b>The rock</b><br />
It was amusing to see Avon so distracted by his new discovery and winding up Orac, forcing him to admit there was something greater than himself. Yet when Avon had dragged Cally away from the bridge, putting them all in danger, it was concerning. It began to seem like the rock had some sort of hold on Avon with Tarrant criticising: "That thing has warped your reasoning. It has even warped your notorious instinct for looking after number one." After this, it disappears for the rest of the episode before Avon whips it out at the end, having suddenly figured out how it works. This wasn't enough for me and I think the plot would have benefitted from spending more time constructing the unusual mystery around the rock.<br />
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I do think the rock's excellent defence mechanism - of showing itself as just like its attacker but a tiny bit better - is a clever idea. I wish far more had been made of this. It would have been interesting to understand what it projected to each of the crew. Does it reflect the power they actually have or that which they think they have?<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRU_LLw4aSw/XpGpTXgS2QI/AAAAAAAABjs/EIPdzuPd6qkPsEJxIAg4rAcbwhxBx9FtwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCv1oygpQdI3EH0Ybx2ufCxdl7PxSiDfMYoW4TshF_eMCWlULg0t0EhTu9-wAlxgGaqB2gyy65Jm-kU5V9uPVFE97bTzYmyMDwq7BQnfLwz-xU4b2BlOr3EE24t5VdtaVoYEYryWGtVW93VEokeTRdD9qk3ZH9XjQxeq7D1NrQtxjQ0acMoKCUsl9AmYwdljuJGmRleLxkifAPIIOQcd7S1NyZIhLSSFEr4W4rX3mragJnfp1aO_RGVSeFOcbj5WXVwheK9JrmiAAPpaxETwMhOon0rtuWlAhqpqsEPATM_Zf0XhXn3i2QsK_kHtsIEekoZ-JckRAuCqCobP0o9OeNgyHpBzWp-6RCDgmH1OhWj-cIBDcaMcnPSUcWSTpvNpgiWp2Pp35JRq31WgTMKLqM3TcPnspD_Pzq089xRdTsjcpGg0zhU9n6AwqDts1ZP85s6ufqYBA_ODAOguabynAsLIbjLHmOtx3mN3AQ52ZeEgpp8dhgzhpHrgsgtCW9mHe2Gx5ps2SsB7ixmR-RmAI49zgNhJhdJPtIC97LSkWLArx9DGSbOVmvYXhqDhA36OuRg7-2UDtDQ1RmwWeXDRp0ohCwKTTGhd969MMPXxvQF/s1600/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BAvon%2BCally%2BRock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRU_LLw4aSw/XpGpTXgS2QI/AAAAAAAABjs/EIPdzuPd6qkPsEJxIAg4rAcbwhxBx9FtwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCv1oygpQdI3EH0Ybx2ufCxdl7PxSiDfMYoW4TshF_eMCWlULg0t0EhTu9-wAlxgGaqB2gyy65Jm-kU5V9uPVFE97bTzYmyMDwq7BQnfLwz-xU4b2BlOr3EE24t5VdtaVoYEYryWGtVW93VEokeTRdD9qk3ZH9XjQxeq7D1NrQtxjQ0acMoKCUsl9AmYwdljuJGmRleLxkifAPIIOQcd7S1NyZIhLSSFEr4W4rX3mragJnfp1aO_RGVSeFOcbj5WXVwheK9JrmiAAPpaxETwMhOon0rtuWlAhqpqsEPATM_Zf0XhXn3i2QsK_kHtsIEekoZ-JckRAuCqCobP0o9OeNgyHpBzWp-6RCDgmH1OhWj-cIBDcaMcnPSUcWSTpvNpgiWp2Pp35JRq31WgTMKLqM3TcPnspD_Pzq089xRdTsjcpGg0zhU9n6AwqDts1ZP85s6ufqYBA_ODAOguabynAsLIbjLHmOtx3mN3AQ52ZeEgpp8dhgzhpHrgsgtCW9mHe2Gx5ps2SsB7ixmR-RmAI49zgNhJhdJPtIC97LSkWLArx9DGSbOVmvYXhqDhA36OuRg7-2UDtDQ1RmwWeXDRp0ohCwKTTGhd969MMPXxvQF/s400/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BAvon%2BCally%2BRock.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Cally is fearful when Avon tries to get her to help him analyse it, yet we are never explicitly shown what its effect on Avon is. It's hard to tell if he is simply fascinated by it because he loves a mystery or because he is able to sense something similar to himself - the latter could have presented a good opportunity to check Avon's ego.<br />
<br />
<b>Battle of the sexes</b><br />
Introducing a romantic interest for Servalan is such an intriguing idea on the surface. I've previously written about how much I enjoy the way Servalan's sexiness and femininity are used to her advantage. She always seems in control, so up until now, I've wondered if she values her pursuit of power so much that she doesn't risk relationships in case it should cloud her judgement or allow her to be manipulated. Perhaps, but it's also likely that she just hasn't fancied any of the meagre Federation specimens before her.<br />
<br />
It's obvious that Servalan and Jarvik ravish each other and I like the subtlety of the episode's pre-watershed post-coital scene. Their clothes are slightly dishevelled and Servalan sipping her blue beverage is tantamount to a subsequent cigarette. I've always been mildly surprised that no one smokes in the <i>Blake's 7</i> universe; based on other contemporary dramas, predicting this habit's extinction is a highly un-1970s thing to do.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-zPjY37rX0/XpGpTdCMQeI/AAAAAAAABjw/IXTqtKph9hUehBfCLW-CUrQESnsBYHHsgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoD9Hi4LiDpBE1mOlIOMEWUw8KxnPshFCU_3b1Cwfwv6NBW85Bd3P6sXdjef-mE5DJKb_cQVzeX2rEVXp71YmZocl29gF61l3X5V0puOGOWg3LKDLptXzY3D0uUs4JiTikD4S_VmZdiz7meolle3mYv2rLHJycAnKoWblWEW4iS3-mfIV44jGvS3pBtGmdTHgiWWaWCmo3s-6n-a6jkft2Ewojbg4hanlbRuwYZRNu9mFFBjWIEyAJjhfmzspxKaMmcdLo9F-8CBqBX15D9t1gB1cQGGWKGnH_E2xysyEBFAaAsSdD52Ps01s0N-Q27y_VrtumfI_DcF49xvNqZGjeKaPgWNsrt1JZlnTqJqnOn6GQj3Mqo856D0HzBse_rbJytAJqFhCTnnAT0VbVdrK_awlpdTxbMSiYS5VRc0xM5PIv83dXsHKvr2JN0n7RoBYrqn7-yuqO_89Ihnv7lHFRTzeGDtWFTof958eShJunwAECh2_2nIvn6BLXHzZ01_NWV_ckoWpDJD0XBoSNfZVZGQxDXmWdCkW3Rdujc58c0FsKfjt9Am23gfe6KVZnPxd0TGWy8h6E0bo-w9uQ8TRHVQ00vNZiGjMLDkMM_XxvQF/s1600/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BServalan%2BJarvik.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-zPjY37rX0/XpGpTdCMQeI/AAAAAAAABjw/IXTqtKph9hUehBfCLW-CUrQESnsBYHHsgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoD9Hi4LiDpBE1mOlIOMEWUw8KxnPshFCU_3b1Cwfwv6NBW85Bd3P6sXdjef-mE5DJKb_cQVzeX2rEVXp71YmZocl29gF61l3X5V0puOGOWg3LKDLptXzY3D0uUs4JiTikD4S_VmZdiz7meolle3mYv2rLHJycAnKoWblWEW4iS3-mfIV44jGvS3pBtGmdTHgiWWaWCmo3s-6n-a6jkft2Ewojbg4hanlbRuwYZRNu9mFFBjWIEyAJjhfmzspxKaMmcdLo9F-8CBqBX15D9t1gB1cQGGWKGnH_E2xysyEBFAaAsSdD52Ps01s0N-Q27y_VrtumfI_DcF49xvNqZGjeKaPgWNsrt1JZlnTqJqnOn6GQj3Mqo856D0HzBse_rbJytAJqFhCTnnAT0VbVdrK_awlpdTxbMSiYS5VRc0xM5PIv83dXsHKvr2JN0n7RoBYrqn7-yuqO_89Ihnv7lHFRTzeGDtWFTof958eShJunwAECh2_2nIvn6BLXHzZ01_NWV_ckoWpDJD0XBoSNfZVZGQxDXmWdCkW3Rdujc58c0FsKfjt9Am23gfe6KVZnPxd0TGWy8h6E0bo-w9uQ8TRHVQ00vNZiGjMLDkMM_XxvQF/s400/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BServalan%2BJarvik.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
However, despite this plot's potential, Servalan being attracted to a man like Jarvik is frustrating. She dismisses him as a "primitive", a description fully justified by his attitude towards her as a woman. He's later similarly dismissive of Dayna, but while Dayna has a chance to immediately prove him wrong in hand-to-hand combat, Jarvik's battle tactics are shown to work where Servalan's failed.<br />
<br />
Servalan has been depicted as an incredibly strong woman, and one inference to take from her relationship with Jarvik is that she has really been longing for a powerful man. It implies old-fashioned notions that independent, determined women need a man to dominate and control them, lest their wayward ways give them incorrect ideas about their place in society. I disliked seeing Servalan's character undermined in this way and was wishing death on Jarvik from his first scene - you can't go around calling the President "woman".<br />
<br />
<b>Kicking arse</b><br />
It isn't a great episode for Dayna either; after everything she must have coped with growing up, I did not expect to see her screaming at a slowly-moving spider, even if it a giant one. It was also disappointing that while we watched Tarrant and Jarvik's fight at length, we are denied as much glory as seeing Dayna kick Jarvik's arse - we always get to see the blokes' moments of heroism, so why can't we give an equal spotlight to Dayna on this occasion?<br />
<br />
<b>Deadly design</b><br />
I can mumble about being forgiving of BBC budgets or just admit the spiders look crap. As I attempt to imagine how they might have been described in the script, it seems unlikely that anything decent was ever going to emerge. However, I think it would have been worth attempting some script surgery to ensure the spider was only seen at night and perhaps within the forest, as surely this could have hidden more than shooting it in the open during broad daylight? We don't linger on the spiders' victims - neither visually or textually - and when we finally see one of the perpetrators, any previous fear from the mystique of Kairos is completely eroded.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yya-JgsnRV0/XpGpUVqUW8I/AAAAAAAABj8/e97UBFEQzBogz4GAnMBBMUchNSn60OqvQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCeNsfgvZFKKXofG0XB0JhNdqcIASoxMuY_jIp0IU93oFV-tlWbOQJHIVN9h3WV2PdsjzEcTE_GVcWLzgCateOX2k09yrweR6AfnnyUR17I8OKoqKnSbonDClGiDdOGBtFxpFbYhq-OiCAD5v9rXbGh2-L0Dn8PR_2uFu1vqdXgqe7TyFyYKPAbJSvdtLAhcesxy2Mmc3b5zrwpcgpzbGlVKH61fL91AqoOqMmJCVSpBhoiGjTjxnhAYxQj0zyy3gyeL1KsYPuGX4TJG5JDygUXX6Pq4c3vN65BNOPPcLjFK1j_xV2jhrkwgEGjeaWfovKwpvRSuYrsHQF22OHKvWl6glUXOln-i7k_MSfYxUYeK0ZCBmQat-QBynhT_GL_Q7Z_p5pC5yVrJ0mGAKkiToRsr2Fl8gIGMRGFHKohO_Ti0SB_BBhwukwHmVW8weLqnBqeVeWTqqC038LYn2lFjHEtXiQnY6if_4jp4mmcQEzIHhe8yrBSM-AqxZa2tZCI9-rZNHZnaEC_nyu9VI_-jHTD_D_322Cof6IaOzXMbu90h3JDfnuhue5t2-8nDW1xpRyihG28USg8ieiILJ31d6_aDxxUCFOkd3wQMNrXxvQF/s1600/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BSpider.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yya-JgsnRV0/XpGpUVqUW8I/AAAAAAAABj8/e97UBFEQzBogz4GAnMBBMUchNSn60OqvQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCeNsfgvZFKKXofG0XB0JhNdqcIASoxMuY_jIp0IU93oFV-tlWbOQJHIVN9h3WV2PdsjzEcTE_GVcWLzgCateOX2k09yrweR6AfnnyUR17I8OKoqKnSbonDClGiDdOGBtFxpFbYhq-OiCAD5v9rXbGh2-L0Dn8PR_2uFu1vqdXgqe7TyFyYKPAbJSvdtLAhcesxy2Mmc3b5zrwpcgpzbGlVKH61fL91AqoOqMmJCVSpBhoiGjTjxnhAYxQj0zyy3gyeL1KsYPuGX4TJG5JDygUXX6Pq4c3vN65BNOPPcLjFK1j_xV2jhrkwgEGjeaWfovKwpvRSuYrsHQF22OHKvWl6glUXOln-i7k_MSfYxUYeK0ZCBmQat-QBynhT_GL_Q7Z_p5pC5yVrJ0mGAKkiToRsr2Fl8gIGMRGFHKohO_Ti0SB_BBhwukwHmVW8weLqnBqeVeWTqqC038LYn2lFjHEtXiQnY6if_4jp4mmcQEzIHhe8yrBSM-AqxZa2tZCI9-rZNHZnaEC_nyu9VI_-jHTD_D_322Cof6IaOzXMbu90h3JDfnuhue5t2-8nDW1xpRyihG28USg8ieiILJ31d6_aDxxUCFOkd3wQMNrXxvQF/s400/Blakes7HarvestOfKairos%2BSpider.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Do we really need the Liberator?</b><br />
Since <i>Blake's 7</i> convinced me it might do anything, I am easily convinced the crew might lose the Liberator at any time. I've half given it up as gone in every episode so far this series: <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-aftermath.html">Aftermath </a></b>- certain it had been destroyed; <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-powerplay.html">Powerplay </a></b>- thought Avon might never wrestle it back from the Death Squad; <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-volcano.html">Volcano </a></b>- was sure Servalan's goons would take it once Avon had been knocked out; <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-dawn-of-gods.html">Dawn of the Gods</a></b> - worried they wouldn't get back before it was broken up; and here, I again thought this was it - surely Servalan was just going to get the hell out of there and we would have no way of getting anyone back to the Liberator.<br />
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I was delighted that the crew were able to get back to the Liberator because I have grown rather fond of it. The exterior design is fascinating and I find myself trying to imagine the interior floorplan within it - whereabouts exactly is the decompression chamber we saw in <b>Dawn of the Gods</b>? What about the medical bay? The yoga lounge? Is there a kitchen? Perhaps a bar? What are the storage areas like? Where do we find those riches Avon told Jenna about in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-cygnus-alpha.html">Cygnus Alpha</a></b>? Where do all their clothes keep coming from - are they all off-the-peg or are they whipping some of them up themselves?<br />
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<b>Power play</b><br />
One of my favourite moments in the episode was the relatively short scene with Servalan and Avon, with him setting his conditions for handing over the Liberator. While Servalan has featured in every episode so far, except<b> Dawn of the Gods</b>, this is the first time she and Avon have shared a scene since <b>Aftermath</b>. <br />
<br />
With Tarrant refusing to key in Servalan's voice for Zen, she threatens to start killing them until Avon steps in: "How wise, Avon - you might have been next. Though with your qualities I'd probably have saved you." I'd adored their scenes together in <b>Aftermath</b>, especially in the underground base, and it felt like we were picking that back up.<br />
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As well as the rest of it being a nice scene between Servalan and Avon, this moment is another in the series that reflects the differences between Tarrant and Avon. The episode has a strange dynamic as Tarrant leads things on the Liberator, partly because Avon is distracted by his rock. I continue to be slightly thrown by Tarrant getting such responsibility when I still consider him an untrustworthy newbie and was glad that on this occasion the script does address it, with Avon telling Tarrant, "I understand that [...] you are the most astute space warfare commander," although after Tarrant has left, he does cynically add, "...or so you tell us often enough."<br />
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In the scene with Servalan, Tarrant has decided they should all die instead of handing over the Liberator, which is understandable as Servalan would likely kill them anyway. But Avon's mind has clearly been whirring in the background as he has devised a way of getting them off alive. Avon's ability to think calmly under heightened circumstances stands them well.<br />
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Jarvik classed a cloud over much of episode and I was sadistically pleased when he was killed, but it wasn't just him that left me unsatisfied. Having constructed a slightly unnerving mystery around what happens after the harvest on Kairos, the events there become a sideshow. There is no sense that the crew is in real danger from the spiders, so no urgency for them to get away - it's about getting back to the Liberator, rather than combining this with a need to escape. There are redeeming parts, but overall <b>The Harvest of Kairos</b> didn't have enough for me.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-81487552032128632422020-03-30T16:37:00.000+01:002020-05-02T15:10:21.171+01:00Blake's 7 - Dawn of the Gods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Dawn of the Gods</b></div>
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It's so fantastic to watch <i>Blake's 7</i> with no preconceptions about fan consensus on episodes. <b>Dawn of the Gods</b> seems like a potentially divisive one because it is vastly different from the usual action adventures. While there is plenty early on, it's much slower and stranger once they enter the other universe.<br />
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In some ways, <b>Dawn of the Gods </b>is the most science-fiction-y episode I've experienced so far. Everything was fairly normal, even if I was noticing the scientific space babble more than usual, with some fictional, some not: having Orac explain how black holes work, only for Avon to respond, "Yes, we know all that," was some blatant swiftly-explained physics. Then they travelled through the black hole, I didn't have a clue what was going on anymore, and it went utterly bizarre.<br />
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I found Series B exciting, especially early on, because having different writers produced such a variety of story types. I wasn't expecting much variation again for Series C, thinking the production might just go with what worked well previously, but I am pleased with this result from James Follett. It feels some considerable time since<i> Blake's 7</i> has had a story that doesn't impact on the series arc; the second half of Series B was almost completely geared towards the search for Star One. Opening up the idea of accessible alternate universes provides a wealth of options for <i>Blake's 7</i>, including more plots that don't need to relate to Servalan or the Federation.<br />
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The episode started to seem like it might be entirely set on the Liberator - and I get excited during those episodes because I enjoyed <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-breakdown.html">Breakdown </a></b>in Series A so much. Yet every time it's looked like happening again the crew do eventually leave and I am a tad disappointed. Admittedly, there must be a limited number of plots that could be thrilling and/or interesting, but I am curious to see them try again.<br />
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One small aspect worthy of praise in the earlier part of the episode is the moment when Vila begins protesting that he is absolutely not going to don a spacesuit and explore outside the ship. For regular viewers it's a predictable response, as is the result, so I liked the fade - of both sound and image - to Vila's preparations in the decompression chamber, narrated by his resigned monotone, with us having skipped the insistent/persuasive discussions in between.<br />
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<b>Just a machine</b><br />
Orac stunned me by intentionally dragging the crew into such danger and some choice words were spluttered. Orac may be the only computer to ever give you cheek back yet this has been amusing and never really to the crew's detriment.<br />
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He's like a petulant child at the start of the episode while they are playing a board game and in retrospect, it is apparent that he hoped to keep the crew distracted from his influence on the navigation. It's a good contrast now to have Zen loyal to the crew, while Orac is entirely indifferent with no programming to prevent him harming them and both characteristics make perfect sense; Zen is part of the ship so keeping the Liberator and its occupants in one piece is essential, yet Orac was designed to be autonomous.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUgLvsloE4/XoIQTs1OkBI/AAAAAAAABjA/pA1VsBDiansrHwh0D_5FJO2pje1TUs0sgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBKEtQwF9BVzNGWTMDOEi8Bctkgbng54kfapMDzxgxz_6KKzC3oOTa5r6Z2Gd4Wa0ax3jMd41fFf_3gbJVYFiaq6CeH23W7WZdm972_HlNEtRkVmN3JsHQ5dLxkDTY5jQUXav2PHcjP4Jwn1i-nb-bpsk82zxO1h3RSN_IS6n2LcCTnmt2db-UCqvrUt0oN6KFyPjS6nkJ7y3SZ76F0NG-yPlp64nzza26DUXjFmW7SPLPYTpikJh-EyBT5Aq6D32AaHqrqWCOlOfq22e2UwJ2u1VRDn7c9ZlWzaMYkLV39-evQ1ojS9YNI9pzmIrzv3lUPW8wOnGiNmq2w8gzThqPZ4dhWxdiwwtj83p7cMpWNCFtshHo2xyiZ0lMK63lqrPNltwHFiL0OhRM6h-xtFDMGULLYiNqnlBNsJm9FyNSjiSAeJ6Optun5LIcxhNFxERo8dnVJ4mZCLH87Yzlv-jPH_OsHFO3guL3ZZASsSzF8Vm6JVwV5-Y6HKkoOtrsQG-dc6pmyxr7MacCaIE8ULu6QnjWzMwo1_MCySUbujspbs-vxqbVga-cpAgpCtxcXt3EqTi3yMH1mQlO51D3TlFDemS_0yqQGiFDqMNaliPQF/s1600/Blakes7DawnOfTheGods%2BAll%2BOrac.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUgLvsloE4/XoIQTs1OkBI/AAAAAAAABjA/pA1VsBDiansrHwh0D_5FJO2pje1TUs0sgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBKEtQwF9BVzNGWTMDOEi8Bctkgbng54kfapMDzxgxz_6KKzC3oOTa5r6Z2Gd4Wa0ax3jMd41fFf_3gbJVYFiaq6CeH23W7WZdm972_HlNEtRkVmN3JsHQ5dLxkDTY5jQUXav2PHcjP4Jwn1i-nb-bpsk82zxO1h3RSN_IS6n2LcCTnmt2db-UCqvrUt0oN6KFyPjS6nkJ7y3SZ76F0NG-yPlp64nzza26DUXjFmW7SPLPYTpikJh-EyBT5Aq6D32AaHqrqWCOlOfq22e2UwJ2u1VRDn7c9ZlWzaMYkLV39-evQ1ojS9YNI9pzmIrzv3lUPW8wOnGiNmq2w8gzThqPZ4dhWxdiwwtj83p7cMpWNCFtshHo2xyiZ0lMK63lqrPNltwHFiL0OhRM6h-xtFDMGULLYiNqnlBNsJm9FyNSjiSAeJ6Optun5LIcxhNFxERo8dnVJ4mZCLH87Yzlv-jPH_OsHFO3guL3ZZASsSzF8Vm6JVwV5-Y6HKkoOtrsQG-dc6pmyxr7MacCaIE8ULu6QnjWzMwo1_MCySUbujspbs-vxqbVga-cpAgpCtxcXt3EqTi3yMH1mQlO51D3TlFDemS_0yqQGiFDqMNaliPQF/s400/Blakes7DawnOfTheGods%2BAll%2BOrac.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Orac's actions are understandable but it remains hard not to anthropomorphise him (always a 'him' not an 'it') when he's been given an increasing amount of personality. I was bloody annoyed with him, and yet he's too useful and too valuable to ever get rid of.<br />
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<b>Tarrant - not a new Avon</b><br />
I finally felt like I got to know Tarrant a tad more too and concluded that he's a bit of a dick. Although I've seen Tarrant as a replacement for Avon's old role, it's becoming clear that they are markedly different.<br />
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One difference is that Tarrant is more aggressive. We saw it during his 'negotiations' with the Obsidians in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-volcano.html">Volcano</a></b>, with Dayna having to remind him, "These people are our friends." In<b> Dawn of the Gods</b>, Tarrant's attitude has unfortunate consequences when it earns him an experience of the neuronic-whip. In contrast, Avon silently listens and observes, with a desire to hold all the information before making a decision. He has a patience that Tarrant lacks.<br />
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As the ship looks set to be ripped apart going through the black hole, Avon dives for a conveniently-close spacesuit. Tarrant then tries to stop him, insisting that if they're going to die, they can all go together. It was this that helped me decide that Tarrant is a bit of a dick. Just... why? This may be a team that looks after one another but self-sacrifice has never been on the agenda - well, unless Blake was forcing a reluctant effort. If Tarrant had had the chance to get to that suit first, I'm sure he would have.<br />
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I'm still baffled why Tarrant sought out the Liberator. If he wanted to join up with a resistance movement, he was going to have to work with other people. He clearly isn't comfortable with Avon in charge, so how would it have been different with Blake?<br />
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I originally thought Avon was a sod, but even at their antagonistic heights, I don't think he ever told Blake to his face that he might kill him. I enjoyed Avon's swift brush off, "It has been tried," and the accompanying grin shows that his and Tarrant's clashes are not so large as that early chasm between him and Blake. Avon seemed to look for any opportunity to argue with Blake and always planned to get rid of him. With Tarrant, Avon is the experienced man being challenged by the new one and feels no immediate need to rise to it because he's confident in his own abilities.<br />
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<b>The one and only Avon</b><br />
I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing to have people around to question Avon because he has been shown to be over-arrogant before. As Tarrant asks Zen to scan for traction beams, Avon states, "There is no known power in the universe that can operate a traction beam over that distance," to which Tarrant replies, "Just because you don't know how to build a high energy traction beam doesn't mean no one else knows how to build one." I like these occasional reminders that even Avon's logic can be fallible because sometimes he <i>is</i> like a computer - all the information we have says it cannot be possible, therefore it cannot be possible. While in this instance the change of course is down to Orac, Avon's wording actually misses out the one thing he could have been thinking about: what if the power came from another universe? From now on, he should certainly be considering it.<br />
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<b>Cally and the Thaarn</b><br />
Both Tarrant and Dayna round on Cally when they believe Auron's people may be causing the issues with the Liberator. While I instantly felt defensive for Cally, it's a reminder that the two new crew members don't know the others so well yet and mistrust can go both ways. <br />
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I was intrigued by the idea that Auron's fairy tale of its people's beginnings had its place in facts that had been passed down and muddled over the centuries. It was nice to learn more about the Aurons, who have been defined only by their telepathic powers up until now. I was also pleased that there has clearly been a concerted effort to develop Cally's character this series and she has plenty to do in this episode, including holding scenes alone when she is speaking to the Thaarn.<br />
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My main gripe is that I don't think we should have seen the Thaarn. When Cally is lying down, with music and lights twinkling, I was reminded of hypnosis scenes in <i>On Her Majesty's Secret Service</i>. Like Blofeld, the Thaarn is a disembodied voice speaking to the young woman, but while Telly Savalas delivers some menace once we pass the mystique, the Thaarn is distinctly underwhelming. He's a small fellow with a big brain - so what? Is the sight of him supposed to be horrifying, disgusting? I felt neither and was unsure why Cally later lied about seeing him.<br />
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<b>Delightful and dreadful design</b><br />
It's been a while since I've commented on the costumes in <i>Blake's 7</i>. I am disappointed that Avon still has his red lobster outfit as I've always thought it looks dreadful. Vila and Tarrant are wearing fairly similar shirt styles but Tarrant's has been combined with green velvet trousers and a belt with a large buckle, something so absurdly bold and vaguely period that it reminded me of a pantomime. This old-fashioned style continued with the Caliph in his top hat and breeches. Cally and Dayna are both in dresses, an immediate signal that they shouldn't be doing much running around or fighting because my first thought is: that's not very practical.<br />
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The sets were fairly simple, with little time to admire them. My favourite was the simplest of all: the huge empty space where the Liberator lands. This great expanse of darkness was wonderful for conveying the complete unknown and placing Vila in it first helped instil some fear.<br />
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I enjoyed <b>Dawn of the Gods</b> for providing something unlike any episode before. We had action, intrigue, then - what?! James Follett seems an interesting writer for the series and I liked numerous small elements, like the way the crew used the anthropomorphising of Orac to hide him from the Caliph, and "only the technology of the Lord Thaarn prevails on Krandor" was an original way of losing the advantages of the teleport bracelets. I'll be curious to see if other universes are ever explored again and what other types of stories Series C will offer next.<br />
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<br />H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-87686152507505734282020-03-17T22:13:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:08:35.867+01:00Blake's 7 - Volcano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Volcano</b></div>
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We return to a regular type of <i>Blake’s 7</i> adventure with a planet of the week that even Cally gets to visit now.<br />
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The opening act of <b>Volcano </b>had me solely by the intrigue of having no idea what was going on plot-wise, which I thought was better than the crew finding a planet and Blake telling us that he’s had a plan for three days but he’s only revealing it now. Once the Liberator came under attack, I was hooked for the rest of the episode. The combination of the interesting location filming and the exciting events on the ship worked perfectly for me. I remained gripped as I was seriously worried that the episode would end without Cally or Orac returning to the Liberator.<br />
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<b>What the plot</b><br />
I did feel like we had skipped an episode. Where did they hear the crew hear the rumour of Blake being on the planet? It appears that Servalan purposefully spread a false rumour, but it does feel like we've missed an adventure with them finding out this information.<br />
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I am also lacking an explanation for why they are going after Blake. What is the plan? Find Blake and hope he has a plan? Blake is a prick. He does not have enough redeeming features to overcome the rest: he kept important information from the crew; he placed them in unnecessary danger; he had an absurd number of chances to kill Travis and it wasn't until he was almost literally dying on his arse that he tried it; worst of all, he was obsessed and selfish, with his desperation to find Star One partly still coming down to having to know if he was right. Letting Travis live was perhaps Blake's way of proving to himself that he was a good person, but his all-consuming drive seemed to overcome his other decisions. Blake was not a good leader on the Liberator, yet he may still make a decent resistance leader, so I'm not entirely against finding him - just so long as it's clear that this is Avon's ship now.<br />
<br />
Despite Tarrant and Dayna being the newbies on board, it's these two who head off alone to the planet. The others have known Tarrant five minutes, so this is irresponsible as far as I'm concerned - what's happened that Avon suddenly trusts him enough? A separate issue, and a minor plot hole, is that Avon has sent two people to find Blake who have never met him before: if I was one of the most wanted people in the galaxy, I wouldn't trust two strangers, even if they did have Liberator teleport bracelets.<br />
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<b>INVASION</b><br />
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While I continue to find any invasion of the Liberator shocking, it has happened several times now: <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-bounty.html">Bounty</a></b>’s bounty hunters, Zen’s creators, Travis, last episode’s Federation Death Squad, and now more Federation troops. Though it's come close, no one has ever been seriously hurt in any of the previous encounters, with the crew’s knowledge of the Liberator’s design and features often being used to their advantage. The Liberator's familiarity has ensured it remained safe in a way, compared to a neutral ground, so shooting Avon stripped that away. It seemed highly unlikely that even <i>Blake’s 7</i> would kill off its new lead three episodes into the series, but nonetheless, seeing Avon drop down unconscious, looking in such pain, instead of just clutching his arm and carrying on fighting back was concerning.<br />
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Avon does a cracking job alone on the flight deck, leading the battle, but he still needed back up. I was tearing my hair out, desperate for Cally or Vila to contact him, or for Avon to stop, turn around and realise something was wrong. I did like his little trick with Zen that gave him the chance to grab his gun. Avon now seems to have been hurt more than Blake. We may know he was far from perfect, but still, Blake’s almost mythical status is a contrast to Avon, who is starting to be presented as much more ordinary.<br />
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I’m finding this slight change in Avon’s character interesting. It feels significant because, when the circumstances have been right, Avon has thrown himself into a fight. Yet the series appears to be trying to show that Avon definitely isn’t a superman: he’s penetrable and vulnerable just like everyone else. He’s been exceptionally guarded both emotionally and physically up until recently but it’s falling away, crumbling a little. It's such a strong aspect of his identity that I am increasingly curious where the character will go this series.<br />
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<b>Location, location, location</b><br />
I'd whoop with joy if <i>Blake's 7</i> suddenly got to film abroad and we had far more extreme ranges for locations, but my expectations are only slightly above rock bottom. I'll take it all back if they show up in the Grand Canyon next week. While it's nice to be wowed, I take enormous joy in the creativity of ambitious productions on more limited budgets.<br />
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<b>Volcano </b>has another great location that’s used effectively, and with the combination of wind, smoke and coloured lights the live effects are grand. I KNOW it's all being mashed in with stock footage, but it works as well as it can - bonus points for using the same eruption footage as seen in 007's <i>You Only Live Twice</i> (1967) and <i>Doctor Who</i>'s <b>Inferno </b>(1970), as this clearly hasn't been bettered in at least 13 years. Minor points deducted for the unrealistic shot of the bloke falling into the volcano.<br />
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Like Vila's forest clearing, we are again getting scale to these location scenes. There is no attempt to stick to closer shots and avoid showing this vast, empty expanse - <b>Volcano </b>embraces it, with a distant shot of two native men approaching Servalan in a time-lapse. The population living below ground is a justifiable way of explaining why we see so few of them on the surface (<b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/02/blakes-7-series-b-keeper.html">The Keeper</a></b> did this too on Goth, so I certainly won't be accepting it every time, Mr Prior). This surface seems huge and I liked its variety, with Servalan coming down on a flat plain but Dayna, Tarrant and Avon all teleporting near rocks on a hill, while we also see Cally in a small cave.<br />
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<b>Missing pieces – Dayna and Tarrant</b><br />
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I want to see more of Dayna and, even more so, Tarrant. After <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-powerplay.html">Powerplay </a></b>I was distrustful of him and there wasn’t enough in <b>Volcano </b>that made me feel like I knew him much better. His negotiating skills need some work as he came across a bit forceful and I was interested that Vila has already voiced his uncertainty about Tarrant. It was a wonderful three-hander moment when Vila told Cally that he "hadn’t really noticed" whether Dayna was pretty and Avon replied, “We’ve seen you not really noticing – frequently.” Despite what I’ve previously said about Dayna and Avon, <i>Blake’s 7</i> has rarely so directly acknowledged such feelings – either lustful or romantic.<br />
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<b>Not all Federation officers</b><br />
There are at least a couple of things to note about Tarrant. His movement into Avon’s old position is cemented further as he tells Dayna, “I don’t trust anyone except myself. That’s why I’m still alive.” It’s also mentioned that he was previously a Federation Captain, which I must have missed or forgotten from the last episode.<br />
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It has been easy to see the Federation’s forces as one enormous entity as Travis is the only individual depicted more closely. I would expect a screening process to rule out anyone with even a glimmer of potential to let them down. The fact that Tarrant made it through in the first place makes me trust him even less, but it’s interesting to see someone like that who has successfully turned against the Federation.<br />
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Servalan’s underling in <b>Volcano </b>is Commander Mori, another officer who does not perfectly fit the Federation model. He seems so suited initially, but when Servalan orders him to kill the two Obsidians, Mori hesitates. He’s deeply uncomfortable with murdering the men in cold blood and though he does carry it out, his face turns grim as he stares at the bodies. Servalan’s expression also switches – to one of disgust. She needs loyal, unquestioning people with her and unfortunately for her, I don’t think she’s likely to find any who take the same sort of sadistic pleasure with as little disregard for life as Travis did.<br />
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I’m concerned that we might not see Travis again. It’s occurred to me now that I was certain we would but I’m no longer sure. I’ve enjoyed having both him and Servalan as villains because they each offered something different. I like having Servalan to smile as she hurts you, for delicious moments like the conclusion of <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-voice-from-past.html">Voice from the Past</a>. </b>But her threat only works from afar. If our heroes turn a corner and see Servalan, I gasp. If they suddenly spot Travis, I swear and imagine them reaching for a gun. For the series to work as well with just Servalan, I would like to see more of a physical threat from her. Her quite nasty murder of Mellanby was an excellent start, so I suppose what I really want is extra violent bloodshed.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-39644778920405927062020-03-09T20:39:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:06:42.314+01:00Blake's 7 - Powerplay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Powerplay</b></div>
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For those viewers new to <i>Blake's 7</i>, Series C continues as a lovely introduction. There are similarities to the first series as we essentially spend two episodes getting the crew together, ready to head off for adventures. Though I missed seeing Vila and Cally in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/03/blakes-7-series-c-aftermath.html">Aftermath</a></b>, introducing everyone across two episodes enables those two to have decent screentime and I liked that they both had their own little plots in <b>Powerplay</b>. This episode has a lot to do: Avon and Dayna are still getting to know each other, we need to reach Vila and Cally, plus include a plot that brings Tarrant in. It's impressive that on top of this, Vila and Cally are given a well-structured separate plot of their own.<br />
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<b>Tarrant</b><br />
To an extent, the fact I knew Tarrant would eventually be joining the Liberator affected my viewing. However, I was more inclined to believe he was a real Federation officer who would turn rogue and I was initially very convinced by his performance.<br />
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Despite my foreknowledge, I think I may still have rumbled him anyway. The murder of the first guard made me suspicious and there were more obvious hints that Tarrant was not all he seemed: we found out he arrived separately from the other guards, then when Avon and Dayna were hiding below the corridor, Tarrant paused over the hatch and clearly knew they were there, yet said nothing.<br />
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I do not trust Tarrant. I am unsure of his motivations for seeking the Liberator out. I remain doubtful of his backstory and think he is more of a criminal than an aspiring freedom fighter. I feel this, but acknowledge that I am hypocritical: I would have summarised most of the original Liberator crew this way when we first met them, especially Avon and Vila. Circumstances brought them together and it seemed enough to bind them. Like Jenna, Tarrant was a smuggler, but we quickly established that Jenna was a nice – too nice – smuggler. Tarrant now occupies the place of Avon in my view, as he’s the one I would expect to screw the others over. I need to see more of him though as it is currently all just vague distrust.<br />
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<b>Avon and Dayna</b><br />
It's great to watch Avon use his knowledge of the Liberator against the guards as it's so rare for the crew to have this type of advantage. It is also a good way of demonstrating to Dayna that he knows what he's doing - perhaps building up the trust between them; she <i>has </i>just run off with a complete stranger.<br />
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While Avon takes the lead, Dayna doesn't look left out and I enjoyed watching them together. Avon hasn't had particularly friendly relationships with any of the crew apart from Vila - his exchanges have often been functionary, issuing orders or plain hostile - so this is an interesting change. There is the potential for something more romantic between Avon and Dayna, but, as I said following Aftermath, I think such things would end badly. Having given it more thought since then, I would expect the series to kill off Dayna rather than let that carry on. So far though, she's continuing to impress me by getting involved with the physical fights. She has far less regard for life than Avon and isn't at all bothered or even interested in the death of the first guard.<br />
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Without ascribing any flirtatious connotations to their conversations, Avon is more relaxed with Dayna compared to when he first met the other Liberator crew. She might think he's secretive yet his overall demeanour is different. "Perhaps I'm just shy," is a lovely line and it appears a rushed response because Avon is suddenly realising that he now has little cause to be so secretive: he was understandably guarded originally, but no longer needs to be and his confidence is there in his firm declaration: "This is <i>my </i>ship." It was a comment that caught me for a moment until I realised that the Liberator really is all Avon's now. <b>Powerplay</b>'s plot serves this nicely as well because Avon has fought for and earned the ship by the end.<br />
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<b>Jenna and Blake</b><br />
Jenna really has gone with no desire to be followed and I don’t blame her. It appears my belief following <b>Aftermath </b>was wrong - Blake cannot have deliberately disguised his destination because Zen was able to tell Avon where he had gone. I wondered why we have been given this information. My only conclusion is that Avon is going to try to find Blake, which would mean that despite the destruction of Star One, Avon still isn’t free of Blake after all.<br />
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<b>Only a machine</b><br />
Zen essentially disappeared as a substantial character during the last series. But as I spent so much of Series A critiquing him, it is only fair that I take a moment to commend him now, even if he is only a machine.<br />
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Despite a whole series of calling him a useless tosser, Zen’s betrayal – as I saw it – in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-series-b-redemption.html">Redemption </a></b>remained hurtful - how dare he do this to our crew? However, I was pleased by his loyalty in <b>Powerplay </b>as he provided no control to the intruders. I don’t think we have previously established the idea of voice keys for Zen. It's something that seems as though it could come in useful in the future. Adding Dayna and Tarrant's keys is a suitable way of welcoming them on board, but I did think it seemed a bit premature in Tarrant's case. I want to yell: not all anti-Federation people are good guys!<br />
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<b>Location, location, location</b><br />
The location filming in this series has already been more impressive than in previous ones. Aftermath's visit to an actual sunny beach seems phenomenal as it would normally be inevitable for British weather to conspire against such plans and deliver grim, overcast days, even at the height of Summer. <i>Blake's 7</i> may have used forests before, but <b>Powerplay</b>'s setting is still different; Vila's clearing next to the stream with its rocks and vapour provides more variety than previous forest scenes.<br />
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<b>Vila and Cally</b><br />
It felt like it took forever to see Vila and Cally as I was still concerned - I later discovered it was a mere seven minutes until Vila appears! Vila's message that he was hurt was a nice bit of dragging out the suspense for those lengthy minutes. Knowing Vila, half of me expected him to have only a relatively minor injury. Once we saw his fire next to his escape capsule, it was clear he hadn't been able to move far for several days. I enjoyed the scene with Vila putting on voices to deter would-be attackers and it's the sort of tailored comedy gift for Michael Keating that can be provided now we are a few series in.<br />
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As Vila was led off to the facility, I was unsure whether or not to trust the Hi-Techs. Dudley Simpson's incidental music had wonderfully subtle notes that enabled a sense of foreboding to emerge. While this is a common technique in both film and television, it was just done so delicately here that I was really impressed. I've liked <i>Blake's 7</i>'s sounds and soundtrack throughout but this episode in particular caught my ear. I especially enjoyed a small section when Avon and Dayna surfaced from the below the corridor, as it reminded me of a piece from the ITC series <i>Man in a Suitcase </i>(1967), for which I adore Albert Elm's soundtrack.<br />
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Cally has more focus in <b>Powerplay </b>than she did across most of the last series. Her backseat as teleport operator and occasional nurse has coloured my view of her as I expected her to be meek but I liked how she stood up to Servalan. It reminded me that in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/02/blakes-7-series-b-keeper.html">The Keeper</a></b> she also refused to follow Avon's order to attack a second ship, so there has been something there and it would be good to see her character built on.<br />
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Servalan's gleeful reveal of the facility's purpose is so perfectly in character for her. The revelation that they were at an organ harvesting facility turned my stomach as nastily as it did Vila's face. Instantly, images flashed across my mind's eye of an episode of <i>Waking the Dead</i> (2000-2011) - the only one I've ever seen - in which a man had volunteered to sell one of his kidneys, but had then had his eyes stolen as well. That was the first time I became aware of the practice and I've continued to find it horrifying.<br />
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I wasn't clockwatching but I was sure we must be near the end of the episode so both immediately following the revelation and when Cally and Vila lay on the operating tables I was panicking, worried that the episode would end on another cliffhanger. I was so relieved when they teleported up - it felt like one of the worst last-second rescues yet.<br />
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<b>Looking forward</b><br />
There is some more Federation lore added when Tarrant tells us the guards on the Liberator are part of a Death Squad. It's extra information for those of us who have been watching for a while, as well as an easy way of telling the new audience that <i>Blake's 7</i>'s bad guys are properly evil. Servalan's presence adds a tad more too.<br />
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A running theme throughout Series B was how undefeatable the Federation seemed, especially in the first half of that series, and I began to feel frustrated as the crew were repeatedly knocked back. <b>Aftermath </b>told us that the Federation was on its knees, barely surviving. But this did look like it could be a bluff and Powerplay shows the Federation comfortably holding on. The Death Squad survived the Battle for Star One and even after finding herself on a 'neutral' planet, Servalan has managed to wrangle a lift out of there. She is President now, presumably with even less to hold her back and with even more resources at her command, so, with a certain amount of trepidation for the new Team Avon, I am looking forward to what Servalan will do next.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-87874283457232917222020-03-02T19:26:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:06:13.436+01:00Blake's 7 - Aftermath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Aftermath</b></div>
<br />
<b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/02/blakes-7-series-b-star-one.html">Star One</a></b> is still vying in my affections for Best Episode So Far and I am fairly sure <b>Aftermath </b>didn't answer a single question I had at the end of it. Once again though, I didn't care because <b>Aftermath </b>has instead given us an interesting setup for a series that looks vastly different from the last couple.<br />
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I liked the new title sequence as its effects seem slightly more modern but I've grown hugely fond of the original, adoring the visuals almost as much as the theme, so I will miss it. Following this, a couple of papier-mâché models couldn't dampen my joy during the space battle as the explosions were superb. It's great when we can jump straight into the action and this situation felt unique because the series has never left us on such a clear cliffhanger before.<br />
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<b>Do we need the Liberator?</b><br />
I was sure the Liberator was gone. The episode's early shots had convinced me as we never saw anyone on the flight deck: all the shots were empty, and I wondered if the production was using old or unused shots from previous series because they had got rid of the set. On the beach, I felt a pang of sadness when Avon picked up then chucked aside his gun, realising it was useless without the Liberator to recharge it – I have loved the design of those weapons.<br />
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A weakness in this plotline is that taking away the Liberator then easily giving it back seemed like cheating. It would have been better to tell us that the Liberator <i>might </i>be failing. I spent the episode wondering how Avon was going to get off the planet when the episode should have made me worry whether the Liberator was going to survive.<br />
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<b>Where is everyone?</b><br />
I spent most of <b>Aftermath </b>feeling anxious – I wanted to know what had happened to the rest of the crew! “Jenna’s gone with Blake,” Cally told Avon as they were hurrying to escape the Liberator. Gone where? The ship was failing – where else could they go? Then we lost Cally and Vila too. Even after Avon managed to contact Zen, I still only knew about Jenna. A hospital ship may sound safe enough, but I remained a tad concerned that Jenna may fall into the Federation’s hands.<br />
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I found the details about Blake confusing and couldn’t work out whether he was still on the Liberator or not - it doesn't look like it. He appears to have deliberately left things in a state that means he cannot be traced - a more thorough disappearance than his one during <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-trial.html">Trial</a></b>. I wonder if they will try a code word again to see if he has left another video message?<br />
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<b>The end of the cult of Blake</b><br />
I would not have expected to be happy with an episode that only really featured one member of the crew, but by the end, it had become apparent that <b>Aftermath </b>is setting up a series that will have Avon as the main lead.<br />
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Last series established a ‘cult of Blake’, where his name represented the actions of the Liberator crew; I’ve compared Blake to Robin Hood a couple of times but suddenly I’ve got a lot more sympathy for all those uncredited Merry Men. This, combined with his natural assumption of leadership, ensured it was Blake who the natives turned to when the Liberator visited anywhere.<br />
<br />
The cult of Blake is still echoing in <b>Aftermath </b>with Mellanby saying, "Blake? You were with Blake? [...]Blake and the Liberator? I've been hearing reports for the last couple of years! You were magnificent!" Avon's reply is telling: "Not from where I was sitting." Avon has never been motivated in the same way as Blake and in <b>Star One</b> he had been determined to end his involvement in fighting the Federation.<br />
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<b>Setting up the future</b><br />
Star One is gone and so has the alien threat. The Federation is severely weakened. Avon’s got what he wanted – he just needs to outrun Servalan. I had expected Series B to see Servalan chasing the Liberator to try to get Orac and it seems like Series C could involve a similar plotline. Yet wouldn’t outrunning her be easier if the Federation was really, truly defeated? Or if Avon simply killed Servalan? Unlike Blake with Travis, I wouldn’t expect Avon to wait until his life depended on it to kill Servalan.<br />
<br />
Series B had incrementally created real antagonism between Avon and Travis, but Servalan has often operated from a distance and with Travis gone/dead/in a parallel universe, it makes sense to increase the animosity between Avon and Servalan. If Avon <i>is </i>stepping in to replace Blake, this new series has a lot to do.<br />
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The scenes between Avon and Servalan were my favourites in the episode. It was wonderful to watch two such compelling actors for a decent length of time and a lovely insight into where the series might head.<br />
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Avon doubts they are alike but I am unsure why as Servalan's summary of, "You are ambitious, ruthless, you want power and you never let conscience stand in the way of achieving it," is close - I might have substituted power for money, but then he did fancy taking control of Star One. However, Avon's response, "You overestimate me," is accurate, something I realised when I understood that I had too.<br />
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"It's a great pity that you and I have always been on opposite sides, Servalan," Avon says, and until recently I wouldn't have put it past him to change sides. Servalan describes him as "infinitely corruptible" but Avon almost immediately proves her wrong when he wisely turns down her offer of ruling the galaxy together. As they went in for that kiss, with the atmosphere the scene had built up, I was still wondering if Avon would join her for a chance at everything.<br />
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Regardless of the logic of that particular moment, I don't believe Avon is all that ruthless anymore - he just doesn't act like the same person that nearly abandoned everyone on Horizon. Avon is presented in a more human, mortal way: he's knocked unconscious; his body can't withstand the g-force in the escape pod; he remains weak after the landing; he is alone and gets into plenty of physical fights; his emotions have rarely seemed so apparent, as he is concerned about his friends throughout the episode and is impatient and anxious while trying to contact Zen. It felt like Servalan had caught him off-guard and in a rare, vulnerable moment when she walked in. Over time I began to think Travis had an advantage over Blake because he was prepared to act so remorselessly, and I am concerned that Servalan has the same over Avon.<br />
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<b>Dayna: the action woman <i>Blake's 7 </i>deserves</b><br />
I had seen later publicity photos featuring a couple of new people, so I recognised Dayna without knowing her name and realised she would probably be coming with Avon at the end of <b>Aftermath</b>.<br />
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I immediately liked Dayna because she was an action woman. We meet her when she shoots someone in the back using a bow and arrow: she looks incredible. She tells Avon, "Without danger, there's no pleasure," and I was already thinking: you're going to love life with our lot. I would be so disappointed if this characterisation was dropped because I am hoping the production has learned from the mistakes they made with Jenna.<br />
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Blake prevented Avon from killing people several times, so it was an interesting change of position when Avon stopped Dayna murdering a Saren. Blake’s reasonings were always hanging by a thread I felt, while here Avon’s is in keeping with his character as he deduces it will only bring reprisals from the other Sarens. I've considered Avon a keen shooter, but Dayna is something else and has clearly been itching for more action. Blake did alright, but Avon always appeared more able when it came to hand-to-hand combat. It will be great to have someone else equally competent in their skills and who also seems to enjoy a good fight.<br />
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It was almost inevitable that Dayna's father, Mellanby, had to get killed. The episode needs a reason for her to leave the planet and a strong reason for her to hate Servalan, which will presumably motivate her from now on because she was pretty apathetic about the Federation in a 'live and let live' way. The grim fate of her sister cements it (<b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/02/blakes-7-series-b-keeper.html">The Keeper</a></b> should take note: <i>THAT </i>is how you show "they're a cruel lot on Goth").<br />
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Avon's reaction following the discovery of both bodies ensures we see the man we have known. His line to Dayna on Mellanby, "He got away from here after all," is misjudged and reminded me of his inappropriate remarks after the Dreamer's death in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-shadow.html">Shadow</a></b>. Though in <b>Shadow </b>the effect was intentional, I don't think he understood the impact of his quip here until afterwards; maybe that is why he says nothing when they find Dayna's sister and instead stands to stare, blankly, allowing her those moments.<br />
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<b>I’m all in favour of healthy curiosity</b><br />
<i>Blake’s 7</i> hasn’t really done intimacy. It’s done sexy and, while I’d argue that there has been something from both sexes, in a very 1970s' way, the show has leaned more towards 'something for the dads'. Dayna’s kiss was mildly surprising, yet it came across as cheeky flirting, so although it will stay in the back of my mind, I don’t expect much to come from it. Regardless of what fan fiction may want to imagine (I’m told), personally, I think things would quickly get complicated if there was a free for all of snogging on the Liberator.<br />
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While it had been a long time since the first kiss between people of different races on British television, the moment left me curious how it would have been received in 1980. I know racism was still a lot more prominent than today but I wasn’t sure just how deep that went throughout the general population. Starting in 1983, the British Social Attitudes survey asked people if they would mind if a close relative married a black or Asian person. 57% of people answered “a little” or “a lot” for the former, with 51% for the latter. The most recent statistics I can find show that by 2013 this had fallen to 22% and 21% respectively. It’s certainly an indication that Avon and Dayna would have raised a few eyebrows across the country, at the very least.<br />
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<b>New beginnings</b><br />
I was expecting this episode to feel like more of a Part Two to <b>Star One</b>, yet it functions fantastically as a separate episode. Partly, its because there is an awful lot going on: the Liberator seems to be gone, we have lost <i>everyone</i>, Servalan turns up, there's some action with the Sarens in a totally new type of location (surely this isn't the end of <i>Blake's 7</i>'s visits to quarries and forests?), and then - <i>BASE UNDER THE SEA</i>.<br />
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As a series opener, <b>Aftermath </b>is also a decent introduction for new viewers: we are drawn in with a swift space battle - long enough to indulge but short enough to avoid boredom - then spend most of the episode following a single regular character, learn about their personality, meet their new friend, get to know the main baddie and understand their relationship - all with a bit of plot that offers some action. <b>Aftermath </b>works as a very character-driven episode and it's an impressive feat to provide something extraordinary for the regular audience, while also reinventing the series in a way that provides an accessible entry point for a new one.<br />
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I don't want to make too many assumptions yet about what is different about this series. I do think <b>Aftermath </b>offers a suitable link to the last one though as it conveys that no one is safe in this world: here are three lead characters - now two of them are missing; have an exposition scene with two Federation guards setting everything up - oh, they've both been killed; meet Dayna's father and sister - we will brutally murder them.<br />
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<b>SPOILERS</b><br />
At the start of the last series, I explained what spoilers I had encountered for <i>Blake’s 7</i>, which didn’t actually have any bearing on my viewing of Series B but already has a tad for Series C.<br />
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I have known that Jenna, Cally and Blake all disappear at some point. Jenna is on the hospital ship and as far as I’m concerned that’s it for her. I’m not so sure about Cally or Blake and I can’t figure out whether we will see either of them again. I hope so.<br />
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The photos I had seen meant I recognised Dayna. <b>Aftermath</b>’s credits confirmed that the man on the Liberator at the end of the episode is Tarrant, whose name I had seen with his photo before. If anything, this has left me even more confused though – who is he? What is he doing on the Liberator if he’s a Federation officer? <i>Is </i>he or has he stolen the uniform?<br />
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I was so keen to press on with <b>Aftermath </b>after <b>Star One</b>’s cliffhanger. But although that was exciting, <b>Aftermath </b>has opened up such a huge number of questions about characters and where this new series will be heading that it has made me want to press on even more than <b>Star One</b>’s ending did.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-39896682313028903472020-02-20T01:00:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:05:46.712+01:00Blake's 7 - Star One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Star One</b></div>
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"You can lead the rabble to victory... whatever that might mean."</div>
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I've been sceptical about <i>Blake's 7</i> having a series-long arc because I have grown impatient with it at times. Towards the end of the series, there have been misfires with <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-voice-from-past.html">Voice From the Past</a></b> and<b> <a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/02/blakes-7-series-b-keeper.html">The Keeper</a></b>, so I was trying not to raise my hopes too much; there seemed every chance I would get a finale that didn't warrant the build-up or wrap up the narrative. Well, with <b>Star One</b> I have never cared less about the lack of a complete conclusion - the ride itself was satisfying enough.<br />
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The opening model work scene impressed me as some shots of the Liberator near planets in recent episodes have looked poor and stilted. Moving cameras or models provide much better realism. Conducting this opening purely with models of the ships, without cutting to shots of the men speaking over the radios, may well have been more practical and economical, but importantly, I think it is far more effective for creating the mounting tension the scene needs. I was already listening intently as the panic in the man's voice began to grow.<br />
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<b>Space Command</b><br />
We see less of Servalan in <b>Star One</b> than I was expecting, though this makes perfect sense because she doesn't know where Star One is. I had thought she might have managed to track Travis, but he either got away too quickly or immediately made adjustments to his ship to make it impossible. We appear to have lost her underling from <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-gambit.html">Gambit </a></b>and every time she returns to Space Command there is a different person for her to share scenes with. It would be nice to have another regular character here to gain more rapport with.<br />
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Travis had previously described Star One's potential for disrupting climates, so I immediately thought he must have already reached Star One and the Federation's problems were down to him. I was delighted and cheering him on - despite that feeling slightly strange - because I was keen to see him screw over the Federation. But I did then become conflicted when I remembered I had just watched 400 people die on that passenger ship, which would also have been down to him.<br />
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I was surprised that Servalan did not also jump to a similar conclusion. Perhaps she is as convinced as she was on Goth that Travis would not dare to betray her. However, what did she think had happened to Jenna and Vila there? She knew that Blake was nearby, so surely she would have expected him to stay near Goth until the brain print was found. I find myself coming to the conclusion that maybe she believed that Travis <i>had </i>taken the print, but did not intend to use it to find Star One - only to lure Blake.<br />
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Discovering that Servalan has very quietly mounted a coup was superb. I remain uncertain about Servalan's true motivations throughout everything. I have generally regarded her as a lone wolf, who delights in power, a belief that was first compounded by <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-deliverance.html">Deliverance </a></b>when we saw her acting without the Federation's sanction. However, there are occasions when she speaks like a loyal servant of the Federation. I have been unconvinced about the sincerity of such statements, yet her attitude in <b>Star One </b>seems genuine. Gaining the Presidential title and its power seems like a happy accident here and Servalan is in no position to enjoy it yet. Unless this is all a massive bluff and she <i>was </i>actually working with Travis - tricking the aliens into coming through so she would have an excuse to grab power, but in fact being ready to wipe them out before any proper damage was done.<br />
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<b>Star One</b><br />
It is completely reasonable for Star One to be a considerable distance from anything else, so I'm not sure why the Liberator crew begin to feel unsure when they approach it. The concern that there would be no one and nothing nearby if they got into trouble is an incredibly odd point to raise. With hindsight, this feels like added emphasis for later in the episode when they have to face an invasion force alone. But they have always been alone. Have they not all felt this? I certainly have: it's them and the Liberator and that's it - as outlaws, they have never been able to risk asking anyone else to come to their rescue, which is partly what makes it such a big deal when Jenna decides to contact Servalan.<br />
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Convinced he was causing the Federation's disasters, I had expected to see Travis at Star One. Instead, a further mystery is presented when we have to decide if one scientist is mad or if only one scientist is sane. Until we saw those bodies, I wasn't sure if we could trust Lurena. It's a great, shocking shot when we seem them hanging up and it was the misted eyes that made me recoil - I thought they were still alive, being kept so that the aliens could use their form, and it did seem more of a mercy when we discovered they were dead.<br />
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<b>Travis and the Andromedans</b><br />
Once the Liberator crew mentioned Andromeda, I guessed the scientists must really be Andromedans and discovering that Travis was working with them presented a million questions that Star One never answers.<br />
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Why do the Andromedans want to wipe out humanity? What do they want from this galaxy? If the other Andromedans are held back by the minefields, how did this small contingent get through? How did Travis and the Andromedans get to know of one another? Had the Andromedans made it through before Travis contacted them or after - did Travis help them in somehow? If he sent them to Star One - how did he know the scientists were there and needed to be replaced? Why did Travis want to wipe out all of humanity anyway? What was he hoping to gain in a galaxy dominated by the Andromedans?<br />
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Travis could surely only gain power, a motivation for Servalan more than him as he has been driven by his desire for revenge on Blake. Yet potentially wiping out the entire of humanity just to achieve that is a bit extreme. I find it significant that Travis is back in his Federation uniform. He did once seem devoted to the Federation and it is Servalan who is now his enemy, not necessarily the Federation.<br />
<br />
I wonder if he planned to let the Andromedan force through to let it overwhelm Servalan's Space Command. She would be killed or humiliated and Travis could help organise a successful retaliation, enabling him to be welcomed back into the fold of Space Command and take Servalan's place. There, he can return to being a loyal(ish) servant of the Federation and carry out whatever nasty actions he cares to enjoy, without the fear of reprisals.<br />
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<b>Do we really need... Blake?</b><br />
As I had thought as much after <b>The Keeper</b>, it was unsurprising that Avon has no intention of preventing Blake from heading into Star One to destroy it, despite the temptation of all that power. I was pleased that their conversation from <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-pressure-point.html">Pressure Point </a></b>had not been forgotten. Blake had no great objections then about Avon taking the Liberator and, if not happy exactly, is content to go with this now it's being voiced to everyone. Presumably, he must have some plan for attacking the Federation from Earth after Star One's destruction has caused chaos. Somewhat ironically, this must be one of the first times Blake has insisted everyone is consulted on a decision, although in the same scene he also says, "We have to win. It's the only way I can be sure I was right."<br />
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Having been advocating stuffing Blake out of an airlock since last series, part of me was thrilled by this idea becoming a closer reality, though I had quiet reservations: Blake is the most interesting member of the crew and there is still plenty to explore with him. Also, the moment this plan was agreed I gained a sense of foreboding and was sure it would not happen; either Star One would remain intact, or something else would force the crew to stick together with Blake.<br />
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Jenna and Vila briefly question this. But if Blake himself is willing to get off at Earth, what more discussion is there to have? Are they going to fight over who leads the Liberator? Force Blake to stay? Avon gets shit done and though I have concerns about having such a trigger-happy leader, he's the only other crew member that has seemed capable of stepping up into that role.<br />
<br />
It's unfortunate that we haven't seen more of Jenna and that her character hasn't developed more into the kick-arse ex-smuggler she could have been, as I think she could have grown into an excellent antagonist for Avon, and another potential leader. More vocally than Cally, she has almost always supported Blake and I wouldn't expect her to stay on the Liberator without him.<br />
<br />
'Trigger-happy' isn't quite the right description for Avon, but he is more forceful than Blake, perhaps less empathetic, and I think I inevitably come back to him being selfish - why should he unnecessarily risk his life, even slightly, for the sake of anyone else? His speech in this scene is marvellous and I adore Paul Darrow's delivery. It's passionate and angry, and as Avon's more scathing comments are often delivered at a normal volume, just slightly raising his voice has an impact without the need for him to become any more animated. I thought back to this scene towards the end of the episode. <br />
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<br />
"For what it's worth, I have always trusted you - from the very beginning." I was so taken back by Blake's words to Avon. Really? Have you? Just what does Blake think constitutes "the beginning" because he very nearly never got to leave Cygnus Alpha. It was a close call on Horizon too, though the more I've thought since, perhaps Blake knows Avon better than I've thought, and better than I have up to now. When Avon said, "I want to be free... of him," Blake responds, "I never realised - you really do hate me, don't you?" But I'm not sure Avon does. For a while now, I've increasingly come to believe that he actually cares about Blake enormously: he came to the rescue on Horizon, and he's directly saved Blake's life numerous times - including again on Star One. Despite all that logical self-preservation in him, whilst they are still bound together by the Liberator, Avon feels obligated to Blake. I think Avon cares for Blake far more than he wishes he did, and that's why he wants to be free.<br />
<br />
<b>STAND BY FOR ACTION</b><br />
Avon's confrontation with Travis outside is super: no pissing about - start blabbing or start blubbing. "Talk or scream, Travis!" is a magnificent line. Watching him watch Travis as they head inside, Avon is incredibly cautious and it's pure bad luck that Travis gets away from him. Confronted by one of the Andromedan scientists, when Avon shoots him there is plenty of blood and it splatters up the wall, which I thought was awesome - things are getting serious.<br />
<br />
<b>"I've had better days."</b><br />
The episode's been gripping enough from the start anyway but from this point, the excitement and tension ramp up. Travis shooting Blake was one of the best moments <i>ever</i>. No confrontation - just time for Blake to half turn and suddenly - everything's momentarily slowed down. I'm holding my breath, then - "Nooooo!"<br />
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<br />
He looks very dead. When the scene cuts to Cally and Avon, it felt like an age. Cut back to Blake! Cut back to Blake! C'mon! I am mostly sure, but... when it cuts back to him lying on the floor, I'm certain, and it's a punch in the guts because I've hated this guy - I've spent months now being frustrated by him doing stupid, undemocratic things and then occasionally redeeming himself to me only for him to do them again. Yet I've bloody loved it and suddenly the idea of losing him doesn't seem fair - not for him, not for the others. Who else is going to have the determination to risk everything to bring down the Federation? Because really, as much as I think he's a selfish git, in equal measure I have come to admire Blake's sheer bloody commitment to his cause.<br />
<br />
Gan's death has echoed throughout the rest of the series for me - and probably always will. It convinced me that <i>Blake's 7</i> might just as easily maim or kill one or more of the other regulars. Was it planned this way? It's rather brilliant because without that I would never have believed Blake was dead.<br />
<br />
<b>Is Travis dead?</b><br />
One of the very few positives about <b>The Keeper </b>was that it added a demonstration of Avon's loathing for Travis, which is why I was less bothered than I might have been when he gets the parting shot that sends Travis off. That Blake the Bloody Hero shoots Travis in the back is truly fantastic - he's finally been forced to come down to Travis's level. It's such a sudden, fast-moving scene with so much to process in only a few seconds: Travis is shot! Blake's alive?! Avon's here! Travis isn't dead! "He is now." Well, that remains to be seen. I instantly thought that he wasn't. He will have been chucked out somewhere, ready to crawl out and reappear when we least expect it.<br />
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<br />
It feels like the episode should be rounding things off by now but I was too gripped to notice. Get out, get to the Liberator, head off. But it's <i>still </i>going and the race to get the bombs out was nail-biting. As soon as Cally got outside, I'd had enough - "Just bloody chuck 'em!" And still, the excitement isn't over. Wasn't that enough? It <i>was </i>enough but I happily lapped up the rest.<br />
<br />
<b>That ending...</b><br />
I spend a considerable portion of <b>Star One</b> leaning forward, eyes wide, either biting my lip or gaping at the screen, occasionally remembering to breathe out. I often swear at the screen when things start going wrong in<i> Blake's 7 </i>but there was much more variety to the phrases being shouted during <b>Star One</b>. I egged our heroes on, cried out in anguish, whooped in triumph, and laughed in relief and delight - including as it cut to the credits. It's a wonderful way to end a series and though I felt a pang of dismay, I cheered because, far more than that, I was so pleased with it all.<br />
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<br />
They end it <i>there</i>? THERE! I've spent 50 minutes going through an exhausting range of emotions and they end it <i>there</i>! I am presuming there was an entire year's wait for the next series, so this is both cruel and brilliant. It also presumably means that the production knew they were getting a third series and I am curious how early this was decided. Was there more than one ending for <b>Star One</b>, depending on whether they got another series? While <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-orac.html">Orac </a></b>left room for more, this is a proper cliffhanger for what could be a two-part episode.<br />
<br />
The end of the last series left me pondering on a mystery, but that spaceship explosion was always going to happen - it was just a matter of how and when. I was just as intrigued about where the characters' development was going to go in Series B. But currently, I have next to no interest in thinking about that for Series C - all I can think about is what is going to happen in the seconds and minutes immediately after<b> Star One</b>.<br />
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<br />H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-23541156873109535392020-02-11T21:56:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:05:32.861+01:00Blake's 7 - The Keeper<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>The Keeper</b></div>
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"A fool knows everything and nothing."</div>
<br />
I was not keen on <b>The Keeper</b>, though it starts well with setting up the story and some initial action. I am glad that the purpose of Control/Star One is reiterated in the opening scenes as it’s been a while and I feel it’s important that the stakes are emphasised again. We get more details when Travis is dwelling on it with Servalan. The descriptions of the power it offers, with the ability to control enormous and significant aspects of the Federation, reminded me of what I anticipated Orac might offer. I had been thinking more about control in terms of communications and weapons, although that potential has never really materialised. Orac has instead, mostly, become a slightly sassy Google, which is still a significant improvement on the unreliable Zen.<br />
<br />
<b>Blowing up Travis</b><br />
It seems like a while since we had a Liberator side plot and anyone left behind has had little to do. Leaving Avon on board for the entire episode is a first, I think. It makes for a different setup that I felt worked as there is nothing for him to do on Goth.<br />
<br />
Instead, we get to see Avon’s hatred of Travis as he takes the decision to blow up Travis’s ship. Cally’s objection to moving out of teleport range for the others seemed odd, as this has frequently happened in the past. However, in fairness, this has normally been to hide from Federation ships, rather than actively move towards any of them. Is this a sign of Avon’s growing confidence because the Liberator has avoided being caught so many times before? Or is it simply evidence of his increased loathing, and perhaps a reasonable fear of Travis?<br />
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At the start of Series B, I considered Travis to be Blake’s rival. The Federation and Servalan were after everyone but Blake and Travis had that personal relationship; few of the others had met Travis until <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-orac.html">Orac</a></b>. Yet in this series there have been more direct encounters. As in <b>Orac</b>, during <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-weapon.html">Weapon </a></b>Avon showed a keenness to get rid of both Servalan and Travis. However, the circumstances seemed strategic. Avon again wanted to kill Travis at the end of <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-hostage.html">Hostage</a></b>. By <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-gambit.html">Gambit</a></b>, Jenna also thought they should. Like the casino scam in <b>Gambit</b>, <b>The Keeper</b> provides another opportunity to see what Avon will do when Blake isn’t there to stop him.<br />
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<br />
Blowing up the ship is partly strategic here, yet there does seem more loathing now, with Avon narrowing his eyes in determination as they close in, and telling Cally, “I have no objection to shooting him in the back.” Although Cally obeys Avon in blowing up the ship, she isn’t happy about it, but I was fully on his side as he says, “What did you want me to do – give him a sporting chance?” The Liberator crew need to be willing to play to the same rules as Travis.<br />
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<b>Ultimate power</b><br />
It's easy to say that when I don't know what else will happen. In the opening scenes, Avon reminds everyone that with Star One under their command, they could control the Federation. I couldn't decide just how provocative he was being when he considered that, "Blake is afraid that power would corrupt him."<br />
<br />
This theme has come up earlier in Series B, though I'm struggling to place the exact instances. One moment I am now reconsidering is Avon and Blake's fantastic chat in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-pressure-point.html">Pressure Point</a></b>, where Avon suggested Blake would be the natural leader for a resistance movement based from Earth. Blake's hesitant, "Perhaps..." threw me as I was unsure why he wouldn't want that. I pondered at the time whether he was feeling the pressure of leadership, but now I am wondering whether he really does think power would corrupt him - he does say, "That sort of power would corrupt anyone."<br />
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<br />
I enjoyed this brief moment in <b>The Keeper</b> and it will be interesting if this is expanded on, either in the next episode or in the future. Blake does easily take the place of a leader, no matter what situation they find themselves in, and if he doesn't think he should have enormous capabilities, that's a bit of a conflict with the side of him that wants to push his agenda by leading and deciding most things on the Liberator. If there is to be a successful rebellion against the Federation - whether that's through destroying Star One or any other means - it's starting to look as though Blake will have little choice in being at the head of it.<br />
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<b>Travis and Servalan</b><br />
I began wracking my brain to remember how things were left in <b>Gambit </b>because I couldn't work out how Travis and Servalan could have got to Goth ahead of the Liberator. I don't think they should have been able to outrun the most powerful ship around and they seem to have been settled in for a while.<br />
<br />
And why is Servalan there at all? Only Travis heard about Goth, so he must have told her - why? I can only conclude that he knew he needed to move quickly and had to get hold of a ship. Yet after recent episodes, it seems very strange to see them teamed up like this without any proper onscreen explanation.<br />
<br />
I'm unsure what Travis had imagined happening by going back to Servalan. It's surprising that he suggests them ruling the Federation together and Servalan's dismissiveness in, "What are you talking about, Travis?" is entirely appropriate. He says, "Don't you trust me?" and she responds, "No, of course not," and I'm thinking, 'Yes! Of course she doesn't! Why the hell are <i>you </i>trusting <i>her </i>again?!' It made me wonder if he still felt some element of loyalty to Servalan, but again - <i>why</i>? This plot seems to imply that it was only after Servalan rejected Travis's idea that he decided to betray her. Based on Travis's character previously, I am just not convinced of any of this as he would have had to have been incredibly foolish. Servalan may call him "pathetic" but I don't think he is. <br />
<br />
It makes far more sense that Travis planned to await Blake's arrival and/or run off with the brain print at the first opportunity. Yet he didn't necessarily need to appear in the episode for that to work - the reveal of the missing brain print would have served as the explanation that he Travis had got there before them and already left.<br />
<br />
Servalan has even less reason to be here. Travis could have hired or stolen a ship and the side plot of Avon blowing up a ship could have been removed, or it could just have been another Federation ship. The fact that Avon identifies a Federation pursuit ship as Travis's is slightly odd anyway because the Liberator crew know that Travis is now out of the Federation command. So if we didn't need Servalan's ships, the only reason for her presence is so that we see Travis betray her. It feels like the plot of <b>The Keeper</b> may have needed to achieve certain things before Series B's final episode, but there are too many flaws in the plotting for me.<br />
<br />
<b>They're a crude lot on Goth</b><br />
There were large chunks of <b>The Keeper</b> that I did not find interesting or exciting. The studio sets for Goth were an enormous come-down after the flamboyance of Freedom City. CSO has been used sparingly throughout <i>Blake's 7</i>, so its use to show Jenna and Vila being brought into the caves really stood out and it really does look appalling.<br />
<br />
The scenes in Gola's tent often seemed stilted with no engaging dialogue to grip me. Obviously Gola's fondness for Jenna is creepy and rapey, but I mainly found him tiresome and predictable. He has plenty to do but he's just a petulant, raging child and no one rises to it - his sister remains calm and the others bow to his whims.<br />
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<br />
This episode did provide something more substantial for Jenna. After initially seeming uncertain, her decision to endear herself to the Gola proves most useful. I loved her glance to Vila with an enormous eye roll. Her scene alone with the Gola's sister was also wonderful, and one of the few this episode that properly intrigued me.<br />
<br />
I felt like if anyone was my saviour in some of the duller scenes, it was Vila. His reactions always entertain me and I enjoyed his horror when the Fool's mimicry gets him sent "below". There, I could almost feel his pain when Blake chose to leave him in the cell and we had a real Vila-esque line in, "I don't like the dark - I like to see what I'm scared of."<br />
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<b>If I only had a brain (print)</b><br />
Despite the description of a "brain print", the idea of a tiny thing on the back of a pendant was not what I had expected. I'd been imagining a small physical print that could fit in a purse hung around someone's neck. For once, this is a case of <i>Blake's 7 </i>predicting future technology to be much smaller.<br />
<br />
After initially believing that the old man moaning in the cell must come into the episode somehow, I became as dismissive of him as Blake and Vila when nothing occurred. The Fool describing himself to the old man as "your fool" sent a flag up, but I didn't work it out.<br />
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<br />
The most impressive part of <b>The Keeper</b>'s plot for me was the trigger phrase. The hunt for the print on the various royals had lacked tension, but I liked this twist and thought it a clever idea.<br />
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<b>To Star One</b><br />
This has easily been my least favourite episode of the series. There have been other episodes that I've had big issues with but they manage to redeem themselves overall. Yet here, the negatives outweigh the positives - and that's a first for me with <i>Blake's 7.</i> I will happily go back and reassess other episodes at some point, but <b>The Keeper</b>'s greatest crime is that I found so much of it dull.<br />
<br />
It also doesn't help that I was left frustrated trying to figure out Travis and Servalan's involvement. I've never wished they weren't in an episode before. Their presence feels forced and largely unnecessary. I felt like I was missing pieces of the puzzle though and I'm doubtful whether they will come together in the next episode. Nonetheless, I can't wait to see what Servalan does now that Travis has tricked her - she said she would kill him.<br />
<br />
I am curious what Star One will be like. I've imagined something similar to Control on Earth, but I've also pictured it housed in a spaceship or satellite of some sort. We have spent so long looking for Star One that I have given little thought to what might happen there. I suppose I hadn't been expecting the crew to be chasing Travis - I thought it would be the other way around.<br />
<br />
I think Blake will definitely destroy Star One. Despite Avon musing on the prospect of all that power, I don't think he's willing to go against Blake for it - certainly not when his only support is Vila. I was far more excited for the finale last series because there seemed so much mystery, yet we have always known what Star One is and it feels like we have been heading towards it for an incredibly long time - and longer than I had expected; I originally thought this plotline would only last a few episodes. I hope it's been worth the wait.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-75563512486969957892020-01-27T19:51:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:04:49.737+01:00Blake's 7 - Gambit<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Gambit</b></div>
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"I can provide some very original forms of diversion."</div>
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By a significant stretch, <b>Gambit </b>is the craziest episode of <i>Blake's 7</i> I've watched so far. Even once I thought I had a handle on it, it just kept giving and it has been my favourite episode of Series B so far.<br />
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Robert Holmes had impressed me with his first <i>Blake's 7 </i>episode, <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-killer.html">Killer</a></b>, so I had high hopes for <b>Gambit</b>. Once again, he splits the crew up to run two entirely separate plots in the same location, also teaming up Avon and Vila again. <br />
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<b>Freedom City</b><br />
Freedom City looks like the kind of debauched place I was hoping to see in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-shadow.html">Shadow</a></b>'s Space City, so I was pleased the latter got a name check. We saw few people in Space City but the addition of a handful of supporting artists ensures Freedom City feels like a more bustling place. I pondered whether they were originally supposed to be the same locations but the <b>Gambit </b>script was changed after filming <b>Shadow</b>; either they realised <b>Gambit</b>’s city needed to look much better or else they found some cash left late on in the series after trying to keep a tight budget early on. <br />
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Robert Holmes makes even less use of the Liberator sets than he did in <b>Killer</b>, partly because Jenna and Cally are brought into the action so we don't need to cut back there once everyone is in Freedom City. The saloon bar is marvellous and made for a superb opening scene. There are good continuity touches here by having all the drinks in bright colours. In particular, that one shade of emerald green has been seen on the Liberator and in Servalan's office.<br />
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While we see no games beyond the roulette table in the casino, the Speedchess area was nice with plenty of atmosphere added by the lighting. When the first scene took place there, "Speedchess" was certainly not the word I was expecting to hear. The simultaneous explosion and disintegration of the unlucky challenger to the Klute made me jump as I think I just expected him to get electrocuted. I love having all these different characters around the outside of that chamber - they could all have had a story of their own. Although Vila later seems sure that the Klute isn't a computer, I was never certain; he's too good, Krantor's too confident in him and he seems to spend his days enjoying killing people. Elsewhere, Servalan is lying down, with a dove perched on her - it sets the tone for <b>Gambit</b>.<br />
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Krantor's room can only be described as a boudoir and Servalan's room 100 is similar in tone. I think one of the chairs in her room swings. As with Space City, we are never explicitly told everything that one can experience in Freedom City, but Krantor implies enough that we can presume some pretty outrageous acts have been performed there.<br />
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Slightly further down the list of sets, we have the saloon bar's backroom that appears to lead to an underground area, which makes a few appearances, mainly featuring Blake, Jenna and Cally. Then there is the area where Docholli heads to escape, decorated with a few oil drums. We never get a full view of the underground cave/tunnel-like area. It looks like a studio set to me and I'm inclined to believe the darkness is hiding how limited it is. It's decorated with a lot of tinsel blowing around and having recently watched <i>Doctor Who</i>'s <b>Timelash</b>, this was an uncomfortable flashback to one aspect. The stories are also connected by Denis Carey, who is more prominent playing Docholli here than six years later when he would be the public-facing image of the Borad.<br />
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<b>The sound of the underground</b><br />
I am fond of so many of <i>Blake's 7</i>'s sounds. I could probably go through the series again and do a blog solely about them - I've never even got round to indulging in how much I adore the titles. <b>Gambit </b>deserves credit for the background sounds alone as there are distinctive ones for different locations. Both Krantor's boudoir and the casino get a quiet, high-pitched tinkling, while Servalan's room is given a simple constant humming. The darkened underground area has distant chimes underneath a howling wind, which, combined with constant smoke blowing around, go a long way to making something of what could have been a fairly dull set.<br />
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<b>Decadent dress</b><br />
For once, few of the cast's costumes are purely functional and they have gone all out. Interestingly, while Cally and Jenna are royally dolled up for the occasion, Blake hasn't made any effort. Travis has become an intergalactic cowboy and I love the touch of giving him a black hat, the traditional accessory for a Wild West villain. Perhaps there is good reason that Blake wasn't given a white one at any point: I keep remembering Blake's suggestion in <b>Shadow </b>that the Liberator crew were the only good guys, with Avon responding, "What a very depressing thought."<br />
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My historical knowledge isn't very comprehensive, but Krantor and Toise's outfits seemed like the French Revolutionary period. Krantor says his costume is supposed to be modelled on the Prince Regent, and thanks to <i>Blackadder III</i> I know there is some crossover there. Krantor is vague about who the Prince Regent actually was and describes the casino's theme as simply "the spirit of carnival". This is nicely all-encompassing for the variety of outfits on display, particularly in the Speedchess chamber. The croupier wears a type of black-tie, while sitting among the patrons are clowns that reminded me of David Bowie's <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyMm4rJemtI">Ashes to Ashes</a></i> video. Servalan's face is hidden behind a mask at first, but her outline was instantly recognisable.<br />
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Servalan looks utterly stunning in <b>Gambit</b>. Her red dress is revealing and outlandish, for once perfectly suited to her surroundings, and I could hardly take my eyes off her. I love how over-the-top most the women's makeup is in the <i>Blake's 7</i> universe, but I felt this episode gave us even more for Servalan, including a pile of silver, glittering eye shadow. After being introduced to her laid out in the casino, Krantor invites her, "Pray! Be seated!" and she carefully lounges herself across the enormous bed in Krantor's boudoir, providing us with one of several lingering shots of her outfit.<br />
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<b>Krantor</b><br />
Krantor is a cracking character, with his inch-thick silver makeup and false eyelashes making an immediate impression. He loathes Servalan, describing what he will do to her with such venom. He gets some gorgeous lines, including, "She's as perfidious and devious as a snake." I'm unsure whether she dislikes him as plotting his death is just necessary to get rid of Freedom City. Like other "neutral" places in the series, it only takes the right price for Krantor to be tempted. On the other hand, Servalan is utterly uninterested in any pleasures on offer, despite numerous offers from Krantor: "If you find time is, erm, dragging, I can provide some very original forms of diversion which I can guarantee will give you immense pleasure." I was left uncertain whether she has no interest in any of these things or if she didn't trust them coming from Krantor.<br />
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<b>Travis</b><br />
I keep saying how much I like seeing Travis's character develop this series but I felt Robert Holmes added a whole other layer. Travis has never looked invulnerable but in <b>Gambit </b>he is a long way from the powerful commander we first met. Shorter hair (first seen last episode) and a change of clothes mean he isn’t as smartly groomed. His Federation uniform finally dumped, Travis has lost his armour and any notions of authority. Despite stepping in to save Docholli, shortly afterwards Travis is easily taken by Krantor's goons and beaten badly.<br />
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I loved the scene in which Servalan sits next to Travis's unconscious body, surveying him. I didn’t ever really think she was going to hurt him, but he looked exposed, unprotected. The point-of-view shot of Servalan when Travis wakes up added to this and was a good inclusion. When the shot of them on the bed pulls out slightly, we can see that Servalan has had her hand on Travis's only good hand, holding it down, leaving him fully open.<br />
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Discovering the damage to his hand makes Travis desperate as he needs the repairs urgently, and it's perceptible even with the harsh tone he uses with Chenie. When he finds Docholli, Travis doesn't even care about Blake's presence - there is nothing he can do and he needs the surgeon's work done before he flees. Jenna is the latest crew member to ask to shoot Travis and Blake's excuse for avoiding it now is that killing Travis would be a mercy. That is a hell of a blow.<br />
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Servalan is honest with her new underling that she disposed of Travis because "he outlived his value" and it appears she will now pick him up and shake him about whenever she has the need, but will swiftly toss him aside again as soon as it is convenient. Unfortunately for Travis, Servalan knows him well and he is far too predictable, so I expect her to continue using and manipulating him.<br />
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<b>Ocean's Two</b><br />
I'd be curious what sort of briefing Series B's writers had about the series and the characters, and what they had seen of Series A. Blake and Avon’s relationship was one of the most interesting aspects for me, yet in both his stories, Holmes has completely eschewed depicting any conflict between Blake and Avon by separating them. I'm left wondering whether he had little interest in that relationship, felt he had no more to add, or just wanted to contribute something different to the series. Maybe he had decided that writing Avon and Vila was far more fun.<br />
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Vila seemed the only one excited about the prospects of Space City, but Avon is equally keen to experience Freedom City and their adventure is his idea. I was <i>thrilled </i>when our two thieves decided to take on the casino. It's the kind of suggestion that would have been stamped out by any of the other three usually, yet with none of them around there is nothing to stop Avon and Vila having some fun. Both plot strands in this episode are set up quickly and I was impressed by this one in particular; we establish Avon and Vila's boredom and lust, then within a minute or so Avon has formulated a plan and we move on to the problem of Orac.<br />
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I think Robert Holmes adds humour to <i>Blake's 7 </i>very well, with just the right balance, and I enjoy it so much in Avon and Vila's scenes.<br />
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<b>Vila </b>"Oh! That is beautiful! Avon, there are times when I almost get to like you."<br />
<b>Avon </b>"Yes, well that makes it all worthwhile."<br />
<b>Vila </b>"I mean, you give me a warm feeling right here - right round the money belt."<br />
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The manipulation of Orac is also excellent and the short lines, delivered quickly, ensure the pace is moved along. Avon and Vila's handshake at the end is a lovely addition. Throughout these scenes, it's the reactions from both Paul Darrow and Michael Keating that really add to it. The miniaturisation of Orac is a great idea and I hope it's used again to enable more use of the character.<br />
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The duo's scenes in the casino were enormous fun. It soon becomes clear that neither of them knows the first thing about cheating a casino: don't make it obvious. I became almost as nervous as Avon, who nonetheless easily relents to Vila's implores to carry on: "Alright, just once more. But after this, I warn you, I'm walking out... to be sick."<br />
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Vila appeared drunk when Krantor led him away for a "celebratory drink", but when he returns he looks calmer, almost drugged, which he snaps out of as soon as he sits in the Speedchess chair. The sudden cut to a stunned Avon spitting his food out was great. After what Vila's put Avon through, it feels like Avon gets his own back when, with no hesitation, he tells Vila to play the game and risk his life for their five million credits. Avon's still nervy when they come to leave, displaying his usual cautiousness by drawing his gun as they walk out with the money.<br />
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On their return to the Liberator, I liked Avon's swift switching from, "Quickly, Vila - hide the money!" to calmly answering the radio with, "Reading you, Blake." Even though it's Vila who Blake is suspicious of, for me, it is Avon's gabbling of, "Oh, great, wonderful, terrific," that is greater evidence of an attempt to cover up by finding something to say.<br />
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<b>Star One</b><br />
The search for Star One continues and it now seems likely that we will be heading there for the series finale, via the planet Goth. Docholli's description of Goth was suitably grim so I'm looking forward to seeing our heroes visit it. I am also curious whether the Control/Star One ongoing plot will be properly tied up. I expect Chris Boucher or Terry Nation to be writing the last couple of episodes, but I do hope we get more from Robert Holmes again.<br />
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Servalan and Travis know exactly what Blake's up to so I expect this isn't the last of them this series - smashing. I hadn't seen enough of Servalan for my liking prior to <b>Gambit </b>but this really paid off and I would like to see if she keeps her new assistant, who is certainly a different sort to Travis.<br />
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Former-Space Commander Travis once had the backing of Servalan and the Federation, briefly followed by the service of some Crimos, but he is now utterly alone and there were moments in <b>Gambit </b>when I almost felt sorry for him. This episode gave Brian Croucher plenty and Travis has become such a differently fascinating character. I hope at some point in the last couple of Series B episodes we get just a little bit more of that.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-29730054914504720422020-01-17T00:30:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:03:49.534+01:00Blake's 7 - Voice from the Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Voice from the Past</b></div>
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"So much for Blake's new epoch of peace."</div>
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<b>Voice from the Past</b> was an interesting episode as I was intrigued by the plot immediately. The idea of Blake reverting to his pre-<b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/06/b-is-for-blakes-7-way-back.html">The Way Back</a></b> brainwashed state was fear-inducing as the consequences I imagined were disastrous. I saw him covertly redirecting the Liberator and turning the whole crew over to the Federation. This is almost where we headed, only with Blake acting with much less consciousness than I pictured. While nothing seemed truly clear for most of the episode, the payoff from the final 10 minutes was superb and among the most thrilling, nerve-wracking I’ve experienced with <i>Blake’s 7</i> so far.<br />
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<b>What the plot?</b><br />
I was trying to work ahead of the episode’s plot throughout but could never get there. I felt I couldn’t trust anyone – not Ven Glynd, not Shivan, not Le Grand, not Blake – and this meant I was sure of nothing and believed nothing. I had a constant feeling of dread that the crew were being led into a horrific trap. Blake’s rerouting of the Liberator was concerning, his duping of Vila made me want to bang my head against a wall, and despite the friendly demeanour of the rebels, they seemed too good to be true. As for the councillor-type woman, Le Grand, until she turned up on the Liberator I was sure she was on the Federation's side, yet then I wondered if she wasn't but maybe Ven Glynd was really in league with Servalan. There were too many possibilities.<br />
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<b>Blake the Brainwashed</b><br />
I had pondered just how easily the Federation would be able to brainwash Blake again, yet I always imagined they would need to physically get hold of him first. Therefore this remote attack using sound seemed clever, and I loved seeing <i>Blake's 7</i> use continuity in the plot, as opposed to merely weaving it into lines of exposition.<br />
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I could be more annoyed at Blake, but it’s hard to justify anything when he spent the entire episode brainwashed. However, his assertion to the others that he “commands this ship” provided a stab of anger and I was glad that Jenna immediately countered with, “You lead - we don't take commands.” It is a vital distinction. Blake may not be a perfect leader and I don’t think any of the others would be either, but Avon has been eyeing up the position and from day one has had strong feelings about democracy onboard. That statement sounded utterly like Blake and I hated him for it because good grief – every time I find aspects to admire in him, he does or says something like this again.<br />
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It was hard to measure how much Blake’s decisions to ignore Orac were influenced by his altered state of his mind. He overruled Avon’s request to consult Orac before bringing Ven Glynd and Shivan onboard. Yet while I despaired over what seemed an incredibly poor judgement, this didn’t seem to make any difference in the end as Orac couldn’t accurately determine if Shivan was who he claimed to be. Even though Blake's judgement was poor and it was a foolish decision, this could be attributed to his unstable state of mind. However, turning Orac off later and taking the key was a sign of Blake wielding his power and I was livid, crying out, "Where is our bloody democracy, Blake!"<br />
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<b>Loyalty to your commander</b><br />
It feels like Series B is testing the crew's loyalty to Blake. If Blake had shown similar signs of regression in Series A, Avon would have advocated abandoning him as a security risk. They all make considerable efforts to help Blake here and it's interesting that this devotion to one another is still there, regardless of the crew's dynamic now often being Them vs. Blake.<br />
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I thought Vila would notice the clear change in Blake's tone of voice when he insisted that Avon and Cally had plotted against him. Instead, I was surprised Vila believed Blake at all, especially considering how secretive he has been this series. I might have expected Vila to trust Avon as much as Blake now - if not more - but that clearly isn't the case and Blake still has the most influence.<br />
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Cally and Jenna both had more to do than in any recent episodes, helped partly by so much of the episode being set on the Liberator. From the opening scenes, I began to think we would spend the entire episode on the Liberator and I would have been perfectly happy with that. It did occur to me that the programme’s budget might incorporate a ‘lite’ episode that forced them to set one episode entirely on the Liberator. Cally has taken on a caring, nursing role in much of Series B and she continues it in <b>Voice from the Past</b> as she and Avon attempt to help Blake.<br />
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Finally getting a brief opportunity to leave the Liberator did not work out well for Jenna. She has always seemed the most loyal to Blake but I had wondered if his recent actions had planted seeds of doubt in her, as she has been annoyed by his secretiveness. At the episode's climax when Blake has removed his teleport bracelet, Jenna tries to help him, even removing her own bracelet to ensure she can stay and try to save his life. It's interesting that this is the second episode in which teleport bracelets have been removed on purpose like this, and especially so because the episodes have different writers. Both actions were life-threatening, yet the still, tense atmosphere of Avon diffusing the bomb in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2020/01/blakes-7-series-b-countdown.html">Countdown </a></b>could hardly be more different from the panicked and action-packed circumstances here. I admired Jenna for this tremendously risky act as I am unsure whether any of the others would have gone this far for Blake. It perhaps reflects the more romantic feelings she has for him, which we got a flash of from her scowl at Blake's kiss in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-hostage.html">Hostage</a></b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Home invasion climax</b><br />
Down on the asteroid, it all seemed too easy that everything should fall into Blake’s lap like this and my anxiety increased as they brought the strangers onto the Liberator.<br />
<br />
It was hard to make anything of Shivan as the bandages ensured the only visible part of him was his eye and I struggled to understand his few lines when he spoke to Ven Glynd. I was willing to believe his miraculous survival story though and paid him little attention because Ven Glynd seemed likely to be the real double agent.<br />
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I never had a clue to Shivan's real identity, so Travis’s reveal elicited a shocked “NO!” followed by a string of expletives. <i>That hand!</i> Travis on the Liberator! I’d been concerned when the Liberator was infiltrated in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-series-b-redemption.html">Redemption</a></b>, but this was different – this was <i>Travis</i>. They had let the Federation in. BLAKE LET THEM IN. The Liberator has felt like a haven; as long as the crew have got their teleport bracelets, they are safe because they can escape – we’ve seen the Liberator outrun dreadful odds. The Liberator is home.<br />
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I loved the detail that Brian Croucher appears to have a degree of stubble, implying he's spent days or more literally undercover with the rebels.<br />
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Prior to this, the appearance of the guard is a bit grim as attention is given to the knife in his back with blood on display. This is even more shocking than Avon's arm wound in <b>Hostage</b>. I continue to be interested in the way the show depicts violence as Series A probably had a similar amount but was bloodless.<br />
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Combined with that desolate auditorium and the appearance of Federation guards, I spent the next few minutes panicking, staring at the unfolding events in wide-eyed horror.<br />
<br />
The reveal of the empty auditorium was magnificent. Servalan’s booming voice was imposing and the projection of her image was a wonderful addition. The letterbox shot of her eyes reminded me of the watching eyes of Big Brother in <i>1984 </i>(did I imagine this poster or does the book specifically reference it?), and there can be many comparisons of the Federation’s regime made to the novel, from its undefeatability to its revisions of established history. Le Grand's tears were so sad and spoke of years of determined work vanishing in an instant, reflecting her own now-inevitable fate. Ven Glynd and Le Grand were goners and knowing the Federation, it was for the best. I think Le Grand's may even have been suicide.<br />
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Everything got far worse when Blake’s mind began to be attacked and he took off his teleport bracelet. I’ve never been so worried about the fate of the Liberator crew. It felt like the biggest trap they had ever been in. As Travis went down from the Liberator, Avon and Cally seemed safe again, yet it continued to deteriorate below. When Vila went up and Jenna had taken off her bracelet too, I thought this was it: we were about to lose Jenna and Blake! Avon and the others would have no choice but to leave them because they couldn’t get them back!<br />
<br />
The resolution is a variant on the 'teleported just in time' trope we have seen, though it has previously tended to be the result of someone having to rush to the teleport bay. I was initially unsure why Travis needed to teleport down as I assumed his aim was to capture the entire crew, so why not force Cally and Avon to bring the others up, regardless of the message Avon managed to send. However, although Travis may have been compelled to attempt the whole crew's capture while under Servalan's formal command, he has really only ever cared about Blake. With Servalan's trap a success, she would know the Liberator was nearby so must have been poised to send in Federation ships to surround it as soon as Travis gave the word.<br />
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<br />
I had been hoping for another appearance from Servalan and Travis, the former especially, but it was all too brief and I was left longing for more. They should never appear in every episode yet I would like to see plenty of them when they do. I don't know whether I can ever expect to see more of Servalan: she wasn't a huge presence in Series A, when Travis took centre stage and she pulled the strings from afar. I think it is just the fact I adore the character so much that I feel we deserve more of her.<br />
<br />
<b>Voice from the Past</b> sags in the middle. After the episode's opening intrigue (and joy of discovering the crew do team yoga sessions), we begin watching a series of political discussions until towards the end. It was only curiosity at 'what on Dell 10 is going on' that kept me interested. You then have to appreciate who Travis is for that unveiling to have an impact, so while the episode sits well in the series as a whole, it may have been a struggle for more casual viewers who gained less from the ending. I am also conscious that while I love admiring the model work, there was a lot of it this episode and I began to wonder if it was underrunning.<br />
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<b>Voice from the Past'</b>s strength is absolutely in its exciting climax and it made me realise just how invested I had become in these characters. As much as I enjoyed this conclusion, a lot of it was down to the shock of Travis's reveal combined with the sudden cascading of events, so I don't think it is an episode that would stand up well to repeated viewings. But this is 1979 when home video barely exists, and in this instance, I am more inclined to evaluate <i>Blake's 7</i> in the circumstances of its creation. <b>Voice from the Past</b> did its job: I was interested, entertained and gripped enough to return again next week.<br />
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<br />H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-28495054534736071962020-01-10T00:10:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:03:33.017+01:00Blake's 7 - Countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Countdown</b></div>
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"You wouldn't understand."</div>
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I spent the first scenes of <b>Countdown </b>wondering if any of these masked fighters were our heroes - we've had this sort of opening before. There was one fellow with a similar build to Gareth Thomas that had me almost convinced. Federation guards dress more or less the same all over the universe and, combined with that lovely logo, I now always immediately know who the bad guys are. As I watched the green figures fighting their way through, I noticed that they did not move like soldiers - they’re not cautious or efficient enough in their movements, which then made sense once we learned they are guerrillas.<br />
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We don't see beyond any walls in <b>Countdown </b>and it doesn't appear there was any location filming done. I do find it hard to get a sense of scale when we see little of a planet or its people, like during <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-series-b-redemption.html">Redemption </a></b>in that enormous but fairly empty industrial facility. Yet during an exposition dumping scene on the Liberator, Avon's description of this planet with its two poles made it sound similar to Earth and I instantly had something similar pictured.<br />
<br />
Vila is not thrilled about visiting another freezing cold planet and there do seem to have been a few, probably so the production can make the use of those thermal suits. He continues to despair over being forced into each adventure: “Yeah, terrific, I’m really looking forward to this. Danger, excitement, sudden death - I can’t wait.” Honestly, I would be Vila. I want to be Avon but I reckon all that peril must get wearing.<br />
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<b>Provine</b><br />
The purpose of the Liberator’s visit to this week’s planet is to locate Major Provine. This picks up the plot leftover from <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-pressure-point.html">Pressure Point</a></b> when we learned that Control had been moved from Earth. I was expecting this to become the arc for the rest of the series, so I’m glad they have returned to it. Whilst it had felt like a sudden choice to attack Control when I was watching <b>Pressure Point</b>, on reflection I can see that it fits well into Blake’s wider plan - since the start of Series B - of making more significant hits against the Federation.<br />
<br />
In the end, I didn’t feel that engaged with this aspect of the story. There were some wonderful scenes in <b>Pressure Point</b> emphasising the importance of Control but we don't have that build up here. Provine is not the most vicious Federation officer we have encountered, which is a little surprising considering it was he who made the decision to wipe out the planet. I would have liked to have seen some cold-blooded first-degree murder. I couldn’t loathe him and I couldn’t sympathise with him either.<br />
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When we saw Provine ditching his now-dirty credentials, I thought he would try to take those of the more junior guard but instead he just sneaks off. Provine’s negotiation with the guerrilla who catches him trying to launch the getaway craft is probably his best scene as after the opening ones he has no other proper conversations with other characters. I thought he was going to persuade this guerrilla to join him as Provine gave a convincing argument and the guard seemed hesitant. But I mistook the guerrilla’s silent moments for thoughtful ones when they were in fact stubborn ones.<br />
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In his dying moments, Provine tells Blake where Control has been moved to. Why? He was dying and had literally nothing to lose. Unless that’s the reason: I’m inclined to think Provine is not meant to be the epitome of Federation evil. It’s arguable he had no choice but to set that bomb – what would his superiors have said if he had escaped without setting it? Following this, he only attempts to kill people when he is truly threatened, instead choosing to knock-out the young guerrilla woman and hide her in the secret tunnel.<br />
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<b>Avon and Grant</b><br />
Without a doubt, the most interesting strand of <b>Countdown </b>was the relationship between Avon and Del Grant. I was interested to discover why Grant would want to kill Avon and I liked that their story was drawn out across the episode. Upon us being introduced to Grant I thought he looked too nice to be a mercenary. Perhaps this is his great advantage for his chosen profession.<br />
<br />
Avon stands rather awkwardly when the two of them meet. I realised he was holding his fingers against his teleport bracelet, apparently nervous and ready for a quick getaway. I wondered if Avon had been partnered with Grant and had perhaps betrayed him for some reason. Yet this seemed un-Avon-like; he would just avoid partnering with anyone. We hear Grant’s side of the story first - that Avon caused a woman’s death – but we are forced to hold on to learn any more and the tension between them remains.<br />
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Grant is a lucky man as he’s the first non-Liberator crew member to wear one of the silver thermal suits. I think these are smashing and I love the idea of being able to adjust the temperature inside. However, they are a rather snug fit so I’m not sure how comfortable they would be – the crew never plan to wear them for long.<br />
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My favourite scenes from <b>Countdown </b>were those between Avon and Grant at the polar ice cap. For a start, it’s a super set. It’s lit well and I’m curious how they filmed it because the light looks so natural – like it’s coming through a transparent roof, rather than being lit solely by studio lights. The dripping icicles eventually become a heavy rainfall, accompanied by falling ice, and add to the mounting tension as the timer ticks down. I love how the two men are forced into close proximity, with one having to recount his loss and the other blinded by anger.<br />
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Avon sounds tired telling the story of Anna. He doesn’t want to drag up the memory, reliving it hurts and yet I think he has thought about it a lot in the past. It was fascinating watching and listening to him reveal a different side to himself. “If there had ever been a time when I could have given my own life to save her I would have done it,” he says. Avon has never looked willing to do that for anyone before.<br />
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The revelation that Anna was Grant’s sister is not especially shocking, yet it is treated like it should be. Grant doesn’t sound like a lover who lost, so the next obvious assumption is a sibling and my only minor gripe is that this information probably could have been brought in earlier.<br />
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Blake attempts to listen in during Avon and Grant’s first chat. Like us, he only hears part of the story. He tries to elicit more from Avon in Countdown’s final scene but is politely dismissed. I am glad that Avon doesn’t end up telling Blake about Anna. He could have shared it; such a history would have easily stopped any further accusations of him lacking emotions. But I don’t think this has ever been implied by Blake – Vila and Gan are the two I remember suggesting it. I was happy with Avon’s choice as this was something private and Avon has always been careful about when he chooses to display his emotions. It would also have been uncharacteristic for Blake and Avon to start having heart-to-hearts. The whole way this plot strand was constructed was an interesting approach to revealing more about our regular characters. It means that only we the audience have learned that Avon once loved someone.<br />
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<b>The name's Blake</b><br />
<br />
"I’m Blake. This is Avon and Vila."<br />
"Blake? You mean the Blake who’s been giving the Federation so much trouble?"<br />
<br />
I have a problem with this exchange and it's starting to become repetitive. Roj Blake is James Bond, an undercover man known everywhere. The entire universe now seems to know who Blake is and what he has been up to. A few episodes ago Servalan was told that people were talking about Blake and she seemed shocked, which was surprising - just how well did she think all his escapades could be kept from word of mouth? Blake now only has to say his name and he is instantly recognised. That everyone has heard of Blake is not surprising; that he is apparently the only Blake in the universe is, as is him still using his real name when he doesn't know if who he's speaking with is friend or foe. The Federation ought to get on to this. They merely have to send someone into a rebel hotspot, have him tell people he's Blake and it would be the easiest undercover infiltration of the year.<br />
<br />
Despite this niggle, I had an entire episode in which Blake was not a prick. Sure, I've warmed to him and like Blake a little now - his determination alone is impressive - but I still often get annoyed with his actions risking everyone's necks. Yet his plan to get all his crew out when the timer hit 50 is one of the most sensible he’s ever put forward. What’s more, he sticks to it, when earlier I would have expected him to push to the last seconds. Additionally, prior to Avon and Grant heading off, Blake warns Grant, “If anything happens to Avon, I will come looking for you.” I did not expect that.<br />
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While Blake and Avon's relationship in Series B has been more restrained than seen in Series A, there has still been an undercurrent of distrust there and plenty of scheming going on. Avon made his ideas for the Liberator's future clear to Blake in <b>Pressure Point</b>. Yet we've now gone from the aftermath of Gan's death in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-trial.html">Trial</a></b>, when Avon made it clear he would dissuade anyone from risking their liFE for Blake, to <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-hostage.html">Hostage </a></b>where Avon may have followed Blake to the planet to ensure he hurried back safely. Now, Blake is saying he would take revenge for Avon's death. What is happening? Is this loyalty? Do they both consider each other as part of their Liberator family now? Or do they simply see one another as useful? Possibly a little of both.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Do we need all the Liberator crew?</b><br />
Blake's passion is certainly useful and he's good at getting shit done when they team up with others. Avon's technical skills have been established as not just good but as second to none and <b>Countdown </b>is another episode to add to the list of those in which he comes out the greater hero, with him saving an entire planet's population. Vila spends plenty of time this week working on locks, something he's always proud of and often overlaps with Avon's expertise.<br />
<br />
Our three men all have practical attributes and skills, but the series continues to struggle to find anything for the women to do. Jenna’s characterisation as a pilot means she is only useful on the Liberator, while Cally’s interesting telepathic abilities have ultimately proved difficult to work into plots, though I’ve enjoyed it when they have. Recently it hasn’t made any difference though - she sensed Avon had done something in <b>Hostage </b>but couldn't be specific and didn’t act on it. Her knowledge ultimately had no bearing on the story at all.<br />
<br />
I put off pondering it last episode but... when did Jenna and Cally last leave the Liberator? Jenna last came off in <b>Pressure Point</b> and for Cally it was <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-horizon.html">Horizon</a></b>. The more I look, the more I see just how bad it is. Of the nine episodes so far this series, Jenna has left the Liberator during four and for Cally it's only three. Unless the Liberator is being attacked, they just have nothing to do but act as switchboard operators for the teleport.<br />
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<b>Dressed to kill</b><br />
I'm not expecting any new costumes for the regulars at this point in the series and am happy with the number of changing ones we've seen throughout the season. I may not be keen on all of them, but most are stunning in their way. There is certainly a firm colour scheme established for many of the regulars and I continue to like the green and browns picked for Blake. I wonder if it was intentional for those of the guerrillas’ uniforms to match this? The only other organised rebels we have met this series were those in <b>Pressure Point</b> and, thinking back, their camouflage army-style uniforms matched Blake's palette too.<br />
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<b>Countdown </b>is probably my lowest ranked episode of Series B so far, solely because I have had more enjoyment from all the others. Provine wandering around never seems a threat and I felt there should have been a brief recap on Control to bring in why Provine's knowledge was so vital. The bomb added little tension for the majority of the episode as we know our regulars can just teleport away. The only aspect I was gripped by was Grant and Avon. Even there, we learn something about Avon but practically nothing of Grant; he’s an anti-Federation mercenary who cares about the money enough to risk his life, and he had a sister who Avon loved – that’s it. Countdown was lacking and I'm satisfied with deeming it merely 'ok'.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-15273420810628280882019-12-19T22:26:00.000+00:002020-05-02T16:03:08.897+01:00Blake's 7 - Hostage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Hostage</b></div>
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"There's no need for violence, is there?"</div>
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<b>Hostage</b>’s title had me imagining one of the Liberator crew kidnapped, or even the ship itself, so the actual victim didn’t interest me very much. Yet <b>Hostage </b>is one of my favourite episodes so far this series as it took me through a variety of emotions and my mind whirred early on, trying to predict the next steps because I suspected Avon was up to something.<br />
<br />
<b>Battle stations!</b><br />
Maybe I should be getting tired of episodes opening with a cry of “Pursuit ships!” but as it’s always slightly different each time, I’m still finding it enormous fun. This battle was shocking as I don’t think I’ve ever felt that the crew were in such danger. We had explosions inside the Liberator! Clouds of coloured smoke! Surely they were close to being goners? Surely the Federation’s weapons had penetrated too deeply? Yet they seemed to recover and just about manage. <br />
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<br />
I was confused about the Liberator’s lack of detection shield until the dialogue cleared it up and the revelation that the Federation has their own makes me think there could be a few more sudden, sneaky battles. Avon’s comment that they lacked equipment to repair their own detection shield showed that the Liberator does not appear to have infinite supplies.<br />
<br />
We even gain a new Space Commander and though his stature is nowhere near as imposing as either of the Travises, I was prepared to accept this new appointment. But apparently Servalan’s patience for Space Commanders has worn much thinner and he’s out on his ear within minutes of losing the Liberator. Bad luck, mate.<br />
<br />
<b>Intrigue or Avon, you selfish bastard</b><br />
A lot of my whirring thoughts during <b>Hostage </b>consisted of trying to guess Avon’s plan. As soon as Servalan received the message that Travis was on Exbar, I worked out it must be Avon who sent it. After <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-trial.html">Trial</a></b>, there was no way Travis was going to be interested in getting back in her good books. Blake sprung to mind next but if he had sent it, he would be running a thousand miles and it would go right against his ‘know your enemy’ policy of keeping Travis around.<br />
<br />
So to Avon, who eventually confesses that he sent the message, anticipating Federation ships to arrive before Blake went down. However, this wasn’t what I thought he was doing. I thought he expected the ships to approach when Blake had gone down to Exbar, so the others would hurriedly recall him and they would all be on their merry way, or another thought was that he would use the ships’ arrival to force them to quickly flee, leaving Blake behind. Either way, I thought Avon was being a selfish bastard as sending that message was an incredibly risky thing to do. Sometimes Blake seems to relish the opportunity for a confrontation, while Avon attempts to do the "rational" thing. It was probably good to see Avon fail for a change as he's come out on top over Blake a few times this series, and I'm glad to see that even Avon's logical thought processes are human and fallible.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how much Cally's telepathy enabled her to know, but even if it didn't tell her anything, I think she had guessed that Avon had done something. I wonder whether it will impact anyone's trust in Avon. I'm doubtful - Blake has been doing things behind their backs all series so they must be used to people playing their own game by now.<br />
<br />
<b>Tension climbs alongside Blake</b><br />
I was curious that Avon suddenly decided to head down to Exbar after Blake. Did he feel responsible for letting him go alone? Aside from extra force or protection, there was no reason for Avon to go. Is it the old unofficial rule of no one heading out alone? Once he's seen the dodgy Uncle Ushton and knows Blake is in danger, it does make perfect sense to call Vila down.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely shot: Avon moves into a wide shot from offscreen left...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...then moves down into a medium close up</td></tr>
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<br />
With Blake caught, I was expecting a rescue operation, though it turns out this was unlikely to succeed; even if they are expecting some sort of trap, it's clear none of them expected literal ones. I actually laughed when Avon was scooped up in the net. To think of all the sophisticated systems that the Liberator crew, and Avon and Vila especially, have managed to get past, yet they are defeated incredibly easily by more primitive systems like the bear trap and the net.<br />
<br />
When Blake was brought in blindfolded, with his hands tied, I thought this was the most vulnerable he had ever been while so close to Travis. There is a certain irony that this is the first time Travis has caught Blake with no one there to prevent him killing him, yet he is choosing not to for a chance at the Liberator. Nonetheless, a rising panic was growing in me as I struggled to see a way out for Blake, Avon and Vila.<br />
<br />
The Crimos are an intriguing creation. Are these ordinary citizens that were identified at some stage or have they been specifically bred as criminal psychopaths? Although Travis has them as his henchmen, he's on the run now and I don't think it is explicitly said that the Crimos are used by the Federation. Are they an organised group among themselves or do you approach a mercenary agent to hire them?<br />
<br />
It was amusing to have this tension broken by Vila whimpering while Blake and Avon pondered their fates.<br />
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<br /></div>
<b>Avon </b>"At least we are still alive."<br />
<b>Blake </b>"For the time being."<br />
<b>Vila </b>"What does that mean?"<br />
<b>Avon </b>"These gentlemen do not mean us well. Or haven't you noticed?"<br />
<b>Vila </b>"W-why should they want to kill us?"<br />
<b>Blake </b>"Because they enjoy it."<br />
<b>Avon </b>"All we can hope for is that it's quick."<br />
<br />
I do always love how Paul Darrow keeps such a straight face and voice with these lines.<br />
<br />
<b>A mini climax - Be brave, Vila</b><br />
When Travis requests the weakest of the three crew members, I’m surprised he even needed to bother asking. He may only have had limited contact with Vila and Avon, but while the latter has been trigger-happy, Vila stood practically shaking in the background.<br />
<br />
I had never felt so sorry for Vila. He hadn’t wanted to come on this adventure in the first place, knows getting caught was his own fault and feels guilty for not keeping a proper watch for Avon. He's already had a knife waved in his face by Blake's uncle and managed to hold his nerve then, insisting he was the only one to follow Blake down. He looked so pitiful as he walked past a captured Avon, saying, "Sorry."<br />
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<br />
With the sweat dripping off him, Vila's scene with Travis was the most terrified I had ever seen him. I watched Travis interrogating him, willing our coward on throughout and whispering, “Be brave, Vila. Be brave!” But his fearful instinct won through and when I saw Jenna and Cally in danger, I then found myself annoyed with Vila. Avon's kick at him afterwards felt justified.<br />
<br />
Was that fair? Is it unreasonable to expect Vila to die for them? Vila himself points out to Travis, “You’re going to kill us anyway so why don't you get on with it!” I think that's the one line he says at all confidently. I wanted him to be able to make that sacrifice – just die a little sooner to save at least two of them. Vila probably wanted to be able to as well, but that desperate desire inside means most of us would do anything just to live a few more minutes.<br />
<br />
<b>Travis</b><br />
Brian Croucher's Travis continued to grow on me in Hostage and it was a great episode for him to be nasty. He gets to command the Crimos, as well as threaten people and try to kill them on a much larger scale than we have seen from his Travis so far.<br />
<br />
Whether it's just Croucher or a combination of him and the costume, he looks slimmer and less physically imposing compared to Stephen Grief. However, while Grief moved relatively slow, Croucher can be very still, then sometimes suddenly move off or turn around. Similarly, he generally speaks calmly at a normal volume, but will then loudly spit out lines. The script helps him with the interrogation of Vila. I like how he shouts, "Don't play the idiot with me!" then switches, to ask for "the word" and makes it sound like a simple, reasonable request.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed his scenes with Blake as well. He smiles and is taking great pleasure as he tries to goad Inga and Blake, telling them that Ushton has been helping him. He easily produces a response from Inga but still has to prod Blake.<br />
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<br />
<b>Travis </b>"Ushton betrayed you - you must hate him! I would in your place!"<br />
<b>Blake </b>"That is the difference between us, Travis."<br />
<br />
At which point Travis suddenly stands up and moves to smack Blake, catching himself as Blake leans back, delightfully adding, "That too." Blake has clearly had far too much practice at pushing buttons with Avon, while Travis must be a tad angry with himself for losing his temper.<br />
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<br />
I'm finding Travis an increasingly interesting character in this series. He was never one dimensional before, but we are getting curious little pieces added now.<br />
<br />
<b>Excitement - full climax</b><br />
It's full circle as we start with exciting action and end with it, only the second time around it's live-action instead of models. It's slightly annoying that Ushton manages to knock Travis out so easily, which kicks off this final segment. The more we see of Travis, the more ways we see him defeated and unfortunately that does impact the great unbeatable stature he had possessed throughout Series A.<br />
<br />
I don't even want to start keeping track of how many quarries the series has visited but the quota for Series B seems higher than Series A. It was only a matter of time before we saw our heroes moving polystyrene rocks, though not even that could spoil the fun as they took on the Crimos and Travis.<br />
<br />
Like many programmes with fantasy elements, <i>Blake's 7</i> gets away with its violence due to a lack of consequences - no Federation guard's guts get splattered with every shot of the Liberator guns and punch-ups never result in so much as a cut lip or black eye. I was therefore left shocked by Avon's bleeding arm wound. We see a trickle from one of the Crimo's heads too, though by the time he's got back to the Liberator Avon has a fair amount of red on him.<br />
<br />
Over in my <a href="https://www.transdiffusion.org/tv/back-in-time-for-tv/">Back in Time for TV</a> pieces, I've enjoyed seeing how television heroes began to appear more realistically vulnerable, progressing from undefeatable to increasingly damageable. As <i>Blake's 7</i> sits firmly in the fantasy camp, I certainly don't think it needs to do that to keep the audience's disbelief suspended. I think the development of several of the characters adds plenty of layers for anyone seeking more verisimilitude from their sci-fi, but it's intriguing to see this physical aspect included, however minor.<br />
<br />
I was impressed that the battle appears to have been filmed at dusk and by the time Servalan arrives night has fallen. From the programmes I've seen, night shoots have only gradually grown during the 1970s. This makes these scenes a refreshing change and I think they are shot well, with a variety of shot types too.<br />
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<br />
The only ones I'd consider changing are when we see the first shot of Travis's boots walking, which cuts to a close up of Travis as he stops, then very quickly to Servalan and the mutoid. I'm being incredibly picky, but I don't think we need to see Travis's face here as Brian Croucher has no time to offer a reaction. Instead, we should see his boots suddenly halting then cut to Servalan and the mutoid, so that we see why he's stopped, then we can cut to his reaction.<br />
<br />
<b>Girls on studio videotape</b><br />
Once again, Cally and Jenna are left behind on the Liberator, only getting some brief action when one of the Crimos comes aboard.<br />
<br />
The addition of Inga, Blake's cousin, to the cast is, well, shit as far as decent representation goes. She exists to be a noisy hostage who keeps trying to run away, with Blake kissing her at the end. Marvellously, Jenna looks livid as she witnesses this. It isn't a huge surprise that she holds something for Blake. Until he started confiding more in Cally, Jenna was the only crew member who was close with him and they have usually been in the same wavelength.<br />
<br />
Servalan remains the only female character to be given anything substantial. She gets a lovely scene with Kevin Stoney as a counsellor, who seems like an old friend of the Supreme Commander, though I must admit that I spent a lot of that scene just enjoying Kevin Stoney's voice. We then see her on a pursuit ship with mutoids. While the previous ones have all looked identical as young women with dark hair, these two are older, more middle-aged, with short blonde locks. I've imagined the mutoids as being made uniform during their creation so was curious to see a variation.<br />
<br />
It's interesting that Servalan chooses to travel personally to Travis but the failure of the new Space Commander must have made her realise that despite everything, you can't beat Travis for determination when it comes to chasing Blake across the universe. When she offers Travis an official death and freedom in exchange for Blake and the Liberator, her trip makes sense. <br />
<br />
I wasn't pleased with Servalan and Travis being reunited. I liked the possibilities posed by the end of <b>Trial </b>and this initially felt like a reset, so I was annoyed. However, after more thought, I've concluded that with Travis now entirely free of any Federation rules and procedures, he can do whatever he wants to pursue Blake. I would like it if he kept using Crimos as there seems more to be explored there. The one speaking Crimo in <b>Hostage</b>, Molok, is played by James Coyle, whose thin and very pale face made the character appear even stranger. I've always enjoyed Travis's own violent unpredictability and the Crimos would add to that. This series is taking so many twists and turns that I'm utterly giving up trying to second guess where <i>Blake's 7 </i>might go next.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-21470174401123728292019-12-10T18:52:00.001+00:002020-05-02T16:02:50.877+01:00Blake's 7 - Killer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Killer</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“That is self-interest - we need that crystal. Blake takes risks to help other people - sometimes people he doesn't even know.”</div>
<br />
After the events of <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-pressure-point.html">Pressure Point</a></b> and <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/12/blakes-7-series-b-trial.html">Trial </a></b>especially I was excited to continue Series B, although <b>Killer</b> ended up a more isolated episode compared to the last few. Knowing Robert Holmes as a <i>Doctor Who</i> writer, including one of my favourite stories, I was confident I was going to see something good though and I ended up being impressed by a <i>Blake’s 7</i> episode constructed differently.<br />
<br />
Several of this series’ episodes have started with shots of Blake looking concerned or pensive on the bridge. Instead, <b>Killer </b>begins with Cally learning how to use the teleporter – I’m unsure why Avon and Vila decided to stand with their backs to her – and we don’t see Blake for a few minutes. I’m not sure how many variations of ‘thinking Blake’ we can have so it’s good to skip that as it brings Vila and Avon to the forefront immediately for this story, as well as enabling us to crack on very quickly. The show has always made a lot of use of the Liberator sets each episode – I’ve always assumed that the budget encouraged this – yet we seemed to spend relatively little time there during <b>Killer</b>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What the plot – do we need all the Liberator crew?</b><br />
Team Avon-Vila's mission is to get a crystal that will enable the Liberator to decode Federation messages, but it gets derailed when they discover Avon's old friend has contacted the Federation to rat them out. Meanwhile, Blake has come to the same facility (another lovely industrial complex) after spotting an ancient spaceship nearby. It becomes a race against time when a plague starts spreading.<br />
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<br />
I was intrigued by Zen throughout the last series and it became enjoyable to rage against him. Yet with <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-series-b-redemption.html">Redemption</a></b> removing all the Liberator’s mystery, Zen has lost all his personality. It no longer feels legitimate to count him as a member of Blake’s 7, if it ever did. And after all the build-up at the end of Series A, Orac hasn’t had much impact, except for in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-shadow.html">Shadow</a></b>. With Gan gone as well, it’s more like Blake’s 5 now.<br />
<br />
Numerous stories have struggled to find something for all the crew to do, with us often having a Liberator subplot or just cutaways so characters get a few lines. Without totting it up, I know it’s the women who have tended to be left behind and Jenna especially loses out on any action, which has felt like an even greater shame since we saw her kick arse in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-bounty.html">Bounty</a></b>.<br />
<br />
Robert Holmes didn’t attempt to find any additional plot for Cally and Jenna, constructing almost the entire episode around the three remaining blokes, and I think it’s the key aspect that enabled me to enjoy <b>Killer </b>so much. Another writer would have been tempted to create another plotline and squeeze the others, or else bring the two women to the planet. But there is no need – we don’t require any more characters for Team Avon-Vila's mission nor Blake's investigation. There are brief returns to the Liberator, mainly for Blake to get information from Zen and Orac, but otherwise we stay in the facility. This was a superb decision; it enables the story to have two plots that are both substantial enough to run almost entirely separately and makes room for decent contributions from our guest actors.<br />
<br />
I love that these two plotlines are so separate, and Team Avon-Vila barely interact with Blake. They don’t even share any scenes in person until the end of the episode, with only the briefest of radio communication over the teleport bracelets. It’s only when the effects of the disease outbreak began to spread that Avon realises he can take advantage of it for his and Vila’s mission.<br />
<br />
Apart from <b>Redemption</b>, every episode this season has directly related to the Federation and the Liberator crew’s resistance plans. We have been missing something else like <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-web.html">The Web</a></b> or <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-mission-to-destiny.html">Mission to Destiny</a></b> with a ‘discovery’ plot, where the crew just stumble across something. Blake’s curiosity in Killer gives us a strand of that, while Avon and Vila’s mission still relates to the overall arc as well as providing a good reason for the crew to be there in the first place.<br />
<br />
Neither Blake nor Avon seem particularly interested in what the other is up to. Blake appears happy to leave Avon and Vila alone and perhaps because he has found something else to do, he doesn't insist they wait on the ship. Avon is used to Blake's whims now, remarking to Vila, "As long as he doesn't mess up our job I don't care what he does."<br />
<br />
<b>Team Avon and Vila</b><br />
The Avon and Vila pairing became very enjoyable during Series A, so to essentially get given an entire episode of them seemed a fantastic gift because I did feel there had been slightly less of this in Series B.<br />
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One moment I liked between the two of them involved no exchange of dialogue. After examining the crystal, Avon tells Tynus he will need more than the 10 minutes that a fire alert will give them, but Tynus is unmoved, saying 10 minutes is all they've got. Vila glances over at Avon, simply offering a look that says, "Do something." Avon fiercely grabs Tynus's shoulder and pulls him back, insisting, "Tynus, you will give us all the time we need." It's a good Nasty Avon moment and when they brawl later we are reminded that Avon is a decent fighter.<br />
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Vila’s cowardice offers some advantages in that he is usually cautious, prefers to be sure of everything first, and can be observant. I loved that after all the emphasis about only having 10 minutes to steal the crystal (and that barely being enough), it’s only when Avon and Vila get in the room and the fire alarm is sounding that Vila pipes up, asking why they need to bother waiting for a replacement crystal. Avon’s incredulous, livid face practically screams, “Why are you asking this now, Vila?!” Instead, he hurriedly explains that the Federation would quickly work out that the Liberator had stolen it.<br />
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While there are many comic moments between them to enjoy, I also liked their chat about Blake.<br />
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<b>Vila </b>"You don't have much time for Blake, do you?<br />
<b>Avon </b>"I could never stand heroes."<br />
<b>Vila </b>"A quarter of a million volts and you're putting your hand in?"<br />
<b>Avon </b>"Ah, but that is self-interest - we need that crystal. Blake takes risks to help other people - sometimes people he doesn't even know. One day that great big bleeding heart of his will get us all killed."<br />
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I do adore Avon's cynical attitude, even when and possibly because I’m agreeing with him. The way he adds "people he doesn't even know" makes it sound like the most absurd, incredulous thing. He accepts Blake's innate heroism, but I'm not sure he understands it. I also appreciate Avon's refusal to call himself a hero. He recognises self-preservation as normal and natural, while Blake's risks are unnecessary.<br />
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The final addition to the above dialogue on Blake has Vila adding, "Unless somebody ditches him first," to which Avon simply gives a blank look and Vila smiles. It's hard to make anything of it, except that Blake clearly isn't the only one to realise Avon might get rid of him. Is Vila on Avon's side or is it just a knowing I’ve-cottoned-on-to-you smirk? Vila has perhaps been the closest with Avon, though that's not saying much. Pre-Pressure Point, I would still have expected Vila to remain loyal to Blake as he's spoken up for him in the past, but there is none of that here and the last two episodes have left me so unsure of everyone. Part of me is starting to expect Avon to do something more concrete to push out Blake, while another just thinks it's the writers and/or Chris Boucher as script editor having fun.<br />
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<b>The invisible enemy</b><br />
The more Blake's plotline developed, the more involved with it I became. I just hadn't expected it to become so fleshed out. I thought he would pop by then soon meet up with Avon and Vila because <i>Blake's 7</i> has never done anything like this before - the crew always end up working together, with one main plot possibly supported by a smaller one. Yet the two end up equal here.<br />
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We have met people with varying degrees of loyalty to the Federation, but I love that these scientists care more about their work than about the Federation finding them out. I don’t think we have ever seen people so readily dismiss the prospect of facing the Federation’s justice system. These guys have no hesitation and after Blake has told them who he is, happily cry, “Who?” With deep care for their work and an intrinsic curiosity, they are playing the game - to conduct research you must be friends with whoever is in charge, and they understand that this means sucking up to the totalitarian regime.<br />
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At first, it appears we are going to get a rogue alien/monster killing everyone and crikey, the sudden movement of that corpse made me jump a mile! The episode still turns into a base-under-siege story, but having an invisible killer is a nice twist.<br />
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<b>Guests</b><br />
Paul Daneman plays Dr Bellfriar and I really enjoyed him. By the end, I felt my stomach drop as he is trying to read out the antidote formula but realises: "I've forgotten how to read it." I cried out, “Ah, no!” It was such a perfectly done moment to show a man who knows he is about to die, unable to save everyone else.<br />
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Over in Team Avon-Vila's mission, Ronald Lacey plays Tynus, an old friend of Avon's. I am most familiar with him as Harris, a greasy thief in <i>Porridge</i>, but he also plays an old university friend of Siegfried's in an episode of <i>All Creatures Great and Small</i> in which they both get stupendously drunk at the races. As such, seeing him as the much more refined-looking Tynus was a startling difference and I enjoyed seeing such a different performance from him. He fears the Federation’s reach and is nervous about his old partner in crime’s threats, but he still exudes a degree of confidence and goes down with a fight. Vila even suggests that Tynus was probably planning to kill Avon before he could tell the Federation about his dirty past.<br />
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<b>Backstory bits</b><br />
There are little bits of backstory we get out of Team Avon-Vila's mission. The reason they have come to this planet for the crystal is that Avon knows one of the commanders, Tynus. It's odd to think of Avon having friends and he is probably stretching the term. Their conversations imply that Tynus was part of the 100,000 credits bank job that Avon got caught for and led to him being sent to Cygnus Alpha. He claimed he got caught because "he relied on other people", making it rather surprising that he has chosen to trust Tynus to help them. Clearly Avon did not know his partner well enough then nor now; Tynus escaped punishment and Avon's back-up persuasion plan is threatening to grass him up, which does not seem to bother Tynus, who promptly messages the Federation.<br />
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I think it's been mentioned before that there are areas of the universe that remain unknown, but the plague plotline gave us the <i>Blake's 7</i> universe's equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. I love the idea that there are still great unknowns all these years in the future - and we do have a more accurate idea of how many years now, with Blake describing the mysterious ship as around 700 years old. Supposing the 1979 production expected deep space exploration to be within, say, 50 years, then a rough guess puts <i>Blake's 7</i> in the 27th century. It's a recurring theme in science fiction, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the notion that an alien species had identified humanity as the universe's greatest threat and had taken such drastic measures to wipe them out.<br />
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In tinier snippets, Vila later discovers a copy of the message Tynus sent, which led me to guess that the Federation uses a fax system. We also learn that Vila is a vegetarian.<br />
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<b>Design disasters</b><br />
I have to mention the ponchos. These plastic brown cloaks are one of the worst pieces of design in the series so far. To blend in, Avon and Vila don them too so they are on screen a lot. Aesthetics aside, my biggest bugbear is that their shininess causes frequent reflections and flare-ups on the screen. You can't just stick anything in front of a television video camera. Sensible people will avoid moving flames because these also cause flares. In the case of these cloaks, every time a character moves and catches the light in the wrong way, we get a flare. The scientists wear similar ones in white, which while not ideal, appear with far less movement so don't have as much an impact. These flares did become annoying because they were distracting when everything going on around it was <i>so good</i>.<br />
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I will hope for more from Robert Holmes. I found <b>Killer </b>enormous fun as it's a tight, fast-moving script with such a different setup for the characters. I feel slightly bad that I didn’t miss seeing much of Cally and Jenna, but there is no requirement to love all characters equally. The series has never given the female characters much room - it's felt like box-ticking at times - and Blake, Avon and Vila have been my favourites for a while. I’ve loved the pairing of Avon and Vila since the second half of the last series and to get so much felt like a real treat. The episode ends neatly; Avon had earlier shown disdain to Blake for being a hero and in the end he gets to look like one because of Avon. The two of them clash as Avon wants to let the Federation arrive to become infected by the plague, while Blake insists on broadcasting a warning that will prevent the disease leaving the planet and wiping out the entire of humanity. Blake deserves that one.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-16741772064656602162019-12-02T21:45:00.001+00:002020-05-02T16:01:41.981+01:00Blake's 7 - Trial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Trial</b></div>
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"You're not going to use me anymore."</div>
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<b>Trial </b>was an odd experience in that I had never felt so indifferent about what the Liberator crew were up to. You could have chopped the regulars out, stuck all the Space Command scenes together, and I would probably have been happy with a half-hour episode that didn't feature the Liberator crew until the final five minutes.<br />
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<b>Do we need the Liberator crew?</b><br />
The Liberator’s activities are a sideshow compared to the episode’s main event – it’s even in the title! It didn’t take long to realise the production wanted an episode to move along Servalan and Travis’s stories but still needed to find something for the main cast to do. I’m not sure we have had an episode where so few of the crew have been off the Liberator, and I don’t think it matters. Blake’s little adventure on the planet is filler and though I didn’t find it dull, it did seem pointless. Maybe the climate change parallels didn’t seem so stark in 1979.<br />
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Blake’s reason for going was for some solo contemplation so if he did have to meet someone, I would have liked it to link to the rest of the plot, with him seriously trying to decide whether he should carry on. <b>Trial </b>would have possibly worked better as a Blake-lite episode. Just have him disappear to the planet and have the tension come from the uncertainty of whether he and the other crew will choose to keep the rendezvous. Maybe Chris ‘Many Plots’ Boucher wasn’t prepared to give <i>Blake’s 7</i>’s eponymous lead such a small role in any episode.<br />
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I’m torn on this though as I think the scenes at Space Command headquarters work well because they are all a good length. It’s easy for courtroom scenes to get dull and repetitive. Along with the scenes in Servalan’s office, we are essentially just watching people sat around talking. Similarly, the only reason the Liberator crew must jump into any action on board is that they realise Blake’s bollocksed and going to drown on the planet. Therefore, without that little ‘filler’ plot, Chris Boucher would have had to expand those Space Command scenes and provide more in-depth debate among Jenna, Cally, Vila and Avon. I’m not sure this would have made a balanced episode as the only real excitement and action would have come at the end, with no growth to the climax.<br />
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<b>Do we need Blake?</b><br />
I struggled to work Blake out during <b>Trial</b>. For a moment, I thought: what if he actually does leave them? I hadn't expected us to lose a regular character barely midway through a series and now it feels like the show might do anything. That's wonderfully exciting.<br />
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Blake's voice message was convincing, but I’ve previously thought what Avon voices here – Blake feels guilty, and this drives him more than real care for his friends lives because the cause has always been more important. Yet I am no longer sure.<br />
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What would Blake have done if the crew had decided to leave him on that planet? He gave them that option and if they had done, his cause would have been lost. Why give them that if he wasn't prepared to give up everything for them?<br />
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Yet maybe he is as deceitful as Avon believes. I struggled to believe that the passionate, determined man I have watched up to now would be willing to stop fighting just because of one, albeit close, casualty. Maybe Blake is also very arrogant, so was convinced the others would never actually leave him, and only wanted it to look like he was giving them a choice about their future. Whatever Blake decides is normally what they end up doing. With Cally as his only confidant for recent plans, he may have perceived the unhappy rumblings within the rest of the crew. It is possible he believed giving them a choice for once would placate everyone. Well, everyone except Avon.<br />
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<b>Not one of your followers</b><br />
I enjoyed Avon and Blake's private chat in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-pressure-point.html">Pressure Point </a></b>and they have a couple in <b>Trial </b>as well. There was no time to dwell on Gan’s death at the end of <b>Pressure Point</b> but I would have been surprised if Avon hadn't made some remarks eventually. I rewound a few times because I adored watching Avon's stony exterior as he riled the already highly-strung Blake. While the two of them often push one another's buttons, Avon essentially says here that he will encourage the others to leave Blake to die!<br />
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<b>Avon </b>"It occurs to me that if you run into trouble, one of your followers, one of your three remaining followers, might have to risk his neck to rescue you."<br />
<b>Blake </b>"Then you must advise them against that, Avon.<br />
<b>Avon </b>"Oh I will."<br />
<b>Blake </b>"They might even listen to you this time."<br />
<b>Avon </b>"Why not? After all, I don't get them killed."<br />
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Avon's words have certainly been considered and calculated - he does not include himself in Blake's number of followers. It's a nice couple of little digs one after the other. Avon's utter stillness was a tad unsettling and Blake looks like he has been on edge for a while. It’s important to pick up that Avon doesn't actually want Blake dead - he just doesn't want anyone to die for him. It would have been relatively easy to leave Blake to die on that planet when things started to go wrong, but I think Avon must see the advantages of Blake being around. He may dislike how Blake goes about things, but Avon isn't keen on the Federation either and probably still wants his idea from <b>Pressure Point </b>to go ahead: Blake will leave the Liberator to lead an organised rebellion movement and the ship can become his.<br />
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<b>Follow the leader?</b><br />
Gan's death is used as the driver for the events here, although I don’t think it needed to be - Blake’s adventure on the planet is incidental compared to the deliberations back on the ship. I would have liked to have seen more debate among the crew, but they do all seem to have similar feelings. At one time Jenna would have jumped to Blake’s defence and loudly insist they stay but there is none of that from anyone. They are all questioning whether they are doing the right thing.<br />
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I’m pleased that <i>Blake’s 7</i> has addressed this. There has never been any real debate about what their purpose should be. Apart from Avon, none of the crew has ever questioned if they could do anything besides this crusade against the Federation. Following <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-cygnus-alpha.html">Cygnus Alpha</a></b>, everyone has been willing to give Blake the benefit of the doubt at least. This didn't have to have come about because of Gan's death as I think the powerful shock of that empty room was enough. If Control is what they need to bring down the Federation, how are they ever going to find it now?<br />
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When Blake returns, Avon makes a point of telling him that his crew nearly abandoned him. I think, like their conversation in <b>Pressure Point</b>, Avon wants to ensure Blake realises he is not indispensable as a leader. Despite the humour of Avon telling Vila that while Vila is following Blake, Avon is being led by him, I think there is a difference. They may all originally have been following Blake but the dynamic on board has begun to change. The hesitation of everyone demonstrates they may be willing to be led by someone else.<br />
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Avon now carefully chooses his moments alone with Blake to deliver these comments that are designed to knock him down a peg or two, as well as reinforcing Blake's guilt. The others may have jumped in to tell Avon that his digs about Gan were harsh or that they were never really going to leave Blake. Regardless of whether they meant it, it would bolster Blake and Avon's words would lose some of their impact. I wonder if this is strategic of Avon, to make Blake doubt himself and ultimately hurry up in leaving them.<br />
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We get our best Paul Darrow grin for a while when Jenna asks Avon, "What would you know about guilt?" and he replies, "Only what I've read!" Avon is a little too confident about how much emotions affect him, turning Series A's 'machine' comments on their head, but I think he may just have been lucky so far.<br />
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<b>Travis's trial</b><br />
Despite only having appeared in a couple of episodes so far this series, Servalan and Travis’s relationship has clearly developed since Series A. She’s always been delightfully evil but this felt a new low. As she and the Major were speaking, my brain was wracking who could be on trial, and when I established it couldn’t be Blake, I knew it must be Travis.<br />
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We learn bits and pieces from the conversations of the assessors (including lovely nuggets like the poor food quality of Space Command) and they think that Servalan wants Travis dead so he can’t spill her secrets. When we also learn that there is an upcoming enquiry into “the Blake affair”, this makes slightly more sense. They reckon Travis would now be more willing to speak against her if they postponed his execution until after the inquiry. My query is: would Travis have condemned Servalan if she hadn’t managed to put him on trial? What secrets of hers would he be spilling to the Federation that he wasn’t part of himself?<br />
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In their earlier appearances, I had assumed that all their plans were Federation-sanctioned, but it became clear that this has not always been the case so Travis may have quite a bit to reveal. Space Commanders cannot simply ‘disappear’ though, hence the trial. Despite that cool exterior, Servalan must have become concerned to risk going through with this.<br />
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Travis’s genocide was mentioned when we were first introduced to the character and it appeared that Servalan had managed to make this investigation disappear because she felt he would be useful. Maybe Travis has now simply outlived his usefulness. He’s had Blake cornered on several occasions and had him slip through his fingers. This has rarely actually been Travis’s fault and indeed, the end of <b>Pressure Point </b>was arguably Servalan’s own fault for getting caught by Jenna.<br />
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If Servalan wanted to replace Travis, she couldn’t dismiss him and have him walk away with all that knowledge of their illegal actions. This feels like such a shift from those scenes in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-deliverance.html">Deliverance </a></b>when she was relaxed, had him in the palm of her hand, and confided to him about her dastardly plot to obtain Orac. Even with all the evidence so far, I think I have probably underestimated Servalan’s evilness. I presumed some degree of loyalty between her and Travis. She could have dismissed him after <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-project-avalon.html">Project Avalon</a></b>, she could have got rid of him after Orac, yet instead reconvened with him after his mysterious “conditioning”, which I have always thought she must have had a hand in. Perhaps she already felt he knew too much then, but still had hope he could stop Blake.<br />
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<b>Travis's humanity</b><br />
Prior to <b>Trial</b>, I considered Travis the more brutal of the two, but in Series B we have seen more of them both and there is something redeemable within Travis. We saw it in <b>Deliverance </b>when he was initially hesitant about ruining the surgeon who repaired his hand. It was a brief hesitation, but it was there.<br />
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In <b>Trial</b>, we see a small bond between the Federation Trooper who had fought under Travis during the genocide, and who smuggles him a hipflask. When Travis comes to escape, he and the Trooper both seem willing to shoot one another but Travis clearly doesn’t want to and ultimately chooses not to kill the man, instead karate chopping him unconscious. Why? Why not just shoot him? The Trooper had said that Travis never showed care for his men – his respect was due to Travis being a good fighter. Yet it appears Travis does have a tiny ounce of selfless humanity in him.<br />
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For anyone else, a demonstration that they aren't a complete psychopath would be a Very Good Thing. However, for Travis I think this could be a weakness and Servalan is good at exploiting people's weaknesses.<br />
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<b>The Federation</b><br />
We haven't seen a great deal of the Federation's internal workings. We've heard about them but apart from tons of dispensable guards, the Federation's hierarchy has been represented only by Servalan. As such, it's been relatively easy to just stamp it all as evil. Yet in <b>Trial </b>I got the impression that the Federation began with good intentions, yet its corruption became so widespread that it inevitably went irretrievably wrong, until such things became normal.<br />
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There is a trial and unlike Blake's, it doesn't look like a foregone conclusion. The assessors are frustrated that Servalan seems able to get away with doing whatever she wants. They judge that Travis definitely is a terrible person, and, something that I found surprising, say that the Federation don't want people like that representing them. Penal colonies, slave labour, a Big Brother society - fine, but blatant genocide is a step too far. I still don't doubt that the Federation as a governing system is bloody horrific, but there do appear to be people within it who are trying to do good-ish things. After this episode, it looked as though the Federation may be dreadful, but Servalan is downright appalling. I'm not set on this at all and look forward to seeing how it plays out further.<br />
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<b>Dastardly design</b><br />
I know the Federation may be the greatest source of evil in the <i>Blake's 7 </i>universe, but it does also possess some superb designers. I am a big fan of the logo of the Federation and the series. However, last series the version on the guards' uniform was incredibly naff and looked like it had been sellotaped on their chests. Thankfully, this has now been rectified and it looks much smarter.<br />
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If this impressed me, I was even more thrilled when the assessors turned up for the trial sporting <i>silver </i>Federation logos. SILVER. I thought they were gorgeous. And John 'I say, I say' Savident is here to wear one. Are there other variations? Are there gold logos for higher ranking people? Is it purely for official events like trials and ceremonies? Can I get one?<br />
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I would also be happy to possess the trial room. I love how the silver, white and black complements the uniforms of the assessors. I like that the room is not simply round or square but both its shape and the furnishings are constructed around semi-circle and curved designs. The assessors sit on a raised area with a silver, almost dripping, effect behind them. Everything looks open and bright, yet the accused sits in the middle of the room, with everything built to look at them, judging.<br />
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I like the symmetry going on with the white and coloured pedestals on each side - I think these were used to accept evidence. This is also present in the lovely black chairs on white, round platforms, which are extended versions of Travis's single black chair. That curved high back looks great.<br />
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<b>Winners and losers</b><br />
Series A often felt triumphant. The Liberator crew were knocking little chunks out of the Federation and it was such a joy as <i>Blake’s 7 </i>established the regime’s vileness so quickly. Yet these were mere flesh wounds and in contrast, Series B has shown how hard it is to have any larger, significant impact against the Federation. It feels so far-reaching, impenetrable, and, I keep coming back to that word – invulnerable. Blake especially has realised the importance of having a more organised rebellion, but <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-shadow.html">Shadow</a></b>, <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-horizon.html">Horizon </a></b>and <b>Pressure Point</b> have been repeated knock-backs. It must be increasingly detrimental for their morale. At this point, <b>Trial </b>is a well-placed episode for everyone to stop and consider whether they should go on. As this appears to be settled, I will be interested to see if Blake looks to alter his strategy. While they do all appear willing to continue for now, I am not sure everyone shares Blake’s passion – it really is an obsession, and his complex history with the Federation likely means his dedication to its destruction will always be the strongest.<br />
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I was incredibly excited by the end of <b>Trial</b>. Well, not the very end - this is the second episode that has ended with the crew laughing together and it's nastily cringey. My brain has lingered on the scene when Travis burst into Servalan's office. I never expected to be cheering Travis on but I was so bloody pleased. Although we had seen their relationship change this series, I hadn't been expecting it to develop so quickly and I wouldn't have predicted them to part ways either. This really is grim for Blake, who doesn't even know about it yet! He will now be pursued by two enemies. Travis may not be as creatively-vile as Servalan every day of the week, but it's different when it comes to Blake. I cannot wait to see the next time they meet, with Travis completely unrestrained from Servalan and the Federation. I'm also excited to see how this situation develops - will Servalan care more about capturing Blake or Travis?<br />
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<br />H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-16760240618137091452019-11-24T17:04:00.001+00:002020-05-02T16:01:07.698+01:00Blake's 7 - Pressure Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Pressure Point</b></div>
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"It is a challenge!"</div>
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After a few episodes from other writers, I felt bad that the appearance of Terry Nation’s name in <b>Pressure Point</b>’s titles sent a pang of disappointment through me. I had been enjoying different types of episodes and didn’t want that unknown variety to end. <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/10/blakes-7-series-b-weapon.html">Weapon </a></b>and <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/11/blakes-7-series-b-horizon.html">Horizon </a></b>had both impressed me, so Terry was going to have to seriously up his game.<br />
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<b>Back to Earth with bloody Blake</b><br />
Although there have been times when Jenna seemed the closest crew member to Blake, Cally is emerging as a confidant. At the start of <b>Pressure Point,</b> she is the only one who appears to be aware of his full plans for returning to Earth. Avon had suspicions but everyone else expected them to merely take a nearby look at the Federation's defences.<br />
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This secretiveness of Blake's has always annoyed me and is why I will continue to curse him. The crew should be equals and I think he should be completely open with them. I have made my efforts with Blake and have felt less disgruntled with him in Series B, but these actions make me distrustful of him. Nonetheless, I do understand his reasoning for hiding his true intentions on this occasion. The others would never have agreed to return to Earth in the way he has planned, but now that they are actually so close and he has established plans with a resistance group, all of them come around to the idea.<br />
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Blake has never had to convince all the crew to take part in a mission before – there have always been a few of them, usually Jenna and Gan, who are happy to do whatever he suggests. That every one of them is against it demonstrates how ludicrously dangerous it is and also that there is only so far that the loyalty of even the most loyal can stretch.<br />
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I may dislike Blake at times, I may think he can be an arse, but he remains a superb character to watch and I adored Gareth Thomas in the opening scene. He wonderfully showcases Blake's passion and determination: "I want to hit at the heart and the heart of the Federation is Earth!" This works even better next to the lacklustre attitudes of the others. Avon may afford him a sarcastic little clap, but I loved watching Blake eulogise about the importance of attacking Control - "It's a challenge!" Cally is the only one who is interested and she clearly knows little about it compared to the others. The assertion that the Federation "advertised" its existence is a massive alarm bell, as it appears the Federation has complete confidence in its impregnability.<br />
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Despite all this, Blake convincingly conveys why they need to attack Control: "All the might and the power of the Federation is represented by Control. While it exists, the Federation is invulnerable!"<br />
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<b>I want it all</b><br />
At first, it appears that Avon might not join the others in agreeing to Blake's plan, though he soon says he will. The chat between Avon and Blake on the sofas was fascinating. They spent Series A scheming and plotting everything out in their heads, yet now feel able to be more open; it didn't take much prodding from Blake for Avon to reveal his thoughts. I felt a tension to their discussion but nothing either of them said seemed to take the other by surprise. Avon predicts that if Blake's plan is a success, the resistance movement on Earth will need a leader and Blake is the natural choice. This would leave the Liberator free for Avon.<br />
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I'm not entirely sure what Avon would do with himself if he had the Liberator and/or a crew for it. I know he ideally wants to be able to roam freely without constantly looking over his shoulder for Federation pursuit ships. If Blake's resistance movement was keeping them occupied, Avon would probably have that. Avon likes being challenged, he likes solving problems, he likes exercising his intelligence and technological skills. I am not sure how great a leader he would be. After what he's got up to as part of the Liberator crew, I imagine going back to robbing banks may seem below par. The only concrete desire he expressed was in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-breakdown.html">Breakdown </a></b>when he tried to join the research organisation. Will that still satisfy him now that he's been through a bit more freedom fighting or does he need something with more action? Perhaps while the Federation has any power the events of <b>Breakdown </b>and <b>Horizon </b>have made the idea of remaining in a single place less attractable.<br />
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The Liberator is an extremely powerful and advanced ship - maybe that is enough for Avon to play with. "Sooner or later I will have my chance," he tells Blake. It's a slight threat. "There's no hurry," Blake responds, and I struggled to work out what he meant. This is one of the most reasonable discussions they have had and their great clashes from Series A have truly mellowed - I do miss that a little. Perhaps Blake means that he will eventually be happy to hand over the Liberator. After all, his goal is to destroy the Federation so what use would he have of the ship once that is achieved?<br />
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Blake's long-term ideas do not seem concrete. When Avon tells him he is the most likely leader for a revolt, his answer is, "Perhaps..." This modesty is surprising. Blake so easily assumed the leadership of the Liberator and is the most ardent enthusiast for attacking the Federation that I assumed he would jump at the chance to lead a properly organised movement against it. What is making him hesitate? We have started to see how much his name has spread across the planets and how much people admire him. Why is he unsure of himself? Is he starting to feel the pressure of leadership?<br />
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<b>One vision</b><br />
Blake’s plan to attack the Federation’s central monitoring complex looks suicidal from the outset. As the episode progresses, the odds are increasingly bleak. The crew’s provision for helping him is that they will pull out if there is less than an even chance. Even as Blake was agreeing to this condition, I was sceptical that he would stick to it, however, I was imagining they would all be on the ground together and he could be forced into pulling out. After Blake and Gan discover the resistance group’s sole survivor, Veron, Blake chooses to carry on, lying to the others by not revealing what has happened. Vila and Avon are immediately suspicious so perhaps they are learning from Blake. He only tells them what he needs to in order to get his own way. I thought this was a scummy, selfish move on Blake’s part, as they have gone from having an army to support them, back to going it alone, something the crew would not have agreed to.<br />
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<b>What the plot</b><br />
I found <b>Pressure Point</b> good fun overall, though there were some plot elements that jarred. We had heard Servalan telling the mutoids to take Veron so when Blake and Gan found her, I knew it must be a trap of some sort. This is a fairly easy one for the audience to figure out, though impossible for the two crew. We have seen robots and clones, though it seemed too little time to produce one of these, so I assumed some type of brainwashing. It slipped my mind that they might just have blackmailed her. They should have become suspicious when she seemed baffled by the word 'teleporter' - even if it is only a reality for the Liberator, I am doubtful that it had fallen out of fictional use and no other <i>Blake's 7</i> characters have been confused by it.<br />
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After being trapped in the cave, the crew’s escape then seemed a little too easy. They spent all of five minutes trying to get out! Surely Travis should have been standing by much closer.<br />
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As the audience had witnessed the earlier destruction of two resistance members, there were definitely some nerves when the crew came to cross the minefield. As one of the episode's opening scenes, I let out a number of surprised expletives as the two men were blown up. I continue to be impressed with the kind of violence that <i>Blake's 7</i> manages. Yet despite the initial challenge, it didn’t take Avon long to overcome the defences by simply shooting at it. These obstacles consist of strips on the ground, vaguely resembling a motherboard but mostly they reminded me of rainbow belt sweets. I thought the self-repairing function of the strips was marvellous. Running the film backwards is a simple enough technique but I thought it was a clever idea that looked realistic and was therefore really effective.<br />
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I can brush past these minor aspects. The deceit with Veron was obvious to the audience but not the characters, and if the episode had spent too long in the cave or overcoming the minefield I would probably be moaning that it was dragged out and dull. However, the plot’s final conclusion was frustrating.<br />
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<b>Let me out</b><br />
Terry Nation has spent the episode getting Blake inside Control so he can fall into Travis’s trap. Having done so, Terry Nation now has a problem. There are only a few minutes left but we can’t end on a cliffhanger (we haven't so far, so let's presume not for now), therefore Terry needs to get everyone out. Cue Jenna with a gun to Servalan for a sudden rescue. We haven’t seen Jenna since she teleported from the Liberator – I don’t think we even saw her get down and safe. How did she even get inside Control? How did she find Servalan? How did she get past the guards or any other defences? I felt cheated.<br />
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The crew have had a last-minute win against Travis several times under Terry Nation and I've generally been happy with them. The endings to both <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/08/blakes-7-project-avalon.html">Project Avalon</a></b> and <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-orac.html">Orac </a></b>humiliated Travis so were immensely satisfying. The sudden reprieve in <b>Orac </b>worked because we had cut back to the other crew so much during the episode, and we did actually see Vila and Avon come down. The rescue in <b>Pressure Point</b> is similar, with an extra crew member appearing to turn a gun on Travis and Servalan. It makes me wonder whether scenes of Jenna arriving on Earth had to be cut for timing - this is a pretty packed episode.<br />
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<b>We are the champions</b><br />
If <b>Pressure Point </b>had ended there in that empty room after Travis had appeared, it would have been perfect. I was so pleased with that. The twist of that empty cavernous room and its stunning silence was lovely. Blake had been so sure and spent a year building up towards this, convinced it was the way to knock a significant chunk out of the Federation's power. The sheer determination in Blake is evident in the moments before they enter as he furiously tells Vila that he has to get them in. They have overcome both the above and underground defences, the resistance movement risked their lives to help them and Blake had promised to get everyone out if it looked too bad. Now it looks disastrous and Travis and the mutoids have been racing what feels like mere inches behind them.<br />
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The mighty Travis has had a bad run of luck against Blake, to the extent that it was beginning to look too easy to defeat him. Travis managed to trick Blake and it worked. It never even occurs to Blake or the other Liberator crew that this could be a trap. Blake's escape is not his own doing - it is sheer luck and he knows it as he doesn't even waste time gloating. It was horrifying to see Travis finally have Blake in his clutches, his appearance in the scene marked perfectly by his out-of-shot pantomime villain laughter. Despite what Blake has repeatedly said about the advantages of knowing his enemy, it was wonderful for <b>Pressure Point</b> to show that this isn't a foolproof strategy. Blake's cries of, "We've done it!" upon entering the room change to, "I've done it!" showing that he's not the team player he likes to think he is and perhaps ignoring other opinions once too often is part of his downfall.<br />
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I had mixed feelings about the direction all episode, which is courtesy of George Spenton-Foster. There are several scenes where I thought I should be seeing something else or have a shot from a different angle. In this one, with Blake on his knees, there is a missed opportunity to point the camera up at Travis and have him gloating down at us. Instead, we get a profile shot of his eyepatch side and I feel we are missing something. When Servalan appears, all of Travis's dialogue is from offscreen as we don't cut away from her at all. I began to get the impression that the episode was on a tight schedule either throughout or at least by this scene.<br />
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I felt myself warming to Brian Croucher during <b>Pressure Point</b>, even if I am still mourning Stephen Grief. I think I need to see him being a bit more vicious and evil though - a repeat of a close encounter like that in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-duel.html">Duel </a></b>may help seal the deal. But this is definitely Travis as I loved how the episode emphasised his hatred of Blake. When Jenna and Servalan arrive, Servalan tells Travis to release Blake and the others. A stunned Travis hesitates, reluctant to have to let his prize go so soon after gaining it. He hesitates. "You hesitated! My life was in danger and you hesitated!" screams Servalan afterwards with a slap. That slap! Glorious, deserved and exactly how <b>Weapon </b>had made me hope their relationship would head. Last series I would have said that Travis's loyalty was absolute and I still think it is, yet clearly his desperate desire to capture Blake is starting to cloud his judgement, becoming all-encompassing.<br />
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<b>Servalan: A history</b><br />
The emotions that this personal vendetta elicits in Travis are his greatest weakness. He may even realise this to an extent, as he earlier warns Servalan about making things personal when they have captured her old teacher-turned-resistance-leader, Kasabi. This plot strand was very interesting as we have hitherto never learned much about Servalan's past. The discovery that she has always shown loyalty to the Federation was hardly a surprise, even though I believe she has now largely forsaken this in favour of personal gains.<br />
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Kasabi's assertion that Servalan quickly worked her way up due to family connections was more thought-provoking. I find myself regularly reassessing what sort of totalitarian dictatorship I think the Federation is and of course, it is a composite of all the worst elements of all of them. I suppose this element took me by surprise a little because I have never considered the bland, emotionless face of the Federation as somewhere in which loving families help each other up the greasy pole of power.<br />
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The interrogation of Kasabi seemed like the first time that Servalan has been more sadistic than Travis. She really enjoyed having that power over Kasabi, who was impressively tough at resisting. Though sadistic is possibly not the right word; while Travis likes hurting people, I think Servalan does just like having power over them. It was interesting that they didn't particularly rub Kasabi's death in with her daughter Veron. Both just stated it matter-of-factly, perhaps because they expected to gain nothing further.<br />
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<b>One bites the dust</b><br />
Poor Gan and poor David Jackson. Gan's death was completely unexpected. I didn't pick up on any sense of foreboding - the episode just got on with the plot as usual. I knew we couldn't have much of the episode left and thought we would just see everyone leg it to the exit before teleporting up. As a regular character, Gan has had the rawest deal and I've discussed previously how underdeveloped he has felt. <i>Blake's 7</i> barely explored his background and I do think more could have been done with the Liberator's gentle giant. His death was a last-minute shock but I don't expect the show to dwell on it and sadly I don't think we will notice his absence too much. Gan dies saving everyone, which is a noble exit for a man who never hesitated to step up, had great loyalty to Blake especially, and was willing to put his brute strength in the firing line to aid the rest of the Liberator crew. <br />
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<b>Delightful and distasteful design</b><br />
Servalan's costume is one of her least revealing and with her jacket and wide-brimmed hat, I couldn't shake the impression that she looked dressed for her wedding. There must have been something contractual that required Jacqueline Pearce to show a certain amount of flesh because said jacket and hat are gone for her final scenes. Instead we get a superb dress with a stunning silver lizard-like creature appearing to hold it together in the centre. A shot of her standing in the doorway of Control's empty room ensures a full view, satisfying viewers for another week.<br />
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On the other end of the scale, Vila's costume has been altered for the worst this week. While the budget has undoubtedly increased this series, there comes a time when economies are needed so Vila's grey outfit has been brightened up this week with the addition of a white belt and yellow bits of plastic. He's gained some large cuffs and a half-cape-half-waistcoat thing. Unfortunately the episode's direction meant we were several scenes in before I was able to work out what the cape-waistcoat thing actually was. The first few scenes only featured Michael Keating from the waist up so we couldn't see this new addition properly. Once we can, it remains unimpressive and seems utterly pointless.<br />
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The episode's design winner for me was the doors inside Control. Bathed in blue light, the sliding double doors are etched with the Federation's symbol. I love this symbol as I find it such a nice piece of design. I enjoy spotting it used throughout <i>Blake's 7</i> and usually the subtler the better, but on this occasion, you know what - go for it and stick a great big symbol on a set of doors. More please.<br />
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<b>Under pressure</b><br />
<b>Pressure Point</b> flew by for me and was action-packed. From the beginning, Blake's plan seemed destined to go wrong but it did not happen in the way I expected. The word 'challenge' recurs throughout the episode. Blake wants to take on Control partly because, "It is a challenge!" and Avon agrees to join him because, he says, "I like the challenge," - something we have seen in Avon before. When they finally reach Control's empty room, Travis tells Blake that the Federation, "used [Control] as a challenge to our enemies." Being unable to resist a challenge has become a weakness and even worse, a predictable one. After outsmarting Travis for some time, Blake has once again become predictable: "You believed it, Blake, like all the other fools before you."<br />
<br />
I like the idea of the crew joining together with resistance groups as it ties in with Blake's idea of a base on Horizon - I think any resistance movements are going to have become more unified and organised to stand any chance against the Federation. These isolated pockets will only ever be able to do so much damage. I know he's an evil sod, but seeing Travis get so close to beating Blake was marvellous and leaves more uncertainty for the future. Our heroes are supposed to always win in the end, yet they have just lost one of their regular characters, proving no one is truly invulnerable in the <i>Blake's 7</i> universe, except, it would seem, the Federation.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-22129454802363690982019-11-20T10:01:00.000+00:002020-05-02T15:58:11.806+01:00The Saint - The Latin Touch<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>The Latin Touch</b></div>
<b>First broadcast </b>11th October 1962<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Plot</b><br />
On holiday in Rome, Simon is witness to the kidnap of a US diplomat's daughter. A mafia man, Tony Unciello, is responsible. His brother is about the be executed in the US and Governor Inverest has the power to stop it.<br />
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<b>Guest stars</b><br />
Alexander Knox plays the governor and is the only who is credited as a 'guest star' on screen. However, much more familiar to me was Warren Mitchell, playing a taxi driver, Marco. He appears in a few other <i>Saint </i>episodes and can frequently be found throughout 1960s' dramas as foreigners of various nationalities. I'm always pleased when he turns up and it often helps provide some comic relief.<br />
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<b>The Famous Simon Templar</b><br />
"That's the famous Simon Templar!" is delivered by a tourist from Missouri, Ada, who spots Simon while visiting the Colosseum. She tells her husband that she read it in the papers that Simon Templar was in Rome, which presumably means he has the kind of celebrity status that ensures his presence in gossip columns.<br />
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It's early days but we are already going to have to gloss over the utter absurdity that Simon Templar is simultaneously famous yet on other occasions manages to easily disguise himself or impersonate someone. Similarly, Roger Moore pointed out that his other famous character, 007, was a secret agent but could supposedly walk into any bar in the world and they would know who he was and how he liked his vodka martini. It's ITC-land - anything goes.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>The Saint in...</b><br />
The entire episode is set in Rome. The opening shots of the episode are taken from the real Rome with Roger Moore the only main member of the cast to feature in them. As he enters the Colosseum we move into the studio, where we stay for most of the episode.<br />
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While the change was obvious, I thought the Colosseum set was impressive enough considering its brief appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if it had been left over from another production.<br />
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<b>Painted backdrops</b><br />
I didn't spot any.<br />
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<b>Period features</b><br />
This section is for aspects that place us within the show's period, or would otherwise seem alien to someone from the present coming to the episode.<br />
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There are fewer details to pick up on this week so I've had to be picky. Tony first gets in touch with the governor to ask him to meet him at a remote location outside Rome. Simon's response on being told the name of the place is to ask for some maps - actual physical maps. Nowadays, many of us would just quickly type the name into Google Maps.<br />
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Tony adds soda or water to Simon's drink using a siphon. I love these and would like one of my own but as I take my whisky neat, I feel I'd get minimal use from one. There must be a cut-off point during the 1970s when they start to disappear.<br />
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Simon drives Governor Inverest in a Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe - it's a great big American car so the US embassy probably brings them in to have as pool cars. Tony's car is much grander though. The Mercedes Benz 200 S looks posh and fancy, making it a good fit for the wealthy mafia man. Back down to earth and as it's Italy, Marco's taxi is a Fiat - a Fiat 600 Multipla.<br />
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<b>Quotes</b><br />
Tony gets my favourite quip when Simon is phoning the governor, telling him, "Remember - just one wrong word and you'll be a real saint."<br />
<b><br /></b><b>The Ungodly</b><br />
No reference to the ungodly, though Simon does quote Jesus, telling Tony that, "The meek shall inherit the earth." I presumed this was Jesus because I've seen <i>Life of Brian</i>.<br />
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<b>The Sinners</b><br />
Tony Unciello has an inside man in Inspector Buono as well as some plain henchmen. Tony is an Italian-American and is supposed to induce fear across Italy, although it was something I struggled to see in him. We don't see him have so much as a fight until the end of the episode. He's an acceptable villain but not a particularly memorable one.<br />
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<b>She Was a Lady</b><br />
Simon briefly spends time with Sue before she is kidnapped so has no time to make any proper moves, having only just met her. He stepped in as a true gent to stop Marco fleecing her for the taxi fare. By the end of the episode, he's confident enough to offer her, "the best dinner in Rome and dancing until dawn."<br />
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<b>The Volvo</b><br />
Not seen - he gets around in Marco's taxi.<br />
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<b>Violence</b><br />
Simon is knocked out in the Colosseum while talking to Sue and for the rest of the episode, it's more about the threat of violence. He goes to speak to a club singer who knew Tony and she reveals a nasty scar on her neck that he gave her. When Tony's henchmen pick Simon up, they force him into a car at gunpoint and there is also a gun on him when he's phoning the governor. Finally, the climax gives us some action as the police burst into Tony's place all guns blazing and the henchman bear the brunt of it. Simon quickly springs into action, delivering a couple of punches to Tony.<br />
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<b>Cigarettes</b><br />
Four, including one in the Colosseum. While it may be permissible, all I could think was that Simon would be littering an ancient monument with cigarette butts.<br />
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<b>Alcohol</b><br />
Simon is rather reserved. In the club, he and Marco have wine glasses and coffee cups on their table, but we don't see them take so much as a sip. It seems likely that they are the remains of the end of a meal. At a cafe, he has ordered a glass of white wine but due to the arrival of Tony's henchmen, he never gets chance to touch it. Finally, with Tony we see him having something with either soda or water from a siphon (probably whisky) and a glass of red wine with their spaghetti meal afterwards.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-5624194482800158452019-11-06T10:00:00.000+00:002020-05-02T15:57:40.941+01:00The Saint - The Talented HusbandThe prospect of watching all of <i>The Saint</i> is daunting - there are 118 episodes. In recent years I have discovered more ITC shows, but I have always had a fondness for <i>The Saint</i> and am looking forward to spending more time with him again.<br />
<br />
Simon Templar travels the world, either being called upon or simply stumbling into trouble as he takes on bad guys. He is usually accompanied by beautiful young women, luxurious locations, a fast car and excellent suits. His charm gets him far and throwing a decent punch helps sometimes too. Beginning in 1962, <i>The Saint</i> became a huge success for its production company, ITC, and propelled its star, Roger Moore, to international fame.<br />
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<b>The Talented Husband</b></div>
<b>First broadcast </b>4th October 1962<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Plot</b><br />
Following an accident, Madge Clarron is confined to bed at home, though her husband John is telling a mountain of lies to prevent people from seeing her. An old Irish housekeeper, Mrs Jafferty, arrives to help look after her. Simon travels to the village, where he meets Adrienne, their new neighbour. Having discovered that both of John's previous wives died suddenly, Simon is concerned for Madge. Adrienne turns out to be an insurance investigator and both she and Simon begin keeping an eye on the Clarron house together. Mrs Jafferty turns out to be John in disguise, who has planned an elaborate alibi so he can get away with murdering Madge for her money.<br />
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<b>Guest stars</b><br />
Derek Farr, Shirley Eaton and Patricia Roc. Shirley Eaton is the only one of these I know from elsewhere, primarily for her role as Bond girl Jill Masterson in <i>Goldfinger</i>, where she became famous for being painted head to toe in gold paint.<br />
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<b>The Famous Simon Templar</b><br />
"You're the famous Simon Templar!" is how many of <i>The Saint</i>'s pre-title sequences end, but not this one. Instead, Madge introduces him to Clarron by simply saying, "This is Simon Templar."<br />
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<b>The Saint in...</b><br />
This week the Saint spends the pre-titles sequence in a theatre bar, while the rest of the episode takes place in Cookham, a typically picturesque English village.<br />
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<b>Painted backdrops</b><br />
Lacking the budget to travel to all of the Saint's favourite spots around the world, the series, like others from ITC, utilised painted backdrops in scenes to convey a sense of global scale. Some stock footage and a caption were the only other things needed to whisk us away. This staple of <i>The Saint</i> isn't so easy to spot in <b>The Talent Husband</b> and it actually has a fair amount of location footage compared to some episodes. The only time any sort of backdrop is used is for the trees seen through the windows of Adrienne's house.<br />
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<b>Period features</b><br />
This section is for aspects that place us within the show's period, or would otherwise seem alien to someone from the present coming to the episode. <b>The Talented Husband</b> includes a steam train, an everyday part of life that would become rare by the end of the decade.<br />
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The rat poison costs "three and six", meaning three shillings and sixpence, usually written as 3/6. It's a small sum and I can't find much advertised in this month's TV magazines for so little - it won't even buy you a packet of 20 cigarettes (3/10). Weetabix has an offer on for EPs at that price, with a choice of Western Songs or Cindarella/Jack and the Beanstalk. Westerns are all the rage on TV at this time, so I'd recommend the former.<br />
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Mrs Jafferty is also asked to sign "the poison book" - simply a record for who has bought poison. I have never had to buy poison but I don't think such things exist anymore.<br />
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On the train, John Clarron meets Madge's doctor, who is reading the <i>Evening Standard</i>. The date isn't readable but above the headline it says, 'As Kennedy's marines head into Siam/Premier explains where we stand' with the main headline reading 'MAC: READY TO SEND IN RAF'. This references US President John F. Kennedy, who first issued orders to deploy US Marines to Siam (Thailand) in March 1961, which certainly helps with the dates of the newspaper. At the time, the US was concerned with the growing influence of communism in the region. 'Mac' is British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Quotes</b><br />
Madge's looming murder is referenced in a couple of lines of dialogue. John tells Adrienne that Madge is "dying to meet you" and Madge lovingly tells John, "Sometimes I think if I weren't married to you, I'd die."<br />
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The opening episode gives us a wonderful summary of the Saint's outlook, perfectly setting up his character: "I don't like being a cog in the machine. Being one of the ants who devour the dragon is all very noble, but it's not half as much fun as being St. George, is it?"<br />
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<b>The Ungodly</b><br />
In these earlier episodes, Simon often refers to "the ungodly" as having set characteristics, lumping all criminals in together. It is a phrase from the Leslie Charteris novels and does seem to get phased out later on. It is used in <b>The Talented Husband</b>.<br />
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<b>The Sinners</b><br />
We see a lot of the Clarrons and following the pre-title sequence, it's a while before Simon even turns up. There are flaws in John Clarron's murder plan (he prepares a meal with rat poison to be heated up later, then heads to London for the day), mainly - why did he leave the empty tin of rat poison at home? He could have taken it with him and dumped it from the train, or else when he got to London. Also maintaining the Mrs Jafferty lie to cover his exact leaving times, he returns to Cookham with the disguise in his bag. Why? She is supposed to have committed the crime as part of a robbery, then fled, so he wasn't going to need it anymore. Like the poison, he could have dumped it before he returned. They are the two things that catch him out yet could have been disposed of easily.<br />
<br />
Derek Farr was the most enjoyable performance for me. He switches from the caring husband to anger in an instant and these moments made his villainy much more believable. When Simon confronts finally him, the use of close-ups enables our Saint to look much more powerful, with Clarron quickly become a jibbering wreck. Simon is slightly menacing as he angrily glares down the camera and we wonder what he's going to do with Clarron.<br />
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<b>She Was a Lady</b><br />
The charming Simon Templar is definitely a ladies man and manages to find some company during most episodes. He and Adrienne hit it off in the pub when she invites him to have dinner with her. Later, Simon goes back to her house and the next day we see them about to have coffee and breakfast together, which prompts me to ponder whether he stayed the night. At first, it seems unlikely as plenty of people had already seen him arrive at the pub and living in such a small village community, Adrienne surely wouldn't want tongues wagging. Yet as she is only in the village while she investigates John Clarron, perhaps she wouldn't care what people had to say about her.<br />
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<b>The Volvo</b><br />
The Saint drives a white Volvo P1800. It's a gorgeous car and perfectly suits a playboy. I thought I'd clock just how often it turns up and how much action it gets. Here, Simon drives it into Cookham, almost knocking down Mrs Jafferty as he races through the village.<br />
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<b>Violence</b><br />
Little. John Clarron accidentally-on-purpose knocks a large concrete flower pot onto Madge from a balcony.<br />
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<b>Cigarettes</b><br />
I've always thought Simon Templar smoked considerably, if not constantly, but it's a good 20 minutes into this episode before he lights up. In total, he smokes three cigarettes.<br />
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<b>Alcohol</b><br />
1960s' drama is always a good representation of how much the nation's drinking habits have changed. Simon is partial to a drink or two and in <b>The Talented Husband</b> he is drinking when we first meet him, sipping at something in the theatre bar. At a guess from the colour and the glass type, it could be a gin and tonic. In Cookham, he stays at a pub where he knows the landlord and upon arrival opts for "a pint from the barrel - warm, flat, nourishing - and very British." I suppose one must tire of champagne. Later, he drinks "custom-built" Manhattan (whiskey, vermouth, bitters) alone, then agrees to another with Adrienne.H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503758639704574841.post-29653646516340140842019-11-03T15:54:00.000+00:002020-05-02T15:57:10.561+01:00Blake's 7 - Horizon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Horizon</b></div>
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"I am not expendable, I am not stupid and I'm not going."</div>
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<b>Horizon </b>had piqued my interest the moment I saw it on the DVD title menu as I knew it was the name of the <i>Blake’s 7</i> fan club. Following the episode, I thought that was a neat idea. The episode's titles themselves also posed further intrigue as <i>Blake's 7</i> has another new writer in Allan Prior.<br />
<br />
<b>At the expense of your friends</b><br />
Prior to heading down to Horizon, Blake tells Jenna he wants her to come with him because he thinks Avon is less likely to do a runner without a “first-class pilot”. On the edge of the screen, we can see a glint of silver as Avon comes into the teleport room. Has he overheard? I believe so but Blake and Jenna don’t seem to, and it isn’t referenced later.<br />
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Blake can’t have always thought this about Avon, certainly not as strongly, so it must be a belief that has gained substance. I've usually been convinced Avon would leg it in the right circumstances but it’s interesting for Blake to voice this as a more serious concern. Blake might have thought it before, but now he feels he knows it, and I believe Avon knows he knows but does Blake know Avon knows he knows? Compared to Series A, there hasn’t been so much tension between Blake and Avon so far this series, so I’m pleased to see that this relationship is still being explored.<br />
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<b>I am not stupid</b><br />
The visit to Horizon seemed like a car crash in slow motion as various members of the Liberator crew continued to get shot with darts and captured. I fully supported Avon as he stubbornly told Vila, “I am not expendable, I am not stupid, and I’m not going.” It’s practically his slogan (I’m delighted to have been informed that this quote is available on a t-shirt). It was bad enough when Gan and Vila followed Blake and Jenna, but it was at least reasonable. Yet Cally’s decision to head down after all four of them had disappeared seemed ludicrous. We were back in <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/07/blakes-7-cygnus-alpha.html">Cygnus Alpha</a></b> territory – give it an hour then give them up for dead and get out of there. Nonetheless, I was surprised that Avon let Cally go alone. I’ve previously noted that it’s something of a general rule that crew members don’t visit planets alone and I expected Avon to be more protective, or at least show greater indecision about remaining on the Liberator.<br />
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After overhearing Blake express his doubts about Avon to Jenna, I wondered whether Avon might be pushed into proving Blake wrong. I think Avon does have some form of loyalty to the others now and I'm not sure he would betray them all like Blake suggests. However, I think he would consider it if the action was solely against Blake.<br />
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Watching Avon talk through the possible outcomes with Orac was nice, as he worked through the logic so he could justify leaving - he wants to be sure he will be safe. There is that loyalty to the rest of the crew, yet he does seem convinced that everyone is probably dead and that’s what enabled him to seriously consider leaving in the Liberator. It doesn’t matter that he ultimately didn’t, the fact remains that he was going to and so could be pushed to do so again. I began to feel that the script might develop something to make him go down after them and I’m glad it wasn’t something naff like Avon suddenly discovering love or moral obligations. I think it would have felt out of character for anything to trump reason and logic. Avon ultimately decides to try to rescue the others due to the approach of three Federation pursuit ships, which he knows the Liberator cannot outrun.<br />
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<b>Blake the Bloody Hero</b><br />
Blake gets some lovely speeches in the series that position him as a leader. Gareth Thomas delivers them earnestly and I enjoyed his talks with Ro in <b>Horizon</b>. Unfortunately for Blake, he doesn’t get to be the hero and it is Avon who comes to the rescue. Having Avon nearly blow Blake's head off is a nice touch, even more so followed up by Blake's teasing line of, "Missed." I was intrigued that the original line was supposed to be, "Can't you tell your friends from your enemies anymore?" I like both.<br />
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I’m trying to like Blake more but was annoyed when he criticised Avon’s “last-minute heroics” - and not for the first time. Avon has often operated the teleport with seconds to spare and Blake is always so bloody ungrateful! Why can’t he just say “thanks”?! One day, Avon will be wondering why he bothers.<br />
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<b>Long sleeves and bare chests</b><br />
Last series I pondered about the temperature on the Liberator because the crew are permanently in long sleeves. I noticed that this has continued even with their new outfits. Did something unseen on Cygnus Alpha hideously scar them? Had the Federation branded them as convicts? It now seems unlikely because <b>Horizon </b>is, I believe, the first time we see a crew member's bare arm. With Vila in horrific stomach pain, Cally pulls his sleeve back to administer some pain relief.<br />
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As if this wasn't enough, we progress to shirts being completely removed for Blake and Vila when they are working in the mine. I'm not too sure how common such sights were on television by 1979. Over in <a href="https://www.transdiffusion.org/tv/back-in-time-for-tv/">Back in Time For TV</a>, I'd seen the progression from the 1960s when married couples were depicted in bed together wearing full pyjamas and dressing gowns, yet by the mid-1970s a man could sit at a breakfast table with only a towel around his waist. Context is part of this - there is a difference between seeing couples in bed and someone getting undressed in a doctor's office for instance. That period's television still always seems far more prudish than most of real life.<br />
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The initial sights of Gareth Thomas and Michael Keating's bare chests are in the dim light of the mine, but they do later emerge into the open where we can see they are filthy from their work. Later still, Blake gets a full shot in the light. I termed this 'the Putin shot', due to Gareth Thomas's resemblance to the Russian leader's shirtless photos. Perhaps after what they had been doing with Servalan, the production felt they needed to offer something similar for the rest of the<i> Blake's 7</i> audience.<br />
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<b>Vila's shortcomings</b><br />
Vila's cowardice has been emphasised less than in the first series, though his yellow outfits are an ever-present reminder for me. I enjoyed <b>Horizon</b>'s more subtle nod to this characteristic. We don't see Vila captured and interrogated, but the Kommissar says that Vila confessed who he was at once. This wasn't so bad, but he has also told them about the Liberator's force field. There was clearly no need to see Vila's interrogation because he must have been terrified from the moment he came round. It's amusing that Vila had clearly chatted about anything they asked offscreen yet now sits in silence as they prepare to send him for the first day of work in his life.<br />
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This could not dampen my affection for Vila because it is exactly what I would expect from him. As a confirmed coward, he was never going to risk any form of pain. He stepped in to go with Gan to Horizon instead of Cally, but if only to save themselves, I think the crew should start acting more protectively towards Vila. He is emerging as a man prone to such primal weaknesses. He did everything he could to reach the ephemeral pleasures of Space City and promptly overindulged. When Cally provides him with the pain relief in Horizon, she reveals it contains Soma. As well as knocking Vila out for a while, it appears to offer a considerable amount of pleasure and he is keen to be allowed to raid the Liberator's stocks. While Vila is a coward for the most part, this makes it all the more satisfying when he does summon up bravery. Yet I'll be curious to see whether this penchant for vices does lead to more serious and dangerous problems for him, and the others.<br />
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<b>Horizon</b><br />
Up until now, I don't feel like we have had much chance to see the societies of the planets we have visited and when it has been space stations like Space City or the Destiny ship, it's far too small a snapshot. The Liberator crew are generally visiting places to blow up something belonging to the Federation, so we don't see much. <b>Cygnus Alpha</b> and <b><a href="https://visualmutterings.blogspot.com/2019/09/blakes-7-series-b-redemption.html">Redemption </a></b>are probably the only two episodes to show us something substantial.<br />
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I was so intrigued by Ro, who appears to have sold his entire planet into slavery for the Federation. We hear of him being educated by the Kommissar, who emphasises that Ro's people are primitives and reminds Ro that he once was too. It should be obvious to Ro that he has not improved the lives of his people and has made them far worse, yet he seems blinded by everything the Kommissar tells him and I'm left pondering just what that education consisted of.<br />
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The leadership team on Horizon includes Ro, the Kommissar and the Assistant Kommissar. The Kommissar drew an "ooh" from me as he is played by William Squire, who I know best as Hunter from Callan. I think he's got a lovely voice that hints at his Welsh background but mostly I like its deep richness. It's a voice that is well-suited to authoritative roles and I enjoyed the assertiveness with which the Kommissar is able to influence Ro.<br />
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The population work in rag-like clothes in the mines, providing a fabulous visual contrast with the crushed maroon velvet worn by Ro and the Kommissars. I thought these were lovely outfits and were perfect for emphasising them as an elite, far removed from the lives of the population. Even though Blake's words have influenced Ro and inserted doubts, he seems to only decide to take decisive action once he is reunited with his fiancé, Selma, who has been among the people and working in the mine.<br />
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<b>A safe haven?</b><br />
I had liked the realism brought into the initial setup of <b>Horizon</b>, with the crew mentally and physically exhausted from living their lives in a constant stressful battle with the Federation. Blake's subsequent idea about finding a base for their resistance movement hugely intrigued me. The events of the episode left me uncertain but I'm still curious to see whether they ever do return to Horizon to use it as a base or temporary hideout. Having a base on a safe planet does seem like a good idea and I was all for it at the beginning of the episode. However, I now believe it would be far too risky. How safe is any planet? If it is safe, then for how long? How long until someone finds it, or betrays them, or is threatened and blackmailed into revealing its weaknesses? Their best chance is to stay on the move and find temporary places to recuperate.<br />
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<b>What the everything</b><br />
<b>Horizon </b>was hugely enjoyable and I felt there was just the right balance of plot, action, character and humour. The tension built up by placing the crew in a seemingly inescapable situation was great, with it increasing as more and more of them were captured in the same way. Having them all react to it slightly differently was good too and again I was pleased that Cally's telepathy is more of a presence this series.<br />
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In Ro and the Kommissar, there were substantial roles for the guest actors. Sometimes 50 minutes has been nowhere near enough to give them chance to shine but Allan Prior did prioritise this more than other scripts have. I'll be interested to see more of his episodes.<br />
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The crew are often split into two groups for most of the episode and especially in Series A, I was able to designate them easily as Team Blake and Team Avon. But <b>Horizon </b>provided a slower divide and gradually separating the crew provided different types of scenes. Cally using her telepathy with Ro was unexpected and placing Avon alone with Orac was a wonderful way of offering us a stream of consciousness. Both he and Blake are the most complex characters so getting an alternative insight into Avon's thoughts and processes is a superb idea.<br />
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H E Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05967729929106311170noreply@blogger.com2