Blake's 7 - First Time Watching on BritBox
- Thread starter JD
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@JD going from memory the last three episodes of the first season are connected and form a mini-arc that ends in a cliffhanger that's resolved at the beginning of the second season.
Beginning with the middle of the second season there's an arc of about 5-6 episodes that ends in a cliffhanger that carries over into the first three episodes of the third season.
The third season ends with what was supposed to be the series finale; however, the show was unexpectedly renewed, meaning that some of it had to be undone at the beginning of the fourth.
The fourth season is a mixed bag, but the last two/three episodes are connected.
Beginning with the middle of the second season there's an arc of about 5-6 episodes that ends in a cliffhanger that carries over into the first three episodes of the third season.
The third season ends with what was supposed to be the series finale; however, the show was unexpectedly renewed, meaning that some of it had to be undone at the beginning of the fourth.
The fourth season is a mixed bag, but the last two/three episodes are connected.
Awesome!
The US never had any proper release.
Canada had the VHS tape releases, with box artwork that had a budget higher than half the series when it was made. Wish I never sold my set, which I imported month by month from Canada; the box artwork alone was so good...
The UK had a very nice DVD release. I recall bonus material for series 1-3 completed, but something preventing a proper documentary for series 4 - a shame as it's the most underrated season, with some of the best episodes.
A Dutch re-release had shrunk disc count so expect more compression artifacting, but they fixed the color tone problems the UK release had.
As a kid, I didn't get into the series. Especially the early episode... But later on in my teens, the show really grew on me. Any show that grabs you from the get-go is only going to get better.
I won't spoil anything.
Reading these reviews and perspectives is very refreshing! B7 definitely starts out dour and with the unexpected. With Doctor Who, you could tell 3 seconds into part one who the shiny new companion(s) would be...
Classic BBC sci-fi. Worst budgets ever. Best acting and character interplay melded with sci-fi to make up for it. Actually, the same can be said for BBC sitcoms - so many use a mishmash of character archetypes, of which few if any is bog standard generic, unlike many American shows, and maybe that's why I gravitate toward the UK stuff.
Can't wait!
Back in the day, he was equated as "the anti-Spock", in a show deemed "the anti-Star Trek". Maybe that's why I gave it another chance back in the day... Paul Darrow's done some interviews but even without seeing or reading those it's clear how much he relished and adored playing Kerr Avon. If you like him now, keep watching and without skipping episodes or choosing them randomly in the way I do because I'm a nit... no spoilers but considering this being the late-70s/early 80s, he's ahead of his time in a way...
B7 really starts out pedestrian in pacing. It's a genuinely nice change regardless of era. They start the series as being one type of dystopian future-Earth sci-fi, and do a neat plot twist later on. The only giveaway is the opening titles, which are also the first to have used CGI (via the "ELIMINATE" graphic)...
There aren't too many good ways to go. Depends on who one marries and what condition one's heart is in, I suppose...
I loved those scenes; it's always a cliche and it's a bit of a bypass of that that the "heroes" didn't easily win. And that's the goofy thing - this show shies away from nothing. Good people on the bad side, bad people on the good side, and all to varying extents. It'll often keep you guessing. The ship commander is pretty much one of the more neutral/stuck in the middle/sympathetic folks to feel sorry for... you are in for a lot of treats if you keep sticking through the series. Again, don't skip or jump episodes - the payoffs later on are worth every moment.
What Marc said above. It's a fantastic episode to introduce her in and it's only the start. As with Avon - Servalan gets some really great stuff as the seasons continue and if you're loving what you've seen so far you'll really like what is to come. And, as with Paul Darrow, Jacqueline knows when to act it out austere and when to have a little fun with just enough camp to add some flair -- but to also not go over the rails with it. And that's part of the fun with sci-fi of the era.
Oh, Servalan was originally a male character as well, but Jacqueline Pearce impressed so much in the casting process... she starts out great but, yup, in later seasons she's stealing the show no matter how good or bad the episode she's in gets. Thankfully there are far more good than anything approaching bad episodes.
I think those documentaries are up on Youtube and people asked about the one for S4 and the response from the person who made them was there was no money for it.
Reposting from the TOS 'Cheesy' Special Effects thread.
There is a book about the making of Blake's 7. The BBC gave them the budget of the show they replaced 'Softly, Softly'.
The producers told the SFX team to go see this new movie 'Star Wars' in order to get visual effects ideas. The two sat there in the theater watching the Star Destroyer cross the screen. One turned to the other and said, 'We are in serious trouble'.
and
Again thanks to the making of 'Blake's 7' book I have, the name of the store in question was called 'Hardcore Leather', an S&M shop. The actors who played Blake, Avon, Vila and Travis all wore outfits from them in the first two seasons. Paul Darrow (Avon) was given some shopping money and bought parts of his costumes at 'Marks and Spencer'. And, although no photos are shown in the book; Jacqueline Pearce's first test outfit was akin to a big game hunter complete with pith helmet. Jacqueline objected, which lead to the white dresses normally associated with her character.
also from the book
The 'Making Of' books says that the first episode filmed 'Time Squad' was actually the fourth episode to air. The effects for the second episode filmed and aired, 'Space Fall', blew the budget for the rest of the season, which resulted in the minimalist look for the first episode to air, the third filmed. As director Michael Bryant explains, 'If you look at the episode, it's all done with exactly the same scenery. There are six or eight piers providing the walls around the courtroom, the corridor up to the door from which they went to the outer world, the corridors that people walk up and down, and the prison cell.'
There is a book about the making of Blake's 7. The BBC gave them the budget of the show they replaced 'Softly, Softly'.
The producers told the SFX team to go see this new movie 'Star Wars' in order to get visual effects ideas. The two sat there in the theater watching the Star Destroyer cross the screen. One turned to the other and said, 'We are in serious trouble'.
and
Again thanks to the making of 'Blake's 7' book I have, the name of the store in question was called 'Hardcore Leather', an S&M shop. The actors who played Blake, Avon, Vila and Travis all wore outfits from them in the first two seasons. Paul Darrow (Avon) was given some shopping money and bought parts of his costumes at 'Marks and Spencer'. And, although no photos are shown in the book; Jacqueline Pearce's first test outfit was akin to a big game hunter complete with pith helmet. Jacqueline objected, which lead to the white dresses normally associated with her character.
also from the book
The 'Making Of' books says that the first episode filmed 'Time Squad' was actually the fourth episode to air. The effects for the second episode filmed and aired, 'Space Fall', blew the budget for the rest of the season, which resulted in the minimalist look for the first episode to air, the third filmed. As director Michael Bryant explains, 'If you look at the episode, it's all done with exactly the same scenery. There are six or eight piers providing the walls around the courtroom, the corridor up to the door from which they went to the outer world, the corridors that people walk up and down, and the prison cell.'
I can see it for Travis (incidently Stephen Grief was a close friend of Paul Darrow's) and Avon. Can't really see it for Blake (pullfy sleeves???) and Vila.
For a show with no budget there were a lot of different outfits on this show. When I watched I enjoyed taking note of all the different looks from episode to episode. It was similar with Sarah Jane and Jo Grant on Doctor Who, maybe something about that era of TV.
Is "series D" British for "Season 4"?
I managed to get the aforementioned Dutch DVDs a couple of years ago, and bought a region-free BD player just so I could watch them. And as long as I was seeing Glynnis Barber's lovely countenance region-free, I ordered a UK release of Dempsey and Makepeace. Two great, fun 80s shows.
Is "series D" British for "Season 4"?
Blake's 7 it the only UK show I can recalled using letters instead of numbers for seasons but there could be others.
Lets put it down as "obscure British for Season 4"
A lot of stories in the first couple of chapters of the 'Making of' book are 'How can we stretch this miniscule budget we've been given even further'.
The staff/crew called in a lot of favors, raided the BBC props and wardrobe department and, in a couple of instances, dumpster diving.
Definitely good to pace yourself with this show. I watched it for the first time a few years back. It has it's highs and lows but it's a sci-fi show that needs to be seen because of it's place in pop culture, the classic characters it gave us and because of the way it ended....
I also recommend the big finish prequel/reboot series that takes place before the actual show. There's some nice development of the main cast's past.
General question I want to ask to fans who will know better. What happened with Blake's memory? Did he ever get it back fully? It seemed like a plot thread they dropped early on.
I also recommend the big finish prequel/reboot series that takes place before the actual show. There's some nice development of the main cast's past.
General question I want to ask to fans who will know better. What happened with Blake's memory? Did he ever get it back fully? It seemed like a plot thread they dropped early on.
if he didn't I don't think he missed them (most were of his dissident time and thinking his family were alive and well) but I expect once off earth and away from the suppressants etc that the federation pumped into the water supply etc it would have all come back.
Blake got bits of his memory back - it's how he knew who Travis was and knew of his family - but the full extent isn't known. If they'd made Cally out to be an actual mind-reader type telepath other than "can send mental comms, sense vague weirdness and get targeted by alien villains of the week" she might have been portrayed as assisting him in recovering those memories.
Don't worry, I wasn't planning on skipping any episode. When I start a series for the first time, I only skip episodes if multiple sources tell me too, or they aren't available to watch for some reason.
Back in the day, he was equated as "the anti-Spock", in a show deemed "the anti-Star Trek". Maybe that's why I gave it another chance back in the day... Paul Darrow's done some interviews but even without seeing or reading those it's clear how much he relished and adored playing Kerr Avon. If you like him now, keep watching and without skipping episodes or choosing them randomly in the way I do because I'm a nit... no spoilers but considering this being the late-70s/early 80s, he's ahead of his time in a way...
B7 really starts out pedestrian in pacing. It's a genuinely nice change regardless of era. They start the series as being one type of dystopian future-Earth sci-fi, and do a neat plot twist later on. The only giveaway is the opening titles, which are also the first to have used CGI (via the "ELIMINATE" graphic)...
There aren't too many good ways to go. Depends on who one marries and what condition one's heart is in, I suppose...
I loved those scenes; it's always a cliche and it's a bit of a bypass of that that the "heroes" didn't easily win. And that's the goofy thing - this show shies away from nothing. Good people on the bad side, bad people on the good side, and all to varying extents. It'll often keep you guessing. The ship commander is pretty much one of the more neutral/stuck in the middle/sympathetic folks to feel sorry for... you are in for a lot of treats if you keep sticking through the series. Again, don't skip or jump episodes - the payoffs later on are worth every moment.
What Marc said above. It's a fantastic episode to introduce her in and it's only the start. As with Avon - Servalan gets some really great stuff as the seasons continue and if you're loving what you've seen so far you'll really like what is to come. And, as with Paul Darrow, Jacqueline knows when to act it out austere and when to have a little fun with just enough camp to add some flair -- but to also not go over the rails with it. And that's part of the fun with sci-fi of the era.
Oh, Servalan was originally a male character as well, but Jacqueline Pearce impressed so much in the casting process... she starts out great but, yup, in later seasons she's stealing the show no matter how good or bad the episode she's in gets. Thankfully there are far more good than anything approaching bad episodes.
Everything I've seen has just referred to them as Season/Series 1-4.Blake's 7 it the only UK show I can recalled using letters instead of numbers for seasons but there could be others.
Lets put it down as "obscure British for Season 4"
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