Rewatching Blake's 7

[Candlelight]

B03: WEAPON

Another Boucher beauty but at 52 minutes must be one of the longer episodes the show has done. Weapon takes ages to get going and while the idea of IMIPAC works on paper it really does seem a silly weapon. Boucher's view of the B7 universe is one of painting a tapestry; you get to imagine much more of the inner workings of the Federation with various departments and areas, whilst Nation seems to always paint the Federation as a singular evil entity. Gan again is the loyal Blake soldier, though as he's always holding a Liberator gun it seems unlikely he'd ever use it given his limiter implant.

 

[Candlelight]

Another thing; Blake's clone in Weapon states he's 34 years old - I'm a year older than Blake! I remember watching it decades ago thinking that is so old!!

 

[Guy Gardener]

I never thought Gareth was old, but I did think he was tubby.

 

[Starkers]

I like both Shadow and Weapon, they're both good episodes and in particular Shadow is good for showing just how far Blake will go, and of course for detailing just how embedded the Federation is, given they're even in bed with organised crime.

I agree about IMIPAC being a touch silly, though you can imagine the possibilities, especially for large scale population control as well as political murder, and even if it'd been terrible it would still have been elevated by Avon's deliver of the "Unless you want your final words to be 'Oh so that’s IMIPAC.'"

The clone Blake is sillier than IMIPAC in my mind. Servalan has a copy of Blake and that's the best use she can put him to? Not to mention the stupidity of allowing Travis to just off one as a test.

Of course clone Blake does imply some interesting things for later in the series.

1. Assuming Servalan wasn’t lying to Avon that she’d seen Blake’s body, then it was probably the clone (unless it actually was Blake and the guy on Guada Prime was the clone, which seems unlikely.)
2. If, on the other hand, Servalan was lying to Avon, then irrespective of the provenance of the Blake on GP, there’s still potentially another Blake out there?

 

[Candlelight]

The whole 'clone on GP' was a big cop out that I'm glad never got to be resolved. It would've taken away what was a great ending to the series.

Bloody fans and their ideas...

 

[Starkers]

Oh I agree, but clone Blake is/was out there. Personally I figure Servalan wasn't lying, only it was the clone she saw (Blake on GP certainly doesn't act like the wussy "all life is sacred" clone!)

 

[Candlelight]

I think she was lying. Clone Blake didn't have a way off that planet so it's unlikely he made it to Jevron. Plus Servalan would have IMIPAC by now!

 

[Sindatur]

So, I've decided.

I'm gonna finish up Leela's run* of Tom Baker Doctor Who and then switch over to Blake's 7, So, I should be watching B7 by the weekend. (unless I have to repeat too many Serials or episodes too many times because I'm too distracted )

* I'm over halfway through Horror of Fang Rock, and I usually get through 1 or 2 Serials a day as background, when I rewatch (Though I repeat an episode or Serial if I didn't pay enough attention to it). There are 4 Serials that are 4 Episodes each, and 1 Serial that is 6 Episodes until Leela and Series 15 are completed.

I watched B7 in early 1980s on PBS all the way through close to two times, and partway a third time, back then. Then I obtained DVDs a few years back, and ran through the Series. Now, I'm getting ready to watch it a 2nd time, since I've had the DVDs, and prior to that, it's close to 30 years since I've seen the episodes, so, lots may be "New" to me this time through.

Oh, and Servalan, you can tell she's lying (or not to be trusted) if her lips are moving. The only time she's not lying about the information, is when she's lying about her motives or the Details of the scheme. There's always a lie and a sharp knife waiting to rear it's ugly head when you make a deal with her

 

[Candlelight]

I've got digital copies of all 52 episodes but am only getting through a couple a week. Still, this is the first time I've watched the series through an entire run since I first saw it in the mid-80s. I remember the Series C finale aired on a Friday, then TV2 ran the first ten episodes of Series D on weekdays over the next two weeks, then it was off air for like a year, and then the final three episodes aired back to back one Sunday evening. I will NEVER forget that evening...

I bought half the official videos in the 1990s so I never really got to see the whole series again, only watching my favourites over and over.

 

[Starkers]

I think she was lying. Clone Blake didn't have a way off that planet so it's unlikely he made it to Jevron. Plus Servalan would have IMIPAC by now!

Not neccesarily, Clone Blake might have destroyed IMIPAC the moment Servalan and Travis left for all we know. As for not having a way off the planet...Avon and co didn't have a way off Terminal either, until they did.

Although I think Sindatur is pretty on the ball regarding Servalan, I don't actually think she was lying, mainly because she had no reason to given that by that point she'd won, and given she expected Avon to die on Terminal. She could have just been twisting the knife I guess.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Cloke or Clake.

Pick one.

 

[auntiehill]

^Bloke.

 

[Guy Gardener]

HA!

 

[Candlelight]

B04: HORIZON

The first Allan Prior script (who would later write the infamous 'Animals' in Series D) is ok but retreads 'Bounty' from the first series. Avon should've made a run for it, despite the piss poor assessment from Orac, he could've survived. Ro plays the troubled puppet leader well, but the episode has a predictable ending. Interesting note about this episode; the teleport bay is extended for this episode only, although it doesn't seem to serve any purpose - there is an extra hexagonal corridor attached and an intersection set can be seen on various angles. This returns to normal by the next episode. It's possible that so much of the episode is set in the teleport bay they wanted a larger set.

B05: PRESSURE POINT

Nation's script delivers a great start with two men blown up in surprisingly visual effect. Blake is driving ahead with his fanatacism and you can tell it's getting bad with even Gan beginning to doubt him. Gan's role guarding Veron as a big brother is a nice touch for his character. Travis and Servalan are in fine form, but you'd think the crew would learn by now to take extra bracelets with them. The forbidden zone is well thought out, the vast cavernous Control is a fun labyrinth, and of course Blake's infamous line of "We've done it, we've done it, I've done it!" is perfect, as is the dawning realisation that it's all a ruse. The shock death of Gan is well portrayed as Blake begins to realise what he's done, and the good guys don't win for a change. Best episode of the entire series so far.

Sad to read that Yolande Palfrey, who played the young Veron in this episode, died only a couple of years ago from a brain tumour at a very young age of 54.

 

[auntiehill]

^ I really like both of these episodes---in Horizon, Avon's mulling over taking off and leaving everyone is a GREAT scene. That alone makes it worth watching for me.

Pressure Point is fabulous for the fact that they really get their heads handed to them; Gan dies because of Blake's goof-up and we get a glimpse of Blake the Fanatic as opposed to Blake the Hero

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Sad American here wishing he knew what any of you were talking about but I don't because the DVDs have never been released in R1.

 

[Candlelight]

B06: TRIAL

Boucher really takes the series by the balls and shakes it up (if you pardon the ugly metaphor). Travis goes from Servalan favourite to puppet prisoner with a staged trial Stalin would've been proud of. Zil's storyline is great and nicely (though oh-so-bloody-obviously) mirrors Blake's personal struggles. Restoring the legend indeed.

 

[Candlelight]

One additional note; having watched all 17 of Gan's episodes it really does leave a void on the ship that will never be filled. Yes he was under utilised but I chalk that mostly up to Nation's writing in the first series. The dynamic will never be the same again. Orac is ok as a replacement but the shock of writing a character out is painfully obvious as a cost cutting measure.

 

[Sindatur]

Sad American here wishing he knew what any of you were talking about but I don't because the DVDs have never been released in R1.

I believe it's all on Youtube. Here's The First ep, and I believe you can follow the links on the right hand side of the screen for the rest of the 4 Series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km9GdKM9pa4

I just verfied clicking the first link takes you all the way through S1 and into S2 (And I saw many futu8re future eps, further down), so, I think it's all there (Just keep clicking the top link when you finish an episode for the next episode)

 

[Marc]

One additional note; having watched all 17 of Gan's episodes it really does leave a void on the ship that will never be filled. Yes he was under utilised but I chalk that mostly up to Nation's writing in the first series. The dynamic will never be the same again. Orac is ok as a replacement but the shock of writing a character out is painfully obvious as a cost cutting measure.

Gan I think provided a bit of a moral compass on occasions (Shadow is a prime example) and after he was killed there was no-one who filled that role and as Vila said in Trial - very straight foward.