WEBVTT NOTE This transcript was created on 2026-06-07 at 22:02:38 1 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:06.360 Maximum Power. 2 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:19.800 Hello and welcome back to Maximum Power, the Empedoclean Blake 7 podcast that would happily jump into a volcano just to make some stupid political point. 3 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:23.399 But before we do that, let's introduce ourselves. 4 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:24.420 I'm Nathan. 5 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:27.539 I'm Col, and I've got blue flashing balls. 6 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:29.100 And Mark. 7 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:30.239 And I'm Peter. 8 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:38.640 Do you know, my 1st bullet point in my notes today is about how the robot has blue flashing balls. 9 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:39.479 Oh, so sorry. 10 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:40.619 We could do that again. 11 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:42.780 I'm sorry. 12 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:44.039 No, no, no, no. 13 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:48.000 No, it's absolutely the most noticeable thing about the episode. 14 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:49.979 And perhaps the best thing. 15 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:54.240 The less said about 2 P3PO, the better. 16 00:00:55.259 --> 00:01:06.540 It's very high up in my notes as well, especially when the Android just moves into shop just to stand there, hands on hips and just inevitably draws your eyes to its 2 flashing bollocks. 17 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:06.959 It crazy. 18 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:13.980 So this is the new status quo, right? 19 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:18.659 We spent 2 episodes getting here and now we are here. 20 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:20.579 So what do we think? 21 00:01:20.819 --> 00:01:21.540 Why did we bother? 22 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.079 So, Peter, what do we think of this new version of the show? 23 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:30.480 I mean, I love Siri C. 24 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:38.340 It's absolutely my favourite iteration of Blake 7 as I keep on saying, but this is not a stellar entry into the canon. 25 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.439 It's Alan Pryor Strikes Again. 26 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:45.959 It's his usual muddled storytelling with nothing very well developed, but a few fun lines, you know? 27 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:57.900 I'm trying to sort of work out whether this is a normal Alan Pryor kind of thing because do you remember we did Horizon and found, to our surprise, it was really good. 28 00:01:57.959 --> 00:01:59.760 Now that just might be because... 29 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:00.780 Yeah, yeah, probably good. 30 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:06.420 And, you know, it had some pretty great actors and it was well directed, I think. 31 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:08.460 So there's that. 32 00:02:08.580 --> 00:02:19.319 But maybe he just had one good script in him because after that, we have hostage, the keeper, this and animals. 33 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.819 Which is pretty much scraping the bottom of the Blake 7 barrel. 34 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:28.979 Yeah, he's down there scrabbling with Ben Steed at this point, I think. 35 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.979 Because he's in a slave pit on her, surprise. 36 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:37.080 I think the problem with this episode is it's kind of just boring. 37 00:02:37.139 --> 00:02:41.819 And I was thinking, well, what's Michael Goff been in that he's actually been interesting in? 38 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.599 And then I thought, Arcum Infinity, Batman. 39 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:46.860 Nothing. 40 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:47.520 Nothing. 41 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:47.819 Nothing. 42 00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:49.860 He's counsellor head and Colin. 43 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:54.060 What does he play in this? 44 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:56.879 Counsellor Harrow or something similar or something? 45 00:02:56.939 --> 00:02:59.639 He's actually really phoning it in, I thought. 46 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:09.120 And there is a scene where he's talking with Dana, and he fluffs a couple of lines so badly that I'm surprised that the director continued. 47 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.419 Yes, that's about a 102nd pause between words. 48 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.599 Yeah, yeah, it's really, really quite bad. 49 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:17.879 So he's kind of not bothering. 50 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.300 And I guess, well, let's talk A-plot then. 51 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:27.060 The, this is, I'm calling this the A plot, not because it's interesting or good or anything, but because it gets... 52 00:03:27.060 --> 00:03:29.280 Or indeed that there is a plot, a plot. 53 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:32.159 But it gets the title, right? 54 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:34.979 So we have the Pyroans, we're on the planet Obsidian. 55 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:41.699 They're pacifists and Dana has gone down with Tarrant to kind of do something. 56 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.919 I don't know. they want to stay there for a holiday or recruit people or something like that. 57 00:03:46.979 --> 00:03:51.780 Then there's a B plot, which is lots of space things and serve land and stuff going on. 58 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:58.620 And I think the B plot is kind of woefully generic, but it's so much more fun than the A-plot. 59 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:00.000 Absolutely right. 60 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:03.120 There's just some really odd bits that don't make sense. 61 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:05.759 I don't get the bit and I've watched this twice. 62 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:11.759 When the 2 brothers come to meet Serviline and the Federation and they're sort of phasing in and out of existence. 63 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:13.560 Right? 64 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:16.980 Or is it, is that what they're trying to show that they've got some weird powers? 65 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:28.259 Or are they just, is it supposed to be like a time lapse thing because it's such a long way to walk to run that they were, they just sort of they just sort of showed them to show parts of their journey rather than just show a little bit of it. 66 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:35.339 But then nobody mentions the fact that they've just appeared and disappeared and to say phased in and out as they come towards them. 67 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:39.000 And then it's never mentioned or commented on or explained. 68 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:47.459 But sure, this is an ability that would be useful to the Federation, if they could adopt that technology, you know, sort of they could go on missions, they could sneak up on people. 69 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:49.860 It's just what was going on? 70 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:56.279 No, I mean, absolutely. that your takeaway from that scene would be that they have this magical power, but I don't think that that's what it is. 71 00:04:56.339 --> 00:05:00.779 I think it's just a directorial flourish from a not very flourishy director. 72 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:07.620 He's just, it's just confusing because we don't know if they're magically doing it or if they're just showing the passage of time. 73 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:12.779 But there's a sound which is digetic, which makes you think that they're actually doing it. 74 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:13.740 It's very muddled. 75 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:18.600 Well, and then Milus and his brother something turned out. 76 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:23.699 And they're kind of, they're very kind of ethereal and stuff. 77 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:26.459 And so they're kind of weird space people. 78 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.360 And so that reinforces the idea that this is a thing that's really happening. 79 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:32.339 But because it never gets referred to. 80 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:44.339 Like, I just think they must have had like 5 minutes of footage of those people sort of slowly jogging up towards, you know, and then... 81 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:47.100 Like in the Holy Grail when they roam towards the castle. 82 00:05:50.160 --> 00:06:03.120 And they just use the best bits, like maybe a pigeon landed on one of them at some and like one of them got distracted and they just sort of faded those bits out or something because it's a bad, like that's not how you do passage of time. 83 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:07.980 No, do you think you could have cut away to serve land for reaction shots or something? 84 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.439 It's really stupid. 85 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:12.180 Yeah, that would have been really funny. 86 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.259 Maybe they did that. 87 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:20.699 Maybe it was like they're walking from the very long distance away and then sort of Servilan and that guy, what's his name? 88 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:21.300 Murray. 89 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:23.639 I thought he was called Murray. 90 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:35.819 So Murray and Surverland look at each other and then they run a little bit more and then, you know, the the, the troopers shift nervously from foot to foot or something and then they run a bit more. 91 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.600 And then they kind of fall over and die sort of thing. 92 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:43.680 I mean, they're they're stupid and they're sort of ridiculous science fiction people. 93 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:50.819 And our 2 main people, like our 2 main Pyroans, which are Michael. 94 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:52.019 Yeah, I know. 95 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:56.040 I don't know what that is Oh, well, because they live near a volcano, right? 96 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:57.720 On the planet, Obsidian. 97 00:06:57.779 --> 00:06:58.680 Yeah, yeah. 98 00:06:58.740 --> 00:06:59.939 Why aren't they obsidians? 99 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:00.540 I don't get it. 100 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:02.220 But they live near a, yeah. 101 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:02.819 Anyway. 102 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:06.240 And why is there even a volcano in it? 103 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:08.100 And why is the episode even called volcano? 104 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:09.899 Because it's just around a volcano? 105 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:13.680 It should just be called, you know, terror of the pacifists or something. 106 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:15.899 It's just so unconnected. 107 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:17.939 I mean, those 2 things do go together. 108 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:37.439 But I guess the, the, like, there's that really shitty visual, you know, the really shitty sort of plastic visual of the volcano on the screen where like, and it looks like, like it looks like the planet is supposed to look like there's just a big volcano in the middle of it, right? 109 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:52.860 And so I guess they're kind of final threat, their threat to kind of wipe themselves out and destroy the planet is kind of central to where they are and what their political position is and what's going on with this planet. 110 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.319 And it's the centre of the planet. 111 00:07:55.379 --> 00:08:10.680 But we can't do the visual because we just can't, and that sort of deplorable, lamentable kind of polystyrene globe that looks like it's kind of fallen on the floor a bit, and then they've painted it. 112 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:14.459 Like, it looks really, it looks really bad. 113 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:20.040 So they can't have the big, they can't have a volcano as big as they want. 114 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:26.220 They can't realise a volcano on location because they're in South England or something. 115 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:28.920 No, rocky outcrop in Yorkshire. 116 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:29.639 I think you'll find. 117 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:31.019 Oh, echo, right? 118 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:31.980 stock footage, yeah. 119 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:32.879 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 120 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:35.340 So I can see why they call it volcano. 121 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:45.360 I can see why that's sort of central to the idea, but like, who thought that they were going to be able to kind of bring that off in any way that was going to be satisfactory? 122 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:51.000 I mean, being blown to bits is pretty much what they deserve for being such a boring lot. 123 00:08:51.120 --> 00:09:02.879 But I actually found it quite similar to the plot device from Countdown last year where the self-destruct weapon was planted inside the planets, in that case, by the Federation. 124 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:04.799 So they're kind of repeating their ideas a little bit. 125 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:20.039 And also, I think too, that the, that in a show like Blake 7, where you have pacifists, um, that's not really a kind of sensible political kind of thing that we're doing. 126 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:22.320 It's just super B movie. 127 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:30.240 It's like Planet of the B movie, pacifists, and they're full of shit because like they, they, do you know what I mean? 128 00:09:30.299 --> 00:09:39.240 They burn out a bit of your brain or something and they brainwash them and stuff and they all live in sort of, you know, complete happiness and things like that. 129 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:49.080 And, you know, they're pacifists who have a robot that they can just tell to fire the gun instead of firing the gun themselves. 130 00:09:49.139 --> 00:10:02.460 Like, I'm not quite sure what the moral distinction is between telling a device to use a device to kill your horrible, ugly son, Bersha, to just kill yourself. 131 00:10:02.580 --> 00:10:17.639 You know, like, so, you know, remember the pacifist in the Daleks where they're just stupid, you know, and Ian outwits them and explains to them why their position is wrong in about 5 minutes and they kind of go, oh, yes, we'd never thought of that. 132 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:19.860 I mean, that's what they're doing here. 133 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.500 There's nothing really more interesting than that. 134 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:25.139 It is just while we're here. 135 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:31.379 He's an incidental swipe at pacifists and let's kind of straw man them and make them look stupid. 136 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.919 It's just a bit pathetic, I think. 137 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:40.320 Pacifism is not an idea that you can do justice to in a show like Dr. or Blake 7. 138 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:41.820 So you mentioned the Daleks. 139 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:46.860 How about the dominators with its incredibly boring characters, and that's what it becomes. 140 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:51.240 So in this episode, the characters are all totally boring because they're pacifists. 141 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:53.039 It's awful. 142 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:58.379 I don't think you get a sense of how many Pyroans there are either. 143 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:01.320 So when Michael Goff proudly says, you know, there's no war. 144 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:02.759 Yeah, exactly. 145 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:10.440 And we don't fight amongst ourselves. then there's 8 after Milus and his brother get killed. 146 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:19.740 Yeah, you'd think half a dozen people should be able to get on without wars or fighting without electric shocks and psychological propaganda. 147 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:21.600 I was thinking this morning. 148 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:27.899 It's like, okay, you know, they're trying to explain something about pacifism and it doesn't work and you're always going to need a stronger army. 149 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.620 Wherever you are, you're always going to need an army or defences. 150 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:34.500 I just don't get the bomb at the end. 151 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:39.179 It's like, we can't have this perfect thing, then fuck it, everyone will die. 152 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:42.779 It really just, it stops it from hanging together in any way. 153 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:50.940 But I gather the idea is that that's a threat and that that thread has been very successful. 154 00:11:51.000 --> 00:12:02.820 And then, like, that little bit of better. which I quite like about Servoland, which is obviously the threat can only be like at some point you have to carry through on the threat. like parenting. 155 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:04.740 It's like nuclear war, yeah. 156 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:11.399 Yeah, so they do explode themselves and sort of no one else very much nearby. 157 00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:18.059 But there's that great bit where Servoland, it's not that Servoland didn't think they would do it. 158 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.220 It's just that she didn't really give a shit. 159 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:21.960 And that's super fun. 160 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:25.019 Like, that's fun characterisation for Survland, I think. 161 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:32.100 I mean, I think it's bad characterisation for Dana because they actually have Dana admire the pacifist ideal. 162 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:33.360 They say, oh, it's brilliant. 163 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.779 You know, you've really achieved something here and you think, what, Dana is saying that. 164 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.299 Don't they hang a lantern on it though? 165 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:44.220 Don't they say something like, doesn't Tarrant say, 0 my god, like that's coming from you? 166 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:47.039 Like they do at least sort of acknowledge that. 167 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:48.539 Yeah, okay. 168 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:50.519 They saved it. 169 00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:59.340 Well, let's just leave them for a minute because they're all dead anyway. 170 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:08.159 And let's just talk about the fact that we open with our 2 new regulars interacting together on a way mission. 171 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:09.360 Do they call it that? 172 00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:11.279 They're down and safe anyway. 173 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:13.379 No, no, they're safely down. 174 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:14.700 Yeah, safely down. 175 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:16.019 Yeah, yes. 176 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.240 They don't know the terminology yet. 177 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:18.539 Yeah. 178 00:13:18.659 --> 00:13:21.240 Apparently it was written for Blake and Jenner. 179 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:31.980 So this might explain why Alan Pryor is so shit because if he wrote Horizon and then very quickly followed Hostage, the Keeper, and this, then maybe he didn't have time to make anything good. 180 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:34.320 But apparently it was meant to be Blake and Jenner. 181 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:36.539 And so this was written for like the last season format. 182 00:13:36.600 --> 00:13:45.720 Like Blake 7 never really properly kind of commits to like long-term character arcs or anything like that. 183 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:50.279 And part of the fun of watching Blake 70s thinking about the relationships between the characters. 184 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:57.779 There's something coming up, I think, in series C where, where because Avon and Callia are kind of the only adults. 185 00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:58.919 Do you know what I mean? 186 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:03.000 Because Villa's silly and the other 2 are like terribly young. 187 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:03.659 They're new. 188 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:13.559 They have quite an interesting relationship and they seem to rely on one another, but it's not something that you could say that anyone sat down and thought about presenting. 189 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:25.379 And here I think Chris Boucher does at least acknowledge, you know, he gets them to talk about how they feel, you know, um, Terrence still doesn't trust anyone. 190 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:33.059 Dana's a little bit more there, but they're just kind of talking about being the new people and then upstairs on the Liberator. 191 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:38.220 They're also talking about them as well, which I thought was, you know, that was something. 192 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:39.600 I thought that that was pretty good. 193 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:41.519 Yeah, it is good. 194 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:43.500 And I mean, it does sort of set up. 195 00:14:43.559 --> 00:14:45.840 Previously, it's been the Avon and Dana show. 196 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:48.539 They've been the pairing in the 1st 2 episodes of this season. 197 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:53.820 And so there was no guarantee that actually we were going to have Dana and Tarrant as a pairing. 198 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:59.279 But I think going forwards, they are sort of paired together the most, and it's not just because they're the newbies. 199 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:00.120 They do work well together. 200 00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:03.360 I think it's new characters is quite interesting. 201 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:12.299 They seem a bit more hard-edged than maybe some of the there's some of the original crew. you know, they're both quite sort of handy, aren't they? 202 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:16.259 And they, you know, they'll kill people quite, quite easily and without compunction. 203 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.340 So it feels like it's from, from my point of view of, say, watching through for the 1st time. 204 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:24.299 Maybe they're going in a slightly different direction with that. 205 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:25.679 And I thought it was interesting. 206 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:37.500 They're looking for a home base as well, which isn't really something they've discussed or had a need for before, and I don't think I really thought that that was going to happen here with these people. 207 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:42.539 Well, if they can't find home base and they can find B&Q or Texas. 208 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:46.440 Just preempt. 209 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:47.940 I thought that would be your dad joke, Mark. 210 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:53.759 Everyone's wearing a judo outfit this week on the Liberator. 211 00:15:53.820 --> 00:16:04.860 There's that line where, you know, they make that joke about, uh, the volcano's bubbling away or Aurax bubbling away, and the look Avon just gives them a, it's like, fucking hell. 212 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:10.259 Yes, remember, everyone, they're waiting by the rim. 213 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:11.940 By the rim. 214 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:18.240 You know, I actually think that Kelly and Villa look pretty great, but they're the only ones. 215 00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:21.720 I think this episode is let down heavily by its design work. 216 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:23.460 I mean, what is Dana wearing? 217 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:26.820 That white and peach thing that she's got on is just so unflattering. 218 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:31.379 But actually, I think everything in the episode looks fairly awful. 219 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.740 We've got a few things here which are new, which will recur through the season. 220 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:42.840 We've got Servland's new reptile ship and that weird sort of uninspired command deck and the new look mutoids. 221 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:49.379 And they're all quite sad looking and not as good as the fabulous space command donuts. 222 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:52.559 So I think it sort of, unfortunately, sets a bit of a tone for the season. 223 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:54.360 The mutoids are shit. 224 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:58.500 Yeah, so they used to wear like leather or something. 225 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:08.700 They used to be pretty creepy and, you know, like, uh, the, uh, was a duel, I think, one of the episodes where, with the, they're really creepy in that, where it's this. 226 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:11.700 It's just someone to give exposition about where the ship is. 227 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:15.000 She's like a receptionist, isn't she? 228 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:17.579 She's like one of the ladies in Day of the Daleks. 229 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.079 You know, he's... 230 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:20.880 Yeah, I think that is a shame. 231 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:26.099 And their outfits are like foam and they've got like space silver foil on them and it looks terrible. 232 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:30.599 I mean, it's not as bad as they will look in coming season, so I'll just say that. 233 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:33.599 Oh, no, the geometric bob in animals. 234 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:34.319 I love that. 235 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:37.380 I'm glad that the mutoids start going for that. 236 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:38.400 That's tremendous. 237 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:41.700 But even Servoland's outfit is pretty grim. 238 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:46.980 It's kind of a sort of 80s space outfit, which is super unfortunate. 239 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:51.420 And then the stupid space people, let's talk about their outfit. 240 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.180 You know, the the Pyroans are all wearing white. 241 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.700 You know, it's that that we've, we're people. 242 00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:57.420 Because that's pacifist. 243 00:17:57.480 --> 00:17:58.920 Yeah, that's it. 244 00:17:58.980 --> 00:17:59.640 That's it. 245 00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:04.319 They just wave Milus when they want to surrender. 246 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.720 I mean, they're kind of wearing space robes, aren't they? 247 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:10.380 It's awful. 248 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:11.640 Yeah, yeah. 249 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:13.079 No, it's super terrible. 250 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:21.359 And the other thing too. and this director will do this next week is there's a lot of 70s shag carpet and stuff and like on the walls and things. 251 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:25.380 And it's something that we commented on in aftermaths. 252 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:37.980 Remember the, um, the tacky, I mean, the very, very shiny coloured walls of Dana's kind of space grotto on the planet Sarin. 253 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:45.779 And then we'll get that sort of thing here and we mentioned Shrinkers Cavern from Rumours of Death. 254 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:50.460 And, you know, it's also coming up in Dawn of the Gods. 255 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:54.359 And that's a very, very kind of Siri C look. 256 00:18:54.420 --> 00:19:05.819 And it reminds me of kind of the houses of like my school friends when this was on, like the kind of the kind of cooler ones. 257 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:13.140 Do you know what I mean that had lots of kind of thick carpet and glossy surfaces and lots of oranges and stuff like that. 258 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:15.539 And that will go away next year. 259 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:18.779 And I'm going to miss it, I have to say. 260 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.720 Nathan, that's because they didn't live in houses. 261 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.839 They lived in space stations that had been grounded on the sea bed. 262 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:51.839 That's right The other bit that didn't quite make sense to me is when, um, I can't remember his name, Michael Goff's son asks Tarant, if he knows Servolan, and then the scene ends and it's sort of a dramatic end, like, oh, how do you know about Servolan? 263 00:19:51.839 --> 00:20:07.200 And then that's not followed up, and the very next time you see them, is Tarant and Dana quite happily sort of trotting out onto the planet's surface to be accosted by the Federation troops, and sort of that's when the son has betrayed them and hands them over. 264 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:12.720 So it just seems why mention at that point that he knows who Servolan is. 265 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:14.519 Yeah, because they don't react. 266 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.960 They still follow to... 267 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:21.240 Yeah, and there's no there's no next scene where he goes, how do you know about Servilan? 268 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:24.420 and then he has to lie or make an excuse, but then why bring it up in the 1st place? 269 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:27.480 So yeah, get another very odd piece of writing or direction or whatever. 270 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:29.220 I think it is the writing. 271 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:32.579 I mean, we mentioned even in Horizon, which is an episode which we loved. 272 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:37.740 There's curious dead ends in scenes and things which don't just don't follow on. 273 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:49.259 And so, either the editing process goes awry on Alan Pryor scripts or more likely he just lets threads drop and it doesn't really make a lot of sense. makes very unsatisfactory viewing. 274 00:20:49.859 --> 00:20:54.299 Do you guys remember the TV show Police Squad? 275 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:55.380 Yes. 276 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:59.640 Okay, all the naked gun films, but there's a... 277 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:00.180 Okay. 278 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:01.319 Okay, thank God. 279 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:26.279 There's a scene where Leslie Nielsen and someone else are shooting at each other. and it's all filmed like on Leslie Nielsen, on the other person, on Leslie Nielsen, on the other person. and it pulls back and they're just next to each other behind 2 bins and it is just like that on the shootout on the liberator where Avon is just like, hide behind the sofa, get up and put the gun directly in someone's face. 280 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:30.480 And it's just like, like, at least space them out a bit more. 281 00:21:30.539 --> 00:21:34.440 And I will have them running through the ship, which you can't do because the sets don't connect. 282 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:41.700 But it's like a really weak kind of another episode of being on the liberator and the federation have boarded. 283 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.380 It's pretty weak. 284 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:49.680 In Avon's defence, he thinks there's only 3 federation troops aboard because Callie's telepathic messages. 285 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.420 Avon, there are 3 of them. 286 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:53.579 Three of them, and there's four. 287 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.460 She's watched 4 people teleport aboard. 288 00:21:56.519 --> 00:22:02.940 I didn't know in the shootout whether this was like a thing where he was only expecting to be hitting 3 and that's how he managed to get shot by one of them. 289 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:04.259 What is that? 290 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:05.640 Because that must be ADR. 291 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:09.539 They must have shot that part and known that there was 4 troops by then. 292 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:12.599 What's what do things going on with that? 293 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:14.640 Is she trying to take over the liberator? 294 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:17.039 Is she not even killed? 295 00:22:17.099 --> 00:22:17.700 No. 296 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:21.960 It's yes, another thing in an Alan Prior script that just doesn't quite add up. 297 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:37.619 I mean, I have to say that sequence, while it is quite poorly shot, I think, is possibly the best sequence in the episode, just because Avon is actually quite clever in turning the tables on Maury with his covert orders to Zen and then shooting the troopers. 298 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.319 I think it actually adds some welcome excitement to the piece. 299 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:42.839 It's actually quite clever, isn't it? 300 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:47.880 Because he goes Zen, and then he gives an order, but he gives the order in a weird way. 301 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:54.180 And I think both you and the troops on board are kind of going, wait, what the fuck? 302 00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:55.019 What's he saying? 303 00:22:55.079 --> 00:23:00.180 And then kind of go, oh shit, he's just, he's just ordered Zen to fire on the other ships. 304 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:02.460 And that is actually pretty good. 305 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:07.980 That's right, because he finishes a sentence with Zen and puts emphasis on it and then goes off on this tangent. 306 00:23:08.099 --> 00:23:12.119 Yeah, yeah, yeah, conversationally drops the order in sort of conversationally, doesn't it? 307 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:14.579 Yeah, it's yeah, it's really well done that part, yeah. 308 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:21.119 It's like the way that you accidentally trigger Siri during a conversation, like conversation. 309 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:23.880 And they knew about it back in 1979. 310 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:25.559 So I think that is pretty great. 311 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:34.019 I mean, how many times already has the Federation, I guess, not counting the break between seasons. 312 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:38.759 Did it happen in series 2 as a federation taken over the ship? 313 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:40.920 They're going to do it quite a bit from now on. 314 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:41.819 Well, they are. 315 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:47.160 And I mean, I think that's actually one of the problems with this episode and then it feels like it should be given a lot of important deal. 316 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:52.799 Yeah, Servolan is trying to take the liberator from them rather than destroy it. 317 00:23:52.859 --> 00:24:00.420 Although in this episode, she does try and take the liberty from them and then retreat and then come back and then decide to destroy it anyway. 318 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:03.599 So she's not really, you know, lacking in motivation there. 319 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:08.220 And then decide it isn't a threat without Blake as well, which I thought was interesting. 320 00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:09.900 She says that threat without Blake. 321 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:12.000 It wasn't a threat with Blake. 322 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:14.039 He was the one who was making it, not a thread. 323 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:19.859 It's all just quite muddled, but I think because this season, Sorry, Mark, spoilers. 324 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:25.440 Servland will make a number of efforts to get hold of the liberator. 325 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:31.799 You know, I'm thinking harvest of Chiros, children of our on, and of course, terminal, and they're all much better than this. 326 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:34.680 And so in retrospect, it just doesn't look very good. 327 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:37.799 Well, it's that bit where she goes, what should we do with the ship? 328 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:39.900 And it's like she goes, no. 329 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:41.700 And then she goes, oh no, fuck it. 330 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:42.299 Blow it up. 331 00:24:42.660 --> 00:24:44.339 That's awesome. 332 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:45.839 That's not inconsistent. 333 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:48.720 That's just her going, oh, yeah, like what the fuck? 334 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:49.319 Thatll be fun. 335 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:50.220 Let's do that. 336 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:52.200 I really like that bit. 337 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:53.099 Yeah, me too. 338 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:54.299 It's truly excellent. 339 00:24:54.359 --> 00:25:00.059 That's, again, her not giving a crap the way that she didn't care whether the Pyroans killed themselves. 340 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:01.559 I just think that's awesome. 341 00:25:01.619 --> 00:25:07.559 So, I mean, this is kind of what the show has to be about now, though, isn't it? 342 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:09.180 Because we wiped. 343 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:09.720 It funny. 344 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:20.700 We were talking in our aftermath episode about how the show has been kind of reconceived at this and has been given a completely new premise. 345 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:32.160 And here we've walked it back a little bit because I think Tarrant says there's still a sizeable remnant of the Federation battle fleet still operational. 20% if you believe aftermath. 346 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:33.000 Yeah, okay. 347 00:25:33.059 --> 00:25:35.339 So it's, but, you know, he's saying sizeable. 348 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:46.799 So Servoland has her own sort of crappy melted ship and and we've got the liberator and stuff and it is what the opening titles say, isn't it? 349 00:25:46.859 --> 00:25:53.339 It's just we're in the galaxy and people are chasing the liberator which is running away and that's our new premise. 350 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:58.740 And so the only thing that Serverland can really think of doing now is to try and take the liberator, I guess. 351 00:25:58.799 --> 00:26:06.240 I mean, it would have been more exciting trying to see Serveline consolidate her position as president now that she is president. 352 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:09.299 I would have liked some more politics, a bunch of meetings, perhaps. 353 00:26:09.900 --> 00:26:14.279 Well, you could have brought back old, you know, Brontaine and Burkhole. 354 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:16.680 I would have loved to have seen them in her office. 355 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:23.759 Well, actually, didn't they get sucked out the side of the space donuts when the burrito attacked in trial? 356 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:27.180 But yeah, no, I would have liked to have seen more of that. 357 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:29.819 And actually, we will get on to that in rumours of death. 358 00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:36.900 We will see her actually leading rather than just being off on a melted spaceship trying to chase a liberator and it's more interesting. 359 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:45.180 Yeah, there's that one great moment at the end of Star one where she says, I will not be president of a ruined empire, which is so good. 360 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:47.279 And unfortunately, that is what happens to her. 361 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:48.119 She is, though. 362 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:49.440 Oh, yes, you're well loved. 363 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:50.400 Yeah, yeah. 364 00:26:50.579 --> 00:27:03.900 So if we're taking the ship, you'll note that Ben Howard's Murray has been tasked with a job and is he Travis, if we thought this was going to be in series B? 365 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:07.019 He's absolutely Travis. 366 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:11.819 No one else gets away with that kind of attitude towards Servoland. 367 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:16.079 And he's played by Stephen Senchman from the Green Death, and he can't pronounce Orak. 368 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:21.299 He's really actually quite bad, I think. 369 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:27.539 And there's there's that scene where, you know, Milus and his stupid brother. 370 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:27.960 That it. 371 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:30.779 He kind of goes, what? 372 00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:31.440 What? 373 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:32.819 You know, like, what? 374 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:35.220 It's really like terrible. 375 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:37.680 And then he turns around to them and says, go on, run. 376 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:43.140 And given what he's just seen with them running for 5 minutes across the filter, he's just thinking he'd be asking for that. 377 00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:47.160 Yeah, you would think if they're going to run, they'll just disappear. 378 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:55.019 There's another space commander who's just like in a chair all the time like this. like, hello, Serverland, how are you? 379 00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:56.160 He's got no eyes as well. 380 00:27:56.220 --> 00:27:59.400 It's really... yeah. 381 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:00.900 That's amazing. 382 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:02.519 And he's all unshaven. 383 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:05.640 It's a bit weird And he's in a completely different room altogether. 384 00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:06.960 Like he's not with any of them. 385 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:20.880 They're not even kind of, they're just telling him his lines and sort of inexpertly cutting the conversation together because it usually takes a few seconds longer to react than, I mean, maybe he's had a recent blow to the head or something. 386 00:28:20.940 --> 00:28:27.119 You know, but he's not really engaging with with Serveland, you know, in any kind of realistic way. 387 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:30.539 No, and if we're putting the boost into him, he's ugly as sin. 388 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:31.740 Yeah, yeah. 389 00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:56.759 Yeah, in terms of Murray, it's interesting that he does seem to have some leeway to question the orders because he says something like, oh, yeah, that's the only reason I'm going along with this or something, isn't it, to get the liberator as if he's got any choice because surely she is the commander of the armed forces and everything, but yeah, he does seem to get away with a little bit of questioning. 390 00:28:56.819 --> 00:29:01.680 Yeah, it's clearly absolutely meant to be Travis and not late season, Travis. 391 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:04.500 I thought it's meant to be, kind of, you know, pretrial, Travis. 392 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:11.220 Although it does give rise to that quite nice line from Servland later where he says, oh, you know, don't forget about us. 393 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:14.640 And she goes, no, of course not, and cuts the channel and says, you have Aurak. 394 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:16.380 Yeah, that's great, yeah. 395 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:26.940 So it was interesting that Aurak seems to help Murray and the other Federation troops by given the coordinates to arrive on the planet. 396 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:48.960 So Cali having already betrayed Avon by giving him misinformation about the number of intruders on the ship, then Aurak is sort of turned to traitor as well and gives Servolander coordinates so that the ship can come down undetected and whether that's a self-preservation thing or what. sure, but I think it is that or I again kind of is above all that and doesn't really give a shit. 397 00:29:49.019 --> 00:30:02.099 And it's not the only time that he gets captured and just freely gives information to the enemies because he's more important or, you know, like he's arrogant and stuff like that. 398 00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:03.359 Or he's just a machine. 399 00:30:03.420 --> 00:30:08.039 You know, he has no loyalties, but I kind of, I do kind of like that. 400 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:11.819 I mean, he's a bit of a blabbermouth to Dorian and rescue, isn't he? 401 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:13.740 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 402 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:17.400 And do Tarrant and Dana not know that Callie's a telepath? 403 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:19.500 That would, sure, that would be some usual information. 404 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:20.160 Right. 405 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:20.940 You have told them. 406 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:27.000 I mean, it possibly would have helped if Callie's telepathy worked at any point in this episode. 407 00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:28.980 The theory. 408 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:30.180 It's funny, isn't it? 409 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:35.880 When I was a kid, if Callie did telepathy, I was just hugely excited. 410 00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.920 It's kind of like, oh, she's doing telepathy. 411 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:38.880 She can do that. 412 00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:44.880 And, you know, like, obviously it's a kind of stupid thing and it really only matters a couple of times. 413 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:49.680 There's only, you know, a few times in Blake Seven's run that it matters at all. 414 00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:51.900 But I think he, and do you know, Nathan? 415 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:53.940 All of those moments are written by Chris Boucher. 416 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:55.799 So it really matters in shadow. 417 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:57.359 It really matters in Death Watch. 418 00:30:57.420 --> 00:31:01.079 He uses her telepathy properly and aptly and no one else does. 419 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:07.680 No, and so she's talking away to herself while Avon's in shot paying no attention to her. 420 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:16.140 And you kind of think, I mean, you read that as just, you know, Avon's a prick and he's busy dealing with the attack or whatever. 421 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:24.660 And so he's not listening, and then eventually he does start paying attention when she starts telling him the wrong number of troops, I guess. 422 00:31:25.740 --> 00:31:32.519 But it doesn't work on any level because that never gets addressed or like you would kind of expect it to be said. 423 00:31:32.579 --> 00:31:38.039 It seems like an odd thing that we get no explanation about why he doesn't hear. 424 00:31:38.099 --> 00:31:48.000 And then, and then we get that woman's voice thing down on the thing and, and again, that's just sort of slightly crappily done, I think. 425 00:31:48.059 --> 00:31:50.039 Yeah, by the rim, Nathan. 426 00:31:50.099 --> 00:31:51.660 Don't forget, by the rim. 427 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:54.599 But then she says at the rim. 428 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:55.559 Do you know what I mean? 429 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:56.880 Like she's heard something different. 430 00:31:56.940 --> 00:31:58.619 Yeah, it's very confused. 431 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:06.839 And it doesn't work on a character level because they could have made something out of it because Callie and Avon are as close as regular characters in this show can be. 432 00:32:06.900 --> 00:32:10.380 And so you would think Avon would be able to pick up quite easily on it. 433 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:18.000 Whereas because Kelly doesn't know Dana and Tara, that would be a reason for them not to be able to pick up well on it, but they don't highlight that at all. 434 00:32:18.059 --> 00:32:20.759 I know, and she doesn't say, hey, it's Callie. 435 00:32:20.819 --> 00:32:25.619 I forgot to mention I'm a telepath, you know, this is me speaking inside your head. 436 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:26.339 Don't panic. 437 00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:36.359 I know it's kind of weird and I can't hear you, by the way, so you needn't worry that I'm sort of eavesdropping on all of your gruesome sexual fantasies. 438 00:32:36.420 --> 00:32:38.759 But like none of that happens. 439 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:39.660 You know what I mean? 440 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:41.819 She just says something and like somehow they get it. 441 00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:45.420 So it's kind of half-heartedly done, isn't it? 442 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:49.200 It's a bit of a shame because it can be great when it's done right. 443 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:52.200 And, you know, like 10 year old me was very excited. 444 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:58.319 I think she has been eavesdropping on villas, though, with that, you know, we've seen you not really noticing frequently. 445 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:05.940 And then you get that bit of music from the, like, good life musical, Ronny Huzelhouse music. 446 00:33:06.900 --> 00:33:10.259 It's very, it's very Chris Boucher. 447 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:12.119 It's very A, and it's quite good, I think. 448 00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:14.099 We get Villa drunk. 449 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:19.799 He hasn't been drunk since when, since Freedom City or Space City. 450 00:33:19.859 --> 00:33:22.079 I can never remember which is which. one of those. 451 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:24.779 What's the one that gets blown up in series one? 452 00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:27.720 Is it Freedom City or Space City? 453 00:33:27.779 --> 00:33:28.799 Space City probably. 454 00:33:28.859 --> 00:33:30.720 That'd be the name they reach for first. 455 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:32.759 Freedom City, the Casino, is that? 456 00:33:32.819 --> 00:33:33.299 Yeah, that's right. 457 00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:34.319 Freedom Cities Casino. 458 00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:35.220 So it's the... 459 00:33:35.640 --> 00:33:37.920 Yeah, it's the 1st 1st one, isn't it? 460 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:39.240 where he gets sort of horribly drunk. 461 00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:46.079 I mean, I think he was introduced to adrenaline and soma in a previous Alan Pryor script and, you know, that was the end of him. 462 00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:50.339 Although, you know, Villa actually does have some fairly good moments. 463 00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:59.220 I like just before he gets drunk on the adrenaline soma when he sees off Servland by saying, I'm in charge here and I can see you, you're at these coordinates. 464 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:00.660 It's actually quite a nice villa moment. 465 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.980 It kind of offsets him beaming them all up, though. 466 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:07.859 Yeah, which is ridiculous. 467 00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:09.659 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 468 00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:12.659 I mean, and Kelly, like, what is it? 469 00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:20.460 It's just some weird voice, like, you would have thought, I mean, Villa was there when he yelled, teleport, teleport, teleport, and hostage. 470 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:21.840 Do you know what I mean? 471 00:34:21.900 --> 00:34:27.119 He knows that you don't just beam up the person who says teleport teleport a bunch of times. could be anyone. 472 00:34:30.179 --> 00:34:31.920 All right, this episode is shit. 473 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:49.019 And they half-heartedly put a lampshade on Villa actually sending Callie down to the planet with Murray and Co because they're ready to teleport down and she doesn't have a bracelet on and he puts the bracelet on her and she says Villano and he says, no, you'll be safer down there. 474 00:34:49.079 --> 00:34:50.519 It doesn't make any sense to do that. 475 00:34:50.639 --> 00:35:03.840 It also gives rise to one of my favourite bits of I'm over this shit from Jan Chapel, where she's gagged and she's about to teleport down with Murray, and her bracelet falls off to the floor with a platter. 476 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:05.579 And she looks down at it. 477 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:11.940 Then she looks offset to the PA, presumably waiting for a cut, then realises, no, we're really going on. 478 00:35:12.119 --> 00:35:17.519 Yeah, well, we're happy to let kind of Michael Goff fluff his important line. 479 00:35:17.579 --> 00:35:20.400 So obviously we don't really care at all. 480 00:35:21.300 --> 00:35:32.400 I thought for a 2nd actually, because I mean, like obviously I've seen this a bunch of times, but unsurprisingly, it's not one that I go back and sort of watch by choice kind of normally. 481 00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:43.320 I thought that he was rushing into the teleport bay to take her bracelet off so that they would beam down and she wouldn't. 482 00:35:43.380 --> 00:35:45.119 Is that how it works? 483 00:35:45.179 --> 00:35:46.860 What if you hold hands? 484 00:35:46.920 --> 00:35:48.659 Yeah, so Nathan, you're talking sad. 485 00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:51.239 But I just don't know what the deal is. 486 00:35:51.300 --> 00:35:56.940 Like, does it, like, obviously beams you down in your clothes and like, or like, in a box and stuff like that. 487 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:59.519 But does it beam down someone you're holding? 488 00:35:59.579 --> 00:36:08.760 No, in fact, we will have an episode later this season where Kelly says that by touch, her bracelet can boost other bracelets, but everyone has to have one on. 489 00:36:08.820 --> 00:36:10.679 Well, well, there you go. 490 00:36:10.739 --> 00:36:11.760 So what the hell? 491 00:36:11.820 --> 00:36:12.719 What was with that? 492 00:36:12.780 --> 00:36:14.760 He just wanted to get rid of her. 493 00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:19.739 No, I think she's super judgy about the adrenaline and soma, actually. 494 00:36:21.420 --> 00:36:24.659 And he was so happy to see her last episode. 495 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:29.820 It's quite harsh when Michael Goff has his son killed. 496 00:36:29.880 --> 00:36:38.280 He, you know, he says that my son, the animal rules you, but I think maybe the son needed to sell that a bit more like he actually needed to lose his temper. 497 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:39.960 Have we seen any hint of passion or anything? 498 00:36:40.619 --> 00:36:42.059 Yeah. 499 00:36:42.119 --> 00:36:48.960 He just sort of says, I still believe in the theory of peace, which is sort of a weird thing to say, which phrase it, I thought. 500 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:53.639 And then he just killed, gets the Android to shoot him. 501 00:36:53.699 --> 00:36:59.699 So that's the same thing that they use to put Tarrant and Dana to sleep. 502 00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:01.440 But only thought, isn't it? 503 00:37:01.500 --> 00:37:04.019 And then, it's a dose. 504 00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:04.500 Yeah, yeah. 505 00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:11.880 So it's the spray gun that makes you go unconscious or if you're given enough of it, you slowly lower yourself to the ground and then die. 506 00:37:12.179 --> 00:37:14.280 I knew you'd say that. 507 00:37:14.340 --> 00:37:16.380 I'm watching this episode twice. 508 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:19.980 I thought he's going to say slowly lowering yourself to a friend. 509 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:23.340 It's the best example of it. 510 00:37:23.400 --> 00:37:24.960 It's really pretty good, isn't it? 511 00:37:25.019 --> 00:37:25.800 It is pretty great. 512 00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:34.139 I mean, all of the guest cast, including horrible, ugly Bershire, are taking cue from Michael Goff, who is entirely energy free. 513 00:37:34.199 --> 00:37:34.920 Yeah, yeah. 514 00:37:34.980 --> 00:37:37.679 But is it because he's a space person and a pacifist? 515 00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:44.579 So it's like 2 ways of being boring, like 2 motivations. for not showing any emotion or anything like that. 516 00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:48.239 It is, it's that sort of B gradness. 517 00:37:48.300 --> 00:37:50.219 And I guess, I guess all that we have. 518 00:37:50.280 --> 00:37:53.579 And, you know, Horizon does this as well. 519 00:37:53.639 --> 00:37:57.659 Like Horizon has space things happening as well, doesn't it? 520 00:37:57.719 --> 00:38:01.500 It's got a kind of B plot with space things and even back on the ship. 521 00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:08.639 You know, I mean, it is, it's something that Alan Pryor does and it is something that the show does. 522 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:16.619 And it's just a shame that the space things are so kind of half-hearted and uninspired because they're the best bid. 523 00:38:16.679 --> 00:38:22.559 You could almost ignore all the sort of horrible space people if there was some really exciting stuff going on. 524 00:38:22.619 --> 00:38:26.219 I mean, Mark, you mentioned duel before, I think. 525 00:38:26.280 --> 00:38:27.719 Well, someone mentioned duel. 526 00:38:27.840 --> 00:38:33.179 And, you know, it has a space thing going and a thing down on the planet. 527 00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:35.579 They kind of echo one another. 528 00:38:35.639 --> 00:38:37.679 They're both kind of tense and interesting. 529 00:38:37.739 --> 00:38:44.400 Like there's no reason that this material had to be quite so half-hearted, but there's a kind of sloppiness to the scripting. 530 00:38:44.519 --> 00:38:47.940 And I don't think Desmond McCarthy's direction helps at all. 531 00:38:48.840 --> 00:38:54.179 So he'll be here next week for Dawn of the Gods, but then he never comes back, right? 532 00:38:54.239 --> 00:38:55.619 That's correct. 533 00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:57.539 And, you know, thank God for that. 534 00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:00.840 So even by Blake 7's exacting standards. 535 00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:08.579 He was their pennant Roberts replacement for Siri C and everything's as good as that sounds. 536 00:39:08.699 --> 00:39:26.460 But yeah, it just, it just, it points out how important the direction is to Blake 7 because Horizon, while undoubtedly a better script than this, benefits from having a really good director at the helm who gets everyone on the same page gets them all delivering really nice nuanced performances. 537 00:39:26.519 --> 00:39:31.139 The central performance, Darian Angardis Row, is really great. 538 00:39:31.199 --> 00:39:33.480 And the design work is brilliant. 539 00:39:33.539 --> 00:39:39.599 And so you have a script which is pretty good, which is made excellent by the production team. 540 00:39:39.659 --> 00:39:44.940 And here you have a script which is not very good at all, made worse by the production team. 541 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:56.519 Isn't the production team and maybe the like the cast and the designer and the director who decide to make horizon a little bit like the British Raj. 542 00:39:56.579 --> 00:40:01.980 Like the Federation become the British Empire colonising people. 543 00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:07.980 And so it manages to be about something, like it's not just space people doing things. 544 00:40:08.039 --> 00:40:10.800 Whereas this one is just absolutely not about anything. 545 00:40:10.860 --> 00:40:13.199 Like, it's about pacifism, Nathan. 546 00:40:13.800 --> 00:40:15.239 I... 547 00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:20.400 And that's the ending. 548 00:40:20.460 --> 00:40:23.820 Like the ending is so, so miserable, isn't it? 549 00:40:23.880 --> 00:40:25.800 So it ends on another crap joke. 550 00:40:25.860 --> 00:40:28.079 It's another Blake 7 that ends on a crap joke. 551 00:40:28.139 --> 00:40:36.900 And it's the crap joke about, like, Callie decides, is it, that the Pyroans are the only real winners here? 552 00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:44.159 I mean, Servoland got to blow people up and got rid of horrible Murray and and, you know, live to fight another day. 553 00:40:44.219 --> 00:40:56.039 She got to head off in her spaceship in the middle of the episode, giving a dramatic monologue, which, like, you know, that must have been a high point for her. 554 00:40:56.039 --> 00:41:02.460 Villa got to be drunk, and yet the Pyroans who've all exploded themselves are the real winners here. 555 00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:15.119 And then, like, the final line is Villa going, Well, if that's what you call winning, I'd take losing any day and you just think, Jesus Christ. is no one putting any effort into this at all. 556 00:41:15.420 --> 00:41:19.679 All you needed was a Scooby-Doo freeze frame with people chuckling. 557 00:41:19.739 --> 00:41:23.159 Because they say, well, they were dying anyway, don't they? 558 00:41:23.280 --> 00:41:27.480 But we never actually found out what was killing them because they have a conversation about it. 559 00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:30.840 And Taryn asks Michael Goff, or is it this? 560 00:41:30.900 --> 00:41:31.320 Is it this? 561 00:41:31.380 --> 00:41:32.760 And he goes, I don't want to talk about it. 562 00:41:32.820 --> 00:41:35.280 I thought it was that the thing was leaking. 563 00:41:35.340 --> 00:41:38.699 They all had radiation because someone put a bomb in the volcano. 564 00:41:38.760 --> 00:41:45.900 But it's like they go, they're trying to link, is the radiation leaking or all this stuff and then they can't be asked to figure out what's going on. 565 00:41:45.960 --> 00:41:47.579 So they just say, oh, I don't want to talk about it. 566 00:41:47.639 --> 00:41:50.280 We'll probably blow ourselves up before it becomes it. 567 00:41:52.199 --> 00:41:53.820 They were dying. 568 00:41:53.880 --> 00:41:56.460 Well, thank you for removing our final reason to care. 569 00:41:57.420 --> 00:42:00.719 Yeah, that just seems to be another thing, doesn't it? 570 00:42:00.780 --> 00:42:02.280 It's like he's stuck this in. 571 00:42:02.340 --> 00:42:06.960 I mean, it's so muddled towards the end there where everything's sort of come together. 572 00:42:07.019 --> 00:42:15.420 They've gone and got Callie, who was taken down to the planet for no reason, and Dana and Tarant have just been let go after being held hostage for a bit. 573 00:42:15.539 --> 00:42:22.860 Um, and then they, they head back up to the Liberator and Serve Land's Ugly Commander says, oh, you know, I can destroy the Liberator for. 574 00:42:22.920 --> 00:42:23.519 And she says, yes. 575 00:42:23.579 --> 00:42:27.780 So then he heads in, but he doesn't actually go and destroy the liberator, even though they can't get away. 576 00:42:27.840 --> 00:42:30.000 He goes to the planet and the planet blows up. 577 00:42:30.059 --> 00:42:33.780 And by that stage, like the Pyroans, I'd lost the will to live. 578 00:42:37.380 --> 00:42:40.380 Well, that's all we have time for this week. 579 00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:47.880 We'll be back next time to do some unsolved dynamic flux equations with pencil and paper in Dawn of the Gods. 580 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:49.619 Until then good night. 581 00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:50.639 Good night. 582 00:42:50.699 --> 00:42:51.539 Good night. 583 00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:52.380 Good night. 584 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:53.820 Switching to manual. 585 00:42:53.880 --> 00:42:55.980 Maximum power on all drives. 586 00:42:59.039 --> 00:43:01.079 Maximum power. 587 00:43:07.139 --> 00:43:07.800 How are we doing? 588 00:43:07.860 --> 00:43:08.760 That's an hour. 589 00:43:08.820 --> 00:43:10.199 I reckon we should wind it up. 590 00:43:10.260 --> 00:43:11.699 Yeah, that's an owl. 591 00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:12.300 That's an hour. 592 00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:13.079 I think that's an hour. 593 00:43:13.139 --> 00:43:16.380 Oh, so we'll do a music thing and then while I do a thing? 594 00:43:16.440 --> 00:43:17.519 Who does? 595 00:43:17.579 --> 00:43:19.380 I'm do a thing. 596 00:43:20.159 --> 00:43:22.260 Oh, like an outro? 597 00:43:22.320 --> 00:43:25.079 Do you reckon that's an out enough of an out or do we need to? 598 00:43:26.579 --> 00:43:30.179 Yeah, I think I think that was, I think that's fine. 599 00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:31.920 I think so too. 600 00:43:31.980 --> 00:43:32.820 I, yeah. 601 00:43:32.880 --> 00:43:34.860 Is there more to talk about it? 602 00:43:34.980 --> 00:43:36.900 It feels like there's more much more to talk about. 603 00:43:37.019 --> 00:43:38.460 It feels like we've been ringing it out. 604 00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:39.539 I think we have. 605 00:43:39.659 --> 00:43:42.599 This is our outro, by our saying. 606 00:43:42.659 --> 00:43:43.500 We've had enough. 607 00:43:43.559 --> 00:43:44.639 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 608 00:43:46.320 --> 00:43:52.500 We're just filling airtime like Avon and Servlane running around on location for pretty much no reason. 609 00:43:53.099 --> 00:43:54.840 Oh my god. 610 00:43:54.900 --> 00:44:15.000 I remember watching this when it, like, maybe when it 1st screened, like, on the ABC, and I have, like, I've got really strong, like, that time I watched Horizon, remember I watched, I said that I had a really strong, like, we gone to my friend's place, and I said I had to watch Blake 7, and they put it on, and, like, I remember that. 611 00:44:15.059 --> 00:44:19.619 And I remember watching this really, really like, I can't think why. 612 00:44:19.679 --> 00:44:25.980 And I think it was just the, the way that they were kind of doing the volcano on location. 613 00:44:26.039 --> 00:44:30.179 The one thing that we didn't mention is, of course, how does he get killed? 614 00:44:30.300 --> 00:44:31.619 How does um... 615 00:44:32.760 --> 00:44:36.179 Oh yeah, Dana throws a shoe bomb. 616 00:44:36.300 --> 00:44:39.000 It's the 1st of, it looks like tampon bomb. 617 00:44:39.059 --> 00:44:40.440 No, no, no, no. 618 00:44:40.500 --> 00:44:42.780 So there's her vange bomb, which turns up... 619 00:44:42.840 --> 00:44:43.920 No, no, no, not a badgeball. 620 00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:44.820 It's tampon bomb. 621 00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:45.719 She takes out of her shoe. 622 00:44:45.780 --> 00:44:47.820 Do people put tampons in their shoe? 623 00:44:47.880 --> 00:44:53.219 I don't think they do Well, no, they don't, but it's sort of long then, and it looks like it's got a fuse coming out of it. 624 00:44:53.280 --> 00:44:55.920 And then maybe it's not. 625 00:44:55.980 --> 00:44:59.820 I don't know about these things. something I'm expert in either. 626 00:44:59.880 --> 00:45:13.619 But and then he falls in and it's the same effect, isn't it, that they kill Travis with, so they must have thought, we'll just get some gloop in the studio and put bubbles through it and then he can fall into that. 627 00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:16.739 Yeah, but slow down to about a quarter speed. 628 00:45:17.699 --> 00:45:19.920 Yeah, so you could do that now. 629 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:22.920 Look at all the fabulous fake volcano in dark water. 630 00:45:23.400 --> 00:45:24.900 So good. 631 00:45:25.500 --> 00:45:27.960 All right, okay, well, I'll do a thing. 632 00:45:29.340 --> 00:45:34.920 So, uh, so if there are no final statements in that case. 633 00:45:35.039 --> 00:45:35.639 No, fuck. 634 00:45:35.699 --> 00:45:36.480 What am I going to say that? 635 00:45:36.840 --> 00:45:39.659 Well, that's all we have time for this week.