WEBVTT NOTE This transcript was created on 2026-06-07 at 22:14:32 1 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:14.339 Hello, and welcome back to Maximum Power, the Blake 7 podcast. 2 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:23.760 I'm here with some old friends, some implacable old friends to talk about series D, episode three, traitor. 3 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:24.960 I'm Psy. 4 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:26.879 I'm Nathan. 5 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:28.199 I'm Simon. 6 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:29.879 And I'm Pete. 7 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:58.500 Yeah, so here we are, early series D, and this episode begins to establish a potential format for what the season is going to be, and takes us back somewhere that we haven't been for a very long time, I think not since rumours of death, to federation politicking and invasion and rebels, and things that we haven't seen in Blake 74 quite a while at this point. 8 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:04.500 And Robert Holmes comes in and writes a witty and intelligent script. 9 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.019 But what do we think of this episode? 10 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:09.180 Pete, how did you find this one? 11 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:11.879 Um, yeah, I found it implacable too? 12 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:17.579 It was egregious in its implacability to the extent that I had to start thinking, can I know what implacable actually means? 13 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:19.019 And I do now. 14 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.739 Fortunately, I don't think I've ever actually used that word in conversation. 15 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:23.760 I've avoided it. 16 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:25.379 I got out of that one. 17 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:29.400 Um, it's, uh, it's not bothering me with a B plot. 18 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:35.519 It's going straight in with, with, it's, this is what's happening and and there's only 2 of the crew actually get involved. 19 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:40.200 It's a very, everyone except Tarrant and Dana Light episode, isn't it? 20 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:46.859 I dont know if that's for production reasons, or just for cast reasons, because the planet is also an extremely well-populated planet. 21 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.879 We were just saying before we started recording, we've got a long list of characters names to try and remember. 22 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:52.680 Yeah, um. 23 00:01:52.739 --> 00:01:54.900 I'm on the fence about this one still. 24 00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:56.040 I'm looking forward to talking it through. 25 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:57.840 I haven't yet reached a conclusion, I think. 26 00:01:57.900 --> 00:02:00.959 It's a funny old episode, this one, I think. 27 00:02:01.019 --> 00:02:03.540 So, Nathan, what did you make of it? 28 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:06.840 I actually really like it. 29 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:14.759 I don't think there's a lot here and it is, you know, as Pete said, sort of fairly straightforward. 30 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:16.080 It's just got an A plot. 31 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:30.419 Uh, you know, we have the kind of usual sort of attempt or gesture to B plot, which is the will we leave them behind on the planet thing, which seems to be a thing that happens sort of fairly frequently, see also Horizon, for example. 32 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:36.060 But it's just the homesianness of the whole thing. 33 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:46.259 And Holmes doesn't really seem to care very much about the premise of Blake 7 and perhaps Chris Boucher cares a bit less than we might have thought. 34 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.020 Um, but it's really funny. 35 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:57.000 Holmes is not, you know, one of the great leftists of television writing. 36 00:02:57.060 --> 00:03:07.860 But he does have serious aesthetic problems with colonialism, basically, he thinks colonialism and the empire is ridiculous. 37 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:18.599 And so what we get here is a lot of just sort of terrifically funny stuff, uh, particularly with the general, uh, which I just think works tremendously well. 38 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:20.400 It's so I think it's fun. 39 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:21.659 I think it's a, it's good. 40 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:30.900 And it does the job of setting up series D. You know, we recover from the Cliffhanger to series A in one episode. 41 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:36.360 It takes us 2 episodes to recover from the Cliffhanger series B, and it's taking us 4 episodes. 42 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.120 Everything's going to be in place at the end of next week. 43 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:43.139 And here we get what's the federation going to be this season. 44 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:44.939 And that's a fun thing to see too. 45 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.060 Mm, I really quite like this. 46 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:50.759 When I'm thinking of my favourite Blake 7 episodes. 47 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:56.879 I don't necessarily think of this one, but I do really like watching it, uh, time and time again whenever I happen to see it. 48 00:03:56.939 --> 00:03:59.340 I think it works really, really well. 49 00:03:59.340 --> 00:04:10.319 And I know there's no sort of technical A plot and technical B plot, but I actually think there is a sort of an A one plot and an A 2 plot because unlike a lot of other A plots. 50 00:04:10.379 --> 00:04:15.000 There are actually 2 distinct sides and you're actually seeing both sides of the A plot in quite a lot of detail. 51 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:19.740 Um, and and you have sort of got several B. well maybe you haven't got several B plots. 52 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:34.800 You got an A plot, and then you've got several C plots, because you've got like, you know, the bit of the bit of whatever that character's name is, who's kind of, you know, the guy, the chemist who's come up with the drug, uh, in the cellar, and you've got, and you've got lights as kind of subplot as well. 53 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:39.000 So you have actually got a few little subplots without having a distinct B plot, I think. 54 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:41.639 So that's that actually is what helps carry you along. 55 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:57.000 But I think for me, the other thing that really makes the episode is some absolutely stellar suitably borderline chewing the scenery performances from a loss of those people with epaulettes that are sort of sorting around, most notably Christopher Neme. 56 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:05.040 I just, those performances are absolutely spot on for this genre and I applaud them greatly. 57 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:13.019 So let's talk about the Federation and the depiction of the Federation then. 58 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:17.160 I think that's a good place to start because they really are the focus of this episode. 59 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:21.660 And they are the poscious officers we've seen in quite some time. 60 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:22.920 Here, hear. 61 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:29.519 We have occasionally had the Federation be kind of British imperialism, haven't we? 62 00:05:29.579 --> 00:05:34.439 And again, most notably, I think, in Horizon and most interestingly here. 63 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:38.939 But here, I think it's comedy British Imperialism. 64 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:52.079 And so you have cute quote, who is ridiculously posh, who does that. you know, there's, the scene doesn't quite work where, you know, he blows up Eigen while they're playing chess with each other. 65 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:59.040 But there is a magnificent moment where Hood says, you know, that Hunda and his rabble are becoming more than just a nuisance. 66 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:06.660 And then he has this sort of beautiful porcelain tea cup that he sips out of, which I just think is absolutely superb. 67 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:09.899 He gets his own variation, extremely posh variation. 68 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:12.959 Resistance isn't futile or isn't isn't useless here. 69 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:14.519 Resistance is quite pointless. 70 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:18.779 Extremely posh twist on the phrase. 71 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:28.500 I have to say, though, that whilst Horizon is very much channelling the decline of the British Empire or the dismantling of the British Empire after the Second World War. 72 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.079 I actually think this isn't that at all. 73 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:33.480 It's not a British story about the British Empire. 74 00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:44.699 I think it's more about, I think there's more like this World War 2 type analogies. more like the nutsification of different Eastern European countries, for instance, that's what I, I see it as. 75 00:06:44.759 --> 00:07:00.839 It's because of the way there, that quelling the resistance and so on, because Horizon's all about the resist, resisting these places becoming independent, resisting the breakup, whereas this is about trying to, you know, roll back over, you know, turf that you you once controlled years ago. 76 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:05.279 And I don't think it's accurate to suggest that the British Empire ever actually attempted to do that. 77 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:06.600 No, no, no. 78 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:08.339 I'm not saying I'm not saying that at all. 79 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:22.019 I am saying, though, it has the aesthetics, like the general, it's just a teacup, absolute imperial bore with all of his sort of opinions about, you know, wazis and scalarians and stuff like that. 80 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:27.300 You know, and and just he's such, you know, it's kind of weird because he's a young man. 81 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:42.660 Uh, you know, the actors are sort of fairly young man and stuff, but he is just like some pompous old uncle who's come back from India, who has an opinion about everything and has all of these sort of stories going and stuff. 82 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.800 And it's clear that that Holmes is making fun of those people. 83 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:58.019 Yeah, I don't think it's got anything to say about British imperialism at all, but I do think it has things to say about the British Empire, you know, and how ridiculous it is, I think. 84 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:00.420 It's the trappings of all of that, isn't it? 85 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:10.680 And it's right down to the furniture that they've got and the cutlery and the cut glass crystal glasses that they're drinking wine out of. 86 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:15.420 And almost every scene that they're in, they're drinking something. 87 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:24.180 Even when Practor has been killed, the general goes in and helps himself to a drink off the dead man's desk, things like that. 88 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.040 It's like, it's like, yeah. 89 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:27.420 I think you're right. 90 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:28.920 It's it's these old... 91 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:38.580 Well, in this case, sort of young generals coming in, but enjoying the spoils of everything, but not necessarily enjoying their jobs. 92 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:44.460 They're sort of typical homesey and people sort of sit almost sick of their jobs, but having to do it anyway. 93 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:53.820 And you get that sense very much at the end where he says, and I did tell you they were good fighters before he gets killed himself and things like that. 94 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:56.279 So it's just that little bit of humour as well. 95 00:08:56.340 --> 00:09:07.740 I think a lot of the humour comes as well from how exasperated quote is about the general, because the general is such a pompous old know it all. 96 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:18.840 And there's that wonderful moment where, um, they discover that Aurak has been tapping into the computers to get some information on spaceship design. 97 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:25.559 And the general doesn't see the problem and cute, I keep wanting to call him cute. 98 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:30.480 Does he offer a draw, Nathan? 99 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:34.259 But with this Himmler eye patch just to go with the cute name. 100 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:36.840 Yeah, exactly. 101 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:52.200 But, um, he, you know, like, he can't make the general understand that it's an important security issue until he says they could get information about troop movements, and then suddenly he's all, Oh, no, we have to shut that down immediately. 102 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:59.279 And so, because the general is such a fantastic idiot in a way that's not overplayed. 103 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:00.059 Do you know what I mean? 104 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.059 Like the man is a fool, but it's not overplayed. 105 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:15.299 It like, um, it's like Ben Seeds character in uh, the rebos operation, who is clear, who is clearly an absolute moron, but no one plays it like he's a moron, you know? 106 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.740 And I think the generals like that. 107 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:19.919 It's funny, no, it's funny, because I don't see him as a moron. 108 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:25.860 I see him as just being so casually overconfident that there's absolutely no way that we can't be victorious. 109 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:31.080 And so that's why he keeps interrupting Christopher Neimon saying, oh, you know, don't worry. don't worry, don't worry. 110 00:10:31.139 --> 00:10:45.539 Basically, just constantly say, oh, don't worry, it's fine. only when Christopher name, in deference to the rank. you know, always allows himself to be interrupted, that he finally spits out, is able to say, well, the real concern is. that's what gets the general going So it's a different kind of... general's always wrong. 111 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:47.759 I mean, he's wrong about literally everything. 112 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:50.159 And you know, yeah, yeah. 113 00:10:50.220 --> 00:10:52.679 Except for the, except for the hand to hand. 114 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:54.960 Except the hand-to-hand combat thing. 115 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:57.659 But otherwise, yeah, no, I think he's an idiot. 116 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:01.139 Quoot's exasperation about that is very funny. 117 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:03.360 I love that when all right does hug their computer. 118 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:09.179 He does it. he does what every 10 year old in a school computer lab does and just puts his own name on the screen repeatedly. 119 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.120 It's Torak, print, Aurak, 20, go to 10. 120 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:17.820 Bunch of super genius, but he's just showing up. 121 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:33.539 I mean, it's interesting that the general is one of the few characters in this episode that doesn't get a name because I think he's defined by his job and that everyone just knows him as general. 122 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:35.759 So maybe that is just his name. 123 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.600 That's real nominative determinism, yeah. 124 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:54.779 And there's the, yeah, the sort of 3 tiers between, don't you, got the president elect and then him, the general and then, um, uh, uh, croot, um, almost doing the, uh, the old comedy sketch, uh, in terms of poshness of who looks down on whom. 125 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:56.940 Yeah, yeah. 126 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:57.179 Yeah. 127 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:59.340 Yeah, practice amazing, isn't it? 128 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:23.639 I mean, he's got a very kind of mid-20th century look with those ears and that hair, you know, and just the most appallingly kind of posh civil service being going, the moment where, um, he pulls lights up because it's not a direct line because it comes via the magnetrix terminal, uh, you know, and lights doesn't bat an eyelid. 129 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:26.340 He says, I just meant it was private and priority coded. 130 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.039 He just sounds amazing. 131 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:31.620 Like that, that voice is astounding. 132 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:37.860 We are reaching huge stratospheric heights of poshness that the show has rarely seen. 133 00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:48.299 And there's an unusual lack of distinction between the locals and the overlords, apart from slightly different hairstyles a bit. 134 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:56.220 But obviously, obviously the Everlords have all got their uniforms on, and so has the president elect because he's gone over and become one of them with their, with their black, we are evil space uniforms of evil. 135 00:12:56.279 --> 00:13:00.000 But the rebels, every bit is posh as their overlord. 136 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:06.120 But they just have slightly scruffy hair, which by 1981 standards probably makes them look completely. 137 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:11.159 All of the rebels are probably the middle class of this planet anyway. 138 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:13.980 They've worked at the university and things like that. 139 00:13:14.039 --> 00:13:19.799 It's that brilliant line at the start where he said, where Quoot says, so what was he in a previous slice? 140 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:20.820 A hairdresser? 141 00:13:20.820 --> 00:13:22.379 and things like that? 142 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:23.519 It's just brilliant. 143 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:26.519 They're taking the piss out of these rebels brilliantly. 144 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:32.759 It does, and in that 1st interrogation, It's quite strange how cooperative he's just answering all the questions. 145 00:13:32.820 --> 00:13:34.919 Of course, we don't, we like to find out why. 146 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:37.320 Because of the drug, because this is Blake 7. 147 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:45.000 And it's like it starts out pure Robert Holmes and then very quickly pitches into Terry Nation world that there's a sort of play, he gets a drug. 148 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:52.860 But, uh, and it's, there's bombs hidden somewhere and there's a, got to swim through some caves and we're going to have to, uh, the monorail's a nice twist, though. 149 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:54.779 I think there should be more monorails. 150 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:59.279 I was very disappointed we didn't actually get to see them on a rail because that would have been awesome. 151 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:01.080 They could have made a nice model for that. 152 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:10.500 But yeah, I mean, to go back to practice for a minute, there are sort of lots of interesting hints about his backstory. 153 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:47.100 I love the, the bit where um, they said, and where he says, oh, and of course, when um, because he feels in the backstory of what's happened to the federation, since Servoland's left, with the, the high council being um, sort of brought back, and sort of the regime change back to how it used to be, and he says, and of course, and I was, even I was taken in for questioning at one point, and he's like, one of the, probably one of those characters who switches sides depending on where he is, like, um, the um, interrogator back in rumours of death. 154 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:56.700 So there's that little callback that people will do whatever they need to do to survive and stay alive in this federation world. 155 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:08.580 I mean, the reason that we have that line, though, is, in order to make it plausible that he recognises Servoland, uh, when he sees that picture. 156 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:16.559 So he's a close enough associate to Serverland that he knows what she looks like, and so, whereas most of the people. 157 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:25.559 This is something that we need to know and something that is just astoundingly astonishingly implausible, which is that we have. 158 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:31.919 We had a federation and no one knows what the president looks like. 159 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:44.820 And all of the people who did know what the president looked like have been purged, except for Practor, who just went to, you know, prison or got interrogated or something and then was let go. 160 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:48.539 So no one knows what Servoland looks like. 161 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:52.980 And that means, of course, that she can just disguise herself as a policeman. 162 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:57.960 Still go on wearing the same, in fact, even more outrageous outfits. 163 00:15:58.019 --> 00:15:59.879 Certainly more outrageous makeup. 164 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:01.500 Yeah, yeah. 165 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:09.720 But that, I mean, that is kind of the least plausible thing about it, I think, but I find myself not really caring. 166 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:11.159 I think that's kind of funny. 167 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:19.620 No, and that has come out of a bit of production chaos behind the scenes where they didn't think Jacqueline Pierce was coming back for this series. 168 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:24.480 And so they were going to create a new villainess to take her place. 169 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:29.220 And then suddenly she's well and she's able to come back and do this. 170 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:35.340 And so obviously they say, well, yeah, we've got to have Jacqueline Pierce because why wouldn't you if she's available? 171 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:44.399 And so you've got this confused character arc coming back in where they've set up this commissioner Sleer role and someone's got to do it. 172 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:46.980 So obviously it's going to be serverland in disguise. 173 00:16:47.039 --> 00:17:02.759 So, again, it's the behind the scenes stuff for this early part of the season makes everything a bit chaotic and a bit wild with the storytelling because they're just sort of filling in places where people aren't on or are available. 174 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:06.839 So it's sort of similar to the Cali situation that we've got still at this point. 175 00:17:06.900 --> 00:17:11.460 I'm surprised they didn't try and get more mileage out of it because everyone knows who she is by the end of this episode. 176 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.279 We all, well, we know, within minutes of her being introduced. 177 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:18.000 I mean, it's pretty nice. obviously the voice distortion isn't really tricking anyone. 178 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:19.440 It's more of a tease. 179 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:28.380 But yeah, there could have been a period of her being Commissioner Slayer and the Scorpio crew not knowing that, but it's kind of strange that they wrap it all up so quickly. 180 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:32.460 Yes, we're not allowed to believe that they think that there's a commission slayer. exactly. 181 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:37.140 I mean, I think they want to get back to the status quo as quickly as possible. jumping on, yeah. 182 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:37.859 Yeah, yeah. 183 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:45.779 And like, that's the other thing that I think is really, really interesting about this episode is that it brings the Federation back. 184 00:17:45.779 --> 00:18:01.259 And, you know, when we talked about aftermath and and power play, it struck me this time watching through how thoroughly the Federation is destroyed and what little motivation the crew have in Siri C to do anything. 185 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.619 You know, they're just kind of wandering around from place to place. 186 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:10.980 Maybe they're following up a rumour, you know, about Blake, but they probably aren't, because we forget that pretty quickly. 187 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.940 And so this almost isn't an episode in itself. 188 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:21.420 You know, it basically exists to bring the federation back and make them a thread. 189 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:22.740 I think. 190 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.059 Is that fair? 191 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:28.680 I think that's reading far too much into it and giving them too much credit, I'm afraid. 192 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:32.220 I think it's just they want to do an episode like this and so they do. 193 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:39.240 I mean, because the Federation does appear a couple of times in series C, like you've got the halves of Cairos and you've got children of Hour on. 194 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:41.880 Like, there is a sort of, there is a Federation presence in those episodes. 195 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:44.339 But it's basically a circle and ship. 196 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:46.559 You know, like it's basically just... 197 00:18:46.619 --> 00:18:52.740 Yeah, it's supposed to be a substantially weakens a situation of much more reduced federation where there's many more independent planets. 198 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:59.160 But nevertheless, there is still the notion of a federation that's sort of out there and they wanting to keep away from serverland. 199 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:02.099 They just do whatever story they want to tell in a particular week, I think. 200 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:04.440 And I don't see this past... 201 00:19:04.500 --> 00:19:09.059 No one has sat down with a whiteboard or in a meeting or something with whiteboard and worked out how this all works. 202 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.099 I think that's not true. 203 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:22.200 And I think that Ver Lorimer comes in and takes over as producer and decides that we're going to make the federation a thing this season and give them something to do. 204 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:24.480 I think that there's a clear decision. 205 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:30.660 And maybe it doesn't really properly settle down until, you know, the 2nd production block. 206 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:36.480 You know, there is a kind of, let's just try and stay alive to the end of episode 6 thing going on. 207 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:39.119 Isn't there with the 1st the 1st blog. 208 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:51.480 But what it is now is we are going to try and find experts in things because the federation is expanding and we now have a base and we're in a position to find back. 209 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:54.599 And so making the federation a threat. 210 00:19:54.660 --> 00:20:04.980 I think that almost certainly that thing about taking these new planets and gradually increasing their thing isn't just devised for the sake of this episode. 211 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:08.339 I think it is setting something up because think about it. 212 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:17.700 It's the 1st time that we've got a new producer for the show, and I think that the producer, you know, Via Lorimer, like is mostly a director, isn't he? 213 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:19.200 Yeah, yeah, before then. 214 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:21.480 Yeah, this is his 1st producing role. 215 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:28.079 But, you know, like, I think Chris Boucher is capable of thinking more than one episode ahead. 216 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.819 And, and certainly this pylene 50 thing is back at the end of the season. 217 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:35.160 You know, that's what they decide to pick up on. 218 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:36.960 We see that thing in Warlord. 219 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:39.359 Yeah, well, I was actually only mentioned. 220 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:40.559 I was actually going to. 221 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:41.220 Yeah, exactly. 222 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:47.819 And I was actually going to mention warlord more, like, it's almost like warlord. they picked up on it to sort of reinforce my point and I get what you're saying. 223 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:56.640 I think you can create the illusion that that's what's going on, but I think that in reality, having warlord, they've gone, oh, we can introduce this back and do this. 224 00:20:56.700 --> 00:21:01.859 And I actually think Warlord is the pilot for an unmade series E, if anything. 225 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:02.640 Do you know what I mean? 226 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:04.799 Like, that's the way I see that episode. 227 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:07.079 And look, I'm not, I'm not, okay. 228 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:16.740 I was probably going a bit far in the previous comment that, yeah, obviously there's a little bit of planning, but I don't think there's nearly as much planning that, retrospectively, we might be trying to shoehorn into things. 229 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:22.259 I think it's just, we want to do a sort of a federation is expanding again episode because it's quite interesting and cool. 230 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:32.339 Because we want to have Servoland back and she's going to be someone else and 0 gosh, we can dress everyone up in these, you know, sparkly black evil uniforms and 0 god, Christopher Neimis. you know what I mean? 231 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:34.980 It's just, it's just, all of that is clearly happening too. 232 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:35.880 Exactly. 233 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:52.680 And that's for me, that's for me, reading too many behind the scenes books about more about like seven, but that I just see more of that in evidence than the kind of whiteboards that become popular in kind of the late 90s and into the 90s. how series are run. 234 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:54.359 Oh yeah, yeah. 235 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:55.380 I don't think it's anything like that. 236 00:21:55.440 --> 00:22:20.759 But I do think that what it does, is it gives them the thing that they basically do a whole bunch of times this season, but hadn't really done before, which is we're going to go to this planet and find an expert who is going to help us in our fight against the federation rather than we're just going to wander around aimlessly or Cali, you know, Cali's not here to pick up a telepathic trace from some, you know, liberty. 237 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:23.279 We've got to have a hook to get into these episodes. 238 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:26.400 And that's what they do quite a lot from now on. 239 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:37.200 And so setting up a proper threat, I think, as part of this sort of group of 4 episodes, which just kind of reestablishes the show, I think is a kind of natural thing to do. 240 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:47.700 It's interesting, but when we meet them all, it's like a almost a cold open to them all on the Scorpio flying along. 241 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.359 Everybody's there. 242 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.619 They're all just at work. 243 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:51.359 There's no Scorpio liftoff thing. 244 00:22:51.420 --> 00:22:56.160 There's no what's our mission going to be this week and Avon pulled arrow comes running in. 245 00:22:56.279 --> 00:23:00.240 In this episode now, I'm not seeing any of a person called Avon. 246 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:06.960 I'm seeing Paul Darrow speaking exactly how he speaks when he's on Wogan, exactly, delivering every line at the fence line. 247 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:14.579 There's a bit where he goes around behind Sulin and he's making some some slightly funny comment being delivered as if it's a punch, a complete punchline. 248 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:17.039 And of course, because he's doing it that way, it works. 249 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:19.440 They're all very aggro. 250 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:22.920 Villa is a completely different person to the person who's been the past 2 weeks. 251 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:25.079 He hates Tarrant. 252 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:26.220 He's furious, he's cross. 253 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:28.740 He's been comedy drunk villa for 2 weeks. 254 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:31.200 Maybe he's just this week he's got the hangover and he's sobered up. 255 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:33.960 His character's the most changed, I think, from the previous week. 256 00:23:34.019 --> 00:23:38.339 Soon makes the best of her 34 lines, is it? 257 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:39.900 As many as there. 258 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:40.200 Yeah. 259 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:49.680 Again, we're beginning to see the Paul Darrow and Glynis Barber partnership coming to life and realising that they can spark off each other quite nicely. 260 00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:54.480 So we get a few clipped responses from both of them played really well, which is good. 261 00:23:54.539 --> 00:24:03.359 I think the line you were looking for is Tarrance's young, pretty competent, everything that everyone would hate, that kind of thing, isn't it? 262 00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:04.500 that he's going for. 263 00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:08.460 The 2 of them have shotgunned the banana lounges at the front of a flight. 264 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:10.079 Yes, yeah. 265 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:15.000 We're missing we're missing that we're missing that white lounge with the... 266 00:24:15.059 --> 00:24:15.660 Absolutely. 267 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:19.920 I do like that Dana has her feet up on the console as well. 268 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:26.640 And I was just I made a note that this would never have happened on the Liberator, probably because those consoles would have fallen over. 269 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:31.440 There's a tribute to the set design that they're saying, right, with something. 270 00:24:31.500 --> 00:24:35.759 I kind of get that comfort and making it different to what you've done before. 271 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:40.200 And Josette is always interesting anyway, but just that little little bit. 272 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:46.440 And that's right in the background and you don't necessarily spot it, but it's just that that bit really, really good. 273 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:48.720 But yeah, I mean, you're right. 274 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:52.680 Paul Darrow is relishing every single line he's given now. 275 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:57.660 And obviously because it's a Robert Holmes script, Holmes is very invested in Avon and Villa. 276 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:09.420 And so this isn't his comfort zone writing for this crew, and it's almost like he's been told that you've got to send Terence and Dana down because they need something to do because they haven't had much to do so far. 277 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.400 Well, Darrow was the star last week. 278 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:13.680 So we've got to even this out a little bit. 279 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:18.299 So it's not necessarily the partnership that he would want to be writing, I think. 280 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:23.400 Is this the 1st episode, though, where we've had a total away party of only 2 people. 281 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:26.279 Like normally it's that's the opposite way around. 282 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:28.980 Tuesday on the ship and everyone else goes down and gets embroiled. 283 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:30.240 Or even just one stay on the ship, yeah. 284 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:39.599 Well, Kano, I think the other sort of antecedent where Dana and Tarrant are sent down together early in the season to establish themselves as main characters. 285 00:25:40.859 --> 00:25:44.640 Oh, we haven't sung the praises of the new teleportation effect. 286 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:46.740 I haven't honest said I'm on yet. 287 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.299 Amazing disco car wash thing. 288 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:53.099 It's so, I don't know what it is. 289 00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:54.000 It's so 1981. 290 00:25:54.180 --> 00:26:01.079 I mean, we talked about it last week, but it's a physical object, isn't it? 291 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:09.180 with like with with glitter on it that actually whirls around and then they superimpose that over the teleport bay. 292 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:12.539 Is that kind of like what happens with the ogre or something in stones of blood? 293 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:13.799 This is a kind of similar kind of it. 294 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:18.779 No, I'm thinking the way that we transition between our universe and the parallel universe in Inferno. 295 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:21.000 Ah, that's what it is, yes, yes. 296 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:40.920 So let's talk about Terence and Dana, then, who really get the focus of this episode and are actually pretty competent down there together. 297 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:42.119 They work really well. 298 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:46.140 I think they're the only 2 people who can do the heroic thing. 299 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:59.640 I mean, the tension here, isn't it, that they've been sent down just to do reconnaissance, but of course, they find themselves helping, and that's why they stay behind, why they refuse to be beamed up. 300 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:03.299 And I guess they're the only 2 characters who would do that, you know. 301 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:08.819 So, uh, they're the 2 who are the most kind of straightforwardly heroic, I think. 302 00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.839 Hmm. 303 00:27:09.900 --> 00:27:11.940 Yeah, that's true. 304 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:16.019 If they hadn't been there, would anything different have happened? 305 00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:17.460 What do they actually do? 306 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:20.279 Will they get the antidote to the to the thing? 307 00:27:20.339 --> 00:27:21.960 Oh, they do get the antidote. 308 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:22.559 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 309 00:27:22.619 --> 00:27:25.680 No, they actually make the rebellion succeed. 310 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:26.880 It was about to fail. 311 00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:29.400 We've lost the 2nd the 2nd unit. 312 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:30.059 What are they called? 313 00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:33.359 The 2nd battalion, whatever of rebels. 314 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:39.420 We've only got Hunda and his, you know, eight... 315 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:40.619 Middle class head. 316 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:43.200 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 8 university lecturers. 317 00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:47.460 And they're all stoned anyway, so... 318 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:49.799 Oh, you're going to tell us lots of secrets. 319 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:51.059 Will share all our plans with you. 320 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:53.339 You're a nice Nazi. 321 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:56.339 But I mean, lights was going to lead them into a trap. 322 00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:10.500 They were all going to be killed and that was going to be the end of it, but instead, because Taryn and Dana get the antidote of Forbus, and because they now have an antidote to Pylene 50, you know, in their pocket going forward. 323 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:14.759 And I think, again, that might possibly be some forward planning. 324 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:23.279 The rebels come in and they destroy the magnetrix terminal, although that's not super clear, but that's very, you know, definitely, I think, what's happening. 325 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:25.440 So they actually do make the rebellion work. 326 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:34.740 And one of their rebel friends is Biggles himself, um, a Vandir, which sounds like an antidote to something that you would get prescribed anyway. 327 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:40.920 The extremely I've written the posh handsome one. 328 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:43.619 Well, okay, but yeah, he's Neil Dixon. 329 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:45.779 Biggles in the 80s, Biggles movie, isn't he? 330 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:46.559 Oh, wow. 331 00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:48.359 I wasn't if I put 2 together there. 332 00:28:48.599 --> 00:28:50.880 Maybe this is what got him the part. 333 00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:56.160 Dana and Tarant are super competent in this episode. 334 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:58.200 They do exactly what they need to do. 335 00:28:58.259 --> 00:29:07.380 Right down to spotting that there's the old jeopardy false key that will kill them all and things like that and working things out sort of together. 336 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:11.460 And again, I think the 2 actors spark off each other quite nicely. 337 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.119 And Joe set Simon is obviously relishing having something to do for a change. 338 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:17.460 They do, but let's talk about that false key. 339 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:28.140 I mean, so that means that the Federation is expecting the guard to be knocked out at some point by rebels so that they plant a false key on him, which will cause a place to blow up. 340 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:31.619 And so the real key is shoved in his underpants or wherever the hell it is. 341 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:36.960 And you just like, it's like, it seems to be like, have they thought of everything or something? 342 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:42.000 It's an interesting, slightly unnecessary thing, but it all works. 343 00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:50.160 It's not unnecessary though, because it is the thing that tips them off that lights is double agent or possibly a single agent. 344 00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:51.359 Why does it tip that? 345 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:54.119 Because he didn't warn them about the booby trap. 346 00:29:54.180 --> 00:29:55.500 Oh, that's right. 347 00:29:55.559 --> 00:30:10.980 And we get that moment, you know, that terribly relaxed moment where he's talking to the general where lights is talking to the general and he's going, oh, and I've been running all of the rebel units for the last, you know, um, so, you know, and all of that. 348 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:21.660 And the general hates him, which I think is a great touch too, because he's a, you know, a secret agent rather than just some dumb grunt who goes in there and sort of hits people with their guns. 349 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:30.839 And he says, oh, you know, I expect they're dead by now, and then they run in and nearly, nearly fall foul of that, if that. 350 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:32.880 Yes, they they know that he's evil. yeah you're right. 351 00:30:32.940 --> 00:30:38.940 Yeah, but I mean, the booby trap is not very good, but at least it happens quite quickly, I think, is the thing. 352 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:45.660 Yeah, and they get through it quickly without having to do an hour of puzzle solving to get through to... 353 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:47.579 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 354 00:30:47.579 --> 00:30:50.400 Which, in a Robert Holmes script is a bit of a bonus. 355 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:51.240 We've seen that before. 356 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:55.980 The next thing I say is true and the last thing I said, it was a lie, blah, blah, blah. 357 00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:56.819 Yeah, all that kind of stuff. 358 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:10.740 But it is interesting though. another one of those sort of situations and these kind of dramas where you sort of want to, you know, shake someone like Honda by the by the shoulders and go, for God's sake, of course he's going to double crossed you. 359 00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.700 Look at him. 360 00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:15.240 Look at the head stubborn. 361 00:31:16.619 --> 00:31:18.240 He is obviously evil. 362 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:21.779 So can we talk about him? 363 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.279 Because I think he's fantastic. 364 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:26.400 So he's... 365 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:27.779 No lights. 366 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:33.059 So he's our eponymous traitor and then he is very angular. 367 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:39.119 So he has the sort of pointy Star Trek sideburns and he's got his widow's peak with the hair. 368 00:31:39.180 --> 00:31:41.640 So he's all jingles. you know what I mean? 369 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:44.099 there's an attempt to do something with his eyebrows as well. 370 00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:46.200 So he's entirely angular. 371 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:48.180 So he looks terribly fierce. 372 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:50.759 And he's sort of handsome, I think. 373 00:31:51.660 --> 00:31:53.819 If you like that sort of thing, I guess. 374 00:31:53.880 --> 00:31:58.019 Yeah, and has, you know, slim pickings, it's Blake 7. 375 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:08.339 He has the accent and stuff and he has this sort of very fantastically relaxed and just wonderful clip delivery. 376 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:10.200 I think he's really, really properly good. 377 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:21.660 And he's the one as well, who kind of exposes Sleer, because that's the other, you know, the A, 3 plot or whatever, as, as you said, Sime. 378 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:22.559 C one. 379 00:32:22.619 --> 00:32:23.039 Yes. 380 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:24.059 C one. 381 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:27.599 Who is Sleir? 382 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:39.480 So he's terrific and he gets to play opposite everyone. doesn't he gets to play opposite the general and he gets to play opposite Practor and and Servolan and Hunda and everyone. 383 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:40.859 I think he's really properly good. 384 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:50.519 It's really interesting how he sort of, very slowly comes to the fore throughout the episode, so he's not there in the early scenes. 385 00:32:50.579 --> 00:32:52.859 He sort of is mentioned and then appears. 386 00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:55.140 Then we think he's working with the rebels. 387 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:59.700 Then we find out he's a double agent and actually he's the one sort of masterminding this whole thing. 388 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:06.059 And then he gets into a caress with Servilan and he kisses her and all of that. 389 00:33:06.059 --> 00:33:09.539 And you know he is going to be stabbed in the back any minute. 390 00:33:09.539 --> 00:33:13.440 And literally she stabs him in the back because she's not going to happen. 391 00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:18.119 So terrific because that scene is just absolutely superb, isn't it? 392 00:33:18.180 --> 00:33:20.759 Because he is, he has the upper hand. 393 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:23.279 He's touching her, he's stroking those feathers. 394 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.319 That outfit. 395 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:30.119 Can I just say, that is her best outfit.fit. with just no question. 396 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:31.019 Trousers. 397 00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:36.720 We haven't seen her in trousers since series A. It's Julian Clary. 398 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:37.619 Do you know what I mean? 399 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:43.920 Learn everything that he knew from that makeup and that outfit. 400 00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:44.819 It's astounding. 401 00:33:44.880 --> 00:33:56.039 It's been that shot of her looking into, you know, looking pensive after killing, um, after killing lights has been my gravitar for, like, I don't know, 20 years or something. 402 00:33:56.099 --> 00:34:00.960 Like it's, I think it's, it's absolutely her most incredible look. 403 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:03.240 But he has the upper hand. 404 00:34:03.299 --> 00:34:07.380 He's stroking the thing, you know, like, and he's blackmailing her and stuff. 405 00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:11.340 And then the moment that he calls her, he's about to. 406 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:15.300 The moment that he calls, she says that word. don't submit to blackmail. 407 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:15.900 That's true. 408 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:27.239 The moment that he says the word Servolan, she smiles because she knows she's now going to kill him because he knows. 409 00:34:27.239 --> 00:34:29.039 She's missing away from him. 410 00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:30.300 She's facing away. 411 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:30.780 She smiles. 412 00:34:30.900 --> 00:34:37.920 Then she turns and kisses, and he goes, after all, how many people have you killed to keep your secret? 413 00:34:37.980 --> 00:34:40.440 And she says, now? 414 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:46.079 That doesn't take you off. 415 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.559 It should be. 416 00:34:50.340 --> 00:34:55.559 What it was, what it was wanting was her to say something like 31 and then stab him. 417 00:34:55.619 --> 00:34:57.119 32. 418 00:34:58.019 --> 00:35:02.699 I think it's I think it's better than that because it's slightly more subtle because it's now. 419 00:35:02.760 --> 00:35:05.460 I mean, the number's just changing. 420 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:09.059 And then she stabs him and then she says 26. 421 00:35:11.159 --> 00:35:13.559 It's the ultimate dead naming. 422 00:35:13.619 --> 00:35:15.780 She's like... 423 00:35:15.780 --> 00:35:20.400 And I think, yeah, Yassified Black Guardian is how I would have to describe her costume. 424 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:24.300 I love the lengths they go to. 425 00:35:24.360 --> 00:35:30.179 It always happens in drama when they're trying to conceal the fact that maybe maybe one of the characters in this story is a woman. 426 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:36.840 Um, and uh, which in this one, like, yes, doubles the number of women on the planet by joining Dana. 427 00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:41.219 But, um, the sentences, I'd like, you know, yes, the commissioner is coming. 428 00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:43.800 I can't wait for that person to arrive here to join us. 429 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:49.980 I was watching Forbas do the pronoun avoiding bad thing. 430 00:35:50.039 --> 00:36:05.219 He has a whole conversation about Sleer, in which he never refers to Sleer, by any other thing as Sleer, and even like the genitive pronoun, but just his sleers, like just, you know, every single reference. 431 00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:15.900 And because, you know, it's Bob Holmes and it's, um, people who learned English grammar in the middle of the 20th century, there's no chance that they... 432 00:36:17.820 --> 00:36:21.719 They can't refer to Slayer as they in order to hide it. 433 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:23.940 And so they just have to keep saying Sleer and Sleer. 434 00:36:23.940 --> 00:36:26.460 And it's super obvious informers. 435 00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:30.179 And I think I think we're supposed, yeah, they're wanting us to guess, aren't they? 436 00:36:30.239 --> 00:36:34.860 This is not, I look, looked on BBC Genomen for where they keep the radio times cuttings. 437 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:46.860 Well, most of the radio times cut things, but very frustratingly for this episode of Blake 7 or unless the system's been hacked because the radio times cutting for that, this episode isn't there. 438 00:36:46.920 --> 00:36:53.460 Instead, it's taken the information from BBC cult, so it doesn't include what cast list was included in the radio times that day. 439 00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:54.599 So I can't check. 440 00:36:54.659 --> 00:36:58.019 I can't confirm whether or not she was listed in the cast because she's in the end credits. 441 00:36:58.079 --> 00:37:00.119 Servolan assets again. 442 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:02.219 She's even attacked the BBC Genius project. 443 00:37:04.619 --> 00:37:08.099 It's probably a big photograph of half. 444 00:37:08.159 --> 00:37:11.880 Missionlessly, yes. ruin the surprise. 445 00:37:12.539 --> 00:37:23.579 Well, I mean, there's that wonderful moment when practice sees someone, you know, sees someone perhaps that he knows and then there's a gun pointed at him. 446 00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:30.539 And if you're not looking carefully enough, what you don't notice is that the gun is entirely surrounded by black feathers. 447 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:34.679 Is it an emu? 448 00:37:34.739 --> 00:37:36.239 Like who is it? 449 00:37:39.900 --> 00:37:45.179 But yeah, I'm sure I'm sure the voice distortion is meant to be enough for everything. 450 00:37:45.239 --> 00:37:47.460 Every 10-year-old watching to go, that's serverland. 451 00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:48.539 I know. 452 00:37:48.599 --> 00:37:49.019 Yeah. 453 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:59.400 And we do get that wonderful moment where Dana spots her and just shouts, Serverland in the way that we love in Blake 7. 454 00:37:59.460 --> 00:38:07.019 Spots her hiding behind some plastic plants in that strange little set that we've got that looks nothing like the rest of the planet. 455 00:38:07.019 --> 00:38:09.119 Like, was that deliberate? 456 00:38:09.179 --> 00:38:11.039 I suppose I'm like, is it like that on purpose? 457 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:20.699 I suppose we have they don't want to take the whole cast out on some location, although Dana and Tarrant get one scene out on the proper location. 458 00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:26.460 And it's a shame because I think actually the location is really well chosen. 459 00:38:26.519 --> 00:38:40.800 And there's actually some really nice shots by David Sullivan Proudfoot, who's directing this episode, particularly where you've got the sort of soldiers arriving, but you see them reflected in the water underneath. 460 00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:42.119 That was a really nice moment. 461 00:38:42.179 --> 00:38:46.139 The hell it soldiers, like the ones that are being converted along the top of the ridge line, yeah. 462 00:38:46.199 --> 00:38:58.199 Well, that whole scene, which starts with Avon Deer and his and his men all kind of lying playing dead and you see that their uniforms are the same colour as the dirt. 463 00:38:58.199 --> 00:39:06.420 And then there's a really quite long and substantial action sequence where people are firing guns at each other. 464 00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:07.920 There's lots of stunt work and stuff. 465 00:39:07.980 --> 00:39:12.599 There's 5 people fall into that grossy and probably horrifically cold water. 466 00:39:12.659 --> 00:39:14.280 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 467 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:16.320 Someone does a great backflip. 468 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:19.619 He's running towards camera and get shot and just immediately does a backflip over it. 469 00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:22.139 Yeah, like I think it's really quite good. 470 00:39:22.199 --> 00:39:27.480 And then it ends with a shot of actual dead bodies lying in the same place. 471 00:39:27.539 --> 00:39:30.179 You know, we started with mostly done. 472 00:39:30.239 --> 00:39:31.739 It is really well done. 473 00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:39.059 What's a shame is that they blow that action sequence on something that really doesn't really matter? 474 00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:40.139 Do you know what I mean? 475 00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:41.699 Like, who cares? 476 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:53.460 And then when you have the giant action sequence at the end, uh, it's in the world's tiniest studio and choreographed with the least possible effort. 477 00:39:53.460 --> 00:40:04.019 And it is people just running up and hitting each other with their guns and and both quote and the general seem to be killed by people with their bare hands. 478 00:40:04.079 --> 00:40:05.760 You know, like, are they dead? 479 00:40:05.820 --> 00:40:07.019 I don't know, like whatever. 480 00:40:07.079 --> 00:40:12.900 And it's a really shockingly bad and badly directed and badly choreographed sequence. 481 00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:31.920 And so the only explanation for doing that, like blowing the impressive location fight on a scene in the middle instead of the scene in the end is because you need so many of the people who are otherwise only in the studio to be in it, I guess. 482 00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:35.940 Yeah, because otherwise you need to have all those other... 483 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:36.960 Yeah, yeah. 484 00:40:37.019 --> 00:40:37.619 Yeah. 485 00:40:37.679 --> 00:40:38.219 Yeah. 486 00:40:38.280 --> 00:40:39.360 Too many. 487 00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:45.960 It is a shame, though, because I do think that that final scene is very messy and crappy. 488 00:40:45.960 --> 00:40:52.739 It's very messy and I still didn't actually get the fact that Koot and the general are killed or whatever they are. 489 00:40:52.800 --> 00:41:00.840 No, I actually might have been interversionally making notes on my phone at that moment and missed that because I didn't have any memory of that. 490 00:41:00.900 --> 00:41:14.820 It's funny, there is a scene, and which is only really works if quote's dead, with the general coming up in explaining that he was right about the helots and how good they were at hand-to-and combat, and, you know, quote said, oh, we don't need that. 491 00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:16.440 We could just use gas or whatever. 492 00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:19.199 Um, and so the general's right. 493 00:41:19.260 --> 00:41:34.800 So he gets to do a sort of one last, I told you so, uh, to the dead quote, but quote doesn't seem to have been sort of particularly sort of severely treated, but he's just sort of died of boredom or... 494 00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:37.380 There is some interesting like bang bang your dead moments, right? 495 00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:38.460 It's like the carrot. 496 00:41:38.519 --> 00:41:43.260 Karen does a Karen does a vocal Vulcan neck pinch on that federation guard to get the key off him. 497 00:41:43.320 --> 00:41:45.780 He just puts his hand on the back of his neck and the guard just goes down. 498 00:41:47.699 --> 00:41:54.360 Are we supposed to believe that the, that the, the, the Hellatrix is freed of of the Federation at the end of this episode? 499 00:41:54.420 --> 00:41:55.139 Yeah. 500 00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:58.739 Yeah, the magnetrix terminal gets destroyed, I think. destroyed, right. 501 00:41:58.800 --> 00:42:01.860 But Serverline has got what she sort of... 502 00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:07.079 I'm entirely sure why she kills 4 of us other than she will, because she realises that he was going to try and kill her. 503 00:42:07.199 --> 00:42:11.099 But she tells him she's going to poison him a bit more. 504 00:42:11.159 --> 00:42:12.420 And then kills him. 505 00:42:12.480 --> 00:42:15.599 It's like, does the 1981 video effect death? 506 00:42:15.659 --> 00:42:26.579 Well, that's the great video effect that they have this episode, which is where they shoot people against a blue screen and then do a video effect on them, but then CSO them onto a background. 507 00:42:26.639 --> 00:42:30.179 And so you've got the medical laser that turns people green. 508 00:42:30.179 --> 00:42:34.079 And then you've got Serverland's gun, which turns people black. 509 00:42:34.139 --> 00:42:35.760 And I think that works really well. 510 00:42:35.820 --> 00:42:41.519 I don't know if we ever use that effect again, but I think it works pretty well. you know, it's clearly being done in camera. 511 00:42:41.579 --> 00:42:44.159 They were all so proud of that effect, a bit. 512 00:42:44.280 --> 00:42:45.539 So everyone can do what she wants. 513 00:42:45.599 --> 00:42:46.440 It's her party. 514 00:42:46.500 --> 00:42:47.699 She could cry if she wanted to. 515 00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:51.719 Like, maybe Stewart and Barbara Gaskin at number one in the UK charts that week. 516 00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:54.119 The 1960s hit. 517 00:42:55.019 --> 00:42:56.940 That was a tough one. 518 00:43:00.539 --> 00:43:04.199 Yeah, there's literally only 2 women on the planet. 519 00:43:09.360 --> 00:43:12.480 So what do we think of Forbus? 520 00:43:12.539 --> 00:43:14.639 We've not really, we've sort of skirted around him. 521 00:43:14.699 --> 00:43:18.659 And obviously he's there for a huge exposition scene. 522 00:43:18.659 --> 00:43:22.619 A quite interesting character. 523 00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:29.280 Yeah, very much so, but dressed in an 80s cyberman costume without the silver spray paint. 524 00:43:29.340 --> 00:43:34.019 It's like, it's only 87 and costume does the 10th planet sort of thing. 525 00:43:34.079 --> 00:43:35.099 Yeah. 526 00:43:35.099 --> 00:43:35.340 Yeah. 527 00:43:35.760 --> 00:43:37.019 Yeah, robo man, kind of. 528 00:43:37.019 --> 00:43:39.000 Yeah, yeah. isn't it? 529 00:43:39.059 --> 00:43:39.659 Yeah. 530 00:43:39.719 --> 00:43:41.880 So he's made a muscle relax. 531 00:43:41.940 --> 00:43:42.539 I wrote this down. 532 00:43:42.659 --> 00:43:46.800 I've made a muscle relaxant a 100 times stronger to induce passivity. 533 00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:50.219 Now like, I know of a chemical that has similar properties to that. 534 00:43:50.400 --> 00:43:52.920 I think that's what they mean. 535 00:43:52.980 --> 00:43:54.719 And mind you, actually it's Robert Holmes, so he might be. 536 00:43:54.780 --> 00:43:57.239 Uh, he might be. 537 00:43:57.300 --> 00:44:00.360 Like, why does he say used homeopathically? 538 00:44:00.420 --> 00:44:02.280 It's a muscle relaxant. 539 00:44:02.340 --> 00:44:04.320 So... 540 00:44:04.320 --> 00:44:08.219 It's like that invented thing where you have like less than one molecule or something and it's... 541 00:44:08.280 --> 00:44:09.239 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. right. 542 00:44:09.300 --> 00:44:14.159 You just show it a picture of a diagram of the molecule and it improves on the water. 543 00:44:14.219 --> 00:44:19.739 But it's homes being a dick, like as usual, you know, because he always does. 544 00:44:19.800 --> 00:44:39.719 Like, there's a great little bit of dialogue where light says that you have to manufacture pile in 50 locally because uh, after um, after a couple of days, the enzymes breakdown and the drugs no longer effective and stuff because homes has some kind of medical thing in his background. 545 00:44:39.780 --> 00:44:44.760 I know he's a policeman, but he always uses medical stuff, you know, he wrote killer. 546 00:44:44.820 --> 00:44:49.500 Um, but even in Doctor Who, when he uses medical terminology. 547 00:44:49.559 --> 00:44:53.760 He uses it correctly, you know, it must be some form of verticaria. 548 00:44:56.460 --> 00:44:59.460 He's probably got a very good medical dictionary. 549 00:44:59.519 --> 00:45:02.639 Maybe But it is a particular feature of his writing, I think. 550 00:45:02.699 --> 00:45:16.019 Um, So, like, you know, Formus is a bit crappy and it looks a bit embarrassing now in retrospect now that we've kind of gone off the idea of, you know, crippled geniuses and stuff and, you know, perhaps rightly so. 551 00:45:16.079 --> 00:45:20.880 Uh, but I don't know, you know, he's there. 552 00:45:20.940 --> 00:45:25.559 I guess that's more interesting to watch than just some guy in a lab code. 553 00:45:25.619 --> 00:45:30.780 But he's a crippled, he's crippled because, um, she, she, she poisoned him. 554 00:45:30.840 --> 00:45:31.800 She's poisoned him. 555 00:45:31.860 --> 00:45:32.639 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 556 00:45:32.699 --> 00:45:42.480 But generally speaking, you know, you have you have scientists who are in wheelchairs and stuff because, you know, they have their minds and that's the important thing in their body are less important. 557 00:45:42.539 --> 00:45:47.639 And that's, you know, it goes back to Dortmund in the dark impression of Earth, isn't it? 558 00:45:49.320 --> 00:45:51.480 Yeah, like I think he's okay. 559 00:45:51.539 --> 00:46:04.199 And I do think that that, you know, like if, if you uh, still has some of the pylene 50 antidote left over and it was someone's birthday, you could certainly decorate the cake with it, don't you think? 560 00:46:04.260 --> 00:46:05.039 Yeah. 561 00:46:05.039 --> 00:46:06.539 Sprinkles. 562 00:46:06.599 --> 00:46:08.400 It's very nice for sprinkling, yeah. 563 00:46:08.460 --> 00:46:09.420 They're very sparkling. 564 00:46:09.480 --> 00:46:10.199 Yeah, yeah. 565 00:46:19.260 --> 00:46:29.340 The other big thing at the end of the episode is Avon's reaction to finding out that Servolang is alive, which is a great Darrow moment. 566 00:46:29.400 --> 00:46:32.519 I think that scene is very well done. 567 00:46:32.579 --> 00:46:38.639 Um, and it's something that Holmes does again in the caves of Andrazani. 568 00:46:38.699 --> 00:46:53.400 So we start with even receiving the news that it's Servland and he's initially kind of reluctant to believe it and you've got, you know, Dana and Tarrant kind of pressing him. 569 00:46:53.460 --> 00:46:59.099 And then we go to the scene where Servolan is there. 570 00:46:59.159 --> 00:47:13.559 We see her in her outfit, she kills 2 people in the one scene, uh, and then thinks, you know, to herself, and then we dissolve back to Avon, and then we get his reaction, and it's like Shara's Jack. 571 00:47:13.619 --> 00:47:22.860 Um, saying that he wants to kill Morgus, and then we cut to Morgus being an absolute creep, and then we dissolve back to Shara's check laughing. 572 00:47:22.980 --> 00:47:28.619 And so it's like, uh, it's like we get to, he gets to hear the news. 573 00:47:28.679 --> 00:47:39.119 Then we get to see her in action and we get reminded of what she's like, and then we get him saying, uh, I need to kill her myself. and I think that's really well done. 574 00:47:39.179 --> 00:47:48.420 Then we've got that little pause where Avon's accepting the news that she's she's back because he doesn't believe it and to begin with. 575 00:47:48.599 --> 00:47:50.639 And it's like, how the hell did she survive? 576 00:47:50.699 --> 00:47:52.860 Just said, well, I don't know. 577 00:47:52.920 --> 00:47:54.239 Find out. 578 00:47:55.139 --> 00:47:56.699 Somehow. 579 00:47:57.119 --> 00:48:04.619 I think that little ship that Michael Sheard arrived on, we're still attached. 580 00:48:04.679 --> 00:48:05.460 Yeah. 581 00:48:07.559 --> 00:48:11.039 She flings herself against the correct wall for it, I guess. 582 00:48:13.079 --> 00:48:16.260 The one thing we haven't mentioned is the stock equalisation act. 583 00:48:16.320 --> 00:48:17.519 Yeah. 584 00:48:17.579 --> 00:48:18.239 Oh, yeah. 585 00:48:18.300 --> 00:48:18.780 Yeah. 586 00:48:18.780 --> 00:48:22.800 Which is, oh, the only time that they bring this up in the entire series. 587 00:48:22.980 --> 00:48:25.739 It's a bad idea, isn't it? 588 00:48:25.800 --> 00:48:26.519 It's a mistake. 589 00:48:26.579 --> 00:48:29.760 It's kind of like if we're going to have people who aren't white. 590 00:48:29.820 --> 00:48:33.000 We need to explain how that's going to go. 591 00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:38.340 There is a black extra. 592 00:48:38.519 --> 00:48:40.739 There are, yeah, I was looking out for that after that laugh. 593 00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:44.400 Yeah, in a very bad fight scene at the end. 594 00:48:44.460 --> 00:48:47.340 But that is waiting for... 595 00:48:47.400 --> 00:48:48.659 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 596 00:48:48.719 --> 00:48:50.400 Or stand in a row waiting for their shot. 597 00:48:50.460 --> 00:48:52.019 What about what they're wearing? 598 00:48:52.079 --> 00:48:57.239 I had this theory, actually, that the liberator breaks up over Hella tricks. 599 00:48:57.300 --> 00:49:12.239 And the wardrobe unit actually lands on the planet because everyone is wearing everyone's old outfits and like we've got parrot in Avon's outfit from redemption. 600 00:49:12.300 --> 00:49:13.860 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 601 00:49:13.920 --> 00:49:14.219 Yeah. 602 00:49:14.280 --> 00:49:16.079 And that's that boy. 603 00:49:16.199 --> 00:49:20.039 Remember the boy, the pretty boy who gets adapted? 604 00:49:20.099 --> 00:49:21.480 You know, yes. 605 00:49:21.539 --> 00:49:30.000 He's the one, he's the one that, that Colonel Quote is going to use for his entertainment later, I guess, if... 606 00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:32.280 Well, they walk into that thing and it all goes... 607 00:49:32.340 --> 00:49:33.539 Yeah, it all lights up when he walks in. 608 00:49:33.599 --> 00:49:34.199 I know what you mean. 609 00:49:34.320 --> 00:49:35.039 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 610 00:49:35.099 --> 00:49:44.039 So yes, so Tarant is wearing is wearing one of Avon's castoffs, but like there's some old Doctor Who outfits and there's a whole bunch of outfits. 611 00:49:44.099 --> 00:50:06.300 And I did actually, this time, because everyone has 2 outfits this season, there's the, I was just checking, because they change into those outfits, because apparently no one on Hellatrix is wearing, I don't know, like turtlenecks and stuff this year. 612 00:50:06.360 --> 00:50:07.679 Right. 613 00:50:07.679 --> 00:50:10.980 So they have to change into something else. 614 00:50:11.039 --> 00:50:29.159 But, and I was, I didn't remember them changing back the 1st time I watched it, so I kept a special eye out, and they, we don't, they arrive back on Scorpio in their original outfits, which they must have folded up and put under a rock. and they hastily changed. 615 00:50:30.059 --> 00:50:34.079 Because when they're in touch with Avon, do you know what I mean? 616 00:50:34.139 --> 00:50:40.380 It's like, oh, beam us up and they're in their Hellatrix outfits. and then they get changed very quickly before. 617 00:50:40.440 --> 00:50:47.159 Like if he brought them up a bit earlier, maybe, maybe, you know, Tarrant wouldn't have had his pants on yet or something. 618 00:50:47.519 --> 00:50:54.719 I think the fashion choices on Hellotrix is explained by the fact that they're obviously a somewhat distant and backward planet. 619 00:50:54.719 --> 00:51:00.179 And so they're just, you know, several, several seasons behind the rest of the federation galaxies. 620 00:51:00.719 --> 00:51:03.420 It's kind of like Australia in the 70s. 621 00:51:03.539 --> 00:51:05.820 You know, we have fashions, you know, a few years late. 622 00:51:05.820 --> 00:51:14.159 Yeah. does get that interesting line about when someone says, you know, all humans came from Earth originally. 623 00:51:14.219 --> 00:51:16.320 And Sims says, oh, in your opinion, or something like that. 624 00:51:16.380 --> 00:51:27.000 Like she's some kind of evolution, Exodus denier, or just pointing out that they're so far in the future, there are going to be people who don't even believe that all humans really came from Earth in the 1st place. 625 00:51:27.059 --> 00:51:30.480 Yeah, because it's a well-known fact, isn't it? 626 00:51:30.539 --> 00:51:31.860 Like, it's a well-known fact. 627 00:51:33.059 --> 00:51:35.219 And Sulin says it's a well-known opinion. 628 00:51:35.280 --> 00:51:38.159 And yeah, most well-known facts are. 629 00:51:38.219 --> 00:51:44.280 In fact, there's a real kind of casual disregard to the backstory generally here. 630 00:51:44.340 --> 00:51:48.420 And so we have serverland referred to as the Supreme Empress. 631 00:51:48.480 --> 00:51:51.840 We have references to the empire. 632 00:51:51.900 --> 00:51:54.059 Like, what's the Empire? 633 00:51:54.119 --> 00:51:56.039 But I guess that's for this story, isn't it? 634 00:51:56.099 --> 00:51:58.860 This is a story about Empires, so let's call it the Empress this week. 635 00:51:58.920 --> 00:52:00.840 Yeah, they're not. 636 00:52:00.840 --> 00:52:04.800 Look, no one's looking that up in a series Bible that's being done because it's what we want this week. 637 00:52:04.860 --> 00:52:06.539 But then it's no whiteboard. 638 00:52:06.599 --> 00:52:16.619 Yeah, but towards the end of series C, Survland kept adding new bits to her title all the way through as she got grander and grander. 639 00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:20.340 So, who knows, she might have called herself the Grand Empress by the very end. 640 00:52:21.420 --> 00:52:36.599 But it looks like, so we have the Federation has contracted and now it's expanding, but it sounds like there was an empire in the past, unless they are just using the word empire, not to mean the political system, but just to mean the area that's controlled by the Federation. 641 00:52:36.659 --> 00:52:40.440 But language hasn't been used before on the show. 642 00:52:40.500 --> 00:52:48.420 And it, you know, the show is notoriously careless about what the federation is, obviously, and each time it appears. looks completely different. 643 00:52:48.480 --> 00:52:50.280 Executive style of empire. 644 00:52:50.340 --> 00:52:51.420 Yeah, different style of things. 645 00:52:51.480 --> 00:52:55.079 Just back, if I may, on the stock equalisation act thing. comment. 646 00:52:55.139 --> 00:53:04.199 I actually think that this is a, it's, for me, it's a curious admission that you don't get very often in this era of television. 647 00:53:04.260 --> 00:53:10.739 And because of the fact that, like, having a lead who is a person of colour in the show is in itself quite unusual. 648 00:53:10.739 --> 00:53:19.739 It's also sort of, it's sort of almost also acknowledging the fact that fact, by saying, none of the guest casts you'll be meeting in the next 50 minutes will be black. 649 00:53:19.800 --> 00:53:23.159 And so we need to explain how one of our leads is black. 650 00:53:23.280 --> 00:53:23.820 Do you know what I mean? 651 00:53:23.880 --> 00:53:25.079 Like, it's sort of like. 652 00:53:25.079 --> 00:53:28.679 A lot of the guest casts meeting until episode 12 will be black. 653 00:53:28.739 --> 00:53:30.179 Yes, exactly. 654 00:53:30.239 --> 00:53:34.260 Apart from very, very occasionally, as a rule, you don't see that. 655 00:53:34.320 --> 00:53:52.679 So it's almost, it's like, you know, the sort of like the question of the doctor who's sort of, you know, faced with, you know, Martha and so on, what happens when you go back in time, you know, it's, it's, it's just interesting that they even bothered to, to sort of mention that and I, and I don't necessarily know whether it's for bad reasons. 656 00:53:52.739 --> 00:54:01.019 I actually think it's because they're almost trying to educate the audience or at least notify the audience that this is okay. 657 00:54:01.079 --> 00:54:01.500 Don't you think? 658 00:54:01.559 --> 00:54:04.559 Yeah, I think I'm giving a generous interpretation to it. 659 00:54:04.619 --> 00:54:06.960 Oh, yeah, I think we're doing colonialism this week. 660 00:54:07.019 --> 00:54:08.219 Hey, let's mention this. 661 00:54:08.280 --> 00:54:08.760 Yeah, maybe. 662 00:54:09.360 --> 00:54:10.079 Maybe, maybe. 663 00:54:10.139 --> 00:54:11.280 Yeah, maybe that too, yeah. 664 00:54:11.340 --> 00:54:14.579 But, I mean, they can't even bring themselves to have women in the show. 665 00:54:14.639 --> 00:54:15.539 Do you know what I mean? 666 00:54:15.599 --> 00:54:17.039 From time to time. 667 00:54:19.079 --> 00:54:23.460 But it's not something they've ever felt that they needed to draw attention to before. 668 00:54:23.519 --> 00:54:27.900 So throughout the previous season, it's not really mentioned at all. 669 00:54:27.960 --> 00:54:29.340 She is just a character. 670 00:54:29.699 --> 00:54:47.519 But I mean, I mean, you guys might be, you know, would have been too young at the time, to take it all in, but I'd be fascinated to know what the general reaction was in sort of more general media, not just the this much in the radio times, sort of thing. 671 00:54:47.579 --> 00:54:49.440 I don't know, was a thing made of it. 672 00:54:49.500 --> 00:54:49.980 I don't know. 673 00:54:50.039 --> 00:54:52.079 It's just an interesting question. 674 00:54:58.500 --> 00:55:05.579 I think it's sort of fair to say that, actually, this episode has given us quite a lot to talk about unexpectedly. 675 00:55:05.639 --> 00:55:11.219 For me, it's always one that when I'm, I think about watching an episode of Blake 7, I never think, oh, I'll put on traitor. 676 00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:23.039 I think maybe because it is sort of the start of the series 4, the arc, sort of story that it never feels like it's just a Blake 7 episode that you want to watch. 677 00:55:23.099 --> 00:55:25.559 But actually, there's quite been quite a lot to talk about. 678 00:55:26.159 --> 00:55:36.059 I think it's terrifically fun and it has, you know, like an exciting arc with Servoland, um, slowly revealing herself. 679 00:55:36.119 --> 00:55:37.920 That's absolutely worth watching, I think. 680 00:55:37.980 --> 00:55:43.260 You're right that it's not an episode that I think about, but I still think that it's, I've always have a very great fondness for it. 681 00:55:43.320 --> 00:55:50.639 And I didn't come into it this recording thinking that we wouldn't have much to say because I think there's an awful lot to say about it, most of it good. 682 00:55:50.699 --> 00:56:00.960 And it is, it does actually puzzle me why this doesn't have a better reputation because I'm not saying it's the best black 7 episode ever, but it's certainly got so many blank 70 things in it. 683 00:56:01.019 --> 00:56:03.539 There's nothing that I'd say would let it down. 684 00:56:03.599 --> 00:56:04.860 Nothing actually lets it down. 685 00:56:04.920 --> 00:56:15.659 There's, okay, the set at the end for the final battle is a bit small, and oh, this affects a bit this, and, you know, the, the, the, I patches have been glittery or whatever, the usual, nothing out of the ordinary. 686 00:56:15.719 --> 00:56:22.079 So, so I don't know, like, you, it's hard to, for me, it is very difficult to lay a case against this episode. 687 00:56:22.139 --> 00:56:34.619 Yeah, it's yeah, it's never going to be one of my favourites, but it's certainly got its charms and yeah, you know, still having most of your central cast sat on a gray set shouting at each other while the plot happens on the planet below them. 688 00:56:34.679 --> 00:56:40.440 I'd still like for there to be them getting more involved somehow would have drawn me into it more, I think. 689 00:56:40.500 --> 00:56:42.119 But it almost works so like a standalone. 690 00:56:42.119 --> 00:56:44.880 Little uh, little war movie. really, isn't it? 691 00:56:44.940 --> 00:56:46.440 It's got that cold, its vibe or whatever. 692 00:56:46.500 --> 00:56:47.820 And of course, Surverland. 693 00:56:47.940 --> 00:56:49.380 Well, of course. 694 00:56:49.559 --> 00:56:52.320 So, we'll be back next week. 695 00:56:52.380 --> 00:56:59.639 When it'll be business as usual with quarries, chases, gooks, and search for a star drive. 696 00:56:59.880 --> 00:57:05.579 And until then, may you not meet any helots at close quarters. 697 00:57:05.639 --> 00:57:08.639 Thank you very much for listening and goodbye. 698 00:57:08.699 --> 00:57:09.539 Bye bye. 699 00:57:09.599 --> 00:57:09.840 Goodbye. 700 00:57:09.960 --> 00:57:10.679 Knife and hell. 701 00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:26.039 That's the power. 702 00:57:26.099 --> 00:57:27.119 Go, go! 703 00:57:27.179 --> 00:57:30.599 30 seconds thrust, Maxi... 704 00:57:30.840 --> 00:57:32.760 Switching command. 705 00:57:32.940 --> 00:57:35.460 Maximum power on all drives. 706 00:57:36.420 --> 00:57:38.940 Massive power.