WEBVTT

NOTE
This transcript was created on 2026-06-07 at 22:24:03

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Hello, you listener, and welcome back to Maximum Power, the only Blake 7 podcast that turns out to have been a Babylon 5 podcast all along.

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I'm Bruce Boxleitner.

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I'm Jerry Doyle.

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I'm Claudia Christian.

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I wanted to be Claudia.

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I'm just going to be Simon because I don't know who any of those people are.

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Well done, Simon.

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It's Christmas and so it's time for the annual celebration where we go hunting for Blake.

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The spaceship blows up, and then Gareth Thomas turns up with a beard to disappoint us all.

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It's time at last to say goodbye.

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It's Blake.

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All right, so we start by blowing up the base.

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Great model work.

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It is great model work.

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When we're watching this last night, Rod said, it's an episode of Thunderbird.

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So I said, I said it's most of the same crew.

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Also, that's not a bad thing.

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No, no, no, he loves Thunderbirds.

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That was not pejorative in his sense.

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You can sometimes see the strings on Stephen Pacy.

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It's a very strange thing though, isn't it?

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Because they've decided to blow up the base because Zookan will have told someone where it is.

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And if he hasn't done that.

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Rick James was going to do that.

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And I just thought it might have been sort of appropriate forward planning to consider that possibility before inviting them all over.

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Absolutely And I also kind of wondered why they had to blow up the base more when Zukan had already blown it up sufficiently.

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I think, you know, they do want to end last week's episode with the base clear of the virus, but it might have worked.

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Given that we do have a conversation about last week's episode, which is a vanishingly rare event.

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Um, you know, if we'd still kind of left it contaminated and they were blowing it up because either the booze had run out or because there was a virus rampaging through the base.

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I think what they're doing is just, and I get an uneasy feeling from the very start of watching this episode, they're making clear that things are changing.

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This is not just an entry of the week where things will happen and they'll go back to normal next week.

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Things are clearly happening in the scope of the series.

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They've had to leave their base behind.

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There's no going back from this. one way or the other, whether it ends in the way it does or whether they have to move forward to do something new.

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Yeah.

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I mean, what they've got left is we do get a little shot of a bed, I think there's a bed in the wall, is that right?

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That's right.

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Villa sleeps on one in Headhunter.

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Ah, there we go.

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But, I mean, basically, they're now in a room, you know, at least the Liberator had some corridors and pressurised stairs.

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Yeah, that's right.

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That's right.

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Occasionally pressurised hold.

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Dramatically purposed, pressurised.

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Yes.

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A pressurised hold separated from space by one of sleeves, force balls.

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Yes.

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I do think we get to see a brief shot of that hold later in the episode when some explosions happen.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, we're getting exploding corridor, yeah.

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Yeah.

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So we quickly explode the base and then we kind of head off and explode the ship almost immediately.

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Well, I don't know, before that, we sort of get into the action in record time.

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And this is why Chris Belcher.

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You can tell when he's writing because he writes flight deck scenes immaculately and always gives every character things to do, has them give intelligent input so that it moves the plot forward.

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And I think you get real character moments and things like that.

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And I think this scene, the one where they realise that Avon is going to find Blake, I think this is a corker of a scene.

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It's really great for every character and it's full of that bleak 7 banter.

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And it really sets up the episode really well, I think.

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So people who are keen to kind of overread stuff into the show and into people's performances, I think located some animosity between Villa and Avon in that scene, but it's very clear, I think, that Villa is staring at him so that we realise that he has long since worked out, that it's Blake, that he's talking about.

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Yeah, that's my reading.

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I think if you want to go back to what happens in orbit, I think you see that in the abandoned building on the planet later, if you want to read that, yeah.

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No, no, it's because of course Villa is the only other one who knows Blake.

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Yeah.

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That is pretty great, I think.

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And one of my favourite lines of the entire series is Terrence's reaction, when Ivan says that before I, before you ask, yes, I would have just left him there, had the zookan thing worked out, and he says that, he says something like, oh, I really must work that into the conversation.

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I think is absolute genius.

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Do you think he works that into the conversation while he was lying injured in the wreckage of Scorpio, like came looking for him?

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It's interesting as well.

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I mean, I think that both things are true.

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I think Villa is staring at him going, you think you found Blake before we hear him say it, but I think he is also incredibly wary of Avon.

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And as you highlighted, Simon. in that scene in the ruined building later on.

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It's very clear that Villa is extremely wary of Avon now.

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But also, it's interesting because setting up the search for Blake.

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It's clear how far Avon has moved into the Blake role now.

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So there's a scene earlier in the season where Villa's advocating running away, and Avon tells you and says, I won't run Villa, which is so Blake.

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Avon at all.

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And here, Villa says, you know, are we going to go somewhere safe?

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And Avon turns to him and says, in the end, winning is the only safety.

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And you think, well, that's just Blake.

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You've become Blake.

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Sort of.

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I mean, I mean, winning is the only safety is saying that once we've destroyed our enemies, only then can we be safe, whereas Blake has the angle on it of once we have destroyed our enemies and freed all these oppressed peoples, then we shall be saved.

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Avon never quite cares about the oppressed peoples.

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No.

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Well, except perhaps for last week.

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Okay, fair enough.

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You can easily say in this episode.

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Really?

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He's tried that.

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That didn't work.

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So it's actually number one.

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I would argue for a lot of this season.

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Actually, he cares more.

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Like, they are trying to find it, like, a way of combatting Pylene 50.

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Yeah.

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Like throughout the season, they do come back to that, you know, we are trying to work out a way of releasing these people from impression.

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So maybe not in the same passionate way, but he still has sort of turned a corner as a character to care more about these people.

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You know, maybe it's also mainly about destroying the Federation, but it's also his trying to do good.

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You could also look at it from the perspective that you tried to put together his own anti-federation alliance.

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It didn't work and now he's just going to outsource that to blink and not do any of the work.

102
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Well, I mean, I don't think that the riders are putting that much effort into character arcs or character development.

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No.

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And so what happens in series C, we get him take over as the lead and the show isn't about anything.

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They're just going from place to place, you know, and having adventures, but love it.

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Yeah, it's awesome.

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That is pretty great.

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It's a good season, but there's no overarching thing.

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It's not like the search for Star one.

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And so V Lorimer comes in and says, actually, we should really get them to fight the Federation in some way.

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And he doesn't actually do that.

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They're still faffing around on sort of various planets and stuff, but they talk a big game about finding the federation.

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And so each new person they meet is going to help them in some way in that fight.

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But it's also just not the way these programs were made then. didn't think that way.

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Yeah, how groundbreaking the EastBace trilogy was.

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Well, it doesn't mean that you don't have some sort of reference to sometimes back to previous services.

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But as you said, the fact that they even mentioned that the previous episode happened at all is very, very rare.

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And then later on, you know, they reference the events of terminal.

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Yes.

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Yeah, yeah.

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And that's hanging a hat on what I think is a big problem for the episode is that we did a final episode of Blake 7, 18 months ago and it was a lot better than this.

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And in a way we've burned up some of our best ideas and this one's running on fumes, I think.

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I think that's both unfair and inaccurate because I actually think this is better than terminal.

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I mean, terminal sort of sits into that lump of episodes for me, like Star One, Duel, which are well loved, which I don't actually care that greatly for.

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You know, my favourites have always been things like Orbit and Death Watch and and Horizon and Killer and so on.

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But this is the one that I think I do really like.

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I think it's like they're having a 2nd go at killing off the series.

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The reason why I think terminal seems better is because it concludes the destruction of the liberation, which is the ship they've had for 3 years.

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Whereas now it's just they're crashing a ship that they've had this year only.

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Yeah, it doesn't really matter.

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It was a terrible, terrible stare.

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And we never really liked the set.

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So, so...

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There's nothing invested.

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There's nothing invested in our, you know, our heart's not really going thumpty thump as it did when the liberator set was dissolving because that's kind of like, oh my god, they're doing this.

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But point being that I think it's actually a much better resolution for the Blake character, and I think it's a much better resolution for all of the characters, really.

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I do love how, speaking of those 2 destructions of those ships, they use the same pivot floor slides.

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Yes, things.

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We'll talk about that later because that makes no sense.

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I mean, the entire thing about that.

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There is actually some shared DNA between the episodes.

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There is the hydraulic flooring.

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Of course, Bleak is in it.

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There is the ship computer having it sad last words, et cetera.

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And the 2nd one of each of those is somewhat worse than the previous one.

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And I also think the great thing about the destruction of the liberator is that it happens as a result of weird Blake 7, which is something that Via Lorimer has not been very keen on.

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And we did talk a little bit about that in our rescue episode in that magic room is sort of weird, Blake 7.

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But weird, like, 7, like, the decimas or the Farn or Moloch.

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Moloch.

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You know, things Ultraworld or any of those.

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Yeah, ultraworld.

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Yeah, all of that sort of stuff.

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That's weird Blake 7.

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Suckophagus.

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Yeah.

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And there's very little of that.

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Here it's just some really, really like dodgem car spaceships come and start shooting them for no really apparent reason and then they just...

158
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They look like ice hockey. adorable.

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They are.

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I'm going to split the difference between what both of you are saying and say, I think terminal is a better episode, but I think Blake is a better finale. for the series, but we'll come back to that.

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Yeah.

162
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Definitely final.

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Nothing's ever definitely final.

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We should actually talk about that because there was a plan to bring it back if there was a plan to bring it back for the 5th season.

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That's why you don't see any blood on any of the other characters.

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But Gareth Thomas really didn't want to come back again. ever again.

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Let's talk about that when we get to the final scene. imagine how much this episode would have been diminished if they'd all woken up in series E, episode one on hospital gurneys.

168
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I mean, come on.

169
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Oh, you wouldn't have minded that after a minute six.

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I mean, if I got another series, I absolutely...

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Exactly. missing a few kidneys.

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I do love on the Scorpio flight deck.

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They finally given Aurak a seatbelt.

174
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Yes, yes.

175
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Well, it's after the shuttle in all rack that he put off it.

176
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I think a girder falls on him, doesn't it?

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Last week, last week, Gerda falls on him.

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Strap is just...

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He loses them.

180
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He's fine by later, like once we're on location.

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Rod said to me, have they redesigned it, but said that's just his seatbelt.

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When Aurax hidden under the foliage on location.

183
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He looks so much like Christmas lights.

184
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A bunch of flashing lights.

185
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There is so much to love in that early part of the episode.

186
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I really think the 1st 20 minutes of the episode are immaculate.

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And by the way, it only takes to the exact 20 minute mark for Scorpio to be crashed and gone, which is amazing.

188
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There is that scene in which Mary Ridge highlights in the direction.

189
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Thieves, killers, mercenaries.

190
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Psychoass, which is just an amazing moment.

191
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And I think Sulin is really great in these scenes.

192
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And this is a recurring thing through the 2nd half of the season.

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The 1st half of season, she had no character at all, and she got nothing to do, apart from getting snogged by Dorian.

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In the 2nd half of the season, she might be one of the best written characters and performed in all of Blake 7.

195
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She gets really interesting things to do.

196
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The moment where she's talking about her parents and how they died, I think, is really affecting.

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I like how she challenges the other characters.

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So when Villa says, oh, it wasn't a crime, and she says, oh, it was crime all right. and then she has to go at him.

199
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And later on, where she faces up to Avon and says, I really could be quite annoyed if I thought we were the bait in a trap that you'd laid for them.

200
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She's a really strong character and I love her by this point.

201
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I think both she and Dana are far better than Callie and Jenna, but the performances and the characters and you're absolutely right.

202
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The character does start as a kind of a generic, Here is an extra female character to flesh out because...

203
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Yeah, yeah, she works.

204
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Yeah, yeah, but yeah, different. but yet different enough.

205
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And the great thing about that sequence where she is talking about her family and on Gada Prime and yada, yada, yada, with the farming and so on, is that so often those kind of little backstories where you get like a sort of 62nd speech about, well, this is this is the summary of my life till now.

206
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They're often so drearily or chewily performed and she just kind of delivers it in this great straight way, which has some emotion there without being ridiculously overwrought or anything.

207
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It's just a nice summary of a good performance.

208
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It's colony and space, but just done in like 2 minutes.

209
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It's awesome.

210
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Yes, yes, it is.

211
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It is actually.

212
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Something I've criticised this season is that Su Lin doesn't get a focus episode.

213
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And look, that's not necessarily a bad thing when your focus episode is animals, but instead, what we get through the back half of the season is Sulin gets focus scenes, which build up to this.

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00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:15.059
And it's like, okay, I can then get on board with that.

215
00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:20.820
And especially watching her in Assassin in Warlord.

216
00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:21.720
She's excellent.

217
00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:22.200
Yeah.

218
00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:32.460
And especially I love to highlight Assassin and Warlord because Tarrant accuses her of being jealous of Perry and she calls out the sexism in that remark.

219
00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:41.100
But then when Tarrant meets Ziona, she is a willing helper and participant in facilitating their relationship.

220
00:15:41.100 --> 00:16:00.539
And it does prove Terrence criticism earlier wrong, but also proves Sulin as a person is generous and kind and has a strong sense of justice and we find out why here because what happened on her planet was totally, it was legal, but it was totally unjust. absolutely.

221
00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:05.700
And she's, even though she's a hard character, because, you know, she's a gunslinger and she's had a hard background.

222
00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.340
She's not, like you said, ungenerous to others.

223
00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:12.600
So Ziona, she becomes friendly with, and they have sort of some nice scenes.

224
00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:16.259
And her and Dana's relationship and the 2nd half the season is amazing.

225
00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:18.240
They're really kind of girly together.

226
00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:23.700
We talked about that scene in orbit where they both gang up on Villa, which is just tremendous.

227
00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:25.259
It seems really terrific in it.

228
00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:31.080
Yes, and you really believe in the scenes that come later in this episode that Villa is going to depend on them to keep him alive.

229
00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:31.980
Yeah, yeah.

230
00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:57.960
So, very quickly, we're plummeting towards the Planet Garda Prime, and again, Sulin gets her best line there, which is, you know, that we've lost control of the ship, and they've stopped following us, and, you know, we are literally going to crash, and she says, no wonder they were convinced, which I think is pretty great.

231
00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:00.960
I also love who the hell are they?

232
00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:02.039
Who the hell cares?

233
00:17:02.100 --> 00:17:05.700
Oh, it doesn't seem to affect their aim. is the other one.

234
00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:07.680
Dana's one.

235
00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:09.299
Try and get your sums right this time.

236
00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.519
I have a question for you.

237
00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:12.359
Who did this better?

238
00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.359
Blake or Star Trek Generations?

239
00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:18.119
Well, clearly, it's very similar.

240
00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:19.319
The way the ship gets grounded.

241
00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:22.500
The Star Trek generation scene was inspired by this.

242
00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:25.140
I can't believe the...

243
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.819
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

244
00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:31.440
In answers to that question, obviously in terms of special effects, generations.

245
00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:43.920
But I would say in terms of character, this, because in the Star Trek generations one, you are never under any impression that any of the lead actors are going to be killed in that scene.

246
00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:51.960
There is that scene where data rushes forward and puts himself over Deanna Troy just in time for a big girder. to fall on him.

247
00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:53.279
That's true.

248
00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:59.700
But, you know, when Avon leaves the Scorpio, we are being directed to think that's it for Tarant.

249
00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:01.200
Tarant is going to die.

250
00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:10.440
And Stephen Pacey, like Paul Darrow, of course, is great, but Stephen Pacey's performance throughout all that and shouting, you know, it takes talent to fly a dead ship.

251
00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:12.180
It takes Terence to fly a dead ship.

252
00:18:14.099 --> 00:18:20.880
But yeah, when Avon says goodbye, Tarrant, and Stephen Paisey's face is a mix of disbelief.

253
00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:22.680
I can't believe he's really gone, disbelief.

254
00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:26.039
I can't believe there was affection in his voice, disbelief.

255
00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:27.119
Oh shit, I'm gonna die.

256
00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:28.380
Yes, you know.

257
00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:34.440
And that scream as he falls through the floor is just harrowing.

258
00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:36.359
It's just...

259
00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:38.940
That's what's missing from generations is the angle bit of flaw coming up.

260
00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:39.599
Exactly.

261
00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.779
I mean, it's a scream as wharf...

262
00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:44.400
Powered by a barrel.

263
00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:51.660
Every distraction thing, like, I mean, yes, it goes back to terminal, but also I'm thinking of Superman one when Krypton's being destroyed.

264
00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:53.579
There's a bit of flaw that comes up like that angle.

265
00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:56.579
There's always someone can kind of scream as they slide.

266
00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:58.319
I like to think it's just a Mary Ridge thing.

267
00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:00.180
There's an absolute coronation streets out there.

268
00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:05.279
I wonder I wonder what's the originator.

269
00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:06.119
Like, who did that first?

270
00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:07.559
Who can say?

271
00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:08.460
Who can say?

272
00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:15.960
I mean, I don't understand why it's there because literally everything else on the flight deck follows him down that hole.

273
00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:26.940
And so when we next see him, like he seems to be maybe under the ship, but the stupid consoles, which we discover are all... on casters.

274
00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:28.079
Yeah, yeah.

275
00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:32.099
Like, and of course, slave has fallen down there as well.

276
00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:40.140
And I figured out what really doesn't work about that console moving around is you needed a sound of grinding metal.

277
00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:43.319
Like, I'm perfectly willing to believe this is a cargo ship.

278
00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:44.819
The units are modular.

279
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:45.660
You can move stuff around.

280
00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:54.960
I'm perfectly willing to believe that if they make noise because otherwise he's just sliding around on John Cleese's motorised desk from and now for something a little.

281
00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:04.500
The thing is, though, that, again, the thing, one of the reasons why the generations one is so much more effective is because there's a sense of that 1st impact.

282
00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:09.359
And you don't get, it's too kind of, they're all kind of sliding.

283
00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:11.460
We're all kind of sliding around the set.

284
00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:17.640
Like, it's being tipped about rather than you get that 1st initial bang where everything flies forward.

285
00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:25.079
And when they can't, it's not vaulted. and you get the close-up of Marina's face, you know, as the ship just won't stop going.

286
00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:30.599
Yes, I do think the bit where it sort of lands and then just sort of swings hilariously.

287
00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:31.859
That's pretty good.

288
00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:37.680
And that's where the floor needs to come up and the desk needs to slide because there's a gap in the visual grammar there, I think.

289
00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:45.059
Yeah, I think what we're meant to take away from when the ship comes to a halt and then starts to slide further is that it's breaking up.

290
00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:45.720
Yeah.

291
00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:49.319
I think that's what we're meant to get, which is why the flight deck breaks up as well.

292
00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:50.460
Tarant falls into the hole.

293
00:20:50.519 --> 00:21:00.180
I want to channel my 10-year-old self watching this for the 1st time in 1982 when I thought this was the most remarkable sequence of television I had ever seen.

294
00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:02.519
And actually, I still kind of do.

295
00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:17.160
I think to do an extended action sequence like this, on studio time, and serviced by great Chris Boucher dialogue throughout going through the action, is just a remarkable achievement.

296
00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:21.420
You could prize this apart and do it on film and it would look better.

297
00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:30.839
But can you think of another sequence quite as urgent and destructive as this, which has been committed to tape in all of Blake 7 or Doctor Who?

298
00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:32.339
and its original runner?

299
00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:38.039
sort of light entertainment style with 3 videotape cameras on the studio floor and stuff.

300
00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:48.059
That's right. being cut live and it is actually an incredible sequence which has really great, well integrated model work.

301
00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:53.819
I mean, obviously, you can laugh at the model work if you want to and go, you know, the trees don't look like that to scale, whatever.

302
00:21:53.880 --> 00:22:00.539
I think it's amazing and we should credit it for attempting something where you'd think, oh, really?

303
00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:02.220
You're going to try and do that. they pulled it off.

304
00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:07.920
And, you know, in generations, like generations is decades later and with 1000000s of 1000000s of dollars.

305
00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:11.880
And it is still doing the same thing with tiny miniaturised trees.

306
00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:19.440
We're outside, like the, it's the sky that we actually see in generations, they shoot the, that scene.

307
00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:20.759
Yeah.

308
00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:25.799
Yeah. 13 years. 13, there you go.

309
00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:27.539
They're in the parking lot, aren't they?

310
00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:31.740
Something extraordinary about that generation sequence.

311
00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:34.079
And I think this extra is now on DVD.

312
00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:46.019
But when the film came out, there was a promotional VHS and I think you got it from Kmart or Target or something when you bought another videotape or whatever, but it was a 20 minute making of that crash sequence.

313
00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:52.200
And they're like, as you're looking at this, on our video cameras, yes, the trees are fluorescent tennis ball green.

314
00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:57.539
And yes, the ship is blue because this is how it looks on film and you cut to it in its natural colours.

315
00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:03.119
Whereas I think with a lot of BBC model work, it is what you see is what you get.

316
00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:10.380
I don't want to say it was before they were playing with colour in that way because, of course, they did that in the black and white era, you know, different colours showed up as different grades.

317
00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:13.619
This is like 90% of what generations does.

318
00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:17.880
And that, you know, we don't have a quantum leap in 13 years.

319
00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:19.799
We just understand how to do this better.

320
00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:22.079
And of course, feature form budget, television budget.

321
00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:23.220
Luxury of time.

322
00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:25.079
It's the time thing, isn't it?

323
00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:26.759
But to get 90% of the effect.

324
00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:31.740
That affects shotting generations probably cost more than the entire series of Blake 7.

325
00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:32.579
True.

326
00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:33.599
Yeah, true.

327
00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:37.559
Well, at least more than Glenis Barber's hair extension.

328
00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:41.279
There is a lot to be said for ambition.

329
00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:45.900
And I think if you read this script cold, you would think, how are they going to pull this off?

330
00:23:45.900 --> 00:23:47.400
And yet they do pull it off.

331
00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.460
And I think that is absolutely amazing for the time.

332
00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:53.220
And it's just written so urgently as well.

333
00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.220
The fact that they abandon ship via teleport.

334
00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.859
You think, okay, but it's so well mounted.

335
00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:12.059
So when they run forward, Dana, Sulin, and Villa into the teleport area and do that little kind of triangle, supporting each other, that's iconic, that shot.

336
00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:16.259
And in fact, I think Blake 7 Monthly ran a poster of it and called it teleport trio.

337
00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:20.700
The fact that they appear in the forest in that same position.

338
00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:30.000
Simon, do you remember Christmas 1995 with Gary Russell, David Bailey and Grayson, we were in a wood, which did not look unlike.

339
00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:31.079
A 1000000 miles from there.

340
00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:33.240
And I forced them to recreate that.

341
00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:36.059
I think I have a photograph here.

342
00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:37.079
Gary was Villa.

343
00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:39.839
David Bailey was Dana.

344
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:55.680
Talking of the wood, I don't actually understand...

345
00:24:55.799 --> 00:24:56.819
I mean, it's a beautiful wood.

346
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:57.660
Mr. Wood.

347
00:24:57.660 --> 00:24:59.160
It's so gorgeous.

348
00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:07.740
But I'm just trying to work out why all these bounty hunters are there just wandering around eating the occasional rodent on a campfire. trying to kill each other.

349
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:09.720
This is where it all falls apart for me.

350
00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:11.160
What are they there for?

351
00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:17.819
I don't know. is a planet with a forest and which is not being destroyed thanks to strip mining.

352
00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:23.880
No, and in this forest, there are a lot of bounty hunters jumping out from behind trees and attacking one another.

353
00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:26.099
Jumping into the middle of shot to get shot.

354
00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:29.339
It seems to have sort of happened quite a lot.

355
00:25:29.400 --> 00:25:47.579
And I think that the problem with the episode is that Chris Boucher has had this incredible idea that we're going to see Blake, but he's not going to be Blake intervening in a gentle argument taking place in a Waitrose car park.

356
00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:52.920
You know, it's going to be hard bitten Blake who's lived, he's been injured.

357
00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:54.779
He's, you know, got a haircut.

358
00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:56.579
He's had a haircut, he's grown a beard.

359
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:57.420
He's fatter.

360
00:25:57.539 --> 00:26:01.079
And it's very cruel when they have 2 shots with him and Tarrant.

361
00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:11.700
And so the idea of him as a bounty hunter and having him act out of character is something that Chris Boucher really, really wants to do.

362
00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:16.319
And it's something that differentiates this from the finale last year.

363
00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:19.799
But there doesn't seem to be a good reason for it.

364
00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:27.119
And merely having David Collings later say, there doesn't seem to be a good reason for this. doesn't actually solve the problem.

365
00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:41.579
And so we have this opening scene and it's when we 1st mention, like when we're back on Scorpio, when we mention that he's a bounty hunter, and then we get to see him interacting with Ireland for the 1st time.

366
00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:46.140
And then we go back there and we have Villa saying, no, I can't see him doing that.

367
00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:47.940
That's not how he would be.

368
00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:54.660
And so that's the kind of shocking sort of central image, but he never justifies it, I think.

369
00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:04.500
Yeah, because he's pretending to be a bounty house, to attract all of these criminals to and convince them that we've got this wonderful setup and we're going to build an army to fight the Federation.

370
00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:06.000
Why doesn't he just masquerade?

371
00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:07.200
I don't know as Blake.

372
00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:08.640
Yeah, okay.

373
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.200
Don't be tired.

374
00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:12.240
I have answer for that.

375
00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:15.539
So in that earlier scene, it's kind of speculated.

376
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:21.420
The reason that Blake is on Gouda Prime is because no one likes going there, so it's a good place to hide.

377
00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:24.900
And there's a suspension in the penal code, so no one's coming to look for him.

378
00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.500
Yes.

379
00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:32.220
But I also think that if the Federation hears Blake is alive, and they're like, oh, Blake's alive.

380
00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:32.759
What's he doing?

381
00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:33.420
Bounty hunting.

382
00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:34.380
Oh, well, that's not Blake.

383
00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:38.400
That's not, it's like, Blake was a freedom fighter.

384
00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:40.559
Hes not going to be selling out other freedom fighters.

385
00:27:40.619 --> 00:27:42.359
So it's a double bluff cover.

386
00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:53.880
The original plan was putting him in an eye patch, very similar to Travis's, to really hang a lantern, the idea that he may have, you know, lost his moral code.

387
00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.900
Become evil.

388
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:55.500
Yeah.

389
00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:57.539
I tell you what you're saying, Nathan.

390
00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:08.339
I buy the fact that Blake is trying to sift through these people and test them himself, to bring them to the cause, where it falls down for me is why he does the same with Tarrant.

391
00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:19.619
He quickly realises that this is Avon's ship, because you have that scene with Tarrant in the wreckage of Scorpio and Blake's in the background looking at one of the teleport bracelets and saying whose ship is this?

392
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:22.859
And Tarrot says, why are you thinking of putting in an offer?

393
00:28:22.859 --> 00:28:25.799
Great, Chris Palcher dialogue.

394
00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:27.539
And also another throwback to terminal.

395
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.900
By the way, you should be very careful about buying a secondhand spacecraft.

396
00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:39.539
They can be very unreliable Can I just say, though, in that whole sequence on the ruined Scorpio, where we have the 2 of them together and just the 2 of them together.

397
00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:41.220
I mean, the title of the episode.

398
00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.019
It's an absolutely great scene.

399
00:28:43.079 --> 00:28:46.500
The title of the story is Blake 7, the 2 Blakes.

400
00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:49.559
But I mean, that scene is great.

401
00:28:49.619 --> 00:28:55.380
And that's something that we didn't get because, you know, Avon is the person who sees Blake in Terminal.

402
00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:58.019
And so pairing him up with his replacement.

403
00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:00.119
I think he's extremely good.

404
00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:03.000
And as a kid, it's absolutely what I want.

405
00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:03.660
What you want to see?

406
00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:06.480
and allows you to have that wonderful dialogue about Jenna.

407
00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:13.259
Because that gives you the moment where Blake mentions her name just to get a reaction and you get a big reaction from Terrence.

408
00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:14.220
It's great.

409
00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.059
Yes.

410
00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:16.680
But you're right.

411
00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:26.339
The thing with why does he bother going through the whole charade with Tarrant given the fact that, you know, he says, he knows that he's worked out that, you know, it's Avon and Villa and Aurac and everything like that.

412
00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:28.920
So why does he need to do that?

413
00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:33.240
Why does he say, oh my god, I'm Blake, you know, I hope Avon's told you all about me.

414
00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:35.579
You know, isn't that the way it unfolds?

415
00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:36.960
Plot expediency.

416
00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:42.299
But that's unusual for Chris Boucher. unusual to see the gears grinding.

417
00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:43.140
Yes, that is the problem.

418
00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.099
That's the problem I have with this.

419
00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:46.740
It's like, he's realised that Taryn knows Avon.

420
00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:53.700
Like, why does he do that apart from to drive the plot towards Taryn saying he's betrayed you and getting Blake killed?

421
00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:55.680
That's right. an idiot plot.

422
00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:58.019
They've all become too stupid to stay alive.

423
00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:59.400
It's not just...

424
00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.980
They even hang a lantern on that earlier in the episode.

425
00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:04.559
It's not just villa that's too stupid.

426
00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:07.019
Some might say that's the reason we've come to the end of this podcast.

427
00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:12.660
I mean, is it because he doesn't actually, no, Terence.

428
00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:15.660
And so even though he knows Terrence with the others, he needs to sort of...

429
00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:19.140
Yes, you can absolutely... you can absolutely him.

430
00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:22.680
Like he's overplaying. not just pretending to be the bounty hunter.

431
00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:27.240
He's saying, oh, and he's friends with Avon and Avon's worth even more money.

432
00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:34.859
Despite the fact that we were all assured that it didn't matter that they had a bounty on their head because Sulin said there's no law, so it doesn't matter.

433
00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:36.960
Like all of that stuff doesn't make sense.

434
00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:45.960
But Avon has said, it is the day of the bounty hunter, because all the rough people are being rounded up now, so we can return the plan to Laura.

435
00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:59.099
Something I particularly love about that Taranton Blake scene, though, is, you know, Blake leaves his gun next to Tarant accidentally and then chucks him the bag of, like, plastic gemstones.

436
00:30:59.099 --> 00:31:01.859
And Tarant says, isn't this a bit obvious for a test?

437
00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:03.900
Not realising this isn't the test.

438
00:31:03.960 --> 00:31:07.500
The test is coming later, even if the test is a bit stupid.

439
00:31:07.559 --> 00:31:13.200
But the test is a bit stupid because just like Avon's gone nuts, Blake has gone nuts in a different way.

440
00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:15.420
I mean, it is the test, though, isn't it?

441
00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:16.859
I read that as the test, you know?

442
00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:31.500
The test is whether he will discover that Blake has sold him out and refuse to kind of become a federation collaborator like Ireland does, at which point Blake says, well, actually, no, we're not blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

443
00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:33.240
That's not what's happening, though.

444
00:31:33.299 --> 00:31:36.960
Like, it's not Alan doesn't become a Federation collaborator.

445
00:31:37.019 --> 00:31:40.259
No, no, but they kind of suspect that of her.

446
00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:41.759
And they're right.

447
00:31:41.819 --> 00:31:43.680
Well, they're suspecting that of everybody.

448
00:31:43.740 --> 00:31:48.420
They just did they just needing to screen everybody before they make sure you're a problem.

449
00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:50.519
They don't do a very good job because she gets through it.

450
00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:51.480
Which takes us back to the question.

451
00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:52.859
Why would you need to screen Tarrant?

452
00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:54.240
It just makes no sense.

453
00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:56.640
And the setup makes no sense.

454
00:31:56.700 --> 00:32:09.420
You know, like when we 1st see Blake, his meeting in, you know, an office car park with Brand Foster and a lot of sort of sad hippies and stuff and they're...

455
00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:10.500
From a 70s streamer.

456
00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:11.759
Are you sure you want to do that?

457
00:32:11.819 --> 00:32:12.480
Yeah, yeah.

458
00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:14.819
And, you know, there's something political about it.

459
00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:15.660
Here.

460
00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:25.619
Like, why, like, why is he trying to recruit freedom fighters from among the bounty hunters of the forests of Gowda Prime?

461
00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:27.420
Like none of that makes any sense.

462
00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:29.880
It doesn't seem to be a fruitful thing.

463
00:32:29.940 --> 00:32:32.880
And if Blake is building enough...

464
00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:34.799
But he's not trying to recruit bounty hunters.

465
00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:38.759
He's trying to recruit the people who the bounty hunters are trying to find.

466
00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:41.339
So they're trying to get the criminals. murderous criminals.

467
00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:43.799
So he's building up an army of murderous criminals.

468
00:32:43.859 --> 00:32:47.640
Like, that isn't that much better than being a bouncy hunter.

469
00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:50.519
Maybe because it went so well the 1st time now.

470
00:32:50.579 --> 00:33:05.579
I just, you know, like I just think, I think there's a, the problem at the heart of it is that the central thing around which their downfall kind of revolves makes no sense.

471
00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:10.920
And if, for instance, Avon had just stopped and listened for a couple of seconds.

472
00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:13.440
Like Blake is unarmed.

473
00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:14.099
Yes, yes.

474
00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:22.859
You know, and he does some massive overacting that no one at home can possibly believe for a second. and then sort of shoots him for no reason.

475
00:33:22.920 --> 00:33:24.839
And all of that stuff.

476
00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:30.299
And then, of course, the Federation arrived in force at just that moment.

477
00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:33.240
Like, that's the problem.

478
00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:35.279
So it ends up not about anything.

479
00:33:35.339 --> 00:33:49.440
We don't learn anything, whereas at least there's a hint in terminal that the reason for the downfall is that Avon has become so obsessed and suspicious that he no longer confides in any of the others.

480
00:33:49.500 --> 00:33:51.420
But I find that equally implausible.

481
00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:52.859
In fact, more implausible.

482
00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:54.660
Also, isn't this a natural extension of that?

483
00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:57.359
The one person he thought he could rely on.

484
00:33:57.420 --> 00:34:06.299
The one person he thought was unambiguously a good guy who he could build an anti-federation alliance around suddenly seems not to be, and it just makes him flip.

485
00:34:06.359 --> 00:34:13.380
If I can be so bold, basically, the floor is that you kind of need for Avon to actually end up shooting him.

486
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.699
There needs to be a longer period where he feels that Blake really has betrayed him.

487
00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:18.179
Yes.

488
00:34:18.179 --> 00:34:24.059
Rather than the 30 seconds, because he's walked in an all Terence said, is he's sold this house or whatever it's like.

489
00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:26.039
And he doesn't give Blake a chance to say anything.

490
00:34:26.099 --> 00:34:30.059
Blake takes one step towards him and he shoots him 3 times.

491
00:34:30.119 --> 00:34:32.880
He's not armed. just doesn't make any sense.

492
00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:37.980
Well, the thing is, Blake's words are, I set all this up.

493
00:34:38.039 --> 00:34:39.719
I was waiting for you.

494
00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:43.559
And we know that means I was waiting for you to run this with me.

495
00:34:43.619 --> 00:34:53.519
Avon having been told by Tarrant, who he's finally decided he trusts after 2 years, Avon having been because Tarrant has sacrificed himself for Avon at this point.

496
00:34:53.579 --> 00:34:59.699
Avon, having been told that by Tarrant, reads that as I set up all this to catch you.

497
00:34:59.760 --> 00:35:05.340
Yes, that doesn't help because now they're just dying as the result of a hilarious series of misunderstandings.

498
00:35:05.400 --> 00:35:06.960
Yes, I know. called tragedy.

499
00:35:07.320 --> 00:35:10.440
Actually, it's set up as a grand misunderstanding.

500
00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:18.420
And yes, I think he's trying to set up, set it up as a tragedy that it's all a horrific misunderstanding, which is why Avon shoots him.

501
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:28.139
And the problem is that I do take on board absolutely everything you say and everything you say is actually correct, but it's, I think it's because it's, it all happens too quickly.

502
00:35:28.199 --> 00:35:34.139
This whole thing had have been 75 minutes or something as a kind of a finale, which was a bit longer.

503
00:35:34.199 --> 00:35:39.000
I think you would have had more time to build that and it wouldn't have been such a shock.

504
00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:56.219
I will always come back to when it comes to a program such as this, whether it's classic Doctor Who, and modern Doctor Who, or Black 7 or any of these other programs of this era, is that unfortunately they are often, I won't say riddled with flaws like this, but they are riddled with these kind of, well, it didn't quite come together like that.

505
00:35:56.280 --> 00:36:00.840
For me, I am carried with it when I watch it.

506
00:36:00.900 --> 00:36:08.519
I'm not noticing, even though I recognise all of the flaws that we've just talked about whether it's the bounty hunters or the whole setup and why is Blake doing this and da da da.

507
00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:12.960
I recognise all those flaws, but while I'm watching it, they are invisible to me.

508
00:36:13.019 --> 00:36:14.880
Now, I don't know why that is.

509
00:36:14.940 --> 00:36:18.659
Is it the direction, is it the performances, it the conviction that it's all happening in?

510
00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:19.679
A lot of it's to do with the conviction.

511
00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:22.619
Exactly. this is why it's a good episode not a perfect episode.

512
00:36:22.679 --> 00:36:25.619
It's good because I am carried along with it.

513
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:29.039
And if you're carried along with it, I think it means it's basically done this job.

514
00:36:29.099 --> 00:36:37.139
I'm going to agree with what Nathan said in that I think you see the plot gears working to get us into a position where this misunderstanding can happen.

515
00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:42.059
And I don't think it's all that logical, but I agree with Simon in that I don't mind.

516
00:36:42.119 --> 00:36:53.699
I think to get us to this position and make it such a grand misunderstanding between these 2 characters who've been the focal points of Bleak 7 all along is worth it for that dramatic payoff.

517
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:57.000
I think in plot terms, there's 2 things.

518
00:36:57.059 --> 00:37:17.639
It's whether you accept that Blake has been so damaged by everything that's happened when we saw him on the series and the stuff that's unnamed that's happened to him since he left the series, that he wouldn't just tell Tarrant straight up who he was, and the fact that he dances round what he says to Avon rather than just coming out and saying, Avon, it was all a setup.

519
00:37:17.699 --> 00:37:23.460
I'm, you know, trying to get together an army and I'm really glad you're here because you can help me lead it, why he doesn't just say that.

520
00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:31.559
But also, whether you buy into the fan theory that Avon Psyche has just crumbled throughout the series.

521
00:37:31.619 --> 00:37:32.280
And we saw this.

522
00:37:32.340 --> 00:37:37.320
Simon, as you said, in terminal where he couldn't bring himself to trust his colleagues.

523
00:37:37.380 --> 00:37:40.139
And so that lost them the ship.

524
00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:46.860
And throughout this season, it's been a series of disappointments and things going wrong.

525
00:37:46.920 --> 00:37:52.619
And the one thing he thought he could rely on was Blake, and suddenly in that split second, it turns out that he can't.

526
00:37:52.679 --> 00:38:06.900
So there is, I think, explicit stuff in there to make it clear that Blake is the same old Blake, and it's when he jokes with Klein, and it's that conversation that he has with Diva, where he seems to be in his old role.

527
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:13.019
And so it's made clear there, I think, that the bounty hunter thing is a front and that he's still the blank that we know.

528
00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:26.460
As for the Avon psychological disintegration throughout the course of series D. I think that we invent that in order to make this scene work because I don't think...

529
00:38:26.460 --> 00:38:28.199
Yeah, I don't see this.

530
00:38:28.260 --> 00:38:32.219
I mean, it is there in the weird things that Avon does throughout the season.

531
00:38:32.280 --> 00:38:43.679
So, you know, the cackling with laughter at the end of gold or he's clearly a bit unhinged that hasn't worked. lost a lot of money Trying to teach a ride on an asteroid through the Al-Turn system.

532
00:38:43.739 --> 00:38:44.219
Well, exactly.

533
00:38:44.219 --> 00:38:48.840
And also trying to kill Villa, which we talk about the impact that that has on Villa.

534
00:38:48.900 --> 00:38:51.000
What about the impact?

535
00:38:51.059 --> 00:38:53.039
What about the impact that it has on Avon?

536
00:38:53.579 --> 00:38:58.500
The decisions he makes, like, killing Dr. Blackston?

537
00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:00.960
Let's all say it Who?

538
00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:05.699
There is evidence there.

539
00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:24.000
It's just, and maybe that's a fault of the way that, like, we've been talking about the way that television didn't do plot arcs or character arcs back then, but there are moments littered through the series, which show how far his his kind of ethics or oral code has changed.

540
00:39:24.059 --> 00:39:24.840
Yes, I think that's true.

541
00:39:24.900 --> 00:39:29.579
Willing to kill one of his friends for want of a better word.

542
00:39:29.639 --> 00:39:30.659
A lot passes for a friend.

543
00:39:30.719 --> 00:39:33.420
Unless not forget that that's happened to all of them.

544
00:39:33.480 --> 00:39:35.460
They've all become indiscriminate killers.

545
00:39:35.519 --> 00:39:46.380
They will move people down, which makes the scene in gold where they're having a go-it Keeler for killing the unarmed doctrines seem quite outrage, but that's like, wow, you know, really?

546
00:39:46.380 --> 00:39:47.039
You're saying this?

547
00:39:47.159 --> 00:39:48.900
Where did you get released?

548
00:39:48.960 --> 00:39:49.500
Exactly.

549
00:39:49.559 --> 00:39:52.739
I think it's just slightly inconsistent character writing. sorry.

550
00:39:52.800 --> 00:39:53.159
It's nothing.

551
00:39:53.159 --> 00:39:56.039
The joy of being a fan, putting all that together.

552
00:39:56.099 --> 00:39:58.019
No, I know, but yeah.

553
00:39:58.079 --> 00:40:04.440
Yeah. thing is, I think, you know, what we see as character development of this is almost entirely down to the actors.

554
00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:05.340
Absolutely.

555
00:40:05.340 --> 00:40:09.780
Probably also in conversation with Chris Boucher and Chris going, oh, I'll put in a line here.

556
00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:10.500
You can play like that.

557
00:40:10.559 --> 00:40:25.619
But I think certainly in the cases of Paul Darrow and Michael Keating, and they've got lots of interviews where they talk about character and how their characters changed, particularly Michael Keating, who says there were directions my character went in that I didn't like, and we tried to steer away from that or I tried to play it differently.

558
00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:33.179
Something very interesting I've seen recently is the convention footage on the Blake 7 series one slash A box set.

559
00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:35.519
One to be tougher.

560
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:38.820
But, um, Dead to me.

561
00:40:39.300 --> 00:40:48.000
There's a panel that includes Gareth Thomas, and it's Gareth Thomas, Stephen Griff, Michael Keating, David Jackson, and Peter Tottenham.

562
00:40:48.059 --> 00:40:49.739
And there's a running gag that Darrow isn't there.

563
00:40:49.800 --> 00:40:51.719
So I'm guessing he's the one person who didn't come.

564
00:40:51.780 --> 00:40:53.280
I was going to say, where will all the interesting...

565
00:40:53.340 --> 00:40:53.699
Yeah.

566
00:40:54.480 --> 00:41:05.880
But one of the questions from the audience is a woman saying later on I'm doing a panel about Avon, the convention, and it's Avon, stressed or insane, question mark.

567
00:41:05.940 --> 00:41:07.019
What do you think?

568
00:41:07.079 --> 00:41:11.400
And Gareth Thomas gets very quiet and very serious, and he's like, I reject both of those things.

569
00:41:11.460 --> 00:41:13.199
He was incredibly clever.

570
00:41:13.260 --> 00:41:16.500
He was always under a lot of pressure and he was loved.

571
00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:19.260
Blake loved Avon, and I think a lot of people forget that.

572
00:41:19.320 --> 00:41:21.119
He's been reading slash fiction.

573
00:41:21.179 --> 00:41:25.260
Right, and he almost certainly hasn't watched series C or D. Yeah, yeah.

574
00:41:25.260 --> 00:41:26.820
Why would he?

575
00:41:26.880 --> 00:41:27.599
No, absolutely.

576
00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:30.539
Well, I mean, he's probably watched Blake in 5 minutes of time.

577
00:41:30.599 --> 00:41:38.519
Can I just make the observation going back to what I was saying about, you know, this is just the way these things are written and characterisations are inconsistent?

578
00:41:38.579 --> 00:41:48.360
And it is up to the actors, as you say, Brendan, during rehearsals to try and shave pointy bits offline so that it kind of you get this suggestion of a consistent show. a few pointy bits off Scorpio.

579
00:41:49.320 --> 00:42:15.960
But that's also the way I watched, not just watch it now, but that was also the way, there was something about my consciousness about what I was watching as a television program way back in the day, that when it's like, it's like when City at the Edge of the World begins and, you know, there's, there's a bit of a, you know, Tarrant is bullying Villa to, and all that business and Villa ends up going down without the tracking device, whatever it is, which is completely ridiculous because Tarrant hasn't done that in any other scenes before, and he doesn't really do it again later.

580
00:42:16.019 --> 00:42:21.599
But I kind of watched the episode with like, okay, I just slightly shift my universe for this.

581
00:42:21.659 --> 00:42:23.880
The series has just slightly been recessed in this direction.

582
00:42:24.300 --> 00:42:29.699
And everything it all, we're watching this and then next week is going to kind of go out, jump over here and jump into another direction.

583
00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:33.239
And I'm quite happy to watch that and just understand that just that's the way these things are.

584
00:42:33.300 --> 00:42:39.059
And not go, oh, but he said that the 37 minutes of episode 3 of series B, blah, blah, blah.

585
00:42:39.119 --> 00:42:43.260
It's like the characterisation of Villa. you know, depending on who is writing Blake 7.

586
00:42:43.320 --> 00:42:46.559
Villa is a wildly inconsistent and different character.

587
00:42:46.619 --> 00:42:50.820
So he's written as a drunk and an idiot by someone like Alan Pryor.

588
00:42:50.880 --> 00:43:03.239
He's written as someone who presents that as a facade to the world and is actually, as we see in this episode, when he's put under pressure, is capable of rising to the occasion and knows what's going on.

589
00:43:03.300 --> 00:43:06.000
And I think the performances paper over all of this.

590
00:43:06.059 --> 00:43:09.840
So Villa is Michael Keating, Michael Keating, makes Villa a consistent character.

591
00:43:09.900 --> 00:43:14.699
And I think we've said that about the companions in Classic Doctor Who as well, that it is...

592
00:43:14.699 --> 00:43:16.320
Sarah James Smith.

593
00:43:16.380 --> 00:43:17.219
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

594
00:43:17.280 --> 00:43:31.619
Like, I have to say that I, and it takes a while, and we're not even necessarily there, even in modern series TV that has a writer's room and has a Bible and a little bit more... care.

595
00:43:31.679 --> 00:43:37.079
I think you get better characterisation and that is more rewarding.

596
00:43:37.199 --> 00:43:39.780
The characters have more interiority.

597
00:43:39.840 --> 00:43:41.280
There's more complexity.

598
00:43:41.340 --> 00:43:48.000
But even still, there are times when a character will do something, you know, because the plot really needs them to.

599
00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:50.940
Yes, exactly. after all, just a TV show, yes.

600
00:43:51.179 --> 00:44:00.539
But I just remember at the time feeling that this was less of an event than terminal had been when I had watched that.

601
00:44:00.599 --> 00:44:10.800
And I think it is the fact that there's 20 minutes of faffing around of very, very well written vamping on the Scorpio flight deck.

602
00:44:10.860 --> 00:44:17.400
And then we just sort of wander through the forest and, you know, the occasional bounty hunter leaps out from behind.

603
00:44:17.400 --> 00:44:18.360
Amazing scenes, though.

604
00:44:18.420 --> 00:44:19.260
Yeah, yeah.

605
00:44:19.320 --> 00:44:20.280
It's engaging.

606
00:44:20.340 --> 00:44:25.920
But there's nothing to it. easily, no, but I can summarise so many episodes that there's nothing to it.

607
00:44:25.980 --> 00:44:26.579
Do you know what I mean?

608
00:44:26.639 --> 00:44:28.739
Like there's nothing to an awful lot of episodes.

609
00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:33.119
Yes, the narrative is basically about separating the crew and then almost immediately bringing most of them back together.

610
00:44:33.179 --> 00:44:35.039
They could all be shot.

611
00:44:35.099 --> 00:44:43.920
Also, it reveals something about the characters because Dana and Sulin are probably able to survive under their own steam.

612
00:44:43.980 --> 00:44:44.760
Villa is not.

613
00:44:44.820 --> 00:44:46.019
Villa lets the side down.

614
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:52.199
Avon's the person who comes in and has thought about everything and has the flyer, which they're going to follow, which can get them to safety.

615
00:44:52.260 --> 00:44:55.619
They're all bringing good characterisation to be seen.

616
00:44:55.679 --> 00:44:58.500
Yeah, and the other thing, this, this is what I think of something like duel.

617
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:01.800
I just think it's not really, there's not really much there.

618
00:45:01.860 --> 00:45:04.679
It's various stuffs just done for effect.

619
00:45:04.739 --> 00:45:06.780
And I actually find it quite unengaging.

620
00:45:06.840 --> 00:45:10.380
Something like Time Squad has actually got a lot more going on in it.

621
00:45:10.440 --> 00:45:12.599
But unfortunately, it is directed by Pennant Roberts.

622
00:45:12.659 --> 00:45:16.079
And is therefore awful. you know what I mean?

623
00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:21.599
Is he dead?

624
00:45:23.699 --> 00:45:25.980
That is so staying here.

625
00:45:26.159 --> 00:45:28.380
That's the type of the episode.

626
00:45:29.039 --> 00:45:32.400
But Michael Bryant, however, is still alive.

627
00:45:32.460 --> 00:45:36.539
He was granted a long life for doing such a great job of his series.

628
00:45:36.599 --> 00:45:37.079
Exactly.

629
00:45:37.139 --> 00:45:39.659
Never, ever again say that the good day young.

630
00:45:41.519 --> 00:45:52.679
But the point is, you can reduce to its core elements any episode and it can be, it cannot amount to very much and yet you can be incredibly engaged with it.

631
00:45:52.739 --> 00:45:56.579
And everything you've said about and what's wrong with it is entirely correct.

632
00:45:56.639 --> 00:45:59.340
I'm just saying that doesn't mean it's not a great episode.

633
00:45:59.400 --> 00:46:17.099
I think that maybe the episode that does this best is Star one. and the reason is that it gets Blake to confront what he's doing and it questions what Blake's motives are. and he does, and then we throw it away.

634
00:46:17.219 --> 00:46:20.460
Yeah, he's a little bit overwrought and then we decide who cares, but it is.

635
00:46:20.460 --> 00:46:22.679
And that's why I think I'm just not impressed by that.

636
00:46:22.739 --> 00:46:25.440
There's nothing in Star one that comes out of left field.

637
00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:27.179
Except for maybe the aliens.

638
00:46:27.239 --> 00:46:28.679
But that's great.

639
00:46:28.739 --> 00:46:29.639
Do you know what I mean?

640
00:46:29.699 --> 00:46:33.059
Like that really wraps things up in a really interesting way.

641
00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:36.960
But it's the idea that, you know, what does it mean to be a resistant?

642
00:46:37.019 --> 00:46:43.320
What does it mean to commit terrorist acts, you know, what who's going to pay the price for what my decisions are going to be?

643
00:46:43.380 --> 00:46:46.619
And yes, you know, we forget it almost immediately.

644
00:46:46.679 --> 00:46:54.780
It's like the incredible moment in Genesis of the Daleks, where Tom questions, you know, whether he's allowed to do this.

645
00:46:54.840 --> 00:46:59.519
And then we throw it all away and then a dalek bowls over the 2 wires later and explodes it anyway.

646
00:46:59.579 --> 00:47:00.599
Do you know what I mean?

647
00:47:00.659 --> 00:47:02.820
Like in a way, none of that really matters.

648
00:47:02.880 --> 00:47:06.599
The thing is, it's exactly that because Blake doesn't destroy Star One.

649
00:47:06.659 --> 00:47:07.559
The aliens do.

650
00:47:07.619 --> 00:47:08.280
Yeah, yeah.

651
00:47:08.280 --> 00:47:09.539
So it's not his fault.

652
00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:10.619
Yes, fine.

653
00:47:10.679 --> 00:47:13.199
And then he's not around for the consequences anyway.

654
00:47:14.159 --> 00:47:16.920
Can I mention Rod's views on this episode?

655
00:47:16.980 --> 00:47:17.760
Oh, yes, please.

656
00:47:17.820 --> 00:47:20.820
So for those of you at home who may have forgotten.

657
00:47:20.880 --> 00:47:24.420
Rod gave up rewatching Blake 7 with me at the end of Aurac.

658
00:47:24.480 --> 00:47:29.579
He decided that ship exploding was real and they're all dead anyway, and he's very glad of it because they're all stupid.

659
00:47:29.639 --> 00:47:31.260
What a strange thing to decide.

660
00:47:31.380 --> 00:47:38.579
Now, he has been watching the series D episodes with me that I've been on, and generally he's gone, well, that's silly.

661
00:47:38.639 --> 00:47:40.019
That's silly.

662
00:47:40.079 --> 00:47:42.239
Well, well, yes, that's right.

663
00:47:42.300 --> 00:47:44.880
So you're saying he's not enjoying the D?

664
00:47:44.940 --> 00:47:53.400
He's strangely not enjoying the D. Now, so the credits are old and he just looked at me and started spouting this off.

665
00:47:53.460 --> 00:47:59.159
This is insulting to the audience who have invested time in these characters and now what?

666
00:47:59.219 --> 00:48:01.739
They're all dead because they can't talk to each other.

667
00:48:01.800 --> 00:48:05.460
It reminds me of the finale of Lost.

668
00:48:05.460 --> 00:48:08.579
And how that angered the audience.

669
00:48:08.639 --> 00:48:14.579
It should have been more like the finale of Battlestar Galactica with individual endings for the characters that made sense. that was tedious.

670
00:48:14.639 --> 00:48:17.460
And I am saying this is someone who does not even like these people.

671
00:48:17.820 --> 00:48:22.739
I love the finale. yeah, it's ridiculous.

672
00:48:22.800 --> 00:48:25.739
He's saying the finale of Battlesar Galactica is great, the finale of Lost Piston.

673
00:48:25.800 --> 00:48:33.780
Also, I'm going to respectfully disagree with Rod because I think the summary ending for these characters, like just out of the blue.

674
00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:35.099
They're all dead.

675
00:48:35.159 --> 00:48:37.980
I think that's the majesty of the series.

676
00:48:38.039 --> 00:48:43.500
And in fact, that final scene for all of the complaints that I've had, we have no music.

677
00:48:43.559 --> 00:48:47.519
We have the alarms going on. soft and then it stops.

678
00:48:47.579 --> 00:48:53.940
It's so good Like Mary reaches absolutely kind of going, you're not going to forget this scene.

679
00:48:54.000 --> 00:49:00.840
Absolutely, that's the way these characters should end. in a battle sequence, like trying to overthrow the Federation.

680
00:49:00.900 --> 00:49:02.460
Like, they were always heading in this direction.

681
00:49:02.519 --> 00:49:15.119
I think they were going to destroy the Federation, which was the original pitch for the episode, was that they would go back to Earth and finally over through the Federation and voucher was a point.

682
00:49:15.179 --> 00:49:19.800
Yeah, and Boucher was like, no, no, let's not do that.

683
00:49:20.880 --> 00:49:24.059
But also it possibly might not have been the end.

684
00:49:24.119 --> 00:49:29.639
They deliberately do not show blood. except on Blake, obviously.

685
00:49:29.699 --> 00:49:30.719
Yeah, simple Blake.

686
00:49:30.780 --> 00:49:32.519
And, well, there's a story there.

687
00:49:32.579 --> 00:49:34.139
Yeah, he did want to come back.

688
00:49:34.199 --> 00:49:51.659
Gareth Thomas made sure there were extra blood packs and made sure that he was shot multiple times to the point where it actually shocked Mary Ridge with its gore and violence because he talked to the special effects guy behind guys behind her back to make sure he was definitely dead.

689
00:49:51.719 --> 00:49:54.719
How fortunate that he didn't have time to do another team.

690
00:49:54.960 --> 00:50:04.800
But the rest of them are deliberately ambiguously not seem to have, you know, mortal wounds in case they renew it for...

691
00:50:04.800 --> 00:50:06.780
I think that's been retrofitted onto us.

692
00:50:06.840 --> 00:50:14.519
I mean, they thought obviously that terminal was going to be the last episode, but in terminal, they are leaving themselves clear out to go forward.

693
00:50:14.579 --> 00:50:16.260
Orak is taken off the ship.

694
00:50:16.320 --> 00:50:18.420
All of the crew are alive at that point.

695
00:50:18.480 --> 00:50:21.179
All that they've lost is the Liberator.

696
00:50:21.239 --> 00:50:23.880
And, you know, that is a great ending to the series.

697
00:50:23.940 --> 00:50:30.179
Here, the series is being dismantled bit by bit. and there is a feeling of desperation.

698
00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:33.179
Yeah, they're going to get a 3rd ship in series.

699
00:50:33.179 --> 00:50:37.739
And are they going to spend 2 episodes developing a teleport and getting a star drive and...

700
00:50:37.739 --> 00:50:45.659
The flavour at the end of a terminal is it's not a happy ending per se. but there's an opportunity for the characters to go off and do stuff and do something else.

701
00:50:45.719 --> 00:50:47.639
It's a downbeat ending, not a tragic ending.

702
00:50:47.699 --> 00:50:48.119
Yeah.

703
00:50:48.119 --> 00:50:56.820
I will I will say that when I've been watching these, I been trying to come to it with the mindset of, I don't know what's coming up next week, you know?

704
00:50:56.880 --> 00:50:58.619
And that's hard to do.

705
00:50:58.739 --> 00:51:09.599
But it's kind of interesting in that when we 1st see sort of Blake and Diva and Klein played by Mrs. Paul Darrow. by Mrs. Paul Darrow. doing it if Paul kills me.

706
00:51:11.280 --> 00:51:16.559
But when we 1st see them together, they're kind of warm and funny with each other.

707
00:51:16.619 --> 00:51:19.980
So we've got Blake has built up a new team.

708
00:51:20.039 --> 00:51:22.260
Blake has a base of operations.

709
00:51:22.320 --> 00:51:25.260
Avon has just blown up his base of operations.

710
00:51:25.320 --> 00:51:26.519
Oh, hold on.

711
00:51:26.579 --> 00:51:29.099
When we started this season, we had a whole new format.

712
00:51:29.159 --> 00:51:31.440
Oh, wow, is that where we're going next season?

713
00:51:31.500 --> 00:51:32.519
Is that what's going to happen?

714
00:51:32.579 --> 00:51:41.460
yeah And I think that's meant to be the expectation for about the 1st 3540 minutes until...

715
00:51:41.460 --> 00:51:42.239
He starts shooting them all.

716
00:51:42.300 --> 00:51:45.119
Well, I would say until Tarrant runs off.

717
00:51:45.179 --> 00:51:49.920
And you kind of go, no, no, hold, no, go, go get him and tell him what's going on.

718
00:51:49.980 --> 00:51:50.880
No, no, no, don't do that.

719
00:51:50.940 --> 00:51:51.420
Don't do that.

720
00:51:51.480 --> 00:51:53.340
And that's where the collapse starts.

721
00:51:53.340 --> 00:52:03.360
Because I do think there's an atmosphere of unease throughout, but I think at least partially meant to be the atmosphere of unease of, ooh, big change is coming, big change is coming, and then at around the 45 minute mark.

722
00:52:03.420 --> 00:52:04.440
Oh, no, big change is coming.

723
00:52:05.579 --> 00:52:12.360
I am upset that we haven't yet talked about the magnificence that he is David Collings.

724
00:52:12.420 --> 00:52:14.460
Oh, he is so good.

725
00:52:14.519 --> 00:52:28.619
He knows, like, he's one of those actors who knows how to deliver these ridiculous lines in a very straightforward, sensible way with enough height. with a heightened performance style.

726
00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:29.820
It suits the genre.

727
00:52:29.880 --> 00:52:33.539
He is just magnificent and he's got this long lock of hair that he keeps having his breath.

728
00:52:33.599 --> 00:52:35.820
Yeah, he's an 80s doctor who we never had.

729
00:52:35.880 --> 00:52:37.260
Absolutely it is.

730
00:52:37.320 --> 00:52:38.460
Well, not just modern.

731
00:52:38.579 --> 00:52:39.179
We nearly had it.

732
00:52:39.239 --> 00:52:40.500
That's why he works in modern.

733
00:52:40.559 --> 00:52:42.119
That's why he works so well in Modern and did.

734
00:52:42.179 --> 00:52:43.619
We had him on Big Finish.

735
00:52:43.679 --> 00:52:44.760
For pity's sake.

736
00:52:44.820 --> 00:52:54.059
But he's also, as Brian keeps reminding me every time he comes on any screen that he was Legolas in the audio version of the Lord of the Rings in the late 70s.

737
00:52:54.119 --> 00:52:54.360
Yes.

738
00:52:54.420 --> 00:52:56.280
He was the Orlando Bloom of his day.

739
00:52:56.340 --> 00:52:57.059
Yes.

740
00:52:57.059 --> 00:52:58.260
And he was also the voice of Monk.

741
00:52:58.260 --> 00:52:58.800
Davros.

742
00:52:58.800 --> 00:52:59.460
Yes.

743
00:52:59.519 --> 00:53:01.139
Yes, he was the voice of monkey.

744
00:53:01.199 --> 00:53:02.460
I seem to recall.

745
00:53:02.579 --> 00:53:04.320
That was actually really good adaptation.

746
00:53:04.380 --> 00:53:05.280
Monkey.

747
00:53:05.340 --> 00:53:05.760
No.

748
00:53:07.260 --> 00:53:07.860
Nike was great.

749
00:53:08.340 --> 00:53:10.019
Lord of the Rings.

750
00:53:10.079 --> 00:53:12.420
Yes, no, apparently no, no, was gold standard until the film came along.

751
00:53:12.480 --> 00:53:22.800
But again, it's a reason why this episode, despite it having some plot issues is so good because it's incredibly well mounted and cast.

752
00:53:22.860 --> 00:53:27.059
If you had an actor who didn't really occupy that role as diva.

753
00:53:27.119 --> 00:53:37.679
Those scenes, the long scenes, the 2 handers of just him and Blake, wouldn't really be anything, but instead, they're actually really great Blake 7 scenes. are so important and they delivered by the director.

754
00:53:37.739 --> 00:53:39.719
Yep, Mary Rich's direction throughout.

755
00:53:39.780 --> 00:53:41.039
You talked about that last scene.

756
00:53:41.639 --> 00:53:43.199
She makes that last scene.

757
00:53:43.260 --> 00:53:46.500
She knows how to build it to something that really caps off the series properly.

758
00:53:46.559 --> 00:53:58.139
I actually think that the very, very small regular cast is another disappointing thing about it, where you've basically got 2 guest stars, if you don't count Gareth.

759
00:53:58.260 --> 00:54:01.019
They were paying Gareth Thomas RSC money.

760
00:54:01.079 --> 00:54:02.039
Yeah, that's it.

761
00:54:02.099 --> 00:54:09.599
And just, again, maybe that contributes to it being rather down beat, that they just, you know, there's that wonderful line.

762
00:54:09.659 --> 00:54:12.900
They just sort of drop into one of these holes and never come out again.

763
00:54:13.500 --> 00:54:16.019
That's so great, that might.

764
00:54:16.019 --> 00:54:20.219
But I just find there's so many mirrorings of the early series as well.

765
00:54:20.280 --> 00:54:25.860
Sort of diva is a combination of Avon and Villa because he's the computer expert, but he's also sarcastic.

766
00:54:25.920 --> 00:54:36.780
Klein is a bit like Jenner in the, you know, Blake will lean over the console tour and kind of flirt a bit, you know, or, you know, he's kind of charming with her.

767
00:54:36.840 --> 00:54:37.980
Alan is like Calli.

768
00:54:38.039 --> 00:54:40.320
Her 1st appearance is trying to kill...

769
00:54:40.440 --> 00:54:45.239
Maybe that's why Paul Tarrow killed Blake because he was flirting with his wife.

770
00:54:46.500 --> 00:54:49.019
Only I am allowed to kill him.

771
00:54:50.579 --> 00:55:02.699
Not only that, but you have Blake going to a secret meeting and being trailed like he is in the 1st episode, but this time it's his game.

772
00:55:02.760 --> 00:55:03.480
He's setting it up.

773
00:55:03.539 --> 00:55:04.860
It's still disastrous.

774
00:55:05.039 --> 00:55:06.900
Parallels are really good.

775
00:55:06.960 --> 00:55:09.300
Federation guards bursting in and killing everyone.

776
00:55:09.360 --> 00:55:10.380
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

777
00:55:10.440 --> 00:55:14.460
It's just rewatching the 1st series recently and then rewatching this straight afterwards.

778
00:55:14.519 --> 00:55:18.300
It's like, oh, and you know, with Chris Boucher, I'd say those are conscious parallels.

779
00:55:18.360 --> 00:55:18.659
Yeah.

780
00:55:24.719 --> 00:55:29.340
Okay, so plus or minus for the end, to the very end.

781
00:55:29.400 --> 00:55:54.480
What about how's this for an alternative universe, where in that last sequence, after everybody else has been gunned down and Avon is standing there and the siren has stopped, the siren stopped because Servolan just walks in behind the guards, no dialogue, she just walks in, looks at Avon, he's looked down at the bodies, he looks up at her, she has this pain, sad look on her face, then you go to that last shot of him shooting.

782
00:55:54.539 --> 00:55:56.519
Would that be better or worse better?

783
00:55:56.639 --> 00:56:04.320
People actually did that sort of weird thing where they remember seeing her in the final scene?

784
00:56:04.380 --> 00:56:05.400
Oh, do that, do they?

785
00:56:05.460 --> 00:56:06.000
Yeah, yeah.

786
00:56:06.059 --> 00:56:07.139
Yeah, it's Mandala effect.

787
00:56:07.199 --> 00:56:07.860
Yeah, yeah.

788
00:56:07.920 --> 00:56:17.039
And it's absolutely because, you know, we've made a deliberate, stupid decision to not have her in it because...

789
00:56:17.039 --> 00:56:18.420
I think it's an accidental, stupid decision.

790
00:56:18.539 --> 00:56:20.820
Well, no, no, I...

791
00:56:20.820 --> 00:56:23.699
Well, exactly, because they've realised too late that she's done too many.

792
00:56:23.820 --> 00:56:24.840
Yeah, yeah.

793
00:56:24.900 --> 00:56:26.519
But, you know, you can plan ahead.

794
00:56:26.519 --> 00:56:27.539
Yes.

795
00:56:27.599 --> 00:56:30.059
Or you know, negotiate another single.

796
00:56:30.179 --> 00:56:30.360
Exactly.

797
00:56:30.420 --> 00:56:31.019
I'm saying.

798
00:56:31.079 --> 00:56:32.699
No dialogue. have to pay for the dialogue.

799
00:56:32.760 --> 00:56:34.079
She doesn't even have to turn up to rehearsals.

800
00:56:34.139 --> 00:56:35.639
She just turns up to the...

801
00:56:35.699 --> 00:56:40.679
And again, it is the sort of obscure hole in the ground on a crappy planet that no one wants to visit.

802
00:56:40.739 --> 00:56:42.780
And so it makes it sort of more miserable.

803
00:56:42.840 --> 00:56:44.820
But it does make it less interesting.

804
00:56:44.820 --> 00:56:46.860
And she is so great.

805
00:56:46.920 --> 00:56:57.840
Like, you know, the great thing about terminal, um, was that she beats Avon, and then just through a quirk of fate, she loses as well.

806
00:56:57.900 --> 00:57:00.900
And, you know, just seeing her.

807
00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:03.360
Like she is so tremendous.

808
00:57:03.420 --> 00:57:04.800
She's so important to the show.

809
00:57:04.800 --> 00:57:09.719
And they've kept her away from them all the time.

810
00:57:09.780 --> 00:57:12.059
Like, she doesn't meet.

811
00:57:12.119 --> 00:57:14.039
She speaks to Zookan last week.

812
00:57:14.159 --> 00:57:16.500
She doesn't speak to our crew, does she?

813
00:57:16.559 --> 00:57:19.739
Yeah, she has kind of, you know, a scene with Dana in animals.

814
00:57:19.800 --> 00:57:27.719
She has like that one moment with Avon in Assassin, but otherwise it's just the group of them facing her across the gravel pit in the end of gold.

815
00:57:27.780 --> 00:57:35.099
But even more than what you're saying, the script in Blake appears to be pushing us towards thinking that Serveland's going to appear.

816
00:57:35.159 --> 00:57:40.559
They mention her early, then Klein says, there's too much traffic up there.

817
00:57:40.619 --> 00:57:48.480
Could be that the federation's observers finally arrived and you think, well, you know, we're meant to believe serve line's going to show up and then she doesn't.

818
00:57:48.659 --> 00:57:51.539
No, to the special effects team.

819
00:57:51.539 --> 00:57:54.239
For serious D, can we somehow work her into it?

820
00:57:54.360 --> 00:57:56.219
special edition team.

821
00:57:56.820 --> 00:57:59.400
Yes, but like the, like, I want a special edition.

822
00:57:59.460 --> 00:58:00.659
I'm sure that you'd be able to edit that.

823
00:58:00.719 --> 00:58:01.679
You'd be able to create that.

824
00:58:01.739 --> 00:58:13.980
I think you could probably take her out of that shot from terminal where she does maximum power with the arms, just place her in the Gauder Prime tracking room. wonders with cropping people out of scenes now.

825
00:58:14.039 --> 00:58:15.599
Like, just rotus go her in.

826
00:58:15.659 --> 00:58:21.000
Yeah, if we can have an almost not entirely unconvincing Peter Cushing in Rogue One.

827
00:58:21.119 --> 00:58:22.920
We can have Jackie and Blake.

828
00:58:23.039 --> 00:58:25.019
The cost must have come down by now.

829
00:58:25.440 --> 00:58:33.000
Can I just say also that the slow motion falls to the ground are all terrible.

830
00:58:33.539 --> 00:58:35.460
Sorry, yes, yes.

831
00:58:35.519 --> 00:58:38.940
I mean, I do die a little bit inside when I say that.

832
00:58:39.059 --> 00:58:40.079
So, Joe, set.

833
00:58:40.320 --> 00:58:43.320
Sulin's hair gives a lovely sweat.

834
00:58:43.380 --> 00:58:43.980
Yeah, that is awesome.

835
00:58:44.039 --> 00:58:46.139
I don't like Dana's kind of eye roll, though.

836
00:58:46.199 --> 00:58:47.579
Oh, no, that's all.

837
00:58:47.639 --> 00:58:49.199
She was the best one.

838
00:58:49.260 --> 00:58:50.219
Exactly.

839
00:58:50.820 --> 00:58:58.260
And I also like the sort of heroic sideways fall of Tarrant before he just puts his hand down.

840
00:58:59.639 --> 00:59:01.980
I didn't want to bruise his ribs.

841
00:59:02.039 --> 00:59:02.460
No.

842
00:59:02.519 --> 00:59:10.199
You know, we can nitpick things like that, but repeated viewings of this episode have dullest to its tremendous impact.

843
00:59:10.260 --> 00:59:13.260
And that's what I was saying before about the fact that it's engaging.

844
00:59:13.320 --> 00:59:16.559
You don't notice these flaws until afterwards you go.

845
00:59:16.739 --> 00:59:18.480
Yeah, you know, there's all kinds of things.

846
00:59:18.539 --> 00:59:26.039
You know, you can you can laugh at the fact that they've tried to show Scorpio doing a 360 degree role by just rolling the cat.

847
00:59:26.099 --> 00:59:27.179
Oh yes, that's awful as well.

848
00:59:27.719 --> 00:59:30.059
I don't think it works very well.

849
00:59:30.119 --> 00:59:31.500
I don't care.

850
00:59:31.559 --> 00:59:33.599
I'm completely swept up in that action.

851
00:59:33.719 --> 00:59:35.639
And I agree with you, Nathan.

852
00:59:35.699 --> 00:59:38.099
I don't think the slow motion debts work all that well.

853
00:59:38.159 --> 00:59:39.599
Again, I don't care.

854
00:59:39.659 --> 00:59:42.780
I think this is magnificent television taken as a whole.

855
00:59:42.840 --> 00:59:45.000
I think it's too low key.

856
00:59:45.059 --> 00:59:55.320
I think, you know, I can understand why you make that decision, but I do think that it robs the show of its grandeur a little bit.

857
00:59:55.380 --> 01:00:00.719
And had they died heroically failing to do something perhaps.

858
01:00:00.780 --> 01:00:02.099
Do you know what I mean?

859
01:00:02.159 --> 01:00:03.659
That could have been low-key as well.

860
01:00:03.719 --> 01:00:21.480
But just the fact that, you know, they just go to this sort of shitty and unconvincing planet and they misunderstand a thing that someone says, and now they're all dead, like, it's shocking, and I absolutely agree with you about the tone and tenor of the episode.

861
01:00:21.599 --> 01:00:27.059
But it just seems a little bit too low key for me.

862
01:00:27.119 --> 01:00:40.559
I think your expectations for a show like this in 1981 or whatever it is, was able to do and would normally do for their final episode is much higher than reality.

863
01:00:40.619 --> 01:00:43.260
Very few series had big finales.

864
01:00:43.320 --> 01:00:47.460
Except, I think Star one and Terminal are better finale.

865
01:00:47.519 --> 01:00:48.420
Andorak.

866
01:00:48.900 --> 01:00:51.539
It's deliberately left.

867
01:00:51.539 --> 01:00:53.460
It has the map.

868
01:00:54.119 --> 01:00:57.300
Look, I think this is very crisp Boucher flavoured.

869
01:00:57.360 --> 01:01:06.360
Chris Boucher was quite downbeat, slightly douer, um, very nihilistic character when I spoke to him and I think this reflects him.

870
01:01:06.420 --> 01:01:13.800
He thought, you know, this is his view on the universe, that they all tried and in the end they just failed on a shitty planet and died.

871
01:01:13.860 --> 01:01:15.960
And I kind of buy into it.

872
01:01:16.079 --> 01:01:16.679
Yeah, exactly.

873
01:01:16.739 --> 01:01:21.119
I believe that more than them dying heroically because they were never heroes.

874
01:01:21.179 --> 01:01:22.619
They tried to be.

875
01:01:22.679 --> 01:01:29.460
Do you know what possibly would have given it more impact is if Tarrant had died in the Scorpio crashed.

876
01:01:29.519 --> 01:01:30.179
Yes.

877
01:01:30.179 --> 01:01:33.840
And then we'd hooked Blake up with, I don't know, Dana or Sue Lin.

878
01:01:33.960 --> 01:01:35.039
Oh, actually, that would have been great.

879
01:01:35.099 --> 01:01:40.920
Blake and Sulin throughout the episode because that would have really fed into the end of term.

880
01:01:40.980 --> 01:01:41.820
Yeah.

881
01:01:41.880 --> 01:01:45.900
And to go back to what you were saying earlier, I think terminal is better episode.

882
01:01:45.960 --> 01:01:56.579
I think it is a better written, maybe not better mounted, equally mounted, but a better written episode, but as a finale for the series, I think this is better than terminal.

883
01:01:58.260 --> 01:02:01.139
Well, that's all the time we have for this week.

884
01:02:01.199 --> 01:02:08.280
We'll be back next week to find out what big finish productions is made of all of this as we discuss the Blake 7 audio adventures.

885
01:02:08.340 --> 01:02:11.760
Until next time, remember to use your words.

886
01:02:11.820 --> 01:02:14.519
Thank you very much for listening and good night.

887
01:02:14.579 --> 01:02:15.300
Good night.

888
01:02:15.360 --> 01:02:16.500
Good night.

889
01:02:16.559 --> 01:02:18.780
I still don't know who all those people were at the beginning.

890
01:02:19.139 --> 01:02:20.820
Ta-ta.

891
01:02:20.880 --> 01:02:22.380
Switching to manual.

892
01:02:22.440 --> 01:02:24.480
Maximum power on all drives.

893
01:02:27.539 --> 01:02:29.340
Maximal power.

894
01:02:35.699 --> 01:02:37.260
The end.

895
01:02:37.320 --> 01:02:38.760
Yeah, I think that's the end.

896
01:02:38.820 --> 01:02:40.739
I think it's down, not Dua, isn't it?

897
01:02:40.800 --> 01:02:42.599
Isn't it the pronounced now?

898
01:02:43.199 --> 01:02:43.920
I think they're both.

899
01:02:43.920 --> 01:02:45.000
No one knows.

900
01:02:45.059 --> 01:02:47.219
It's like the word victuals.

901
01:02:47.280 --> 01:02:48.420
No one knows how to say it.

902
01:02:48.480 --> 01:02:49.380
Is it the fittles?

903
01:02:49.440 --> 01:02:50.340
That sounds silly.

904
01:02:50.400 --> 01:02:51.539
Is it dur?

905
01:02:51.599 --> 01:02:52.440
Well, I can't say that.

906
01:02:52.500 --> 01:02:53.460
I'm not Scottish.

907
01:02:53.940 --> 01:02:57.300
Like no one knows how to pronounce that properly.

908
01:02:57.360 --> 01:03:01.559
I would like to say something that can go, I would like to either.

909
01:03:01.619 --> 01:03:02.099
Sorry.

910
01:03:02.159 --> 01:03:02.820
That's all right.

911
01:03:02.880 --> 01:03:05.699
I would like to say something that can go earlier because I absolutely think that should finish.

912
01:03:05.760 --> 01:03:06.659
Oh, good.

913
01:03:06.719 --> 01:03:10.980
I will also say something that can go earlier after you say something that can go earlier.

914
01:03:11.039 --> 01:03:17.280
I'm just going to say before, like, before I say that, I bribes the architect first.

915
01:03:19.440 --> 01:03:30.480
Now, you know, Chris Boucher has said in later years, he wrote this to be both a finale and a potential cliffhanger in case the series got renewed, whether that's true or not, is neither he nor there.

916
01:03:30.539 --> 01:03:39.119
But watching it, I kind of thought, okay, you know, the obvious thing is, like, oh, you're stunned, but you're not because Glenis Barber didn't come back or whatever.

917
01:03:39.780 --> 01:03:48.119
But I then thought, what's a worse series E setup I can come up with and I came up with it.

918
01:03:48.179 --> 01:03:49.860
And that is.

919
01:03:50.519 --> 01:03:57.059
You reprise that scene at the beginning of series E and then you cut back to the Bridge of the Scorpio and Aurexes.

920
01:03:57.119 --> 01:03:58.079
So that is my prediction.

921
01:03:58.139 --> 01:04:02.880
But if you go and find Blake, and they decide, we shall not go to Gelder Prime, it is a silly place.

922
01:04:02.940 --> 01:04:06.239
First of all, let us examine the nature of prediction.

923
01:04:06.300 --> 01:04:07.619
Right?

924
01:04:07.860 --> 01:04:10.440
There's a distance time.

925
01:04:11.400 --> 01:04:20.039
I thought you were going to say a worse beginning for series E would be afterlife by Trevor Hoyle.

926
01:04:20.099 --> 01:04:21.179
Is that who he is?

927
01:04:21.239 --> 01:04:21.780
Yes.

928
01:04:21.780 --> 01:04:23.159
Is that the world?

929
01:04:23.219 --> 01:04:25.500
Was that the big finish thing, wasn't it?

930
01:04:25.559 --> 01:04:28.679
No, no, that was the novelisation published sort of a novel at the time.

931
01:04:28.739 --> 01:04:31.739
No, no, no, in which Avon unsatisfactory.

932
01:04:31.739 --> 01:04:34.199
How terrible.

933
01:04:34.260 --> 01:04:35.699
Yeah, a new computer.

934
01:04:35.760 --> 01:04:36.420
Yep.

935
01:04:36.480 --> 01:04:40.440
Avon Villa and Tarant survived, but then Tarant is torn apart by wild animals on terminal.

936
01:04:40.559 --> 01:04:43.619
Yeah, and there's a twin of Aurak called Caro.

937
01:04:45.179 --> 01:04:47.699
Which is the Latin word for meat.

938
01:04:47.820 --> 01:04:49.380
Turns out. you go.

939
01:04:49.440 --> 01:04:51.420
And that's what they did with Tarrant.

940
01:04:52.260 --> 01:04:54.840
Did you have something else to say about it?

941
01:04:54.900 --> 01:05:05.639
Oh, no, I was just going to say, um, I was surprised, you know, that those consoles didn't fall off the ceiling when the camera did the barrel roll.

942
01:05:07.139 --> 01:05:14.699
I love when it comes loose on its casters that you can see the big pit in the set with the wooden construction underneath.

943
01:05:14.760 --> 01:05:15.780
That's great.

944
01:05:15.840 --> 01:05:17.400
But again, I don't.

945
01:05:17.460 --> 01:05:21.239
You can't kind of almost believe that because it's a shitty ship.

946
01:05:21.360 --> 01:05:23.699
It is made of...

947
01:05:23.699 --> 01:05:24.780
It is made of balsa wood.

948
01:05:24.840 --> 01:05:30.179
Don't you sort of just blur your eyes at certain points when you're watching these things, like when you see bad crime, you go, oh, well, just...

949
01:05:30.179 --> 01:05:31.139
No, no, I love that stuff.

950
01:05:31.860 --> 01:05:34.079
I'm not blurring my eyes.

951
01:05:34.199 --> 01:05:35.639
There's no suspension of disbelief.

952
01:05:35.699 --> 01:05:40.019
Apart from those lamentable Scorpio flight sequences.

953
01:05:40.079 --> 01:05:41.340
There's no bad chromaking in there.

954
01:05:41.400 --> 01:05:48.960
Oh, yeah. when the when the little dodgem cars are attacking them and there's like explosions near Scorpion.

955
01:05:50.579 --> 01:05:57.599
There are explosions that happen in another studio. in the gliders, in the, what do they call them?

956
01:05:57.599 --> 01:05:59.280
gliders, rider, flyers.

957
01:05:59.340 --> 01:06:04.739
My favourite bit is the bit where Michael Keating goes...

958
01:06:04.739 --> 01:06:10.019
Look out the window and then we cut to the stock footage of the helicopter.

959
01:06:11.460 --> 01:06:19.500
Can we please sing again, Michael Keating's praises, because not only is he always, he always delivers his villa.

960
01:06:19.559 --> 01:06:25.079
He is continuing on the thing from orbit where he does not trust Avon.

961
01:06:25.139 --> 01:06:35.639
It's clear in every interaction, every reaction shot he gives him, including the amazing scene that we referenced earlier, where he keeps on at Avon when Avon arrives in the dome in the fire.

962
01:06:35.699 --> 01:06:36.300
Where's Tarant?

963
01:06:36.300 --> 01:06:48.659
It's like, if you're here, an Aurax here, how did Tarant get off the ship, because he is quite willing to believe that Tarant, that Avon just left Tarant behind to die, because that was exactly what he was going to do.

964
01:06:48.719 --> 01:06:59.280
But also those scenes where he's been clubbed over the head and then he's walking through the forest and against the glider in every one of those scenes which switch between a different studio day and filming on location.

965
01:06:59.340 --> 01:07:01.500
He's clutching his head Yeah, okay.

966
01:07:01.500 --> 01:07:03.480
And he has the pain. know how this works.

967
01:07:04.019 --> 01:07:09.599
Those scenes on Gowda Prime with the 3 of them. are great.

968
01:07:09.659 --> 01:07:15.360
They're just plot moving things forward, but they're all great character moments.

969
01:07:15.360 --> 01:07:18.719
I would watch the Dana Su Linen Villa show.

970
01:07:19.139 --> 01:07:21.480
I particularly love in that bit.

971
01:07:21.480 --> 01:07:29.519
And I notice this sort of when they teleport down and they start running away from the crash site, Dana and Sue Leon are in front.

972
01:07:29.639 --> 01:07:35.400
By the time they're taking cover, Villa is already about 10 seconds ahead of them on the ground.

973
01:07:35.460 --> 01:07:41.039
Yeah, he can he can do anything fast enough if he is scared enough.

974
01:07:41.099 --> 01:07:48.119
I also realise the fact that Josette has both hands clapped over her ears because of the noise of Scorpio going overhead.

975
01:07:48.179 --> 01:07:52.739
Whereas Glenis just has one hand over one ear and you think, that's not going to help, love.

976
01:07:53.519 --> 01:07:57.059
She should have played the rest of the episode deaf in one, yeah.

977
01:07:57.059 --> 01:07:59.280
All right, I think I'm going to press stop.

978
01:07:59.340 --> 01:07:59.699
What do you think?