Blake's 7 season 3 review

[altariel]

I was enjoying this review of the season 3 DVDs - it's fun and well-written - and then it handed me one of the best short reviews of 'Blake' I've ever read:

"[I]n Series 4 ... the whole thing will work up to a wonderful episode, again by Chris Boucher, in which almost every line is quoteable. It will all end up uncannily like Act V of Hamlet, duel scene, misunderstandings and all. Go, bid the soldiers shoot."

This, on our beloved Man of Iron:

"In being-annoyed scenes, he is frequently reminiscent of Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder, especially when dressed in preposterous black outfits: though he never actually says 'Fortune vomits on my eiderdown again', that is pretty often his gist."

Then this is just joyous:

"Jacqueline Pearce pretty well glories in her badness as Servalan, too, and yet that is the genius of it, because I have a feeling that the whole thing would have fallen flat if acted by - how can I put this? - actors."

I have tears running down my cheeks. Great start to the week. Go and have a read.

Comments

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with 'Volcano' other than, well, yaaaaaawn!


I do think he overdoes the fun and underestimates the dark side. He talks, for instance, of joky Star Trek-type endings - to my memory, admittedly growing rapidly senile, it only happened three times, which is one reason they jar so badly.

'Children of Auron' comes to mind (*wince*), as well as the one about the gag about the intelligent flea (that's 'Trial', IIRC) but you're right - surely if there's one thing that makes B7 memorable it's the bloody depressing endings!

[hafren.livejournal.com]

The other one, which isn't quite so bad, is the end of Death Watch.

Volcano has my fave Avon-Vila scene, when they're alone on the ship and it becomes clear that without anyone else to impress or act for, (a) Vila isn't remotely intimidated by Avon and (b) Avon doesn't snipe at or patronise Vila. That struck me as a real insight, and I also like the bit at the start when it becomes clear how much looking for Blake they've been doing and how despondent Avon is getting about it. There's also Cally, groping for the telepath equivalent of LISTEN, YOU CLOTH-EARED PRATS!!!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

The dog barks and everyone laughs!

The close of Death Watch isn't too painful; the third (well, chronologically the first) joky ending, which is excruciating, is when they tease Gan at the end of Breakdown.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

when they tease Gan at the end of Breakdown

*scrubs brain*

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

That was probably why he threw himself under a collapsing doorway a season later. Note that the second joky ending happened the week after Gan's death; they'd been holding themselves in all that time because of his pained expression, but once he was gone they couldn't resist doing it just once more.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

when they tease Gan at the end of Breakdown

I didn't see it quite like that. He is effectively being welcomed back among them, which is more than Avon is. That's one ep when Avon actually behaves quite decently and gets sod all thanks for it, and it's his exclusion from the group I recall from the ending. (Ditto the end of Horizon).

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love the Avon bits in Breakdown, and even more the Vila bits, when he sighs and goes for a gun because he doesn't think anyone else will do the job.

I don't think the teasing is malicious in any way, just embarrassingly stupid and unamusing.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

'Death Watch' is successful all round, I think.

That is a very good Avon-Vila scene - I guess I would think of that as a success of the script-writing across the show rather than a success of 'Volcano' as an episode. But then I'm always ready for a spot of Boucher-worship! :-D