swordznsorcery (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
swordznsorcery) wrote2012-10-26 02:03 am
swordznsorcery) wrote2012-10-26 02:03 am
Entry tags:
Blake's 7: Powerplay
There's an awkwardness for me in these first few episodes of series three. On the one hand, I've always thought that there are too many characters in Blake's 7, with the obvious consequence that half of them never have anything to do - and here we are, in the opening episodes of the new series, acquiring two more. On the face of it this is a bad idea; and yet they're favourites of mine, so I can't really complain. They shouldn't have brought in any more people, and they should have left the title as erroneous as it's been most of the way along. And yet...
The last episode ended with Avon and Dayna teleporting aboard the Liberator, to find it in the hands of the Federation; or, rather, a lone group of stragglers who barely survived the war. Leading them is Captain Del Tarrant, much to the irritation of the previous CO, Section Leader Clegg. Tarrant swaggers about the decks like a pirate, and for a very good reason - he is a pirate. A pirate, a smuggler, a mercenary, and also a deserter from the Federation. He's currently hiding in plain sight in a 'borrowed' uniform, after the Andromedans blew his ship up. You can just see Tarrant spotting an intergalactic space battle going on, and figuring why the hell not.
I like Tarrant (although in this I am practically alone). Like Dayna, he arrives fully formed, with a past, and with a character that's been properly thought out in advance. He's more of a personality in five minutes than poor Cally has ever had the chance to be, and in all honesty everybody else from the old crew as well, save for Avon. Series three has had far more love lavished upon it than one and two ever did. Somebody has stopped to think about the consequences of the Andromedan War, and of what the Federation will look like now that it's broken. It's a new policy that's paid off for our new crew members especially. Anyway, Avon and Dayna struggle to pretend that they don't have a clue what the Liberator is; Tarrant lurks the corridors, dispatching Federation troops with gay abandon; and Section Leader Clegg growls ferociously at everything that moves. Meanwhile, with the whole of space to choose from, Vila and Cally manage to get rescued by the same people, despite abandoning ship in different directions. This does make collecting them a whole lot quicker; but given that their rescuers turn out to be organ harvesters looking for humans to chop into tiny pieces, they might have hoped for a little more inconvenience.
Anyway. Pictures.
Avon is confronted aboard the Liberator by the curly king of swagger. Also by Mr Bronson, which is presumably less of a surprise, since he turns up everywhere.
Mr Bronson and Tarrant attempt to make the Liberator work for them, but Zen is not interested in obeying their commands. He's only interested in Vila's distress calls.
Vila is stuck upon the planet Chenga, with a broken arm. Jenna has already reported that she's fine, and on a hospital ship wandering off somewhere. She will consquently not be bothering to come back because... no idea. Blake reports that he's also fine, and on his way somewhere else, because... also no idea. Neither will be bothering to return because... oh, who cares. Anyway, Vila would like to be picked up please.
A hospital ship from the planet Chenga, looking endearingly like Jimbo from Jimbo & The Jet Set.
Cally is aboard, being treated for minor burns. She's on her way to the planet Chenga, to be chopped up into tiny pieces by the populace (although they haven't bothered to tell her that part yet)
Meanwhile, Avon and Dayna are lurking beneath the floorboards of the Liberator. Actually they're probably not floorboards as such, are they. We'll just assume that they're metaphorical floorboards. Anyway, Clegg and co wanted them to talk to Zen, to see if he recognised their voiceprints. Presumably escaping and hiding under the floor is a bit less incriminating? Or probably not, but still.
I suppose they are sort of like floorboards.
Elsewhere, Tarrant and Clegg are glaring at each other a lot. It's their favourite thing.
And back on the planet Chenga, Vila has been 'rescued' by two locals, who pamper him gently, and cart him off to the city to be chopped up into tiny pieces. They also don't bother telling him about that bit. You can tell they've had practice.
Avon has decided that it's his ship, damn it, and he's not going to sit back and let some Federation soldiers run off with it. Especially since there technically isn't a Federation anymore, so where do they get off trying to tell the universe what to do.
It's a nice thought, but it lasts approximately 2.8 seconds before he's captured again. This time, however, Tarrant explains a few things. Namely how he figured out who Avon was right at the start of the episode (technically the end of the last one), and has been trying to help him all along. It's the start of a beautiful friendship. Or that last bit could be a blatant lie. Thoughtfully, in order to help move the plot along, Tarrant explains all of this right in front of one the Federation troopers, who promptly escapes to report the lot to Mr Bronson/Section Leader Clegg.
Meanwhile, Dayna has helpfully got herself captured, which is a bit of a come down from last week, when she was ably slaughtering everybody who looked at her a bit funny. Avon hands Tarrant over to Clegg as ransom, before the three of them turn the tables.
And Dayna makes up for getting captured by neatly throttling Mr Bronson, without even touching his throat. That's an impressive killer instinct that she's got there.
Avon and Tarrant are impressed too.
Later, having saved Vila and Cally in precisely the nick of time, Avon has Zen accept Dayna and Tarrant as new members of the crew. Which seems a bit sudden, quite frankly. Dayna has pretty much proved herself, but Tarrant has just swaggered on board, announced himself to be a pirate and a smuggler and everything else that they made great movies about in the 1950s, and why am I arguing, he's my favourite character. Anyway, for some reason Avon lets him join. Presumably he actively needs a tall, curly, big head to argue violently with every episode. I suppose we all have our foibles.
So it's business as usual then. Sort of. Blake's gone, the Federation's gone, Vila is clearly wildly under-impressed to be back on board and not chopped into tiny pieces. That's not really business as usual at all, is it, sorry. Actually the bit about Vila pretty much is.
And the newbies are flirting. Behave yourselves and go fight something. That's what you're here for.
Well, that and the swaggering, obviously. Tarrant's awesome at that.
The last episode ended with Avon and Dayna teleporting aboard the Liberator, to find it in the hands of the Federation; or, rather, a lone group of stragglers who barely survived the war. Leading them is Captain Del Tarrant, much to the irritation of the previous CO, Section Leader Clegg. Tarrant swaggers about the decks like a pirate, and for a very good reason - he is a pirate. A pirate, a smuggler, a mercenary, and also a deserter from the Federation. He's currently hiding in plain sight in a 'borrowed' uniform, after the Andromedans blew his ship up. You can just see Tarrant spotting an intergalactic space battle going on, and figuring why the hell not.
I like Tarrant (although in this I am practically alone). Like Dayna, he arrives fully formed, with a past, and with a character that's been properly thought out in advance. He's more of a personality in five minutes than poor Cally has ever had the chance to be, and in all honesty everybody else from the old crew as well, save for Avon. Series three has had far more love lavished upon it than one and two ever did. Somebody has stopped to think about the consequences of the Andromedan War, and of what the Federation will look like now that it's broken. It's a new policy that's paid off for our new crew members especially. Anyway, Avon and Dayna struggle to pretend that they don't have a clue what the Liberator is; Tarrant lurks the corridors, dispatching Federation troops with gay abandon; and Section Leader Clegg growls ferociously at everything that moves. Meanwhile, with the whole of space to choose from, Vila and Cally manage to get rescued by the same people, despite abandoning ship in different directions. This does make collecting them a whole lot quicker; but given that their rescuers turn out to be organ harvesters looking for humans to chop into tiny pieces, they might have hoped for a little more inconvenience.
Anyway. Pictures.
Avon is confronted aboard the Liberator by the curly king of swagger. Also by Mr Bronson, which is presumably less of a surprise, since he turns up everywhere.
Mr Bronson and Tarrant attempt to make the Liberator work for them, but Zen is not interested in obeying their commands. He's only interested in Vila's distress calls.
Vila is stuck upon the planet Chenga, with a broken arm. Jenna has already reported that she's fine, and on a hospital ship wandering off somewhere. She will consquently not be bothering to come back because... no idea. Blake reports that he's also fine, and on his way somewhere else, because... also no idea. Neither will be bothering to return because... oh, who cares. Anyway, Vila would like to be picked up please.
A hospital ship from the planet Chenga, looking endearingly like Jimbo from Jimbo & The Jet Set.
Cally is aboard, being treated for minor burns. She's on her way to the planet Chenga, to be chopped up into tiny pieces by the populace (although they haven't bothered to tell her that part yet)
Meanwhile, Avon and Dayna are lurking beneath the floorboards of the Liberator. Actually they're probably not floorboards as such, are they. We'll just assume that they're metaphorical floorboards. Anyway, Clegg and co wanted them to talk to Zen, to see if he recognised their voiceprints. Presumably escaping and hiding under the floor is a bit less incriminating? Or probably not, but still.
I suppose they are sort of like floorboards.
Elsewhere, Tarrant and Clegg are glaring at each other a lot. It's their favourite thing.
And back on the planet Chenga, Vila has been 'rescued' by two locals, who pamper him gently, and cart him off to the city to be chopped up into tiny pieces. They also don't bother telling him about that bit. You can tell they've had practice.
Avon has decided that it's his ship, damn it, and he's not going to sit back and let some Federation soldiers run off with it. Especially since there technically isn't a Federation anymore, so where do they get off trying to tell the universe what to do.
It's a nice thought, but it lasts approximately 2.8 seconds before he's captured again. This time, however, Tarrant explains a few things. Namely how he figured out who Avon was right at the start of the episode (technically the end of the last one), and has been trying to help him all along. It's the start of a beautiful friendship. Or that last bit could be a blatant lie. Thoughtfully, in order to help move the plot along, Tarrant explains all of this right in front of one the Federation troopers, who promptly escapes to report the lot to Mr Bronson/Section Leader Clegg.
Meanwhile, Dayna has helpfully got herself captured, which is a bit of a come down from last week, when she was ably slaughtering everybody who looked at her a bit funny. Avon hands Tarrant over to Clegg as ransom, before the three of them turn the tables.
And Dayna makes up for getting captured by neatly throttling Mr Bronson, without even touching his throat. That's an impressive killer instinct that she's got there.
Avon and Tarrant are impressed too.
Later, having saved Vila and Cally in precisely the nick of time, Avon has Zen accept Dayna and Tarrant as new members of the crew. Which seems a bit sudden, quite frankly. Dayna has pretty much proved herself, but Tarrant has just swaggered on board, announced himself to be a pirate and a smuggler and everything else that they made great movies about in the 1950s, and why am I arguing, he's my favourite character. Anyway, for some reason Avon lets him join. Presumably he actively needs a tall, curly, big head to argue violently with every episode. I suppose we all have our foibles.
So it's business as usual then. Sort of. Blake's gone, the Federation's gone, Vila is clearly wildly under-impressed to be back on board and not chopped into tiny pieces. That's not really business as usual at all, is it, sorry. Actually the bit about Vila pretty much is.
And the newbies are flirting. Behave yourselves and go fight something. That's what you're here for.
Well, that and the swaggering, obviously. Tarrant's awesome at that.