This one was a lot worse than I remembered. First truly bad ep (as in not even in a particularly amusing way) I think. Well, it actually starts out all right and there are a lot of interesting tidbits of information scattered around... But once they get to Exbar it all deteriorates into some kind of weird and unengaging attempt at action. Meh.
Avon's detector-shield didn't hold together for long. Seems Vila's lack of confidence in it in 'Trial' wasn't entirely unfounded.
I note that Avon actually asks for Vila's opinion at one point, seriously and without any detectable sarcasm. (Although he then ruins it by treating him horribly for the rest of the episode.)
Despite her send-only claims in 'Time Squad', Cally clearly is capable of some degree of mind-reading (or, perhaps more likely, emotion-reading), at least in some cases.
I suppose this is the ep where it is becoming apparent just how much trouble Avon's inner conflicts could get him (and everyone else) in. It's interesting that it takes him so long to own up to what he's done, considering he's usually quick to admit to a mistake and smart enough not to hold prestige over survival... It makes me suspect that he is really trying to make himself consider the option of turning his "accidental" betrayal into a real one, and get rid of Blake by allowing him to be captured along with Travis.
Considering the circumstances, the first meeting between Blake and Ushton is remarkably cheerful. The tone makes the whole kidnapping situation sound like a minor bother. Very weird. (But then, nothing makes much sense from here on.)
I couldn't bring myself to rewatch the scene where Travis terrorises Vila, so I had to refer to the transcripts for that part. (I can be very squeamish about torture/interrogation scenes in general, but when it involves Vila it just gets ten times worse. I feel far too protective of him... and MK's distressed acting is far too convincing.)
...which makes it somewhat surprising that one of the things I did get out of this ep was an unexpected degree of sympathy for Travis. The matter-of-fact "I understand shame very well"-line in particular. Obviously he would by now, given all his defeats and humiliations, but that he's willing to admit it (and to Blake of all people) suggests that he hasn't entirely lost the capacity for objective introspection that he showed signs of in S1. His unsurprised acceptance of defeat at the end seems somehow reminiscent of an addict having fallen off the wagon at a particularly inopportune moment... (He wanted the Liberator, but his vendetta against Blake clouded his judgement. Again.)
...I think I just have a soft spot for characters that are fully conscious of their own fatal flaws - and still unable to do anything about them. Of which there appears to be at least two here...
I note that Avon actually asks for Vila's opinion at one point, seriously and without any detectable sarcasm. (Although he then ruins it by treating him horribly for the rest of the episode.)
I notice that at the beginning Vila is sitting at the same table as Avon, watching him poking at some circuit board. Presumably, one of them is “on duty” and the other is keeping him company.
Avon's detector-shield didn't hold together for long. Seems Vila's lack of confidence in it in 'Trial' wasn't entirely unfounded.
And all that happens super coincidentally, at exactly the same time that the Federation has developed a detector shield! The Liberator crew seem to be implausibly lackadaisical about getting it fixed. Maybe the Federation have sucked up the galactic stock of parts so that Avon can’t get any! All this is yet another indication that Blake must use his technological advantages while he can, because the Federation is always developing new technology. Look at Imipac, after all. Now that I think about it , the planned attack on the weapon development centre may have had more than one motive. It is in this context that Blake’s drive to destroy Control/Star One has to be understood, I think.
Despite her send-only claims in 'Time Squad', Cally clearly is capable of some degree of mind-reading (or, perhaps more likely, emotion-reading), at least in some cases.
It would be amusing to think she could actually read the crews’ minds but isn’t letting on, but obviously this cannot be the case! Perhaps as she gets to know people, she “tunes in” to them or perhaps she can sense thoughts only when they are accompanied by strong emotion. The fact that Cally possesses these abilities and yet gets on well with the rest of the crew seems to say good things about her crewmates’ fundamental natures, or so I like to think, because I’m sappy that way!
and MK's distressed acting is far too convincing.)
MK seems to be really good at this kind of thing. I understand they had to cut one of his scenes in “Orbit” because his reaction to being stalked by Avon was too distressing . A pity, really, although I’ve got to admit that on first rewatch of the dvds I had to force myself to watch Orbit, even as is!
"I understand shame very well”
Good characterisation there, I think. Indeed the shame of his initial encounter with Blake may be at the root of his vengefulness, never mind later humiliations. I read an online article saying that vengeful tendencies tend to be linked to right wing authoritarianism and social dominance. Those who are socially conservative, believe in hierarchies and have something to lose in terms of such hierarchies are more likely to be vengeful than those that do not. There is a problem if such people "lose face". Seems to fit quite nicely with Travis to me.
watching him poking at some circuit board That bit (together with some of vilakins lovely stories) is the source of another personal fanon of mine: that Avon's genius with technology is primarily theoretical, while his innate clumsiness makes him a bit rubbish when it comes to working on the actual hardware ('poking' is a pretty accurate description of what he's doing there!) Which would make Vila's more hands-on genius complementary if/when he could enlist his help for the fiddly bits... I'm imagining that Vila has been sitting there for some time, inwardly wincing as Avon mangles the electronics, trying to decide whether he should offer to help or not... *g*
...in any case, yes, they do seem to voluntarily spend time with each other quite often - more so now when Vila hasn't got Gan any longer, I think. The beginning of 'Gambit' is similar, with Avon joining Vila at teleport duty, for no obvious other reason.
super coincidentally, at exactly the same time that the Federation has developed a detector shield Thinking about that, it suddenly seems very stupid that the first thing they did with the detector shield in 'Trial' was to reveal that they had one by using it offensively (as opposed to using it defensively to avoid detection between missions, which they might have got away with for a long time ...on account of not being detected.) That stunt could very well have provided the crucial motivation to renew interest/faith/funding in and prioritise any similar projects that the Federation might have had lying around.
Those who are socially conservative, believe in hierarchies and have something to lose in terms of such hierarchies are more likely to be vengeful than those that do not. Given how shame (and pride) are highly 'social' emotions in that they depend on the idea of being judged, it does make sense that they originate from social 'pecking orders', where revenge would serve the function of restoring your rank. But I think there could also be the psychological 'self-preservation' mechanism of turning the pain of defeat/loss into aggression at some outward source, in an attempt to avoid its adverse 'inward' effect on confidence and self-esteem. In that sense, I think most people are capable of hate and vengeful behaviour, given the right (or rather, wrong) circumstances.
Avon's detector-shield didn't hold together for long. Seems Vila's lack of confidence in it in 'Trial' wasn't entirely unfounded.
I note that Avon actually asks for Vila's opinion at one point, seriously and without any detectable sarcasm. (Although he then ruins it by treating him horribly for the rest of the episode.)
Despite her send-only claims in 'Time Squad', Cally clearly is capable of some degree of mind-reading (or, perhaps more likely, emotion-reading), at least in some cases.
I suppose this is the ep where it is becoming apparent just how much trouble Avon's inner conflicts could get him (and everyone else) in. It's interesting that it takes him so long to own up to what he's done, considering he's usually quick to admit to a mistake and smart enough not to hold prestige over survival... It makes me suspect that he is really trying to make himself consider the option of turning his "accidental" betrayal into a real one, and get rid of Blake by allowing him to be captured along with Travis.
Considering the circumstances, the first meeting between Blake and Ushton is remarkably cheerful. The tone makes the whole kidnapping situation sound like a minor bother. Very weird. (But then, nothing makes much sense from here on.)
I couldn't bring myself to rewatch the scene where Travis terrorises Vila, so I had to refer to the transcripts for that part. (I can be very squeamish about torture/interrogation scenes in general, but when it involves Vila it just gets ten times worse. I feel far too protective of him... and MK's distressed acting is far too convincing.)
...which makes it somewhat surprising that one of the things I did get out of this ep was an unexpected degree of sympathy for Travis. The matter-of-fact "I understand shame very well"-line in particular. Obviously he would by now, given all his defeats and humiliations, but that he's willing to admit it (and to Blake of all people) suggests that he hasn't entirely lost the capacity for objective introspection that he showed signs of in S1. His unsurprised acceptance of defeat at the end seems somehow reminiscent of an addict having fallen off the wagon at a particularly inopportune moment... (He wanted the Liberator, but his vendetta against Blake clouded his judgement. Again.)
...I think I just have a soft spot for characters that are fully conscious of their own fatal flaws - and still unable to do anything about them. Of which there appears to be at least two here...
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I notice that at the beginning Vila is sitting at the same table as Avon, watching him poking at some circuit board. Presumably, one of them is “on duty” and the other is keeping him company.
Avon's detector-shield didn't hold together for long. Seems Vila's lack of confidence in it in 'Trial' wasn't entirely unfounded.
And all that happens super coincidentally, at exactly the same time that the Federation has developed a detector shield! The Liberator crew seem to be implausibly lackadaisical about getting it fixed. Maybe the Federation have sucked up the galactic stock of parts so that Avon can’t get any! All this is yet another indication that Blake must use his technological advantages while he can, because the Federation is always developing new technology. Look at Imipac, after all. Now that I think about it , the planned attack on the weapon development centre may have had more than one motive. It is in this context that Blake’s drive to destroy Control/Star One has to be understood, I think.
Despite her send-only claims in 'Time Squad', Cally clearly is capable of some degree of mind-reading (or, perhaps more likely, emotion-reading), at least in some cases.
It would be amusing to think she could actually read the crews’ minds but isn’t letting on, but obviously this cannot be the case! Perhaps as she gets to know people, she “tunes in” to them or perhaps she can sense thoughts only when they are accompanied by strong emotion. The fact that Cally possesses these abilities and yet gets on well with the rest of the crew seems to say good things about her crewmates’ fundamental natures, or so I like to think, because I’m sappy that way!
and MK's distressed acting is far too convincing.)
MK seems to be really good at this kind of thing. I understand they had to cut one of his scenes in “Orbit” because his reaction to being stalked by Avon was too distressing . A pity, really, although I’ve got to admit that on first rewatch of the dvds I had to force myself to watch Orbit, even as is!
"I understand shame very well”
Good characterisation there, I think. Indeed the shame of his initial encounter with Blake may be at the root of his vengefulness, never mind later humiliations. I read an online article saying that vengeful tendencies tend to be linked to right wing authoritarianism and social dominance. Those who are socially conservative, believe in hierarchies and have something to lose in terms of such hierarchies are more likely to be vengeful than those that do not. There is a problem if such people "lose face". Seems to fit quite nicely with Travis to me.
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That bit (together with some of vilakins lovely stories) is the source of another personal fanon of mine: that Avon's genius with technology is primarily theoretical, while his innate clumsiness makes him a bit rubbish when it comes to working on the actual hardware ('poking' is a pretty accurate description of what he's doing there!) Which would make Vila's more hands-on genius complementary if/when he could enlist his help for the fiddly bits... I'm imagining that Vila has been sitting there for some time, inwardly wincing as Avon mangles the electronics, trying to decide whether he should offer to help or not... *g*
...in any case, yes, they do seem to voluntarily spend time with each other quite often - more so now when Vila hasn't got Gan any longer, I think. The beginning of 'Gambit' is similar, with Avon joining Vila at teleport duty, for no obvious other reason.
super coincidentally, at exactly the same time that the Federation has developed a detector shield
Thinking about that, it suddenly seems very stupid that the first thing they did with the detector shield in 'Trial' was to reveal that they had one by using it offensively (as opposed to using it defensively to avoid detection between missions, which they might have got away with for a long time ...on account of not being detected.) That stunt could very well have provided the crucial motivation to renew interest/faith/funding in and prioritise any similar projects that the Federation might have had lying around.
Those who are socially conservative, believe in hierarchies and have something to lose in terms of such hierarchies are more likely to be vengeful than those that do not.
Given how shame (and pride) are highly 'social' emotions in that they depend on the idea of being judged, it does make sense that they originate from social 'pecking orders', where revenge would serve the function of restoring your rank. But I think there could also be the psychological 'self-preservation' mechanism of turning the pain of defeat/loss into aggression at some outward source, in an attempt to avoid its adverse 'inward' effect on confidence and self-esteem. In that sense, I think most people are capable of hate and vengeful behaviour, given the right (or rather, wrong) circumstances.
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