Such an intriguing episode! It seems to stand out from the rest in a number of ways. Is it just me or were the scoring and sound-effects particularly creative in this one, and mostly an improvement on previous eps? Overall, the acting was very good (even PD managed to hold back a little!) and Keiller was a very convincing guest character. The plot is slightly different from what we've seen before in S4 (the crew choosing to do something of their own free will that does not directly involve fighting the Federation) and so, most fascinatingly, is the crew dynamic...
Seriously, what is going on with Vila here? It's not just while he thinks Avon and Soolin are dead; he is consistently and confidently awesome throughout the entire ep. It's wonderful and I love it, but it's not at all clear to me whether it's a true aspect of him that we just haven't got to see properly before, or whether it's all an act, or something in between. The fact that the others seem to find it unremarkable, and appear to mostly play along with it it (at least in front of Keiller) seems to suggest that it is at least partly the latter case: part of a show set up to intimidate Keiller. Several clues suggest to me that Avon and Vila have discussed and/or planned this operation extensively together beforehand. There's the little smile Avon gives him at the beginning; the way the two of them discuss how much to raise the price for the gold, the way Avon keeps saying things to Keiller that subtly suggests that Vila is quite formidable (or at least that Keiller seems to interpret that way - he's obviously scared of Vila when he meets him!) Together with the oddly "companionable" way Avon acts around Keiller in the beginning (for being Avon, anyway), what with standing close to him and letting him pat his back repeatedly, and giving him nice smiles... I do wonder whether Avon and Vila are going for some kind of "good cop, bad cop" setup, with Avon having to take the softer role since Keiller knows him from his somewhat more mellow days...
But even if that's the case, and the rest of the crew thinks it's all a show, it still raises the question of what Vila is drawing on to produce that "act", and what he could be if he wanted and/or had to. I think there have been hints of a different Vila emerging throughout S4...
....but it was a very enjoyable ep apart from Vila's role in it too. Though I'm a little confused by some of the plot points. Was Servalan's plan just to use them this time, or to kill them too, or did she just think it was a win-win situation whichever way it went? And while the Space Princess looked great for space, how the hell did they land her on Zerok!? Standing on her tail like a rocket?
I love it that Dayna accidentally slaps the gun from Avon's hand - a nice way to show how even the most carefully planned operation can turn on itself. (To no-one's surprise when it comes to this lot, but still.)
Their outrage at Keiller killing the doctor is nice - they're still trying to be the good guys, at least. (And frankly, the incidental bodycount is still far smaller in S4 than it was back in the Blake days.)
I suppose Tarrant got his revenge for them being nasty to him at the end of the last ep. At least he didn't make Servalan *rich*...
Best line goes to Dayna for pointing out that most mines are underground. *g*
I wondered about Vila in this ep too. I've never figured out whether it's on purpose they are all colluding in letting Keiller think he's this great backup or what. When Keiller questions him Avon says Vila didn't want a part of it because he didn't trust him, but going by the conversations between Avon on and Vila, he clearly WAS in on it. Avon is quite happy to talk Vila up "a thief and a good one", "frequently right!"
Seriously, what is going on with Vila here? It's not just while he thinks Avon and Soolin are dead; he is consistently and confidently awesome throughout the entire ep. It's wonderful and I love it, but it's not at all clear to me whether it's a true aspect of him that we just haven't got to see properly before, or whether it's all an act, or something in between. The fact that the others seem to find it unremarkable, and appear to mostly play along with it it (at least in front of Keiller) seems to suggest that it is at least partly the latter case: part of a show set up to intimidate Keiller. Several clues suggest to me that Avon and Vila have discussed and/or planned this operation extensively together beforehand. There's the little smile Avon gives him at the beginning; the way the two of them discuss how much to raise the price for the gold, the way Avon keeps saying things to Keiller that subtly suggests that Vila is quite formidable (or at least that Keiller seems to interpret that way - he's obviously scared of Vila when he meets him!) Together with the oddly "companionable" way Avon acts around Keiller in the beginning (for being Avon, anyway), what with standing close to him and letting him pat his back repeatedly, and giving him nice smiles... I do wonder whether Avon and Vila are going for some kind of "good cop, bad cop" setup, with Avon having to take the softer role since Keiller knows him from his somewhat more mellow days...
But even if that's the case, and the rest of the crew thinks it's all a show, it still raises the question of what Vila is drawing on to produce that "act", and what he could be if he wanted and/or had to. I think there have been hints of a different Vila emerging throughout S4...
....but it was a very enjoyable ep apart from Vila's role in it too. Though I'm a little confused by some of the plot points. Was Servalan's plan just to use them this time, or to kill them too, or did she just think it was a win-win situation whichever way it went? And while the Space Princess looked great for space, how the hell did they land her on Zerok!? Standing on her tail like a rocket?
I love it that Dayna accidentally slaps the gun from Avon's hand - a nice way to show how even the most carefully planned operation can turn on itself. (To no-one's surprise when it comes to this lot, but still.)
Their outrage at Keiller killing the doctor is nice - they're still trying to be the good guys, at least. (And frankly, the incidental bodycount is still far smaller in S4 than it was back in the Blake days.)
I suppose Tarrant got his revenge for them being nasty to him at the end of the last ep. At least he didn't make Servalan *rich*...
Best line goes to Dayna for pointing out that most mines are underground. *g*
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