For once, a view of a planet from space that seems like it could actually match the surface conditions!
Holmes really seems to have little interest in the main characters beyond Avon and Vila, doesn't he - Tarrant and the girls are barely in this one!
What is that odd little smile Vila gives when Avon says that the risk of it being a Federation trap is why he is sending Tarrant and not someone else? Actual schadenfreude, or because he thinks Avon is lying?
The "proof" of the Tachyon Funnel's efficiency is ridiculous. (And in addition to destroying things instantly at any range, it apparently has the capability to transmit video footage in the same manner... That seems an important enough invention to deserve mention in itself...)
I'm not sure if we're supposed to think that Avon has heard of Egrorian's inclinations and that that's why he is taking Vila with him - or whether that's just supposed to be poetic justice on Vila for suggesting taking one of the girls instead... Whatever the case, Vila seems to take Egrorian's flirting impressively in stride.
Vila appears to be putting on the 'gullible and amoral' act not just with Egrorian (which makes sense) but for some reason almost as much when he is alone with Avon on the shuttle. (e.g. the very uncharacteristic suggestion that they should break Egrorian's and Pinder's necks.) To me that looks as if he's suddenly treating Avon as one of the "bad guys", already before things start to go to hell. Which seems odd, since if anything, he's been unusually direct and confrontative with Avon in the previous eps. This bothers me.
...and then comes all the multiple heartbreaks of that shocker ending... Not least that Vila doesn't seem to have a single doubt that Avon will follow up on Orac's suggestion. He just runs. I certainly don't blame him, and all the responsibility for what happens next lies very firmly on Avon's shoulder's, but I think the one chance they might have had of avoiding it would have been for Vila to go directly back into the room, give Orac a piece of his mind and just firmly act as if the whole thing was never even a possibility. As it is he is likely just strengthening the sense of inevitability that Avon is feeling. (Otoh I suppose they would then both have died instead.)
I hadn't actually thought about it before, but looking at the way Avon moves, he looks less like he is searching for someone who is quietly hiding (he doesn't even try the wall panels) and more as if he's expecting Vila to be stalking him too, and try to jump him at any moment.
I also noticed that Vila actually climbs out of his hiding place before it is in any way obvious that the problem is solved (supposedly after hearing the air lock cycle?) I'm not sure what to make of that.
(Also, why is the ladder to the next level inside the airlock? That seems terribly impractical?)
And yet Vila never would Not for the reasons Avon does, no. But in pure self-defense I would have thought him capable of it (at least to try to disarm Avon, if nothing else.) Which makes it even worse that he just curls up and hides instead. It reminds me of his reaction to Tarrant's threats in 'City': the moment he's told that his friends don't care for him, he just seems to give up. I can't help thinking it's the same thing here - that if it had been a stranger, he would have tried to fight back. But the fact that it's his *friend* simply hits straight at his most vulnerable spot, disabling him.
That's a good point actually. It's not as if Vila has never had someone chasing after him with a gun before either and he usually, in spite of a certain amount of flap and panic, manges to come up with something. It seems unlikely he'd have hesitated to at least have a go at coshing some other enemy with the whojamaflip he got sent off to dispose of.
But he runs and hides, instantly. Absolutely instantly to be so far ahead. Avon only dithers for seconds for all his face wringing.
Avon is not good at predicting others or empathising and you do get the distinct impression he half expected Vila to be waiting somewhere to "get him first".
I love the drama of it all and they both play it well, Avon coming over as completely, almost insanel,y conflicted and Vila in utter horrified terror.
On a purely practical note I wish they was some clear plot reason for persisting with an inadequate climb performance! They outright say at one point that there's ten minutes flight time remaining ( half of Egrorian's predicted fuel endurance) then Vila adds that it would take five minutes to fall back down. Umm - so enough time to fly back down to the ground then? A line of handwaving would have ruled it out without making it look like a massive oversight.
Avon coming over as completely, almost insanel,y conflicted It is some very nice characterisation isn't it, especially when considering his later breakdown in 'Blake'.
A line of handwaving would have ruled it out When it comes to Avon and Vila I suppose you could argue that they might be too panicked to think clearly, making them dismiss Malodaar as the hostile enemy ground that they are trying to escape from. But from the POV of Egrorian's planning it out it makes little sense, yes. Could have used some handwaving about the shuttle only being possible to land on it's assigned landing pad maybe; or there not being enough fuel for braking or something. (Physics? what physics?)
Holmes really seems to have little interest in the main characters beyond Avon and Vila, doesn't he - Tarrant and the girls are barely in this one!
What is that odd little smile Vila gives when Avon says that the risk of it being a Federation trap is why he is sending Tarrant and not someone else? Actual schadenfreude, or because he thinks Avon is lying?
The "proof" of the Tachyon Funnel's efficiency is ridiculous. (And in addition to destroying things instantly at any range, it apparently has the capability to transmit video footage in the same manner... That seems an important enough invention to deserve mention in itself...)
I'm not sure if we're supposed to think that Avon has heard of Egrorian's inclinations and that that's why he is taking Vila with him - or whether that's just supposed to be poetic justice on Vila for suggesting taking one of the girls instead... Whatever the case, Vila seems to take Egrorian's flirting impressively in stride.
Vila appears to be putting on the 'gullible and amoral' act not just with Egrorian (which makes sense) but for some reason almost as much when he is alone with Avon on the shuttle. (e.g. the very uncharacteristic suggestion that they should break Egrorian's and Pinder's necks.) To me that looks as if he's suddenly treating Avon as one of the "bad guys", already before things start to go to hell. Which seems odd, since if anything, he's been unusually direct and confrontative with Avon in the previous eps. This bothers me.
...and then comes all the multiple heartbreaks of that shocker ending... Not least that Vila doesn't seem to have a single doubt that Avon will follow up on Orac's suggestion. He just runs. I certainly don't blame him, and all the responsibility for what happens next lies very firmly on Avon's shoulder's, but I think the one chance they might have had of avoiding it would have been for Vila to go directly back into the room, give Orac a piece of his mind and just firmly act as if the whole thing was never even a possibility. As it is he is likely just strengthening the sense of inevitability that Avon is feeling. (Otoh I suppose they would then both have died instead.)
I hadn't actually thought about it before, but looking at the way Avon moves, he looks less like he is searching for someone who is quietly hiding (he doesn't even try the wall panels) and more as if he's expecting Vila to be stalking him too, and try to jump him at any moment.
I also noticed that Vila actually climbs out of his hiding place before it is in any way obvious that the problem is solved (supposedly after hearing the air lock cycle?) I'm not sure what to make of that.
(Also, why is the ladder to the next level inside the airlock? That seems terribly impractical?)
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Not for the reasons Avon does, no. But in pure self-defense I would have thought him capable of it (at least to try to disarm Avon, if nothing else.) Which makes it even worse that he just curls up and hides instead. It reminds me of his reaction to Tarrant's threats in 'City': the moment he's told that his friends don't care for him, he just seems to give up. I can't help thinking it's the same thing here - that if it had been a stranger, he would have tried to fight back. But the fact that it's his *friend* simply hits straight at his most vulnerable spot, disabling him.
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But he runs and hides, instantly. Absolutely instantly to be so far ahead. Avon only dithers for seconds for all his face wringing.
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I love the drama of it all and they both play it well, Avon coming over as completely, almost insanel,y conflicted and Vila in utter horrified terror.
On a purely practical note I wish they was some clear plot reason for persisting with an inadequate climb performance! They outright say at one point that there's ten minutes flight time remaining ( half of Egrorian's predicted fuel endurance) then Vila adds that it would take five minutes to fall back down. Umm - so enough time to fly back down to the ground then? A line of handwaving would have ruled it out without making it look like a massive oversight.
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It is some very nice characterisation isn't it, especially when considering his later breakdown in 'Blake'.
A line of handwaving would have ruled it out
When it comes to Avon and Vila I suppose you could argue that they might be too panicked to think clearly, making them dismiss Malodaar as the hostile enemy ground that they are trying to escape from. But from the POV of Egrorian's planning it out it makes little sense, yes. Could have used some handwaving about the shuttle only being possible to land on it's assigned landing pad maybe; or there not being enough fuel for braking or something. (Physics? what physics?)
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