I'm going to need a Blake's 7 icon at some point....
...'cause I've got a couple more reviews for you all. :-)
“Time Squad”
Not a huge fan of this episode, possibly because the idea of finding a cryo-ship centuries after its launch is such an overused idea. When the episode was made, it was probably fresher, but watching it now, it’s not even a particularly interesting rendition of the trope. Trek handled this plot a lot better in “Space Seed.”
I continue to love the technological details, the old school sci-fi feel. When Blake and Jenna teleport into the cryo-ship, and it’s barely big enough to hold them, it’s kind of obvious that Blake’s comment about “more luck than judgment” is the plain truth. It’s amazing they didn’t get meshed into the cryo-capsules somehow. I love the cramped feeling of the ship, and it was fun to watch the crew work through the mental puzzle of what it’s for and where it came from. Blake seems to enjoy such things; it’s amazing that he still has some of his sense of wonder, after all he’s been through. (Though I can see why he might cling to such a personality trait: that individual ability to perceive and marvel would seem a triumph in itself.)
So this is Cally! She’s tough. That exterior plays like a battle-hardened soldier, not just a resistance fighter. Tough on herself, too; her failure makes her an outcast, so she just moves on. Wow. She’s not as conventionally pretty as Jenna, but there’s a tense energy to her that I like. (Is it just me, or does Gareth Thomas have great chemistry with both actresses?)
I was startled at how matter-of-factly the whole telepath thing was dropped in. It didn’t seem that anyone had heard of the Aurons (sp?), nor had met any actual telepaths, but Blake and Avon just sort of rolled with it. Vila, bless him, was the only one to get all inquisitive about the possibility of mind-reading.
You know, Jenna’s pretty tough, too. It was nice to see her winning in a hand-to-hand fight with the cryo-guy. (Where did these strong female characters come from, in the same era as Trek? *is impressed*)
Although I have to say: I can handle the not-great special effects, but I really wish the hand-to-hand fighting was better choreographed. No realism at all; I’ve seen a lot on stage that’s much more convincing. This goes for all eps I’ve seen so far. Does it ever get better?
Poor Gan. This was not his episode for having fun! I like the revelation about the limiter he’s been fitted with (although I’m trying to recall if that came up at all in the second episode, on the ship), which makes his good-natured confidence in his physical build a total sham; as long as people think he’s dangerous, it’s all good. But they’d better never find out he can’t actually deliver on that promise.
This show sometimes gets confusing, though. I couldn’t figure out at any point how much of Gan’s incapacitation was due to his limiter kicking in (clearly some of it, from the dialogue), and how much to being generally knocked around by cryo-guy.
“The Web”
Let me get my gripe out of the way, because other than that I enjoyed this episode: It’s quite a coincidence that an Auron would be close to the planet where the outcasts have their home base, right at the time they were sending out their signal to try and snare some help.
(Also, the Forsaken--um, that's what I'm calling them, since I don't remember what Cally calls them--claim to have been able to control Cally because she’s an Auron, but they didn’t seem to have much difficulty using Jenna’s mouth when they wanted to.)
I really enjoyed the weirdness of this story. The webs in the trees and in space, the aliens rising up against their creators, the servants of the Forsaken, all the hints of the technology and cold, condescending mindset that produced it--I found it very convincing, and it put me on edge in a rather delightful way.
Mind you, I was disturbed, too. Dark show, this, as Blake and Avon stand there and watch the slave race beat the bodies of the servants to dust and splintered bone. Blake, at least, looked just as unsettled as I felt.
(Speaking of dark: Cally’s burned hand. Decent makeup job, combined with the fiery flash during her sabotage work, made me cringe.)
Blake is not a very good negotiator.
Vila showing off his new outfit to Cally was adorable. Too bad she was possessed at the time. *g*
Speaking of Vila, he’s such a little boy there at the weapons controls. Hee. Bet he’s played a lot of video games, or whatever the equivalent would be in the B7verse.
Favorite scene: Blake tries to disarm the bomb that Cally set, Avon tries to warn him to watch what he’s doing, Blake fails to do so, and Avon knocks him out of harm’s way. Fairly typical scene for this genre, but given that it’s Blake and Avon, their reactions kind of cracked me up. Blake’s all “Avon has a heart after all!” and grinning at the proof he sees of something beneath Avon’s self-serving façade. And Avon is like, “whoa, buddy, it was just instinct, that’s ALL,” and is kind of offended that Blake would think that he could ever intend to save Blake’s life. *snerk* I adore these characters, especially when they get to play off each other.
(Yes, okay, all you Avon-lovers. I’m not one of you yet, but he’s no longer just annoying me. Now I’m interested.)
I think I need to watch "Seek-Locate-Destroy" again, before I post about it. Because it was awesome, and also because I'm a little disturbed at how hot I find Space Commander Travis. O_o
“Time Squad”
Not a huge fan of this episode, possibly because the idea of finding a cryo-ship centuries after its launch is such an overused idea. When the episode was made, it was probably fresher, but watching it now, it’s not even a particularly interesting rendition of the trope. Trek handled this plot a lot better in “Space Seed.”
I continue to love the technological details, the old school sci-fi feel. When Blake and Jenna teleport into the cryo-ship, and it’s barely big enough to hold them, it’s kind of obvious that Blake’s comment about “more luck than judgment” is the plain truth. It’s amazing they didn’t get meshed into the cryo-capsules somehow. I love the cramped feeling of the ship, and it was fun to watch the crew work through the mental puzzle of what it’s for and where it came from. Blake seems to enjoy such things; it’s amazing that he still has some of his sense of wonder, after all he’s been through. (Though I can see why he might cling to such a personality trait: that individual ability to perceive and marvel would seem a triumph in itself.)
So this is Cally! She’s tough. That exterior plays like a battle-hardened soldier, not just a resistance fighter. Tough on herself, too; her failure makes her an outcast, so she just moves on. Wow. She’s not as conventionally pretty as Jenna, but there’s a tense energy to her that I like. (Is it just me, or does Gareth Thomas have great chemistry with both actresses?)
I was startled at how matter-of-factly the whole telepath thing was dropped in. It didn’t seem that anyone had heard of the Aurons (sp?), nor had met any actual telepaths, but Blake and Avon just sort of rolled with it. Vila, bless him, was the only one to get all inquisitive about the possibility of mind-reading.
You know, Jenna’s pretty tough, too. It was nice to see her winning in a hand-to-hand fight with the cryo-guy. (Where did these strong female characters come from, in the same era as Trek? *is impressed*)
Although I have to say: I can handle the not-great special effects, but I really wish the hand-to-hand fighting was better choreographed. No realism at all; I’ve seen a lot on stage that’s much more convincing. This goes for all eps I’ve seen so far. Does it ever get better?
Poor Gan. This was not his episode for having fun! I like the revelation about the limiter he’s been fitted with (although I’m trying to recall if that came up at all in the second episode, on the ship), which makes his good-natured confidence in his physical build a total sham; as long as people think he’s dangerous, it’s all good. But they’d better never find out he can’t actually deliver on that promise.
This show sometimes gets confusing, though. I couldn’t figure out at any point how much of Gan’s incapacitation was due to his limiter kicking in (clearly some of it, from the dialogue), and how much to being generally knocked around by cryo-guy.
“The Web”
Let me get my gripe out of the way, because other than that I enjoyed this episode: It’s quite a coincidence that an Auron would be close to the planet where the outcasts have their home base, right at the time they were sending out their signal to try and snare some help.
(Also, the Forsaken--um, that's what I'm calling them, since I don't remember what Cally calls them--claim to have been able to control Cally because she’s an Auron, but they didn’t seem to have much difficulty using Jenna’s mouth when they wanted to.)
I really enjoyed the weirdness of this story. The webs in the trees and in space, the aliens rising up against their creators, the servants of the Forsaken, all the hints of the technology and cold, condescending mindset that produced it--I found it very convincing, and it put me on edge in a rather delightful way.
Mind you, I was disturbed, too. Dark show, this, as Blake and Avon stand there and watch the slave race beat the bodies of the servants to dust and splintered bone. Blake, at least, looked just as unsettled as I felt.
(Speaking of dark: Cally’s burned hand. Decent makeup job, combined with the fiery flash during her sabotage work, made me cringe.)
Blake is not a very good negotiator.
Vila showing off his new outfit to Cally was adorable. Too bad she was possessed at the time. *g*
Speaking of Vila, he’s such a little boy there at the weapons controls. Hee. Bet he’s played a lot of video games, or whatever the equivalent would be in the B7verse.
Favorite scene: Blake tries to disarm the bomb that Cally set, Avon tries to warn him to watch what he’s doing, Blake fails to do so, and Avon knocks him out of harm’s way. Fairly typical scene for this genre, but given that it’s Blake and Avon, their reactions kind of cracked me up. Blake’s all “Avon has a heart after all!” and grinning at the proof he sees of something beneath Avon’s self-serving façade. And Avon is like, “whoa, buddy, it was just instinct, that’s ALL,” and is kind of offended that Blake would think that he could ever intend to save Blake’s life. *snerk* I adore these characters, especially when they get to play off each other.
(Yes, okay, all you Avon-lovers. I’m not one of you yet, but he’s no longer just annoying me. Now I’m interested.)
I think I need to watch "Seek-Locate-Destroy" again, before I post about it. Because it was awesome, and also because I'm a little disturbed at how hot I find Space Commander Travis. O_o