Where have all the good guys gone?
I am too tired to be posting today, but I just realised that not only was I away for Gauda Prime Day, but I missed Blake's 7's 40th anniversary yesterday: on 2nd Jan 1978, the BBC screened "The Way Back" and gave us one of the most influential and important SF shows ever made.
It was bleak, but almost never joyless. It was 1984 and Robin Hood in space at the same time; Chris Boucher snark and Terry Nation cliches; and full of the most terrible and inappropriately hilarious SFX you've ever seen (I have not ever recovered from the arrival of the Michelin Men in the middle of one of Robert Holmes's darkest scripts) and the most amazing (in all possible senses of the word) costumes for all, but especially Servalan. And, of course, it has unforgettable characters - every one of our heroes (if you can call them that) and villains as well as so many of the guest characters, even to passing ordinary Federation troopers with an opinion.
Happy fortieth anniversary, ruby-red in blood, B7! Sadly, you've never ceased to be relevant.
I have nothing new to bring, but even if you have no time or patience for such elderly TV, here is this piece of meta I have linked to before. It is short and non-spoilery and talks about why Blake's 7 is important, from someone who did grow up in an oppressive society, and I hope you can find a moment to look at it, if nothing else.
If you want to know what B7 is, I wrote a Non-Spoilery Guide a long time ago and
aralias also wrote one, with different emphasis, more meta, and some excellent quotes here.
Plus, also non-spoilery (although I should note that I would have killed anyone who spoiled me for future costumes on my first watch, so YMMV), a vid tribute to its fashion sense (or lack of it): Fashion is Danger.
Also some favourite vids that I have linked to before - most of which are spoilery, however! (Spoilers are hard to avoid when it comes to B7):
The Cave
My Life Would Suck Without You
Right Said Fred (non-spoilery crack vid)
(We Will Be) Invincible (Tribute to the female characters)
Blood Money (Blake & Avon)
Servalan Music Video
Intergalactic Space Crusaders
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments:
It was bleak, but almost never joyless. It was 1984 and Robin Hood in space at the same time; Chris Boucher snark and Terry Nation cliches; and full of the most terrible and inappropriately hilarious SFX you've ever seen (I have not ever recovered from the arrival of the Michelin Men in the middle of one of Robert Holmes's darkest scripts) and the most amazing (in all possible senses of the word) costumes for all, but especially Servalan. And, of course, it has unforgettable characters - every one of our heroes (if you can call them that) and villains as well as so many of the guest characters, even to passing ordinary Federation troopers with an opinion.
Happy fortieth anniversary, ruby-red in blood, B7! Sadly, you've never ceased to be relevant.
I have nothing new to bring, but even if you have no time or patience for such elderly TV, here is this piece of meta I have linked to before. It is short and non-spoilery and talks about why Blake's 7 is important, from someone who did grow up in an oppressive society, and I hope you can find a moment to look at it, if nothing else.
If you want to know what B7 is, I wrote a Non-Spoilery Guide a long time ago and
aralias also wrote one, with different emphasis, more meta, and some excellent quotes here.
Plus, also non-spoilery (although I should note that I would have killed anyone who spoiled me for future costumes on my first watch, so YMMV), a vid tribute to its fashion sense (or lack of it): Fashion is Danger.
Also some favourite vids that I have linked to before - most of which are spoilery, however! (Spoilers are hard to avoid when it comes to B7):
The Cave
My Life Would Suck Without You
Right Said Fred (non-spoilery crack vid)
(We Will Be) Invincible (Tribute to the female characters)
Blood Money (Blake & Avon)
Servalan Music Video
Intergalactic Space Crusaders
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments: