Non-Spoilery Guide to Blake's 7 (and why Classic Who fans should watch it)
Over Christmas I made a series of "Reasons to Watch B7" posts for Tumblr. I have been promising/threatening ever since to combine them into an LJ post, because non-spoilery introductions to the show are hard to come by. I'm sure there are some, but whenever anybody asks me about it (and sometimes they do) I have nothing useful to say. So, here is my attempt now, (mainly because 
aralias finally made me remember/encouraged me).
Because Blake's 7 really is one of the greatest shows ever made, but you do need a tolerance for 1970s UK TV, quarries, and unconvincing sfx. Classic Who fans therefore are already fully equipped to appreciate it! \o/
With the rider that these are entirely my thoughts and summaries and not necessarily typical of other B7 fans. Also, please note, if you know nothing about Blake's 7 but already know you want to watch it, then even character names are slightly spoilery. What follows is pretty much as was posted in installments on Tumblr, so apologies to those who follow me there, too.
Lost_Spook's Non-Spoilery Guide to Blake's 7 for the Enquiring Classic Who Fan
Vila: “Where are all the good guys?”
Blake: “You could be looking at them.”
Avon: “What a very depressing thought.”
Because when you have finally watched your way through Classic Who (or all that you can get your hands on) and wonder where you can find your next fix of improbable 1970s SFX, BBC quarries, Terry Nation cliches and Robert Holmes scripts, where else is there to go?
You’ll find familiar actors and props reused regularly. You’ll recognise the names of all the crew (created by Terry Nation, produced by David Maloney, script-edited by Chris Boucher, music by Dudley Simpson, set design by Roger Murray-Leach, costumes by June Hudson, directed by Douglas Camfield, Pennant Roberts, Michael E Briant, George Spenton-Foster etc. etc.)
It’s really the first Doctor Who spin-off - not officially, but Terry Nation wanted to bring in the Daleks (the BBC finally got a moment of revenge and refused permission), Gareth Thomas and Tom Baker wanted their characters to nod in passing in a corridor, and Chris Boucher maintains (and there’s been a PDA novel and audio series on this premise) that Kaldor City (from Robots of Death) is one of those colonies lost on the edges of the Federation and had one of his B7 characters wind up there with Uvanov, Toos and Poul. It kind of makes it the 1970s Torchwood. (Ish.)
Imagine the BBC on a strange endeavour to mash up a Shakespearean tragedy, Doctor Who, Star Trek, the Dirty Dozen, all the WWII Resistance series ever, Robin Hood, and 1984 IN SPACE all in one thing, but with Michelin Men, giant ants, polystyrene rocks, endlessly epic snark, and the most fabulous costumes, and you… probably can’t even, can you?
I came to mock, I stayed to wonder, roll around the floor laughing (that was the Michelin Men), quote all the snark, and find myself unexpectedly being slapped in the face, punched in the gut, and yet thanking the show nicely and wanting only MORE MORE MORE. There are endless shades of grey but the only thing that’s black and white is Servalan’s wardrobe.
Never has anything so fundamentally bleak, cynical and depressing been so much fun.
Please stand by while I attempt to convince you. I’ve reached that point where I have to rewatch it yet again, and I’m thinking I should have more company… Also, there’s supposed to be (*splutter*) a reboot coming up, so if you want to be one of the really annoying cool people who saw it before, now’s the time to jump on board.
Some facts: 4x13 eps made by the BBC (1978-1981). It’s not out in Region 1, which is the big catch, but search YouTube at the moment and you should be okay (but I didn’t say that). The first episode is The Way Back.
Oh, and don’t Google it unless you already know stuff. Really. Do not Google it, do not Wiki it, do not look at fanvids on YouTube and don’t read the reviews on Amazon. You can thank me later.
Zen and the Liberator
“Information must be gathered, not given.” (Zen)
Liberator is an incredibly advanced spaceship found abandoned and drifting in space. We have no idea what happened to the former crew, where it came from or how safe it is, but it comes equipped with impressive speed, teleport bracelets, money, gold and jewels, and the most fabulous wardrobe this side of the TARDIS.
Its computer is the equally mysterious Zen (voiced by Peter Tuddenham).
Basically, its design is wonderfully original, inside and out - it looks like a fairy tale castle turned on its side - and I am still in love with it.
Kerr Avon
“Idealism is a wonderful thing. All you need is someone rational to put it to good use.”
Avon (Paul Darrow) is the computer genius (second best in the entire system, Vila says). If Blake’s the hero (and who knows if he is), Avon’s the anti-hero. He doesn’t want to be here, he doesn’t believe in the rebellion (or anything much, he claims), he doesn’t trust anyone - and he knows that resistance to the Federation comes at a price he’s not willing to pay. And yet somehow he’s caught up with Blake and can’t ever be free again.
Plus: snarkiest character in the universe. He may have some close-run competitors, but if there were ever a contest, no one could out-snark Avon.
Roj Blake
“It’s time we really hurt the Federation. Oh, we’ve been hitting at the fingers, the arms. I want to hit at the heart. And the heart of the Federation is Earth.”
Set up, imprisoned, his memory ‘adjusted’, Blake (Gareth Thomas) is out to bring the tyrannical Federation down. All he needs is the chance to escape, a ship, and a crew who will follow him… They just won’t ever follow him without question, that’s all.
Freedom fighter, terrorist, idealist, figure-head, madman, or all of the above, who knows?
Jenna Stannis
“That would have been very disarming - if I didn’t know you meant it.”
Jenna (Sally Knyvette), one of the convicts headed for Cygnus Alpha with Blake. She’s a free trader, or smuggler if you like, a brilliant pilot and hoping despite her cynicism that Blake’s dream might be worth believing in. At any rate, it’s the most interesting option she has right now.
***
Blake (on going back to Earth): That's where the heart of the Federation is - and I intend to see that heart torn out.
Avon: I thought you were probably insane.
Blake: That's possible. They butchered my family and my friends. They murdered my past and gave me tranquilised dreams.
Jenna: At least you're still alive.
Blake: No! Not until free men can think and speak. Not until power is back with the honest man.
Avon: Have you ever met an honest man?
Jenna: Perhaps.
Avon: Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality and the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake. You may not be tranquilised, but you're still dreaming.
Jenna: Maybe some dreams are worth having.
Avon: You don't really believe that.
Jenna: No. But I'd like to.
Blake, Jenna & Avon in Spacefall(ep. 1.2)
***
Vila Restal
“Hello there. How are you? Excuse me wandering about your premises but I wonder if you can help me. I’m an escaped prisoner. I was a thief but recently I’ve become interested in sabotage, in a small way you understand, nothing too ambitious, I hate vulgarity, don’t you? Anyway, I’ve come to blow something up. What do you think will be most suitable?”
Vila (Michael Keating) is in many ways the small man/thief fantasy trope. He jokes, steals, can do magic tricks, hides at the first sign of danger and wishes they could take the Liberator somewhere with lots of wine, women, and shiny stuff to nick. (He doesn’t like personal violence, especially when he’s the person, he’s a compulsive thief - had his head adjusted by the best in the business, he says, but it just didn’t take, and he can get through any lock if he’s scared enough, and he’s permanently scared).
He says he’s a Delta grade (but then he also says he bought his Delta grade to escape being a space captain) and while on the face of it he’s perhaps the most obvious character, in some ways we know very little about him - or how dangerous he could be if pushed.
(And, yes, he’s probably my favourite.)
Cally
“My people have a saying: a man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.”
Cally (Jan Chappell) is one of the show’s few aliens (although probably in part also descended from yet another Earth colony). She’s a telepath in exile from her home planet, Auron.
An alien telepath is hardly unique in SF TV, but Wiki would claim that Cally is, in one respect - where other telepaths’ abilities bring them closer to their human crewmates, in B7, Cally’s telepathy only serves to isolate her further. (Oh, show, show…)
Oleg Gan
“I want to stay alive - and to do that I need people I can rely on. I can’t be on my own.”
If Vila’s the ‘Small Man’, Gan (David Jackson) is the Large/Strong Man - says little, loyal to the death and stronger than anyone else in the show. There’s just one catch - he’s got a limiter in his brain that’ll activate if he tries to kill anyone.
(And if one part of that sounds familiar: yes, Joss Whedon watched and liked this show when he was a teenager and over in the UK. You can see the influence in some places, but Gan’s chip in his head - that on one occasion malfunctions and nearly kills him - is probably the most obvious.)
Servalan
“There’s no one as free as a dead man.”
Supreme Commander Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) has the task of tracking Blake and The Liberator down and bringing them to justice. Amoral, ambitious, ruthless, she also wants to claw her way up the ladder of the Federation to the very top - and she wants the Liberator and Orac to help her do that.
She may also have the most fabulous wardrobe ever seen on TV. (I can’t tell you how much I love her, even if she is evil.)
Travis I
“Power makes its own rules.”
The Federation need someone to track Blake down and get rid of him - someone obsessed, ruthless and very probably insane.
Hello, Travis I (Stephen Greif).
He also has an artificial arm with handy gun built in and an outfit all of leather made specially for the BBC down the local sex shop. (Apparently a lot of B7’s outfits were made there.) You couldn’t make this show up if you tried, trust me.
Orac
“I am shutting down. You have engaged my circuits on your petty business for too long.”
There is no explaining Orac (voiced by Peter Tuddenham). Some fans call him the rat in a box. How great Orac is is one of those reasons you just have to watch it. Basically, Orac wins my vote for Best Plot Device Ever, no contest. Or: portable universe-wide proto-internet with attitude problems might sum it up...?
Travis II
“I must remember to say thank you before I kill him…”
This takes some explaining. Umm. Travis isn’t a Time Lord, that’s the main thing for Classic Who fans to know. There is never a multi-Travis episode called The Two Travises, although that would have been v amusing/scary. (Servalan presumably just did something terrible to him and he suddenly turned into Brian Croucher.)
Dayna Mellanby
“I Like the ancient weapons. The spear, the sword, the knife. They demand more skill. When you fight with them, conflict becomes more personal… More exciting.”
Youthful weapons expert Dayna (Josette Simon). Raised in isolation by her father, who was in hiding from the Federation, she likes to blow stuff up and wants Servalan dead even more than most.
Del Tarrant
“When you found me on the Liberator, it was quite a blow. And every time you look at me it hits you harder, doesn’t it? I’m faster than you and I’m sharper. As far as it goes, I’ve made a success of my life. But you? The only big thing you ever tried to do you failed at. The greatest computer swindle of all time… but you couldn’t quite pull it off, could you? If it hadn’t been for Blake you’d be rotting on Cygnus Alpha right now. No, you failed, Avon. But I win. Not just at games. At life.”
Del Tarrant (Steven Pacey) - not to be confused with Dev Tarrant, Deeta Tarrant or any of Terry Nation’s many other Tarrants - is a Federation space captain who’s joined the rebellion. He’s sometimes unpopular with the fandom (for Reasons), but I love that in B7 the one character who would be the hero in any other show (and indeed he can’t quite understand that he isn’t the hero of this story, or that it’s the sort of story that doesn’t have conventional heroes) is the one everybody else in the crew finds the most annoying - and he keeps trying to be more like the anti-hero in order to impress him.
I may also like his S3 Robin Hood outfits also. (I did mention the costumes already, yes?)
Soolin
"I don’t give my allegiance. I sell my skills.”
Gun-for-hire Soolin (Glynis Barber). Her background’s a mystery (until the end), but she’s the sharpest shooter in the series (she out-shoots herself on one occasion, and enjoys it) and willing - for the moment - to join the others.
Slave
“The ground is very close, sir.”
(Voiced by Peter Tuddenham). As I believe I’ve already said, all the AI in Blake’s 7 is weird and interesting and Slave’s grovelling is definitely in that category. Creepy or endearing or… who knows what? You’ve rarely come across a more obsequious machine.
***
I think how much I love Blake's 7 can be summed up by the following (as I said on Tumblr):
Me (reaching the final episode on my first watch of B7): “There is nothing this show can do now to make me love it more.”
And, basically, right at that moment, David Collings turned up. Blake’s 7 is clearly a thing they made specially for me, even though I was only 1 when it started and not really paying attention.
(I think I did know that he was in it at some point, but by this episode I had completely forgotten. Also, please note: never watch this episode - “Blake” - out of context. I mean that: never. Don’t do it. It’s one of the best TV finales in history and you’d probably laugh at it. It doesn’t bear thinking about.)
It has a really great theme:
This has been your non-spoilery and highly biased guide to Blake's 7, a show which is more awesome than you would expect. Get thee out there and watch it.
Disclaimer: this blog accepts no responsibility for a) people not liking it or b) fannish outbreaks, shipping, ill-advised but life-long devotion to the rebellion, and repeated heartbreak or c) an inability to ever look at Star Trek's Federation in the same light again.
ETA: Also I apologise in advance for Ben Steed.
ETA2: B7 has so much I like in it that I forgot to even mention Colin Baker as Bayban the Butcher. Yes, watch B7 and get OTT evil pre-Doctor Colin!
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments:
aralias finally made me remember/encouraged me).
Because Blake's 7 really is one of the greatest shows ever made, but you do need a tolerance for 1970s UK TV, quarries, and unconvincing sfx. Classic Who fans therefore are already fully equipped to appreciate it! \o/
With the rider that these are entirely my thoughts and summaries and not necessarily typical of other B7 fans. Also, please note, if you know nothing about Blake's 7 but already know you want to watch it, then even character names are slightly spoilery. What follows is pretty much as was posted in installments on Tumblr, so apologies to those who follow me there, too.
Lost_Spook's Non-Spoilery Guide to Blake's 7 for the Enquiring Classic Who Fan
Vila: “Where are all the good guys?”
Blake: “You could be looking at them.”
Avon: “What a very depressing thought.”
Because when you have finally watched your way through Classic Who (or all that you can get your hands on) and wonder where you can find your next fix of improbable 1970s SFX, BBC quarries, Terry Nation cliches and Robert Holmes scripts, where else is there to go?
You’ll find familiar actors and props reused regularly. You’ll recognise the names of all the crew (created by Terry Nation, produced by David Maloney, script-edited by Chris Boucher, music by Dudley Simpson, set design by Roger Murray-Leach, costumes by June Hudson, directed by Douglas Camfield, Pennant Roberts, Michael E Briant, George Spenton-Foster etc. etc.)
It’s really the first Doctor Who spin-off - not officially, but Terry Nation wanted to bring in the Daleks (the BBC finally got a moment of revenge and refused permission), Gareth Thomas and Tom Baker wanted their characters to nod in passing in a corridor, and Chris Boucher maintains (and there’s been a PDA novel and audio series on this premise) that Kaldor City (from Robots of Death) is one of those colonies lost on the edges of the Federation and had one of his B7 characters wind up there with Uvanov, Toos and Poul. It kind of makes it the 1970s Torchwood. (Ish.)
Imagine the BBC on a strange endeavour to mash up a Shakespearean tragedy, Doctor Who, Star Trek, the Dirty Dozen, all the WWII Resistance series ever, Robin Hood, and 1984 IN SPACE all in one thing, but with Michelin Men, giant ants, polystyrene rocks, endlessly epic snark, and the most fabulous costumes, and you… probably can’t even, can you?
I came to mock, I stayed to wonder, roll around the floor laughing (that was the Michelin Men), quote all the snark, and find myself unexpectedly being slapped in the face, punched in the gut, and yet thanking the show nicely and wanting only MORE MORE MORE. There are endless shades of grey but the only thing that’s black and white is Servalan’s wardrobe.
Never has anything so fundamentally bleak, cynical and depressing been so much fun.
Please stand by while I attempt to convince you. I’ve reached that point where I have to rewatch it yet again, and I’m thinking I should have more company… Also, there’s supposed to be (*splutter*) a reboot coming up, so if you want to be one of the really annoying cool people who saw it before, now’s the time to jump on board.
Some facts: 4x13 eps made by the BBC (1978-1981). It’s not out in Region 1, which is the big catch, but search YouTube at the moment and you should be okay (but I didn’t say that). The first episode is The Way Back.
Oh, and don’t Google it unless you already know stuff. Really. Do not Google it, do not Wiki it, do not look at fanvids on YouTube and don’t read the reviews on Amazon. You can thank me later.
Zen and the Liberator
“Information must be gathered, not given.” (Zen)
Liberator is an incredibly advanced spaceship found abandoned and drifting in space. We have no idea what happened to the former crew, where it came from or how safe it is, but it comes equipped with impressive speed, teleport bracelets, money, gold and jewels, and the most fabulous wardrobe this side of the TARDIS.
Its computer is the equally mysterious Zen (voiced by Peter Tuddenham).
Basically, its design is wonderfully original, inside and out - it looks like a fairy tale castle turned on its side - and I am still in love with it.
Kerr Avon
“Idealism is a wonderful thing. All you need is someone rational to put it to good use.”
Avon (Paul Darrow) is the computer genius (second best in the entire system, Vila says). If Blake’s the hero (and who knows if he is), Avon’s the anti-hero. He doesn’t want to be here, he doesn’t believe in the rebellion (or anything much, he claims), he doesn’t trust anyone - and he knows that resistance to the Federation comes at a price he’s not willing to pay. And yet somehow he’s caught up with Blake and can’t ever be free again.
Plus: snarkiest character in the universe. He may have some close-run competitors, but if there were ever a contest, no one could out-snark Avon.
Roj Blake
“It’s time we really hurt the Federation. Oh, we’ve been hitting at the fingers, the arms. I want to hit at the heart. And the heart of the Federation is Earth.”
Set up, imprisoned, his memory ‘adjusted’, Blake (Gareth Thomas) is out to bring the tyrannical Federation down. All he needs is the chance to escape, a ship, and a crew who will follow him… They just won’t ever follow him without question, that’s all.
Freedom fighter, terrorist, idealist, figure-head, madman, or all of the above, who knows?
Jenna Stannis
“That would have been very disarming - if I didn’t know you meant it.”
Jenna (Sally Knyvette), one of the convicts headed for Cygnus Alpha with Blake. She’s a free trader, or smuggler if you like, a brilliant pilot and hoping despite her cynicism that Blake’s dream might be worth believing in. At any rate, it’s the most interesting option she has right now.
***
Blake (on going back to Earth): That's where the heart of the Federation is - and I intend to see that heart torn out.
Avon: I thought you were probably insane.
Blake: That's possible. They butchered my family and my friends. They murdered my past and gave me tranquilised dreams.
Jenna: At least you're still alive.
Blake: No! Not until free men can think and speak. Not until power is back with the honest man.
Avon: Have you ever met an honest man?
Jenna: Perhaps.
Avon: Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality and the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake. You may not be tranquilised, but you're still dreaming.
Jenna: Maybe some dreams are worth having.
Avon: You don't really believe that.
Jenna: No. But I'd like to.
Blake, Jenna & Avon in Spacefall(ep. 1.2)
***
Vila Restal
“Hello there. How are you? Excuse me wandering about your premises but I wonder if you can help me. I’m an escaped prisoner. I was a thief but recently I’ve become interested in sabotage, in a small way you understand, nothing too ambitious, I hate vulgarity, don’t you? Anyway, I’ve come to blow something up. What do you think will be most suitable?”
Vila (Michael Keating) is in many ways the small man/thief fantasy trope. He jokes, steals, can do magic tricks, hides at the first sign of danger and wishes they could take the Liberator somewhere with lots of wine, women, and shiny stuff to nick. (He doesn’t like personal violence, especially when he’s the person, he’s a compulsive thief - had his head adjusted by the best in the business, he says, but it just didn’t take, and he can get through any lock if he’s scared enough, and he’s permanently scared).
He says he’s a Delta grade (but then he also says he bought his Delta grade to escape being a space captain) and while on the face of it he’s perhaps the most obvious character, in some ways we know very little about him - or how dangerous he could be if pushed.
(And, yes, he’s probably my favourite.)
Cally
“My people have a saying: a man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.”
Cally (Jan Chappell) is one of the show’s few aliens (although probably in part also descended from yet another Earth colony). She’s a telepath in exile from her home planet, Auron.
An alien telepath is hardly unique in SF TV, but Wiki would claim that Cally is, in one respect - where other telepaths’ abilities bring them closer to their human crewmates, in B7, Cally’s telepathy only serves to isolate her further. (Oh, show, show…)
Oleg Gan
“I want to stay alive - and to do that I need people I can rely on. I can’t be on my own.”
If Vila’s the ‘Small Man’, Gan (David Jackson) is the Large/Strong Man - says little, loyal to the death and stronger than anyone else in the show. There’s just one catch - he’s got a limiter in his brain that’ll activate if he tries to kill anyone.
(And if one part of that sounds familiar: yes, Joss Whedon watched and liked this show when he was a teenager and over in the UK. You can see the influence in some places, but Gan’s chip in his head - that on one occasion malfunctions and nearly kills him - is probably the most obvious.)
Servalan
“There’s no one as free as a dead man.”
Supreme Commander Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) has the task of tracking Blake and The Liberator down and bringing them to justice. Amoral, ambitious, ruthless, she also wants to claw her way up the ladder of the Federation to the very top - and she wants the Liberator and Orac to help her do that.
She may also have the most fabulous wardrobe ever seen on TV. (I can’t tell you how much I love her, even if she is evil.)
Travis I
“Power makes its own rules.”
The Federation need someone to track Blake down and get rid of him - someone obsessed, ruthless and very probably insane.
Hello, Travis I (Stephen Greif).
He also has an artificial arm with handy gun built in and an outfit all of leather made specially for the BBC down the local sex shop. (Apparently a lot of B7’s outfits were made there.) You couldn’t make this show up if you tried, trust me.
Orac
“I am shutting down. You have engaged my circuits on your petty business for too long.”
There is no explaining Orac (voiced by Peter Tuddenham). Some fans call him the rat in a box. How great Orac is is one of those reasons you just have to watch it. Basically, Orac wins my vote for Best Plot Device Ever, no contest. Or: portable universe-wide proto-internet with attitude problems might sum it up...?
Travis II
“I must remember to say thank you before I kill him…”
This takes some explaining. Umm. Travis isn’t a Time Lord, that’s the main thing for Classic Who fans to know. There is never a multi-Travis episode called The Two Travises, although that would have been v amusing/scary. (Servalan presumably just did something terrible to him and he suddenly turned into Brian Croucher.)
Dayna Mellanby
“I Like the ancient weapons. The spear, the sword, the knife. They demand more skill. When you fight with them, conflict becomes more personal… More exciting.”
Youthful weapons expert Dayna (Josette Simon). Raised in isolation by her father, who was in hiding from the Federation, she likes to blow stuff up and wants Servalan dead even more than most.
Del Tarrant
“When you found me on the Liberator, it was quite a blow. And every time you look at me it hits you harder, doesn’t it? I’m faster than you and I’m sharper. As far as it goes, I’ve made a success of my life. But you? The only big thing you ever tried to do you failed at. The greatest computer swindle of all time… but you couldn’t quite pull it off, could you? If it hadn’t been for Blake you’d be rotting on Cygnus Alpha right now. No, you failed, Avon. But I win. Not just at games. At life.”
Del Tarrant (Steven Pacey) - not to be confused with Dev Tarrant, Deeta Tarrant or any of Terry Nation’s many other Tarrants - is a Federation space captain who’s joined the rebellion. He’s sometimes unpopular with the fandom (for Reasons), but I love that in B7 the one character who would be the hero in any other show (and indeed he can’t quite understand that he isn’t the hero of this story, or that it’s the sort of story that doesn’t have conventional heroes) is the one everybody else in the crew finds the most annoying - and he keeps trying to be more like the anti-hero in order to impress him.
I may also like his S3 Robin Hood outfits also. (I did mention the costumes already, yes?)
Soolin
"I don’t give my allegiance. I sell my skills.”
Gun-for-hire Soolin (Glynis Barber). Her background’s a mystery (until the end), but she’s the sharpest shooter in the series (she out-shoots herself on one occasion, and enjoys it) and willing - for the moment - to join the others.
Slave
“The ground is very close, sir.”
(Voiced by Peter Tuddenham). As I believe I’ve already said, all the AI in Blake’s 7 is weird and interesting and Slave’s grovelling is definitely in that category. Creepy or endearing or… who knows what? You’ve rarely come across a more obsequious machine.
***
I think how much I love Blake's 7 can be summed up by the following (as I said on Tumblr):
Me (reaching the final episode on my first watch of B7): “There is nothing this show can do now to make me love it more.”
And, basically, right at that moment, David Collings turned up. Blake’s 7 is clearly a thing they made specially for me, even though I was only 1 when it started and not really paying attention.
(I think I did know that he was in it at some point, but by this episode I had completely forgotten. Also, please note: never watch this episode - “Blake” - out of context. I mean that: never. Don’t do it. It’s one of the best TV finales in history and you’d probably laugh at it. It doesn’t bear thinking about.)
It has a really great theme:
Click to viewThis has been your non-spoilery and highly biased guide to Blake's 7, a show which is more awesome than you would expect. Get thee out there and watch it.
Disclaimer: this blog accepts no responsibility for a) people not liking it or b) fannish outbreaks, shipping, ill-advised but life-long devotion to the rebellion, and repeated heartbreak or c) an inability to ever look at Star Trek's Federation in the same light again.
ETA: Also I apologise in advance for Ben Steed.
ETA2: B7 has so much I like in it that I forgot to even mention Colin Baker as Bayban the Butcher. Yes, watch B7 and get OTT evil pre-Doctor Colin!
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments: