...sooner or later I'm going to refer to this ep as 'Power Point' by mistake. My brain already calls it that about half of the time. :-P
I liked this one less than I remembered. Worst niggle is probably the way the Liberator is apparently able to approach and stay within teleport distance of Earth without being challenged by any security whatsoever. Er, what? Earth is supposed to be the heart of the Federation, surely it would be fiercely protected? Even the London had to get clearance from some kind of space traffic control as far as I remember, surely the much larger Liberator must show up on their scanners...? They haven't got the detector shield yet, so that can't be it. True, Servalan and Travis want to catch them, but even if they had called off security, surely Blake would at least have expected some, and have been suspicious at the absence?
Why do the two scouts talk about 'Control' in the past tense? "That must be where Control was housed"/"The main computer was supposed to be in an underground vault"? They're hardly
( ... )
Why do the two scouts talk about 'Control' in the past tense? "That must be where Control was housed"/"The main computer was supposed to be in an underground vault"? They're hardly supposed to know it's been moved, are they? (It would be very ironic if they did.)
I noticed that, too. I could buy the rebels having doubts about the location of Control and either choosing to convey them to Blake or withholding them, but the confident use of the past tense by both of the scouts seems distinctly odd. Strangely, Cally (who you would assume had been involved in some serious discussion about the mission with Blake) questions whether they actually know the location of Central Control a couple of times. Maybe it was all a bit more of a gamble than Blake was making out, but he convinced himself that Control was there for psychological reasons. On the other hand, that doesn’t explain his extreme shock when confronted with an empty room. Bit of script failure, I think!
Avon and Vila are having a 'most horrible outfit' contest. I think Vila’s
( ... )
either choosing to convey them to Blake or withholding them Unless it's Blake that has become so habitually cagey with information that they have no idea what it is he is actually planning to do there, and are assuming that he already knows the relevant details? (Seems far-fetched too... *shakes head*)
odd that Cally /.../ is the one to voice doubts at the time of Star One Yes, Cally's position is very odd. Often she's depicted as the most "moral" of them (possibly with the exception of Gan) but she seems to have these huge blind spots. I realise this stems from the inconsistent writing, but from a watsonian POV... Perhaps it's a cultural thing? Perhaps Auronar ethics have a slightly different baseline - perhaps one where depriving someone of their freedom (remembering her reluctance to keep Gan restrained) is actually a worse crime than taking their life?
with Kasabi’s ambush the risks have increased, but by how much it is hard to sayBy a lot I would say. Even if the security had known nothing more about the operation they would
( ... )
I find Blake completely *intolerable* in this one. There's a real "prove you love me even when you know I'm lying to you" that just has so many abusive relationship triggers, I find it loathesome. Looks like Avon is the only one saving up to get out of the relationship...
This episode has a really great central idea, but after the shock value has worn off, it isn’t nearly as satisfying as it should be. That said, I particularly love the whole scene in the big white empty room, with Blake falling to his knees in shock and despair, thus provoking Avon’s strange protective clutch/scathing remark combo! In fact the whole episode is good for showcasing the odd relationship between Blake and Avon. I also enjoyed Travis’s speech about the Central Control deception, Servalan’s lizard-adorned dress and her bad reaction to Travis’ failure to immediately prioritise her safety! Indeed all the Travis/Servelan interaction in this episode was fun. I was particularly amused when Travis said in reaction to Servalan's interest in Kasabi "this is no time for personal vendettas"! Servalan's "bury you" dialogue was also a nice touch in light of what follows in the next episode
( ... )
Avon seems positively relaxed and happy with the idea of attacking Control Although the relationship between what Avon says that he thinks/feels and what is really going on is tenuous at best, his "official" position certainly seems to be that he doesn't give a damn about the number casualties as long as he (or any of the few people he cares about) are not among them - that comment in 'Star One' about how Blake can "wade in blood up to his armpits" for all Avon cares suggests that it he is hardly unaware of the issue, and that it disgusts him, but not to the point of actually taking a stand against it.
suggesting that there is disaffection in the Federation’s senior ranks, even though whether this is ideological or due to corruption isn’t clearI think both the eps that mention Travis' massacre(s?) on civilians seem to indicate that there are a number of high-ranking military whose ethics seem very much at odds with the kind of things that we see and hear of the Federation doing on a regular basis. Seems to me they must somehow be
( ... )
There are two moments that really stick with me in this one.
One is Servalan / Kasabi, stoking a world of femslash. Did Servalan report her after being spurned? Looks like it...and there's a whole Au waiting to happen. It suggests the Federation's vetting system for staff is lax though. Travis' "his is no time for personal vendettas" is a little two faced! Servalan murdered Kasabi's people, Travis murdered Blake's.. peas in a pod!
The second is "we need a chance of survival." Not a good chance; just a chance. This is the monent of throwing thenselves on the funeral pyre.
It is interesting that Gan doesn't recognise what the church is. Religion is hope and all hope must be squashed?
If Gan is everyman, Blake has let him down big time. Where can he possibly go from here?
Servalan / Kasabi, stoking a world of femslash I noticed she was being rather suggestive with Veron, too...
Not a good chance; just a chance They're really not setting themselves up in much of a position to bargain, no... Perhaps that's what Blake was doing in the last ep; not testing them, but lowering their expectations to the point where they're actually grateful for being given a choice at all...
Comments 9
I liked this one less than I remembered. Worst niggle is probably the way the Liberator is apparently able to approach and stay within teleport distance of Earth without being challenged by any security whatsoever. Er, what? Earth is supposed to be the heart of the Federation, surely it would be fiercely protected? Even the London had to get clearance from some kind of space traffic control as far as I remember, surely the much larger Liberator must show up on their scanners...? They haven't got the detector shield yet, so that can't be it. True, Servalan and Travis want to catch them, but even if they had called off security, surely Blake would at least have expected some, and have been suspicious at the absence?
Why do the two scouts talk about 'Control' in the past tense? "That must be where Control was housed"/"The main computer was supposed to be in an underground vault"? They're hardly ( ... )
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I noticed that, too. I could buy the rebels having doubts about the location of Control and either choosing to convey them to Blake or withholding them, but the confident use of the past tense by both of the scouts seems distinctly odd. Strangely, Cally (who you would assume had been involved in some serious discussion about the mission with Blake) questions whether they actually know the location of Central Control a couple of times. Maybe it was all a bit more of a gamble than Blake was making out, but he convinced himself that Control was there for psychological reasons. On the other hand, that doesn’t explain his extreme shock when confronted with an empty room. Bit of script failure, I think!
Avon and Vila are having a 'most horrible outfit' contest. I think Vila’s ( ... )
Reply
Unless it's Blake that has become so habitually cagey with information that they have no idea what it is he is actually planning to do there, and are assuming that he already knows the relevant details? (Seems far-fetched too... *shakes head*)
odd that Cally /.../ is the one to voice doubts at the time of Star One
Yes, Cally's position is very odd. Often she's depicted as the most "moral" of them (possibly with the exception of Gan) but she seems to have these huge blind spots. I realise this stems from the inconsistent writing, but from a watsonian POV... Perhaps it's a cultural thing? Perhaps Auronar ethics have a slightly different baseline - perhaps one where depriving someone of their freedom (remembering her reluctance to keep Gan restrained) is actually a worse crime than taking their life?
with Kasabi’s ambush the risks have increased, but by how much it is hard to sayBy a lot I would say. Even if the security had known nothing more about the operation they would ( ... )
Reply
Reply
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Although the relationship between what Avon says that he thinks/feels and what is really going on is tenuous at best, his "official" position certainly seems to be that he doesn't give a damn about the number casualties as long as he (or any of the few people he cares about) are not among them - that comment in 'Star One' about how Blake can "wade in blood up to his armpits" for all Avon cares suggests that it he is hardly unaware of the issue, and that it disgusts him, but not to the point of actually taking a stand against it.
suggesting that there is disaffection in the Federation’s senior ranks, even though whether this is ideological or due to corruption isn’t clearI think both the eps that mention Travis' massacre(s?) on civilians seem to indicate that there are a number of high-ranking military whose ethics seem very much at odds with the kind of things that we see and hear of the Federation doing on a regular basis. Seems to me they must somehow be ( ... )
Reply
One is Servalan / Kasabi, stoking a world of femslash. Did Servalan report her after being spurned? Looks like it...and there's a whole Au waiting to happen. It suggests the Federation's vetting system for staff is lax though. Travis' "his is no time for personal vendettas" is a little two faced! Servalan murdered Kasabi's people, Travis murdered Blake's.. peas in a pod!
The second is "we need a chance of survival." Not a good chance; just a chance. This is the monent of throwing thenselves on the funeral pyre.
It is interesting that Gan doesn't recognise what the church is. Religion is hope and all hope must be squashed?
If Gan is everyman, Blake has let him down big time. Where can he possibly go from here?
Reply
I noticed she was being rather suggestive with Veron, too...
Not a good chance; just a chance
They're really not setting themselves up in much of a position to bargain, no... Perhaps that's what Blake was doing in the last ep; not testing them, but lowering their expectations to the point where they're actually grateful for being given a choice at all...
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