I'm not sure that Vila did unambiguously kill that guard. The body wasn't there later so I wouldn't mind betting he had it set to stun. Did you notice that he closed his eyes when he shot?
Yes, "unambiguous" was taking it a bit far (nothing is, on this show!) but the muzzle flare looked identical to Dayna's, and I find it hard to believe she would stop at non-lethal force if she didn't need to... I also thought the squint looked similar to the one Avon does sometimes when firing (those flares really are impractically bright!) which made it seem almost more callous by association, particularly after that little whistle to attract the guards attention first (why not just shoot him/her in the back?)
But of course that's open for interpretation, and I admit that I did not notice what became of the body (though a stun that wore off that quickly would seem a bad idea?)
Not sure what to believe about Vila on this, at least not at this point. He has changed a lot since S1.
The sheer callousness just doesn't seem like him when he could stay there unnoticed instead of actually attracting attention. In other ways (e.g. with the putative Cancer) he seems to be his old eccentrically ethical self.
This has to be one of the best S4 eps (which is not really that hard) for the humour, cleverness (much of it Vila's) and lack of misery. Pity the end was rendered puzzlingly meaningless by Stratford Johns flubbing his lines and not redoing them.
The idea of games as a security system is mildly silly, and it requires a rather large suspension of disbelief that there's effectively "one each" so well suited to them all.
Forgiveable though because it's fun. Vila is cracking - he's at least as on top of things here as he is in City at Edge of the World (well, apart from supposedly giving away their really very poor hiding place!)
Tarrant seems very convinced Avon wouldn't leave them behind. Wonder what he's basing that on!
I don't see Vila's remarks about the killings as callous so much as they are a coping strategy. In the same way as as he verbally brushes off being "shot at trodden on, blown up and nearly captured" as "a pretty average day" and the "found it in one of your men" is sheer reflex lack of tact!
apart from supposedly giving away their really very poor hiding place Yes, at least standing up he looked slightly less suspicious once they were noticed... (Someone ought to inform Tarrant that just because the bottom half of him is hidden it doesn't actually mean he's invisible...)
I don't see Vila's remarks about the killings as callous so much as they are a coping strategy. I think the joking is too, but it's usually accompanied by some display of horror or disgust in his body language that I felt was largely missing here... Not callous as much as... less obviously affected than before?
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He never uses that tone with his human crew...
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But of course that's open for interpretation, and I admit that I did not notice what became of the body (though a stun that wore off that quickly would seem a bad idea?)
Not sure what to believe about Vila on this, at least not at this point. He has changed a lot since S1.
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Forgiveable though because it's fun. Vila is cracking - he's at least as on top of things here as he is in City at Edge of the World (well, apart from supposedly giving away their really very poor hiding place!)
Tarrant seems very convinced Avon wouldn't leave them behind. Wonder what he's basing that on!
I don't see Vila's remarks about the killings as callous so much as they are a coping strategy. In the same way as as he verbally brushes off being "shot at trodden on, blown up and nearly captured" as "a pretty average day" and the "found it in one of your men" is sheer reflex lack of tact!
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Yes, at least standing up he looked slightly less suspicious once they were noticed... (Someone ought to inform Tarrant that just because the bottom half of him is hidden it doesn't actually mean he's invisible...)
I don't see Vila's remarks about the killings as callous so much as they are a coping strategy.
I think the joking is too, but it's usually accompanied by some display of horror or disgust in his body language that I felt was largely missing here... Not callous as much as... less obviously affected than before?
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