"Railroad him. Threaten him. Make him frightened."
Someone uploaded a clip of Blake's 7 interviews and trailers from the 1994 reruns. Among other things, it has Gareth Thomas talking about how Blake dealt with Avon:
"Blake was the only one who knew how to handle Avon, and the way to handle Avon was: Railroad him. Threaten him. Make him frightened."
Whoa. Well, yes, it's not as if I hadn't noticed... But it's still chilling to hear - in Blake's voice, as it were. Though I think "handle" is slightly the wrong word; I think Vila was probably the most adept at "handling" Avon. I think the meaning GT is looking for is probably closer to "control", or even "neutralise". And yes, it's true: not just that it's what he did, but that it works - well, in the short term, at least. In the long term... It backfired rather spectacularly, didn't it...
I think Blake is probably the scariest fictional character I've come across. Certainly more so than any purported villain. Partly because he's so real, could so easily be a real person. (Like all of them. B7: "Wobbly sets, REAL people.") He frightens me on such a personal level, it must be that I recognise something - some schoolyard bully most likely, judging by how it makes me feel: the helplessness, anger, fear, hate. Gut reactions rather than anything rational. That makes him feel very real indeed.
But more than that. Blake is... Like the opposite of an anti-hero? (An anti-villain?) Like the traditional 'rough hero with a heart of gold' turned inside out: that charisma, that warmth, that appearance of an "honest man"... And then, underneath it... That ruthlessness. The willingness to do whatever it takes to manipulate all and everyone to his purposes. To use them all the way, to the ends of their capacity, and beyond it if he can. That quick anger. Those occasional flashes of cruelty. The competitiveness of it all, the way that those rare moments when he seems to be expressing self-doubt actually sound a lot more like he's being pissed off at losing a round of a game - like in 'Star One' when he says: "It's the only way I can be sure that I was right" and puts the emphasis on precisely the wrong word...
It is amazing. I mean, I loathe Blake as a person, there's that part of me that just wants to lash out at him as hard as I can (and then run for it)... But as a character, I'm completely fascinated with him. In a horrified way. Because the charisma works on me too. That's the terrifying bit, that there's another part of me that still wants to like Blake, despite everything. A part of me that gets fooled by the smile, the laugh, the warmth... Despite all those alarms going off everywhere, I could still understand why someone might choose to follow him to the ends of the galaxy. And it probably could be rewarding, as Blake could undoubtedly be a great friend to have - as long, that is, as you don't actually oppose him in anything...
And it's really worrying that the interpretations of him vary so wildly - not because I think it's necessarily wrong to interpret him as a hero, if that's what you see (it's a fictional character in a fictional future, after all, so there isn't a "right way" to read it) but simply because if these two images are capable of being so confused.... Then what about the real world? That someone could be acting like this - in real life - and still be seen as a good guy... *shudder*
So I suppose that's another thing I've learned from this show that I didn't really "get" before: the dynamics of charismatic leadership. How it might work. And what a terrible thing it could be.
I have to say my respect for GT went up a notch after watching that clip though (not that I disrespected him before!) He obviously knew exactly where he was going with his character. It really is a pity that he decided to jump ship, because I would have wanted to know what this show could have been if he hadn't...
Although, OTOH... Much as I hate S4 and wish it hadn't been made, well, as far as Blake goes, at least the final episode delivers... well, maybe not exactly justice - there were too many casualties along the way, and not fair on any of them (no, not on Avon either)... but call it rather... appropriate consequence. That it does come back to bite him in the end; that he finally gets to suffer the consequences, not of his idealism, but of the way he treats the people around him. That in the end, he didn't get the freedom-fighter martyrdom he no doubt expected, but rather suffered the fate of his own interpersonal dictatorship...
Yes, my inner schoolchild agrees, with savage satisfaction: He had it coming.
This entry was originally posted at http://corvuscornix.dreamwidth.org/38002.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
"Blake was the only one who knew how to handle Avon, and the way to handle Avon was: Railroad him. Threaten him. Make him frightened."
Whoa. Well, yes, it's not as if I hadn't noticed... But it's still chilling to hear - in Blake's voice, as it were. Though I think "handle" is slightly the wrong word; I think Vila was probably the most adept at "handling" Avon. I think the meaning GT is looking for is probably closer to "control", or even "neutralise". And yes, it's true: not just that it's what he did, but that it works - well, in the short term, at least. In the long term... It backfired rather spectacularly, didn't it...
I think Blake is probably the scariest fictional character I've come across. Certainly more so than any purported villain. Partly because he's so real, could so easily be a real person. (Like all of them. B7: "Wobbly sets, REAL people.") He frightens me on such a personal level, it must be that I recognise something - some schoolyard bully most likely, judging by how it makes me feel: the helplessness, anger, fear, hate. Gut reactions rather than anything rational. That makes him feel very real indeed.
But more than that. Blake is... Like the opposite of an anti-hero? (An anti-villain?) Like the traditional 'rough hero with a heart of gold' turned inside out: that charisma, that warmth, that appearance of an "honest man"... And then, underneath it... That ruthlessness. The willingness to do whatever it takes to manipulate all and everyone to his purposes. To use them all the way, to the ends of their capacity, and beyond it if he can. That quick anger. Those occasional flashes of cruelty. The competitiveness of it all, the way that those rare moments when he seems to be expressing self-doubt actually sound a lot more like he's being pissed off at losing a round of a game - like in 'Star One' when he says: "It's the only way I can be sure that I was right" and puts the emphasis on precisely the wrong word...
It is amazing. I mean, I loathe Blake as a person, there's that part of me that just wants to lash out at him as hard as I can (and then run for it)... But as a character, I'm completely fascinated with him. In a horrified way. Because the charisma works on me too. That's the terrifying bit, that there's another part of me that still wants to like Blake, despite everything. A part of me that gets fooled by the smile, the laugh, the warmth... Despite all those alarms going off everywhere, I could still understand why someone might choose to follow him to the ends of the galaxy. And it probably could be rewarding, as Blake could undoubtedly be a great friend to have - as long, that is, as you don't actually oppose him in anything...
And it's really worrying that the interpretations of him vary so wildly - not because I think it's necessarily wrong to interpret him as a hero, if that's what you see (it's a fictional character in a fictional future, after all, so there isn't a "right way" to read it) but simply because if these two images are capable of being so confused.... Then what about the real world? That someone could be acting like this - in real life - and still be seen as a good guy... *shudder*
So I suppose that's another thing I've learned from this show that I didn't really "get" before: the dynamics of charismatic leadership. How it might work. And what a terrible thing it could be.
I have to say my respect for GT went up a notch after watching that clip though (not that I disrespected him before!) He obviously knew exactly where he was going with his character. It really is a pity that he decided to jump ship, because I would have wanted to know what this show could have been if he hadn't...
Although, OTOH... Much as I hate S4 and wish it hadn't been made, well, as far as Blake goes, at least the final episode delivers... well, maybe not exactly justice - there were too many casualties along the way, and not fair on any of them (no, not on Avon either)... but call it rather... appropriate consequence. That it does come back to bite him in the end; that he finally gets to suffer the consequences, not of his idealism, but of the way he treats the people around him. That in the end, he didn't get the freedom-fighter martyrdom he no doubt expected, but rather suffered the fate of his own interpersonal dictatorship...
Yes, my inner schoolchild agrees, with savage satisfaction: He had it coming.
This entry was originally posted at http://corvuscornix.dreamwidth.org/38002.html. Please comment there using OpenID.