"We will just have to use Keiller's plan as it stands." "Or falls."
REVIEW: Honestly, when I started this journey with Blake's 7, I thought it was going to be like this episode - a heist. Indeed, Chris Boucher has said in an interview that if the show had gone to a fifth season, this is what they would have done with it. I love heists. I can't believe they have Vila sit out the action and man the teleport (was Keating on vacation?), though he is strong in those bridge scenes. We have a luxury liner that ferries gold between the last planet that can be mined for it and Earth, a factory where it's processed in such a way as to make it useless without proper codes, and a delivery that holds some danger too. A partner they can't trust in Keiller (Roy Kinnear, father or Rory). A lot of twists and turns. Two locations, lots of shiny sets, and a cool new ship model (Scorpio looks like a melted piece of plastic next to the Space Princess). But does it work as a heist narrative?
Yes and no. On the surface, yes - and enough for me to give it a positive review. There's lots of danger (that's a cool airlock scene). Once the plan starts going, unforeseen problems are revealed - Dayna has to voluntarily overdose to create an excuse for Scorpio to pick her up (and the gold) when the wrong doctor comes on board, the camera diversion stops working, etc. - and in the end, the Seven double-cross Keiller, who is also double-crossed by Servalan who set all this up as a trap. Cool stuff.
On the other hand, a really GOOD heist narrative also cons the audience. So when Avon and Soolin are apparently fried by radiation, it should have been part of the plan. The Seven should be manipulating Keiller from the beginning with that stuff, and are certainly cold to the loss of their colleagues if they actually believe it. There are other occasions like this where they should just have left Keiller in the dust and not even have him at the rendezvous so they don't need to share their winnings (which they don't, but it's not done in a clever way). And in those final moments, Orac reveals that they actually played into Servalan's hands, making her rich (the gold is worth more than they thought), and themselves poor (their funny money will be worthless after the Federation uses the gold to buy the banks). It's economic bafflegab, but I really don't understand why they don't just go and spend their money in the week Orac says it will take before the currency is devalued. So like the killer nanite trap that can be wiped off with a towel, the ending is a little unconvincing. I just wish this had been a real win for them.
We should also question the flirtatious moment between Servalan and Avon. I mean, sure, but what about Tarrant? He just stands there - Dayna equally keeps her cool in what might be her last chance to kill her father's killer - and only makes a face once back aboard Scorpio, reacting to a crack about her being a greedy gangster. In that moment, Pacey seems to remember whatever the hell that was in the previous episode, even if the script won't acknowledge it.
NOT MY FEDERATION: Keiller's uniform is about as close as we're going to get to a Starfleet uniform in Blake's universe.
WHO?: In the Whoniverse, the planet of gold is called Voga (Revenge of the Cybermen). Norman Hartley (the pilot) was twice in Doctor Who: as Ulf in The Time Meddler and as Sergeant Peters in The Invasion.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High - I feel like this should have been what Blake's 7 was about, at least since Blake left the show, so it's fun to see it.
Comments