"You're certainly not decorative."
REVIEW: This episode begins in medias res, and on-mission, with the crew destroying another British power station (exteriors aren't very sci-fi compared to the domed city of the pilot) to hide the theft of a Federation cipher (something they hide for as long as possible to create mystery). It makes for an exciting first act despite the pretty terrible fight choreography (Cally's flailing at an elite soldier somehow wins the day), and that excitement keep going! She's captured, they have to get her out, and even in the talking scenes, there's tension. In large part because we're finally meeting Jacqueline Pearce...
After a couple of "standard" episodes, it's time to introduce some recurring villains that hopefully KEEP us on mission. Pearce's Servalan, the "Supreme Commander" of the Federation's armed forces isn't just played by a striking actress, but goes against type. She's elegant, gracious, soft-spoken, and well, a WOMAN. She's not what you expect and you even want to like her despite her ruthlessness. But look beyond appearances. She's elegant because the Federation is treats its top 1% well. She's decadent, so she can flirt with her subaltern, implying she has used him for sex before. And though some of her men apparently have principles, she runs roughshod over them, reinstating a disgraced "butcher" as their Space Commander, all because she wants someone who holds a grudge against Blake and is therefore highly motivated to catch him. This is Travis, a man who was almost killed by Blake in another life (the first rebel career we never see) and has some bionic body parts to show for it. He's evil, he's merciless, he's relentless. Your basic mid-level boss. Servalan is the more interesting creation. And her base, a wheel in space, looks pretty cool. This is one of the pieces they actually spent money on (amortize!!!).
The Federation is pretty competent in this (give or take its Storm Troopers). They seem to know a LOT about Blake's new ship, enough to discuss Blake's transporter capabilities and recognize the wand guns for what they are. Some of this tech has been left behind, so perhaps that's how. I really appreciate the forensics team and how they figure out Blake has the cipher, which Travis then uses to lure the rebels into a trap. It doesn't work - should have been faster with the laser ring - but the episode promises a rematch or two. Blake telling his old enemy that he doesn't matter enough to kill probably hurt more than getting his cyber-hand smashed. And so Blake can continue to be a legend. Already the people are starting to give him credit for anything that goes wrong for the Federation.
While director Vere Lorrimer has some nice ideas about editing - I like how dialog in one scene bleeds over into the next in voice-over - he's a bad choreographer. It's not just the fight either. Blake gasps and throws himself on the ground as a goofy robot approaches, and only then tries to warn Vila (not a great lookout). Vila then "fast talks" a couple guards who don't make any kind of move, which is ridiculous. Later, they all beam back to the ship and it seems to takes hours before they notice Cally's not with them. But perhaps there wasn't a way to stage this that would make it believable.
NOT MY FEDERATION: Like Trek's United Federation of Planets, this Federation is ruled by a president. Servalan is therefore akin to the topmost admiral in Starfleet.
BUT MIGHT BE MY EMPIRE: Servalan looks like a Mon Mothma type - a general in a fine gown - but flipped to the Dark Side. She's in reality the Grand Moff to Travis' Vader. Like Vader, he's a man in black with cybernetic body parts and a shared background with one of the heroes.
WHO?: First of all, I've heard the Daleks scream out "Seek, Locate, Exterminate!" too often not to make the link with the episode's title, even if the phrase doesn't come from the security robots with a Dalek-like "skirt" don't originate it. The other Terry Nation bit is the word "mutoids", which sounds like the Mutos of Skaro, but here represent cybernetically-enhanced men like Travis. It's a mangling of the word, but still calls attention to itself. Travis himself is played by Stephen Greif who would wait a long time to be in a Doctor Who - The Infinite Quest, voicing the character of Gurney. He has also lent his voice to a couple of documentaries found on the Doctor Who DVDs. Jacqueline Pearce of course famously played Chessene in The Two Doctors. As notable is Peter Miles as Secretary Rontane, especially considering the Dalek connection. He was Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks, but also Dr. Lawrence in Doctor Who and the Silurians and Professor Whitaker in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Peter Craze (Prell) is a recognizable name to Whostorians, he was Dako in The Space Museum, Du Pont in The War Games and Costa in Nightmare of Eden. Senator Bercol is John Bryans, who was in The Creature from the Pit. Ian Cullen played a subaltern called Escon here, but is best remembered as Ixta in Doctor Who's The Aztecs.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High: Great introductions for the villains and an exciting story for the heroes.
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