Anyone still here to talk to a newbie about Blakes7?

[Fred]

Hi,

Just started watching Blakes 7 and wondered if there was anyone left
here to talk about it?

TIA

[patric aristide]

Unfortunately some bastard nicked my series two DVD set, but yeah
still worth watching.

Patric
--
GL

[Igenlode Wordsmith]

On 22 May 2012 Fred wrote:

> Just started watching Blakes 7 and wondered if there was anyone left
> here to talk about it?
>

We'd love to hear your episode-by-episode reactions, especially coming
from someone who is completely new to the series! Might spark a bit of
discussion, too...

--
Igenlode Wordsmith

Blake's 7 fan-fiction & reviews - http://ivory.vlexofree.com/Tower/B7.html

[Igenlode Wordsmith]

On 11 Jun 2012 Fred wrote:

[snip]

> I found the end of the second series and start of the third series a
> bit disappointing. I wish Blake and Jenna had filmed a bit for the
> first episode of the third series. It seemed so obvious that they were
> not there.

I suppose it was a question of the absence of the actors rather than of
the characters....

I spent ages (well, several episodes) wondering when Avon was going to
catch up with them, and eventually more or less resigned myself to the
realisation that they weren't coming back :-(

I always used to think (in S1 & S2) that Avon was my favourite character
because he got all the best lines; but when Blake wasn't there any more
I realised that it had been him. Either that, or Avon changed. Perhaps
both. Partly it was that Blake had hope, and an end in sight; Avon
really didn't, and S3 & S4 were basically a scrabble to survive.

(But no, I think Blake *was* my favourite character; I get very annoyed
by fan-fiction that goes down the bash-Blake route in order to elevate
Avon to the role of misunderstood hero.)

>
> I learnt that Gareth Thomas wanted to leave to do something different
> (Shakespeare). I did not know that Jenna was going to leave. In fact
> this is what prompted me to search for this group: to ask why did
> Sally Knyvette leave at the same time?

I believe it was because she was frustrated by what was being done with
her character; Jenna was supposed to be a hard-as-nails pilot, a
shoot-from-the-hip outlaw (whereas *Avon* was supposed to be a
desk-bound type who'd never killed anyone in his life; if we take him at
his own word, anyway), but by the end of S2 she was complaining that
Jenna was basically just being used as a teleport operator while the men
went off and had all the adventures. It's a pity, because Jenna was
potentially an interesting character -- and I think Terry Nation's
original concept (look at some of the early episodes, e.g. "Project
Avalon" where we see Jenna shooting down Federation opposition in the
tunnels) was for a much more active role.

I don't know if the introduction of Dayna as a super-aggressive
'warrior' type was intended to redress this balance... Dayna never
really made much impression on me as a character.

What do people remember as Dayna's best episodes?

>
> I'm finding it hard to warm to Tarrant and Dana. I don't understand
> why Vila and Avon allow Tarrant to be in charge. Especially Avon, who
> wanted command of the ship for so long when Blake was on it.

Avon wanted the ship - but did he want the responsibility for the rest
of the crew as well? Running off with it solo might have been more his
style: in fact he proposes that to Jenna back in S1 -- the Avon/Jenna
dynamic is another aspect of Jenna's character that was rather wasted,
come to think of it. You've got two dominant and basically selfish
'Alpha' individuals both in some sense falling under Blake's spell
against what would normally be their better judgement; in one sense they
are natural allies for the mercenary principle, in another they are
natural rivals for the position of second-in-command. Blake's influence
makes them both better people than they would otherwise be; Avon is
probably more defensive about that than Jenna is. They are both highly
articulate and intelligent in defending their respective corners. All
this makes for an uneasy relationship.

But just push Jenna into the background and concentrate on Avon v.
Blake, and you've lost a lot of potential...

--
If a permanent cure for depression really exists, it has to be the sight
of a grown man with a needle-point rapier leaping around, swinging on
chandeliers with Devil-May-Care Abandon(TM) with an arch-nemesis matching
him quip for quip... --Phil Hoad

[The Saltex Brujo]

In the US, the UK imports of each season [i have them all] tend to be a
tad pricey and need an 'all-regions' DVD player here to play them [as
they are Region 2 and we are Region 1].
i wish they would redo the efx with CGI as there are snippets of CGI
cuts in the intros. it would be awesome to see the LIBERATOR in CGI
action against Federation battle groups.


                              _
                            /'_/)
                          ,/_  /
                         /    /
                   /'_'/'   '/'__'7,
                /'/    /    /    /" /_\
               ('(    ' Fuck     /'   ')  
            \      You'          /
                 '\'              _.7'
                   \             (
                     \            \
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS DA DEVIL!

DON'T TAZE MY GRANNY!

BEWARE OF OL' JEEZL PETE.

2012: YEAR OF THE ROBBY.

[Fred]

On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:00:28 +0100, Igenlode Wordsmith
<Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:


>I suppose it was a question of the absence of the actors rather than of
>the characters....

When did the actors playing Blake and Jenna decide they wanted to
leave? Was the alien invasion written especially to explain their exit
or was the story always planned and just adapted to accommodate them
leaving?

When was the last episode of s2 and the first episode of s3 recorded?
I can understand if s3 was recorded some time later, the actors may
have been involved in other projects by then and have been unable to
film segments but couldn't they have filmed the first episode of s3
back to back with the last episode of s2? That way they could have
recorded shots of Blake and Jenna escaping. That's all that was
needed.

The fact that they did not film these brief clips, makes me wonder
whether it was some time after s2 ended that the actors decided not to
return, otherwise I think they could have found "tidier" ways to allow
them to leave.

>I spent ages (well, several episodes) wondering when Avon was going to
>catch up with them, and eventually more or less resigned myself to the
>realisation that they weren't coming back :-(

Me too. I came across a spolier (I wish I hadn't) that told me Blake
was leaving but I did not know how or when. I quickly realised that
this was probably how he left but I remained hopeful that Jenna would
return. I was disappointed when she did not.

There are a few things that don't make sense in Blakes7. One of them
is that the Liberator didn't go looking for Blake and Jenna. I
understand why this could not happen but if you look at it as a story
about real people, rather than actors in a show, the plot is flawed.

Whilst you could argue Avon would have been glad to get rid of Blake
and get the ship, surely Villa and Cally would have demanded to look
for them?

I never liked that Avon bought Tarrant, Dayna, or Soolin on board. It
seemed every time someone left, another person had to be introduced to
restore the crew to the "seven". I don't think Avon would have wanted
more outsiders; he tolerated Jenna and Vila because they were useful.
I'm not convinced that their replacements were.

I think Avon said they need Tarrant because they need a pilot. I'm not
sure why they needed a pilot, considering so much of the piloting was
automatic through Zen and the battle computers. If they really needed
a good pilot, it would have made sense to go looking for Jenna. Better
the devil you know.

Also wouldn't Blake have wanted to return to the Liberator, with it
being the most advanced ship there was? His battles against the
federation would have been much harder without it (and its teleport,
and orac and perhaps even his "seven"). And wouldn't Jenna have tried
to return for the thrill of piloting an advanced ship or for all the
jewels on board?

I think that if the actors wanted to leave, it might have been more
elegant to have had Blake captured. Blake could escape or be rescued
at a later date if the actor wanted to return to the show. I think
they could have made Jenna and Blake leave in different episodes too.
A third of the cast leaving in one go was a bit too much.

Jenna could have been captured but it would have been weak if the same
thing happened to both her and Blake, so an alternative exit would
have been better. She could have met the same fate as Gan but that
wouldn't have been very nice, so we can rule that out. That only
leaves her finding true love and living happily ever after somewhere!

>I always used to think (in S1 & S2) that Avon was my favourite character
>because he got all the best lines; but when Blake wasn't there any more
>I realised that it had been him. Either that, or Avon changed. Perhaps
>both. Partly it was that Blake had hope, and an end in sight; Avon
>really didn't, and S3 & S4 were basically a scrabble to survive.

>(But no, I think Blake *was* my favourite character; I get very annoyed
>by fan-fiction that goes down the bash-Blake route in order to elevate
>Avon to the role of misunderstood hero.)

I didn't like Blake that much. He seemed a bit too bossy and I never
understood why the others put up with him. But I agree, at least he
had a plan and a reason for doing it.

I think Avon did change. In s4 he was trying to build a resistance
against the federation and seemed to have become a clone of Blake in
that regard.

>I believe it was because she was frustrated by what was being done with
>her character; Jenna was supposed to be a hard-as-nails pilot, a
>shoot-from-the-hip outlaw (whereas *Avon* was supposed to be a
>desk-bound type who'd never killed anyone in his life; if we take him at
>his own word, anyway), but by the end of S2 she was complaining that
>Jenna was basically just being used as a teleport operator while the men
>went off and had all the adventures. It's a pity, because Jenna was
>potentially an interesting character

>I don't know if the introduction of Dayna as a super-aggressive
>'warrior' type was intended to redress this balance... Dayna never
>really made much impression on me as a character.

Now that I think back, she did seem to sit at the teleport more as the
series progressed and I agree with her, that this was a waste of her
character. Unfortunately, when she left they promoted Villa to the
role of teleport operator.

I think Vila's character was under-used too. Whilst he gave some comic
relief, I don't think Blake or Avon would have tolerated just a clown.
They regarded him highly as a "locksmith". Avon told Tarrant that Vila
would be hard to replace and the few episodes when Vila was lock
picking, such as the one with Colin Baker's Babe, show him to be a
genius in his field. Sadly he didn't get many opportunities to show us
that.

The Blake at Pebble Mill interview shows some props,including a
teleport bracelet and Gareth says these were stolen as souvenirs and
they did not have enough for everyone, so scripts were rewritten to
leave some people on the Liberator. Why would he say this if it was
not true? I does seem crazy if they made Jenna stay by the teleport
simply because they had no bracelet. Why couldn't they make a couple
more?

>Avon wanted the ship - but did he want the responsibility for the rest
>of the crew as well?

Yes, this is why I feel uncomfortable with Tarrant, Dayna, and Soolin
coming along. I don't feel Avon would have wanted them.

Now that I have finished s4, I have started to watch the interviews
and there is an interview in which Paul says he doesn't think Avon
would have given Tarrant and Dayna voice control over Zen but it had
to be done to progress the series. I agree with him. It's another
inconsistency in the plot.

I feel that in s4 Avon did show responsibility for the crew and
perhaps you could even say his attempts to form a resistance show a
responsibility to humanity? This is a very different Avon to the cold,
loner of the first series.

> Running off with it solo might have been more his
>style: in fact he proposes that to Jenna back in S1 -- the Avon/Jenna
>dynamic is another aspect of Jenna's character that was rather wasted,
>come to think of it. You've got two dominant and basically selfish
>'Alpha' individuals both in some sense falling under Blake's spell
>against what would normally be their better judgement; in one sense they
>are natural allies for the mercenary principle, in another they are
>natural rivals for the position of second-in-command. Blake's influence
>makes them both better people than they would otherwise be; Avon is
>probably more defensive about that than Jenna is. They are both highly
>articulate and intelligent in defending their respective corners. All
>this makes for an uneasy relationship.

I agree. I think Jenna and Avon competing for second place would have
been good.

[Fred]

On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:00:28 +0100, Igenlode Wordsmith
<Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:

>

>I suppose it was a question of the absence of the actors rather than of
>the characters....

I've started a new thread (called "series three") because I felt that
was more descriptive than my OP. I hope you will all join me there ;)

[anne...@yahoo.ca]

Hi, Tia,

I watched this series when it first came out in 1978, and was hooked - mainly because, for some obscure reason "that I can't quite fathom", I fell for Avon!

More recently I appreciate the parallels of what's now going on our world, and how most people are unaware as to what's really going on.

Regards,

AH

[Igenlode Wordsmith]

On 5 Jul 2012 Fred wrote:

>On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:00:28 +0100, Igenlode Wordsmith wrote:
>
>>
>>I suppose it was a question of the absence of the actors rather than of
>>the characters....
>
>I've started a new thread (called "series three") because I felt that
>was more descriptive than my OP. I hope you will all join me there ;)

I feel I really need to get round to rewatching some of series three
before I can opine reasonably on it :-(
--
Igenlode Visit the Ivory Tower http://ivory.vlexofree.com/Tower/

The moment you stop being polite, you lose credibility in what you say.