Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoBlakes 7 - Trial
April 4th 2007 10:53
"Be gentle Zil!"
Another interesting episode of Blakes 7 here, this one kicks off with a look into the justice system of the Federation, and at first it looks like Blake and co. may not even appear. But, in keeping with the structure of past episodes, we're soon given two apparently disparate storylines that dovetail together in the final moments of the story.
Blake is feeling guilty about Gan's death and he decides to bail out on the ship, heading down to a remote jungle planet for some 'alone time' so he and the crew can take stock of their situation and decide what's to be done next. Meanwhile, the time has come for Servalan to save her own arse for all her past failures in dealing with Blake, and so she stitches up her partner in the crime, Travis. Travis is subsequently put on trial for his role in a massacre (I would've thought the Federation cared little for addressing such atrocities), the reality of the situation being that he is being sent to his death by Servalan so no one can question him about her own ambitions and failures. Travis knows this, but plays along anyway.
I liked this episode. It was cool to see the corrupt machinations of the Federation up close... the upper echelons of the goverment seem to echo the double-dealing and backstabbing of ancient Rome, and Servalan's self-serving interests have never been clearer. It was also good to see Blake questioning his purposes and what he has gotten everyone into, giving The Liberator crew some much-needed character development. Blake's misadventures on the jungle planet are a little strange though, and for the first time we actually get a clear look at an alien-looking alien, the jittery monkey-like reptile Zil, though it's subplot seems a little bizarre and irrelevent.
I liked the way the two main storylines came together in this episode, though I'm not sure how much more Travis I can take. He was cool in the first series when Stephen Greif played him, but cockney Brian Croucher's portrayal in this second series really gets on my nerves. Oh well.
Some quotes...
JENNA: It's getting worse for him, isn't it?
AVON: Guilt does that.
JENNA: What would you know about guilt?
AVON: Only what I've read.
VILA: Paradise this is not.
AVON: Perhaps Blake knows something that we don't.
VILA: There aren't even any people down there.
AVON: So it has at least one aspect of paradise.
(About Gan)
VILA: He was straightforward. Wasn't always expecting to be cheated and double-crossed - not like us. He trusted people, he trusted Blake completely.
JENNA: Much good it did him.
AVON: What do you think we should do then?
JENNA: Suggest something.
AVON: Well now, I find the idea of being wealthy rather appealing.
AVON: Is it that Blake has a genius for leadership? (Points at Vila and Cally) Or merely that you have a genius for being led?
BLAKE: Next time I want to think I'll do it in my cabin.
AVON: I should stick to action Blake, that's what you're good at.
VARNIA: I am trying to save your life.
TRAVIS: You'd be better occupied trying to save your own, Varnia. Majors can die quite anonymously, and your involvement in this fiasco makes your life expectency only slightly longer than my own.
TRAVIS: The Federation is run by hypocrites and supported by fools. I'll be glad to be rid of you all.
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