The finale really works, it was a very bold creative choice to ‘kill’ everyone off. The scene is well shot and acted and honestly it is really good ending. Not many shows end like that.
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Started rewatching from season 1 with @deltaandthebannermen since I got access to the new blu - ray season 1
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I forgot this thread existed!!!
I’ve recently started a watch though and been really enjoying it so far.
Just finished episode 2, and it feels like the ‘real story’ is about to begin, which I’m definitely looking forward to.
You can definitely tell Nation was used to 25 minute stories though, both episodes so far, especially the second, have very much felt like two-25 minute episodes put together
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The behind the scenes stuff was that terry nation wrote the original script but it was up to Chris Boucher to buff up the scripts to 50 minutes. Its why often extra stuff feels tagged on so they could have more screen time.
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@JayPea What is your favourite episode so far
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I’m still only two episodes in unfortunately
I find it really hard to sit down and watch shows quite often
Just discovered these via BlueSky. They look really good but, my goodness, they’re expensive!!
Just finished Episode 3!
Seems the setup stuff is mostly done now and we’re starting to get into the regular format which is lovely
Another story where you can tell Nation is used to writing 25 minute stories, with there being what could easily have been a cliffhanger at around the halfway mark (much less obvious than the prior two stories though)
Also Brian Blessed!!!
Who doesn’t love Brian Blessed!!!
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Yep, 3 is a good one, Be prepared for 4 as it has some ‘budget issues’
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Star One with updated effects!!
No More Dishwasher Aliens
And the end of ‘Shadow’
Oh hell yeah. The whole Blake era on Blu-Ray (the era I overall prefer, hot take).
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Having rewatched it all recently I revised my opinion that 3 was my favourite season and realised the strongest and most consistent were those two seasons with Blake.
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It must be time for a party, we found common ground. As much as I love Avon, likely my favorite character, there was something about the way he and Blake had some conflict, butting heads and disagreeing, but still getting stuff done that was a bit of a driving force for the show, and I think that was lost when it became Avon’s show. He’d disagree with Tarrant or Vila, but it was pretty much just decided that whatever Avon said went, where it felt more like an even match between him and Blake before, even if it was usually Blake’s call in the end. Probably the main reason I prefer series A and B to C and D. I also think Blake, Avon, Vila, Jenna, Cally, Orac, and Zen (sure I’ll count Zen) with or without Gan was the best iteration of the crew. Tarrant, Dayna, Soolin, and Slave while not bad at all, just didn’t work for me as well as the original crew. Oh, and losing Liberator was a crime.
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Really enjoyed the making of documentary on the Bluray. Lots of interesting talking heads, fun anecdotes and loads of Doctor Who clips!
Listened to the Bayban the Butcher set again. It still holds up.
The first episode is definitely the strongest in both story and characterization. Bayban feels closest to his TV self in this one. He’s deliciously bad.
The second episode goes off the rails. Not only is Bayban treated as some kind of pseudo-romantic, the plotline doesn’t make sense for his character. There’s no way a man as impatient as he would go through the entire charade of courting a princess just to get access to her wealth through marriage. There are also a few lines that seem more suitable for Six than Bayban, as they’re more silly. This is entire second episode feels like a unused Doctor Who idea that was repurposed as a Blake’s 7 one. The ending gets an “A” grade though.
The third reminds me of the SAW franchise, where a mysterious overseer gathers a bunch of unlikely people into a building with the intent to kill them in various ways. The overseer in this case is Bayban, who is annihilating his imprisoned enemies one by one. This one has a fascinating storyline, but the way its gone about, again, doesn’t seem in character for him. Bayban going through the trouble to create a banquet for his B7 enemies complete with fine dining doesn’t seem like something he’d do considering he was skeet shooting with the other unnamed prisoners. I can’t imagine him wasting all that time playing pat-a-cake with people he wants to kill.
The set in general is an entertaining listen, but it begs the question of how it would’ve been tackled in the old days of BF when they were more explicit in depicting graphic scenes (or a different production unit entirely). Bayban’s not a character that can be sanitized, and after listening to this set I don’t come away with the impression that he’s this ruthless, bloodthirsty, avaricious criminal, but someone who’s bored and spends his time causing problems because he has nothing else to do. That first audio, though? whew. I love myself some Baybe.
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I really want to explore the various B7 spin offs but funds don’t really allow for it at the moment (and I’ve still got lots of ‘main series’ ones to listen to).
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