30 Days of Blake's 7 - day 14

[vilakins]

Day 14: Character you relate to the most

There are two for different reasons.

Avon (in S1 and S2) for being introverted, independent, resentful at being ordered around, contemptuous of sheer stupidity (I channel his snark about our local and national government), and a geek somewhat lacking in social skills. Not that I'd want to know him.

Vila for being anxious and sensibly scared. Seriously, I'd have been terrified; he's much braver than I am because he can function despite the fear. I also enjoy wordplay and board games. To me, Vila does react to that life in a much more believable way than the others, and I would want to know him.

All the questions are on Tumblr.

Comments

[dickinsons]

I haven't started doing this meme yet, but I feel like my answers would be very closed. Vila's behaviour is the most relatable to me because of the reasons you mention. It's really admirable that he keeps going in spite of how terrified he often is, especially because I know how hard it is living like that day-to-day since I'm a very anxious person.

[vilakins]

I know I wouldn't have been able to cope. I do get that Vila can perform well when he's concentrating on something like a lock because there's no room for the fear. Distraction works well. :)

[oracne]

Also this.

[oracne]

THIS!

[kitarella_imagines]

I think I'm more of a Vila than an Avon, with a bit of Cally and Blake in. I don't mind stupidity if it's harmless, like people who are just simple and don't understand but like you I can't stand stupid governments. I'd probably be more terrified than Vila! lol.

It is the sign of a good show when we can see ourselves in one or more of the characters, isn't it😊

[vilakins]

I don't get angry with people - Avon was horrible to Gan who was so patient about it, and I hate that; there was no excuse. The government and our council (now a national laughingstock) however can be relied on to make the worst possible decisions, and it makes me savage. Not that I can do anything about it.

I'm actually more Vila than Avon too but have more listable things in common with Avon. Vila would be the one I'd want as a friend.

[kitarella_imagines]

Oh, you sounded angry with me when I recommended The Professionals to you but you didn't like the show. I think this happens with me too, I sound angry when I'm just passionate, or enthusiastic, or have a lot to say about a subject. People think I'm attacking them. Maybe it's an autistic thing, we sound angry when we are just passionate. Dunno.

Yes what had the innocent Gan done to deserve Avon's rudeness? The only time Avon was nice to him was when his limiter malfunctioned and Avon was ready to kill that surgeon who wouldn't operate. Something like that anyway, can't remember.

Vila would be a great friend. If Avon liked someone though, I bet he'd be more likely to save their life.

[vilakins]

I was angry with the sexism of The Professionals, certainly not you! But yeah, maybe it's an autism thing. I know I sometimes upset people just for giving an opinion. On the local FB page I restrict myself to facts.

All of them combined to help Gan in that episode, which was nice, though poor Gan only got 9 lines. Avon was so verbally mean though.

I think Avon would always put himself first if it was him or them to live. If not, then he does sometimes show that he cares.

[kitarella_imagines]

Oh good, I am so used to upsetting people with every comment I make, that it worries me when I think I've upset my friends. I just see The Professionals as a historical show with historical attitudes, like a show about Henry VIII or the Victorians. And Bodie and Doyle save so many lives, they are the morally grey good guys.

I have more or less given up saying anything to anyone. I upset them by giving an opinion because it isn’t the same as theirs. I upset them by giving facts and information because they wanted some emotions. I don’t understand people.

It was nice the gang worked together to help Gan. Yes Avon was just nasty for the sake of it and he didn’t have the jokey relationship with him that he does with Vila, who could give back as much as he got.

I suppose the only time we saw Avon forced to choose was Orbit, but it’s debatable whether he was really trying to kill Vila or not, isn’t it. I wonder if he had to save Anna any time? I wish we’d seen more of their relationship, it would explain more about Avon.

[vilakins]

I think Avon was definitely ambivalent in Orbit but would have had to kill Vila if he'd found him.

I see Avon as autistic and not very good at expressing his feelings, or possibly even recognising them. As for Anna (who was deceptive on so many levels, even with her brother, that I have no idea who she really was), I could have done without her. Avon felt guilty about not being able to save her when he thought she'd been tortured and killed - I wonder if she felt at all guilty about that. She really did a job on Avon; he turned so cold after that.

[kitarella_imagines]

I love to think that somehow Vila also had a gun and he would have shot Avon instead. Or did they leave their guns behind on Scorpio or somewhere?

I've seen people talking about Avon being autistic, I never thought he was, I always thought of him as a narcissist. HOWEVER people easily confuse autists and narcissists because some traits seem the same e.g. talking about themselves a lot. With autists it’s just giving information. Whereas with narcissists it is because they love the sound of their own voice. So he could indeed be autistic instead.

Also, men in the 1970s were not supposed to show emotions. They were meant to be tough, emotionless, stoic. So that probably played into Paul Darrow’s portrayal of Avon. I also think Paul Darrow might have been autistic, from what I've read about things he’s said and done. But obviously I don’t know! Maybe why he excelled at playing Avon though.

That’s exactly it—if we’d seen more of Avon and Anna’s relationship, not just that weird bedroom scene, it would have explained more about him. I wasn’t interested enough in him to think through it like you did though.

[vilakins]

The stoic natures of all of them probably are very probably due to the era, which makes Vila so different and engaging. As for Anna, we don't see enough of her to know why someone like Avon was obsessed with her. I've never liked that storyline and what it did to Avon, and I don't understand Anna herself, deceiving Avon and her own brother and letting them think she was dead. Maybe the writer forgot she had a brother; that's quite likely. Continuity wasn't a big thing back then either.

[oracne]

Gan really had a rough go on that show. He needs more fic.