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Bounty (111)
I'm not sure how much the weekly watch-and-discuss is doing to keep the Lyst alive, because I get more response here when I post them a week later. But hey, it's a good excuse to see B7 again.
This one has two plots--the Sarkoff and the Amagon one-- but it still manages to be a bit slow for my taste. It does however have some great scenes.
Scenic delights
Cally goes all kick-arse guerrilla in her leopard-skin coat (pity about the high heels)--and uses her telepathy! She really looks quite feral at times: a lean and hungry predator. It's such a pity we didn't see much more of this side of her, or her telepathy being put to effective use; such a waste.
Gan is willing to die for the crew. Yes, he expects them to fire if it's a trap. This guy so isn't a psychopath.
Then there's Vila's monologue when he realises that it's not Gan and can't raise anyone on the comms: I love his panic and his final decision to make his personal investigation with a Liberator handgun (and the final little hesitation before he heads off determinedly). I presume he was simply knocked out with the sonovapour or whatever it was.
I also liked the scenes with Vila trying to take off Blake's collar (ignoring that it was hanging loose in shot), Blake's comments, Vila taking his chance to tell Avon to shut up, Avon's amused smile as he turns away, and Vila's surprise that Avon did in fact manage to open the door. Poor Vila though: I wonder how he got his own collar off. By looking in a mirror as I had him do in Vila Restal's E-mails?
Jenna
Jenna rocks in this. As always, she is cool, capable, and matter-of-fact, and I'm disappointed that the others don't pick up that she hasn't changed sides when she steps over the pile of handcuffs and doesn't let on about them. That must have hurt; even Cally believes she's betrayed them.
Jenna and Blake's exchange from the planet shows a certain fondness and trust between them, and Blake does say that he doesn't quite believe it.
Cally and Jenna really do seem to be friends as they exchange an understanding smirk about Tyce and Blake. I like that: it's subtly shown (in several episodes) and I'm very glad they didn't go with Jenna's initial hostility at the end of 'Time Squad'.
Tyce and Sarkoff
I like Tyce (who is played by the strangely geographically named Carinthia West). She's tough and intelligent and would probably make a much better leader than Sarkoff, though Sarkoff looks the part; he has that senior pol gravitas.
I know they're trying to make the viewer think that Tyce is Sarkoff's personal bodyguard and perhaps mistress, but it jars that she calls him 'Sarkoff'. Why would a daughter do that? Perhaps she's doing it for Blake's benefit but I don't see why. She does call him 'father' near the end; perhaps she was distancing herself when he was still playing the rejected martyr.
It seems a bit counter-productive for the Federation call their method of acquiring another planet the Lindor Strategy. They run the risk of the name getting out and blowing their whole game--as indeed happened.
The bounty
It's 13 million credits for the crew and the Liberator, and 12 without Jenna. I infer then that the crew rate a million each and the ship the remaining 7 (which makes sense given its superiority to everything else in the galaxy) but of course Blake might have a higher price on his head.
I also bet that Tarvin wouldn't have lived to collect it.
The Auronar
It's a bit thoughtless of Blake to rub it in to Cally that she failed and therefore can't return home--no, in fact it's bloody rude. So Lehan couldn't go home either, but will be able to if Sarkoff agrees an alliance; a society that won't forgive failure would be a hard one to live in. Such a pity that season 3 contradicts this with its Auronar isolationist policy and Cally being exiled for being a rebel, not failing to be a successful one. I wish they'd had at least a basic series bible.
Not one of my favourites but it has some fun scenes and some very witty lines, especially among the crew.
This one has two plots--the Sarkoff and the Amagon one-- but it still manages to be a bit slow for my taste. It does however have some great scenes.
Scenic delights
Cally goes all kick-arse guerrilla in her leopard-skin coat (pity about the high heels)--and uses her telepathy! She really looks quite feral at times: a lean and hungry predator. It's such a pity we didn't see much more of this side of her, or her telepathy being put to effective use; such a waste.
Gan is willing to die for the crew. Yes, he expects them to fire if it's a trap. This guy so isn't a psychopath.
Then there's Vila's monologue when he realises that it's not Gan and can't raise anyone on the comms: I love his panic and his final decision to make his personal investigation with a Liberator handgun (and the final little hesitation before he heads off determinedly). I presume he was simply knocked out with the sonovapour or whatever it was.
I also liked the scenes with Vila trying to take off Blake's collar (ignoring that it was hanging loose in shot), Blake's comments, Vila taking his chance to tell Avon to shut up, Avon's amused smile as he turns away, and Vila's surprise that Avon did in fact manage to open the door. Poor Vila though: I wonder how he got his own collar off. By looking in a mirror as I had him do in Vila Restal's E-mails?
Jenna
Jenna rocks in this. As always, she is cool, capable, and matter-of-fact, and I'm disappointed that the others don't pick up that she hasn't changed sides when she steps over the pile of handcuffs and doesn't let on about them. That must have hurt; even Cally believes she's betrayed them.
Jenna and Blake's exchange from the planet shows a certain fondness and trust between them, and Blake does say that he doesn't quite believe it.
Cally and Jenna really do seem to be friends as they exchange an understanding smirk about Tyce and Blake. I like that: it's subtly shown (in several episodes) and I'm very glad they didn't go with Jenna's initial hostility at the end of 'Time Squad'.
Tyce and Sarkoff
I like Tyce (who is played by the strangely geographically named Carinthia West). She's tough and intelligent and would probably make a much better leader than Sarkoff, though Sarkoff looks the part; he has that senior pol gravitas.
I know they're trying to make the viewer think that Tyce is Sarkoff's personal bodyguard and perhaps mistress, but it jars that she calls him 'Sarkoff'. Why would a daughter do that? Perhaps she's doing it for Blake's benefit but I don't see why. She does call him 'father' near the end; perhaps she was distancing herself when he was still playing the rejected martyr.
It seems a bit counter-productive for the Federation call their method of acquiring another planet the Lindor Strategy. They run the risk of the name getting out and blowing their whole game--as indeed happened.
The bounty
It's 13 million credits for the crew and the Liberator, and 12 without Jenna. I infer then that the crew rate a million each and the ship the remaining 7 (which makes sense given its superiority to everything else in the galaxy) but of course Blake might have a higher price on his head.
I also bet that Tarvin wouldn't have lived to collect it.
The Auronar
It's a bit thoughtless of Blake to rub it in to Cally that she failed and therefore can't return home--no, in fact it's bloody rude. So Lehan couldn't go home either, but will be able to if Sarkoff agrees an alliance; a society that won't forgive failure would be a hard one to live in. Such a pity that season 3 contradicts this with its Auronar isolationist policy and Cally being exiled for being a rebel, not failing to be a successful one. I wish they'd had at least a basic series bible.
Not one of my favourites but it has some fun scenes and some very witty lines, especially among the crew.
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One of the Amagon warriors is Derrick Branche, who was Ram Gupte the male nurse in Only When I Laugh. There's a crossover there somewhere...
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Yes, I think it gets a B.
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Tarvin has some kind of device that opens the collars--he uses it on Jenna's. Presumably they found it on him after he was killed.
One of the things I really like about this episode is the way it shows Blake's growing ruthlessness. He doesn't hesitate to bully an unwilling old man. Blake smashing the record and threatening to smash everything is an especially powerful moment; what he's doing is a kind of psychological torture. Mind you, I don't think Blake was unjustified, but I feel a lot of pity for Sarkoff in that scene.
And I love the use of music in the scene leading up to that. It creates a very effective mood of melancholy and nostalgia--doubly so because it's clear from the performance that Sarkoff already knows Blake's going to make him leave and he's going to lose his little home and his treasures. (I like to imagine that he took the butterflies along with him, hidden under his coat.)
During the interior shots of Sarkoff's castle, the usual ad hoc look of the sets (where everything looks like a particularly dubious episode of Changing Rooms) was, for once, exactly right. Gothic arches made of aluminum, silver-painted brick--it perfectly fits the way Sarkoff is constructing a refuge out of a past that he doesn't understand. And he's so proud of his perfect historical detail! I love his costume, too--the cloak and hat (a bit Quentin Crisp, which I like), the damask coat, and underneath it a much more "modern" coat with silver trim (again, the old-fashioned facade).
And, of course, I love the things everyone loves, like the Avon-Vila banter, Avon's lockpick in his shoe, and Tyce trying to flirt with Blake (it's a lost cause, dear). I was also strangely charmed by the blooper of Blake's collar being visibly open in one shot. The BBC really didn't do retakes in those days, did they?
A few things trouble me, especially the fact that the baddies (ruthless, untrustworthy, vicious space pirates) were basically dressed up as Arabs. Racial stereotypes = creepy.
Also creepy, in my opinion, was the way we were supposed to spend most of the episode believing Tyce was Sarkoff's girlfriend, and she turns out to be his daughter. I didn't find it clever, just icky and pointless.
Oh, and on a much more shallow note, Avon's outfit is one of his worst from S1. The silver pattern on the tunic is just ugly, and I'm not loving the green turtleneck under it, either.
But I do like Cally's fluffy fur coat.
ETA: Considering the Liberator has a teleport, you'd think it would also have a reliable intercom system. But apparently not.
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It wasn't a simple process though; he takes a while to open Jenna's. I'd assume there's a special sequence one has to use to prevent prisoners freeing themselves easily with a captured device. Perhaps Avon sussed it and released Vila though I still think Vila did it himself. Besides, he might not trust anyone else. ;-)
Yes, a lot of people really dislike Blake smashing the record--a priceless historical artefact. I know why he did it, but it is indeed a sign of his growing readiness to let the end justify the means. I don't like the comment he makes to Cally either about knowing what it's like to fail. Pretty nasty when everyone but her died on Saurian Major.
I'm sure Sarkoff has more and better treasures on Lindor which incidentally I imagine as a civilised and cultured place with a European feel.
I'm not sure that the Amagons were that bad. I get the impression that they're pretty much what Jenna was like as a free trader, and she certainly was happy enough to deal with them in the past whereas she drew the line at doing business with the Terra Nostra and carrying shadow. Tarvin has no intention of killing anyone; just selling them to the Federation; I prefer his brand of badness to the theirs with their institutionalised slavery (bond slaves, families of deserters sold etc). I'm not sure what the attitude to Arabs was when the ep was made. The Amagons might even have been intended to be charming rogues; Tarvin was, rather.
Yes, I remember when I watched a few years ago that I assumed Tyce was his bodyguard and more. I wonder why they wanted us to think that? It served no plot purpose.
Cally's coat is lovely! It suits her. I should have deployed my 'predatory' mood icon as it features her in that coat. :-)
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My OH's team at work has one member whose religion prohibits her from joining in with Christmas festivities of any sort so they have a This is nothing to do with Christmas lunch at the end of November, just before the decorations and festive menus arrive. That way they can all enjoy a meal out together.
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A Jehovah's Witness or something like that? I believe they even ban birthdays. Most places here have 'end-of-year functions' rather than Christmas ones because a lot of the country closes down for a month so everything is generally frantic this month (it's the 1st here) then quiet in January. It's definitely a close-off which just adds to all the stress. What used to get me though is that a lot of places I've worked give hams to staff which is offensive to at least two religions and all vegetarians. I always gave mine away and ended up with nothing till I complained at one place and they changed it to a choice of ham, turkey, or a vege hamper. :-)
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Yes.
give hams to staff
Much as I enjoy a good piece of ham that is the item to offend the maximum number of people. Turkey would have been a more acceptable default and still has scope for upset. The choice you prompted sounds much better.
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