vilakins: Vila with stars superimposed (stand)
Nico ([personal profile] vilakins) wrote2008-02-08 12:00 am

Pressure Point (205)

Oh no, they killed Gan!

Blake
I get so angry with Blake, the manipulative bastard, in this ep, I yell at the screen. He lies to the crew before they've even teleported. "All right, I didn't expect you to welcome the idea. That's why I misled you just a little." Oh yes, way to respect your crew, Blake.
Then he says, "All right, if it looks as if we have less than an even chance, I promise I'll call the whole thing off." Yeah, right. First the signal is late but he goes ahead, then he teleports a mile away--a mile!--and blithely says everything's fine without even moving from his spot in the woods, then he lies through his teeth about Kasabi's absence. This is the beginning of his ruthless obsession with his cause at all costs.

Gan
Gan is so kind and gentle with Veron. Fie on those idiots who think he's a psychopath. Sadly, this ep probably gives him more to do and say than any other. [hugs Gan]

Vila
As this is a Terry Nation ep, Vila is nervous but brave enough to volunteer with the others, and though he complains he doesn’t feel well, it's all words--he goes and is a Very Useful Thief. He also gets some great lines. And his worst costume of the series. What were they thinking?

Avon
Avon knows perfectly well that Blake is being evasive and that things are not all right at all; why in that case does he teleport anyway; he wants the Liberator that much? I half-expected him to call Blake on that, but he doesn't. He's remarkably forbearing when Blake deserved a lot less.
[Edit] Ah yes, the red lobster suit. Greg said it made him look like a Goauld in head and shoulder shots. Avon would make a good Goauld. (And no, I can't be bothered finding out where the stupid apostrophe goes.)

Kasabi
I don't know why people say that Terry Nation can't write. Once again we have great characters (both crew and otherwise) . We learn a lot about Kasabi, her ideals, and her strength in a short time on screen, and quite a lot about Servalan too.
Even Arle and Berg are well-drawn even though they don’t last long.

Travis
OK, he's the weak link here. He's petulant and rude to Servalan, and I can't believe she takes it from a subordinate. The bit where they almost scrap like kids makes me laugh though. I'm not sure what's wrong here: Croucher's portrayal or the dialogue he's given. I suspect the former as an actor's delivery can completely change the effect of lines.

An excellent ep, and one which really gets the season 2 Central Control arc moving.

Yay, up to date (for a while anyway). I'm going on holiday tomorrow for two weeks, but I may get round to watching and posting when I'm away depending on time and inclination.

[identity profile] jacteest.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
What of Avon's outfit then? Can you blame me for wanting to put him into better costumes? Most of the stuff he wears is awful.

Holiday...that sounds wonderful. Have fun!

[identity profile] san-valentine.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm mostly worried by the dress Servalan is wearing at the end (if memory serves - haven't actually watched this in a while). I'm sure it's the one with the lizard hanging onto her tits.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
It is! And it looks painful.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah yes, the red lobster suit. Greg said it made him look like a Goauld in head and shoulder shots.

I shall!

[identity profile] hafren.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 01:11 pm (UTC)(link)
why in that case does he teleport anyway?

Well, you know how some of us would explain it:) But another possible explanation is that Avon too is willing to take a big risk if it will indirectly lead to him getting the Liberator.

He's remarkably forbearing when Blake deserved a lot less.

Perhaps because Blake, for once, has failed. I think Avon gets understandably irritated when Blake takes stupid risks and gets away with it; Avon likes him a lot better when he's down and needy. He goes back for him at the end too, when he's stayed behind with Gan.

"I'm not worth dying for" must really lacerate Blake, because the unspoken implication is "but you are; that's why we went along with this idiocy".

I really love the way, when the men have cocked it all up, who should appear like a dea ex machina to sort it out for them but Jenna! It's also, IMO, a brilliant bit of memory on the writer's part to have Servalan say "who are you?" It's a fact that she and Jenna have never met so far in the series, but I hadn't clocked it until that moment!
I like this ep a lot; it's an angst fan's dream really.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Avon too is willing to take a big risk if it will indirectly lead to him getting the Liberator.

And then he just mucked about in it in S3. A Ratty at heart.

Wow, continuity! I don't think Servalan ever met Soolin at all, which I've used. Greg said, "How will they get out off Earth now?" when Veron took the bracelets, and I said, "Wait and see." I suppose Jenna had all the bracelets in her bag.

[identity profile] the-summoning-d.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I quite like this episode. Kasabi and her people (Especially Veron) feel very real, even though we see little of them. But I dislike Blake intensely in this one. Apparently the greater good doesn't involve keeping his crew alive and sane.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly! It's a very good ep. The lack of Terry Nation really shows up in S3.

[identity profile] babel.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Eugh, I daydream about how good Greif would have been in this episode. He could take all those vaguely cheesy villain lines and make them actually scary and powerful. Sigh. Why did Croucher get most of the good, plotty Travis episodes?

Poor Gan. I'm curious as to how I'll view this episode when I get to it on my rewatch now that I don't detest Blake anymore.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
You'll detest him in this one.

[identity profile] babel.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I have already seen it and detested him through it. But, I feel less antagonistic toward him now that I've see the show play out? I hated him because I feared he'd be a Kirk sort of character who was so loved by the narrative he never had to face real consequences. OBVIOUSLY it didn't play out that way, so I like him a lot better with his real faults.

I don't mind if he makes stupid mistakes. I would mind if the narrative made him out to be the most awesomest faultless person evar. If that makes any sense.

[identity profile] vilakins.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
It does, and there's no one like that in B7' one of the many reasons I love it.

[identity profile] kerravongenius.livejournal.com 2008-02-07 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Not necessarily. I don't. They all know going to Earth is potentially a suicide mission. Yes, he made a catastrophic mistake, but at least he went back to try to help Gan.