vilakins | Animals (405)

This episode is the only one I fast-forwarded the first time I watched it. I have therefore never seen it all and have no intention of changing that. The only interesting thing in it is poor Vila being bullied into cleaning the glycolene tanks and condescendingly offered a drink in consolation.

It was written for Cally--did they reject it for season 3?--but all they did was slot Dayna in instead without considering how young she must have been when Justin first knew her. Eew. And Justin is just repellent. It's not even in characters for Dayna to be upset about the treatment of animals; that's much more Cally. As for the rest with all the Sleer stuff, I was just too bored to watch it. I'd say this was the worst B7 ep ever but for dickhead Steed's sexist efforts. Since those had the occasional spark of humour, I'd say it was a four-way tie with "Voice from the Past" stumbling in fifth-to-last.

This ep would have been vastly improved with Og as the scientist and Justin as the experimental subject. In fact I even wrote a little-known story with them that way round.

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As a locationer, this episode is both interesting and frustrating.

All the literature on the matter claims there was 'no return to Box Hill or Betchworth' that session. They also said the poor Animal actors (who got latex burns from the prosthetics) were taken to a hosptal in Horsham. For a long time I thought they were running around in a field nearby. I think one book even said something like that.

Once I had got to know Betchworth inside out (and walked the paths in the opposite direction a few times) I realised where they were actually shooting. It's interesting that over the final year they were in the chalk pit (for Power and then Animals) what we realise we are seeing is the final working time the quarry had.

Where Avon and everyone walk looking for Dayna after they teleport down is the same place Gan and Jenna found the lifecapsule in Season One. It has just grown up a great deal. When Dayna falls over the cliff there is a lovely shot of the quarry and we see nothing's left. Most of the chalk is gone. What is left to be finally worked out and carted away and then the poor place will stand empty for atwenty years or so. That is until the landfillers come along followed by me and the people I have met or taken there over the last decade.

I am still trying to work out where they did the final piece with the spaceship legs (there is a hedge with a FENCE in that shot) but it may reemain a mystery. I realised I had been sitting right on top of part of the Headhunter locations eating my lunch!

I'd never have realised that was the same place! I suppose the fence in the last scenes could be regarded as part of the pens.

Someone asked recently about the location for an episode but I couldn't help them and I can't remember which one it was now. I've missed your informative site. Have you uploaded it elsewhere? If you want to, Google offer free site hosting.

I tried to save it when Yahoo was taking them down but unfortunately there must have been a hitch as all I got was gobbledegook. It'll have to be just stuck in my head for now (I still have the photos however) as everything has changed so much. Maybe if I get over there again now I have some time and am redundant I might take some more snaps on the digital camera.

Ahhh, pity! Can you save same of it using the Wayback Machine? You had some great stuff there.

I am actually thinking of writing a book on my experiences ... and now I have made it into redundancy I should get a move on I suppose ...

I'd be really interested to see your photos if you get them on-line. I'm fascinated by then & now pics. :)

I keep meaning to nip over to How Steen Gorge at Pateley Bridge but haven't got the foggiest idea where to look when I get there. It should be fun looking though. :)

The clues I learnt were to look near to where there was parking for the unit trucks. They needed to take power out to where they were working so the maximum was bout 250 yards or thereabouts.

Now I wouldn't have thought of that. Though it might have dawned eventually. :D

Well, after stamping around all sorts of locations (both Dr Who, B7 and even stuff they are filming locally round London now) you can usually work out from their 'Base' (where they keep all the catering and wardrobe etc) where the 'Unit' (space for the generators, vans of props needed on set etc if the location is away fromm Base) and 'Loc' are.

Out of the big city the Base and Unit are usually the same thing and need a reasonable parking / set-up space.

Once you are in one location turn round on the spot too! When I was up Pyrton Hill (Terminal) if found they shot from two sides of the same bush! It may have looked as if Avon et al were wandering around a huge area but in fact its all within about a 100 yard radius.

It would be just my luck to be in the right spot but looking in the wrong direction. :P

The only thing it's got going for it that Steed's hadn't is the moral sense that ran under all 4 of the Prior eps. It didn't always help the drama, but at least you didn't feel it was about nothing in particular. It's symptomatic of how little the Beeb cared about B7 by series 4 that they just swapped Dayna for Cally - Gawd'elp us.

But for me, the out and out winner of Worst Ep Ever is Mission to Destiny, the one that looks as if it came out of a whole different series...

Yes, it's not as if Dayna would even care about Justin's treatment of the animals. She'd just shrug and ask that he make the antidote. It's Cally who had such strong moral views.

MtD isn't a favourite but I don't have any real objections to it. It didn't offend and disgust me like Steed's or bore me as much as this one does.

It annoys me so much because it has bog all to do with the series. Also it's got at least two people acting out of character (Avon does not, anywhere else, enjoy physical violence and indeed more than once tries to prevent it, which may be surprising but does seem to be him, and I doubt Blake would really be quite as ruthless at the end).

I can believe that considering where season 2 ends up. Blake's also very stupid not to check that the neutrotope was in the box and that infuriates me each time. Plus it's such a sloppily-written mystery, I had to tighten it up in a story and reveal the real villain.

You haven't missed anything by not watching it carefully.

I gathered as much by how often this one gets voted the worst. :-)

Animals (405)

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