RESCUE #40 (Series D) Producer: Vere Lorrimer Director: Mary Ridge Writer: Chris Boucher CAST: Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Peter Tuddenham (ORAC and SLAVE), Glynis Barber (Soolin), Geoffrey Burridge (Dorian), Rob Middleton (Creature) PLOT: This one could be called "Dorian Gray meets the Creature from the Black Lagoon." Avon and the rest of the crew are stranded on Terminal after the destruction of the Liberator and Zen. A curious Link enters Servalan's ship, triggering a simultaneous explosion that destroys both the ship and the underground living quarters. Cally is killed in the explosion and is heard briefly (off-camera). Tarrant is injured and ORAC is disabled. When all seems hopeless, the remnants of Blake's crew are rescued by a mysterious stranger named Dorian. He takes them to his ship, a small, obsolete cargo ship named Scorpio that is equipped with its own flight computer (SLAVE). The crew waste no time in taking control of Dorian, but the ship is pre-programmed, so they must follow where it leads. It takes them to underground quarters on a distant planet outside Federation territory. There, the crew is introduced to Dorian's companion, an attractive sharp-shooter named Soolin. All seems innocent enough, but there is something lurking under the stairs, and it soon becomes obvious that Dorian's "rescue" has ulterior motives behind it. Avon realizes that he may have an intellectual equal when he discovers Dorian discussing the development of a teleport system with a now-repaired ORAC. Avon learns that Dorian was also responsible for SLAVE, the advanced weaponry found on board Scorpio and much of the technology on the base itself. In addition, Dorian had met Ensor (ORAC's creator) at some time in the past. Too late, Avon realizes that one man alone could not have done all this in a natural life span. He is held at gunpoint as Dorian explains his real purpose in bringing the crew to the base. He needs them, as surrogates, to absorb all of his physical and mental defects, so that he can flourish in perennial youth. He orders Avon and Soolin to the basement, along with Tarrant and Dayna (who are already there). A weird-looking creature (once human) is waiting to absorb them. In this episode, Vila gets to play unintentional hero. While drinking and avoiding work, he picks up one of the few guns still loaded with ammunition and takes it to Avon, who takes care of the creature. Dorian dies, Soolin disappears up the stairs, and the remaining members of Blake's Seven are left with a ship and a base. Some Memorable Lines: DAYNA: "Don't you ever get bored with being right?" AVON: "Just with the rest of you being wrong." VILA: "Orac got a bit dented, for which he blames me. Seems I rescued the wrong one." AVON: "We stand the best chance as a group." TARRANT: "What, while something is eating me, you can get away?" ORAC: "A statement of fact cannot be insolent." VILA: "I'm going to give up drinking, you know. It'll be pink asteroids next." QUESTIONS: 1. Dorian. The general idea is taken, of course, from Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. In this episode, Dorian claims his youth is made possible not by a portrait but because of a "mineral deposit" in the underground room. Yet the room itself wasn't destroyed. So why wasn't anyone else tempted to use it? Avon, for instance, could have put Vila to good use, couldn't he? 2. Soolin. Her background is explained in later episodes, and she is shown to be intelligent, yet it is never explained how she happened to meet Dorian in the first place, how she got to this planet from her home planet or why she never suspected anything was wrong with him until the others arrived. (reviewed by Sinnead) POWER #41 (Series D) Producer: Vere Lorrimer Director: Mary Ridge Writer: Ben Steed CAST: Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Glynis Barber (Soolin), Peter Tuddenham (ORAC and SLAVE), Dicken Ashworth (Gun-Sar), Alison Glennie (Kate), Jenny Oulton (Nina), Paul Ridley (Cato), Linda Barr (Luxia). SUMMARY: Though our heroes have dispatched the evil Dorian, they are still trapped on Xenon Base. Soolin has vanished, and the hangar containing Scorpio, the only space ship on the planet, is locked and booby-trapped with a thermonuclear device. Even Vila can't get in...though he tries. They find that the natives of the planet have had a gender war, the males regressing to a primitive lifestyle based on brute physical strength, the females relying on technology and psychic abilities. The females (Seska) reproduced using test tubes, the males (Hommiks) by kidnapping women and raping them. They kept the resulting male babies and exposed the female ones (which the Seska rescued, when they could). The Seska have been losing the war for years, but they survived because Dorian had been helping them. Now that he is dead, they are in desperate straits. Then Avon discovers that the crystals the Seska use to enhance their psychic powers are just what he needs to power the teleport.... COMMENTS: This episode gets my vote for the very worst of the entire series. As unbelievable as it sounds, this is a bad ripoff of the Trek Classic episode, "Spock's Brain." I'd never have imagined anyone would want to copy such an awful story, nor that it was possible to actually make it worse, but here you have it. In the original "Spock's Brain" script, after Kirk and company destroy the women's technology and put them at the mercy of the men, they give the women perfume, so they won't be completely defenseless. I thought *that* was offensive. Hah. At the end of "Power," dying of Avon's bullet, Pella complains that physical violence is always the answer of the Hommik. Avon replies, "If you didn't want the answer, you shouldn't have asked the question." Implying that any woman who challenges a man deserves violence. Grrr. As bad was the scene where Avon takes Pella's crystal. He tells her that a man always has more strength than a woman, so she's doomed to lose. Then, as if stealing her crystal isn't bad enough, he rubs it in by kissing her. A symbolic rape if ever I saw one. I know Avon isn't exactly Mr. Politically Correct, but I really hated seeing him in this misogynist light. Ben Steed seems to have had a problem with women at the time he was writing for B7. All three of his episodes feature the rape and subjugation of women: Jarvik dragging Servalan around by her nearly nonexistent hair in "Harvest of Kairos," Servalan and other females being "given to the men" as punishment in "Moloch," and "Power," the most misogynist of them all. However, he did have a knack for writing male-male relationships. "Power," despite its flaws, features two of my favorite Tarrant-Vila scenes. The first is when they explain to Vila that they'll starve to death if they can't get to Scorpio. In the next scene in the control room, Tarrant and Vila are talking in the background, obviously continuing the conversation. Vila suggests that they could eat rodents. Tarrant replies, "I'm a growing lad, Vila. Rats are not the answer...." It was just a small thing, but a nice touch. Tarrant is generally the only one who takes the time to answer Vila's silly questions. The second one is at the end, when Pella runs into the hangar. Tarrant tries to stop her, and Vila, apparently anticipating Tarrant's reaction, is right behind him, to pull him out of the forcefield and back to safety. Always nice to see Vila being heroic, particularly for Tarrant, with whom he's had a somewhat stormy relationship. Ben Steed will never be my favorite writer, but this being B7, even the worst episode isn't *all* bad. (reviewed by randym7@bestweb.net) TRAITOR #42 (Series D) Writer: Robert Holmes Director: David Sullivan Proudfoot Producer: Vere Lorrimer CAST: Glynis Barber (Soolin), Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Cyril Appleton (Sgt. Hask) Nick Brimble (General), Neil Dickson (Avandir), George Lee (Igin), Robert Morris (Major Hunda), Christopehr Neame (Colonel Quute), John Quentin (Practor), David Quilter (the Tracer), Malcolm Stoddard (Leitz), Edgar Wreford (Forbus) PLOT: Helotrix, once one of the most rebellious planets within the empire, has apparently fallen back under Federation control. The crew decide to go investigate, convinced that the Federation has some new secret weapon at its disposal. Avon warns Dayna and Tarrant not to get too involved in the battle going on below. It doesn't take them long to discover the source of the Federations's new power, a drug called pylene 50 which suppresses the adrenaline system and pacifies humans, allowing them to be "adapted" to Federation desires. The drug is being manufactured on Helotrix by a man named Forbus. A fault in the audio relay on board Scorpio prevents communication between the surface and the ship, forcing Tarrant and Dayna to rely on help and information from the rebels. They find the creator of pylene 50 and learn that there is no cure for the drug once it has been administered, but a "vaccine" exists which offers immunity to the drug's effects if it is taken ahead of time. Dayna and Tarrant also discover they have a dangerous new enemy: the head of the drug pacification program, Commissioner Sleer. At the same time, they learn that one of the Helots posing as a rebel, Leitz, is really a double agent for the Federation. When Tarrant and Dayna realize the remaining rebels on Helotrix are about to walk into a trap, they get involved, contrary to Avon's warning. The two stay long enough to warn the Helots, and long enough catch a glimpse of the commissioner, who has a very familiar face. Apparently Servalan survived the destruction of the Liberator, but was unable to hold onto her presidency. She is now working her way back to power as Commissioner Sleer. All those who knew her as Servalan are disappearing, fast. Avon is shocked to learn of Servalan's phoenix-like return from the Liberator. But at least he has one advantage, he knows this enemy well. Some Memorable Lines: SOOLIN (about Vila): "Doen't have much time for Tarrant, does he?" AVON: "Tarrant is brave, young, handsome... there are three good reasons for anyone not to like him." AVON: "One of the almost human things about ORAC is that it does not like to work. AVON (to ORAC): "What do you mean, 'no reply'?" ORAC: "I passed the problem on to computers in engineering." AVON: " You mean you can't handle it yourself?" ORAC: "The art of leadership is delegation." VILA (about the teleport): "It's working perfectly now, I checked it myself." DAYNA: "Yes, but would you use it, Vila?" AVON (to Tarrant and Dayna): "You are not to get involved." TARRANT: "You know me, Avon." LEITZ (to Servalan): "After all, how many people have you killed to conceal your secret?" SERVALAN (having just killed Leitz): "Twenty-six. So far." AVON (about Servalan): "Alright, I believe you. I didn't want her to die like that, anyway. I need to kill her myself." THE GOOD & THE BAD: THE GOOD: Continuity of plot. One of the things I have always liked about this series is its attempt to hold a sense of plot and history throughout the many episodes and various writers, directors, and producers. Several themes introduced in this episode are carried forward in later episodes: Servalan's new identity as Commissioner Sleer, the drug pacification program, and repeated attempts by Avon to "play Blake," by establishing a combat base from which to fight the Federation. Character osmosis. In this episode's script, the characters' personalities begin to rub off on one another. Avon begins to assume more and more of Blake's authority and ideology, while Vila assumes Avon's former role: the devil's advocate, questioning everything his leader does. THE BAD: Servalan's outfit. Those feathers and boots. Possibly the worst costume for this character in the entire series. Her make-up was overdone a bit, too, I think. Continuity. Dayna and Tarrant teleport down in one outfit. They get a change of clothes on the surface, presumably to disguise themselves as Helots. But when they teleport back up, those original outfits magically re-appear. One of the quickest costume changes I've seen (and not a phone booth in sight). Continuity again. Dayna and Tarrant get the "anti-toxin" which is supposed to provide immunity against the new drug. Tarrant then gives the anti-toxin to Hunda to distribute to his men. Neither Dayna nor Tarrant appear to be holding the anti-toxin when they teleport back to the ship. So where did Avon, Soolin, and Vila get their immunity from in the episodes that follow? THE UNCERTAIN: Servalan's fall from power. An intriguing new plot with lots of possibilities.... and lots of pitfalls. This new "enforcer" role of Servalan's, as Commissioner Sleer, simply didn't have the depth of character as her previous political role. It also reinforced a subtle anti-feminist theme that occasonally surfaced throughout this final series (a woman may temporarily seize power but she can't keep it). I would have preferred to see a less secretive, more self-assured Servalan fighting overtly to maintain her role as political head of the Federation. Dangerous, yes. Simple, no. QUESTIONS: A small one, but one that is persistent. Where did those lounge chairs on board Scorpio come from? And how is it that they kept disappearing and re-appearing, as needed? Practor who succeeded him as president-elect? (perhaps the question should be, who would want to?) Pylene 50. Why, if the drug was manufactured on Helotrix, didn't the crew devise a plan to blow up the production center and destroy it, before new variants had been developed? Servalan. Why did she decide to destroy everyone who knew her identity? It would have been more like Servalan to use her enemies' knowledge against themselves. Why did she kill Forbus before discovering exactly what he had done? And why did she seem so passive, once she recognized Dayna and Tarrant?. All of this was very unlike the Servalan we left on board the Liberator near Terminal. (reviewed by Sinnead) STARDRIVE #43 (Series D) Writer: Jim Follett Director: David Sullivan Proudfoot Producer: Vere Lorrimer CAST: Glynis Barber (Soolin), Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Peter Tuddenham (ORAC and SLAVE), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Barbara Shelley (Dr. Plaxton), Damien Thomas (Atlan), Peter Sands (Bomber), Leonard Kavanagh (Napier). SUMMARY: When the Federation ships chasing Scorpio are destroyed by a craft moving at unheard-of speed, the crew finds out that Dr. Plaxton, a scientist missing since the war, has succeeded in building the Stardrive. Realizing that Scorpio needs that kind of speed if they are to survive, the crew goes in search of her. She has found refuge with the Space Rats, the Hell's Angels of the future, but is eager to leave. Unfortunately, there are complications.... COMMENTS: One of the sillier episodes. There were some very dramatic moments: Scorpio's disastrous encounter with the asteroid at the beginning, with the crew saved by Vila's brilliant idea and Avon and Tarrant's coolie labor, and the chilling ending, when Plaxton sacrifices her life for the others and Avon dismisses her by with a cold "Who?" But it's hard to take a bunch of guys in technicolor makeup and wigs, riding ATVs in the quarry, as a serious threat. NOTES: The author of this script, Jim Follett, is the brother of bestselling novelist Ken Follett. BEST LINE: When Slave tells them life support will last 155 hours, Soolin replies "By the time the oxygen runs out, we'll be bored as well as dead." (reviewed by randym7@bestweb.net) ANIMALS #44 (Series D) Writer: Allan Prior Director: Mary Ridge Producer: Vere Lorrimer CAST: Glynis Barber (Soolin), Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Peter Tuddenham (ORAC and SLAVE), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Peter Byrne (Justin), William Lindsay (Captain), Max Harvey (Borr), Kevin Stoney (Ardus), David Boyce (Og). SUMMARY: Dayna tries to contact an old friend, Justin, who is now on a remote planet called Bucol-2. He is doing research Avon thinks might help them. Unfortunately, the Federation is also interested. Scorpio is damaged, and Tarrant is forced to leave Dayna on the planet and flee back to Xenon for repairs. Dayna finds out that Justin has created a race of animals, beings who are radiation-resistant, to do work in areas too hazardous for humans. This causes conflict between them, since Dayna thinks Justin being being cruel to animals. But once Servalan shows up, that's the least of her worries. COMMENTS: "Animals" episode is many fans' pick for worst of the entire series. While I personally think "Power" deserves that honor, this one *is* pretty bad. Josette Simon is a good actor, but even she couldn't save this script. This was supposed to be Dayna's love story...but there was more chemistry between Dayna and Og than than between Dayna and Justin. The man just had no charisma. The best parts of this episode involved the rest of the crew, frantically trying to patch the ship in time to rescue Dayna. The scene where they all gang up on Vila and force him to clean the glycolene ballast channels was very funny. And Avon's quiet fury on the planet when he thinks Dayna might have been harmed is great. NOTES: This episode was originally written for Cally. When Jan Chappell declined to return to B7, the script was re-written for Dayna -- and it shows. Dayna, having grown up in isolation on Sarran, seems an unlikely candidate to have contacts such as Justin. She seems even more unlikely to be championing the rights of animals like Og. (This is the girl who used to shoot the Sarran natives for sport, remember.) (reviewed by randym7@bestweb.net) ASSASSIN #46 (Series D) Writer: Rod Beacham Director: David Sullivan Proudfoot Producer: Vere Lorrimer CAST: Glynis Barber (Soolin), Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Peter Tuddenham (ORAC and SLAVE), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Peter Attard (Benos), Mark Barratt (Servalan's Captain), Adam Blackwood (Tok), Caroline Holdaway (Piri), Richard Hurndall (Nebrox), Betty Marsden (Verlis), John Wyman (Cancer) PLOT: This one could be called "Battle of the Sexes, part 2." ( For part 1, see POWER.) Vila intercepts a message sent from Servalan to an assassin known as Cancer, calling for fulfillment of a contract on "five subjects." On ORAC's advice, Avon and company take Scorpio to the planet Domo (the destination of the contract) to intercept Cancer (and possibly Servalan) before the contract takes place. Avon sets himself up to be captured by a group of space pirates who are about to hold a slave auction. Unfortunately, plans go awry when Avon loses his communicator bracelet to the leader of the group, Benos. Avon's cell mate, an old man named Nebrox, has valuable information about Servalan and Cancer. He agrees to help Avon get the bracelet back if Avon will agree to take him along. At the auction, Avon is nearly bought by - who else?- Servalan. With the help of Nebrox and Dayna, Avon manages to escape. Scorpio follows the ship believed to be carrying the assassin. They eventually locate it drifting in space. Tarrant and Avon board the ship and overpower "Cancer." They also find a rather hysterical young woman named Piri, who seeks solace in the agreeable arms of Tarrant. Soolin, Nebrox, and Vila join them. Cancer is taken and locked in the hold of the ship, while the rest of the crew decide to play a waiting game with Servalan. Vila returns to Scorpio. All seems to be going according to plan. Then Nebrox is killed. It becomes apparent that Cancer is more clever and more dangerous than first anticipated. In one of the more memorable scenes, Avon and Tarrant nearly come to blows over how to impress a pretty woman, while Soolin and Piri actually do get physical. Finally, life support goes out on the main deck. Piri is locked in the hold for her own safety while the others search the ship. Avon is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds himself firmly strapped in, with Cancer by his side, dead. Piri, it turns out, is a bit more than a frightened young woman with a pretty face. It is she who is the assassin. She and Servalan together have controlled the ship all along, playing their own cat-and-mouse game with Avon and Tarrant. Meanwhile, Soolin has been thinking things through and comes to roughly the same conclusion. She convinces Tarrant just in time to save Avon from another venomous encounter with a woman. Some Memorable Lines: AVON: "I don't want to seem paranoid, but the tape said five subjects. You can use your fingers if you like, Vila." ORAC: "I think you're quite right. A degree of apprehension is not inappropriate." SERVALAN (to Avon): "I think, if you don't mind, I would prefer my slave to address me as mistress." AVON (to Tarrant): "Alright, you've made your impression. You can sit down now." TARRANT: "What does that mean? AVON: "She knows that you're very brave. Now sit down." SERVALAN: "Congratulations, Cancer. You're a credit...to our sex." SOOLIN: "Vila, all sweet things have one thing in common. A tendency to make you sick." THE GOOD AND THE BAD: THE GOOD: After POWER, it was good to see Avon get a little come-uppance from the fairer sex. Richard Hurndall's performance as Nebrox. Peter Attard's performance as Benos wasn't bad, either. THE BAD: The costuming at the slave auction was really over the top. The special effects, especially Cancer's "creature." The exterior shot of Cancer's ship -- it is so obviously a model. THE DIFFERENT: That Servalan/Avon thing (see DEATHWATCH, AFTERMATH) is, well, different. QUESTIONS: Cancer's ship. If Servalan had control of the flight and life systems, etc., why didn't she bring the ship closer to her own and meet it halfway, instead of having her captain go to it? Better yet, why didn't she just instruct the ship to self-destruct once she knew Cancer was dead? Nebrox. Why didn't he go back with Vila? His presence on board Cancer's ship served no visible purpose (most unlike Avon to allow him to stay). Outfits. Servalan wears one outfit on board her ship, at the beginning, another at the auction (the same earrings, though), then the original again when she is back on board her ship near the end of the episode. Where did Nebrox get that robe? The Liberator had a storehouse of clothing but I wasn't aware that Scorpio did. I'm sure the change of clothing and hairdo for Piri/Cancer was to demonstrate change of character, but it seems unlikely that a professional assassin would be worrying about her appearance when she has a job to accomplish. (reviewed by Sinnead)