Blake's 7: The Way Back
May. 4th, 2013 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pebblerockerIt's been five years since I accidentally fell into a den of Blake's 7 fans. I've seen a lot of B7 icons and screencaps, character portraits for art month, squeeing discussions I can't quite follow, fanfic I've enjoyed without being capable of fully appreciating. Now I'm finally getting around to watching it!
This post will probably only be of interest to B7 fans, especially to those who enjoy getting others hooked (you evil people, you...)
Episode 1: The Way Back! With stars and a spaceship, and I think that music that comes with the logo is going to invoke good associations for me soon.
Blake comes into view! Roj Blake, familiar from a thousand LJ icons! I wish my strongest associations with curly hair of that type were not Jeremy Clarkson and a ghastly flatmate I had when I was 21. Anyway, better associations can be formed. Blake looks younger than I thought; I've probably seen pictures from throughout the run of the series and averaged them out. Also he's currently unaware that anything's wrong in his world - he must get somewhat more careworn when he's busy leading the resistance.
(My sum total of plot spoilers goes something like: Blake and his friends are the Resistance, they have a cool spaceship, they are opposed by a woman with wonderful dresses, The Ending is Not Happy.)
Blake is meeting with subversive types who talk to him rather openly about drugs in the food. Rather drab clothing everyone has here.
I was promised hexagonal doors and they arrive earlier than expected! Also, dome city with lights all over it.
Who is this blond man sneaking after them? It's not exactly sneaky to clatter up aluminium ladders right behind your targets. (Thinking: pretending to walk with a limp is probably as hard to do as pretending an empty box is heavy. If the actor actually does have a limp, it's one I haven't seen in real life.)
Blake is bothered by all this subversive behaviour. Good thing they're blackmailing him not to talk about it. Also, "I definitely don't remember having my memory altered!" is the sort of statement you should have a good think about.
Here's a man with some varied colours and textures in his clothing; he's been being subversive for a while and knows things about Blake that Blake doesn't. And he knows the pale-haired man, so he must be all right and not a sneak. I think I know the name Tarrant, this must be an important character.
Everything here is so grim and concretey. A depressing underground carpark building. And the police are coming in their scary visors to massacre everyone. Blake is the only survivor - what's he going to do?
Go back in the brainwashing machine, that's what. Or is he remembering the brainwashing machine while he's in prison? I can't tell.
Whoa, Tarrant is back, still alive - and it seems he is a baddie after all. The limp was a clue to his inner evil, would that be right? Anyway, now Blake the hero is being turned into Blake the kiddie fiddler, and he knows exactly what they're doing and can't do anything about it - even with this law chap trying to help. Here we see non-drab clothes and my partner says one of the Administrators speaks just like Sandi Toskvig.
Aaah, the legal system in this place! Here are our pink translucent boxes, that's all in order, here are our light-up globes, plink plink, the accused is guilty of all charges! I love this, it's like Thunderbirds in a grim corrupted dystopia.
Blake, having made an unsuitable commotion, gets jabbed, spots Tarrant again and falls down most excellently in the shape of the letter T. I like Blake's artificially posed falling-down much better than some of the stiff falling-down shown by extras during the massacre; he makes the stylised collapse really work for him.
Now we're on a prison ship on the way to Signus Alpha and we meet two more familiar faces: Jenna, looking wonderful with That Hair, and Vila pinching Blake's stuff! Evidently they've got to know each other before Blake turned up - I am pausing and rewatching bits as I type, after once straight through - because of that lovely moment when Vila says "Smugglers" and Jenna says "Thieves" while looking past Blake at each other. I am inclined to like them both straight away.
"Hi babe, smooch smooch, btw that guy I sent away was totally innocent, shall we shag or shall we go and look some stuff up on the computer to clear him?" Obviously this couple don't worry about divisions between work talk and bedroom talk. Computer dude with his futuristic Walkman has just heard all their plans and suspicions, whoops, and Blake's ship is now taking off early to get rid of him. Look here, legal chap: if you think there's corruption, and you decide to tell someone higher up about the problem to get help, that person is ALWAYS in on the plot too and will get you rubbed out for knowing about it. Happens every time. Ah well, at least he's trying. Or he tried, up until Tarrant killed him and his partner and limped away evilly over their corpses.
Now we see the outside of the prison ship! It's blocky and utilitarian with stubby low-down wings and pylons, rather a nice model - and it's taking off. Say goodbye to Earth, Blake! At least you have some friends with you. See you next week...
...or probably sooner, because I already seem to be sucked in. I think I need another episode in short order, especially since this seems like only the first half of a story. Now, please, wise elders of B7 fandom: help to indoctrinate a newbie! Point out to me things I glossed over than I should have taken more notice of, squee at me, show me where to find the icons, tell me where I went wrong in my watching but please don't spoil me for what's coming! I hope to be back in a few days with my thoughts on the second episode.
And thank you all for getting me into this. Yay!
This post will probably only be of interest to B7 fans, especially to those who enjoy getting others hooked (you evil people, you...)
Episode 1: The Way Back! With stars and a spaceship, and I think that music that comes with the logo is going to invoke good associations for me soon.
Blake comes into view! Roj Blake, familiar from a thousand LJ icons! I wish my strongest associations with curly hair of that type were not Jeremy Clarkson and a ghastly flatmate I had when I was 21. Anyway, better associations can be formed. Blake looks younger than I thought; I've probably seen pictures from throughout the run of the series and averaged them out. Also he's currently unaware that anything's wrong in his world - he must get somewhat more careworn when he's busy leading the resistance.
(My sum total of plot spoilers goes something like: Blake and his friends are the Resistance, they have a cool spaceship, they are opposed by a woman with wonderful dresses, The Ending is Not Happy.)
Blake is meeting with subversive types who talk to him rather openly about drugs in the food. Rather drab clothing everyone has here.
I was promised hexagonal doors and they arrive earlier than expected! Also, dome city with lights all over it.
Who is this blond man sneaking after them? It's not exactly sneaky to clatter up aluminium ladders right behind your targets. (Thinking: pretending to walk with a limp is probably as hard to do as pretending an empty box is heavy. If the actor actually does have a limp, it's one I haven't seen in real life.)
Blake is bothered by all this subversive behaviour. Good thing they're blackmailing him not to talk about it. Also, "I definitely don't remember having my memory altered!" is the sort of statement you should have a good think about.
Here's a man with some varied colours and textures in his clothing; he's been being subversive for a while and knows things about Blake that Blake doesn't. And he knows the pale-haired man, so he must be all right and not a sneak. I think I know the name Tarrant, this must be an important character.
Everything here is so grim and concretey. A depressing underground carpark building. And the police are coming in their scary visors to massacre everyone. Blake is the only survivor - what's he going to do?
Go back in the brainwashing machine, that's what. Or is he remembering the brainwashing machine while he's in prison? I can't tell.
Whoa, Tarrant is back, still alive - and it seems he is a baddie after all. The limp was a clue to his inner evil, would that be right? Anyway, now Blake the hero is being turned into Blake the kiddie fiddler, and he knows exactly what they're doing and can't do anything about it - even with this law chap trying to help. Here we see non-drab clothes and my partner says one of the Administrators speaks just like Sandi Toskvig.
Aaah, the legal system in this place! Here are our pink translucent boxes, that's all in order, here are our light-up globes, plink plink, the accused is guilty of all charges! I love this, it's like Thunderbirds in a grim corrupted dystopia.
Blake, having made an unsuitable commotion, gets jabbed, spots Tarrant again and falls down most excellently in the shape of the letter T. I like Blake's artificially posed falling-down much better than some of the stiff falling-down shown by extras during the massacre; he makes the stylised collapse really work for him.
Now we're on a prison ship on the way to Signus Alpha and we meet two more familiar faces: Jenna, looking wonderful with That Hair, and Vila pinching Blake's stuff! Evidently they've got to know each other before Blake turned up - I am pausing and rewatching bits as I type, after once straight through - because of that lovely moment when Vila says "Smugglers" and Jenna says "Thieves" while looking past Blake at each other. I am inclined to like them both straight away.
"Hi babe, smooch smooch, btw that guy I sent away was totally innocent, shall we shag or shall we go and look some stuff up on the computer to clear him?" Obviously this couple don't worry about divisions between work talk and bedroom talk. Computer dude with his futuristic Walkman has just heard all their plans and suspicions, whoops, and Blake's ship is now taking off early to get rid of him. Look here, legal chap: if you think there's corruption, and you decide to tell someone higher up about the problem to get help, that person is ALWAYS in on the plot too and will get you rubbed out for knowing about it. Happens every time. Ah well, at least he's trying. Or he tried, up until Tarrant killed him and his partner and limped away evilly over their corpses.
Now we see the outside of the prison ship! It's blocky and utilitarian with stubby low-down wings and pylons, rather a nice model - and it's taking off. Say goodbye to Earth, Blake! At least you have some friends with you. See you next week...
...or probably sooner, because I already seem to be sucked in. I think I need another episode in short order, especially since this seems like only the first half of a story. Now, please, wise elders of B7 fandom: help to indoctrinate a newbie! Point out to me things I glossed over than I should have taken more notice of, squee at me, show me where to find the icons, tell me where I went wrong in my watching but please don't spoil me for what's coming! I hope to be back in a few days with my thoughts on the second episode.
And thank you all for getting me into this. Yay!
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no subject
Date: 2013-05-04 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-04 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-05 06:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-05 12:55 am (UTC)It's a brilliant episode for setting up the whole universe our characters have to navigate in.
For the various communities including icons, there's a master list I set up a while back. Let me know if anything's broken.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-05 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-04 07:01 pm (UTC)Do you know that it was B7 that actually brought me here? One of the most excellent B7 fanfiction writers invited me to LJ:-)
And - I have never seen and will never see the last episode:-)
no subject
Date: 2013-05-05 05:06 am (UTC)