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blakes7-d Digest Volume 98 : Issue 157
Today's Topics:
[B7L] B7L re Avon
RE: [B7L] The Web
Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
[B7L] B7L re The Web
[B7L] Orac and Fourth Season
Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
[B7L] Re: Avon
Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
Re: [B7L] Gan
[B7L] Avon
[B7L] Re: Fourth season
Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
Re: [B7L] Re: Fourth season
Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
[B7L] Fourth Season - why??
[B7L] ADMIN: Administrator going on vacation for two weeks.
Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 11:45:32 GMT
From: "Jane Elizabeth Macdonald" <J.E.Macdonald1@student.derby.ac.uk>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] B7L re Avon
Message-ID: <23F6FE5765D@sdk1.derby.ac.uk>
I must agree with Todd and Avona that Avon looked better in the 4th
series. The hair style in the 4th series made him look older and this is
what makes him more sexy in my opinion. But never, under any
circumstances has he looked a 'prat'! Even with badly cut hair he has
a presence on the screen that can make you look at him in the
background even if there is something important going on with the
other characters.
Cylan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 12:48:51 +-200
From: Jacqueline Thijsen <jacqueline.thijsen@cmg.nl>
To: Lysator <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: RE: [B7L] The Web
Message-Id: <01BD8FB7.3E0BF4C0@cmg71700449>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
-----Original Message-----
From: Alison Page [SMTP:alison@alisonpage.demon.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 1998 5:01 PM
To: Lysator
Subject: Re: [B7L] The Web
> [Jacqueline Thijsen] It's been a while since I last saw The Web, but
didn't Avon tell Blake about the pursuit ships after he teleported to the
surface?
You are almost certainly right, even though I only saw it a few hours ago.
Nevertheless, it still doesn't explain why they had a whole scene devoted
to why Blake should on no account be told.
[Jacqueline Thijsen] That was when Blake was inside with the guys he was supposed to be negotiating with. Avon told him when they were alone. If memory serves, Blake later mentioned the ships where he could be overheard, but then he hadn't been there for the discussion. I do think he should have thought of it himself, but he didn't.
Another thing that irritated me
was that when the women 'came back' from being possessed nobody told them
what had happened or what was going on, they just had to figure it out for
themselves.
'Are you Ok now Jenna?'
'Yes, why do you ask?'
'Oh.. nothing..'
[Jacqueline Thijsen] They do that on TV all the time. If they spent time explaining what the audience already knows, they wouldn't have enough time left for the rest of the show. But yes, it is irritating.
Jacqueline
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 12:05:55 +0000 (GMT)
From: Una McCormack <umm10@eng.cam.ac.uk>
To: Lysator <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
Message-ID: <Pine.PCW.3.96.980604120417.7527F-100000@umm-pc.jims.cam.ac.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Rob said:
>The usual target for assassination is Animals, which is, as I see
>it, a little unfair. Despite the silly scenes with Dayna and
>Justin, it did have its redeeming features, such as the well-written and
>sinister dialogue between Servalan and Ardus. At least the writers made
>a token attempt to recognise B7's Orwellian origins.
Rob, you're a star!
>I hope lots of people disagree strongly with what I've said!
Nope, sorry!
Una
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy
enough people to make it worth the effort.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Judge Institute of Management Studies Tel: +44 (0)1223 766064
Trumpington Street Fax: +44 (0)1223 339701
Cambridge
CB2 1AG http://www.sticklebrock.demon.co.uk/una
United Kingdom http://www.jims.cam.ac.uk/research/ion/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 12:05:45 GMT
From: "Jane Elizabeth Macdonald" <J.E.Macdonald1@student.derby.ac.uk>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] B7L re The Web
Message-ID: <23FC6656E87@sdk1.derby.ac.uk>
> [Jacqueline Thijsen] It's been a while since I last saw The Web,
> but didn't Avon tell Blake about the pursuit ships after he teleported to
>the surface?
>You are almost certainly right, even though I only saw it a few hours
>ago. Nevertheless, it still doesn't explain why they had a whole scene
>devoted to why Blake should on no account be told.
>[Jacqueline Thijsen] That was when Blake was inside with the guys he
>was supposed to be negotiating with. Avon told him when they were
>alone.
I watched The Web last week and my impression was that Avon was
speaking to Blake about 'THE' pursuit ships and not just some ships
that had just happened to appear. I thought that Avon was telling
Blake that the ships (that were already following us) were getting
close.
Also Avon was not present when Jenna suggested to Cally that they not
inform Blake about the pursuit ships, so perhaps he didn'y know that
he was not supposed to tell him.
Cylan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 12:32:36 +0100 (BST)
From: mjsmith@tcd.ie (Murray)
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] Orac and Fourth Season
Message-Id: <199806041132.MAA09573@dux1.tcd.ie>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I was looking at 'The Harvest of Kairos' the other day, and noticed
a very silly mistake made by Servalan when she abandoned the Liberator: she
did not take Orac with her. It would have made sense to do so; for she would
then be able to deny it to her enemies, even if she couldn't use it herself.
Indeed, who is to say that she couldn't do so? If Federation scientists
could reproduce the Liberator (as we later hear in 'Terminal') then why
can't they produce a duplicate key?
I was very interested in Rob Clother's views on the fourth season
episodes. My worst episode is 'Power', with its portrayal of relations
between the sexes. It was obviously based on, and was almost as bad as, the
awful original Star Trek episode of 'Spock's Brain'.
Murray Smith
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 12:53:43 +0100
From: "Jenni-Alison" <Jenni-Alison@dial.pipex.com>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Message-Id: <199806041148.NAA10790@samantha.lysator.liu.se>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Iain wrote:
>
> Ah, but look at Dorian. It's fairly obvious that Xenon base (or perhaps
> Scorpio itself) had a state-of-the-art Autohairdresser and
> Robobeautytherapist. After three seasons of dashing around in an alien
> spacecraft, being shot, beaten, tortured, blown up and attacked by
> mystical cosmic superbeings, I guess the temptation was just too great.
I suppose we can't fault them for that. But did they really have to take
advantage of the AutoTanningbed?
And don't you think that the thing in the basement should have been given a
chance with the Autobeautytherapist? Or maybe he was the beautytherapist -
no wonder Dorian put him in the basement!
Jenni
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 08:29:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay McGuigan <dsv2@yahoo.com>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Message-ID: <19980604152929.17311.rocketmail@send1e.yahoomail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
---Helen Krummenacker wrote:
>
> Todd Girdler wrote:
> >
> >
> > Does anyone agree with me that avon looked better during the last
season
> > with that new hairstyle. Before that, I think he looked like a
pratt.
> >
> > -Todd-
>
> I don't quite agree with the prat part, :^/
> but he did look better with longer fluffier hair.
>
I have to agree with Avona here. I like the 4th series look better
than the previous ones. It's true I'm one of the Black Leather fans,
but I prefer the hair then as well. Having said that though I think
he looks best in Warlord in that green flight suit.
No way did Avon ever look a prat though!
Jay
100%Avon
>
==
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I plan to live forever, or die trying." Vila Restal, B7
Sharpe's Seven:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/3612
The McGuigan Family Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/4518
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 15:34:47 +0100
From: "fifitrix" <fifitrix@dial.pipex.com>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
Message-ID: <000301bd8fd4$09e9d500$a75b95c1@scarlett>
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Joanne MacQueen writes :
<snip>
>Yes, Gan is undervalued, the jury is still out as to whether or not
>Gareth Thomas is adorable (I like him, but not to the extent that Judith
>does), and Tarrant is prettier than I am, which is why I have a bit of
>trouble with him. My apologies to the members of the Tarrant Nostra -
>maybe I'll learn to appreciate his talents one day.
>
>Regards
>Jo MacQueen
We may just forgive you.........on the other hand the Godmother may feel
that you need to be converted. What do you think Carol ?
fifitrix
******************************************************************
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
*******************************************************************
fifitrix@dial.pipex.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 13:45:12 -0400
From: Harriet Monkhouse <101637.2064@compuserve.com>
To: "INTERNET:blakes7@lysator.liu.se" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] Re: Avon
Message-ID: <199806041345_MC2-3F2D-FBCD@compuserve.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Todd asked:
>Does anyone agree with me that avon looked better
> during the last season with that new hairstyle.
My objection to the fourth-season hair is that it looks more Paul Darrow
Sex Symbol than Kerr Avon Computer Expert. And while Paul Darrow is very
charming, it's the other one I'm interested in watching.
Harriet
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 08:03:18 +0100
From: Julia Jones <Julia.lysator@jajones.demon.co.uk>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: avon
Message-ID: <7J6ODCA2akd1EwCC@jajones.demon.co.uk>
In message <729e48d9.357610b7@aol.com>, Bizarro7@aol.com writes
>In a message dated 98-06-03 22:39:48 EDT, toddgirdler@hotmail.com writes:
>
><< Does anyone agree with me that avon looked better during the last season
> with that new hairstyle. Before that, I think he looked like a pratt.
> >>
>
>Nope. I thought he looked younger and cuter in Series 1-3
>
*Much* younger. I've wondered whether the older look in the last series
was done deliberately. I keep meaning to ask Sheelagh, maybe I'll
actually remember next con.
But he's sexy either way. Just a different sort of sexy.
--
Julia Jones
"Don't philosophise with me, you electronic moron!"
The Turing test - as interpreted by Kerr Avon.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 09:03:38 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
To: Lysator List <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.42-0604080338-b49Rr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
On Thu 04 Jun, Joanne MacQueen wrote:
>
> Judith, thanks for the welcome.
>
> However, I'm one of the strange creatures who doesn't need reminding
> that Avon is sexy! <rueful grin> Even though sometimes I want to kick
> him. Just sometimes. Vila, on those occasions, is the antidote to all
> that smug superiority and sarcasm. I differ from Servalan in that a
> universe without Avon and _Vila_ is not worth contemplating.
I think most of us want to kick Avon on occasion <grin>.
It's interesting to contemplate what makes him so attractive. I decided long
ago that it wasn't just looks (or even mainly looks). For me, it's a
combination of factors. I like monogamous characters. Kirk carries less
conviction when he's in love because it happens every week. Avon only fell in
love once and thus we feel the strength of that love to be far greater.
Countdown and Rumours of Death are a wonderful pair of episodes.
Then of course, there's the relationship with Servalan. Whether it is love or
lust is left to the viewer to decide (I decide different ways depending on which
suits best in the story I'm working on), but there can be no doubt at all that
sparks fly. There's an excitement between Paul and Jackie that is there in
reality as well - I saw a wonderful photo in one TV mag last year of them
kissing.
Although I think Chris Boucher (the script editor) contributed a lot of the best
dialogue to the series and was one fo the reasons for its success, I do regret
that he tried to keep Avon and Servalan apart in the 4th season. Apparantly, he
didn't like the relationship. Well, I guess it was improbale, but I love it
anyway. Gold, Aftermath and Deathwatch all score high on my favourites list
because of Avon and Servalan.
Avon got most of the best lines (thoygh Vila came out pretty well too). Paul
has a style of delivery that picks up sarcasm delightfully. Which encouraged
the writers to give him good lines.
All the characters had some good outfits in their wardrobe. You can tell the
favourites by seeing what fans wear at conventions (when you allow for the ones
that are easier to make). Jenna's blue dress, Cally's white gown, etc. You see
more of Avon's outfits than enyone else's though. He and Blake were the only
ones who ended up with a distinctive style of clothing. With Blake it was teh
trademark baggy sleeved shirt and with Avon it became black, especially black
leather and studs. Styles that suited them both very well.
Judith -- http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7 Redemption 99 - The Blakes
7/Babylon 5 convRSET
MAIL FROM:<Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
ention 26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel,
Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption/ .
RCPT TO:<Mac4781@aol.com>
DATA
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 07:32:56 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Beanie babies
To: Carol McCoy <Mac4781@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <baa2567e.357588fa@aol.com>
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.42-0604063256-0b0Rr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
X-Organization: Waveney
X-Mailer: ANT RISCOS Marcel [ver 1.42]
On Wed 03 Jun, Mac4781@aol.com wrote:
> Judith,
>
> Where do we take the train to when we meet you? Chris Blenkarn is kindly
> checking into train schedules for us so that we can figure out when we'll
> be arriving in various places that we'll meet people. When I told her Dorset
> for you, she said that was an entire county.
The nearest station is Poole.
Judith
--
http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7
Redemption 99 - The Blakes 7/Babylon 5 convention
26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Kent
http://www.smof.com/redemption/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 09:33:10 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
To: Lysator List <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Gan
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.42-0604083310-d07Rr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
On Thu 04 Jun, Bill Billingsley wrote:
> In a way it's a shame they killed off Gan rather than Jenna (who left at
> the end of the season anyway) -- Gan was the only one not entirely in it
> for his own purposes, but because he needed the people around him. His
> readiness to sacrifice himself so often would have worked wonderfully in
> later episodes and especially in Blake. You can imagine the contrast there
> between Gan's instincts to naturally trust everyone (especially Blake) and
> Avon's instincts to naturally distrust everyone (including Blake). The
> only place I can see a problem is in City at the Edge of the World (Gan
> would not likely have let Tarrant push Vila around so much).
I think they were right to kill a character, but suspect I would have lamented
whoever they chose.
You're right, Gan would have had an interesting impact in some later episodes.
He tended to look for the simple and obvious rather than suspecting complex
schemes and betrayals.
There's a telling scene in 'Trial' where they are all wondering whether Blake
has sold them out or not. Somebody asks what Gan would have done and the reply
is that he'd have done something obvious like asking whether Blake had left a
message for them. And of course, Blake had left a message.
Gan was protective of Vila. Cygnus Alpha has a good example of that. I find it
very hard to decide how Gan and Tarrant would have related to one another
although it's an interesting speculation.
Judith
--
http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7
Redemption 99 - The Blakes 7/Babylon 5 convention
26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Kent
http://www.smof.com/redemption/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 21:46:41 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
To: Lysator List <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] Avon
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.42-0604204641-0e8Rr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
On Thu 04 Jun, Joanne MacQueen wrote:
>
> Judith, thanks for the welcome.
>
> However, I'm one of the strange creatures who doesn't need reminding
> that Avon is sexy! <rueful grin> Even though sometimes I want to kick
> him. Just sometimes. Vila, on those occasions, is the antidote to all
> that smug superiority and sarcasm. I differ from Servalan in that a
> universe without Avon and _Vila_ is not worth contemplating.
I think most of us want to kick Avon on occasion <grin>.
It's interesting to contemplate what makes him so attractive. I decided long
ago that it wasn't just looks (or even mainly looks). For me, it's a
combination of factors. I like monogamous characters. Kirk carries less
conviction when he's in love because it happens every week. Avon only fell in
love once and thus we feel the strength of that love to be far greater.
Countdown and Rumours of Death are a wonderful pair of episodes.
Then of course, there's the relationship with Servalan. Whether it is love or
lust is left to the viewer to decide (I decide different ways depending on which
suits best in the story I'm working on), but there can be no doubt at all that
sparks fly. There's an excitement between Paul and Jackie that is there in
reality as well - I saw a wonderful photo in one TV mag last year of them
kissing.
Although I think Chris Boucher (the script editor) contributed a lot of the best
dialogue to the series and was one fo the reasons for its success, I do regret
that he tried to keep Avon and Servalan apart in the 4th season. Apparantly, he
didn't like the relationship. Well, I guess it was improbale, but I love it
anyway. Gold, Aftermath and Deathwatch all score high on my favourites list
because of Avon and Servalan.
Avon got most of the best lines (thoygh Vila came out pretty well too). Paul
has a style of delivery that picks up sarcasm delightfully. Which encouraged
the writers to give him good lines.
All the characters had some good outfits in their wardrobe. You can tell the
favourites by seeing what fans wear at conventions (when you allow for the ones
that are easier to make). Jenna's blue dress, Cally's white gown, etc. You see
more of Avon's outfits than enyone else's though. He and Blake were the only
ones who ended up with a distinctive style of clothing. With Blake it was teh
trademark baggy sleeved shirt and with Avon it became black, especially black
leather and studs. Styles that suited them both very well.
Judith
--
http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7
Redemption 99 - The Blakes 7/Babylon 5 convention
26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Kent
http://www.smof.com/redemption/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 16:10:54 PDT
From: "Joanne MacQueen" <j_macqueen@hotmail.com>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] Re: Fourth season
Message-ID: <19980604231055.11794.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain
Rob said:
>I missed Sand and Headhunter, which are supposed to be quite
>watchable, but the rest were way below the standard set by the first
>three seasons.
Oh, "Headhunter" is quite watchable, except for one part that never
fails to annoy me. You know how I said that I wanted to kick Avon on
some occasions? Well, here is one of those occasions.
It's the scene where Avon and Soolin have to tell Vena that "Muller" is,
apparently, dead. When Avon tells her to try not to be stupid after she
calls them murderers, I can't help thinking "You bastard". Particularly
as he should know how it feels (after all, he pulled the trigger). But
at some point I noticed that, when Avon goes towards her to offer
sympathy, Vena turns her back on him. From that viewing of the video
onward I started to think not just "You bastard", but "You _petty_
bastard".
If someone can think of a better explanation for this behaviour (not
mine, Avon's), then I will welcome the chance to "hear" it.
Regards,
Jo MacQueen
Curtsey while you're thinking what to say. It saves time.
-- Lewis Carroll.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 10:25:42 +1000
From: Bill Billingsley <whb@bha.oz.au>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] The welcome to the newcomer
Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19980605102542.006d13b0@rabbit>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
At 09:03 4/06/98 +0100, Judith wrote:
>Countdown and Rumours of Death are a wonderful pair of episodes.
Apart from the 'raspberry jelly in a beaker' bomb. (The whole defusing
scene was unfortunately unconvincing).
- ----------------------------
Bill Billingsley
whb@bha.oz.au
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 21:14:37 EDT
From: AChevron@aol.com
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Fourth season
Message-ID: <f0744836.3577467e@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
In a message dated 98-06-04 19:12:43 EDT, you write:
<< When Avon tells her to try not to be stupid after she
calls them murderers, I can't help thinking "You bastard". Particularly
as he should know how it feels (after all, he pulled the trigger). But
at some point I noticed that, when Avon goes towards her to offer
sympathy, Vena turns her back on him. From that viewing of the video
onward I started to think not just "You bastard", but "You _petty_
bastard".
If someone can think of a better explanation for this behaviour (not
mine, Avon's), then I will welcome the chance to "hear" it. >>
Bastard seems a bit harsh in this situation. Perhaps the dear lad is
undergoing hormonal stress. He's obviously intrigued(or titilated) with a lady
who likes to relieve her man's stress, but he has to be careful lest he upset
Mueller. Then he gets word of Mueller's death, at the hands of Vila no less.
He knows there's something wrong with that, and then she starts in on the
murderer bit. After he snaps at her, he does make some attempt to soften his
words. Then he goes on to dealing with the mystery of the malfunctioning ship.
Which just goes to show, Avon is a delightfully flawed human. The ending,
though not played all that well, did attempt to address an interesting point.
At what point is one being a Luddite, and at what point does man overreach
himself?
D. Rose
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 15:02:15 +0100 (BST)
From: Iain Coleman <ijc@mail.nerc-bas.ac.uk>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.3.96.980604144630.21881A-100000@bsauasb>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Thu, 4 Jun 1998, Rob Clother wrote:
>
> As for the golden turkey award, I'd say that's richly deserved by
> Assassin. Cancer was very unconvincing in her alter ego, and nothing
> short of laughable as a villainess. Even Servalan, upon whom you can
> *always* rely for a good old-fashioned bit of cold-blooded evil, acted out
> of character at the end. And do the BBC really believe they can generate
> a tense, threatening atmosphere by shaking some peas around in a tin can?
> Yuck!
Oh, I don't know, it had its moments, like, um, er...
>
> The usual target for assassination is Animals, which is, as I see
> it, a little unfair. Despite the silly scenes with Dayna and
> Justin, it did have its redeeming features, such as the well-written and
> sinister dialogue between Servalan and Ardus. At least the writers made a
> token attempt to recognise B7's Orwellian origins.
>
This line might work on Una, but she's weird. I'm afraid I find the
Dayna/Justin bit so irredeemably shit that even Jackie Pearce turning it
up to 11 in this one cannot save the episode.
> Orbit is often praised for the dramatic confrontation between Avon and
> Vila, and I can't fault that -- that look that Vila gave Avon in the final
> scene turned everything on its head. But why were we subjected to those
> ridiculous scenes with Egrorian? These were characteristic of a great
> deal of Season Four -- they looked like rejects from a particularly
> cheesy episode of Doctor Who.
>
Oh, I _love_ Egrorian. Outrageously OTT, of course, but then he is a mad
genius who's been stuck on some remote base for years with only Pindar for
company. Is it any wonder he's a bit gaga? Comedy of the grotesque, mate,
ye canny whack it.
> At least Warlord was aiming in the right direction, and by then Soolin had
> very much come into character. Tarrant had become ineffectual by then,
> and Avon was beginning to recognise Soolin as a threat -- both as an
> intellectual rival and a superior fighter. It's a shame they didn't go
> ahead with a fifth season, just to see that relationship develop. Anyway,
> as I was saying about Warlord, despite the attempt to rediscover the
> spirit of B7, the episode was (IMO, of course) hampered by a very poor
> performance from Zukan.
>
Hampered also by some ridiculous costuming. Zeeona's fright wig is bad
enough, though explicable as some sort of yoof rebellion, but the various
planetary leaders in their fancy dress parade really kill any sense of
gravitas.
> Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing Blake -- and I hope lots of people
> disagree strongly with what I've said!
I'll look forward to seeing your comments on "Blake".
You haven't mentioned "Games" at all. I rather like that one, I guess
mainly because of Stratford Johns, Vila being on top form and Servalan
getting to be really horrid.
And what about "Rescue", with the charming and well-coiffured Dorian?
Iain
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Jun 1998 20:04:55 +1000
From: "Katrina Harkess" <kharkess@mail.usyd.edu.au>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] Fourth Season - why??
Message-Id: <199806051006.UAA23595@extra.ucc.su.OZ.AU>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
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I've just joined the list and I have to say I'm dismayed at some of the
comments on the fourth season.
In particular Assasin - From my point of view it was one of Soolin's best
episodes and the dancing round the powered down space ship was distinctly
atmospheric, not to mention the amusing scenes with Tarrant over Piri. And
in the beginning - the only thing that planet lacked was enough extras -
BBC budget again. :( I liked Servalan when she informed what she would
prefer her 'slave' to call her. ;)
Piri/Cancer was a bit bad. It was the acting I think, not the lines, though
I was taken in by it the first time I saw it [hang it all, I was only 14!].
And then there was Blake. Oh, how I cried and screamed and hated watching
them die but it was masterfully written with crackling energy to me. Maybe
it was Blake come back again - I'm not a Blake fan. ;P - but there was that
indefinable something about it.
Thinking on that - how many of you out there feel the Roj Blake somehow
contributed something to the series that /made/ the first two seasons come
alive?? I'm not sure what it was. Presense, energy, charisma... The 'soul'
of it it seemed in those series... only you never noticed until one lost
him. Avon and Vila are terrific and fasincating but they never could bring
the 'spirit' to it Blake could. GT is a wonderful actor. :)
Kate.
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1998 12:46:55 +0200
From: Calle Dybedahl <calle@lysator.liu.se>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] ADMIN: Administrator going on vacation for two weeks.
Message-ID: <usiumgdt28.fsf@sara.lysator.liu.se>
Be nice while I'm gone, little list.
--
Calle Dybedahl, Vasav. 82, S-177 52 Jaerfaella,SWEDEN | calle@lysator.liu.se
Maintainer of the Blake's 7 mailing list. Mail for info.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 07:07:36 -0700
From: Helen Krummenacker <avona@jps.net>
To: Iain Coleman <ijc@mail.nerc-bas.ac.uk>
CC: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Fourth Season
Message-ID: <3577FBA9.6326@jps.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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> > As for the golden turkey award, I'd say that's richly deserved by
> > Assassin. Cancer was very unconvincing in her alter ego, and nothing
> > short of laughable as a villainess. Even Servalan, upon whom you can
> > *always* rely for a good old-fashioned bit of cold-blooded evil, acted out
> > of character at the end. And do the BBC really believe they can generate
> > a tense, threatening atmosphere by shaking some peas around in a tin can?
> > Yuck!
>
> Oh, I don't know, it had its moments, like, um, er...
Like Avon, of course. And the old geezer. And Servalan at the auction.
Everything that took place _on planet_ was fine. It just went downhill
after.
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End of blakes7-d Digest V98 Issue #157
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