Review BLAKE'S 7: THE WAY BACK - Episode 01

[Doctor Omega]

Just a word on the acting.

I think that Gareth is certainly well chosen in the role of Blake and definitely has screen presence.

His portrayal of a man awakening from a drug-induced dream into a paranoid nightmare is really well-played in my opinion.

As a point of trivia, he - the actor - almost immediately ran into trouble with the BBC at the time, as he referred to Blake's 7 in an interview as being like "farce", which the Beeb took as a criticism and rapped his knuckles for it. He explained what he meant in a follow up interview by saying that, like farce, Blake's 7 had "a heightened sense of reality". He wasn't being critical.

All of the rest of the cast do well...

As to who the final "seven" will be remains to be seen...


As to the episode...

A good start, setting up the series at a sensible pace, although maybe just a little ponderous here and there?

RATING: 4 out of 5

 

[Cloister56]

Tel Varon seemed like a real sap, not knowing anything about his superiors. I find it hard to believe he’s never had a questionable case before.

That did get me thinking. Tel seems confident that with enough evidence it will "blow the lid of the whole thing". That would seem to suggest that he at least believes there is justice to be found and that the whole system isn't corrupt.
It isn't clear at this point as Mad-Pac says if this is a truly evil regime to its core or a few people abusing power. If it is the second then Tel's reaction seems realistic. If it is the first is he naive or have things gotten much worse quite recently.

It makes me think about how in Star Wars, Grand Moff Tarkin mentions that the Emperor has disbanded the senate, prompting one of the officers present to question how control will be maintained without the bureaucracy. A government can get away with a lot of evil if it citizens believe the facade that democracy is in place and their elected leaders are working on their behalf. I wonder where the Federation is on this spectrum.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Yep, I better! Well, that's one of the good things about getting so immersed in communities of a foreign language and culture as I'm doing, despite the inevitable risk of cultural shock. Even when the temperature gets inconveniently high it's always a good experience to learn how the subtleties of verbal communication work. I'll try and keep that "strains and sprains" whatever in mind in the future.

As Yoda would say.... "FACE ANT-MAC YOU MUST!"

Don't end up like Luke Skywalker at the end of Empire! Stay on your toes, buddy! Or you'll be typing your reviews with only one hand!

Metaphorically, that is!

 

[ant-mac]

Well, perhaps I don't have those...

Shame.

Oh, that... You were being facetious. I get it.

Okay.

 

[The Seeker]

That did get me thinking. Tel seems confident that with enough evidence it will "blow the lid of the whole thing". That would seem to suggest that he at least believes there is justice to be found and that the whole system isn't corrupt.
It isn't clear at this point as Mad-Pac says if this is a truly evil regime to its core or a few people abusing power. If it is the second then Tel's reaction seems realistic. If it is the first is he naive or have things gotten much worse quite recently.

At this point it’s impossible to know. But I think he’s naive, because he never thought the fellow with all the information would rat him out. That points to a more systematic type of repression.

 

[Gavin]

Some TV writers are brilliant and others seem to be morons.

There are also some who just think their audience are morons.

 

[Gavin]

A government can get away with a lot of evil if it citizens believe the facade that democracy is in place and their elected leaders are working on their behalf. I wonder where the Federation is on this spectrum.

It will be interesting to see how that theme develops over the series. Assuming it does of course. Way too many TV shows introduce fascinating concepts or potential plots and then just ignore them.

 

[Gavin]

So true, but I wonder how much of that is the producers' fault.

That's almost certainly the case most of the time. I've seen a few interviews with writers over the years where they tell stories about how they were forced to "dumb things down" for the audience. And I guess there's a little bit of logic in that the producers want to appeal to the widest possible audience, including morons. But, as I see it, there are plenty of shows available for morons to watch (*cough*realityTV*cough*). Lets have something for the intelligent viewers to enjoy

 

[Gavin]

From what I know, slavery in mid 19th century was still a thing in different parts of the world. The real problem I think is that the South defended an antiquated economic system, while the North was getting industrialized much more quickly and needed salary-earning workers in their factories. The Southern model was stuck in the 19th century, while the Northern way was aiming at the vibrant 20th century that would begin in a few decades, and which made the United States a huge economic and industrial power.

As a fellow non USAian, I think that this is true. The US Civil War seems to have largely been conflated, in many people's minds, into a pro-slave/anti-slave conflict, where, as far as I can tell, it was about a far wider range of issues, with slavery not really the main consideration, but that issue became important because the economic status of the South was built on slavery far more than the North. In fact, I've seen a quote attributed to Lincoln that if there was a way to end the conflict without changing the status of slavery he'd take it. I'm not sure if that's correctly attributed or not but it does line up with what I've read of the general thinking of the era.

 

[Gavin]

OKAY FOLKS CHANGE OF PLAN
The first Sage The Seeker has embarked on episode 2. This is cool, we can all proceed at our own pace, some people prefer to binge watch then take a break, or if you know you will be busy a couple of weeks ahead you may want to surge a bit ahead instead of playing catchup. This is all fine.
What I'll now do is put a cast list post on every thread for easier access
They'll be nothing from me announcing the next episode.
Take it as read that by the weekend we'll be onto the next episode

The cast list thread for this episode can be deleted once we're all onto ep.2

I just hope that this doesn't result in some people racing ahead. Part of what I'm looking forward to with this group is the discussion of individual episodes and the developing story. If some people are several episodes ahead conversations may become stilted or influenced by things people have seen in future episodes.

 

[Gavin]

I'm really glad so far no one had trashed the FX of the show.

Well, its about what you'd expect from a BBC TV show of that era. Sure the effects aren't great by today's standards, or movie standards of that time period, or US TV standards of that period. But, similar to Doctor Who of that era, given what the production team had to work with (in terms of both budget and time) they did a pretty good job and I've certainly seen worse. After all its not quite at Justice League Superman's moustache levels of bad.

 

[Brimfin]

This was my first time using my TV’s Smartcast feature to watch a show on YouTube, instead of on my computer. While it’s nice to be able to watch a YouTube video on the TV, I was frustrated that I could not go backward or even start over again after it took a few minutes to get the sound level right; I couldn’t even see how much of the show was left when I would pause it. I thought of starting my review by saying, “Well that was a frustrating aggravating way to spend 48 minutes; I hope it gets better later,” and then continuing, “But enough about my first efforts with Smartcast; let’s talk about the show.”

Anyway, I’m brand new to the show and didn’t even read many of the posts of all of you discussing it, as I like to be surprised. This episode certainly didn’t fail to do that. We began with an introduction to our hero as a rather ordinary-seeming fellow being persuaded by two friends to leave his enclosed city to attend a secret meeting “outside.” He meets a secret organization trying to rally against the tyrannical government known as “the Federation.” (I couldn’t help but be amused by the irony that “The Federation” was the benevolent force in the STAR TREK series, and also that the symbol under the title BLAKE’S 7 looked like a sideways version of the insignias worn on the STAR TREK uniforms.) When they ask the man if he remembers someone named Blake who led an attempted insurrection it was only then I really suspected that he was the very Blake they were discussing. Sure enough, he is told of his capture and subsequent brainwashing and begins to remember some of it.

I begin to wonder if some of these people will be part of his “7”. But that is not to be. In the first major “surprise” of the story, futuristic police arrive on the scene. Even though the leader tells him they will surrender peacefully, they instead open fire and slaughter all of them. Blake alone is spared because the Federation fears he would become a martyr for the cause if killed. They try to convince him that he imagined it all while they plot another means to discredit him. Remembering that old principle that if you want to destroy someone’s reputation make them out to be a racist or a child molester, they plant false memories in children of being sexually assaulted by Blake. He is taken to court and quickly convicted and sentenced to a penal colony where new arrivals are often executed, if I heard correctly. Oddly enough, as I watched the trial I was reminded of an episode of LOST IN SPACE where a law enforcement officer declared that they only had time for an “instant trial.” A talking judge’s head appeared on a large display. The officer and the defendants entered data into the machine and it made a summary judgment. The concept was similar here albeit a little more sophisticated with computerized balls of data entered into the system before a verdict was rendered.

After the sentencing, the rest of the episode is really a macguffin of sorts. Blake’s lawyer gets suspicious about his case and investigates. He finds out what we already know – that Blake was framed. He gets evidence and even footage of the dead bodies from the massacre, that were conveniently still lying around rather than having been taken away and burned or something. He tries to arrange for Blake to be removed from the transport ship, but he’s not successful. And at the end of the story, both he and his helping hand wife are shown murdered. In short, the events keeps you occupied but they ultimately go nowhere – except that he did reveal to Blake for sure that he was set up.

While on the transport, Blake meets some other people – one a thief, one a powerful woman. I suspect that they and the other ragtag members of the ship will be the rest of his “7”. (And please do not tell me if I am right or not when I speculate like this. I want to be surprised one way or another. I don’t want someone to respond, “Yes, they will be his 7, and the girl will become his girlfriend whom he’ll marry in Season 3 and...” or “No, they will get massacred like the first group in next week’s show.” Thank you for your understanding.)

The end of the episode could also be like the end of a bleak movie. The attempted heroes are killed, and the traitor/spy of the resistance comments that a transporter accident will be forthcoming. The end. The bad guys win. But instead, as they pull away from the planet, Blake is told that’s the last he’ll ever see of it, but he says with hope and firmness, “No, I’m coming back.”

Overall, an interesting pilot episode. Some of the sets – particularly the courtroom – suffer from a scarcity of props or even walls. But a low budget is acceptable to me when the storylines are imaginative; that’s what I liked about the original DOCTOR WHO. I’ll give this episode an 8 out of 10.

 

[ant-mac]

This was my first time using my TV’s Smartcast feature to watch a show on YouTube, instead of on my computer. While it’s nice to be able to watch a YouTube video on the TV, I was frustrated that I could not go backward or even start over again after it took a few minutes to get the sound level right; I couldn’t even see how much of the show was left when I would pause it. I thought of starting my review by saying, “Well that was a frustrating aggravating way to spend 48 minutes; I hope it gets better later,” and then continuing, “But enough about my first efforts with Smartcast; let’s talk about the show.”

Anyway, I’m brand new to the show and didn’t even read many of the posts of all of you discussing it, as I like to be surprised. This episode certainly didn’t fail to do that. We began with an introduction to our hero as a rather ordinary-seeming fellow being persuaded by two friends to leave his enclosed city to attend a secret meeting “outside.” He meets a secret organization trying to rally against the tyrannical government known as “the Federation.” (I couldn’t help but be amused by the irony that “The Federation” was the benevolent force in the STAR TREK series, and also that the symbol under the title BLAKE’S 7 looked like a sideways version of the insignias worn on the STAR TREK uniforms.) When they ask the man if he remembers someone named Blake who led an attempted insurrection it was only then I really suspected that he was the very Blake they were discussing. Sure enough, he is told of his capture and subsequent brainwashing and begins to remember some of it.

I begin to wonder if some of these people will be part of his “7”. But that is not to be. In the first major “surprise” of the story, futuristic police arrive on the scene. Even though the leader tells him they will surrender peacefully, they instead open fire and slaughter all of them. Blake alone is spared because the Federation fears he would become a martyr for the cause if killed. They try to convince him that he imagined it all while they plot another means to discredit him. Remembering that old principle that if you want to destroy someone’s reputation make them out to be a racist or a child molester, they plant false memories in children of being sexually assaulted by Blake. He is taken to court and quickly convicted and sentenced to a penal colony where new arrivals are often executed, if I heard correctly. Oddly enough, as I watched the trial I was reminded of an episode of LOST IN SPACE where a law enforcement officer declared that they only had time for an “instant trial.” A talking judge’s head appeared on a large display. The officer and the defendants entered data into the machine and it made a summary judgment. The concept was similar here albeit a little more sophisticated with computerized balls of data entered into the system before a verdict was rendered.

After the sentencing, the rest of the episode is really a macguffin of sorts. Blake’s lawyer gets suspicious about his case and investigates. He finds out what we already know – that Blake was framed. He gets evidence and even footage of the dead bodies from the massacre, that were conveniently still lying around rather than having been taken away and burned or something. He tries to arrange for Blake to be removed from the transport ship, but he’s not successful. And at the end of the story, both he and his helping hand wife are shown murdered. In short, the events keeps you occupied but they ultimately go nowhere – except that he did reveal to Blake for sure that he was set up.

While on the transport, Blake meets some other people – one a thief, one a powerful woman. I suspect that they and the other ragtag members of the ship will be the rest of his “7”. (And please do not tell me if I am right or not when I speculate like this. I want to be surprised one way or another. I don’t want someone to respond, “Yes, they will be his 7, and the girl will become his girlfriend whom he’ll marry in Season 3 and...” or “No, they will get massacred like the first group in next week’s show.” Thank you for your understanding.)

The end of the episode could also be like the end of a bleak movie. The attempted heroes are killed, and the traitor/spy of the resistance comments that a transporter accident will be forthcoming. The end. The bad guys win. But instead, as they pull away from the planet, Blake is told that’s the last he’ll ever see of it, but he says with hope and firmness, “No, I’m coming back.”

Overall, an interesting pilot episode. Some of the sets – particularly the courtroom – suffer from a scarcity of props or even walls. But a low budget is acceptable to me when the storylines are imaginative; that’s what I liked about the original DOCTOR WHO. I’ll give this episode an 8 out of 10.

I'm glad you enjoyed the first episode of BLAKE'S 7.

Sorry to hear of your "technical" difficulties. When I have problems with technology, I have a habit of hitting it until it either works or it doesn't. It can be an expensive habit, but it's always satisfying.

It's also nice to see another original Whovian around the place.

 

[Gavin]

He gets evidence and even footage of the dead bodies from the massacre, that were conveniently still lying around rather than having been taken away and burned or something.

Yeah that bothered me too. Even at the extremely fast past that the legal case seemed to operate, there should have been time for this to be cleared up. I wonder if it says something about the arrogance of the government (or those involved in the conspiracy) that they honestly thought no one would find the evidence? Or possibly it's just lazy writing? Who knows?

Lovely review Brimfin , yes I remember you like 70's Dr Who, this was made by the same team more or less, but with even lower budget, so like you I can forgive cheap fx if the story is good.

If I recall correctly, I remember reading that Blake's 7 was often made using recycled Doctor Who sets and props and costumes.

 

[ant-mac]

If I recall correctly, I remember reading that Blake's 7 was often made using recycled Doctor Who sets and props and costumes.

And vice versa...

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

As a fellow non USAian, I think that this is true. The US Civil War seems to have largely been conflated, in many people's minds, into a pro-slave/anti-slave conflict, where, as far as I can tell, it was about a far wider range of issues, with slavery not really the main consideration, but that issue became important because the economic status of the South was built on slavery far more than the North. In fact, I've seen a quote attributed to Lincoln that if there was a way to end the conflict without changing the status of slavery he'd take it. I'm not sure if that's correctly attributed or not but it does line up with what I've read of the general thinking of the era.

Both true and false. There was a large number of abolitionists at the time who were trying to end slavery in the south by any means necessary. There were also business owners in the north who were upset that they had to pay wages to workers when there were those in the south who were making a large amount of money on the backs of slaves. The government knew they had two choices - end slavery completely and cause a rift in the nation, or keep going as we were, and allow the states with slavery still instated to keep on, but not allow it to spread to the territories, which was balked at by slave owners wishing to travel west. And yes, Lincoln did, indeed, state that he would have allowed it to continue if it it would end the war.

There are some who will also insist that the Civil War was fought not over slavery, but over state's rights. This is in essence true, but they brush over the fact that the rights being fought over were the rights to own other human beings. Which makes those people assholes.

Also, people will often bring up Lincoln enacting the draft, and that the rich were able to buy their way out of the draft. And while this is true, again, they miss the point that it was the rich who owned slaves, and the rich certainly weren't fighting for the cause. It was the poor, who never owned slaves, but believed that in such a society, they, too, could achieve that status. Oh, to dream of someday being rich enough to own other humans to do your work for you, so that you can make even more money. Again, assholes.

Okay, enough of my backward country, and its stain on history, and how I'm part Native American, and we know how our country continues to treat my people. Fuckwits.

Seeing :The Way Back" for the first time in far too many years, I was delighted in just how good it is. Sure, we can go on for hours about budget and effects and everything else, but dammit, this is a solid story. We are introduced to Roj Blake, a one-time revolutionary who was brainwashed into believing that he was led astray and became a model citizen. Terry Nation liked to take a lot of credit for many things, but he had some really great ideas, and like Roddenberry and Lucas, he created a brilliant futuristic story. The plot may seem to new audiences as somewhat cliche or derivative, but only because so much that has come since has been informed by this series. An innocent man is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and is sent away by a government who suppresses free thought and doesn't want him to be looked at as a martyr for any cause other than their own. Also, Blake isn't a classical hero, but comes off as an every man, who simply winds up in that "wrong place, wrong time" situation. He's charismatic enough to like, but not overly flashy or showboaty (is that a word? Screw it, it is now.). It is still as relevant today as it was 40 years ago. I am certainly looking forward to episode 2.

Oh yeah, my rating. Like others, I always go x/5. So to adjust I will say it was a solid 9/10. Brilliant script, good dialogue that keeps the story moving with no extemporaneous exposition (say that five times fast after a six pack of lager), and it gives us just enough to want to move forward without giving us a two-hour premiere that bogs us down in long paragraphs of backstory.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

To carry out such atrocities they must be brainwashed into the Federation belief system, therefore dehumanized, hence the uniforms, a metaphor perhaps to indicate their lack of humanity.

While this isn't a new concept by any means, it is intriguing that only a year before that, we saw something similar with the Stormtroopers in Star Wars. Another thing that does is it creates a lack of sympathy for characters like that, so when you see them die, you feel nothing for them, other than feeling that the bad guy got his comeuppances.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

Two hour pilots have never been a standard way for British shows to begin, that's an American concept,no idea really why, cultural differences maybe

It's been a big thing here for a few decades now, and while I don't mind it, it gives you a feature film feeds you everything you need to know - characters, backstory, motivations, locations, etc. While I like a little mystery on the journey, most Americans need to know everything about the show so they know what they are getting into. In that same vein, it's how you can't have an upcoming show or movie without multiple spoilers, bonus clips, teasers, and the like. Again, I don't mind seeing something to get me excited, but most audiences seem to want to know everything about a movie or show before they even watch it. If it's a genre I like, or a franchise I'm a fan of, etc., I'm going to watch it. Unfortunately, most of my fellow countrymen (and women) are too dumb and need everything spoon-fed to them.

Everyone I think has reviewed ep.1 , so ep.2 whenever you want, see you there;
EPISODE 2 -SPACE FALL.

Sweet!

 

[ant-mac]

In the third century of the second calendar, Roj Blake is led outside of the city dome by friends and learns that he had once been the leader of a resistance group that had fought against the Federation. All food and drink is treated with suppressants, water is been recycled endlessly and the Civil Administration keeps the population in a state of permanently medicated tranquillity. As a result, Blake goes without food and drink for thirty-six hours before venturing outside - a forbidden area - with his friends, who reveal that they are members of the Resistance. They then introduce him to other members.

With all of his memories still hazy, they inform him that he was captured, placed into intensive therapy and had his mind erased - with new memories implanted to replace the old memories. Blake appealed to everyone to support the Civil Administration and said that he had been misguided. The Federation apparently allowed his captured followers - including his brother and sister - to emigrate to the outer worlds. However, upon their arrival on the planet Zeton Five, they were all executed. While Blake moves away from the group to process all of this new information, Federation security services suddenly appear and slaughter the members of the Resistance.

Blake returns to the city dome, where a traitor, Dev Tarrant, has arranged for him to be captured. He is charged with fabricated crimes all involving children and is placed on trial. He is eventually found guilty and is given a life sentence on the penal colony of Cygnus Alpha, under the crimes’ category nine rating. When his defence counsel detects inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence, they begin to believe that Blake might have been framed and they set out to discover the truth. However, they are both killed by Dev Tarrant and Blake is shipped off to Cygnus Alpha, onboard the Civil Administration spacecraft London, with the final words, “I’m coming back.”

THE WAY BACK by Terry Nation gets BLAKE'S 7 off to a fine start with a compelling story and some interesting characters. Gareth Thomas does well as Roj Blake, as does Robert Beatty as Bran Foster, Jeremy Wilkin as Dev Tarrant and other supporting cast members such as Robert James, Michael Halsey, Pippa Steel and Gillian Bailey. Meanwhile, the introduction of Sally Knyvette as Jenna and Michael Keating as Vila near the end of the episode hopefully bodes well for the future.

4 / 5.

 

[Simian Jack]

Hi! (waves)
I was with the Sages for a short stint as IMDb died and had to bow out in the middle of Kolchak. If things turn out well over the next few weeks I hope to return and go through Blake and Star Cops with you.

If I recall correctly, I remember reading that Blake's 7 was often made using recycled Doctor Who sets and props and costumes.

Not props exactly, but I think I recognized some of the soft furniture as the same type used in Robots of Death. :) (establishing nerd cred)

Somewhere in this thread you guys were talking about the advocate Taron and his wife, whether they should not have been more aware how rigged the system is seeing as they are a part of it. Can't find where that went, but I'm speculating...maybe the reason Taron was assigned to Blake was to satisfy the appearance of a fair trial giving him counsel that was honest but naïve and inexperienced?