Review City at the Edge of the World: Episode 32

[Doctor Omega]

Your thoughts on this episode....

The Liberator crew makes a deal with a outlaw known as Bayban the Berserker to exchange for crystals need for the Liberator's weapons system. Bayban the Berserker in return requires Vila's help to find a treasure on the distant planet Keezar and Vila falls in love with Kerril, one of Bayban the Berserker's gang members.

On to the next episode....

CHILDREN OF AURON

https://www.imdforums.com/threads/the-children-of-auron-episode-33.3466/


Back to the previous episode....

THE HARVEST OF KAIROS

https://www.imdforums.com/threads/the-harvest-of-kairos-episode-31.3464/

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Vila episode, obviously and a good one too. Not sure about the wisdom of almost nicking a Star Trek title though.

Colin Baker is amusing as Bayban, but I remember reading that Eric Saward saw this and felt Colin had played it wrong. He voiced his criticisms to Colin who did not take kindly. Eric got a satisfaction out of seeing William Gaunt coming into Revelation of the Daleks and playing Orcini in exactly the way that Saward thought Colin should have played Bayban.

It is a shame - and I found it confusing as a kid - that the pre-recorded voice overhead is Valentine Dyall's voice. His tones are too distinctive. Having him as two characters just causes confusion.

Tarrant is made a bully here, but I am deeply unconvinced that the Tarrant we are seeing on screen could successfully bully anyone. And Vila does not convince me that he could be that scared of Tarrant. Maybe Pacey should have played it the way he did at his audition. Quietly menacing.

The love affair between Vila and Kerril is nicely played and the whole script is sprinkled with nice dialogue.

Michael Keating said after Blake's 7 finished that Vila would go to look for Kerrill if he survived the shootout, but later changed his mind, saying that what they had was born of the time and place and wouldn't have lasted.

A quality episode.

 

[johnnybear]

Maybe the voice on the pre-recorded system was an ancestor of the character that Valentine Dyall played?
JB