Well, it's taken six episodes (half the season!) and the rebellion is finally under way! Not your typical TV action rebels. After "The Web" it is good to be actually getting somewhere.
When Blake and Vila teleport down - that whirring stupid robot is really, really, really annoying. It can't tell the difference between a human and a piece of swinging pipe - which it actually attacks! Yes - that's right - it ignores the terrorists and attacks the very base it is supposed to defend. Very worrying. Now - it is true that animal sight responds better to motion rather than stationary things, and that robot vision systems attempt to use some of these same principals (using contrast changes to determine edges, convert edges to vertices and then determine vertex changes). However - only a very primitive system would simply shoot at any detected motion.
Vila shows his technical skills and the ability to move & hide quickly. Also he brazenly approaches the guards - he will make a fine terrorist. He makes the knocked out guards comfortable - he never does this again.
What nutbar put the guard to the cipher room on the inside? Put him out in the hallway where he can see intruders and stop them.
Dialog gem: AVON: It had better be right. A fraction out and you could put us down in the middle of the security barracks. JENNA: Don't tempt me.
Blake issues the orders to the crew after they have teleported down. This is bad planning and terrible management. They should have had all this sorted out before they teleport. If they planned these things properly maybe they wouldn't go wrong! Blake wants "total destruction" - but doesn't get it. That's why Travis is able to figure things out. AGAIN a bit of planning to think about the size of charges needed would have helped. And AGAIN - a quick check on the crew before zooming off into the big black might be a good idea. Blake is just useless as a leader - incompetence on the scale of running a large dome in London. But not as incompetent as the people who built that really, really annoying security robot.
Vila will not shoot the guard in the back when he has the opportunity. Just trying to hard to be a good guy? Vila says to Cally "I've just been spotted" - no he wasn't.
Callys guard relaxes and takes off his helmet. Cally then kicks his bottom (as our American friends would say). So it looks like the hand to hand maiming will be done by "companions for my death" Cally. Too bad it doesn't last.
It took until episode six before we get someone to officially wear the black hat - it turns out to be Servalan - who looks to be about 20/21 in this episode. And Travis seems quite capable in this episode - its plausible he could actually beat our heroes (he sees the importance in finding out WHY Blake attacked). Bercol and Rontane show the backstabbing political intrigue in the hierarchy of the federation. I like that the show shows little bits of the world beyond the central characters - Servalans actions are not made in a vacuum - there are political and personal repercussions. We meet the first of Servalans boy-toys - note the way she coquettishly says "Oh Rey. Come Here". Oddly, Rey (and Bercol and Rontane for that matter) don't seem too fond of the ruthless side of the federation that Servie represents.
Blake finally gets something right - he uses the same plan as Travis: get there first (even after many viewings it is still a surprise to me)- see what can be done if you have a plan. However - it is implausible in the extreme that Blake would know in which room Cally was kept. Lastly - Blake should have killed Travis. He's a terrorist - you don't go "letting people off" just so you can have a good gloat - unless you are someone without any planning/management skills - like Blake. Indirectly - Blake then becomes responsible for the Andromedan invasion. If he had killed Travis then it would never have happened and we would not have to suffer through some of the totally crap episodes in S3 and S4. Oh, and did I mention that the security robot is really, really annoying. Sorry - typing late at night and getting a little cranky.
- Iain