Nicola wrote...
And earlier in Sand when Soolin theorises about being cursed by Cally via the Sarcophagus alien, Vila is very upset and runs off, looking near to tears. I think he really does mourn Cally.
There's a couple of times in the series where Vila looks like he might have a cry. I can't picture any of the others in tears somehow. (Except Dayna once or twice)
if no-one cares about me, then I'll have to look after myself.
I think that's VIla's attitude. Certainly by the end of the series.
And I often think while watching SF (and other) series, that most of the characters are unbelievably courageous, to me anyway. I'd be very frightened in most of the situations myself, and I think I'd want to run too
Maybe that's why I like Vila so much. I can see myself adopting the same behaviour under the circumstances.
I agree with your comments about his interactions with the first seaon crew. They are mostly pretty tolerant of his failings and are more likely to joke about it than be really unkind.
Or done a runner! Avon trusted Vila alone on Scorpio at least twice. Interesting, that - he didn't trust anyone else like that - why? In 'Cancer' and 'Gold' he trusts Vila to take the ship away and return in it. I'd have taken it, bolted for safety, then got Slave to take it back. Why didn't Vila?
I think showing that level of initiative would be difficult for Vila. He may be having a miserable time but at least he's among people he knows and a situation he's familiar with. He does get jumpy when he's left on his own several times and in _City on the Edge of the World_ Tarrant's threat to throw him off the ship proves sufficient to scare him into going down to Kezarn. I think it's interesting that Tarrant has only been around for a couple of episodes (any guesses on the length of time?) by this point but Vila clearly belives him capable of carrying through on the threat without the others stopping him even though he's been with them for a reasonable legth of time (a few years?)
He's says at one point that he stays with Blake because he likes him, and I think (probably against his better judgement) that he did like Avon as well. I imagine he found Avon's increasing nastiness in s4 very difficult to deal with.
Leia