Annie wrote:
I was simply pointing out that is a completely valid possibility, especially what we SAW happening on Terminal, that Avon had been conditioned to kill Blake the moment he finally found him/saw him. And that is what happened, with apparently little rhyme or reason. Perhaps others don't agree with me that Avon seems startled when he pulls the trigger?
I agree that he seems startled, but I always read that as more of an "Oh, my god, what am I doing, is this really happening?" kind of thing. I've read a few stories with the Terminal-conditioning setup, and I think it's an interesting idea, a perfectly reasonable premise for a fanfic, but I personally don't think that's what was actually happening. I agree with Neil, actually (again!). Conditioning is an interesting theme in B7, but it *can* be used in ways that feel like a bit of a cop-out to me.