Wendy wrote: <I think the evidence in a lot of episodes, especially deliverance, suggests that PD's interpretation of the character was *not* as a macho psychopath,>

He also made it clear in interviews (and in "Avon: A Terrible Interpretation") that he did too see and thought he was playing Avon as a callous and fairly brutal MachoMan. The fact that he was wrong (about what he was actually doing :-)) is just our good luck.

<How can you back something up with "evidence", if by your own admission, you are just reading something you choose to see into the episode, an episode that you agree is sexist?>

Re-read my post. I gave the reasons for my interpretation - the way Avon and Meegat actually act in the episode being the central ones. The fact that you don't see it doesn't make it invalid for me, since you are also reading a lot of things *you choose* to see into it, and the fact that I and some others don't see it doesn't make it invalid for you.

<What you are saying hear is that it's okay for a woman to conform to a sexual stereotype, as long as it gets the man to do what she wants.>

She's acting naturally - she is not doing it to get him to do what she wants, she is doing it because that is how she sees *him* (not how she sees men, for goodness sake - look at the way she *totally* ignores both Vila and Gan.) and what she sees his role is, a prophesised Lord to complete a particular very vital task. The reason it's Avon (and not Jenna or Cally or Blake or whoever) is that - quite correctly - Terry Nation realised that none of the others would be nearly as much fun to *watch* in this situation (except maybe Vilakins).

<This is true, but by that implication it means the Avon is just using her.>

And she's not using him? Or are you suggesting that Avon - *Avon*, for goodness sake! - should put political correctness before survival? If he did, he would *not* be the Avon I know and love (despite himself) and I wouldn't want to watch him.

<As for people left behind to a terrible fate,it has happened before,look at every other single prisoner who came to Cygnus Alpha on the London, for example.>

And it's made clear in Cygnus Alpha that the ones left behind *chose that option*. Blake gave them the choice (at the top of his not inconsiderable voice). We have no evidence Meegat and her peple weren't given the same option; you can't deny anyone else the assumption that they weren't, since you are likewise assuming without evidence that they were.

<So Gan's cruel then is he? This is a situation the author has set up. We should be looking at the implications of the scenario and not how various characters react to it.>

Oh. I see. However, I *totally * disagree with this, and with the idea that people "should" be watching the show for any reasons but their own, and what they personally want to get out of it. I'm sorry, but it's clear that you and I watch Blake's 7 for totally different reasons, since as far as I'm concerned "how characters react" is central to my enjoyment of the show; I'm not interested in how Generic-SF-hero *should* act, but how Blake, being Roj, and Avon, being Kerr, *do* act.

Obviously this isn't so for you, and no reason why it should be. But I really think it means you and I at least have no common ground to discuss, so I'm afraid this is where it comes to a .

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