Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm enjoying re-watching Blake's 7 so much that I decided to start a discussion about it. Who else wants to join in?
I can't remember most of the episodes because I was about 9 when I watched them, so it's like something new, but it is such a good series. High time for a remake.
Me and my friends used to play Blake's 7 in the playground. I was always Cally. We were all girls so some played male roles.
Avon is such a great character! I love his constant arguing with Blake and I realise now why I liked Avon. Apart from the fact he's a handsome man, he is actually a more attractive character than Blake. All Blake does is shout and get angry. It's very tiring. They should have shown a softer side to him. At least Avon is a bit funny sometimes. And they should have just got another actor to play him when Gareth Thomas left. It was a bit stupid having Blake's 7 without Blake.
Also I'd forgotten about Travis in his head-to-toe black leather costume. Well! And I like his hatred of Blake too, the way he is always trying to kill Blake, but Blake avoids killing him in order to score moral points.
A much better series than I remember, at first I didn't want to watch it because it was one of the last series I watched with my dad before he died. But re-watching it is actually making me happy. I can imagine my dad chuckling at some of the silly scenes.
If anyone wants to discuss this series with me, please do!
Blake's 7 was literally my favourite programme when it originally came out. I liked Villa best as he was funny (if a bit wet and drippy, ha ha). I was absolutely gutted when it finished (not to mention the way it finished!)
I'm going to have to watch it again now and get all nostalgic...
Vila is so interesting because he’s less of a coward than he appears. He is anxious and sensibly risk averse and could almost seem a bit of a drip because it suits him to seem harmless. But there’s a bit of steel in there, and he can suddenly go from mild mannered equivocation into a snarl if he’s really backed into a corner. Something he does in that final ever scene is a perfect microcosm of those two sides of him, and it’s so deftly done. I think some writers did better with that complexity than others. Basically, if it’s a Chris Boucher script you’re going to get great Vila lines and moments, and same for Avon.
Now you say it, yes I can totally see it! Your analysis describes him very well. And I recognise aspects of myself in that description too so maybe that's why I was drawn to the character.
This thread has reminded me - I used to buy the Blake's 7 magazine religiously...I think I still have them in a drawer somewhere. Will have to dig them out again.
I basically wanted to be a feisty mix of Soolin and Dayna though. I was so timid as a child (still am in many respects) so have always been in awe of strong female characters and perhaps was subconsciously trying to absorb that essence. More recently I loved the character of Lagertha in the Vikings series. She was awesome.
I think in real life I do this too sometimes; kind of like a 'hero worship' thing that's probably quite off putting for the individuals involved.
Oh, I'm jealous of you having those mags. I came to B7 fandom just a little too late for that, having been just a bit too young for the original broadcasts. I have an unbroken chain of Doctor Who Magazines though, from November 1990 to the present day. Yeah, Soolin and Dayna were great. Curiously, Josette Simon seems keen to distance herself from Dayna these days - she still acts sometimes, but when offered a chance to reprise her role on audio, declined, so they re-cast.
Yes, strong female role models were thin on the ground back then so no wonder they stood out.