Episode Thoughts: Horizon
Aug. 14th, 2019 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zephron1Before I talk about Horizon, I'm going to say that my interest is mainly in Gan and Vila. I know the episode is 'of its time' and is very un-PC in the way the natives of Horizon are shown/treated. Even when I rewatched in the 80s, before being more aware of the issues myself, I hated the way Blake took charge at mealtime and organised the 'savages' - it just feels so wrong on so many levels, and that's just one instance. But I won't go into all of that. I'm sure there are others far better than me to discuss that side of 70s TV shows.
So, watching Horizon, I realised that in the scene where Gan outmanoeuvres Vila into going down to Horizon, he actually sounds a bit sharp with him. If this was straight after Shadow, I could perhaps think Gan's still a bit annoyed at him for his actions in that episode (though I'm not sure how annoyed Gan actually was, I'll have to rewatch that ep again soon), but this is after Weapon, so that seems odd.
Then I remembered that everyone is stressed out, that's what Cally has been saying. Also, Jenna snapped at Gan earlier over the comms, presumably as a sign of stress on her part. So, Gan's feeling stressed and poor Vila is all happy and content due to (presumably) the soma still in his system, which I guess doesn't help! Someone being all unstressed when you are stressed out can be very annoying!! So, Gan is a bit more snippy than normal.
Then again, it's a while since I've watched any episodes. I think it's time for a rewatch, to remind myself of Gan and Vila's interactions. Re-explore their friendship. Make sure my remembered feelings about that actually match the show, so as to speak. I know that my head canon about Gan's background (from Zephron, a farming world), is based on a Blake's 7 annual and isn't in the show itself. A friend pointed that out to me recently! I'd really thought it was in the show, lol! So it's not actual canon, but I do like the idea, so that's that!!
Back to Horizon and oh, poor Vila!! He looks soooo unhappy about the idea of work!! I like how he claims to be a common thief (lol, right, nothing 'common' about his thieving skills!!) and to have no technical information about the shield (which might be true, but I always think this is more Vila playing on his Delta classification so as to not give anything away - this may be in part due to 30 Pieces of Silver byvilakins!).
He's even less happy when he finds out the mineral is radioactive. But look, naked chest Vila, all dirtied up nicely!! Well, that's a plus for this episode if nothing else!! *shallow fangirl is shallow* Though no naked chested Gan :( I guess we can't have everything!
I love Avon talking to Orac about whether he needs the others or not, and Orac not knowing when it's a question or when it's not!! Orac's confusion always makes me smile! And I notice that, having made the decision that he doesn't need the others, Avon doesn't appear to be in a rush to leave!! And those pursuit ships would take two hours to arrive, surely with the Liberator that is ample time to get away?! Ah, Avon, I think you just needed an excuse to stay! :D :D So does Vila in Take Enough bysallymn!
The ending seems naive. Oh yes, they will fight the Federation if (when, more likely) it comes back, but how? Without help, Ro and his people are in big trouble I think. Oh well, this is Blake's 7, you're not really supposed to think about things like that!! :D
Very clever Blake at the end there with the pursuit ships, but also cruel not to say anything until after the barrier destroys the ships. The crew are already stressed out, that's not exactly helping their stress levels any!!!
Oh well, at least it beats work - or so Vila thinks! :D
So, watching Horizon, I realised that in the scene where Gan outmanoeuvres Vila into going down to Horizon, he actually sounds a bit sharp with him. If this was straight after Shadow, I could perhaps think Gan's still a bit annoyed at him for his actions in that episode (though I'm not sure how annoyed Gan actually was, I'll have to rewatch that ep again soon), but this is after Weapon, so that seems odd.
Then I remembered that everyone is stressed out, that's what Cally has been saying. Also, Jenna snapped at Gan earlier over the comms, presumably as a sign of stress on her part. So, Gan's feeling stressed and poor Vila is all happy and content due to (presumably) the soma still in his system, which I guess doesn't help! Someone being all unstressed when you are stressed out can be very annoying!! So, Gan is a bit more snippy than normal.
Then again, it's a while since I've watched any episodes. I think it's time for a rewatch, to remind myself of Gan and Vila's interactions. Re-explore their friendship. Make sure my remembered feelings about that actually match the show, so as to speak. I know that my head canon about Gan's background (from Zephron, a farming world), is based on a Blake's 7 annual and isn't in the show itself. A friend pointed that out to me recently! I'd really thought it was in the show, lol! So it's not actual canon, but I do like the idea, so that's that!!
Back to Horizon and oh, poor Vila!! He looks soooo unhappy about the idea of work!! I like how he claims to be a common thief (lol, right, nothing 'common' about his thieving skills!!) and to have no technical information about the shield (which might be true, but I always think this is more Vila playing on his Delta classification so as to not give anything away - this may be in part due to 30 Pieces of Silver by
vilakins!). He's even less happy when he finds out the mineral is radioactive. But look, naked chest Vila, all dirtied up nicely!! Well, that's a plus for this episode if nothing else!! *shallow fangirl is shallow* Though no naked chested Gan :( I guess we can't have everything!
I love Avon talking to Orac about whether he needs the others or not, and Orac not knowing when it's a question or when it's not!! Orac's confusion always makes me smile! And I notice that, having made the decision that he doesn't need the others, Avon doesn't appear to be in a rush to leave!! And those pursuit ships would take two hours to arrive, surely with the Liberator that is ample time to get away?! Ah, Avon, I think you just needed an excuse to stay! :D :D So does Vila in Take Enough by
sallymn!The ending seems naive. Oh yes, they will fight the Federation if (when, more likely) it comes back, but how? Without help, Ro and his people are in big trouble I think. Oh well, this is Blake's 7, you're not really supposed to think about things like that!! :D
Very clever Blake at the end there with the pursuit ships, but also cruel not to say anything until after the barrier destroys the ships. The crew are already stressed out, that's not exactly helping their stress levels any!!!
Oh well, at least it beats work - or so Vila thinks! :D
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Date: 2019-09-14 03:19 pm (UTC)I was also chair of Redemption for quite a while.
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Date: 2019-09-15 12:11 pm (UTC)