Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blakes 7 Series 2 - More adventures in space, 11 Jun 2006
After the gripping first series Blakes 7 moves forward with tremendous energy into new exploits. One of the first things noticeable is the new series has been written by various individuals. This is no longer purely Terry Nation's work and you wonder whether the quality might suffer. Happily the storytelling is as good as ever and since the budget was presumably larger the sets look more impressive. There are more models and less use of public works, quarries etc. The cast also has a fine wardrobe and this adds to the less Spartan mood of this series. Despite the new look some aspects of the series still remain the same. The high-risk lifestyle is still there as expected. The arguments between the crew are still there and if anything are now worse. One change in the series is the character Travis now has a different actor. Like many I don't like the new Travis as much as the old. The original was stocky and menacing, occasionally showing his temper he gave the aura of being dangerous. The new one is tall and always seems to be jumping around, constantly losing his temper. It seems to me that the new Travis might have been better cast as a crewmember for Blake's outfit.
The imaginative writing continues with episodes like `Shadow' at the intriguing Space City with SCI-FI entering the world of drugs. A B grade technicians invention in `Weapon' has tantalising possibilities as Blake's crew ride their luck for all its worth. This series is the first to have fatalities of main characters, a characteristic that continues to the end if I'm not mistaken. Avon in particular uses his blaster regularly as combat is a regular feature of the series. My favourite episode is `Gambit' which is such a classic it should be shown at Christmas. I remember this episode from when I was still at school and for me it's the jewel in the crown of the second series. At the other end of the spectrum although I did quite like some of `Voice from the past' the part where Travis is revealed, now potentially able to control the enormously potent Liberator and Orac, then tells the crew to teleport him is for me a low point in credibility. Travis would hardly trust his archenemies to teleport him into space or a nearby sun. This is a minor glitch and a trait of the Blake's 7 series, sacrificing a little realism but making an intriguing show. Avon is a character I particularly like in this series. He wants the Liberator for himself and seems to be constantly on the verge of going alone. In `Horizon' he ends up being the last man standing and you almost wonder whether he will take off with the ship and its treasures with Orac. His relationship with Blake is strained and he treats Vila like a monkey. Vila is another fine character; always worried about his personal safety this comical character finds the lifestyle terrifying running around with his box of tricks amid the explosions. All in all a fine series that solidly builds upon the super platform of the original series. Originality and intrigue on a grand scale Blake's 7 delivers yet again.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than some would have you believe, 16 Sep 2004
By A Customer
Many fans of Blakes 7 consider Season Two to be the weakest. I cannot agree with that assessment. It is by far and away the most self-confident and unified of the four. Building on the strengths of Season One, Season Two provides us with a much bigger picture, as we are shown considerably more of the workings and machinations of the Terran Federation than we were in Season One. One gets a genuine feeling of its size and strength and the hopelessness of Blake's cause is thrown into sharp relief, especially in the episode "Power Point", which ends with the series' first significant death. The arc plot (still a relatively new concept in 1979) concerning the search for Star One provides a solid backbone to the season, something missing from the water-testing first season and the slightly directionless and meandering third season. Character development is on the increase here and the arguments between Blake and Avon represent some of the best scenes in the series' history ("Star One" springs readily to mind). The Avon/Villa double-act is also given its first real outing here, notably in the episodes "Killer" (one of the season hilights) and the wonderfully bizarre "Gambit". On the downside, the female leads get slightly less to do than in the previous season, and one can understand why Sally Knyvette decided to relinquish the role of Jenna at the end, although Jan Chappell's Cally remains suitably intriguing and alien. All in all, my favourite Blakes 7 season, despite a couple of weak episodes, and one that deserves to be remembered much more fondly than it is.
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the first series, 21 Jul 2004
Series two of Blakes Seven arguably topped the first season, becoming even grittier and shocking than the earlier stories. Most shocking at the time was the death of Liberator crew member Gan in the episode "Pressure point". Rarely before did a programme kill off a regular character in such an unexpected fashion. This episode could have been the starting point for the Blakes Seven legend. It would prove to be a groundbreaking move as many more stars of the show would be killed off (even Blake himself!) in future episodes. Every episode is a grim tale of double crosses, disappointment and uneasy alliances, and that`s just the "heroes" of the show!It is debatable if the overall stories are as cohesive as the first series, as Blakes Seven creator Terry Nation wrote all of series one himself while outside writers (including distinguished Doctor Who ex-script editor Robert Holmes and Blakes Seven script editor Chris Boucher) contributed to series two. The first episode begins where the last ended with Orac`s prediction of the Liberator`s destruction. A thread (albiet non-continuous) developes in "Pressure point" where Blake starts his quest to find "Star one", the secret computer headquarters of the Federation. The rebels go through the rest of the series, continuing their search on-and-off until they reach their destination in the final episode "Star one", which culminates in a space battle with the alien Andromedans and an excellent cliffhanger for series three. Overall series two is highly enjoyable, looking slighty more expensive than the first and the development of the Orac character, the hunt for "Star one" and the continual decent of Blake into a fanatical rebel, instead of series one`s idealist freedom fighter, all make for good drama with some sparkling scripts. Brian Croucher`s portrayal of Travis is unfortunately dwarfed by Stephen Grief`s definitive characterization from the first series, but all the other regulars effortlessly recreate their original characters. Roll on series three and four.
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