The best season of Blakes 7 (Blake's 7 - The Complete Series 4 (DVD))

Member Name: gleemaid

Product:	Blake's 7 - The Complete Series 4 (DVD)
Date:	04/06/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some truly great episodes

Disadvantages: Episodes 2 and 3 (maybe 4 and 5, but I like them)

A lot of nonsense is written about Series 4 of Blakes 7.

You will find the average fan berating it for being a severe let down in comparison to previous seasons, and that it's all a string of 13 episodes of low standard muck, bar the last episode that's really great.

I'll agree with part of that, but more later.

I loved my Grandpa, loved him dearly. He died when I was 13 in 1984, and I miss him every day...we lived in front of the TV the two of us. I was taught to read out of the TV listings from The Daily Mirror.
"Anglia" was one of my first ever words. We watched Pebble Mill, Schools and Colleges, The News, You and Me, and his favourite the live Cricket. We watched Nationwide together, laughed at Only Fools and Horses and sat dozing of a Sunday in front of The Onedin Line.

But he hated science fiction...our paths would diverge now...I love Dr Who and he hated it. "Some idiot in a phone box-don't understand it" he would say. I remember watching him die in hospital with one eye on Frontios, a fact I regret to this day....that I could have been so shallow while my dear grandpa died watching Dr Who.

"OK, to Blakes 7" I hear you cry. Yes, we watched it and we both loved it. "Rough salt buggers like me" he would say...I think he fancied himself as an Avon of years gone by.

I hate it when people diss Series 4...ok, it was a rush job, only at the end of Terminal in Season 3 did they announce a new series much to the shock of all and sundry-including the production crew.

A rush job, but a work of utter quality. We have seen these characters grow over 3 series...some newer than others, some have been there from the start.

In series 4 the heroes have lost their master ship and have moved from the Rolls Royce into a Skoda. They have long since lost their leader, and the next down the line (Avon) is clearly becoming deliciously unstable...examples being the end of Stardrive, Gold and most of Orbit.
Vila has become an alcoholic and Tarrant is sliding into depravity.
One often levelled fault of Blakes 7 is the weakness of the female characters, and despite a hard nosed freedom fighter (Soolin) being introduced here there is still a feeling of the ladies being weakly written cyphers.

Bar Servalan of course...and her ladyship is as wonderful as ever despite not being given one ounce of a sendoff. This fact made Jacqueline Pearce herself very sad...and quite right too.

Due to the rushed schedule the second half of the series is a lot better than the first. "Rescue" is great fun, "Power" and "Traitor" simply tread water, the punk filled "Stardrive" has it's moments...and don't believe those who would say "Animals" is the series worst moment, it is actually an affecting episode.

It all kicks off from "Headhunter" inwards, highlights being every single episode onwards.
"Assassin", lovely episode with a great twist
"Games"...great fun...Stratford Johns, bless Him.
"Sand"...Tarrant snogs Servalan in a wonderful Tanith lee story
"Gold"...great fun with Roy Kinnear
"Orbit", well the feeling of watching Orbit is one of great unease. A true slice of class, and not to spoil matters but Avon and Vila's relationship is changed.
"Warlord"...despite the 80's haircuts again class material.

Then and finally just before Christmas 1981, Grandpa and I watched the last episode "Blake"
We had both seen in the Radio Times he was coming back, and looked forward to it.

I cried as the credits rolled, and Grandpa held my hand...all this 3-4 days before Christmas.

Looking back, what a brave way to end the series. Such quality.

Series 4 has a lot more drama and creativity than any of the earlier seasons. Paul Darrow poised on the edge of madness, and that final confrontation.

You listen to me, stay with the rebels to the bitter end....you won't regret it.

And the final meeting of Avon and Blake is irony personified.

"You...betrayed...us?...you betrayed me??!!"

That it could end on a mere misunderstanding...

gleemaid

Summary: You...betrayed us....you betrayed me???!!