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probably-enjoying-this · 9 hours ago

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Some random thoughts I’ve been having about Blake’s 7 season 4 under the cut

So I really enjoy the last half of the season (basically every episode from ‘Games’ onwards), but one thing that’s always bothered me is the inconsistency in the emotional arcs of the characters, particularly concerning the lack of fall out from the events of ‘Sand’. That episode is a pretty big deal in terms of what it does to the crew dynamic. Tarrant shatters the trust he’s built with everyone by having his tryst with Servalan, and it’s evident that Dayna, Vila, and even Soolin hate his guts for it based on their reaction when he tells them about it at the end of the episode. Yet in the very next episode, ‘Gold’, everyone’s pretty friendly with him again, especially Dayna, which just doesn’t feel right because we know that nobody holds a grudge like she can. And with Tarrant (arguably her closest friend on the crew) sleeping with Servalan (the woman who ruined her life), that’s not something she should be able to let go of that easily.

I think there is a way to reconcile this inconsistency though, and that’s to simply swap the episode order around. As it stands, the latter half of season 4 goes as follows:

Games -> Sand -> Gold -> Orbit -> Warlord -> Blake

But I wonder if the emotional arcs of the characters might make more sense if this was the viewing order:

Games -> Gold -> Orbit -> Sand -> Warlord -> Blake

I’ve put ‘Gold’ earlier because that episode has always struck me as one where the crew works really well together. They feel like they’re in sync, like they actually enjoy working with each other, and it doesn’t make sense that an episode like that would come directly after ‘Sand’. It’s the same situation with ‘Orbit’ - at the start of that episode, there’s a similar camaraderie between the crew. They joke with each other, they trust each other, and there’s an ease with which they work together to discover the truth about Egrorian’s plans and figure out how to outthink him. That, of course, all changes when Avon tries to murder Vila - that camaraderie and ease vanishes as soon as Orac tells Avon how much Vila weighs.

And then we come to ‘Sand’. Of course, Vila’s behaviour in this episode can be explained by the Sand on Virn trying to kill him, but I think his palpable depression here is made all the more tragic if it happens after ‘Orbit’. He’s already miserable because Avon, his closest friend, genuinely tried to murder him, and so he’s that much more vulnerable to letting the sand overwhelm him. ‘Sand’ is one of the only episodes where they acknowledge Cally’s death, and Vila’s the one who does it - it’s no surprise that he’d be thinking about her after ‘Orbit’, because she was the person who kind of kept Avon on his leash, as it were. Avon wouldn’t have tried to kill him if Cally was still there. As for Tarrant and Servalan, I have so many thoughts about why they do what they do in ‘Sand’, but that probably deserves its own post. But for now, the main thing that matters is that It Happened, and it’s another major blow to the trust the crew had built with each other.

Jump to ‘Warlord’, and it feels like there’s this subtle and weird tension between everyone. Maybe it’s just the pressure of hosting all these planetary leaders and getting back into the revolution again, but the way the crew interacts with each other is a far cry from what we saw in ‘Gold’ and the beginning of ‘Orbit’. I don’t know if I could’ve ever described these people as friends necessarily, but there was Something there that held them together. In ‘Warlord’ the crew dynamic feels overwhelmed by the sense that that Something has been lost. And Tarrant falling so head over heels for Zeeona makes sense if you consider her as a sort of rebound for him - his crew is shunning him after ‘Sand’, and so naturally he gets attached to the closest person who’ll treat him with anything close to kindness, which Zeeona does. There’s a sort of dismissiveness to the way Dayna, Vila, and Avon treat the Tarrant/Zeeona romance - they’re not taking it seriously because they recognise it for what it is. And then that adds an extra layer of tragedy when Zeeona dies - she was put into a situation where she had to sacrifice herself largely because of a romance that, deep down, didn’t genuinely mean anything.

All this, of course, leads us to ‘Blake’. I think Tarrant sacrificing himself on Scorpio is his way of trying to atone for what he’s done - for sleeping with Servalan, and for inadvertently leading Zeeona to her death. It’s him demonstrating that his ultimate loyalty is to his crew, to the point where he’s willing to die for them, and I think his sacrifice makes the rest of them realise that, deep down, his mistakes don’t matter. And, in turn, everything else that’s shattered their trust in each other over the last few episodes ceases to matter as well. By the time they’ve all reunited in Blake’s base, they’re that same crew as we see in ‘Gold’ - inseparable, devoted, loyal. That’s why Avon immediately trusts Tarrant’s word that Blake is a traitor. That’s why Vila drops his cowardly facade and attacks Arlen after she kills Dayna. And that’s why the massacre at Gauda Prime is so tragic - because these people finally learned to trust each other and stand with each other again, only to get immediately slaughtered before they had the chance to acknowledge it.

#ohh this is so clever and makes so much sense #blake's 7 spoilers #meta #season 4

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probably-enjoying-this · 15 hours ago

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Okay, I've gathered my thoughts.

my thoughts about the show as a whole

Definitely one of the best show I've seen.

It realistically shows life and death in an authoritarian state and doesn't shy away from tough topics. But despite the dark tone, the show doesn't slip into nihilism.

The writers don't try to impose moralality on the audience, allowing us to draw our own conclusions.

10/10

my thoughts about the last episode

The death of all team members (except for Orak) is the result of a series of unrelated events, but at the same time inevitably follows from the reality they lived in.

Avon's distrust of Blake is the result of a misunderstanding, but at the same time an inevitable reaction follows from his past experiences (mostly from the story with Anna, but don't forget about Zukan, Cancer and others).

Avon's reaction to Blake's "betrayal" was heartbreaking 💔

Unexpectedly for me, the dynamic between Avon and Tarrant was the most touching part of this episode.

In Dawn of the Gods everyone thought they were going to die in a black hole, Avon tried to escape from the ship alone, and Tarrant tried his best to stop him. In Blake Avon did't want to leave Tarrant, and Tarrant had to convince Avon to teleport. Despite their quarrels in the past, they eventually understood each other 🫂

Avon had no proof of Blake's betrayal other than Tarrant's words. Blake was killed by Avon because Avon trusted Tarrant more than him.

A man who trusts can never be betrayed. Only mistaken 🤷🏻‍♀️

Even Vila, who had known Blake longer than Avon, seemed to believe Tarrant.

The crew members of the Scorpio really developed a special bond with each other.

It warms and breaks my heart at the same time 🤧

#blake's 7 spoilers #love this analysis of the last episode #you are so right #hadn't thought of it but #that quote from cally fits so well #now that you're at the end there's a ton of great B7 fanfic out there if that's something you're into #meta #finale

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probably-enjoying-this · 2 days ago

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Okay, seriously, it was a wild ride.

#congrats on getting through it #are you in the gauda prime social club discord yet #if not i’d be happy to message an invite link just let me know #lots of nice people there for emotional support #blake's 7 #meta

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