Blake's 7 #1 - The Way Back

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I have a feeling I may already be a week behind in this Blake’s 7 endeavor, largely as the plan is to watch all 52 episodes, one a week, over the course of 2024. If I can, I am sure I will catch up, though. If all goes well, post “#52 - Blake” will be posted on New Year’s Eve…

I’ll not recap the premise of this strand, though, as that’s all contained in post #0. I’ll get straight on with;

#1 - The Way Back

One thing I remember about having watched Season 1 before is that it takes a while for all seven to come together and form their merry band of space rebels. In fact, I have it in my head that in this debut episode, we only see Blake himself. I wonder how correct this memory is? I guess I will find out as I watch this first episode.

I suppose one thing I should say from the off is how much I love the theme tune. It feels just so right for a sci-fi show, and is as much a part of the viewing experience as other epic theme tunes as heard on Doctor Who, or The Prisoner, or Twin Peaks, or Game of Thrones, or the first two seasons of Red Dwarf, or Star Trek TNG. Heck, even Enterprise. I have such a soft sport for that song. Oh, and Quantum Leap seasons 1-5, and Babylon 5. Music helps to set the tone and identity of a show. I kinda miss it on some shows. Like Lost, and Quantum Leap season 6 onwards.

[And yes; the music at the start of seasons 1 and 2 of Red Dwarf is so much better than the rest. The end credits song for all is awesome, though. But that, and Red Dwarf in its entirety, is something to be discussed another time…]

The thing that is most striking about this first episode is just how bleak it is. We’re on a future Earth (which is clearly only one of many inhabited planets at this time), with a Government that exerts a very high level of control over its people. People who seem to be split in to two types - those who live inside the cites, and are controlled and pacified by chemicals in their food and drink, and those who live outside the cities, and are deemed second class.

In terms of the Government, we actually very little of them, but the extent of their control is clear, as they will use any means necessary to stay in control and suppress rebellion, which the events of this episode make quite clear as we go through it.

The overall vibe I got throughout was very much a 1984 one. This Earth is a very similar one to Airstrip 1 in that book, and there’s no way it can’t have influenced Terry Nation when he was writing it. No way. Nation uses this influence very effectively, though, and builds upon it.

Blake’s treatment throughout this episode is very much a microcosm of how this Government goes about suppressing dissent. As we start, Blake is seemingly just a normal person, who doe not (and does know know he does not) remember vast swathes of his past. But other know who he is, and want to recruit him to their cause, their rebellion.

Blake is persuaded to not eat or drink for 36 hours so his suppressing drugs are wearing off. He is taken to a meeting, outside the city, of these rebels where he is told about his memories being altered. He starts to see flashes - running down a corridor, hit by a Trooper, inside a machine screaming - of suppressed memories. And, of course, being Terry Nation there’s someone called Tarrant there.

It turns out Blake is far from normal and that he was a rebel leader, and presumably one with a high public profile, but rather than quietly execute him like his comrades, he was put on trial, a show trial, unsurprisingly found guilty, and made to denounce his rebel friends. And even the trial was wiped from his memory. I said they’d use any means necessary to maintain control!

Conveniently, however, Blake is in another room when Troopers arrive and massacre seemingly all of the rebels at this meeting. They’re clearly good shots.

But as Blake returns to the city he is captured, and when questioned no-one believes him about the massacre. And rather than just let him rant they fit him up on further charges (which sound like they might be making him out to be a paedo - but they don’t quite describe it thus), so they can lob him to an off world penal colony called Cygnus Alpha (hey, way a coincidence; that’s the title of episode 3!).

The verdict of the trial, conducted by putting some balls in a machine (no. really, it is), ends up exactly as expected with Blake being found guilty. But then his lawyer starts to to think there’s something wrong, as everything seemed to perfect. With a bit of digging he is able to prove that Blake was fitted up. Perhaps there’s a hope that Blake can be saved, and not end up doing life on a penal colony! Yay. Blake goes back to his normal life and all is well A happy ending.

Mmm… remember that bit where I describe the episode as “bleak” and how those in power will do anything to keep control? Both the lawyer and his girlfriend are dead before they get a chance to prove Blake’s innocence and stop him being shipped off world…

I clearly misremembered some of this episode, though, as after Blake is put in a holding cell prior to his shipment to Cygnus Alpha we get to meet two more of the seven; Vila (a thief), and Jenna (a smuggler). No sign of Avon yet, though.

We end with Blake, on the ship heading for the penal colony, vowing to return to Earth. A slight moment of defiance and optimism at the end of an onslaught of bleak (hints of the Battlestar Galactica episode, 33, from many years later). And I hope very much he does get back to Earth at some point during the run. We need to get back to Earth.

I have to say it was a absolutely brilliant episode. It does a great job of setting out the world the show’s set in, the odds the good guys are facing, and the lengths the wrong ‘uns will go to in order to get their way. It’s a real statement of intent.

It seems clear that Blake has yet to regain anything like all his memories - just the occasional flash here and there - so I imagine this is something that will be developed in coming episodes. I mean, you don’t have someone with holes in their memories if you don’t fill them in some time. I imagine coming back to Earth will play a part as well, though I don’t know how that will fit in.

I also misremembered a scene being in this episode, but I know it’ll turn up some time; in it Troopers are doing some kind of target practice on people going up and down escalators in a shopping mall. I don’t think I’m making this up, just that I thought it was in this episode.

My memory is also that we get Avon in the next episode. I seem to recall him being on that ship. In any case, I am liking that the show’s taking its time to introduce all its protagonists.

But, yes, a damn fine first episode… I think I’m going to enjoy this.

Oh, and I didn’t even mention Space Phil Collins listening to music on a Space Walkman…

I recognise them from… most people in this episode I didn’t recognise from anything else notable. Though, of course, Sally Knyvette, who plays Jenna is very well known for also starring as Kate in TV’s Emmerdale Farm, who if I also recall correctly was married to Joe Sugden (who was played by Fraser Hines, most famous for being Jamie in TV’s Doctor Who).

Actually… a thought… does this mean Vila is the only character in every episode? I guess I’ll find out.

So, after this I listened to the first edition of the Maximum Power podcast, the first episode of which has the rather entertaining title; “I love the lack of apostrophe”. I didn’t even notice the lack of apostrophe, largely because the DVD cover doesn’t omit it! It stuff I usually notice. I even have a t-shirt that says “Do misplaced apostrophe’s annoy you?” on it!

First thing mentioned is a thing I completely omitted to talk about was how good the opening titles are - I mean, I mentioned the music, but not the visuals. And they’re right. It is just a great set of titles. Maybe I would have gotten around to doing so later?

There’s also a very good point made about the actual location of this episode being unclear - whether it could potentially be eastern Europe - I just presumed, largely ‘cos of accents etc it was in the UK… perhaps I was completely wrong?

Ah, man… it seems we’re not coming back to Earth at any point during the show based on some comments made. I think that’s a real shame as there’s so much that could have been done with Earth, and explore more what’s happening, both in terms of who is in control etc, and the lives of the normal people. The proles.

I loved the discussion about the sofas. I never even thought about the sofas. This is why I think I’m going to love doing this viewing like this; watching the episode, then listening to the podcast. The things I just don’t even notice…! I’m sure there’ll be loads of this to come in weeks to come…

There’s so many more really good points made, so many, but there’s no point me listing everything as you can go listen to it yourself. I think I definitely made the right choice in choosing this B7 podcast to supplement my viewing.

Blake’s 7 is available on DVD or on BritBox/ITVx.

Maximum Power is available at this link

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