Blake's 7 1x01 Full Reaction!
Added 2026-02-13 17:29:07 +0000 UTC
Comments
I haven't watched Blake's 7 for a long time, so it was fun to go back and watch this again 'with' you. I look forward to the rest of this season, and hopefully the others - I always enjoy your thoughts and insights.
Paul Hayes
2026-02-14 21:15:37 +0000 UTCMust have missed rumblings about this over the years. Knew the name. Like Jess says, you caught it being recommended a fair amount. I am told the ending is fairly common knowledge. Don’t know anything about it, so can’t speak to that point. The show does start out with quite the bang. Can see needing to verify that you did in fact put on the first episode. One benefit of the blu-ray disc was only two episodes on it, and I knew I clicked the right one, all the same, I get the confusion. Probably about speaking to the public mood of 1978. The older folks with the RP accents helping sell the villainy. And that is a neat trick tapping into the one fantasy. Yeah, Foster does have a bit of the New Republic attitude, thinking that the fascistic government wouldn’t do anything naughty that could set off the Doomsday Machine, as there is no point in getting hysterical. As we’ve both spoken of, the thing of reminding oneself when something is made, and what audience expectation would be in terms of shocking/horrifying material. In this scenario, it does hit you with what they frame Blake with. Applaud the boldness of just outright saying it as they did. It doesn’t help the Kiss of the Spider Woman of it all with how William Hurt did shit that he never really got cancelled for. Fair that you won’t let that one go. Sucks that Raúl Juliá wasn’t even nominated, or that Harrison Ford lost his only time being nominated. The Saville of it all did cross my mind as well, plus other recent news. So I keep hearing about the Stranger Things finale with the rear projection. See, the Game of Thrones thing, much though I was about a decade late to the party, Ned was Sean Bean; the man has spoilers listed in the imdb trivia section when he DOESN’T die in shit. I therefore fail to see the shock on that one. Granted, it is still a gut punch. As it is, at the time, we were three years after what happened with Abyssinia, Henry; sidenote, that made the rounds about a year ago of it being half a century ago now. This does have the bigger shock value that I liken to episode one of Invincible. They did a good job with the investment of the second couple, showing too that they were smart when clocking the slip up. Alas, those who are tardy do not get fruit cups, and they get killed. It does have the effect of not being sure who is or isn’t going to be main cast. Sounds like no one got as mad about it as Cottonmouth getting killed in episode seven. Mariah emerged as my favorite of that show anyway, Alfre was amazing as she pretty much always is, so I didn’t mind TOO much. Klepto dude does have the great line that gets you so attached. The woman, like her well enough so far. You, me, Jess, we’re all still working on the names, so that’s kind of fun. Sounds plausible about Discovery being influenced by this. Shared thing of having no idea how episodic or serialized the show is. I’m invested. This has my attention. We both are digging this. Rather love the uncharted waters that we’re in, and am looking forward to the ride to come.
Thomas Corp
2026-02-13 20:43:48 +0000 UTCI'm coming at this show from a bit of an odd place, at least personally since from what I understand it's pretty common these days. When I was first getting into Doctor Who in my early teens, several people online were recommending Blake's 7 for fans of the show who were also interested in something more mature and challenging. And the very first specific thing I learned about it was the final scene, which of course I won't be saying anything about here, but I also didn't get around to finding out anything else, and naturally none of the names stuck with me so I now have just a very vague general notion of what happens, which I'll try not to let influence my thoughts on the rest. The only other things I picked up were that it was about fighting an evil government, and had a very dark tone for the time. The first thing that really hit me is how much the episode hits the ground running, and after a couple minutes I actually had to pause it and make sure it really was the first episode. I guess that speaks a lot to the public mood of 1978, where you just need to say something has authority and everyone watching will instantly accept they're the bad guys, especially if their main representation is three older people with RP accents. Also quite a neat trick how much the setup plays into what's probably the first major fantasy of a lot of people's childhood, that they're actually some long lost hero who will one day be discovered and fulfill that destiny. So now we get to see what happens when the guy with corners of his mind so dark and scary that he came up with the Daleks tries that story out. Though I have to say, from what we see of him it may have been the best thing for the rebellion that Foster gets killed here. He very much comes off like he'd fit in perfectly with the New Republic, his best idea being to spend two years converting a single person to the cause because anything more effective would be cheating, and fully believing the government that's done so many nasty things would never shoot unarmed surrendering people. As I've probably made clear several times here, I'm always highly amused at what older media expects us to be shocked by; as I like to call it, the moment where everyone's supposed to spit out their mint juleps as their monocles go flying, assuming they haven't already fainted on the chaise. But darn if this one didn't genuinely shock me with the nature of what Blake is accused of, and I can't imagine how much it freaked people out at the time. It doesn't help that I recently saw Kiss of the Spider Woman, about a child molester who's also attracted to Nazis but he does a single good thing in the final seconds of his life so we're supposed to find that admirable. Not letting that one go any time soon. And I can only imagine the execs overseeing the show were saying to each other "Won't it be awkward if someday people discover that at this exact moment, we're deliberately giving Jimmy Saville and Gary Glitter all the victims they want?" Though I have to admit I was also thinking during the trial "You seriously needed rear projection just for a white wall? The Stranger Things finale is laughing at you." Game of Thrones fans like me were getting all high and mighty over it being willing to kill Ned Stark, when decades earlier this show was TWICE introducing apparently important sets of supporting characters and then killing them in just its first episode. And the second couple were quite a bit more likable with their ability to put the pieces together despite some understandable naivete after being raised in this system and noticing when someone says "Forget all about the Wentworth murder...accident." Made all the more impactful by how we're on the lookout for Blake presumably getting a set of six allies. For now all we have are the two people he meets in the box, one of whom thankfully forgoes any ranting about income tax to instead say "I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person." And that was it, I became obsessed and I have to know everything about him. The woman (don't have either of their names down yet) hasn't made as much of an impression, with the other guy talking about what a big deal she is but her not yet doing anything to justify that, which I'm sure is coming. And I have to note that I'm pretty sure Star Trek Discovery was influenced here, also ending its first episode with the main character seemingly off to prison for life. I have no idea how episodic or serialized the show is, but I was very surprised to already be at the ending, so that's a good sign. I dug the hell out of this, no period of the show figuring itself out necessary, and I'm totally on board for the rest of this ride.
Ryan
2026-02-13 19:50:24 +0000 UTCI hope you will enjoy this series as much as I do.
Andrew Vignaux
2026-02-13 19:13:30 +0000 UTCAlways do love that writing trick that is the I Never Said It Was Poison trope. Fun use of it here, and smart of the lawyer to clock it, even if he and his girlfriend still ended up killed.
Thomas Corp
2026-02-13 18:57:58 +0000 UTC"They erased areas of your mind, they implanted new ideas. They literally took your mind to pieces and rebuilt it. And when they'd finished, they put you up and you confessed.", Bran Foster, "The Way Back" Blake's 7 was created by Terry Nation - creator of the Daleks (and Davros) of course. In 1975 he had created the post-apocalyptic BBC series "Survivors" and now, in 1978, he creates "Blake's 7". Lots and lots of other familiar Who production people pop up in the Blake's 7 episode credits too. The director of this episode was Michael E. Briant who had directed a few 1970's Who stories like "Colony in Space", "The Sea Devils", "The Green Death", etc). The script editor for the series was Chris Boucher who wrote Tom Baker's Doctor Who stories "The Face of Evil", "The Robots of Death", and "Image of the Fendahl". The incidental music was created by long-term Who composer Dudley Simpson, an Australian, who had written the music for over 60 Who stories (over 200 episodes) starting way back (pun intended) in 1964 with "Planet of Giants" to his final Who story "The Horns of Nimon". He also composed the Blake's 7 theme music. "Something ... there's something not ... *to look for those tunnels* ... I didn't say anything about tunnels.", Varon, "The Way Back" An old script-writing trick that we've seen before - a guilty person mentions something that we, the audience knows, but an innocent character wouldn't. But, where have I seen it done before? I know! - it was in early Classic Who - "The Keys of Marinus" - Barbara works out that Kala must have been the guilty person. And the writer of "The Keys of Marinus"? The very same Terry Nation who created the series and wrote this episode. "Well, since you were so insistent I've done without food or drink for thirty-six hours.", "How do you feel?", "Hungry and thirsty, of course.", Blake and Ravella, "The Way Back" As this is a BBC show from the 1970s we can expect to see lots of actors who also appeared in Classic Who. Blake is played by Welsh actor Gareth Thomas, who, however, *didn't* have a role in Classic Who. But he was in an episode of the first season of Torchwood - he played the older Ed Morgan in "The Ghost Machine - the elderly guy who Owen confronted and who Gwen [... SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN THE EPISODE]. "Four years ago, there was a good deal of discontent with the Administration. There were many activist groups. But the only one that really meant anything was led by Roj Blake.", Bran Foster, "The Way Back" The leader of the group, Foster, is played by the Robert Beatty who had played General Cutler in Doctor Who's "The Tenth Planet". "Take it easy! I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person.", Vila, "The Way Back" Vila, the thief, is played by Michael Keating and we saw him as one of the dropouts/revolutionaries in the 4th Doctor's story "The Sun Makers". "He can identify me. My whole operation is at risk. I'll be satisfied when the risk is eliminated.", Dev Tarrant, "The Way Back" Jeremy Wilkin plays the government agent Dev Tarrant ("bangs"). BTW: he played another sneaky (double) agent in Classic Who's "Revenge of the Cybermen" - a story directed by Michael E Briant, the director of this one. And another cult reference - Jeremy Wilkin voiced the "Virgil" puppet in the 2nd series of the cult-classic "Thunderbirds" (along with many other characters of the various Gerry Anderson series). "His death could be used by the dissidents. They need a hero. Alive or dead, Blake could be it.", Morag, "The Way Back" Props get re-used as well. We saw that sofa thing that Morag sits on in "The Robots of Death". "The Robots of Death" being yet another Michael E Briant directed Who story. "Now, do not attempt to resist arrest. No matter what the provocation, we must not resort to violence.", Foster, "The Way Back" But the more obvious re-use - the helmets the Federation troopers wear were re-used for the guards in the 5th Doctor's story "Frontios". "Take a long look. That's the last you'll ever see of it.", "No, I'm coming back.", Guard and Blake, "The Way Back"
Andrew Vignaux
2026-02-13 18:51:53 +0000 UTCAn occasion where we start a journey with a show and I’ve never seen it. Start by talking what I knew about the show going into it. Nothing really. Just that it’s a beloved sci-fi series from the UK, that, as you point out, was heavily requested by those in the comments section that you react to it. That was about the extent of my knowledge going into it. Think that this is about the blindest I’ve gone into starting a show with you since Invincible. Strictly speaking, Unorthodox as well, but you had already seen that show prior to the video you had about it. Love to see that we share rocking along with the theme music. Going by the first episode alone: Whole thing gives feelings of 1984, Soylent Green, and Hitchhiker’s Guide all wrapped up in one fun little package. In the case of Hitchhiker’s Guide, I mean that this feels like a similar style to the '81 miniseries. I know that the fellas here compared this show to Classic Who. I got more of a Hitchhiker’s Guide vibe from this myself. Albeit far more dramatic as we started out with a very heavy tone, like you said. Good set up of Blake has already been subjected to whatever memory procedure. And the turn of events leads to him being witness to the massacre. Love your reaction there. Love the head shake when you found out that the one guy is a stoolie. The man could get to trimming his bangs. (Or was it “brains”? No worries about the flub, Jess, that gave me a good laugh.) Good establishment of fascistic society though it is, the people in charge, or at least the ones focused on, are not stupid. Shown well with how they discuss dealing with Blake without making him a martyr. Pretty sick how they try to frame him for doing obscene things with kids, leading to you not loving the Kafkaesque judicial system. Kind of figured you’d like the lawyer and his girlfriend. Guy did his job, yet it still bothers him. Understandable as the orgy of evidence wrapped up in tissue paper with pink ribbons on it was far too neat, as he observed. His girlfriend was down for the investigative life as we both observed. Now that’s couple goals right there. Nice how he does the digging and deduces that the kids have been given implanted memories rather than being little Mary Tilfords. He also catches the discrepancy in the shared testimony. I’d make a reference to one of Mads Mikkelsen’s films, but it probably won’t get recognized. Shame that he catches the use of the I Never Said It Was Poison trope, and even with getting the evidence, he and his girlfriend are killed. Speaks to what a good job they did with their characters when with only one episode, you really liked them, and had the gasp that you did upon seeing their fate. Poor Blake is off to prison. He has company. Such as the one guy who fesses up to being a klepto, likely landing himself the ticket to prison because he tried to steal forty dollars from a collection box for a charity drive run by his commanding officer’s wife. Hopefully, Jack Nicholson and Otis Young managed to make his last week of freedom a memorable one. Already, you have a favorable response to him and the lady. I haven’t fully caught names yet. Kind of like you’ve said, you take everything in, and clocking names sometimes takes a second, so bear with me. You mentioned needing the leeway as well, so we’re in the same boat there. The klepto, yes, does bring some humor, which you need at least some of that, and I imagine there’s more to come, lest this becomes too grim. Like how Dave Filoni is quoted saying that, “People always say they want things dark, but if you don’t have a plan to draw people out of that and show how these people overcome it, then you just leave your audience in despair.” Obviously, we both surmise that there is still horror and drama to come. I now see a comment saying this also is camp as Christmas, which sounds delightful, so see how that goes. Solid start, and we both are looking forward to more with great interest. If the views allow it. I would assume that you’re in the clear, views-wise, given how heavily requested this was. Sort of like Rebels and Bad Batch where, although the concern is still there, the number of requests boded well. Same basic principle here. And I get it how when it comes to youtube, you’re not wanting to work for free. You have my support. I’m sure you have the support of many others. So, again, solid start, great first reaction, and looking forward to more. Fun times we should have, Jess.
Thomas Corp
2026-02-13 18:49:06 +0000 UTC
