Right so we're into November now and I figured I would do another top 10 list as I've been doing quite a few of them in recent months so why not do another. So for this list I thought I would cover the sci-fi fantasy TV show, Blake's 7 as I have been watching alot of the show's episodes of late and I will try and pick up 10 of my favourite episodes from the 52 episodes from its run from 1978-1981.
So with that all being said let's start!
Oh, and as a warning there might be some SPOILERS are ahead regarding some of the plotlines for the episodes.
10. Aftermath (Series 3)
So at No.10 is Aftermath, which literally deals with the aftermath of the events from the final episode of the second series, Star One. This episode sees the departure of Blake and Jenna from the series as regular characters and introduces two new characters, Dayna (Josette Simon) and Tarrant (Steven Pacey). Its a really good episode which is well worth a watch and does a good job at dealing with the events after Star One and it introduces Servalan's tense and at times sexually charged relationship with Avon (although there is no sex between though!).
The story of the episode itself sees the crew of the Liberator evacuate the ship as it has been severely damaged in the battle with the Andromeda alien invasion after the destruction of Star One, which sees the Federation now in total disarray. Avon lands on the planet Serran where he is attacked by Barbarian-like natives but he is rescued by Dayna Mellanby who takes him to meet her father, Hal (Cy Grant).
The episode is also well noted as it contains a somewhat romantic scene between Avon and Servalan as the two of the share a kiss as Servalan tries to convince Avon to come with her so they can rule the Federation together. And Servalan says to Avon "Together there is nothing we couldn't do. Imagination is our only limit!" and after they kiss, Avon grabs her throat and shoves her back and shouts "Imagination my only limit?!! I'd be dead in a week!".
So that's Aftermath, which is a very solid episode from the 3rd series, which was at times a bit hit and miss but this is definitely one of the stronger episodes of the season and as such well worth a place on the list.
9. Spacefall (Series 1)
At No.9 is Spacefall, which is the episode that introduced none other than Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) the cold and sardonic anti-hero of the show, along with the courageous and strong Gan (Paul Jackson). This is an excellent episode that really sets up the tone for the series and its where the main character, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas) starts off his fight against the ruthless Federation to which he has become a prisoner of.
The story of the episode itself sees Blake along with the other prisoners being transported enroute on a prison ship to the penal colony on the planet, Cygnus Alpha. Blake however during the trip, hatches a plan to take over the ship with the help of Avon, a computer specialist, who once hacked into the Federation banking system and stole five million credits before getting caught. Blake also enlists the help of Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette) a skilled pilot, Vila (Michael Keating) a talented thief and physically strong, Gan (Paul Jackson) to help him take over the ship. The hijacking however in unsuccessful as the commander onboard the ship, Raiker (Leslie Schofield) forces Blake into surrendering by killing some of the prisoners. However as the ship carries on its journey it happens to find a ship drifing in the space, which turns out to be the Liberator......
Spacefall is definitely a classic Blake's 7 episode and it sets up most of the show's regular characters very well and already early on we get to see the chemistry between Blake and the other characters particularly with Avon and Jenna.
Spacefall's standout moments include the scene where Blake is forced to give up the hijack of the ship when Raiker starts killing some of the prisoners. And Blake, shocked, says to Raiker "Raiker! Damn you, those men are unarmed!" and Raiker says "The talking's over, Blake!" who switches off coms and Blake shouts through his com device "RAIKER!! RAIKER!!". And after Blake gives himself up with Avon and Jenna, Raiker says to Blake "You could have won, Blake. All you needed was guts" and Blake furiously says to Raiker "I'll settle for YOURS!!" and he lunges at Raiker but is restrained and punched in the gut by Raiker.
And in the next scene as Blake, Avon and Jenna are sitting with restraints around them, Jenna asks Blake "How do you feel?" and Blake says "Sick!". Avon, who is less impressed by Blake says "So you should. What a fiasco. You could take over the
ship, you said, if I did my bit. Well, I did my bit, and what happened? Your
troops bumble around looking for someone to surrender to, and when they've
succeeded, you follow suit!". And Blake says resignedly "It was my fault" and Avon replies sarcastically "We know!".
And the episode ends (SPOILER!!) of course with Blake, Avon and Jenna escaping in the Liberator as they are sent in to investigate the ship but they manage to seal the door and fly off as Raiker tries to board he is left floating in space.
So, Spacefall is definitely a worthy episode with some good suspenseful moments and it does a fine job at introducing more of its main characters and it deserves a place on here at No.9.
8. Hostage (Series 2)
At No.8 is Hostage. Now this might be a bit of a surprise to put this episode in here as it may not be a favourite of many people but for me its a very enjoyable episode which sees Blake engage in a cat and mouse game with his old enemy, Travis (played by Brian Croucher in the second series).
The story itself begins with the Liberator narrowly avoiding Federation pursuit ships and shortly after, Blake receives a surprising message from his arch nemesis, Travis who says he holds hostage Blake's cousin, Inga (Judy Buxton) but he would like to pull resources with Blake as he is now a fugitive of the Federation himself (after escaping his trial where he was sentenced to death). Travis says he wants Blake to meet him alone on the planet Exbar and if he doesn't come, he will kill inga. Blake naturally doesn't believe Travis wanting to join forces but decides he wants to go to rescue Inga from his old foe....
Hostage has some of my favourite moments in the series and it is actually quite a cheesy episode with some daft scenes thrown in here and there but that doesn't stop it from being alot of fun overall. The idea of Travis however wanting to join forces with Blake after becoming fugitive however is frankly ridiculous and totally unbelievable especially given that he is holding one of Blake's dearest relatives hostage! Its hardly the way to make Blake trust Travis is it??!! (even though Vila is initially fooled!).
Despite this though the episode has plenty of fun moments and good lines of dialogue that include the scene where Avon teleports down to Exbar to help out Blake and he requests Vila to be sent down too. After Vila teleports down, Avon tells Vila to keep an eye on an old man, Ushton (John Abineri) who is Blake's uncle as he doesn't trust Ushton as he noticed that Ushton had a limp when he was with Blake but then the limp disappeared after he left.
So in the scene Avon says to Vila "I think Blake's in trouble. I'm going after him; you
stay. If the old man tries to go up the trail, stop
him" and Vila asks "How?" and Avon says "Kill him!" and Vila says "Oh marvelous! Kill Blake's old uncle!". And Avon then says to Vila "Stay alert. Talk to the Liberator every ten minutes" and Vila complains "I'm freezing!" and Avon says "Well freeze in silence!".
Then there is the scene where Blake is taken to Travis, who reveals his real intentions, which is to take the Liberator. And in the scene Travis says to Blake "Ushton betrayed you. You must hate him; I would in
your place!" and Blake says angrily "THAT is the difference between us, Travis!" and Travis angrily get's up and prepares to hit Blake with his hand and Blake says "That too!".
But my favourite moment from the episode is when Ushton creates a diversion to distract Travis by saying to him "Travis, she's run off!" and Travis yells at his henchmen, who are crimos (short for criminal psychopaths) "GET HER!!!!". And after this Ushton subdues Travis and frees Blake, Avon and Vila, who have been captured also at this point.
And at the end of the episode Blake leaves Travis, tied up with his hands behind his back for Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) the supreme commander of the Federation. And when Servalan arrives with her mutoids (reconditioned human servants of the Federation) Travis asks her "Are we still enemies?" and Servalan says to him "Officially, yes. Unofficially, you lead me to Blake
whenever you can. If you help me get him I'll see you
officially listed as dead. There's no one as free as a
dead man!".
So there you go, Hostage maybe cheesy and silly in places but overall its great fun and I think it deserves its place on the list.
7. Gambit (Series 2)
At No.7 is Gambit which is another very entertaining episode which was written by Robert Holmes and it was the episode that came the closest to seeing Avon and Vila being actual friends and this episode has one of the best scenes in the whole series that is between Avon and Vila as they talk about breaking a casino (but more on that soon).
As for the episode's story well it sees Blake and his crew arrive at Freedom city, which is one of the last few places that isn't under Federation control and Blake is trying to seek out a cyber-surgeon named Docholli (Denis Carey) who is said to know the location of Federation control, now called Star One.
However things become complicated as Docholli is being protected by Travis, who really needs the surgeon's help to fix his cybernetic arm. Not only that, Servalan has arrived at Freedom city too and with the help of a devious casino owner, Krantor (Aubrey Woods) hatches a plan to kill Docholli in order to keep the location of Star One secert.
And while that is going Avon and Vila decide to sneak down to Freedom city with Orac (in miniaturised form) so they can play at Krantor's big wheel casino where they make lots of money thanks to Orac being able to read the computers that run the casino wheels. However this soon get's Vila into trouble as he is soon tricked into playing against, the Klute (Deep Roy) at a game of speed chess, which is a game to the death....
Gambit is a real fun episode of Blake's 7 episode that features a clever plot, the regular cast all in good form aswell as some outrageously camp looking outfits! The supporting cast are also very good with Aubrey Woods (who is ultra camp as Krantor and is dressed like the Prince Regent) and Denis Carey as Docholli, who are both in excellent form.
The episode also has some great scenes that include the one where Avon and Vila talk about breaking the bank at the casino in Freedom city. And Avon says to Vila of his plan to take Orac with them to win their money "You dummy. You haven't caught on, have you?" and Vila says "What's on your mind?". So, Avon replies "The Big Wheel is run by a computer that fixes the odds at five percent in favor of the house, right? Orac reads computers!" and Vila finally catches onto his idea and says "Ohhhh, that is beautiful! Avon, there are times when I almost get to like you!" and Avon wearily says "Yes, well that makes it all worthwhile!".
So after this Avon tricks Orac into reducing itself into a miniaturised form so they can sneak Orac into the casino with them and on Orac doing so, Vila shakes Avon's hand. Its a great moment in the story and indeed one of the great moments in the whole series.
Then there is the scene where Travis is captured and taken to Servalan and she plants a bomb in his cybernetic arm while he is unconscious. So when Travis comes around he sees Servalan and her rather camp Scottish bodyguard, Jarriere (Harry Jones) and Travis says to her "That your new muscle, Servalan? Looks like a powder puff!".
And there is also even a scene where Jenna and Cally (Janet Chapell) feign fighting one another in a bar at Freedom city to create a ruse for Blake to sneak behind the bar (where Docholli frequents) to check out Docholli's surgical kit. And in the scene, Cally starts off the fake catfight by saying "What did you call me??" and Jenna says "A cheap little space tramp!" and Cally shotus back "You slut!" and they start scuffling with each other.
And lastly at the end of the episode when Avon and Vila narrowly make it back to the Liberator (with their casino winnings!) just before Blake, Jenna and Cally do, Avon and Vila both try and feign innocence, which leaves Blake sceptical. And as Vila appears with a small chessboard, Blake says to him "Vila, I don't like that innocent look. What have you two been up to whilst we've been away?!" and Vila suddenly says "Me? Nothing! Had a little sleep" and Avon helpfully picks up a chess piece and says "Played a little chess. And that's all". Then suddenly Orac restores back to full size and Vila nervously says "That's right, Blake. We had a real quiet time!".
So there you go, Gambit is great deal of fun aswell as a cleverly written episode and its well worth putting on the list.
6. Rumours of Death (Series 3)
So at No.6 is Rumours of Death, which is the episode where Avon decides to try and hunt down a vicious Federation interrogator named Shrinker whom he believes to be the one responsible for the death of his girlfriend, Anna Grant. However all is not what it seems as Avon tries to get closer to the truth....
The story starts with Avon letting himself get captured and interrogated by Shrinker (John Byrans) but Avon is soon rescued by Tarrant and Dayna and Avon abducts Shrinker and interrogates the interrogator himself regarding the death of his girlfriend, Anna Grant. Shrinker however denies any knowledge of Anna but does mention another agent named Bartholomew might be the one Avon is looking for and the only lead he has to follow it up is the name "Chesku" and that Servalan may know who he is.
Meanwhile a raid is made on Servalan's new presidential palace by a group of resistance forces lead by Sula (Lorna Heilbron) who kills her husband Councillor Chesku. And as Avon finally teleports down to the palace he soon finds Servalan, now being held prisoner and with that also the truth of what happened to Anna Grant.....
Rumours of Death is certainly an excellent episode in the series and its intricate plot keeps things ticking along nicely and the twist involving Avon's girlfriend, Anna Grant, is also one that is well handled. The episode's interrogation scenes between Avon and Shrinker also remain a highlight as they are quite intense and you feel that Avon really is ready to go over the edge to find out what happened to Anna.
And some of the scenes worth mentioning from the episode include the intense interrogation between Avon and Shrinker in an empty cave. So after Avon has learned from Shrinker what he wants to know, he prepares to beam himself up and Shrinker says "We had a deal. You promised me a way out!". And Avon says "Oh, and I'm a man of my word. In the end, that's all there is, really" and he tosses his gun on the ground for Shrinker who panics and says "What's that for?" and Avon says "That's your way out. It's a better deal than you gave any of your victims!" and he is teleported up.
And later there is the scene where (SPOILER!!!!!!) Avon learns that Sula is in fact Anna and she was the double agent, Bartholomew, that Shrinker meant, so he kills her before she can kill him. And as Anna lies dying in Avon's arms and she says to him "I knew when you found out, you would kill me" and Avon says "Unless you killed me first" and Anna gasps saying "We were well matched, Avon!".
And afterward, Avon frees Servalan who let's Avon go back to the Liberator and she says to him before he goes "Put the bracelet on. I'm going to send your friends a corpse. Tell them to bring you up". So Avon tells the Liberator to bring him up just before the Federation troops arrive and as he arrives back on board, Avon says to his crewmates "Servalan was planning on sending you a corpse". And Avon continues "But the rumours of my death...." and Tarrant finishes his sentence "have been greatly exaggerated!" and Avon reconsiders Tarrant's words "Well, slightly exaggerated anyway!".
So, Rumours of Death is certainly one of the strongest episodes in the 3rd season and for that it earns a place rightly on the list.
And that's it for Part 1 and I will be back soon with Part 2!
7. Gambit (Series 2)
At No.7 is Gambit which is another very entertaining episode which was written by Robert Holmes and it was the episode that came the closest to seeing Avon and Vila being actual friends and this episode has one of the best scenes in the whole series that is between Avon and Vila as they talk about breaking a casino (but more on that soon).
As for the episode's story well it sees Blake and his crew arrive at Freedom city, which is one of the last few places that isn't under Federation control and Blake is trying to seek out a cyber-surgeon named Docholli (Denis Carey) who is said to know the location of Federation control, now called Star One.
However things become complicated as Docholli is being protected by Travis, who really needs the surgeon's help to fix his cybernetic arm. Not only that, Servalan has arrived at Freedom city too and with the help of a devious casino owner, Krantor (Aubrey Woods) hatches a plan to kill Docholli in order to keep the location of Star One secert.
And while that is going Avon and Vila decide to sneak down to Freedom city with Orac (in miniaturised form) so they can play at Krantor's big wheel casino where they make lots of money thanks to Orac being able to read the computers that run the casino wheels. However this soon get's Vila into trouble as he is soon tricked into playing against, the Klute (Deep Roy) at a game of speed chess, which is a game to the death....
Gambit is a real fun episode of Blake's 7 episode that features a clever plot, the regular cast all in good form aswell as some outrageously camp looking outfits! The supporting cast are also very good with Aubrey Woods (who is ultra camp as Krantor and is dressed like the Prince Regent) and Denis Carey as Docholli, who are both in excellent form.
The episode also has some great scenes that include the one where Avon and Vila talk about breaking the bank at the casino in Freedom city. And Avon says to Vila of his plan to take Orac with them to win their money "You dummy. You haven't caught on, have you?" and Vila says "What's on your mind?". So, Avon replies "The Big Wheel is run by a computer that fixes the odds at five percent in favor of the house, right? Orac reads computers!" and Vila finally catches onto his idea and says "Ohhhh, that is beautiful! Avon, there are times when I almost get to like you!" and Avon wearily says "Yes, well that makes it all worthwhile!".
So after this Avon tricks Orac into reducing itself into a miniaturised form so they can sneak Orac into the casino with them and on Orac doing so, Vila shakes Avon's hand. Its a great moment in the story and indeed one of the great moments in the whole series.
Then there is the scene where Travis is captured and taken to Servalan and she plants a bomb in his cybernetic arm while he is unconscious. So when Travis comes around he sees Servalan and her rather camp Scottish bodyguard, Jarriere (Harry Jones) and Travis says to her "That your new muscle, Servalan? Looks like a powder puff!".
And there is also even a scene where Jenna and Cally (Janet Chapell) feign fighting one another in a bar at Freedom city to create a ruse for Blake to sneak behind the bar (where Docholli frequents) to check out Docholli's surgical kit. And in the scene, Cally starts off the fake catfight by saying "What did you call me??" and Jenna says "A cheap little space tramp!" and Cally shotus back "You slut!" and they start scuffling with each other.
And lastly at the end of the episode when Avon and Vila narrowly make it back to the Liberator (with their casino winnings!) just before Blake, Jenna and Cally do, Avon and Vila both try and feign innocence, which leaves Blake sceptical. And as Vila appears with a small chessboard, Blake says to him "Vila, I don't like that innocent look. What have you two been up to whilst we've been away?!" and Vila suddenly says "Me? Nothing! Had a little sleep" and Avon helpfully picks up a chess piece and says "Played a little chess. And that's all". Then suddenly Orac restores back to full size and Vila nervously says "That's right, Blake. We had a real quiet time!".
So there you go, Gambit is great deal of fun aswell as a cleverly written episode and its well worth putting on the list.
6. Rumours of Death (Series 3)
So at No.6 is Rumours of Death, which is the episode where Avon decides to try and hunt down a vicious Federation interrogator named Shrinker whom he believes to be the one responsible for the death of his girlfriend, Anna Grant. However all is not what it seems as Avon tries to get closer to the truth....
The story starts with Avon letting himself get captured and interrogated by Shrinker (John Byrans) but Avon is soon rescued by Tarrant and Dayna and Avon abducts Shrinker and interrogates the interrogator himself regarding the death of his girlfriend, Anna Grant. Shrinker however denies any knowledge of Anna but does mention another agent named Bartholomew might be the one Avon is looking for and the only lead he has to follow it up is the name "Chesku" and that Servalan may know who he is.
Meanwhile a raid is made on Servalan's new presidential palace by a group of resistance forces lead by Sula (Lorna Heilbron) who kills her husband Councillor Chesku. And as Avon finally teleports down to the palace he soon finds Servalan, now being held prisoner and with that also the truth of what happened to Anna Grant.....
Rumours of Death is certainly an excellent episode in the series and its intricate plot keeps things ticking along nicely and the twist involving Avon's girlfriend, Anna Grant, is also one that is well handled. The episode's interrogation scenes between Avon and Shrinker also remain a highlight as they are quite intense and you feel that Avon really is ready to go over the edge to find out what happened to Anna.
And some of the scenes worth mentioning from the episode include the intense interrogation between Avon and Shrinker in an empty cave. So after Avon has learned from Shrinker what he wants to know, he prepares to beam himself up and Shrinker says "We had a deal. You promised me a way out!". And Avon says "Oh, and I'm a man of my word. In the end, that's all there is, really" and he tosses his gun on the ground for Shrinker who panics and says "What's that for?" and Avon says "That's your way out. It's a better deal than you gave any of your victims!" and he is teleported up.
And later there is the scene where (SPOILER!!!!!!) Avon learns that Sula is in fact Anna and she was the double agent, Bartholomew, that Shrinker meant, so he kills her before she can kill him. And as Anna lies dying in Avon's arms and she says to him "I knew when you found out, you would kill me" and Avon says "Unless you killed me first" and Anna gasps saying "We were well matched, Avon!".
And afterward, Avon frees Servalan who let's Avon go back to the Liberator and she says to him before he goes "Put the bracelet on. I'm going to send your friends a corpse. Tell them to bring you up". So Avon tells the Liberator to bring him up just before the Federation troops arrive and as he arrives back on board, Avon says to his crewmates "Servalan was planning on sending you a corpse". And Avon continues "But the rumours of my death...." and Tarrant finishes his sentence "have been greatly exaggerated!" and Avon reconsiders Tarrant's words "Well, slightly exaggerated anyway!".
So, Rumours of Death is certainly one of the strongest episodes in the 3rd season and for that it earns a place rightly on the list.
And that's it for Part 1 and I will be back soon with Part 2!
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