With their base on Xenon now known to the Federation the crew of The Scorpio leave the planet for the last time . Avon reveals they need a leader for their alliance and that the only man who can bind that alliance is Roj Blake so departs to the Planet Of Gauda Prima to find him
This is the legendary final episode of a legendary television show . Anyone who has followed the series will never forget it down to THAT ending . But as well regarded as this episode is it's pretty obvious the reason it is so well remembered is because of the ending that permanently killed the show off . Its high regard would probably lessen greatly if the production team had carried on with a fifth series and it was revealed that most of the characters had survived the final shoot out
The problem with Boucher's script is how contrived everything is in order to make it to the final scene . Avon reveals he knew Blake was on Guada Prima but didn't reveal this because he thought his alliance with Zukon and co was going to be a success . Blake pretends tro be a bounty hunter to find new recruits and keeps up the pretence with Tarrant only for Tarrant escape and say Blake has betrayed them all while Deva warns Blake that this cover story will cause trouble while Blake replies along the lines of " Well Deva I'm going to have to explain my plan to you again even though you know it but this time there's eight million viewers watching us at home and this is the episode that writes me out permanently even though the BBC might make a fifth series so I have to make it look like I'm a traitor "
Apart from the ridiculously contrived story structure there's a couple of other flaws with the story . Sasha Mitchell as Arlen is really quite dreadful and reads her lines like someone reading a menu from a very insipid restaurant . Many of the model effects are even by BLAKES 7 standards at the time very poor and anyone watching this in 2013 will instantly believe the show's cheap and cheerless reputation for budget is well earned But... all this will be quickly forgotten as the final scene plays out as Avon blows a hole in Blake , an effect that looks like in belongs in a Sam Peckinpah film . In fact the sequence seems Peckinpah inspired as respectively Dayna , Vila , Soolin and Tarrant are shot down in slow motion leaving Avon surrounded by Federation troopers as he stands alongside the supine dead body of Blake
Rumours are that the BBC are interested in resurrecting the show but one knows it'd be a mistake to even consider this . One reason is down to the fact that Tery Nation and original producer David Maloney are both dead as is series four producer Vere Lorimar . Likewise script editor Chris Boucher has been retired from television for many years and one can't see how the show could work without these men . It'd be impossible to top the final episode and hopefully the show will remain in the past . Mind you I also said the same about DOCTOR WHO and see how that worked out
This is the legendary final episode of a legendary television show . Anyone who has followed the series will never forget it down to THAT ending . But as well regarded as this episode is it's pretty obvious the reason it is so well remembered is because of the ending that permanently killed the show off . Its high regard would probably lessen greatly if the production team had carried on with a fifth series and it was revealed that most of the characters had survived the final shoot out
The problem with Boucher's script is how contrived everything is in order to make it to the final scene . Avon reveals he knew Blake was on Guada Prima but didn't reveal this because he thought his alliance with Zukon and co was going to be a success . Blake pretends tro be a bounty hunter to find new recruits and keeps up the pretence with Tarrant only for Tarrant escape and say Blake has betrayed them all while Deva warns Blake that this cover story will cause trouble while Blake replies along the lines of " Well Deva I'm going to have to explain my plan to you again even though you know it but this time there's eight million viewers watching us at home and this is the episode that writes me out permanently even though the BBC might make a fifth series so I have to make it look like I'm a traitor "
Apart from the ridiculously contrived story structure there's a couple of other flaws with the story . Sasha Mitchell as Arlen is really quite dreadful and reads her lines like someone reading a menu from a very insipid restaurant . Many of the model effects are even by BLAKES 7 standards at the time very poor and anyone watching this in 2013 will instantly believe the show's cheap and cheerless reputation for budget is well earned But... all this will be quickly forgotten as the final scene plays out as Avon blows a hole in Blake , an effect that looks like in belongs in a Sam Peckinpah film . In fact the sequence seems Peckinpah inspired as respectively Dayna , Vila , Soolin and Tarrant are shot down in slow motion leaving Avon surrounded by Federation troopers as he stands alongside the supine dead body of Blake
Rumours are that the BBC are interested in resurrecting the show but one knows it'd be a mistake to even consider this . One reason is down to the fact that Tery Nation and original producer David Maloney are both dead as is series four producer Vere Lorimar . Likewise script editor Chris Boucher has been retired from television for many years and one can't see how the show could work without these men . It'd be impossible to top the final episode and hopefully the show will remain in the past . Mind you I also said the same about DOCTOR WHO and see how that worked out