Monday 1 September 2014

Did somebody order A LARGE HAM?!

City at the Edge of the World is the first in a run of four good episodes of Blakes 7. Aside from just having a great script, it is memorable for two reasons.


The first is that it guest-stars future-sixth Doctor Colin Baker as Bayban the Butcher. I don't really understand how manny noms work, or else I would make a joke here about butchers and hams.

As handsome as Colin Baker is here, I have to regret the fact that this was made in 1980, because in the '70s he looked like this:


That moustache. Purr.

Where was I? Oh yes, the second reason that City at the Edge of the World is memorable is that it is the only episode in all of Blakes 7 where Vila gets to be the main character.


He also gets to have a relationship with Kerril that is almost as short as a cat relationship. It starts with her pointing her gun at him...


(Meanwhile Bayban is doing the same thing with his friend Sherm.)


...By the time Vila has broken into the city's vault they are holding hands...


...By the time they have been teleported over 3,000 light years away to a spaceship they are up to having hugs and kiffs...


...And by the time they decide to come back again they are on to having arguments and huffs. It takes a bit longer than three minutes but it's as close as I've ever seen it done by mannys.


I think it was at this exact moment that Paul Darrow swore he would have his revenge on Colin Baker for daring to out-ham him in his own show.


Wayhey! Oh myyyyy, etc.


Bayban decides to go out with a HAM BANG! (A bit like Vila and Kerril did earlier, lol.)


At the end of the episode Vila looks like he enjoyed himself being the star for once. The final exchange of dialogue between him and Orac is one of the best examples of a Star Trek-esque 'comedy' ending in the series:

"I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life."
"In the light of your previous record, that seems unlikely. I would predict that there are far greater mistakes waiting to be made by someone with your obvious talent for them."
"Shut up, Orac. Still, it's a comforting thought. Let's hope they've all got good legs."

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