I am far behind on this review. All I can do is plead for forgiveness. Life keeps getting in the way of all my writing projects. But I digress. Without further ado let's take a look at episode 4 of Season 2, otherwise known as Horizon.
Where to watch it:
You can either watch the video above or click this link to watch in a new tab.
https://youtu.be/FqwBLnD82KM
Many years ago Horizon was the first episode that I saw of B7. I caught the last few minutes of it when I tuned in to watch some old Dr. Who on pbs. I knew nothing about the background, the characters or anything but I was fascinated. I've caught bits and pieces of it since but this was the first time I've sat down to watch the whole episode. To be perfectly honest I didn't expect much from this episode. I got both far more and exactly the same as I anticipated.
We open in our usual spot, the flight deck of the Liberator, to a crew that is complaining of exhaustion. Immediately we have a rarity in an action show. What, our heroes don't get tired? They just need an oil change every 5,000 miles and they're good to go.
Except that's not how real people function and that realism is what the writers chose to portray. Tired, dirty rebels skulking on the edge of the Galaxy. But because it's a sci fi, and a cheesy one at that, they aren't alone for long. A random freighter comes by their position headed to a great big nowhere.
By this point it's been made clear that they're close to the spiral arm, which one is anybody's guess, and there shouldn't be any traffic.
I think I can see my house from here!
Of course Zen automatically knows classified data about the freighter and where it's headed. A top secret colony code named Horizon. Seriously, how did a teeny tiny, single system empire build warships like the Liberator, have virtually unlimited data on the Federation and they haven't taken over the Galaxy? I digress.
What is the crew in favor of? Finding somewhere to take a break. What's Blake in favor of? Following the ship. And this is another rarity. At least for that time. In an American show if a captain says something is the right thing to do he would always be right. When Blake chooses something it's often from his hubris. And here his hubris is starting to pick up steam as well as his disregard for the crew.
And boom! They immediately hit a "magnetic shield". Thank goodness the force wall was up. Avon chews out Blake. Blake makes excuses. Business as usual. And now it's time to teleport down. Where Blake and Jenna are knocked out by blow darts.
What is the crew in favor of? Finding somewhere to take a break. What's Blake in favor of? Following the ship. And this is another rarity. At least for that time. In an American show if a captain says something is the right thing to do he would always be right. When Blake chooses something it's often from his hubris. And here his hubris is starting to pick up steam as well as his disregard for the crew.
And boom! They immediately hit a "magnetic shield". Thank goodness the force wall was up. Avon chews out Blake. Blake makes excuses. Business as usual. And now it's time to teleport down. Where Blake and Jenna are knocked out by blow darts.
Down and sa.... Thump.
Blake awakens to be interrogated by Ro the leader of the planet. A planet that was practically stone age until the Federation came along. During the interrogation Blake reveals that he has heard of Hotizon before, by its native name that I forget, from a prisoner named Porah on the transport to Cygnus Alpha. Porah just happened to be Ro's childhood friend who was not a fan of the Fed.
I liked the attempt to establish a little continuity back to earlier episodes. The odds of Blake just having happened to have met Ro's friend on a prison ship are low but it was a nice touch. Of course Ro begins to realize that the Federation has lied to him about the fate of said friend and that maybe they aren't so benevolent.
I liked the attempt to establish a little continuity back to earlier episodes. The odds of Blake just having happened to have met Ro's friend on a prison ship are low but it was a nice touch. Of course Ro begins to realize that the Federation has lied to him about the fate of said friend and that maybe they aren't so benevolent.
Hey Ro, did you know that gullible isn't in the dictionary?
The Federation Kommisar convinces Ro to send Blake and Jenna to the mines to mine monopassium-239. Whatever that is supposed to be. There they meet Selma, not Hayek or Blair, who was supposed to be To's wife until the Federation wanted her out of the picture. Seriously, what kind of wimp is this Ro. But hey, we get to see Blake in all his glory.
If Kirk gets to lose his shirt, I get to lose my shirt.
Of course while all this is going on the crew gets curious why Blake won't answer their calls. So as any crazy girlfriend, er crew mate, would do Gan and Vila go looking for them. And promptly get captured. Oh no! What shall we do? I've got it! Let's send Cally looking. Oh, she gets captured too? Well that just sounds like lazy script writing. Luckily Cally is a telepath and therefore useful as a plot point. Using said telepathy she tells Ro that the Kommisar killed his father.
Hey Komm, did you kill my dad?
What!? Me!? Nah!!
What!? Me!? Nah!!
So, what is Avon doing to rescue the crew? Absolutely nothing. This is the opportunity that he has been waiting for. And this is one of the things that I love about this series. The deep flaws of each character. Blake is overly proud and obsessed. Jenna is faithful to a fault. Even when Blake is gambling her life for no reason she follow him. Gan is, well, Gan. Brave. Loyal. Easily manipulated. Vila is a coward. Cally is almost as driven as Blake. And Avon is just out for number one to the complete exclusion of everyone else. He is more than a little sociopathic. And this episode, although not great, highlights Blake's hubris and Avon's inherent selfishness perfectly. Avon is ready to abandon them all. He even goes so far as to have Orac predict how long he can sail the Galaxy and avoid the Federation. Hint, it's forever.
Luckily for Blake and Co, as well as those of us who don't want to watch Avon playing endless hands of solitaire, the Kommisar has forgives out that Blake is Blake and called for reinforcements. His hand forced Avon decides to mount a rescue. I'm not sure how having the rest of the crew back actually helps him escape but Avon is convinced. And just maybe he was looking to be convinced.
Now, Avon being smarter than everyone else he actually manages to land undetected, elude the guards, make it to the mine and save the day. Hurray!
While this was going on Selma somehow gets freed and makes it back to Ro's side. Of course she gets captured again and is sent to be tortured. Finally Ro has enough and decides to man up. And by man up I mean shuck his clothes for a loincloth and blow gun. Hey, whatever gets you hyped for a little rebellion.
Back on the Liberator three pursuit ships are closing in and are prepared to all shoot at the exact same spot on the shields which Zen figures will destroy them. Logic dictates a little juking and jiving might be in order. Of course Blake has the idea to sit still. This is the same Blake who thought this whole expedition was a great idea to begin with but of course everyone goes along with it. The pursuit ships weren't however aware of the magnetic shield, which Blake had guessed they wouldn't be, and careen headlong into being destroyed in the process. And all is well again as we fly away. Stay tuned for next week when we tackle Pressure Point where things really begin to change.
Luckily for Blake and Co, as well as those of us who don't want to watch Avon playing endless hands of solitaire, the Kommisar has forgives out that Blake is Blake and called for reinforcements. His hand forced Avon decides to mount a rescue. I'm not sure how having the rest of the crew back actually helps him escape but Avon is convinced. And just maybe he was looking to be convinced.
Now, Avon being smarter than everyone else he actually manages to land undetected, elude the guards, make it to the mine and save the day. Hurray!
While this was going on Selma somehow gets freed and makes it back to Ro's side. Of course she gets captured again and is sent to be tortured. Finally Ro has enough and decides to man up. And by man up I mean shuck his clothes for a loincloth and blow gun. Hey, whatever gets you hyped for a little rebellion.
Back on the Liberator three pursuit ships are closing in and are prepared to all shoot at the exact same spot on the shields which Zen figures will destroy them. Logic dictates a little juking and jiving might be in order. Of course Blake has the idea to sit still. This is the same Blake who thought this whole expedition was a great idea to begin with but of course everyone goes along with it. The pursuit ships weren't however aware of the magnetic shield, which Blake had guessed they wouldn't be, and careen headlong into being destroyed in the process. And all is well again as we fly away. Stay tuned for next week when we tackle Pressure Point where things really begin to change.
Final Thoughts:
i liked Horizon more than I thought I would. There was a little bit of lazy writing here and there. A few of the characters were weak but the main characters do shine in several places. Once again, the flaws are what really make these characters and those flaws are starting to show through more as we go.
Rating: 3.5 out of 4
Memorable Quote:
Avon: I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going.
Avon: I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going.
Coffee of the Day:
Death Wish Coffee. Daw claims to be the worlds strongest coffee. I can't verify that from personal experience but if there is something stronger I'm both interested and afraid to try it. Normally for these viewings I prefer coffee that I can make in my Keurig but DW doesn't come in K Cups. Out came the French press and voila, one hella strong cup o Joe. And boy was it delicious. DW earns a 5 out of 5. Now if I could just fall asleep. That cup was days ago and I'm still going.
Death Wish Coffee. Daw claims to be the worlds strongest coffee. I can't verify that from personal experience but if there is something stronger I'm both interested and afraid to try it. Normally for these viewings I prefer coffee that I can make in my Keurig but DW doesn't come in K Cups. Out came the French press and voila, one hella strong cup o Joe. And boy was it delicious. DW earns a 5 out of 5. Now if I could just fall asleep. That cup was days ago and I'm still going.