Docholli's been traced to Freedom City, a gambler's paradise, and Blake's convinced he knows the location of Star One. Trouble is so is Servalan and she's got there before them. Then Vila and Avon wander off to do a spot of gambling on their own...
We we start right out of the gate with a drunk Docholli in disguise in a dingy bar in Freedom City. He is accosted by a gimpy little man who apparently is mad that Docholli, who is pretending to be Kline, saved his life and put his leg back together. What. A. Jerk. All of that wasn't enough for Douchey McLimps-a-lot though. Kline wasn't able to fix his leg completely and by George he deserves a thrashing for that. How exactly Sir Fallsdown is planning to deliver said whupping is sadly never know as Travis shows up and does what Travis does best. He shoots him. Sadly, it's all half measures for poor Lanky One Leg and he just gets injured instead of dead.
It seems that Travis was onboard a ship with Docholli that suffered an explosion. Thus the need for Docholli, Kline, to be piecing legs back together. Travis saved his life and is now hanging around as his "bodyguard".
Of course as soon as they are out of the way Avon and Vila start conspiring to teleport down to gamble. And this is where things get stupid. Vila would certainly do this. Avon would not. And he definitely wouldn't scheme with Vila. The mother of all absurdities is when Orac shrinks himself so that they can smuggle him in to rig the games. Thank the lord the writers forgot about that in later episodes.
Of course, Blakes 7 isn't Blakes 7 without Servelan. Which means she is on Freedom City also looking for Docholli. How everyone and their brother discovered simultaneously his location has got to be some of the laziest writing. Sheesh.
Chenie, not Dick, the bartender is trying to help smuggle Docholli off world before Krantor catches him. Blake suspects that she's hiding him and has Jenna and Cally stage a cat fight as a distraction. The dialogue between the two is hilarious.
CALLY: What did you call me?
JENNA:A cheap little space tramp.
CALLY:You slut!
JENNA:Ten credit touch!
Of course they get thrown out but not before Blake gets a line on Docholli. Meanwhile Avon and Vila are winning big. Too big. Krantor catches them on the way out the door and invited Vila to have a drink with him. Vila being a fool and drunk, a winning combination, agrees. When he returns he is visibly drugged and agrees to play the Klute in speed chess. The rules are simple. If you beat or draw the Klute, who looks like a serial killer combined with a chess nerd, you win obscene amounts of money. If you lose they electrocute you through the use of poor special effects. Luckily they still have Orac who guides them through this this saving Vila's life and ending the absurdity that is this side story.
I said it before but I'll say it again. In a lot of ways this episode was absurd and I wanted to hate it. It felt a little poorly written, a little gaudy and almost like a noir parody in places. But it was just so much fun. Except for the Avon/Vila fiasco. That just didn't work well at all. But they had to give them something to do since they had traded places with Cally and Jenna. It was nice to see them more involved even if this episode was a little light on action. I still feel like they have much more that they could contribute but baby steps. And seeing Servelan in all her devious cunning, unimpeded by those pesky rebels, was neat. Poor Krantor was completely overmatched in the wits department.
One thing that I appreciate but feel that they didn't quite pull off was Freedom City itself. Not so much the excess and degeneracy. That worked out well. No, how much they tried to play it up as being independent. I know that they try to show that the Federation is growing but doesn't quite have the galaxy under its boot yet but I don't feel that they ever express it as well as they'd like. To me the Federation always seems like an unstoppable juggernaut that will ruthlessly crush anyone they come across. The isolated independent worlds always seem to me like they should have been smashed and not thought about again. The fact that they haven't been absorbed just doesn't ring true to me.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Memorable Quote:
Servelan about Krantor: He is a despicable animal. When the Federation finally cleans out this cesspit, I shall have that vulpine degenerate eviscerated with a small and very blunt knife.
Krantor about Servelan: One of these days, Toise, I am going to have Supreme Commander high-and-mighty Servalan ravaged until she does not know what month she's in. I'll have her screaming for death. I --
Coffee of the Day:
I'm really digging this Joe's Tall, Dark and Handsome. Although I have been informed as to the irony of that as I am neither tall, dark not overly handsome. Well, my wife might disagree with that last part. But what can I say, I work out. Anyway, drink Joe's. It's delicious.