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Post by Batcopter on Apr 4, 2005 7:38:34 GMT -5
Episodes 25, 26 and 27
The most interesting of the ongoing storylines here, for me, is Finbow's court martial, and especially the insight it gives us as to their personalities, and their relationship with each other. It's notable that for all their stated mutual dislike, the way each can be dismissive about the other (Finbow has openly derided Eliot as a useless drunken has-been before now, and Eliot describes Finbow as hopelessly insecure and lacking in authority or strength of character), there does seem to be a distinct, if barely-spoken loyalty between the two of them.
Each display signs of being willing to sacrifice themselves to prevent both from suffering. Finbow is ready to shoulder the entire blame for the relevant incident, and take the full punishment. It's not so much that he wants to, more that he believes he should do, as part of his duty. It causes him visible anguish, as witnessed by the scene where he finally voices his distress to Chantal, his feeling that it's too late for him to start anew (just after he has been trying to persuade himself he could get a job in cargo or maintenance). This comes after a couple of episodes where he has been confining himself to his cabin, stolidly refusing to see anyone or hear any words of comfort. I think Finbow, at this stage, has cast himself in the role of a condemned man who is just desperate for the punishment to be gotten over with. Even when he meets Eliot in the bar, there is a strange calmness. No anger or desperation in him. The apparent inevitability of the situation means that he and Eliot can even make a sort of peace with each other. I found the bit where both apologise to each other very moving. It helped show the solidarity that exists between them.
This actually probably explains why Eliot was so vengeful to Finbow once the crisis was over. In assisting the mutiny Finbow had betrayed him personally, and clearly it hurt Eliot very deeply indeed. It has possibly taken the extreme nature of the resulting situation to restore their mutual understanding.
Eliot's own self-sacrifice is, of course, his sudden announcement that, yes, he was drunk and unfit for duty at the time. Apart from being a terrific cliffhanger (imo), it does suggest a depth of feeling between them. If Finbow is to get a partial reprieve and continue in the service, it's clearly unacceptable to Eliot that this should mean placing an undeserved blemish on his record that will hamper his career.
This solidarity is perhaps just as well, considering that Brelan considers them both to be useless irritants, and a distraction from his ambitions. He doesn't seem especially biased to either of them in the hearing, subjecting each of them to a stringent cross-questioning, along with de Crecy. Although actually I get the impression he probably would have done, even if he did favour one of them particularly. This man seems to be a professional in what he does, whatever else you might say about him. Maybe not especially likeable as a person, but very thorough and tenacious in his duties.
Harriet is (so far anyway) not being quite as confrontational as I'd gathered she might be. Polite but firm seems a good way of putting it. She has a reasonably civilised relationship with Rosie, but there are just little signs of potential tension in there every now and again, for instance the way in which Harriet carefully tells Rosie she doesn't need her help or company to achieve something. She's also not afraid to use unorthodox methods to get what she wants, as witnessed by the way she storms about to get hold of private information in order to sway the court martial.
The other plot going on at the moment, the quiz, is a relatively trivial affair, which helps to lighten the atmosphere a little. Saying that, it is shown to compound Anna's loneliness, not merely in the physical sense, but insofar that she has no-one to relate to, no-one who empathises with her. Indeed, I'm starting to wonder if her religious enthusiasm may be partly caused by her relative solitude, or exacerbated at least. Anna is alone, she seeks solace in her religion, which makes her more alone, so she seeks more deeply for comfort in her faith, which makes her more alone...a case of positive feedback, perhaps.
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Post by Batcopter on Aug 4, 2005 5:47:40 GMT -5
Episodes 28 and 29
I initially found Brelan fairly unlikeable in the opening episode, but now that he is being featured more regularly, he does seem to be developing into quite an interesting character. His rather dry and unsympathetic nature helps to define him. Calculating, intelligent, seemingly nobody's fool, his very buttoned-upness seems to add to his authoritarian charisma. He isn't an especially nice man, no, but he comes across as someone who would be a challenge to cross.
He also uses people (eg Tim). In this, he is like Alex, except insofar as Alex is probably motivated by nothing other than self interest, whereas Brelan probably believes he is acting for a greater good. The latter's scene with the students where he is setting out plans for the Daedalus project, and becomes openly contemptuous and impatient at their (to him) minor and pettifogging qualms about its practicalities, is significant. It can be contrasted with the scene where he is dining with Melody and Tim at the Stardust Bar, and the latter expresses exactly the enthusiasm and interest for the project that Brelan had been looking for in the students earlier. Brelan's reaction (expression, body language) implies he is rather more impressed by Tim's attitude.
Melody is rather more protective of Tim here than she has sometimes been, as Tim himself observes. This is a measure of how hated or at least distrusted Brelan is on the Ilia in general, an impression further confirmed by the scenes with Harriet and the others discussing in secret how they can ensure he doesn't gain an advantage over them.
There's a certain amount of bathos for Jean-Francois, whose hopes of doing something suitably heroic in Space City are dashed by the decision there that he is only fit for work as a waiter (and his reluctance to do this work is probably one reason why he's so bad at it). He and Melody do manage to cement their mutual bond in an eye-openingly bold fashion by smuggling the former into the female sleeping quarters and practically doing the deed right under Sara's nose (I hope they weren't noisy enough to stop Sara getting off to sleep that night). It's even possible that the book Melody is seen holding in this scene (which has a drawing of the back of a naked woman on the front cover) is a small subliminal hint of the lust that's in the air at that stage. Most interesting though, is Rosie's covert nod-and-a-wink acceptance of this unorthodox conduct. I somehow get the feeling that Harriet wouldn't have been quite so tolerant about it...
There's also the beginnings of a mystery concerning computer files in Petra relating to a Mars expedition in 2015, but little information on it to discuss as of yet...
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Post by Batcopter on Apr 11, 2006 5:44:55 GMT -5
Eps 30, 31 and 32
SPOILERS
There's a lot of attempted manipulation going on at the moment. Alex trying to take advantage of Mercedes' guilty conscience to get what he wants, and Brelan trying to gain Tim's trust for his own purposes, for example. In the case of the former, Mercedes seemingly has at least two courses of action open to her, those being to either go along with Alex and give up on her dreams, or forge on and risk him carrying out his blackmailing ploy.
In the event, she attempts a third, that being to pre-empt him and try to neutralise the threat. It's a gamble which only partially succeeds, in that it means Alex no longer has a hold on her (and being in a position of dependence on his goodwill is probably as intolerable to her as the guilt of knowing what she tried to do), but it also gives Brelan a reason to withhold her from the project, something which has a sharp impact on her, as it's cutting off a dearly-held ambition. But it testifies to her strength of character in some circumstances, her willingness to take calculated risks, and her strong sense of independence.
Brelan is fighting his battles on several fronts, up against a large group of people determined to confound his ambitions for the Ilea. The listed building declaration is one obstacle placed in his way, and Melody's resolve to take the fight to him, as regards his meetings with Tim, is another highly charged act of defiance. She's also shown to be fairly assertive in the course of all this, practically dragging Jean-Paul out of bed for the confrontation.
You get the feeling that circumstances are conspiring to ensure Victoria will be among her company on the Ilea for a while yet, via a not very concerned-sounding voice-over from her mother (for some reason, I'm remided of Tomkinson's Schooldays in Ripping Yarns), and a cautious game of poker with Daniel.
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Post by Nathan on Apr 11, 2006 11:14:31 GMT -5
Yay- welcome back Batcopter.
Good stuff - once again it opens even my eyes to various storyline strands.
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Post by Batcopter on Apr 12, 2006 5:13:41 GMT -5
Cheers, Nathan. Sorry about the long absence. Does mean it feels quite fresh again now though.
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Post by Batcopter on Apr 19, 2006 4:24:30 GMT -5
Episodes 33, 34 and 35
SPOILERS
Harriet is starting to throw the weight of her authority around to greater effect. The confrontation between Rosie and herself brings out the differences between the two of them quite distinctly. Harriet clearly views Rosie as an ineffectual soft touch who has allowed discipline to grow lax, a tension also indicated by the good cop/bad cop act they assume concerning the issue of allowing melody to accompany Tim to Space City for his allergy treatment. What's not quite clear is whether Harriet is motivated solely by a sense of duty and upholding order, or whether on some level she gets pleasure from being able to prowl around forbidding anything she doesn't like? Certainly, her reaction to Sara's concerns over whether Daniel is cheating in the quiz (what must be one of the most blatant examples since that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire affair they made a documentary about) doesn't, at least initially, seem very in line with her apparent principles (being a stickler for standards and so on). This suggests either that she is more corruptible than first appearances would imply, or maybe just that she thinks it would be too difficult to prove. Or alternatively, the quiz just isn't that important to her, a cheap bit of entertainment that isn't worth the fuss. It's unlikely to have anything to do with Daniel personally, as she proves herself only too ready to upbraid him for slacking on his work whenever she has the chance (just as, correspondingly, he seems more bored with Columbus College all the time).
As Melody apparently grows in confidence, Jean-Francois seeems to get more crushed and unassertive in his lowly job, which he clearly hates, and he doesn't bother (unlike his girlfriend, who has to take the initiative) to resist Harriet's strictures on finding them together. He also has trouble resisting Lily, who seems a rather sad and lonely character herself, and gives the impression that she regards him as just a mild diversion, a bit of fun to while away the boredom, someone she can fuss and exercciuse some authority over.
Fiona's dependence on make-up suggests a startling insecurity on her part, with the make-up possibly a way of compensating for that. It's effectively the equivalent of a security blanket or teddy bear for her perhaps, as well as a way of gaining approval (implying that she has a low opinion of her ability to gain any by other means). In the case of Anna Begani, it seems to be more a matter of giving in to repressed desires. For her it is a way of getting some excitement and seeing herself in a way which she has been trying to forbid. By feeling a necessity to lie, at least at first, about whatever damage she may have done to the cosmetics, she also breaks one of the Ten Commandments, which must cause her a fair bit of private anguish (perhaps she might even view that as a punishment for not being true to her principles). There's a possibility then, that Anna is torn by conflicting loyalties at the moment (with reference to the "Hanka" (sp?) she's been talking about).
Some possible background evidence for Brelan's single-mindedness in the form of the revelation about the identities of the Mars expedition. It may even be that he's determined to live up to those ideals, to be as true to them as he believes his father was. Mercedes' own loyalties are also hinted at (in terms of what's most important to her) by the way she easily forgets about the quiz she'd agreed to take part in. Brelan's work is far more important to her.
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Post by Batcopter on Apr 26, 2006 8:52:43 GMT -5
Episodes 36 and 37
SPOILERS
Tactful isn't the first word that comes to mind where Brelan's concerned, so after his concern about what he should tell Victoria (just as she is getting used to the thought of her father no longer being around), it's somewhat tantalising that we don't find out exactly what he tells her, or her immediate reaction. Having expressed a desire to prove loyal to her father's reputation, it remains an open question as to how his reappearance (if he has survived) might affect this particular responsibility she feels. She does, at least, seem to have had a nice dinner date, and a better time of it ultimately than Melody or Sara, who finish up stranded in Space City for a fortnight. Rather an ironic consequence of their helping to set the date up in the first place and going along to observe it, although one suspects that Daniel would probably see it as a fair punishment for extortion, and chances are he's not sorry at the prospect of being deprived of their company for a while. Jean-Francois is probably quite happy to have left Lilli and the bar behind too.
There's another irony in that, having been getting increasingly angry and upset over Lilli's attentions to Jean-Francois in the bar, Melody's finally got what she wants in one sense - he's left - but they're still due to be kept apart for a while. She and Sara don't respond well to the prospect of lasting for a couple of weeks in the dingy quarters there with little or no monetary credits (de Crecy seems to view them as a couple of spoilt nuisances). One can only hope they can find things to do to pass the time (or even some temporary work, if they want a bit more cash while they're waiting).
Brelan seems to be mainly pre-occupied with the matter of the Copernicus, and his decision to undertake some lectures and seminars is possibly a means of keeping himself busy during the wait, as well as imparting some of his worldview to the students. Never one to suffer fools gladly, Daniel and Anna prove particularly irritating to him, although the former only seems to affect a more respectful attitude after being reminded by Chantal of Brelan's powers in theory (ie his authority or personality alone don't seem to be enough to sway him). Anna's protests about how she didn't go to Columbus College to do life-saving, and her attempts at buttering up Brelan, suggest a rather insecure (and possibly selfish, although maybe she just doesn't have much self-confidence) personality.
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Post by Batcopter on May 9, 2006 4:46:55 GMT -5
Spoilers
Episodes 38, 39 and 40
You can tell that the tension and strain of what's at stake is getting to Brelan because of all the apologising he's suddenly having to do, effectively balancing his relationships with the students anbd staff with his own personal priorities. So he manages to win over Anna (although one gets the feeling that he still doesn't rate her intelligence much), and even puts some effort into keeping Harriet sweet (after a rather nice scene in which he appears to creep up behind her in one of the living quarters).
His attitude to Victoria, when it turns out that she has been faking data so as not to put off a possible rescue for her father (and ultimately risking Finbow's life), seems notably different to the barking anger that Anna described, suggesting either that he has more respect for her (or at least sympathy for her motives), or that he is simply managing to control his feelings more effectively. His reaction is quite clever really, as it relies not so much on condemning her, as simply letting her understand clearly for herself the possible consequences of her actions. There's no shouting or berating, he's very measured throughout. It's a case of leting her make the moral choice herself.
Rosie has a rather quick and low key departure, although it comes just in time to compound Melody's and Sara's isolation. Interesting that the former seems to adapt more enthusiastically to the waitressing job they're temporarily stuck with, perhaps because she relishes the attention it allows her. On the other hand, she also has to deal with saying goodbye to Tim, which obviously upsets her.
Finbow has a chance to display a bit more loyalty to Eliot in the latter's absence by going out of his way to rescue his cockatoo (Jacques?) from the dome. He's also his usual easy going self when communicating with Victoria in his isolation unit, and indicating he holds no gridges.
Both Mercedes and Alex opt to use other people as a means of getting at each other, although the former has the additional obstacle of Brelan's self control to contend with...
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Post by Batcopter on May 18, 2006 4:14:28 GMT -5
Spoilers
Eps 41, 42 and 43
The ironic thing about Alex leading Herlinde on so as to help get him what he wants is that it's not wholly different from the way that Herlinde has sometimes treated Finbow, except that she spent quite a bit of time worrying over how to get rid of him without hurting his feelings. Alex would more likely drop her in an instant if it benefitted him, and even as it is, his inability to conceal his irritation at her means his having to apologise once or twice so as to keep the plan going. He's able to accept her own apologies and entreaties over previous arguments with ease, and shrug them off casually because he doesn't really care about her feelings in the first place, unless they look like affecting his chances of getting hold of her money, or her father's. His trying to hack into her financial details suggests he's looking for a way of getting his finances without having to bother pretending to woo her.
Both characters have a selfish side then, and seem to have difficulty recognising that their own concerns aren't the most important matters going on, as seen in Herlinde's case by the way that Chantal has to drag her away from confronting Brelan at a crucial moment. Or indeed the way that she's only interested in visiting Finbow for as long as she thinks he can be of some use to what she wants.
The scenes concerning Cats' exploration of the Copernicus, and his attempted rescue mission, manage to keep up the sense of drama and high stakes reasonably well, bearing in mind the budget constraints (meaning that the action has to be confined to the Ilea, with Brelan and Mercedes reacting to audio reports). It leaves open the question as to whether there have been any survivors until the last minute, and even then, it's unclear who it might be, leaving Victoria's increasingly acute dilemma still unresolved (just after her deciding that the tension of hoping is so unbearable, that she'd prefer to settle for the relative stability of despair and give up on the hope the situation has presented to her).
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Post by Nathan on May 18, 2006 5:42:44 GMT -5
I think one of the reasons that this is so effective is that the production and writing teams mostly originated from radio drama.
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Post by Batcopter on May 19, 2006 4:07:50 GMT -5
Yes, you could imagine that bit working quite well as a radio drama.
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Post by Batcopter on Jun 1, 2006 9:30:19 GMT -5
SPOILERS
Episodes 44, 45 and 46
One of the reasons for Victoria's intense solicitude over Henry may be that it's a partial reflection of wanting to ensure her own father didn't die in vain. Because Henry owes his life to her father, his continued survival would mean that he has achived a lasting difference for good, which would all be wasted otherwise. There's possibly also some transferred concern there too. She can no longer do anything for her father, but by caring for the man he saved, she has a sort of substitue for her concern.
Although Herlinde claims that her love for Alex has changed her, it's difficult to feel that it's made any difference other than to accentuate her self-centredness. It has also possibly brought a more obsessive vindictive side of her nature too. She doesn't appear to be willing to listen to criticism either, although Brelan's stinging assessment of her as being selfish, immature and boring is the sort of thing she is more likely to dismiss as an insult and safely forget.
Alex and Daniel have an interesting little scene or two where the former is sheltering in the latter's cabin. When Daniel uses the cover of supposedly not knowing where Alex is to deliver a decidedly low opinion of his character to Herlinde (within Alex's earshot), Alex doesn't even bother to take the matter up subsequently, merely thanking him for not giving him away. This is most likely because Alex has no interest in Daniel's opinions in the first place and would consider it a waste of time to argue with him about it.
Brelan's reading the lesson from the Bible at the funeral service is presumably in line with established regulations. Given that there seems to be a mostly secular bias at this time and place (which Anna partly blames on "English anti-clericalism"), it feels slightly odd to see the characters fulfilling such an obligation. It's easy to imagine that the moral seriousness of Christianity is something that Brelan can respect and identify with (leaving aside any consideration as to the premises it may be based on), and indeed the sense of purpose, or disciplined self-improvement, that can motivate the religious, is similar to the zeal with which he regards the "great journey". His asking Victoria to join him is almost akin to someone who believes a person has passed a test of worthiness trying to enlist that person for their cause.
Melody's new job helps show that if there's one thing she really does enjoy, it's being the centre of attention. She possibly gets more satisfaction out of that than from the wages.
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Post by jameshellyer on Jun 2, 2006 14:39:12 GMT -5
Your comments about Herlinde seem bang on. All her relationship with Alex really did was show how shallow and self-centred she was. Even during the Santa Maria crisis, she maintains everything that happens is really about her.
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Post by Nathan on Jun 5, 2006 16:08:29 GMT -5
Bang on!
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