Orac (1978) Review

Orac wraps Series A up with a lowkey, but still satisfying victory. 

WRITTEN BY

Terry Nation, and his continued presence is really starting to bug me now. 

PLOT

Following Ensor Jr's final wishes, the Liberator races to Aristo to get to his father and the mysterious Orac before Servalan and Travis. On the way, the team that went to Cephlon begin suffering from radiation sickness due to overexposure, leaving it up to Blake and Cally to save the day. 

ANALYSIS

I'm starting to run out of things to say here. It's another Terry Nation episode with a realistic, gritty tone. Good acting, interesting pulpy plot devices. Very watchable. Business as usual. It's good, but it is all starting to blend together. If I wasn't aware of Orac's longevity, it might as well be just another episode. 

The unique recap at the start of the episode felt rather ridiculous. Nation didn't feel the need to give us one during the opening trilogy of episodes, or ever after. Having Blake provide this recap of events to Avon of all people was also rather random, as the latter should've been aware of all this by now. It would've worked much better if we just saw Blake make the log for himself, or re-listen to it to find if there was something he missed. 

CHARACTERS

After being sidelined in the previous episode, it's good to see Blake and Cally take charge this time, and they continue to be a great pairing. 

Derek Farr gives a very endearingly eccentric performance as the old and fussy Ensor. I love all of Ensor's little tics, like his dislike of chemical drugs and possible color blindness. Farr has a great chemistry with both Chappell and Thomas, and there's a lot of charm in their scenes.

Farr also briefly portrays Orac at the end. It's very amusing to think that for the next three years, Peter Tuddenham would be doing a Derek Farr impersonation. And of course Alistair Lock for many more. There's a legacy for you.

Operating deeply outside of Federation jurisdiction, Servalan has to get her hands dirty for the first time, and it's very fascinating to see her outside of her element(Travis is certainly entertained), though still trying to cling onto her authority. 

I love how grumpily Michael Keating plays the sickly Vila. With some effort, he can actually be a bit intimidating! Vila looked as if he was about to chew Gan's head off after Avon forced him into joining the search for Blake and Cally. 

NOTES

*I liked the subtle visual continuity with Gan taking a pill from a white case in his room(the crew previously carried the white case throughout Breakdown to take medical tranquilizers from it).

*Judging from Blake's log, somebody was around with a camera throughout Deliverance and recorded everything that Avon, Vila, Gan and Jenna did in that episode.

*Why would Ensor provide Servalan with a map of the tunnels, and why is the map so hilariously simplistic?

*It's a bit strange that Ensor should decide to pull off this disappearance right around the same time he had a massive heart attack. Given that Blake suggests his mechanical heart could've been replaced, I would've done that first. Unless the heart attack simply got in the way of a preplanned escape.

*Having Servalan come across the skeletons of the two explorers Zen mentioned earlier is great.

*Zen mentions that the water on Aristo is highly acidic, but at no point does it seem to harm anyone(most notably Vila, who steps into a puddle with a sock).

*I find it somewhat out of character that Cally, the most empathic of all of them, would briefly forget that more than half of the crew is dying of radiation poisoning.

*Like Gan, Travis seems to like playing pranks and not answering to someone when their voice clearly should've carried across the distance. 

*I want a self-cleaning coat like Servalan has.

*Ensor hyped up the amphibians up as such a threat that I was rather disappointed to see them do nothing, but briefly cuddle Servalan.

*Avon has a wrist-watch. 

*I love Vila's futuristic shirt. He looks badass in it. Shame Avon forced him back into the anorak(though that's great too). 

*From where he was standing, Blake would've trapped himself in Ensor's facility if he had succeeded in bringing the tunnel down.

*The little rock that Blake puts on top of the hatch to keep it shut is adorable.

*I love Travis's little laugh as he realises how screwed he is. It's very similar to Avon's later habit of smiling to the camera in times of disaster.

*It is never explained why Ensor's death is followed by Orac assuming aspects of his personality.

INFORMATION!

*This episode continues directly on from Deliverance.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

VILA: "Die? I can't do that!"

AVON: "I'm afraid you can. It's the one talent we all share, even you."

CONCLUSION

More of the same. I like Nation, so I'm cool with it, but after a whole season of it, I would prefer some variety.