Pressure Point (1979) Review

Pressure Point is a beautifully built up red herring, and a game-changer.

WRITTEN BY

Terry Nation, who's come back to tie up loose ends.

PLOT

Blake returns to Earth at last to lead a resistance attack against Federation Computer Control. However, unbeknownst to him, Servalan and Travis are already waiting and prepared to capture their prize.

ANALYSIS

I can't find much to fault with the script. Bringing Earth back into the equation to tie the story into The Way Back is an ingenious move, one that automatically adds as much weight as this episode possibly could have. Blake's complete and utter defeat in the empty Control room pulls the carpet from under the audience's feet in such a pitch-perfect way. That, coupled with the death of Gan, is a humiliation that can only drive the heroes to dark places.

However, this great script deserved much better direction than the episode has to offer. The editing is terrible, most notably in the hilarious sequences where the crew pass through the same corridors and climb the same ladder over and over again with differently tinted background light. Several scenes practically demand retakes, such as Avon tripping on his way to the entry blockhouse.

But make no mistake, Pressure Point is a tremendous episode and the acting talent is strong enough to keep you hooked with its incredible narrative.

CHARACTERS

Gareth Thomas is always at his best when Blake is driven against the Federation, and his attack on Control is seemingly the culmination of all that. The guy is practically frothing at the mouth and it's incredible to watch. I love how he simply deflates inside the white room.

Brian Croucher is remarkably reserved this time around, and almost resembles Greif's Travis. He is very intimidating when constantly quiet, because I am always expecting him to explode at any minute.

A farewell to David Jackson as Olag Gan. Jackson was always a good performer and exhibited a remarkable amount of charisma and attitude, most notably in Cygnus Alpha(leading the prisoners) and Weapon(putting up a fierce argument against Blake's decision to do business with drug cartels). However, it was rather wasted on a character that existed to be sci-fi Little John, and little more. At the very least, his death shall represent the beginning of the end for the crew's moral conscience.

There's a small, but interesting development for Cally in that she's no longer willing to risk her own survival to battle the Federation, having apparently picked up on the crew's self-preservation habit and possibly valueing her friendships over their war.

NOTES

*It's never really explained how Servalan and Travis knew Blake would attack Control, though I would assume they were somehow able to tap into the resistance's communications or something like that.

*According to Blake, the Federation began to expand and conquer 200 years ago.

*It has been at least a year since the events of The Way Back, presumably more.

*Travis admonishing Servalan for letting personal vendettas get in the way has to be one of the best Travis moments of all time. There's just so many layers to how amazingly hypocritical he is.

*Pressure Point marks David Jackson's final performance as Gan.

*We learn that Servalan was already seen as unfit for command in her cadet years, but apparently comes from a rich and entitled family, thus being able to buy her way upwards.

*Religion is apparently banned in the Federation's civilised worlds.

*Why does Veron just lie down on the cold stone floor to take a nap?

*The Liberator can teleport people from one location to the other without having to beam them up first.

*The design of Travis's eyepatch has changed from Weapon - it's less gleaming and bigger.

*Who knew "traitress" was a word for female traitor?

*The crew could've just used the guns that Veron conveniently left behind to conveniently blast open the blocked door.

*What's the deal with the monkey bars in the Control complex? Who thought "yeah, I'll make these floors electrified, but also install monkey bars to give them a fair chance!" Gan's bar was very obviously pre-cut by the way.

*Veron joins the multitudes who refuse to join Blake on the Liberator for reasons of "we don't need new cast members".

INFORMATION!

*Blake returns to Earth, as he promised to in The Way Back. It's also the planet's first appearance since the very beginning of Space Fall. Blake previously set the Liberator to return to Earth sector at the end of Redemption.

*Gan treats Veron with the medical device he first used on Jenna's hand in Time Squad. 

*Veron incapacitates the crew with sono-gas, previously seen in Mission To Destiny.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

"There is no room for a good loser in this race."

CONCLUSION

Shit just got real.