False Positive (2012) Review

 

False Positive is grossly uninteresting. 

WRITTEN BY

An inauspicious debut for regular Big Finish author Eddie Robson. 

PLOT

Noticing the Federation's growing influence on Kabon, Blake and Avon disguise themselves as businessmen to get in touch with the honorable but isolated Arbitrator, who is the only chance the world has to avoid succumbing. 

ANALYSIS

This is definitely the worst use of the format thus far. As in Solitary, the narration exists in-universe(a wholly unnecessary and distracting addition), but at least that story had a good reason to provide it. Here, it's very contrived. It doesn't help that one of the two voice actors is solely a part of that arc, meaning that the actual story is provided entirely by Gareth Thomas, which leads me to the next problem: Thomas is asked to voice multiple characters. In good Chronicle stories like Counterfeit and even The Turing Test, this isn't necessary because the script merely implies what the other characters are saying. But here, we have to listen to Gareth's impressions of the other characters and it's just, well, silly. 

Last, but not least, the actual plot itself is dull and poorly explained. The stakes are incredibly low - one planet is slowly being taken over by the Federation. And? Well? What? I know Blake's a freedom fighter, but he usually has his sights set on bigger things, which have a clear and obvious negative impact on the Federation. There's some waffling about a pacification drug, but it hardly has the impact of the original series' Pylene-50, because we never get to see its effects. At the time the story takes place in, it's not even ready for production! It's a vague possibility, and that's not enough to hook an exciting plot on. 

The pace is terrible - all the filler with the framing narrative drags it down, and it feels like the characters spend an eternity on the Arbitrator's boat. Some of the spywork that Blake and Avon do is mildly entertaining if you stop thinking about the why and how, but otherwise, it's very uneventful until the massacre(a sequence much more befitting of James Bond than Blake's 7) at the end. 

CHARACTERS

It's never explained why Avon tags along. This is admittedly brought up, but it's still unsatisfying given the massively out of character behaviour. Gareth does a surprisingly nasty-sounding impersonation of Paul Darrow. Very venomous. 

However, his sad sack deep-voiced take on the Arbitrator(where his voice seems to have been artificially altered) just sounds hilarious in all the wrong ways. They definitely should not have gone in that direction. 

I thought Beth Chalmers was quite charming and clever as Dr Lian, it's just a shame that her role is so vapid. I can't emphasize enough how useless the framing story is. It genuinely feels like Robson came up with it on the last minute to pad out the runtime. As such, Chalmers' likable performance and good chemistry with Gareth Thomas is just wasted. 

NOTES

*For some reason, Blake emphasizes that the message in a bottle was written on paper, but NOT by hand. So how did they write it? Did Avon carry around a mini-printer?

*It's always so strange to hear the music from Rebellion Reborn in the original series audios. They were probably just saving money, but still.

*I like that "Avon" is supposedly a common name in the far future, with five Avons documented as living on the planet. 

*I just don't understand why Blake would risk telling the therapist about himself, or why Avon would allow it. It's far too chancey for nothing but a sample of the drug(which Zen cannot produce because...?). 

*One of the cool things about Blake's 7 is that it's an excellent tool for learning English. Today's word is "pleonectic". Look it up.

*I like to think that the reference to Avon's slightly theatrical nature is a cute jab to Paul Darrow. 

*The Arbitrator's rules don't make much sense to me. He's isolated to avoid making emotional connections with any potential participants in the court. However, after a case, he always socialises with the participants. What happens if they end up in court twice? Wouldn't the Arbitrator be biased towards them then, especially if they're going up against someone who's never been?

*To give False Positive some credit, the scene in which the Arbitrator discovers the terrible conditions and poverty on his planet is genuinely heartbreaking.

*The way sound effects of gunfire would follow every one of Gareth's descriptions of people getting shot was laughable. 

*Why on earth would Blake and Avon do the mission without their teleport bracelets?? Couldn't hide them under the sleeves or on a leg or something?

*I'm noticing that Blake has a tendency to introduce himself James Bond-style. "Blake. Roj Blake." Speaking of James Bond, the yacht and the Arbitrator gave me serious Thunderball vibes. 

INFORMATION!

*The story could take place practically at any time between Redemption and Voice From The Past. 

*Blake compares the Arbitrator's courtroom to the one from The Way Back. 

BEST QUOTE

"The Federation will never know everything or control everything, which means they can always know more and control more."

CONCLUSION

Can't think of any real redeeming features to this one. Just dreary.