Rumours Of Death (1980) Review

 

Rumours Of Death is a little too melodramatic and convenient for my tastes, but it's bolstered by a confident direction and wonderful performances. 

WRITTEN BY

Chris Boucher, whose work here is something of a tribute to Terry Nation, Robert Holmes and his own more sentimental attributes. 

PLOT

Avon embarks on a quest to avenge the murder of his lover Anna, by hunting and interrogating the Federation torturer Shrinker. Meanwhile, Servalan's residence on Earth is overrun by a rebel faction seeking to put an end to the Federation's rule once and for all. 

ANALYSIS

Much like its predecessor Countdown, the episode immediately makes a strong impact by breaking the sense of languor from the previous few entries and starting the story with the action already happening. It's not the most audience-friendly approach, but it does wonders to get your attention. 

Rumours keeps up the pace and tension by marrying Avon's demented and personal confrontation with Shrinker to the invasion of the palace. With Servalan in chains and Avon loose like a wild animal, there's a sense of the show throwing itself out of its comfort zone again for the first time since Blake left. 

The cinematography is some of the best the show has ever seen, from the camera angle used to make John Bryans look towering to the foggy flashbacks to the brilliant use of lighting throughout(particularly in the caves). I also love the location filming, specifically the 'anachronistic absurdity' that Servalan dwells in. Seeing our heroes suddenly appear in a recognisable real life setting(other than the plethora of power stations) both grounds Rumours and also adds another reason for it to be so memorable. 

But the devil's in the details, which in this case is the story itself. I can suspend my disbelief at many of the coincidences that the show features to make its episodes work, but I cannot swallow the fact that Anna just happens to be running her coup at Servalan's place the exact same time that Avon decides to visit Servalan to find out what happened to Anna, or the way Servalan aids in his final escape. And speaking of the ending, Boucher begins to rely on theatricality far too much to sell and maximise the drama, with overwrought dialogue and a death scene worthy of Romeo and Juliet. It just kind of ruins the poignant subtlety that Avon's relationship with Anna had up to this point. I'd much rather that Avon simply decided he could never trust Anna again and left with his emotions in tatters, but I suppose it wouldn't have had the same punch. 

CHARACTERS

Paul Darrow's always been a very Shakespearean actor and so he(as well as Jacqueline Pearce for that matter) simply embrace the theatrics and perform them for what they are. I don't have a problem with that, if only those scenes didn't jar with the more sober writing earlier. 

Part of what makes Avon tick as a character is that the world he's in doesn't necessarily match his opinion of it, and that's the same with every other character. They're all driven by a particular perspective. Avon's desire for revenge, his kidnapping of Shrinker and the entire sequence in the cave with Anna's face painted in it is certainly dramatic, but that's because of the kind of person that Avon is - lonely, angry, withdrawn. Since he never allows himself to physically express genuine emotions, he expresses them through actions, which prove to be those of a deranged and regretful individual. My point is that Avon may be a theatrical character, but he doesn't or at least shouldn't live in a theatrical environment, because that's when he stops being special and becomes a pawn in a predetermined, intentionally sad tale. 

With Darrow hogging the story, the rest of the crew aren't given that much to do, but there's a few flares of personality here and there - I like that Vila's the one to set the cave up(probably less out of friendship and more because Tarrant and Dayna are still newbies, and Cally refuses to cooperate). Steven Pacey gets to show off some of that Prince Charming attitude with his exaggerating bow to the defeated troopers. And Cally displays the most moral fiber, chastising the bunch for bullying Shrinker and making sure nothing happens to Avon on Earth. 

Shrinker is awesome, by the way, and a far better role for John Bryans than giving Peter Miles someone to talk to in the early episodes. He's probably the most enthusiastic and cheerful torturer I've ever seen. I bet he got the laser probe for Christmas. 

This is easily the best appearance of Servalan so far this season. We haven't seen her truly fearful for a long time(possibly ever since that Phibian attacked her in Orac), and she's been steadily heading towards becoming a cartoon villain. Thankfully, Rumours at least briefly derails that trend by quite literally throwing her into a dungeon. Seeing Servalan convinced that she will die and lose all her power allows Pearce to drop the ever-present facade of geniality and indulge in spite. I love the look in her eyes as she puts two and two together and realises that Avon's about to be reunited with Anna. 

Lorna Heilbron's hit and miss. She's quite good in some of the scenes(especially the flashbacks with Avon), but when she has to be commanding in Servalan's chair, it genuinely looked as if she was about to burst into tears any second. She's uncomfortable in all the scenes where she had to show authority, in fact. I'm not sure if the actress realised what kind of programme she was on. 

I also wasn't really impressed by Boucher's Holmesian double-act. Partially, because their presence was the only filler content in the episode, and because I just didn't find them that amusing, also they're killed off halfway through before they can really take off. 

NOTES

*Paul Darrow looks incredibly gaunt in that opening scene. Make-up and a little ruffled hair and stubble work wonders. 

*The scene where Vila, Tarrant and Dayna all circle Shrinker to taunt him is one of those ideas that may sound good on paper, but is incredibly goofy onscreen. 

*Dayna puts forward a really good question: "What happened to the rebellion? Why is Earth still controlled by creatures like him(Shrinker)?" We never find out! 

*I like how Boucher doesn't really explain Anna's multiple identities, and lets the audience decide whose side she was really on, if any. 

*Frenlee mentions Holy Writ at some point, which would suggest that some form of religion(and respect towards it) has still survived, even though the Federation supposedly destroyed all the churches. 

*So if white is pre-dead babies and black is post-dead babies, what does Servalan's black and white dress signify? Was she secretly screwing Councillor Chesku to get new babies?

*I know the karate chop to the back is the accepted science fiction way of knocking people out, but this episode's five(minimum) chops is really pushing it. 

*Tarrant describes Servalan's full title as "President of the Terran Federation, Ruler of the High Council, Lord of the Inner and Outer Worlds, High Admiral of the Galactic Fleets, Lord General of the Six Armies, and Defender of the Earth". Very Game Of Thrones.

INFORMATION!

*The episode is a sequel to Children Of Auron, continuing the storyline of Avon's search for Shrinker. 

*Shrinker identifies the crew as "Blake's people".

*Avon mentions that Anna's brother believes she's dead, a fact established in Countdown. 

*The circumstances behind Avon's attempt to swindle the Federation credit system(which resulted in his eventual arrest as seen in Space Fall) is elaborated on. According to Shrinker, Avon dropped out of sight after killing the man who'd supplied him with exit visas(previously mentioned in Countdown), suggesting that Avon was on the run for some time between the attempted embezzlement and arrest, possibly with Tynus.

*Tarrant suggests that the palace's cellar might be pre-atomic aka built before the nuclear conflict that gave birth to the Federation.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

"What's the matter? Did I bleed on the wrong bit of floor?"

CONCLUSION

It's certainly unforgettable, but at the cost of logic.