Diamond Death (1982) Review

 

Diamond Death is a tense, expertly plotted thriller. 

WRITTEN BY

No specific credit.

PLOT

Upon discovering that Orac can no longer track Federation ships, Avon prioritizes the rescue of the last Verons in the galaxy, as they have the capacity to crack any Federation code. After falling into Servalan's trap and contracting a lethal virus, the Scorpio crew race to the only man capable of curing, where their enemy is already waiting...

ANALYSIS

There's a great transformation of tone in Diamond Death. The story opens with a scene straight out of Series C - the crew are relaxing and idling their time away with a board game until a bored Tarrant finds something for them to do. But then there's one dark plot twist after another, until we reach an incredibly cold-blooded, grim resolution. It's almost like a deliberate mockery of that era. 

Somehow, in spite of its short length, it manages to feel like a full episode, and I think that's down to variety. The pace is brisk and nothing gets dwelled on for too long. That's also a minor criticism, as it means that I did briefly become confused over what exactly Servalan's scheme was supposed to be, but I think it's a small price to pay for what would've been a lesser story without the aforementioned pace. 

You've got shady heroes, deadly Terry Nation viruses, icy banter, a classic Avon/Servalan confrontation, tension throughout... it's a gorgeous mix. The writing quality is exceptional and drew me in. I think Armstrong really knows these individuals to a tee now, because he adds neat little touches, that feel like stuff the actors would do onscreen without being prompted. And that's the sign of a good and dedicated writer.

CHARACTERS

Avon is a Machiavellian bastard in this. I mean, he frequently is, but here in particular, I was constantly surprised by his behaviour. The fact that he was able to put the pieces together and figure out that Quandi's a spy as opposed to a mere virus carrier(as I had anticipated) was very impressive. It seems convoluted, but it makes sense that Servalan would never rely on a mere virus to take down Avon.

Furthermore, I enjoyed seeing him team up and confide with Soolin to try and stop Quandi. The mutual respect between Avon and Soolin, employer and employee, is quite unlike the dysfunctional family relationships he shares with the rest of the crew and I find it interesting how much more faith he puts in her than the rest. He seems to be most comfortable around people that he knows he doesn't have to care about.

I like that they left Quandi's true loyalties enigmatic. She could just be a betrayed lackey, or she might've been forced into the role. Whatever the case, Avon's dismissal of her in the end might even be harsher than Dr Plaxton's fate. At least Avon didn't admit it to Plaxton's face. Still, one thing I'll always admire about Avon is that he owns up to everything he does. His leadership isn't dependent on moral fortitude, but simply his own unbreakable force of will(much like Blake). He'll kill someone and then dare you to vote him out as a leader. 

NOTES

*This story was published in the Blake's 7 Marvel Monthly issue 9.

*It was very funny to see Orac sneer at Slave's abilities. I wish we could see the two of them interact more often. It writes itself. 

*Given that Avon's committed to fighting the Federation at this stage, it's strange that he holds Tarrant back from helping the Verons(who might possess valuable technology). I mean, there's the paranoia and all, but usually he's much more of a daredevil. Now, he takes two whole days to chat with Orac before going! I guess he's trying to improve lol. 

*You can tell that Tarrant and Dayna have mellowed out from the fact that they don't even bother to really question Avon before entering an alien ship full of germs.

*The crew use statements like "down and safe" and "bring it up", as if the Veron ship was planet and Quandi was a thing, not a person. I just find that weird. 

*In retrospect, maybe Quandi tipped Avon off by the fact that she was fine and willing to share information with him despite having just heard that her entire race is extinct.

*Quandi just happening to know a cure to the Diamond Death is a bit of a deus ex machina. Why would Servalan allow for that?

*For some reason, Armstrong refers to various pairs of people as "the couple". It's not technically incorrect, but it did cause some double-takes as I kept wondering when Avon and Soolin or Tarrant and Dayna hooked up.

*Avon having a special loathing for disease and preferring to meet both enemies and friends in battle is a nice little touch that adds some more depth to him. Not that it's needed. The grit that would exist in a Blake's 7 universe is fully felt here.

*Did the Federation kill Dr Pax? They must have, right? It is Series D, after all, and he has grand notions of being a decent person.

INFORMATION!

*Using a suspended animation technique called "stratus", the Federation freezes people for long-distance travel. This is in direct contradiction to Time Squad, where the practice was centuries out of date.

*Avon orders Tarrant to engage the photonic drive, setting the events of the story after Stardrive.

*In order to hide from Servalan's ships, Avon has the Scorpio conceal itself near the planet Astra. This is presumably not the Federation planet from The Scapegoat.

*Avon refers to Servalan as Commissioner Sleer in front of her troops(perhaps so that Servalan wouldn't execute them needlessly?).

*Vila wakes up from a dream of being on Earth again.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

SOOLIN: "Vila was right! You are using them as if they're expendable."
AVON: "My dear Soolin, Vila is often right!"

CONCLUSION

It's a banger.