Terminal (1980) Review

 

Terminal defines the character of Kerr Avon. 

WRITTEN BY

Terry Nation, as his Blake's 7 swan song. 

PLOT

Avon directs the Liberator to the artificial world Terminal without explanation or flexibility. Once down there, he stalks towards his unknown destination in a state of neurosis. Meanwhile, the crew begin to suffer from the consequences of his obsession.

ANALYSIS

It's interesting to observe Nation's approach to a series finale, which is what Terminal was intended to be for all intents and purposes. It's not bombastic, the stakes aren't high. In fact, when you consider the actual sequence of events, it's a very simple trap. Another variation of the kind we've seen in previous episodes of this season. 

I would consider it an epilogue, and a particularly clever one at that, because it casts a whole new light on the events since Blake's departure. Up until now, the show had more or less consistently portrayed Avon as someone who wants to roam the universe without restraint. But when he got that oppurtunity in Series C, the show didn't seem to know what to make of it, awkwardly shifting into anthology-esque storytelling that seemed almost laughably basic after the climax of Star One, before a few token attempts at resistance that never felt quite right. 

Terminal introduces one single thing to the Blake's 7 mythology, something that had been hinted at, but never confirmed until now - that Avon wants Blake to be around. That his absence is something we were supposed to bemoan all along, not cheer. The story is long over and the events of Terminal simply mop up the loose ends. Blake is dead. There's no heroic comeback, no great final stand, because the Federation mattered to him, not to the others. It's not even mentioned by name in this supposed finale, because it's not the finale. It's a character story about Avon that's here to say 'let's stop pretending that this is Blake's 7 anymore and go home'. And it functioned beautifully. 

So let's talk about the production side of things. Terminal is an awesome showcase of the power of sound in TV. It's astounding how much that iconic Mary Ridge-trademarked heartbeat adds to the feeling of desolation on the planet. Mind you, the icy autumn forest location filming was already brilliant. But with that constant thunk-THUNK reverbating across Terminal, you really get a sense of the foreboding. 

I could spend all day counting up the other brilliant directorial choices that I loved, but I'll mention some specific favourites: the camerawork - as in Death-Watch, there's some great POV shots. We also get slow, patient pans across the eerie landscape. Then there's the dark void where Blake's scene takes place in. And everything they did to blow up the Liberator. Ridge is just on a whole different level from everyone else. 

CHARACTERS

For my money, this is the best performance of Paul Darrow as Avon. Ever. It's quite unlike any other. There's very little of the ironic goofing or melodramatic speechifying that will shortly get ramped up to eleven nor does it resemble his usual droning self. Instead, the exhausted and sleep-deprived Avon is almost disturbing with his threats, and obvious desperation of reaching Blake. I love his gloomy glares across the fields of Terminal(though that might have more to do with Darrow freezing to death), and the way he bounds across the landscape in silence like an assassin. 

But best of all is the final scene, where Avon is completely deflated and humiliated by Servalan's gloating. That horrified, miserable look on his face as Blake's death sinks in is all you need to know about how Avon truly felt about the man. And then the final disbelieving, self-deprecating smirk towards the camera as he walks off, having finally accepted that his life's a joke. It's a wonderful way to cap off the character, and the journey he's taken since the overconfident days of Space Fall. Blake wasn't the only one with naivete...

While we're talking about spectacular performances, there's also Michael Keating. For the first and only time, Vila gets to command the Liberator without a gag to be found, and it's through his mortified reactions that we get to feel the full impact of its deterioration. I've always found Vila's heart-sinking stare at Zen going senile to be particularly touching. We're all losers here, but Vila inarguably is the one who gave the best effort in Terminal, by coordinating the Liberator's rescue attempt and saving Orac. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the crew don't really get any shining moments - Tarrant and Cally have a chunk of the screentime as they pursue Avon, but that subplot only exists to force Vila and Dayna's hand later on. They certainly don't get up to anything character-defining. I don't mind so much with Tarrant and Cally, cause they've managed to give some strong performances lately with Sarcophagus and Death-Watch, but I do wish Dayna existed to be more than a bloodthirsty, stropping killjoy. 

I find Jacqueline Pearce's performance quite intriguing - most of her dialogue sans gloating over Blake's demise is just exposition, but she's very dramatic, especially when she explains the nature of the Links. For a brief moment, I considered that maybe Servalan's realised the futility of the human race and how she knows her own Federation will lead to the Links, but then I remembered that Terry Nation wrote this and Pearce is probably just trying to make the final episode count. She and Darrow of course have an obligatory final flirt or two. Or three. 

Gillian McCutcheon is only briefly in the episode as Servalan's doctor(?) Kostos, but I liked the random little touches of personality the actress gave, such as her constant finger-snapping and that bit where she's randomly standing on a table when she guards the crew. Also, the fact that she makes the huge gaffe of letting Vila go with Orac. It's just something nice and extra, even if it's clearly just McCutcheon making the most out of a bit part.

Let's say farewell to Zen. I don't think Zen was ever really much of a character beyond the early episodes of Series A, after which his few personality traits were subsumed into Orac, but he was always an iconic part of the show, and he got a far better send-off than I could ever have asked for an obedient computer. Love you, Zen. You were the best, and that's confirmed.

NOTES

*I know they're on a budget and everything, but couldn't they at least play the board games in the crew quarters set? 

*I wonder if the weird visual code that Avon reads is supposed to be scripted or not. It could be something that Ridge came up with, but then I'm wondering what Tarrant would've done in the script if she hadn't. Maybe Nation just forgot he was in the room and could read what Avon had on his monitor, and Ridge compensated?

*Where did Avon's gun come from? I sure didn't see a holster... 

*One slight criticism - the screen-jittering effect for the turbulence is terrible. 

*I only noticed just now that the design of the teleport console has been altered considerably since the show started. Updates from Zen?

*I love Paul Darrow's little nod to Hamlet with the direction ball. 

*The concept of Terminal itself is very fascinating to me - this laboratory planet full of abandoned experiments and underground facilities. There could probably be a whole show about a place like this! I'm glad we at least get some elaboration on it in Tony Attwood's Afterlife novel.

*Despite my praise for Vila's competence, warning Kostos about the 'unreliable' second-hand ship definitely ranks amongst his dumbest decisions. The fact that he didn't get questioned or even shot is a miracle.

*Avon being put under a brainwashing machine is a neat, subtle way to tie it to The Way Back. 

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

SERVALAN: "I was right. I knew you'd never let Blake die."
AVON: "Death is something that he and I faced together on a number of occasions. I always thought that his death and mine might be linked in some way."

CONCLUSION

Maximum power!!