Headhunter (1981) Review

WHERE

IS

O

RAAAAC

Headhunter is comfort food Blake's 7. 

WRITTEN BY

Roger Parkes, who brought us Voice From The Past and Children Of Auron. His trademark seems to be a strong sense of continuity with previous adventures(bringing back Ven Glynd, referencing the Clonemasters, introducing Ensor's student...)

PLOT

Vila and Tarrant are sent to Pharos to recruit the computer scientist Muller to Avon's cause. However, the man quickly turns violent when Tarrant inadvertently brings a mysterious box along, forcing them to restrain him. Shortly after, the ship suffers from a complete failure and a terrified Orac attempts to isolate the unknown danger that he claims could conceivably risk all organic life in the galaxy...

ANALYSIS

What makes Headhunter work so well is that it's simply an entertaining shambling-monster story. You have the moody build-up on the Scorpio, the crew choosing to risk breaking quarantine and then the base-under-siege on Xenon. Like all the Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees movies, the fun is in seeing a great cast of characters tackling a seemingly invincible enemy with comic hijinks along the way. That's really all there is. It'll never be in a top 10 list, but it's one that you rewatch over and over again, probably with warm soup when you're ill, because it doesn't demand much thinking, yet still carries itself with irreverence.

After a string of fairly disappointing planets and forgettable guest stars, it's refreshing to have an episode that's all about the crew, and which clips by at a decent pace. I also liked getting to see more of Xenon again. The fact that the base is situated on a planet with some history to it has always fascinated me. Besides, Xenon is the closest thing they ever get to a home. It's always prudent to know the ins and outs of your home. 

Once again, Mary Ridge is directing and she gives the episode her usual flair - I particularly liked the vast CSO communications screen that gives Josette Simon a chance to act directly to the camera, the POV shot of Avon examining the empty flight deck, a final use of that gloomy spiral staircase and most of all the delightful location filming at Box Hill, Surrey. 

CHARACTERS

As is the theme this season, the crew are trying to collect valuable resources, in this case Muller's mind. Two things I appreciate about this - first of all, that the crew are starting to show more and more initiative. Back in Blake's day, they didn't have to, because he was constantly spewing out targets for them. A communications complex here, a weapons facility there. In his absence, things fell slack and episode plots centered mostly around the Liberator bumping into things. Which can work from time to time, but was very disappointing as a regular theme. Yet now, our heroes are constantly asking "what do we get out of this? How can we improve our situation?" And I find that so much more immediately interesting. Because now, when I start watching the episode, I actually root for the crew to obtain whatever it is they need this week. 

Secondly, it illuminates the crew's differing attitudes. We see it very clearly here: Avon, who is both a computer engineer himself and no longer of sound judgment, is intensely appreciative of Muller's work and determined to apply it for his own uses. Vila only sees what's in front of him and tries to surrender to the android immediately to survive another day. Tarrant, Dayna and Soolin, who are less worldweary, are the rational ones who ultimately end up saving the day by being able to put their greed and fear aside. You see what I mean? Sometimes, it just takes little details like the basic setup of a story to make things so much more involving for the viewer. 

Another such detail would be the few references to a "robot development cartel". It doesn't factor into the plot much, but it's a nice change to have the crew working against other criminals like themselves for a change and not exclusively tangling with the Federation. It adds to the atmosphere of a much more dangerous universe post-Terminal.

Paul Darrow appears to be enjoying himself immensely and as a result, so was I. He chews the scenery pretty shamelessly throughout the entire runtime and at one point, disappears for no other explained reason than to change into a cooler outfit mid-invasion! I also can't get enough of Avon's newfound habit of casually throwing away any tool he's done using. 

Props to Peter Tuddenham for portraying creepy versions of both Slave and Orac! I think Orac doesn't require much to be frightening, given that it's such an exaggerated voice already. It's just a matter of what kind of lines he delivers. But Slave's grouchiness was quite unexpected and hilarious. He's usually so sweet! Speaking of good lines, somebody finally gave Soolin a good few zingers, and Glynis Barber delivers them as perfectly as one might expect from her. 

Shame that Lynda Bellingham wasn't around for long, but I suppose we needed at least one kill. Her role's pretty rubbish, to be honest. The death by hug being the final humiliation. I did find it kinda funny how straightforward she was about the fact that her relationship with Muller was purely physical. In the future, getting a sugar daddy is no problemo!

NOTES

*It's laundry day on the Scorpio, and Tarrant and Vila are forced to sleep in their clothes on the uncovered mattresses.

*Muller's robot appears to point directly towards the box, which is why Tarrant's attention is drawn to it in the first place. No idea why, given that he wanted to be rid of the thing. I'm also not sure why he went through all that complicated rigmarole to teleport to the Base(getting them to freeze him, making Slave take the ship off course, shutting down life support etc.) when the plan was for them to take him down anyway. But I guess he did the android equivalent of panicking when they brought the head aboard. 

*It's a 'civil' robot development cartel, not a military one. Can't they... hire military?

*I love how much of a boss Avon is in this episode. In the literal sense. He just barks orders these days and everybody waits at his every whim. It's really funny watching Dayna and Soolin jitter, only kept from rescuing the others by Avon's indecision as if he's a general. Long past is the time when he was outvoted on avenging Anna Grant.

*Avon's "you deal with this crap" face to Soolin when Vena mourns Muller is priceless.

*I looked up the substance "parafit" that Tarrant claims the box appears to be made of and it doesn't seem to really exist. It's a neat little addition.

*Glynis Barber having to wait for the numbers on the monitor screen to load up(which take more than a second) before saying them out loud is pretty amusing. 

*What's with the daft spacesuit design? Did they really think there would be a vacuum-safe helmet design in any future that doesn't cover the jaw?

*Did they really get someone's permission to open up a dam?

*There's a normal fire extinguisher under the cobwebs in the hydro plant. I'm like 99% sure that's a set, not a real location, so I'm gonna call props gaffe.

*Judging from the way Slave barks "Confirmed!", maybe he's not possessed at all, but just jealous that he'll never be Zen. 

*We get a nice bit of set wobble as the entire cast scampers through the corridors! Always a classic mainstay of British TV.

*Are the bombs that Dayna carries with her meant to be percussion-activated(if they were electronic, the android would be able to activate them and blow her up)? They look entirely different to the one she throws at the android, but I suppose they might have several different types?

INFORMATION!

*Ensor(whom we met in Orac) was Muller's first teacher, and apparently a tyrant for self-discipline. Yeah, Derek Farr looked real tyrannical.

*The bridge and the hydro plant are presumably more remnants of the Hommik civilisation seen in Power. 

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

"RESTOAAAAR THE TELEPOOOORT!!!!"

CONCLUSION

I think it's a lovely bit of fluff.