Restructuring Blake's 7

 

This is basically a silly concept I had back when I was watching the third season of Blake's 7 - given that the show could sometimes be inconsistent in terms of narrative and emotional arcs, would it help if certain episodes were rearranged to form a more coherent and dramatic viewing experience? Let's have some fun here. 

SERIES A

The first six episodes of Blake's 7 are definitely fixed. From The Way Back to Cygnus Alpha, you have a linear story. Time Squad introduces Cally. Both that and The Web set up the Liberator's trip to Centero in Seek-Locate-Destroy. So there's nothing to be done here. These particular episodes have to air in that order for things to make sense.

Now, however, let's add a few changes. The next episode I'd like to air is Bounty. In this storyline, Blake goes to retrieve ex-President Sarkoff of Lindor, having discovered a Federation scheme to overtake the planet from the information provided by the cipher on Centero, which the group retrieved in the 'previous episode', Seek-Locate-Destroy. Whilst it's not at all a stretch that it took a while for the information to be decoded, it is neat to have the follow-up immediately. 

In Seek-Locate-Destroy, Blake and Cally bonded over their mutual hatred of Travis as well as Blake's rescue of her. Bounty shows the two now working together as a tight unit, both inspired to resist the Federation more than ever. 

Following Bounty would be Breakdown, which concludes with the Liberator fleeing from pursuit ships at space station XK-72. This would lead nicely into Duel, where the Liberator is under tight pursuit, having been pushed into "this galaxy by the other patrols", according to Travis. 

I'd still like to leave a gap between Travis getting fired at the end of Project Avalon and the beginning of the Orac arc, so that's where Mission To Destiny goes, giving a brief respite to the crew. 

1x01) The Way Back
1x02) Space Fall
1x03) Cygnus Alpha
1x04) Time Squad
1x05) The Web
1x06) Seek-Locate-Destroy
1x07) Bounty
1x08) Breakdown
1x09) Duel
1x10) Project Avalon
1x11) Mission To Destiny
1x12) Deliverance
1x13) Orac

SERIES B

It's a lot harder to nudge things around in here, because of the predominant Star One arc, but let's see what we can do. Obviously, Redemption resolves the cliffhanger of the previous season, so we start off with that. 

During that episode, the System drive the Liberator halfway across the galaxy. Thus, it would make sense to continue the story with Horizon. The crew are exhausted, perhaps also still recovering from their recent radioactive adventure on Cephlon. They're trying to hide out on the edge of the spiral rim. Obviously, Gan is still alive, so this episode has to be an early one anyway. And it builds up the return of Travis and Servalan in this season a little more.

However, as Blake stated in Redemption, he is returning to Earth sector. In the episode Shadow, the crew seek an alliance with the Terra Nostra in order to infiltrate the planet and in Weapon, the crew affirm that Blake will soon be ready to attack Central Control(why they're all surprised when he finally announces it, I have no idea). 

This of course leads to the events of Pressure Point and Trial. Now, there's another two episodes before the next stage of the arc. From Countdown to Star One, pretty much all the episodes are immovable. Voice From The Past comes the closest to being a standalone, but it does mention the search, so it has to be set between Countdown and Gambit.

That just leaves Killer and Hostage to think about, and to be honest, I don't want them moved either. Killer leaves an appropriate gap between Travis's trial and his first appearance as a mercenary. So, yeah, there's just not all that much we can do about Series B. 

2x01) Redemption
2x02) Horizon
2x03) Shadow
2x04) Weapon
2x05) Pressure Point
2x06) Trial
2x07) Killer
2x08) Hostage
2x09) Countdown
2x10) Voice From The Past
2x11) Gambit
2x12) The Keeper
2x13) Star One

SERIES C

Now things get interested! Series C has no arc whatsoever, therefore the choice of episodes is entirely down to a few plot threads and personal feelings about character behaviour. 

Aftermath and Powerplay conclude the Star One arc, so they're at the start, of course. In the episode Volcano, we get the only mention of a search for Blake. It's therefore reasonable to let it keep its position as well. At the end of the episode, however, Servalan announces that she'll no longer be pursuing the Liberator. Nor do the crew have any obvious motivation to go after her. And indeed, in Dawn Of The Gods, they do no such thing. But after that... 

It seems necessary to find an episode where the crew and Servalan are reunited by natural means and driven to fight each other again. Before that, however, I'd like to leave an additional episode to emphasize Servalan's absence. That would be City At The Edge Of The World. 

My first idea for Servalan's reappearance was Rumours Of Death - it'd certainly inspire the crew to chase her around and vice versa. But since that episode is built up in Children Of Auron, it can't be. Therefore, I'm going with Death-Watch, where Servalan sees Tarrant in action, giving some credibility to her perspective of him as the Liberator's captain in The Harvest Of Kairos. Her desire for the Liberator is rejuvenated by the unexpected appearance of Avon. Having both Tarrant and Dayna hold a grudge against Servalan would explain why the crew would resume antagonising her in Moloch, my next option. Let's stick Ultraworld here to then get a brief break from the President.

 After that, it's fairly straightforward. Children Of Auron and Rumours Of Death are connected by the Shrinker arc. We also get to see Servalan's presidency fall into chaos(thus setting up Series D). Sarcophagus references Auron's destruction, therefore it has to be set after Children. And Terminal finishes it all off. 

3x01) Aftermath
3x02) Powerplay
3x03) Volcano
3x04) Dawn Of The Gods
3x05) City At The Edge Of The World
3x06) Death-Watch
3x07) The Harvest Of Kairos
3x08) Moloch
3x09) Ultraworld
3x10) Children Of Auron
3x11) Rumours Of Death
3x12) Sarcophagus
3x13) Terminal

SERIES D

Rescue and Power set up the new format of the series, so they're a must. Traitor establishes the crew's need for speed, Servalan's new role as Commissioner Sleer and the pacification drug arc, which are all quite vital. Stardrive provides the Scorpio crew with their speed, so that seems a reasonable follow-up as well. 

I'll keep Animals in its old spot too, simply because it keeps the pacification drug storyline fresh in the viewers' minds and features Servalan being particularly solemn about Dayna's supposed romance with Justin, which can lead straight into... Sand. This episode wraps up a lot of loose ends, and I think works a lot better in an earlier slot. 

Following that, I imagine a humiliated Servalan might feel finally compelled to send an Assassin after the crew. She's convinced that they're dead and the crew get right back to work acquiring scientists in Headhunter. In Games, they are tricked by Belkov, who offers to give the crew to a befuddled Servalan. She doesn't get them, but that is the moment when she finds out they survived. 

Vila displays an extremely cynical and detached attitude in Gold, refusing to get involved at all, in thieving no less! Avon claims it's his natural mistrust towards Keiller's plan as a professional thief. But Vila never confirms it. Is it possible that he avoids anything to do with Avon following the events of Orbit? If so, it would make Avon's last-second escape from the Space Princess a lot more nailbiting, and add an extra edge to Soolin's suggestion that he was disappointed to learn she and Avon survived. 

Whilst there's no way to give Servalan a better send-off, having Gold be her penultimate episode would be a lot more fitting, as it establishes once and for all that she's never been anything but another space gangster. Avon's breakdown at the close of the episode also has a lot more weight behind it if it came after Orbit.

And finally, Warlord and Blake close off the series together...

4x01) Rescue
4x02) Power
4x03) Traitor
4x04) Stardrive
4x05) Animals
4x06) Sand
4x07) Assassin
4x08) Headhunter
4x09) Games
4x10) Orbit
4x11) Gold
4x12) Warlord
4x13) Blake

I hope you guys got a kick out of this, because I did!