Anthology: Trigger Point (2013) Review

 

Trigger Point doesn't have the most interesting premise, but it executes that premise with such wit and loyalty to the series that it ends up being a pretty great ride. 

WRITTEN BY

Gillian F. Taylor, who is rather humorously responsible for a western series titled 'Sheriff Darrow'. I might have to check those out now, if they're remotely as good as this. 

PLOT

At Cally's suggestion, Blake redirects the Liberator to the planet Belzanko, where they hope to topple its corrupt president and disrupt the Federation's pursuit ship construction. Interrupted by a patrol, the ship is forced to flee, leaving Avon and Cally to implement an alternative scheme involving the planet's stock exchange. 

ANALYSIS

Reading this, I got the impression that when Taylor walked towards her laptop, typewriter, quill, whatever she uses, that she said to herself: "I am going to write the most Series A episode that ever Series A'd". Seriously, the attention to detail here is quite admirable - from the costuming to specific character beats to the atmosphere - it all feels very much entrenched in the reality that Nation set up in that first season. 

This extends to the strong narrative. One of the key strengths of the show at its peak was its ability to self-analyse its storytelling(most famously through the ideological debates between Blake and Avon) and justify the need for the crew to get up to whatever it is they do in any given episode. Trigger Point is character-driven, with each crewmember having that wonderful sense of agenda about them. Their choices dictate the plot, rather than have them be artificially thrown from one scenario into the next by outside forces(which isn't a criticism of that type of storytelling, but I see the former far less often). 

Now, that being said, I did occasionally struggle with some of the descriptions, mainly for the settings(such as the layout of specific rooms and streets and the like). This was particularly prevalent during the extended space battle sequence, where I often found it hard to figure out what exactly was going on, and where the ships were located(it seemed like all they ever did was spin around asteroids). As a result, I found that part to be a bit of a slog. Not enough to ruin the experience for me, but I felt it dragged there nonetheless. The stock market stuff also went over my head, but then stock market stuff usually does. 

CHARACTERS

Trigger Point might actually have one of the greatest single depictions of the crew ever, because it feels like we get a glimpse into everyone's mindset at once. All the dialogue they share and the decisions they make have a sort of ripple effect, where we get an insight into how they all feel and react to new information. This is particularly evident in the relationship between Avon and Cally, as both of them catch each other off guard(with their coldness and empathy respectively) on numerous occasions. 

Speaking of Avon, if there's anything at all in Trigger Point that deviates from the attempted recreation of Series A, it's the loving focus on him(an original series episode would doubtlessly have kept Blake on the planet instead) and his oh-so-logical attempts to acquire money and political favor. But he's also the best part because of it. When the truth about his actions came to light, I was absolutely enthralled with his genius, and more bewildered than ever when I remembered what became of him in later seasons(which Blake cunningly predicts in one scene). I'd love to see a Series D era Avon story from this author. 

Cally is in full on Time Squad mode, albeit with traces of the empathy we see later on, an empathy that perhaps became intentionally magnified to receive back even a modicum of what she was used to on Auron. One of my favourite scenes here was about Cally's frustration over the way she was treated by the crew, when compared to the emotional openness of the Auronar. It made her later characterisation much clearer to me, and it was heartwrenching. I wanted to step through the screen and give her a hug! 

We also get some moments between Avon and Jenna, harkening back to their dynamic in Cygnus Alpha when they were still uncertain about Blake and weighing their options. Again, a great example of the crewmembers' independence and willingness to go behind their leader's back when it suits them. And whilst I critiqued aspects of the space battle, it did allow for Jenna to shine. I especially loved seeing her obvious joy and pride towards her piloting skills come out, and how they allowed her to leave behind her paranoia and fully bond with Blake. That was brilliant. 

Gan and Vila were more in the background than the others, but their personalities were still there thanks to little touches. I felt Gan in particular was a lot more vocal than he ever got to be on the show, and I liked seeing the protectiveness he sometimes has over Vila be present here.

NOTES

• I'm not really sure it was necessary to set this story so early on in the timeline, mainly because it adds yet another clunky delay to the trip to Centero. Obviously, most of the crew's distrust towards one another is in the very early episodes, but it's not as if it had just vanished after Centero either.
• Vila getting all crotchety over Blake interfering with his lockpicking was great. And he has the nerve to moan at Orac!
• The idea of teleporting up for a few seconds to avoid detection is quite clever, I'm surprised the show never utilised it(probably wanted to save money on the effects... and Dudley Simpson's cue).
• Vila educating Avon on breaking and entering is a deleted scene I badly want to read. 
• Love the Federation guard who spends time redesigning her uniform. (This is now my headcanon backstory for what happened to the Mutoid outfits in Series D)
• Whilst Cally's spotted jacket is clearly from the show, I'm not sure if Avon's "calf-length black overcoat" is a reference to something. Maybe one of Darrow's photo shoots?
• I'm glad somebody else hates cracking knuckles. I can't stand it. 
• Blake's praise of Avon as "a good man at heart" was a bit on the nose, a rare misstep in terms of dialogue.
• There were several mentions of vans and vehicles, which made me wonder if they were meant to be hovercrafts. Given that Blake and Cally have no idea what a car is in Bounty. 
• Wouldn't Belzanko be able to produce pursuit ships for other rebels in the galaxy? Why would it only make them for its own system?
• I'm quite sure that the description of Avon as "not a real fighter" would have had Darrow pitch a fit. 

INFORMATION!

• The story is set between The Web and Seek-Locate-Destroy, during the crew's journey to Centero. Cally's possession by Saymon is discussed.
• Allston is an acquintance of an acquintance of Cally's from the ill-fated rebellion on Saurian Major.
• Jenna is uncertain as to whether the Liberator could take on three pursuit ships. This is probably a reference to Horizon, where Avon states definitively that three pursuit ships could destroy the ship.
• Cally picks up the spotted fur jacket on this adventure that she'll later wear in Bounty. 
• Avon and Cally briefly discuss the infamous embezzlement scheme that got Avon arrested. Anna Grant is alluded to. Avon once again states that he failed because he "trusted other people", as he did in Space Fall.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

"It's better not to have friends. That way, you won't try to help them and you won't get hurt."

CONCLUSION

This is Series A porn. It has Vila's thermo box, for God's sake!