Secrets is a strong character drama within a mediocre action thriller.
WRITTEN BY
Mark Wright and Cavan Scott. I really have nothing negative to say about them, they have a nearly spotless record with Blake's 7.
PLOT
Vila's father Solvin Tavac provides the Liberator with coordinates to an illegal arms bazaar, which is due to sell a list of rebel operatives within the Federation. Avon tasks Vila, Tavac and Grant with purchasing the list. When things go wrong, however, Vila has to decide how much he truly cares about his father...
ANALYSIS
Casting David Warner as Vila's father sounds like something made up by wishful fans, but it's real and it's every bit as superb as one might think. I found Warner and Keating's stormy dynamic (mediated by the always level-headed Tom Chadbon) immensely engaging, and I'm glad that Vila finally has some sorely overdue character development. Tavac brings out the manipulative, treacherous streak in Vila that we initially encountered in The Way Back. And in contrast, Vila seems to bring out a sense of curiosity, kindness and even a love of booze in Tavac. Listening to the two struggle to connect through their disparate worldviews and upbringing was by far the best part of the story.
And what of Grant? He's only been around for a few stories, yet already he seems to be indispensable to the crew. Defector's entire focus was on building camaraderie between him and Tarrant, and Secrets portrays him as the one Vila trusts the most to watch his back. He's apparently become Avon's lieutenant, main ally and instigator in the war, the two of them obviously bonding over the loss of Anna. Grant is such a powerhouse character that I fear the audio dramas will suffer greatly from his absence. So far, almost all of the ones set in Series C have been narratively tied by Grant's inclusion, as well as having the same writers. It's been satisfyingly consistent and I really don't want it to end.
There are a few flaws to address. I can't believe the production hasn't learned that having the main actors double as guest roles never works. It's a bit difficult to stay immersed into the narrative when Michael Keating is pretending to be a woman and a female robot in the span of a minute, with nothing to disguise it but faint electronic effects. Storywise, the list of rebel operatives continued to be an unexplained MacGuffin. We don't know why it exists or how it got on the market. I didn't understand why Tavac and Grant were so cautious in their bidding, or why they blamed Vila for its failure (considering that, as Vila points out several times, they were supposed to have unlimited funds). And finally, an argument could be made that Grant's intimate connection with the Trannian corporation was too convenient. But considering that much of the franchise depends on such conveniences, I feel it would be hypocritical to focus on it.
CHARACTERS
Although the characterisation of Vila veers towards soap drama in this one, Michael Keating still does a fantastic job giving him more gravitas and emotional depth than usual. I'm convinced that somewhere out there is the perfect Vila story, one which really exposes the potential darkness in him. This is the closest we've come to that (certainly more so than the messy Caged), but there's definitely room for improvement still.
My main criticism here is that I just couldn't believe that Vila was actually a starving delta grade once, rather than who he said he was: someone who bought his classification to escape a career. Vila is hardly a reliable narrator, but his false story rings truer than the real one offered by Secrets. If Vila truly was a delta grade because of his mother, then that means the Federation segregates people based on their genetics rather than merit.
There are certain lines in the TV episodes which support the genetics theory: the Commissar in Horizon believes or at least claims that rebellion is rooted in biological defects. Coser in Weapon is also clearly more intelligent than his given beta grade. So why am I opposed to this?
Because the Federation has always come off as an organisation that makes use of the talents that it has. There's never been any hint of racial prejudice, quite the opposite in fact! We've seen high-ranking Asian members, and mentions of an old "stock equalization act" which once forced colonies to accept all races into its membership. In the Federation, everyone are slaves anyway, regardless of creed or color. So why introduce something as cliched as racial prejudice into the mix? I always worked on the assumption that the Commissar's attitude was based on hatred towards non-conformists (and his continued efforts to sway Ro), and that Coser had failed his merit tests due to his obvious personality flaws overshadowing his actual talent.
I don't know, maybe I'm just trying to find justification for a plot point I flat-out don't like. Vila using his intelligence to avoid a life he hated gives his character much more initiative than enduring bitter survival just because he happened to be born to a delta grade. It is less touching and sympathetic, but Vila was never a particularly touching or sympathetic person. I can sort of see where Wright and Scott are coming from - having gone through starvation might indeed give Vila the optimistic, indulgent view of life that we know him for - but it's one of those cases where I feel like less would have been more.
It's a credit to the acting of both Michael Keating and David Warner that despite me not being a big fan of the new backstory, I found the difficult father/son drama between Tavac and Vila to be intensely gripping, and loved the grimdark ending to their story (at least for now, since Warner is set to return in several more audios). Neither one really came out shining at their best, yet there were hints of the kind of warm relationship they might have had, if both had made different decisions. That's the best kind of tragedy, where it almost could have worked if the characters had tried harder.
NOTES
- I'm not really sure why Vila considers Grant a "walking time bomb waiting to explode in Avon's face". Defector also seemed to hint at some kind of conflict within the crew. Is he perhaps assuming that Avon's new willingness to use the crew as pawns against the Federation will result in a kind of mutiny? Are they setting Grant up as the new rival for leadership?
- Love the "hyperscapers" and "appointment chips". Classic 1970s future terminology.
- We're introduced to "functionary Mutoids". I'm not really sure why Mutoids would be required to sit at a desk all day, but it does add a creep factor.
- Avon's reputation now appears to have dwarfed Blake's, considering that Vila is recognised as "Kerr Avon's associate". Blake never did broadcast messages to the entire galaxy. You'd think he would've done it all day long. Maybe Avon just never told him it was possible lol.
- Vila claims that his mother put food in "our" mouths. Does he siblings?
- Tavac seems to hint that Vila's mother wasn't quite right in the head either. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she was some crazy stalker of his.
- What kind of auction only has one item on sale? Particularly if this is the only arms bazaar for the entire year! Surely they'd have some other special gadgets.
- Tranninan's ability to electrocute all her treacherous guards simultaneously is a bit of a deus ex machina.
- Avon's first maniacal laugh! Chronologically, at least. Shame Darrow wasn't around for it.
- This story is a direct sequel to Planetfall.
- Grant references the "tortured connections" he has with Avon, due to their past with Anna.
- Grant and Ada Tranninan have had previous encounters. He's also well known at her arms bazaar by other freedom fighters.
- The Galactic War (which was depicted in Warship) is mentioned.
- Vila has PTSD over the destruction of Shorin, which occurred in The Armageddon Storm. Tranninan tries to bargain for the Armageddon Storm schematics that Avon still possesses.
- Vila claims that Tavac seduced his mother and then abandoned her to protect his own reputation. He also says that his mother had to do "things no human should do" in order to feed "them".
- Tavac mentions Vila's escape from Cygnus Alpha.
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