Matter me this, Matter me that, who's the Liberator's big red cat... ?
#35. Aftermath (3x01)
At the bottom by default, as she only has a cameo and doesn't do anything of significance.
#34. Rescue (4x01)
I can't entirely blame the writers on this one, as Chappell declined to return for anything other than a brief vocal cameo. I'm not entirely sure how I would have written Cally out (she could hardly disappear Blake-and-Jenna style whilst the crew was stuck together on Terminal), but it feels pretty insulting for her to just get blown to bits with hardly anyone shedding a tear.
#33. The Harvest of Kairos (3x05)
Cally falls prey to Ben Steed's sexism and spends the entire episode as a useless dame who literally gets pushed around by Avon and Tarrant like an oversized toy. She also appears to have forgotten all of her military training, judging by the way she awkwardly stands around whilst Dayna struggles with Jarvik. We're lucky she didn't faint from the vapours. This is the episode that convinced Jan Chappell to leave and it's not hard to see why.
#32. Breakdown (1x10)
The first example of the show seriously letting Cally down as a character. Seeing her get manhandled by Gan and then whimper about it was depressing. Cally shouldn't be stupid enough to untie him in the first place, no matter what customs exist on Auron. It just makes her look incompetent.
#31. Ultraworld (3x10)
She's literally taking a nap this entire episode. By this point, the 'Cally gets possessed' trope was getting very old, and this is probably the worst example of it. They tease the idea of her and Avon switching bodies, and that's way too cool of a concept to do nothing with.
#30. Countdown (2x09)
Jenna snaps at her to stop tapping her fingers. Riveting.
#29. Moloch (3x11)
A purely expository role. Plus, it's weird to see Avon being protective of Vila whilst Cally apparently doesn't give a shit about whether he lives or dies.
#28. Project Avalon (1x09)
This is the one where Sally Knyvette quite literally steals Cally's plotline by asking Boucher to give Jenna something to do. I can't really blame Knyvette and she's brilliant in the episode, but you can tell it was designed for Cally and I have no doubt that Chappell would've done it just as well. It's a frustrating situation all around. Especially since we never really got a proper gunfight with Cally from what I recall.
#27. Deliverance (1x12)
Cally should be more than a mere damsel in distress for Blake to rescue.
#26. Trial (2x06)
I guess she stands up for Blake a little bit, but otherwise she doesn't add anything to the plot.
#25. Redemption (2x01)
Funky outfit.
#24. Hostage (2x08)
Another in a long string of episodes where she sits at the teleport desk. But I like the scene of her getting all passive-aggressive towards Avon for feeling guilty over inadvertently leading Blake into a trap. And she does manage to kick some dude in the balls. So it's not a total loss.
#23. Powerplay (3x02)
It's fun watching Cally get catty with Servalan, and her reunion with Vila is sweet, but otherwise the subplot with the hospital is a bit lackluster. A creepy idea that goes nowhere. It's obviously just there to fill time until the Liberator rescues the two.
#22. Death-Watch (3x12)
Cally and Vila have a really cute dynamic here, but I dislike how much of a spoilsport she is about the Teal-Vandor Convention. Given her guerrilla background, I feel like she could appreciate their use of a single duel to resolve entire planetary conflicts, as well as their honor and martial artistry of the duelists. She's portrayed as too much of a stereotypical pacifist.
#21. Terminal (3x13)
I like Cally attempting to play on Avon's rationality to convince him to stay onboard, but other than that, Chappell is barely noticeable in her final onscreen performance. I think she and the writers were checked out by this point.
#20. Duel (1x08)
She only has a few lines in this, but all of them are made to count. Cally provides sound tactical advice during a space battle, provides insightful commentary about Blake's strategy against Travis and is proven to have more emotional depth than Vila and Gan when she correctly guesses how attached Avon is to Blake.
#19. Rumours of Death (3x08)
I love how openly pissed off Cally is with Avon's entire scheme, as well as the crew's willingness to go along with it. She's not in the episode very much, though, which is a bit odd given that it focuses on Avon's relationship with a woman.
#18. The Keeper (2x12)
Satisfying to see Cally standing up to Avon, especially if you rewatch it after Series D (where Avon is a step removed from a dictator). It's only one scene though, so I can't put it any higher.
#17. Voice from the Past (2x10)
The beginning of a romantic connection between Avon and Cally. Although she has a minor role in the grand scheme of things, I like all of her scenes. The telepathic machine used to dominate Blake is relevant to her background, there's a reminder that she stands apart from the crew as an alien (when Orac refuses to use her in Blake's therapy) and it's she and Avon who realize that something is very wrong about Glynd's strategy.
#16. Volcano (3x03)
Cally is in a more dominant position in the crew's hierarchy now that Blake and Jenna are gone. She displays a lot more personality here than most of Series B, and uses her telepathy to the crew's advantage on several occasions.
#15. Gambit (2x11)
Cally gets to dress up as a proper space princess and call her fellow crewmember a slut. What's not to like?
#14. Horizon (2x04)
Probably the peak of the 'nurse Cally' period as she struggles to hold the crew in one piece after Blake pushes them too hard. Her attempt at manipulating Ro by making herself seem more powerful than she is is clever, and I like the argument that ensues between her and Avon over whether to leave the crew.
#13. Killer (2x07)
For some reason, Chappell plays the opening scene as if Cally was drunk or incredibly lusty and it's amazing to watch. She then disappears from the rest of the episode.
#12. Mission to Destiny (1x07)
I find this to be an incredibly boring episode, but it's also the first one on this list where Cally gets a leading role. In any case, she has a good dynamic with Avon here and gets to show off her intelligence. It's just a shame everything else is so dull.
#11. The Web (1x05)
Putting Cally's credibility to the test so soon after her introduction is (in theory at last) a solid idea, especially pairing it with her alien background coming to the fore. They don't do much with it and the crew never seriously distrusts her, but at least it's something. I also liked seeing the contrast between Cally's military loyalty (wanting to immediately inform Blake of the changed situation) with Jenna's mercenary ways (pragmatically withholding information until it becomes useful to share).
#10. Children of Auron (3x07)
The storyline between Cally and Zelda doesn't quite work for me (it just seems to be setup for Servalan's arc) and Auron itself is disappointing, but it's still arguably the most important episode for Cally. She manages to sway the entire crew to help her, endures the near-destruction of her race and has her biggest clash with Avon. I just wish the episode wasn't so flat and she was portrayed as being more badass (Chappell consciously chose to play Zelda to be as boring as possible so as to prop Cally up, which shouldn't be necessary).
#9. Weapon (2x03) / Pressure Point (2x05)
I have these two in the same slot because she plays an identical role in both episodes - Blake has come up with a new scheme against the Federation, the crew is dismayed and then Cally is revealed to be in cahoots with Blake and unrepentant about it. Chappell is really endearing when she plays the character as smug, probably because Cally is such a straight arrow most of the time and it's nice to see her be a little sneaky. It's also a sign of her absolute loyalty to Blake, and his trust in her.
#8. Star One (2x13)
Chappell must have spat out her drink when she saw how much Cally gets to do in this finale. She's part of the team sent down to bomb Star One, there's a tense moment where she questions the mission and ultimately she's the one who saves the station when humanity needs it the most. A big turn-around for her character and a good setup to her more active role in Series C.
#7. Dawn of the Gods (3x04)
This is a really fun story where Cally confronted by a fairy tale from her planet's mythology. I believe it's the only time where she is the one to interact with the episode's main villain all on her own. I only wish it lasted longer - there was so much material there to work with and it feels like the episode barely touched on it (as the first 30 minutes is just setup). Still really good though.
#6. Bounty (1x11) / Orac (1x13)
These two are mainly this high because I think Cally is at her most enjoyable as Blake's bloodthirsty sidekick. Also, it's undeniable that Series A gives Chappell the most to work with in terms of characterisation. She really feels alien and ruthless in these stories.
#5. Seek-Locate-Destroy (1x06)
One might be disappointed by how easily Cally is captured and forgotten by the crew, but it's all worth it for an amazing payoff where she displays a rare moment of sadism towards Travis. The message is clear. You don't fuck with Cally.
#4. Sarcophagus (3x09)
Tanith Lee's love for the series and depth of character is evident here, as we see Cally struggle with a bit of PTSD, as well as be forced to acknowledge her feelings towards Avon. In all fairness though, I'm ranking Sarcophagus this highly because it's Chappell's best performance. Even if most of it isn't her being Cally. For some reason, I feel like we never truly got the definitive Cally episode. Maybe in the audios.
#3. Time Squad (1x04)
Everyone loves the ultrafierce version of Cally found on Saurian Major, and I'm no different. It's really painful to revisit that episode and think of what could have been if the writing had stuck to that approach for the character.
#2. City at the Edge of the World (3x06)
It might seem odd to rank this one so highly given that Cally only has a supporting role, but the way she's portrayed here (right down to the costuming) is just so casually competent and cool compared to all her other episodes that I couldn't bear to have it lower. She coldly deflates Tarrant's ego, skewers Avon with wit and nearly blows Bayban's head off. I love to see it.
#1. Shadow (2x02)
I think this is the one episode where the show manages to combine the two different takes on Cally - the guerrilla fighter and the ethereal healer - and make them both seem plausible and vital to the crew. I love her relationship with the moon discs and the emotional support she gains from them to defeat the mysterious alien. Meanwhile, her threats towards Space City (and Vila) are downright bloodthirsty. We get the best of both worlds in this episode.
No comments:
Post a Comment