Punishment (2016) Review

 

Punishment fools you into thinking it's gonna be a cozy runaround, only to punch you in the face with the coldest Vila storyline to date. 

WRITTEN BY

Guy Adams, who earns his spot in the pantheon of great B7 writers. 

PLOT

Vila retrieves Solvin Tavac from Earth, and the latter informs him that Servalan has moved the crew to the moonbase. The two escape the impending apocalypse to try and retrieve them, but can Vila and his father work together?

ANALYSIS

From the way Capital set things up, I expected this storyline to basically be Armageddon Storm II, but it isn't. In fact, I suspect the inclusion of the Armageddon Storm as a plot device at all (and indeed, the possibility of Blake's return) is only there as a distraction, to keep you from focusing too hard on the relationship between Vila and Tavac until it sneaks its way into the forefront. There is a slight disappointment in that, because those ideas seem far too epic to do nothing with, but the actual core of the episode is good enough that I'm able to let it go. 

I was surprised that they were willing to push Tavac into a full-on villain, as he always came off as more of a curmudgeon and mild nuisance, and the previous episodes had never depicted or even mentioned him doing anything irredeemable. Yes, he's hardly a good person, but, well, neither is Vila or any other main character. The dramatic thrust of Tavac's character was entirely based on the mutual hatred between him and Vila. Other than that, I began to think of him as comic relief. An unpredictable one, but still. 

Once again, the framing device is useless. It exists purely to set up the reveal about Tavac and how Vila outwitted him, but they could've easily just executed it in a few scenes towards the end, rather than make it this big mystery. Big Finish LOVES to make its framing device a big twist, and I'm very tired of it. There is no need for in-universe narration. Just have us go through the story alongside Vila, have him get captured, have him spout some BS and then give us the conclusion. Cutting back to Vila throwing quips at interrogators every ten minutes adds nothing of substance. 

CHARACTERS

I've always held the opinion that Keating's darker interpretation of Vila in The Way Back was a missed oppurtunity. There's a slightly maniacal edge to him there that never really resurfaces in the rest of the show. Well, kudos to Guy Adams, because he takes hold of that oppurtunity and milks it for all its worth. Although Vila of course has a decent motivation for defeating his father (he tries to capture the Liberator), it's his vindictiveness and the malevolent cheer that Keating brings to the episode that makes it stand out as his darkest moment. Vila isn't just glad his father's gonna die, he's literally singing about it. 

Although he's tricking Tavac and has a plan, it is still nice to see Vila be more stalwart and loyal to the crew than usual, as well as incredibly stern (for Vila, at least) about not letting Tavac on the ship without rescuing the others. Sometimes he can be rather like Avon. 

I'm sad to see David Warner depart the series. He's an iconic actor in his own right, and brought a lovable irascibility to the part. 

NOTES

• I'm disappointed Adams didn't actually go through with the destruction of Earth. We never see it after Rumours anyway, so it would've made for a memorable and dramatic moment. The fact that the story teases us with it makes it even worse.
• Where exactly is Servalan supposed to be? I thought she'd be close by to witness Earth's destruction, but she's not on the station. Was she literally phoning it in from Space Command?
• Warner and Keating casually discussing Vila's every combat move as he's trying to fight brought back painful flashbacks to Fortuitas.
• It was cool to see more of the Earth locals though, I feel like that was a very underused idea. Seeing how people live outside of the Dome cities and if they have any kind of communities would be very interesting. 
• The dig at London having "gone to the dogs" in the past few years was hilarious. 
• I'd love to see the alternate universe where Tavac isn't a traitor and he and Vila do indeed flee on the Liberator together. Just having the two of them as the crew would be amazing. The bickering would never end.
• I don't entirely understand how Vila and Tavac got separated. Might have missed something. Vila's just suddenly locked up. 
• It's confirmed that movies have survived to the Third Calendar. 
• I adore Tavac's cold line about how people who can't escape on Earth on spaceships should've made better life choices. Warner delivers it brilliantly. 

INFORMATION!

• This story is a direct sequel to Capital.
• Vila references the last time he was on a planet about to be destroyed, which occurred in The Armageddon Storm.
• Vila is horrified at the sight of his father stabbing someone, a subtle reference to when he had to do it himself in Cygnus Alpha. 
  
  

BEST QUOTE

"With my friends, I can't turn back. They'd stick something sharp in it."

CONCLUSION

I'm happy that this franchise can still surprise me. I never expected Dark Vila to make a comeback!