Starring Gareth Thomas, Robert Bettey, Michael Keating & Sally Knyvette
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Michael E Briant
Roj Blake is an ordinary man, living an ordinary life on Earth.
That is until he uncovers the truth behind the vicious Federation.
Will he escape there clutches, or will the Federation manage to destroy Blake's following - for good?
No series has ever been brave as Blake's 7, I feel. No series before of since has taken the risks that Blake's 7 ever has, and because of that simple leap of faith, Blake's 7 has become a programme with cult status. And this first episode proves exactly why that's the case, with it's dynamic direction, great stars and it's terrific script. Certainly, many may criticise Terry Nation (myself included) for his lapses into formulaic storytelling, but when he's on form (here, Doctor Who: The Daleks & Genesis Of The Daleks, Survivors: The Fourth Horseman and later in Blake's 7 with episodes like Countdown and Pressure Point are good examples of this), he really proves himself as one of the greatest television writers of the 20th Century. And he knows how to write an opening episode: giving the audience plenty to think about and get them excited, while at the same time not handing them the format on a plate, allowing the show to keep things fresh and exciting. The Way Back is a true gem of an episode.
By focusing the story around the actions of one particular character (Blake), Nation allows us to see everything from his point of view. And Blake is created as this pretty ordinary guy, with nothing too exceptional about him. However, as the episode progresses, we, along with Blake, get to see and hear more about his life as a rebel activist. Looking back at Blake, one thing that Gareth Thomas plays really well is this manufactured feel with Blake. He doesn't act like an ordinary human being. And there lies the main point: Blake is a model human being, created by the Federation, to start with. As the story progresses and Blake's mental blocks start to break down, we get to see more of the real Blake. Certainly, it's only a subtle change, but if watched very closely, it's one that makes a huge impact on the viewer. And Gareth Thomas makes a brilliant Blake, really giving his all to the material. What's clear throughout his time on the show is his investment to the character, and that's no more apparent than it is here. And Blake certainly goes through a tough time. By the end of the episode, it appears that Blake has been defeated and is on his way to Cygnus Alpha. It certainly a 'how the hell is he going to get out of that one moment' and it's the moment that we see Blake's 7 in a different light. Not that an audience member would feel that it was at that point that Blake's 7 was trying to be different and nowhere else, but leaving a, generally self-contained episode like this, on a massive cliffhanger just proves that Blake's 7 is a show that isn't afraid to take chances.
Terry Nation's plot is gripping from start to finish, proberbly due to it's stark vision of reality. It's a world that could happen, as it's a world painted by human greed. That's it's distinctive feature, and Nation has reinforced this in the political nature of this world. It's a dictatorship, one where all the food is treated with suppressants, one where the administration will even use children in it's schemes to get what it wants. Now that's a frightening concept in anyone's books. The direction is also brilliant too, really capturing the schizophrenic horror of discovering your whole life has been a lie. Considering the conditions that those at the BBC in the late 70's had to work under, Briant's use of handheld cameras and cross fading of images helps sell the illusion of a world controlled by a totalitarian state. It's small flourishes like this, or little character touches, meaning that we get to know all of Terry Nation's characters more intimately. They all have lives beyond this episode that there appearing in, and that's not something which 70's British sci-fi drama can always claim to create. And any of the characters we meet here, or in the next episode could have joined the regular cast at any point. A likely couple who could join Blake on his crusade are killed off after about 15 minutes. Tel Varon and his girlfriend/wife could also have been likely candidates, as agents on Earth, but in actual fact are dead by the end of the episode. The two who will go on to appear, however, Villa and Jenna, are very different to your typical sci fi heroes/heroines. They're criminals technically, and therefore that means that they should by rights be the enemy, however this shows bent the rules so far, so why not? Sally Knyvette and Michael Keating are fantastic, as are the rest of the cast. Everyone helps to sell this as a very real world, and it makes the whole thing come to life in a way that on the page, it never could.
In a show like Blake's 7, there are loads of things that could go wrong. However, Blake's 7 opening episode gets everything right. It decides to break the rules rather than playing by them, and, in that regard, Blake's 7 succeeds. We still have no idea where it's going, but if the writing, direction and writing remain up at this standard, then Blake's 7 will prove to be a new, if a little late, found favourite.
Liberator Rating - 9/10
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