Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Aubrey Woods, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell and Peter Tuddenham
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by George Spenton-Foster
Blake has finally tracked down Docholli to Freedom City, where he is being protected by Travis from various unscrupulous parties. However, Blake isn't the only one who is desperate to get to him: Servalan wants Docholli: dead or alive, and time is running out, before Servalan's hired muscle get there hands on him.
Meanwhile, Avon and Vila decide to cheat the casino out of a great deal of money. With Orac's help, it appears there going to get away with it. But soon Vila is playing for his life in a game of speed chess: the most deadly game in the galaxy...
After the ultimate flop of Voice From The Past, Gambit sees Blake's 7 return to form in a completely camp and outrageous instalment. Now normally, I would feel that camp instalments of any TV show would be off putting, but Gambit is camp with good reason: it's the world of camp, but with something dangerous lurking underneath. And certainly, some elements of the story are quite outrageous, but that counterpoints with the low life's and villains lurking not too far under the surface.
Certainly this story is the first part of the real 'Star One' trilogy. Up till now, it may have been mentioned in certain episodes, and motivated Blake throughout Countdown, but here is were the plot really kicks into gear. This is where it starts to become Blake's main aim: he's driven to find it, to the point where it could lead him into a suicidal trap. However, for this story at least, Robert Holmes consigns it to the B-plot, where, rather than it being the main force, it's simply a strand that is cut to every now and then. That's why, at times, I find Robert Holmes stronger than someone like Terry Nation, because he is able to juggle two plot threads more effectively than Nation. And his plot with Avon and Vila is hilarious, because it's just two men getting caught up with an outrageous idea that, at one point, goes horribly wrong. The pair's antics have been something that has been a source of great comedy throughout there time on the show, and now, they finally get a chance to really show it off. There scenes in Killer were also a source of great amusement, and here they do not disappoint, with some well timed and hilarious comedy. Vila's drunkenness is outrageous, his slurred ramblings giving this story some well placed comedy as he faces death in the face. And Avon when he discovers that Vila is playing speed chess is priceless: that reaction is perfect. Many call Series 2 dark, and while that's true, it's also very clear that the humor and comedy moments really contrast well with these darker elements.
The guest characters in this are outrageous, and the actors really get a chance to lt rip. After being increadibly restrained in Day Of The Daleks, Aubrey Woods really let's go as Crantor, and he's closely followed by John Leeson, also freed from stiff, up tight roles like K-9. As ever Jaqueline Pearce enthuses camp and seductive menace, and her red dress contrasts well in comparison to her previous white dresses. After all, she's hardly the white angel, and here she's as devious as ever, ready to double cross everyone to get her way. Brian Croucher gets the chance to be in a much more restrained part this time round, Travis very much working in the sidelines. Mind you, when they take his arm off, you can clearly see Croucher's real arm under his jacket. It's so glaring, it takes a lot out of the scene. By comparison, Dennis Carey plays his part with non of the warmth and eccentricity of Professor Cronotis in the ill- fated Doctor Who story Shada, but with much more of a world weary attitude. It works perfectly here, and just shows the contrast between the two very different world. Paul Darrow and Michael Keating make for the perfect comedy heist team, with Peter Tuddenham getting to be a smug little git all the way through this episode. Sadly Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette and Jan Chappell work less well as a unit, although it's clear from both Knyvette and Thomas that they've had enough and want out. That's not to say there not good enough, simply that the chemistry between the three of them isn't quite strong enough. However, Chappell and Knvyette certainly seem to enjoy there little bar room brawl, so I suppose that's something. And at the centre is director George Spenton-Foster, who, while not putting in his best showing, does fairly well with the material, giving us a convincing world and making it quite dynamic, but not massively fast paced.
Gambit isn't quite as strong as Killer, however it's still a really good script, and it makes me hopeful that Holmes will write for the show in future seasons. He's brilliant at world building, and while there are parallels with Space City from Shadow, Holmes populates this story with some classic characters and makes the story action packed enough to hold the viewers interest. Blake's 7 is now setting up a notch, as we plunge closer and closer to Star One...
Liberator Rating - 8/10
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