Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Frieda Knorr, Richard Bebb, Martin Read, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham
Written by Roger Parkes
Directed by George Spenton-Foster
Blake is suffering - under the strain of the conditioning that was placed on him by the Federation. Soon after, the Liberator changes course, and Avon and the rest of the crew find themselves barred and obstructed by Blake's odd behaviour.
On a deserted asteroid, however, Blake finds exactly what he needs - allies, to help in his fight against the Federation.
But Avon is suspicious, and not everyone is quite what they seem...
Voice From The Past is, like the state of Blake's mind in this episode, a jumbled mess. Everything is completely messed up, with little to actually recommend it. As usual, at it's heart, there are some really good ideas, but a lot of that gets lost under some really sciziopherinic elements. The whole of this is just mental, and it's literally all over the place, to the point where one finds it very difficult to get in to. This episode, also, at times, is also really cheap looking, which is unusual for Blake's 7, since they normally make there money stretch really well.
The plot is just all over the place, completely out there and even more insane than any episode before or since. Roger Parkes' writing is completely all over the place, with ideas just thrown out completely and inconsequential elements used and disposed. There simply is no threat from the Federation here at all, and poor Jacqueline Pearce, very much like in Hostage, is left hanging on the sidelines. It's clear that this second series of Blake's 7 is much more sexist than the first, with most of the female characters often left hanging, while the male characters get all the fun. Certainly Jenna gets to go with Blake in this story, however she still gets little to do. It's a step up for Cally and Jenna after Countdown, but the two are still being underused, and it's clear that this situation cannot continue. And frankly, even Blake, Villa and Avon don't get much to do in this one. Now, don't take this to mean that the guest cast get the chance to shine, because they don't. Really, each person in this story is utterly redundant, and this means that the characters feel redundant. It's certainly one of the most frustrating Blake's 7 stories, because there's so much that could have worked, however it just falls apart. What this really needed was Chris Boucher whipping it into shape, but it seems as if he fell asleep during the writing of this story. And I really don't know how David Maloney let this get made, because no one is giving this there full investment and energy.
The acting in this isn't great. Gareth Thomas is on autopilot, simply saying the lines and not really investing in them. But that's not a suprise, because that's all Gareth can really do with the character. Even Paul Darrow is not at the top of his A-game in this one, but since he's given little to do, it's no wonder. Sally Knvyette and Jan Chappell are, however, grabbing hold of this material and milking it for everything they can. However, I do feel that by this point, there that desperate for things to do, so they will take any chance to get a say. Another performance that needs noting is Brian Croucher, but for all the wrong reasons. He acting is very over the top, with a very odd performance for Shivan, and then starts to blow it all out of proportions when unmasking Travis. Now, that subplot feels odd, but Croucher makes it worse, and this means that this story just feels completely off-kilter. The guest cast are also of little note, simply there to fill the roles. But there's so gamely trying to hold the story up and let it mean something that they just fade into the background.
This whole episode is all over the place, with so much of it failing to impress on any level. It's not even representative of the poor Blake's 7 that came before it, because at least they made sense. Putti it politely, this is bloody awful.
Liberator Rating - 1/10
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