I finally got round to listening to the last episode of the new Blakes 7 audios the other day. I only taped it back at the beginning of the month when BBC7 showed it.

Spoilers for the audio series, and for the TV series too.

The main thing I noticed when I listened was that Mezin is now dead. Which I presume happened at the end of episode 2, except I listened to it twice and didn't notice at all. Clearly I'll have to listen to it all again.

It was interesting, having Avon betray Blake and try to take the ship. I like that he got Vila to help him (I wonder how much Avon forced him and how much Avon talked him up?). It seems a shame that it meant Vila betrayed Gan, who was his only friend on the ship. But, it did all make sense. In the TV series, the only reason that Avon doesn't do it is because he wants the ship. Yet he goes along with Blake a lot for no reason, other than it's interesting for us to watch. Oh, and that the explanation is clearly Blake/Avon. So I liked that in the audios they got this out at the start.

I thought Vila's definition of the 7 was interesting, given that they had to include the ship, as a separate entity from Zen. I'm wondering, given the things they've been saying about the way it operates, if the ship is going to end up with the same background as it did in Redemption.

As a whole, I like the things that they changed that they explained at Redemption 07, such as not having Cally or Orac, or transporters and having Mezin, because they showed that they had thought this through. And none of it changes the essential Blakes 7-ness of it.

Part of the trouble is getting used to new voices for the parts. Vila I got on with quite quickly, but I'm concerned that all he's done so far is complained an have other people call him a coward. What about his lock-picking abilities that were so useful in the TV series? It's barely been mentioned. Mind you, he did accidentally save someone's life in episode 3 (and the terrible thing is I can't remember who), so there's hope for the future there.

I've got used to Blake and Jenna. Travis sounds the same really - although it helps that with him we've already had two interpretations of the character. I didn't think I would get used to anyone but Paul Darrow as Avon, but I have. He's definitely still essentially Avon. Gan, though, hasn't really done much. They have given him a slightly different backstory, which is more interesting, they just haven't given him much to do yet. Which is the same problem as in the TV series. I love how Zen makes the same sounds before and after he speaks.

Servalan is the one I can't get used to. I think I would with time, but she just sounds so softly spoken. Mind you, so far she sounds quite sensible (relatively speaking) rather than the madness of Servalan in the TV series. Half the trouble with the audios I think, is that you only have the voice to go on. And a lot of Servalan in the TV series was in what she wore and how she moved.

In conclusion, I still can't decide if I liked the series or not. I think the trouble is because they've only had three episodes they've only just got going, and we need another series to see where they take it and how it works.

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