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Blake's 7

The Way Back

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired Jan 02, 1978

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Roj Blake meets a resistance group and finds out about his lost past. But when he is captured again by the totalitarian Federation, they don't merely want to make him a martyr, they mean to thoroughly discredit him.

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Alan Crisp

Prisoner - uncredited
GUEST STAR
Reg Thomason

Prisoner - uncredited
GUEST STAR
Peter Williams

Dr Havant

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

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Freedom fighter Blake gets tortured by the Fascist Federation, and finds a way back to his true self.

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"Perfect"

By snowgrouse, Dec 26, 2010

This sets the tone for the following series. It is reminiscent of The Prisoner, in that the individual struggles against the powers of the establishment. From the first episode, one can really tell this was meant for adult and young adult audiences, with incredible cruelty, injustice and bloodshed of innocents. Blake, an innocent man fighting for the freedom of individuals, is falsely accused of child-molesting--a very heavy topic for its time, and sentenced to a life in a prison colony on Cygnus Alpha. There are bedroom scenes, painful brain-washing scenes, cruel politicians who don't even wink at the thought of sentencing someone on such despicable charges. The non-violent dissidents who rescue the brain-washed Blake and finally remind him of his true self, are brutally gunned down. Blake rebels to the very last minute, with his earnest words in the last scene, where he firmly asserts that he will come back and free people from the Fascist reign of the Federation. Harrowing viewing.moreless
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TRIVIA (1)
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- Revealing Mistake: When Tel Varon walks in front of the screen at the data centre, a flash of lettering appears above his head.
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QUOTES (7)
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- Foster (to Blake): Four years ago, there was a good deal of discontent with the Administration. There were many activist groups. But the only one that really meant anything was led by Roj Blake. You and I worked together. We were outlawed and hunted. But we had supporters and we were making progress. Then someone betrayed us, I still don't know who. You were captured. So were most of our followers. They could have killed you. But that would have given the cause a martyr. So instead they put you into intensive therapy. They erased areas of your mind. They implanted new ideas. They literally took your mind to pieces and rebuilt it. And when they'd finished, they put you up and you confessed. You said you'd been misguided, you appealed to everyone to support the Administration, round up the traitors. Oh, they did a good job on you. You were very convincing. And then they took you back and erased even that.
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- Morag: What we need is something to discredit him. If he could be deported to Cygnus Alpha .... Doctor, am I right in thinking you can create experiences, implant them into a subject, who will then believe that they really happened? Havant: Of course. In fact, creating an illusion of reality is quite simple. Morag: Good. Then I think we can totally destroy Blake's credibility and get him sentenced.
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- Vila: I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person.
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- Blake: Why are you going there? Vila: They didn't give me a choice. I steal things. Compulsive, I'm afraid. I've had my head adjusted by some of the best in the business. But it just won't stay adjusted. Blake: A professional thief. Vila: More a vocation than a profession. Other people's property comes naturally to me.
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- Blake: What about the others? Vila: Oh, a very antisocial bunch. Murderers, liars, cheats, (looks at Jenna) smugglers... Jenna: (looks at Vila) Thieves... Vila: And they are the nice people.
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- Blake: Why are you here? You didn't tell me. Jenna: I was trading round the Near Worlds. I'm a free trader. Vila: A smuggler. She's a big name. It's an honour to be locked up with her. Jenna: I'm glad you're pleased.
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- (Blake looks back at the Earth from prison transport) Guard: Take a long look! That's the last you'll ever see of it. Blake: No, I'm coming back.
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NOTES (4)
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- First appearances of regular cast members Gareth Thomas (Blake), Michael Keating (Vila) and Sally Knyvette (Jenna).
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- The security agent's name is Dev Tarrant, and the defence lawyer is Tel Varon. Later in the series, one of the main characters is called Del Tarrant.
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- Of Blake's Seven, only Blake, Jenna and Vila appear in the first episode.
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- On video, this episode was first on sale in an edited form as part of The Beginning (1985). An unedited version appeared in 1990.
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