Blaze of Glory

DVD, BUGS S3 (Blaze of Glory)

The title could easily refer to the triumphant return of the series to TV and the way it had reinvented itself. While the sci-fi elements (or perhaps it was the arc), hadn't been generally as well received as the first season's slightly more real-world style and completely episodic structure, they knew they had at least one more shot as two years of the series had been guaranteed just from the reaction to the first episode, showing just how strong the concept was and the faith the BBC had in it. I don't remember that original Saturday night that I sat down and enjoyed my first ever 'BUGS' season opener, but it was something special to me as I'd never got in on the ground floor before, having missed the entirety of Season 1 and only coming aboard Season 2 in the third episode, so this had been the first time I was anticipating the series and it didn't disappoint. I personally loved the sci-fi nature of the stories and the creeping chill of a big bad manipulating things from his prison cell, but in those days I didn't really know about preferences, I was simply glad to see more of the series. On the face of it, giving the characters home lives and romantic interests wasn't to my taste, but when I returned to the series when the DVDs came out in the mid-2000s I recognised it as the next logical step to develop the series: you need to have more continuity and connections so the world becomes more than a champagne bottle that's shaken about, fizzed up and the cork pops out, then an entirely new bottle is picked up next week - a slightly different flavour, but no relation to the discarded bottles that came before.

With Season 3 they chose not to abandon the idea of arc-based storytelling, and wisely so, but at the same time they went with a completely different approach - rather than the villain being the focus, it was our characters and their lives. It seems obvious today, but don't forget that the kind of ITC dramas from the Sixties and Seventies which 'BUGS' was trying to update to the Nineties, didn't have much character growth, if any, designed as they were to be watched in any order, dipped in and out of, and not necessarily made for the dedicated viewer. At the opposite extreme would be the soap operas that had gradually gained traction on a certain portion of the viewing public (and from which our three leads had migrated), and we were getting to the point where drama and sci-fi were realising they could deal in ongoing stories and build a loyalty in the way the soaps had done, while still having a foot in the episodic camp so as to be able to explore an idea. It's the best of both worlds, far more attractive to me than the complete serialisation of modern series' which often seem like bite-size chunks of plots rather than fully rounded or fleshed out stories. Made for binging rather than thoughtful cogitation. And I'm not saying 'BUGS' was particularly thoughtful, but it does throw up questions and ideas here and there, though its main objective was light entertainment thrills. We were only going to love the characters more if we were allowed to see beyond their immediate friendships, however, so it was the right choice.

The season begins with quite a shocking tone, perhaps carrying over from the major events of Season 2 in which we were threatened with a devastating AI takeover of humans, not just our civilisation, but our very minds, bodies and wills, too! We saw death and revival, we saw subterfuge and deception, and through it all we saw the great bond between our trio. That bond was about to be tested in new ways that we hadn't seen before: the three were about to become five, and not only that, their bond was to be interfered with by outside connections. I like to joke about it, but it's true nonetheless: Beckett had his money worries, Ros had sudden financial security and a boyfriend, and Ed… well, he got an earring! I don't know why the Australian was always the least to be developed, maybe there was some kind of bias because Ros and Beckett are English on an English TV show, or perhaps it was an attempt to keep one of them more mysterious. We'd find out a little about him later in the season (specifically in 'Buried Treasure'), but the man with no (sur)name remained largely an unknown. Was this one reason why Craig McLachlan reportedly wanted to leave? Or was it a ploy to increase his leverage on the series? I don't know, but I imagine he was the sort that always wanted to try his hand at a multitude of projects so perhaps being tied to a series for several months, three years in a row, was too much for him?

McLachlan would eventually leave before his time, sadly, spelling the death knell for the series which would limp along without him in Season 4, but at some point, I don't know whether they were actually into production or if it was during the scripting stage, he changed his mind about leaving immediately and the story was altered in consequence. Many of us have wondered at what point he would have been written out, whether it could have been right at the beginning with the motorbike crash, or in Part 2, which also has suitable moments to kill him off, but the most likely scenario is that scene at the end of this episode where he drives villainess Kitty McHaig's Battle Wagon away from his friends because it has a bomb counting down inside. In the event he has to type a code to defuse it and can't find the 'e' on the keyboard, bailing out at the last second, but still close enough to the blast to sustain serious injuries. It would certainly have given the series a different slant if Ros and Beckett were mourning the loss of their comrade (as we'd see in a different angle at the start of Season 4), especially regarding what happens to Kitty in Part 2, but it was far better for the series that Ed remained a central part of it. I have to say it would have been a really disappointing way for him to bow out simply from the fact the sequence wasn't one of the more exciting of the series - this lumbering vehicle trundles away down a dark tunnel. I don't know how they could have made it more dramatic or shot it to be higher paced, but other than the fact of Ed's daring and care for his friends, it isn't one of the stronger moments.

It's interesting that this opening episode has far less of the action quotient compared to the average episode before. Part of it is due to a lot of setup for the whole direction of the season, but it's also because more time is given over to character work. It provides a different change of pace and works as a transition story from what our team had been to what they would be, and no surprises, Stephen Gallagher was the man given the task. It's not just that he was the best writer on the series, he also seemed to care about the 'mythology' of it, keeping track of the details that had been previously established and pleasingly reiterating them to make the series so much more than knockabout action scenes (something that really came home to me seeing it on DVD). The biggest impact on the series had been The Bureau of Weapons Technology so it was fitting that it should become so integral to the ongoing series. Before all that, however, we're reminded of the fate of Roland Blatty and it's confirmed his entire staff were wiped out, either dead or comatose, setting up the terrific revival to come at the end of the season. Just as fascinating is getting some history added to this organisation as the weapons dump full of nerve agents and assorted nasties (we'd already seen that these dumps had been unwisely located in the city from 'Newton's Run'), was closed up by the order of The Bureau of Weapons as far back as 29 September 1953.

It's great to have such detail added to the series and gives it a scope beyond the idea of it being slightly in the future. Now it also has a past, just as Beckett's past would occasionally come up - in fact it does so again. While DOIC (Director of Intelligence Coordination) Jan doesn't mention The Hive by name (more's the pity), she does allude to Beckett's time working for the government and he says 'once you're out, you're out.' It was never explained why he wasn't allowed to come back to The Hive, but we can assume it was do with failing to protect SACROS, and anyway, he didn't seem too happy there and he's been much more content working with Ros under Gizmos. Or was that ever what it was called? It never gets a mention and it would come into play in only another year when someone else was running a Gizmos so it seems most likely that their business had developed into something else - perhaps with Season 2 they rebranded and discarded the old name and likeness, but it's never been clear what exactly their business is, other than the fact they work together as a trio and have various clients, plus usually work out of one location. It's sad that the red-walled apartment of Season 2 is gone, but in reality it would have been a set. I've no idea if they chose to break it down rather than store it (especially when you consider they knew they'd be coming back for at least one more year), or whether they wanted to freshen the series up visually as well as narratively.

The new Gizmos (as we really shouldn't call it), is actually Ros' new apartment, bought from the proceeds of success in a new business venture with Channing Hardy ("Never trust a man in a bow-tie" - a reference to Charlesworth from 'Hot Metal'?), who saw the potential in the Henderson designs and offered her a deal she couldn't refuse. I like that Gallagher provides reasoning for why she'd never marketed her gadgets before, and it's incredibly true to the character: she's never been asked before. In other words she really hadn't thought about it because money isn't her driving force. She reiterates that trait when she tells Beckett not to be impressed, she's not. It's tough for him because he's just gone bankrupt after foolishly trusting his ex-girlfriend (the one he 'nearly married'), and ending up being guarantor for a debt. This is all so far removed from the somewhat surreal tone of Season 2 that it's almost harder to take in: real world problems? Process servers? Money matters? Okay, so maybe it's not that far from the series' remit, they have dealt with banks a number of times, but it's never been this personal before. In the past they were only risking their lives, now it's their livelihoods, too! It was tough on poor Beckett, but it will get him to the point where he understand himself better in relation to Ros. Beckett and Ed are the same cheeky chappies as ever, but it's lovely to see Ros go back to the much more unreserved version of herself from Season 1. I don't know if she was told to be more contained for Season 2, and the shackles are off now, but something's definitely changed.

The style and panache introduced in Season 2 is still much in evidence. As well as Ros' attractive new apartment with its in-built pillar fish tank and pleasant natural light streaming in (it really feels like an apartment, though it could just as easily be another set, and is more likely to be), the team continue to dress in classy outfits to continue the visual representation of their success in the business (or to keep up appearances in Beckett's case) - Ros has a red top under grey trouser suit, Ed carries off a smart jacket over a lime green top, and Beckett sports a purple shirt and tie under a waistcoat, so the colourful nature of the visuals that helped maintain an appealing colour palette continues. In contrast to them we see the destruction art of villain-of-the-week Kitty McHaig, who expresses her bitterness at the way her Father treated she and her twin brother, Chris, through twisted sculptures and fire. Calling her exhibition 'Art War' she's actually quite intelligent and up on the technological industry - she's heard of Ros Henderson, for example, and even cites her as a possible source of the sabotage device our team find (which looked a lot like a spark plug!). You can see a lot of satire or commentary going on in this episode, with Kitty representing the view that art comes from troubled people and is bought by fools. Or even the cliche of her brother asking why she can't paint a nice picture - art must be negative and stems from a tortured soul. At the same time she's stringing her buying public along knowing they'll swallow whatever she gives them, a large element of truth in there.

The construction industry is also criticised as a powerful force that is only interested in money, and the time it takes to make the money. Andrew McHaig, owner of McHaig construction is this big, bullish unstoppable force who follows the rules only so far as he avoids paying out penalties, but is tough enough to take action whenever it's needed - you sense he expects the same from those who work under him. But it's more complex than that, he may be painted in a villainous light, but he's also responsible for these big projects and it's the attitude of big business to Get Things Done. That he hasn't treated his children right (even at his son's funeral he keeps his mobile phone with him and takes a call), is as much from their perspective, and on them as it is on him, but as we'll learn in Part 2, he's had his own problems and throwing himself into his work has always been the solution and reaped the rewards. Already there's far more going on with these characters than most 'BUGS' guests so you can see a concerted effort being made to build more dimension, not just to the series, but to the characters, too. Even how the season opens is different - we see nothing of our main cast when last season opener they were front and centre, right in the midst of action. Instead the audience is made to wait and anticipate a bit longer. And it's a stark opening as we see Chris commit suicide. That's quite a dramatic turn for such a fun TV series to lead with, but it shows the intent, they're not playing games here.

Interestingly they chose to stick with the same title sequence which still only contains images from Season 1 (something that always intrigued me about the series since I'd never seen any of those episodes, and every week I'd be tantalised about a lost past that I may never see!). That would change by necessity for Season 4, but either they felt people needed to be reassured this was the same 'BUGS' they remembered, or it cost too much to change up some of the clips used, so it remained the same. In fairness it was a superb choice of imagery and music so you wouldn't want it altered too much! I like the way we're introduced to each of our trio in different ways, involved in various things, so we're immediately aware they have lives outside the team. I wondered at first if Ed's testing of a high performance bike was to earn a bit of extra dough on the side, but later he says he was helping out a couple of mates. It's good to reiterate his love of bikes because it wasn't a trait used as much last season as it was in the first. I do wonder where he was limping off to as he does his John Wayne impression (that was funny!), as he seems to be heading towards empty fields and track! Obviously the setup of him injuring himself was originally planned for the story, partly as a reason he couldn't just escape the bomb in the Airport Link Tunnel where McHaig is working, but also as a preparation for his death when Beckett warns him one day he won't walk away from one of those stunts, which would have had much more resonance if that original plan had gone ahead.

Beckett himself has his own concerns as we see him go into financial meltdown, but he's a proud man and carries on with life as well as he can. It's fortunate in a way that he's presented with this huge problem of the weapons dump to take his mind off his personal life, and he doesn't lose his sense of purpose or sit around feeling sorry for himself, nor does he give up on his loyalty to the business and team when Jan tries to entice him away with a job offer. It struck me, could Jan have been responsible for engineering his money worries? Could she have somehow made sure the recording studio of Amanda Courtney's boyfriend went under solely to gain a hold over Beckett? Surely she wouldn't be that manipulative? Amanda didn't seem that nasty, either, though a touch bitter, when we saw her at the start of Season 2. We would come to respect Jan mightily, but at this stage of the season she's a complete unknown quantity. If she's this Director of Intelligence what department does she command - is she the boss of The Hive, SSD and Bureau, some kind of oversight to them, or completely unconnected? I don't think it was ever spelt out, other than Alex Jordan (who is only known as a very low grade filing clerk in this episode!), being enticed to help Beckett because it will be one in the eye for her boss, who seems to be quite dismissive toward her. It's all quite amusing and mysterious, but like a lot of things in the series it wouldn't be answered and we're left to speculate.

I do love that Beckett's first thought upon his bank account being frozen is that Ros is playing a trick on him, because we can believe she'd have the technical nous to do such a thing, even if it seems unlikely she'd go that far just to wind him up. Ed maybe, but that's another story… As badly as things have gone for Beckett, Ros' life is the mirror image - suddenly flush with wealth and opportunity, but it seems she's most concerned with ploughing it into the business. And she's still concerned about the little details, like saying she doesn't like the colour of the credit card-sized camera that's making all the money. Was the fact it was yellow a deliberate reference to her old faithful yellow car that she'd used for almost all of Seasons 1 and 2 and would never be seen again? Did she go off that colour and that's why she got rid of the car (since it never exploded or got crushed like most of her vehicles!). Was it to make room for Channing's gift of a new car that would be coming soon? Or am I, as a fanatic, reading too much into one single line of dialogue? One question I did have was who she was talking to on the phone when she's contacted about the tunnel issue - whoever's speaking to her isn't either Ed or Beckett because she asks this person to keep trying Beckett and she'll call Ed. Does she have a secretarial service? Is it McHaig? That wouldn't seem to fit as why would the client be ringing round for her. One of those little mysteries we'd never know.

One of the most fascinating things about the episode is being able to see the aftermath of what happened to The Bureau of Weapons. It's sad to see it reduced to a pile of physical files and boxes, and some cages of computing equipment, all overseen by this one file clerk. What was she even doing? Going through and filing it all away or waiting for the department to be started up again? The contrast is strongest when we see this little cardboard sign taped to a door, about as far as you can get from the stylish, technological design of the series, this broken down empty office used for dumping all the data in one place. What about their facilities, we know they had at least one testing site and now they're reduced to this? There's some fine symmetry with the first ever episode, 'Out of The Hive,' when Beckett and Ed met by the former getting the latter in a headlock (even though Ed was supposed to be a martial arts expert!), only this time it's the unassuming little frizzy-haired, glasses-wearing file clerk who sorts Beckett out! Again, it could be a deliberate thematic reference back or pure coincidence, but immediately Alex becomes this intriguing character, having already gained a measure of viewer sympathy by being on Beckett's side against Jan when he goes to CORA for the vital records. You do wonder why the government or some department therein isn't immediately all over the McHaig site, but then I think they covered that by saying he was keeping it internal as he didn't want work stopped, which is why he called in our team in the first place.

It's that outsider's mentality that Jan feels could be so useful in her position - people can trust the team where they might not be so quick to call in the authorities, and they've built up a good reputation for themselves which is another example of the series showing things have developed. The episode is full of uncertainty, whether it be the true nature of characters like McHaig, Kitty, Jan and Alex, or the various situations our main people find themselves in. At the same time it's still a pretty satisfying story insofar as the first part of a two-part episode can be. We get to the point where Kitty's villainy is apparent and deadly and I love the rivalry between Ros and her. Just as Beckett is immediately wary around Channing, distrusting him, his motives, and displaying a little jealous, too, Ros doesn't like the quick bond that's sprung up between Ed and Kitty and is full of disapproval for her. It's good writing, and the direction (other than the big action scene at the end), complements it. It may be a cliche to have Ed and Kitty's eyes lock across a crowded room at her exhibition, seeing each other through flames (just like the later 'Mission: Impossible 2' - fitting, since in the episode she does her Tom Cruise impression hanging down behind the JCB!), but it's not the kind of flare 'BUGS' generally went for, they were usually more about explosions and cameras gliding across anonymous office buildings.

There aren't a lot of gadgets in the episode, the most advanced being the one we only glimpse (Ros' card camera), but there is some heavyweight hardware to make up for it: the JCB transporting the warhead; Kitty's Battle Wagon; the 'overpack container' used to safely store the bomb. Everything is suitably big and imposing, whether that be the vehicles or the amount of people. Gone are the visions of empty streets from Technopolis, we're back to the real world and there are people all over the place. It's also notable that things take place in daylight when Season 2 was so full of dark scenes where the cast's breath could be clearly seen! I wonder if this was a stipulation of the actors, that they were tired of working in freezing, dark conditions. Or was it more to do with visual and thematic tones, as Season 1 was much more like this episode: bright, sunny and full of as many naturalistic locations and environments as shiny, modern 'BUGS' buildings. It's clear they've gone for this style on purpose, it's no accident. I love Season 2, it probably has to be the best for me, but 3 is very close to it in quality. It has the advantage of further advances in TV production, it looks a little better, technology has come a little further and I think I've probably looked forward to reviewing this season more than any of the others. It continues what would be a tradition beginning with Season 2, opening on a two-parter, it deals with the series' established history and characters while setting up new ones, and Gallagher makes it look so easy. Such a shame he couldn't stay for Season 4 or the series may have lasted a lot longer than it did…

Some last little trivia: Beckett could potentially have dated the episode as he asks for information on a Bureau operation from forty years ago (so we're in 1993? Nah, probably just being general). And how did he know Roland's old passcode? He also places the series in the definite location of London when often they'd appeared to try and be vague about time and exact location. There was a bit of a gaffe about the Bureau of Weapons, since in 'Assassins Inc' Ros claimed it was new, and here we see it's been going since the Fifties! Unless Roland had revived a long dormant department. There's no excuse, either, since Gallagher was responsible for the earlier story, too! And while the series looked so new and fresh it remains true to its own running jokes, such as Ed always having something inappropriate to say, or someone commenting on Ros' driving (Ed in both cases this time). Was Chris' line ("I've got to go now"), a sly reference to the suicides of Cyberax, since they said the same sort of thing, only adding there's something they had to do. I wouldn't be surprised. And then it all ends on neither a jolly laugh or a creeping chill, but instead has a new angle: Beckett is uncomfortably about to answer why Jan believes the team are working for her now, and the others don't look too happy with him. Roll on the next episode!

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