I believe its called Love. Tarrant was besotted with ziona, they'd barely formed a relationship and it was all animal magnetism stuff. always dangerous stuff from my experience anyway. Love does crazy things to people and both of them were taking risks. Ziona shouldn't have been there, she knew her father wouldn't approve. tarrant was putting the whole alliance in jeapordy, because he wanted Ziona more than anything. When you're in love and you're young, you don't think too deeply about consequences or whats going on around you. Zukan was very displeased and only his respect for Avon, as he put it, kept things from being an inter-galactic incident.
remember Dana on Moloch questioning tarrants plan for getting to the surface. She wondered if it wasn't a little precipitous. avon replied, 'Tarrant is always precipitous, in case you hadn't noticed.'
Similar to Blakes idealism...it didn't give him time to think. however, blake was far more measured in his thinking than tarrant and was better at justifying his behaviour, rational or otherwise. It would only be natural for the older men to be wiser and therefore appear paternal. Given that tarrant was making a fool of himself, it wouldn't have been difficult to look wiser. but look who took charge in the crisis. it was tarrant on the base, but avon had overall command at crunch time and when it mattered. Vila got pissed, but that wasn't untypical for his character. the superior intellect won out. also these men had greater experience with women on paper. we saw avon's approach to things. "i've never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care, or indeed why it should be necessary to prove it at all." He killed anna grant, despite his obvious affection for her...it was prudent to do so, he didn't let his guard down. Tarrant showed signs of irrationality and that desire to prove it. Or, Avon again... "sentiment breeds weakness, let it get a hold of you and you are dead". In anna's case again, it would have proved fatal for him. Also, the way he dealt with Servalan and Pella. They both ended up on the floor. in each case he was looking out for number one, he wasn't letting sentiment get in his way. As servalan said, you'd never let conscience get in your way. you over estimate me he replied. Tarrant fell for Servalans gambit to gain his sympathy on Sand. He recongised her as being venomous, but in a nervous situation...what the heck. he felt sympathy for her too, after returning to the ship, he wasn't about to let Avon know, but it was written all over his face. Avon remarked coolley, how it was ironic that tarrant was the last person to see her alive. This bugged tarrant, he;d seen her in a different light and yet avon dismissed his romantic interlude with her with a flippant remark. On Gold, Tarrant said, 'c'mon Avon. Servalan isn't just some greedy gangster.' 'surely that is exactly what she is.' avon replied. okay tarrant wasn't suggesting in a romantic sense, but it's interesting the different perspectives, reality and cynical. Blake would have seen her as a greedy gangsta too in this instance.
Even Vila let Kerril go. he couldn't follow her, but he wanted her to join him on the liberator. the greater bond was with the group, not the uncertainty away from it and a new life where he couldn't steal things. this was despite the attraction to her.
Vila was depressed after returning to the liberator, he was wondering if he hadn't made a mistake. tarrant asked, 'whats the matter with him?'
dana said, 'if I thought that was serious question, i'd be very worried about you.' it showed Tarrants inexperience with matters of the heart, which as we know, are extremely problematic. :)It shows tarrants poor ability to read people as well. Much was made of his assessment of the friendly natives on the planet smae episode. tarrant didn't realise he'd frightened Vila by threatening him either.
vila was quick to rationalise his relationship with kerril though. it may have hurt, but he washed humour over the error with, 'i hope they've all got great legs.' it wasn't the end of the world.
For tarrant & Ziona however it was different. his attachement was seemingly far greater. More enmeshed. It wasn't grounded in substance, because they'd only just met. It was lust and...fairy tale stuff.
Ziona was the obvious choice. she wasn't a useful acquisition to the group, she was an outsider with inconspicous talents, aside form being attractive. The second natural choice was tarrant himself. vila was irritating, but useful remember. Ziona knew how to use the equipment as well. So Tarrant showed signs of irrationality, his judgment was clouded by his passion for Ziona and it all comes down to love - blind love. well thats my opinion anyway. Nayte.
"That all-softening, overpowering knell,/ The tocsin of the soul - the dinner bell." Byron.
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