Review Sand: Episode 48

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Servalan laid bare - so to speak - and, at last, we get to see a glimpse of the human being that she once was, underneath the monster.

Many fans seem to feel that she should have perished here, on Vern, and I think that might have been for the best. For all that we were left after this were three non-essential guest appearances that could easily have been script edited out. And she had returned to the root of her evil and rediscovered her humanity. Dead, reunited with he love, might have been fitting.

Tanith Lee writes another script with a strange atmosphere to it. Poor Vila gets some wrenchingly sad lines and the "curse" idea that Soolin comes out with is a nice one.

Some humour to be had with a discombobulated Orac, professing love!

Tarrant suddenly gets a brain upgrade, however, working things out = without a probability square, or an Orac - from meagre evidence that would have taxed Sherlock Holmes in terms of deductive logic! Whoever knew that this former Space Captain could be a budding detective genius? Turns out that he was right though!

Jaqueline Pierce has said that she was very ill - mental health wise - at the time she did this, and did not feel she did the script justice. But I think she did an excellent - pained - job, especially in the "Don Keller" talk with Tarrant.

Tarrant falling for Servalan, puts him at odds with the crew of course. The seven is starting to fall apart and become estranged. Not that they were that together in the first place. The only rock solid relationship is between Avon and Vila and - after all they have been through together - nothing could damage that friendship, of course. Could it?
 

michaellevenson

Moderator
Staff member
Most fans at the time thought why oh why was it not Avon stranded on Virn with Servalan, but having Tarrant gives a new edge to the future relationship with Avon.
Servalan laid bare indeed , or was it a ruse as Tarrant not very convincingly suggested.
The probability square would have worked better if the squares were written on paper, but apparently on board Scorpio is a probability square manufacturing kit, very useful.
The sand was an intelligent life form, animal intelligence at least, surviving by killing and herding blooded life forms. I'd like to see Darwinists explain that one.
Stephen Yardley was good, and his scenes with Servalan priceless. Enjoyably weird.
8/10
 
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