Sand (409)

[vilakins]

This is a lot better than Tanith Lee's other episode, Sarcophagus, but I still don't like it much.

Vila doesn't want to go to Virn, but he'd much prefer the danger to staying on the base by himself, adding to my impression of him as an extreme extrovert who hates being alone.

At least there's an excuse for Servalan being in this one since the crew are following her. The "girl next door" exchange was based on something similar said by Jacqueline Pearce and Steven Pacey when they lived on neighbouring houseboats and JP used to embarrass young SP by parading around naked on hers. :-) Cute, but it still doesn't make sense: if Tarrant lives next door, he can't move there. [Edit] OK, now I get it [is about 8 years slow] but it still doesn't make sense for Tarrant whose brother's death she engineered, unless the sand is infecting his mind with romance like it did with the computers.

Poor Vila, the Delta male, overcome with sand and self-pity. It seems Dayna and Soolin do care a bit despite their earlier assertion that his not wanting to die was unreasonable.

The sand doesn't seem very intelligent if it wants to keep only one male (and of course Avon is the alpha one) since the bigger the gene pool. the better. OK, running the Scorpio through atmosphere would only cause rain if the atmosphere was fairly saturated already, and that would imply a wet climate. But then the plot doesn't make that much sense anyway: why have a planet covered with predatory sand when there's nothing else living there?

There's too much soppy faffing about on Virn and not enough logic for my liking.

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Much as I dislike Tarrant, I don't seriously credit for a moment that he could forget his brother's death so readily. And as you say, not keeping a spare male about the place for emergencies is plain bad husbandry. But what I really hate is the soppy nonsense backstory for Servalan. In the first place I don't believe she ever loved anyone; in the second, even if it were so it makes no odds; she's still a murderous bitch, are we meant to feel more forgiving because she once had a bad love affair? Tosh.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

But what I really hate is the soppy nonsense backstory for Servalan. In the first place I don't believe she ever loved anyone; in the second, even if it were so it makes no odds; she's still a murderous bitch, are we meant to feel more forgiving because she once had a bad love affair? Tosh.

THIS.

Sigh.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

But what I really hate is the soppy nonsense backstory for Servalan.

Absolutely. She may pretend affection to use someone; maybe the guy resisted her and that intrigued her? Nah, still don't see it.

[samantha-vimes.livejournal.com]

You didn't get the joke. If she lived next door to him, he'd move next door, meaning move in with her.

I didn't like Sand at all, I'm afraid. Didn't Avon play with tiles as if he was doing some kind of ouija or tarot thing to find a message in their randomness? That was just so counter to every other depiction of him.

Plus, killing Vila is a stupid move for the Sand, because which of the three men would actually most likely to go along with a breeding program?

I did like Sarcophagus, thought.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ahhhhh! OK, I get it now, but that make no sense for Tarrant's character unless one assumes that his mind is affected too, like the love-stricken computers. That woman engineered the death of his brother.

Yeah, logic squares IIRC. But then S4 Avon is OOC (and OOT) anyway.

I couldn't stand Sarcophagus: that so slow start and all that wishy-washy mucking about in sheets. Bits were OK, but I can say that about a Steed episode.