Sally Manton wrote:

Una wrote: <The only bit about 'Sarcophagus' that drives me insane is, as I said in a post the other day, that bloody line about being beautiful <throw> >

You definitely have a point about that line (actually, thinking about the Tarrant/Servalan dialogue in Sand, I start to wonder if Tanith Lee was a secret bodice-ripper addict???).

I may be in a minority of one here, but I kind of *like* that line, in an odd sort of way. It just seems to fit in so well with Avon's rather twisted sense of humor...

A *lot* of episodes have one or two 'how *did* they say that with a straight face' lines (am thinking of Orac - Blake and the obelisk - for a start).

Oh, yes. That one gets my vote for "most ridiculous line in the entire series." And, considering some of the competition, that's pretty impressive. (Note, however, that this is not to be confused with "most *annoying* line in the entire series," which can doubtless be found in a Ben Steed episode.)

The bit I do like best about Sarcophagus is Vila's shadowy 'magic show' in the middle - it could be so *dreadfully* twee in the wrong hands, and Michael Keating carries it off wonderfully, right to the curling up at the end.

Most of "Sarcophagus" falls into that category for me. The whole thing could easily -- *very* easily -- have been painfully bad, but, between them, the actors and the director manage to pull it off beautifully, at least as far as I'm concerned. This impresses me greatly.