Season 1, Episode 17: “Through the Looking Glass”
****1/2 out of *****
“Well, Moya has been–for as long as I can remember–our protector, our home, our companion, and our friend. However, as relationships grow, they also change. Do think we can trade her for a faster vessel?”
In an attempt to persuade everyone from abandoning her, Moya starbursts before she’s ready, gets stuck between dimensions, and introduces us to a big…weird…talking fly…thingy.
I’ve seen this episode a number of times. I like it. It’s pretty[1]! In fact it’s one of my favorites in the entire series, but I always seem to forget just how LONG it seems to take for John to stagger through red-Moya, and how obnoxious that sound is in blue-Moya[2]. But aside from that, it’s a blast to watch. For me, a big part of that is due to how it just lets the characters be themselves as they all work through the whole situation. And, okay, so I also think the zany, nitrous-oxide yellow-Moya helps offset the troubles of red & blue. Rygel’s a gas.
This episode is book-ended by two scenes around their dinner table. In the first, everyone is discussing whether or not to leave Moya as the camera circles. With all the back-and-forth dialogue that displays character, agendas, and the situation in general so well, it’s one of my favorite opening scenes of the series. The ending scene is set up the same, and everyone is still perfectly in character, but it replaces concerns and argument with laughter and camaraderie.
In fact, this is probably one of the few episodes where everything goes well, everyone is laughing at the end and, if I may quote the 9th Doctor, “Just this once, everybody lives!” Maybe that’s why I’ve watched it so many times; it’s a rare instance of everyone winding up happy, strengthening the ties that hold them together without any sort of tragedy.
Last line:
“This is one of the good days, people! To a healthy, happy baby.”
Other Comments:
First instance of John calling Chiana “Pip.”
Restore the green knob. How do you “restore” a knob?
I do find it rather hard to believe that John could keep his 500-microt countdown accurate in his head enough to get everyone synchronized while dashing through the Moyas AND having various conversations. But no sense splitting hairs.
More indications that The Nebari Will Fuck You Up™: Nebari weapons scientists once accidentally destroyed an entire solar system and 4 populated planets by poking a hole through another dimension and losing control. Um, oops?
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[1] Yeah, so I’m distracted by bright colors and shiny things. That doesn’t mean I–ooh, foil!
[2] Incidentally, the bit in blue-Moya with Chiana screaming in pain is really quite disturbing. I mean, she’s quite the brat for the whole episode, but she doesn’t deserve the sort of suffering she’s clearly experiencing.
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