Season 1, Episode 19: “Nerve”
**** out of *****

“This is MY side! That’s YOUR side! This is my side, you stay on your side! My side, your side! My side, your side! My side! YOUR SIDE!  …You were just in my chair, too, weren’t you?”

Okay, this is it. They’ve officially launched the dren along a trajectory that will take it directly into the fan. Aeryn’s wound in A Bug’s Life has damaged her paraphoral nerve. To save her life, Crichton infiltrates the Peacekeeper gammak base posing as Larraq, is reunited with Jilina, and finds himself in the comfy chair of a jolly leather aficionado named Scorpius.

Things are now officially Farscape as we know it. Well, okay, so it was Farscape before now, too, but it just “grew the beard,” so to speak.[1] It’s our first episode with Scorpius, our first episode knowing about the wormhole knowledge in John’s mind, our first exposure to Stark, and we even get a little bit of Brakka trailing behind Crais. (Hey, how come Brakka never got to wear the bicycle seat-hat when he got promoted?)

The episode has a bit of an epic feel to it, though I’m not sure if that’s just due to my foreknowledge of how things develop from this point and how key all of this is to the rest of the series. On the other hand, it does give us a large new locale with the gammak base, and brings Crais back into the picture. Or maybe it’s due to it being only part one of a two-parter (or, arguably, part one of a four- or five-parter). In fact, it’s Farscape’s very first two-parter, and the point when the show arguably becomes much more serialized.

John’s getting a lot of practice imitating Peacekeepers, and he does quite well–for a while, anyway. His attempt to intimidate his way past having to do the genetic scan puts me in the mind of a D&D player trying desperately to pull a bluff and failing[2]. Darned good thing Jilina was there. He’s already changed from who he was when she first met him.

Chiana gets a lot of screen time here, what with going with John to the base and playing Larraq’s…companion. As we’ve not seen nearly as much of her as we have the others, it’s a good opportunity to show us more of her character. She’s great playing the magician’s assistant role, as it were, keeping eyes on her while John pulls some nerve tissue out of a hat. She’s also perfectly willing to lie to Jilina about John’s feelings for Aeryn so as to keep her working on their side. I do have to say, though: Chiana’s tralk routine is a bit…irritating…in larrrrge dosessss…

And, of course: Scorpius. Quite possibly one of the best villains in the history of television. Sinister, cold (er, figuratively speaking), menacing, and mysterious. He shows up Crais within moments of his arrival. Even if we don’t really know yet just who Scorpius IS, it’s clear who’s in charge there. Even the tone of his voice is perfect. Dignified, patient[3]. He’s like a cat having a conversation with a mouse. It just accentuates his ruthlessness. Wayne Pygram[4] is absolutely perfect here.

You know, given the whole “memory chair” thing, most shows would’ve likely taken this opportunity to do a clip show. The fact that they didn’t use it for that makes the episode that much better, really.

Also, Stark be crazy!

Last line:
“Crichton will tell us.”

Other Comments:
Hey, how come Moya never seems to get any bigger due to her pregnancy?

In hindsight, I can tell that they’re still working on Scorpy’s make-up. It looks less natural than it does in future episodes.

——
[1] Ironically, the worst episode of Farscape is when Crichton actually grew a beard.

[2] Think Crichton would’ve played D&D at some point in his life? He’s got the imagination for it. Sure, he’s the buff sort, but so is Vin Diesel, and he plays…

[3] So calm, so matter-of-fact: “That man is an impostor. Seize him.”

[4] My apologies to people named Wayne, but it’s always struck me as amusingly incongruous that the sci-fi nightmare that is Scorpius is played by a “Wayne.” Hee hee. Wayne!

Season 1, Episode 18: “A Bug’s Life”
***1/2 out of *****

“Under the circumstances, those commandos are primed to shoot at anything they do not trust. The only thing that is over is our chance to take them buy surprise. This is a disaster, Crichton. It is a grave misfortune that uniform did not fit me.”

When Moya encounters a Peacekeeper marauder with no affiliation with Crais, John masquerades as a PK captain and winds up having to deal with a body-jumping intelligent virus while maintaining a fake accent[1].

This episode does what Farscape so often does: take a classic sci-fi premise and inject its own Farscapian twist: while the virus itself is pretending to be someone it isn’t, so to are most of Moya’s crew. It’s a double-ruse that creates a nice bit of additional flavor until it finally falls apart and everyone is shouting with guns pointed at each other.

That said, while it’s above-average and certainly one of the better eps of the season, it doesn’t blow me away. It’s serviceable, it works, it’s fun, and it’s a major element in setting up the rest of the series due to a single stroke of a knife, but on it’s own? I can’t ever get too excited about it.

I think part of the reason is I never quite buy the whole “intellent virus” concept. I realize this is likely unfair of me, given all that I DO buy in the course of watching this series, but it bugs me[2] just enough to put me off a little. Besides, if all it needs to lay a million spores is an hour inside a single host, how is it possible that it never had an hour at any point prior to when Larraq’s group caught up to it?

“Nerve” is next. And those of you familiar with the series all know what that means…

Last line:
“Why would I ever mention it?”

Other Comments:
I’ve seen this ep a few times, but I honestly didn’t remember the commandos all jumping out of the marauder like they do at the beginning. Nifty.

You know, it’s entirely possible that none of the rest of the series would have ever happened if it weren’t for Chiana. No Chiana, no key to the box. No key to the box, no virus escape, no Aeryn being stabbed, no need to go to the gammak base, no meeting Scorpius…

——
[1] John, not the virus. Well, the virus, too, come to think of it.

[2] No pun intended.

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?

——
[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.

Season 1, Episode 16: “A Human Reaction”
 **** out of *****

“It was a trout, Dad.” [1]

A wormhole appears out of nowhere that promises (er, figuratively) to take John home to Earth. In he goes…and meets an alien masquerading as his father. But at least he gets to have chocolate!

This is a great episode, and one that I understand some fans consider to be the best of the season. I don’t rate it quite that high–the very end seems a little rushed, and Jack’s true form looks like they were running low on their puppet budget–but I can respect the opinion. Meta-knowledge on the part of most viewers means John can’t be actually getting home (or at least not permanently), but the acting is done well enough at the beginning with all the goodbyes that it still has an effect. These characters don’t know they’re in a show, and they make us feel what they’re going through in those moments.

I admit that when I first saw it, while I didn’t buy for a second that John would ever get permanently home before the series finale [2], I did think he was back temporarily. The fact that there was nothing newer than when John left made me wonder if something terrifying actually had happened on Earth, but I didn’t initially suspect it was all a fake. So even before Rygel got dissected, the treatment of D’Argo, Aeryn, and Rygel frustrated me. Seeing them wheeling D’Argo in on a gurney was frustrating. Wilson pretty much had me wanting to punch him right from the start. And when we do see Rygel dead and opened up on the table, I admit I bought it. After all, he’s a puppet, and easier to kill off. Pissed me off. 🙂

Claudia Black sells the hell out of Aeryn’s mental state in this ep, by the way. Aeryn doesn’t emote much, but Black has a way of resonating Aeryn’s internal thoughts and emotions such that they’re still palpable. There’s a great scene after D’Argo’s been taken away when she’s clearly fighting her fear as she tries to do what she has to in order to survive.

One thing that struck me on this rewatch: I wondered how Zhaan would’ve reacted, had she come along. (Come to think of it, why was Rygel on the transport pod in the first place? He doesn’t strike me as the sort to be out there checking things out.)

This episode is further evidence that Farscape is becoming Farscape. The sweet taste of returning home turns to ashes in John’s mouth, tragedy occurs, and nothing seems to work out like it should. But at least Rygel’s not actually dead.

Last line:
“Maybe.”

Other Comments:
I would’ve liked to have seen D’Argo’s reaction when the Ancients told him what was actually going on.

——
[1] Okay, not the best quote of the episode, but I do like the callback to it we get three seasons later.

[2] Yeah, so I was wrong about that, too…

Season 1, Episode 15: “Durka Returns”
 **** out of *****

“Nebari mental cleansing doesn’t get the tough stains out.”

This is a great episode, about which I seem to have written more than usual. After some pregnancy-related starburst turbulence, Moya smashes into a vessel carrying three passengers: a Nebari named Salis, his prisoner Chiana, and the mentally cleansed ex-captain of the Peacekeeper Zelbinion and former torturer of Rygel, Selto Durka, which utterly shocks anyone who did not see the title of the episode beforehand. By the end, Salis is dead, Chiana joins the “crew,” and Durka’s de-cleansed, adrift, and bald, for which he has no one to blame but himself. For the baldness, I mean.

This episode doesn’t want to let us be entirely sure what to think about any of the three visitors to Moya until all its cards are on the table. Oh, sure, we get initial impressions, but it’s all done in such a way to tease us with an uneasy feeling about each of them that there might be something more sinister lurking beneath the surface. It makes for some effective tension. This is one of those episodes that I wish I could watch again for the first time so I could fully enjoy that aspect anew. Plus, at this point it’s hard to remember my original impression of Chiana, since my impression now is obviously colored by getting to know the character through the rest of the show. Suppose the Nebari have a type of mental cleansing that merely rids you of memories of entertainment media?

Now that I think of it, this episode revels in ambiguity: Rygel’s bomb undoes Durka’s cleansing. Or was Rygel correct, and it was already ineffective? Durka claims it was Rygel’s doing, but can we really be sure? Even more so, who did kill Salis? Durka, or Chiana[1]? We never do find out.

Even though I do know Chiana’s character from the rest of the series, this episode alone does a great job of showing us a fair bit of that character. Yes, it’s lacking some nuance and detail, but only because there’s just so much that can be shown within a single episode’s time and the context of this particular story. Within that context, Gigi Edgley brings her to life perfectly[2]. Chiana is a classic rogue: crafty, self-serving, skilled at getting out of (and into) sticky situations, and not at all interested in authority. Yet Edgley gives her plenty of flavor (and a hint of vulnerability) so that she’s never a stereotype. Her wordless reaction to the question of where she was when Salis was murdered is fantastic.

Despite her current relationship with the Peacekeepers, Aeryn still reveres Durka at the start of the episode. She’s a fan meeting one of her heroes. But that fades upon his admission that he deserted his ship and crew to save his own life. Soon she considers him a disgrace. Rygel’s not far behind in changing his thoughts on the man either, and delivers one of my favorite Rygel speeches in the series:

“The all powerful Durka is a failure. It’s the truth, Durka. You tortured me without mercy. But you never broke me. You only made me stronger. And even if you do kill me, I’ll be laughing. Because all I’ll be thinking about is you, back on Nebari for the next hundred cycles being ground back down into nothing! This Leviathan you’ve commandeered is pregnant!”

Of course, coming alongside the introduction of Chiana is our introduction to the Nebari in general. I like ’em. One of their “standard host vessels,” which are apparently not warships, engaged and defeated the Zelbinion[3], so right away they’ve got some nice ominous-cred. As an empire, they’re insidious, and not quite like any of the other major players in Farscape. As a race, the grey skin and black eyes do a nice job of making them seem alien while being otherwise completely humanoid. It’s just a shame we so rarely get to see any other Nebari.

Last line:
“This isn’t a prison transport anymore, Chiana, you can get off whenever you want. One question: where were you when Salis was murdered?”

Other Comments:
Moya crashes into the Nebari ship after exiting starburst. You know, given how large space is, it’s curious how often ships collide with each other out of nowhere in this show.

With the hair, Durka looks somewhat like Lucius Malfoy. Or, rather, Malfoy looks like Durka, given the fact that this episode came first.

There’s a bit in the cargo bay when Crichton is looking for Chiana that features a pattern of light on the floor that looks very reminiscent of a ring device from Stargate SG-1. Of course it’s coincidental, but given that Ben Browder (and Claudia Black) would join the cast of that show in its later seasons, it amuses me.

John’s answer to whether or not he’s ever been stung by a particular alien plant: “Not yet.” So he’s already gained a bit of genre-savvy.

——
[1] I’ve even heard the idea floated that Zhaan might have done it, given her recent instability and obvious disagreement with Nebari mental cleansing.

[2] And as I understand, that’s why Chiana became a full member of Moya’s crew rather than dying at the end of the episode as originally written.

[3] Assuming you believe Salis, of course.

Season 1, Episode 14: “Jeremiah Crichton”
* out of *****

“Every once in a while, you reach an episode where everything comes together: the writing, the directing, the acting–all the production crafts–and you achieve a magic, magic, perfect episode. We’re here today to talk about Jeremiah Crichton because it is, absolutely, NOT that episode.” [1]

John gets fed up about being on Moya, goes out for a fly to clear his head, and accidentally gets stranded on a planet for 3 months when Moya has a little pregnancy-related uncontrolled starburst.

I really disliked this episode when I first saw it. The writing feels weird, and very few things particularly work. I’ve intentionally skipped showing it the handful of people that I’ve introduced to the show, as I was worried that it would scare them away before we even get any Chiana or Scorpius in the mix. Upon rewatching, I can at least say that it’s not AS bad as I remember it. The episode does LOOK good. (Well, not counting John’s beard. And the outfits, which the DVD commentary rightfully calls reminiscent of the Flintstones. But the location shots and the CG work, with the exception of Rygel’s [2], are quite nice.)

So since this is the episode everyone loves to hate, and the episode with its own commentary dedicated to saying, “Wow, this one really didn’t work, did it?” I’m going to simply list a number of things that I thought went wrong, and move on to “Durka Returns,” which is a much better episode…

• The episode/concept is played too straight, and isn’t turned on its ear in the way that Farscape usually does.
• John’s fake beard (described in the commentary as looking like Browder was wearing a ferret).
• D’Argo and Zhaan’s characters feel switched. D’Argo is the one saying they drove John to leave and that they should keep looking, while Zhaan is the one saying they should forget him and it’s all his fault. Even with Zhaan being different for her recent experiences, it still feels a bit much for her, and it definitely feels out of character for D’Argo.
• John and D’Argo are captured by nets that don’t even cover them down to their waists.
• The plot requires far too many happy coincidences for it to work.
• John’s being fed up and being a dick to everyone (Zhaan especially) seems to come just a little bit out of nowhere, as there just wasn’t enough time to establish it.
• Perfectly human aliens, who aren’t apparently Sebacean. 
• And finally, it’s just…kind of boring. We know John’s not going to remain on this planet. We know they’re not going to be killed, and it’s too silly for us to lose ourselves in the story and forget this [3]. The subplot on Moya with Zhaan and Aeryn looking for D’Argo, Rygel, and John, while it does ultimately affect the plot, is very bland and feels like little more than filler.

Last line:
“Let’s hit the road.”

Other Comments:
Even the great shows have a bad episode now and again.

——
[1] Executive Producer David Kemper, from the DVD commentary

[2] Stuff like that is forgivable if they can get other things right. In this episode, it just adds to the problems.

[3] It’s also before Farscape started killing people off.

Season 1, Episode 13: “The Flax”
***1/2 out of *****

“You lost to Kcrackic on purpose?”
“You think it was easy? He was an abominable player! A switched-off DRD would’ve made a better showing for itself. Oh, please. Bluffing is what the game’s all about!”

During transport pod flight lessons, Aeryn and John get caught in an invisible pirate space-net. (That is, the net is invisible. The pirates are not. At least, I didn’t see any invisible pirates.) While D’Argo heads off with an ex-pirate “garbologist” named Staanz to rescue them and look for a Luxan ship that might have useable maps, Zhaan, Rygel, and Pilot must deal with the rest of the pirates.

A good, fun episode, if slightly workmanlike. It’s also one that shows how the people aboard Moya are beginning to take into consideration the well-being of those they travel with and come together as a “crew” of sorts. Aeryn preferred to save John and risk not getting rescued before their air runs out rather than let him die to save herself. D’Argo, who previously chopped off Pilot’s arm for a chance to get home, turns back from another chance to get home in order to save Aeryn and John. And Rygel schemes his way to helping get the pirates off of Moya and away on the wrong track rather than purely helping himself. Granted, that also helped him, too, but it’s Rygel, so we take what we can get.

Rygel’s bit is really my favorite part. He pulls a fantastic bluff, pretending to have gotten into a bad position in the game and then wagering Staanz’s whereabouts when cornered. Except it’s all an act. He already had Pilot change the coordinates in the computer and so sent Kcrackic[1] off on the wrong course, since he knew the pirates wouldn’t leave them unscathed unless they thought they’d gotten something of value. I’ll admit, he completely bluffed me as well as he did them upon my first viewing. Granted, he did have some help from the episode’s director, but still. Fantastic illustration of Rygel’s character.

The episode ends with John and Aeryn promising each other that their sexual near-miss in the pod when they thought they were about to die was a one-time thing due to the heat of the moment, and that it will never happen again. It’s clear they both aren’t really buying it, and neither of them seem particularly bothered by that…

Last line:
“One thing. Just to be absolutely certain. You are the female of your species. Right?”

Other Comments:
It seems to be terribly poor spacesuit design to have non-universally sized helmets. But, then, I’m not an engineer, am I[2]?

——
[1] I confess I had to look the spelling of that name up, and it is NOT what I’d expected it to be.

[2] No, I’m not.