FARSCAPE SCRIBBLES By Ron Edwards, December 2011
I moved in 1998, and again in 1999, in each case farther away from my very limited crew of TV pals. Deprived of both technology and social support for watching, I missed everything. Even Buffy, which I still have never seen. Hell, I didn’t even know either Stargate SG-1 or Farscape even existed. After that point, SF TV penetrated my intense but limited involvement in film and RPGs only twice: a friend seizing my hair and forcing me to watch Cowboy Bebop (which even then took almost a year for me to get back to) and various gaming acquaintances getting kind of girly and hysterical about Firefly. So what I’m saying is, I’m watching this completely cold, utterly in the dark about anything it’s about except that everyone I’ve mentioned our SF TV hobby to has instantly cited it as the one to watch.
Season one, she say “go”
Interesting: young protagonists; I hadn’t realized how that had slipped off the radar for a while. Cecilia hates the “fratboys” but says she will forgive them at least for a while. So the Adama good-luck father-son charm in Battlestar Galactica came from here. Oooohh, Klingons! Real Klingons! I am happy. That may be the first cinematic SF fart joke, unless Red Dwarf got there first (can’t remember). So. We are now firmly in the realm of Trippy. I like that; it’s about the only thing about Star Wars actually to appreciate as science fiction, and it’s cool to see someone pick up on it and give it one twist toward sexy and anti-authoritarian as well. Oriented and onwards! Because the upper chest area of a woman’s body is so expressive, that’s why it must be exposed. And as long as I’m being horrible, “Virginia Hey” is the best real-woman name I’ve encountered since “Vicky Beaver.” It’s different to see in-fiction references played straight, as with all the Yoda talk. (Later: they do this to the extent that it’s a feature. That’s a hard balancing act for a displaced earthman premise, between the utterly genre-naïve guy and the overly in-the-know fandom avatar.) “So much like us” – it’s probably time to think a bit about what the logistic constraint of human actors has meant to visual science fiction, and how it may well not have been a bad thing. See, that’s how you write an empath! Cecilia thinks this bug episode is the most interesting, with the implication that they generally aren’t. Gloriously beautiful as the full-backal for Hey is (mannn, is she cut!), it’s only for a moment. Whereas I get to gaze in awe at Black’s nose all the time. Most sexy nose ever. It helps too that both actresses are doing their jobs to the hilt, acting like gangbusters. Rigel’s cell-neighbor is Cthulhu? Fighter, cleric, techie, thief. I do hope there’s going to be more to it than this. Do I detect Scorpions-style rhythm guitar riffs for the action scene? It takes a certain audacity to use such things, as the match is too perfect. Action movies stay away from it for a reason; the only one which succeeded with it in my opinion was Mortal Kombat. Here it provides the nice combination of effective + cheeky. “Oh no, Moya won’t be able to maintain orbit, we’ll crash!” I realize full well that information like this, per episode, is empty. The show is not about how the dilithium crystals are doing today. This episode has lots of my favorite things. Sexy tentacle-headed hottie, non-The Stars My Destination but still plot-relevant time travel techniques. This one’s my turnaround for the series; I appreciate both the thought that went into it and the complete lack of tedious audience-oriented explanation. I guess my favorite example about bad-ass cinematic fighting comes from the entirely wretched film Bulletproof Monk. The heroine is supposed to be uber-awesome dangerous, but the actress is hopeless and no amount of doubling or editing makes it work. It so happens, though, that the villainess she’s supposed to beat up eventually is played by a woman of uncommon and beautiful martial skill, who IMDB tells me is named Victoria Smurfit. The result is getting to watch a lot of one woman throwing great techniques which mysteriously miss a lot, then fall over in defeat from what must be among the most amateurish and telegraphed strikes possible. The physical confrontation between Aerin and the scary chick isn’t anywhere near as painful, but it displays a good creative team working with a difficult constraint. Apparently a martial arts expert is helpless against backfists delivered down the centerline, and unable to score with front kicks although her opponent is stumbling backward. I can stand it if I squint, mainly because Black is carrying it through charisma. What’s he getting out of it? Aussie hotties! Why is everyone acting like this is weird? This episode is … dragging. I’m getting the idea that quite a few of them would have done much better as half- hour shots, actually. Nice pro-science exchange, with charm. And then application: flaming piss shot! Peacekeepers = America, in case no one was really paying attention about that. It’s the one thing different from them and the original Klingons. And Aeryn has a lot of gall getting patriotic about it, I imagine due to the influence of all those right angles. Notice John isn’t letting her hit him any more. The profanity attack, pre-Cartman V-chip even! Also, I like the space slugs – very Truman Grimjack. That “It replaced cockfighting” crack Is subtler than it looks. I’m realizing that when John most seems like a meatball, he subverts it through word or deed almost immediately. I want to stress this is different from the ordinary “talk tough, do sensitive” combo which is basically eating one’s cake and having it too. Yes, human-style kissing is always better. “Cue Aeryn,” says Cecilia. And oh, that conversation afterward Is everything that went wrong with men and women in the 1990s. Will we get to see red-and-blue sex? Huh. Crais is over the line. Over the edge. Quite likely batshit actually. Oh thank God, all that Renfaire charm and the Gandalf knockoff were the mask for outstanding rotten evil. What’s this? Crais is a person, not merely a sputtering threat? Things – not just “things,” the whole show, just got more interesting. And a bit later: when he can’t honestly lay intention on Crichton, he can only latch onto bigotry. That was a dark, grim episode: Crichton actually abandons his Kirk-esque stand on principle, Zhaan practically damns herself, Crais descends fully into madness and murder right when we know he was about to step back from it. Oh, these guys so must have been reading Grimjack in the 80s. The scientist’s assistant, not to mention the bar, Is straight from those pages. Holy shit, they’re cutting off his arm? Brutal! I guess all this traditional misfits-bonding content has its limits. We are talking about lab rat morality issues, and I have no objection either to raising the issue or presenting it in pointedly symbolic and simplified terms. My objection concerns clarity and accuracy. The first issue is juxtaposing the suffering of lab subjects to the greater good in such a fashion that the maximizing of the one is supposed (by the scientist personally or by “science” as a thing) to maximize the other. Whereas the reality is that suffering lab subjects yields shitty results, and that cruel lab practices universally reduce to careless/convenience and to profiteering. A person who is really dedicated to the perfection of their science is necessarily also a serious advocate for the ethical treatment of the subjects. The second issue concerns Mengele and the “men of science and medicine” phrasing. One thing is, in line with the above point, is that Mengele was no “man of science” – he was a butcher wearing a paper hat with “scientist” scrawled on it in crayon. His experimental design was nonexistent and his data worthless. Another more general point is that medicine is actually not itself science, but a body of professional service techniques, any one of which may or may not draw upon scientific knowledge, and any of which may or may not work. Crichton presents him as the ultimate example of the monstrosity inflicting the greatest cruelty in service to the greatest good (the above point), but Mengele does not conform to any such image. The third issue is that the story is curiously humanocentric. Crichton does briefly appeal to Nam Tar on the basis that “You of all people should understand,” but the issue is otherwise scrubbed – i.e., that apparently experimenting on humans is horrific, but on lab animals it’s OK. The “right” ending seems to be Kornata putting him back in his cage, in a kind of “now everyone is back in place” way, with her as the experimenter again. It strikes me as particularly weak for this show, and the one time in which Crichton’s science-hating namesake makes a characteristically incoherent thematic appearance. When they say Luxans are tough, they ain’t kidding. Not a virus? Praise the day! And it’s even turned nicely on its head when I realize that Moya’s now treating the crew as an infection. Now that’s some excellent back-story for both Rigel and D’Argo! The show is doing a dance with the classic plot expectation that we’ll all bond now. What I’m seeing instead is the interesting outcome that the character being illuminated does not expect anyone to care and is even at present unwilling to open up and bond, but everyone else finds himself or herself more understanding and willing to go to bat for the person’s needs. In a way, it’s the only realistic path out of the trap the crew of the Cowboy Bebop cannot escape. Möbius planetscape homage. Fun as the canine couple is, I wonder how it would come off if they’d been ethnically tagged as lily white, especially non-hillbilly. (Funny bit: “I am Rorf!” “Worf?” and Indignantly, “Rorf!”) D’Argo fits right in, in that landscape, with the best mask yet. Sand dunes and that guitar riff … I can see where the episode’s title comes from already. This Is going to end in blood. These bonding arguments between D’Argo and John are actually sort of wrenching. Cecilia’s liking the show now, and I think it may be more about the men becoming understandable humans rather than variations of macho. Aerin’s undies suit her well. Zhaan’s character concept is showing its seams. At first the hot-to-trot anarchist, swiftly capped and never seen again. Then the New Age cleric, always futzing with her potions and healin’ up everyone. Then the once- was-savage radical pacifist. And here the political again, subset assassin, subset struggling to reform. I blame the cleric role, really – it’s a void by definition, and once in it, a character is impossible to develop except by starting from scratch. Whereas Crichton’s is coming into focus, especially when he acts as pure spiritual counselor, setting her up for the “Zhaan the White, Grey no longer” moment. The thing is that he knew exactly what he was doing, inverting the mistaken impression that in such things, she would be the teacher and he the novice. There is, in fact, a priest aboard Moya, and it’s not Zhaan. Ah, the charming space rogue, Cyrano Jones to the core. Sadly, not too interesting to me. (Later: and that steampunk engine is too much twee Doctor Who.) I get the idea that the creators threw in all that game-play detail in full knowledge the fanbase would dope out some elaborate rules-set to explain what each of the moves did. Oh. Now her li’l exposed navel takes on a whole new meaning. And although I found it a minor episode, it has a great ending, with their romance at white hot but just a tiny step at a time. This one wasn’t bigger but it was the crucial one. Huge crayfish and a Polynesian cutie flirting with him? Talk about landing on your feet. For her part, Cecilia approves of the next man on screen. I am puzzled by the multi-ethnicity of the community. Is this supposed to be the ideal “native” society? (Later: I get it – they too are more-or-less a crashed spaceship population, some generations on.) “Great Cerebus! Great Cerebus!” This story gets filed under “Vance, subset Kirk.” The important part actually came in the middle, when Crichton learned the circumstances of his abandonment and rescue, and his friends swiftly deflect the possibility that someone might make a big deal of it. My take is that from this point forward, all bitching about humans’ or Crichton’s inadequacies will be mere joshing, understood as such by all. I dunno, I’m kind of with Rigel. It’s him? Justice now. She’s very sweet to look at, and most likely guilty mostly of the Nebari equivalent of spitting on the sidewalk, but I’m getting the idea that she’s pretty psycho for real. Is this the resurrection of the long-gone anarchist hedonist characterization of Zhaan? (Later: and I’m pretty sure she killed the minder/cop, too.) Back to Earth now? And horrible! In fact, awful! Whoa. Fuck me. That shot of Rigel lying dissected-out Is one of the most horrid images in SF TV, explicit + unexpected + coldly plausible, that I’ve ever seen. At the four-fifths mark, I realize this story could well have been a feature-length stand-alone film, and as such, become a classic. I get it. “We will continue looking for a home.” “So will I.” But I think for the first time, he’s not talking about Earth at all. This chromatic split-apart story is in-setting SF awesome, especially using low tech effects. “Film qua film,” even, along the lines of those occasionally quite impressive student films which are built to remind you that you are looking at pictures subject to heat and light. It also reminds me of Gerrold’s “The Protracted Man,” one of the treatments he submitted along with “The Trouble with Tribbles,” but from the POV of the title character. Bookends: (i) we’re a batch of misfits who don’t like one another’s food, and (ii) now we are a starship crew. Cecilia and I are now on the same page as well, liking the quirks, liking the skill being brought to it all. Am I getting the idea that this whole commando story is really about a potential rival for Crichton, in Aerin’s eyes? She does seem to like bad boys. (Later: yes.) Gotta love that absolutely modern pipetter. Science! They’re going to do what?! “Waltz onto a top-secret Peacekeeper base, armed with, um, our dick and clit.” Cheech & Chong said it best: Any questions? Honolable generah, sah! Yes, plivate? You’ah out of youah fucking mind! I suddenly realized what is happening here – John is not only good at imitating a Peacekeeper butt-kicker, and not only is he kind of enjoying it … it’s changing him, not into one of them, but more like a blade being cooled in a necessary toxic chemical. I can see the fratboy layer evaporating off him; even his snarking is becoming bone-deep harsh rather than goofy. This is all about his tempering. Crais and Scorpius – why do I get the idea that they are not exactly going to get along? And similarly, given all that’s developed between Crichton and Aerin, I can’t see anything working out well for Gilina. That chair is convincingly horrific! A little nod to such things in the old Trek: “Whom Gods Destroy,” and the reference to Klingon technology in “Errand of Mercy.” Oh, harsh! “Irreversibly contaminated, am I?” Zap! What the fuck? That guy’s head is half eaten away and full of light. See, this is one thing I like – right when the setting and back-story seem nailed down, they throw in something so utterly whacked that you can’t tell if they were (i) shorted on time for explaining it, (ii) too far along in production before realizing they couldn’t explain it, or (iii) simply spraying imagination in all directions in gleeful abandon. This ethnobotany episode is a bit of filler I think. I’m thinking back to the time … this is still before modern cable and before stuff like The Shield and MI-5 showed that short story-based stuff was marketable. It still boggles me that TV show production needed twenty-two fucking episodes in the can as the baseline, an extraordinary effort given the obvious absurdity of the ratings system and the obvious venality and stupidity of the decision-makers. It seems impossible to hold older shows to the episode/arc standards one might have for, say Battlestar Galactica. What’s with D’Argo and Zhaan smooching in the credits? Hasn’t happened yet and as far as I can tell, doesn’t. I am finding the scary predator chick disturbingly sexy. Something about that fleshy suit with no underwear. “The Trouble with Tribbles” solution! With a distinctly nasty and satisfying twist. Maybe not so much filler after all. In fact, this episode gets high marks for being impossible to predict, and then ending so thoroughly logically. Situational ethics at their anti-TNG finest. My God, how much can they pack into one episode? Birthing starships, Peacekeeper politics, betrayals left and right, indecent proposals, and major explosions. Looking back, I’d say the final six of the season were incredibly strong. What happened to the glow-faced guy? Crais survived the chair? How much of him is left? Ha! So much for Scorpius’ vaunted equanimity! Getting caught between Crichton and Crais, each at his worst, will make an obsessed basket case out of anyone.
Thinkin’ about that first season – and not much to say except, more! Even 50%-plus worth of making good on what we’ve got at this point will put the series into the stratosphere, compared to most.
I lied. There is one thing more to say, which is that staying with trippy is one thing, and not getting saccharine is another. This show’s real innovation, uniqueness, freshness, all of that, has little to do with its (certainly) fun imaginative and technical color, and everything to do with keeping its edge. It all comes down to the one line: “Close Encounters, my ass!”
Seeeeason Two!
“Oh fuck” right off the bat, then. OK, the floating-in-space cliffhanger is resolved before we even begin, but once I see what Aerin’s doing, I’d almost want it back. And do I get the pleasant idea that Crais, now deepened enough to be resonant enough for anyone, will be effectively a regular from now on? Does D’Argo’s makeup/modeling look different? Browner or something? Maybe it’s the lighting. Ewwww! I love an homage to the Borg Queen. This is a man who actually kisses to express himself, to anyone, across a wide range of emotion. What a weird, fascinating, productive notion. It makes him completely an object of viewership, not merely our geeky self stand-in. It’s been going on for a few episodes but I didn’t really get it until now. Fuck me hard. That was a kickin’ opening episode. Not a lot from some of the core cast, but it’s pure resolution to the entire first season, in every way, and with all kinds of juicy crisis at every corner. I was thinking about my comments in the B5 scribbles about second seasons, and sometimes, something else happens: the first season ends in kind of, “Hey, wait, we did it and it worked” shock, and then everyone involved spontaneously grins wickedly, goes, “One, two, three, chihuahua!”, and jumps into production with the boots on. John gets to wear a leather duster now, and I do believe his hair is punkier. He’s come a long way from his baggy NASA suit! First aboriginal actor on the show, I think – the temple minder, with the scales. (No, actually, there was the one guy who spoke in presumably one of the bezillion indigenous languages, in “A Human Reaction.”) So, this is the “Vulcans are spiritual and that means scary” episode, with Luxans. And hey! Suddenly turned human and much more interesting by Crichton’s sit-down with her. What might have happened if Kirk and T’Pau had had the opportunity to chat first? Oddly, I am sort of offended on the behalf of Lolan, D’Argo’s dead wife. Which isn’t fair to the big guy, who deserves a happy romp once in a while. I guess I wanted to see more closure for him first. Dude. He is a warrior. That story was good enough to make me wish it had been filmed entirely in-period by Kaneto Shindô back in the sixties. Fifth Element homage! With the solid object buried in her belly. Bluntly, what the fuck? I like the sonic net thing, and I like the basic conflict for Chiana. But either I’m too tired, or it’s not making sense – why exactly do the punky kids jump? What’s the concrete effect of taking the stone (and what Is that, anyway)? Why did the one guy choose to kill himself? What does jumping have to do with dying or not dying of radiation? I’m probably going to have to watch this one again. Ewww! Freaky pregnancy. Although nifty to look at, it is really not making sense to me in plot terms. I guess the only plot-thing that does, is John eatin’ the mushrooms. Seriously, I am now craving crackers. See, that’s why the whole mantra about communication solving everything is horseshit. Some things really are better kept to oneself. Moya’s and Pilot’s Peacekeeper back-story is seriously grim. In combination with the previous episode, it takes the scary proposition that affection and trust built through adversity are not sacred, not invulnerable to stresses that hit orthogonally to previous situations. The show simply refuses to fall into the easy banality of “we’re all family now.” Or rather, even though they are, that doesn’t generate transcendent harmony and shared direction like everyone says it will. Second-season Zhaan, unfortunately, is becoming an annoying, uptight character. Holier-than-thou but touchy, sensualist but standoffish. I was talking to my friend Tod and telling him what I liked about Farscape, and he said it in two words: “Cantina band.” Never accept anything for free in the Farscape universe. And look – crystal voodoo. I love the low-tech, effective film techniques in this show. The Ditko-scape for the “prophecy victims” is brilliant. I am so not worried about the sorcerer bad guy. Crichton is a very different person now. Threaten him with … what, death? Oooh, scary. “The first thing we do, we kill all the lawyers.” Now we finally see where the Zargo-Zhaan smooching comes in. Bit of a tease, actually, considering it doesn’t actually happen. On the plus side, it’s good to see Zhaan worked up a bit more, including some justification for why she’s been a bit erratic so far this season. Nice ass shot, Chiana! Cecilia suggests the actress must be a dancer. Let’s see, that’s three episodes featuring her in a row. I guess they decided to ramp it up for her, which is good because she was in danger of becoming the one-dimensional reaction-shot character. Whereas now she’s becoming practically defining for the loyalty vs. self-centric issues of the show. That ship is inhabited by Skexies. I’m a little curious about when and how Delvians sporulate ordinarily, and whether and how it has anything to do with their capacity for copulation. The show’s getting pretty explicit with Chiana’s willingness to trade sex for whatever, without writing her off as a slut. Or rather, certain characters do, but the plot doesn’t. The possibility of her getting with D’Argo therefore promises much crisis, should it come about. A great Kirk fight scene with the monster in the mine! Aw, I was hoping that Zhaan’s body would die, but it would turn out that she was in the mitotic phase of the alternation of generations, and hence produce a clone. That would have been cool. Will we get to see the predator-chick again? She was briefly referenced in the first episode of the season, but not since. I hope that plotline doesn’t get dropped. That ship is inhabited by Skexies. (Later: And they sure as hell haven’t improved any, either.) The occasional nigh-simultaneous plots between Stargate SG-1 and Farscape are like little lab comparisons. It would be interesting to know how, for instance, body-switching came to be considered the thing to do in each show. Drawing on the same sources? Zeitgeist among SF TV writers at the time? Deliberate “oh yeah” between the shows? Or what? If any other science fiction TV did any potty humor whatsoever, then the pissing, boobs, et cetera humor would be not so funny – but as is, it’s hilarious. Crichton’s idea of what to do with Aerin’s body makes perfectly good sense to me. And whoa, hey, funny-tasteless homo stuff too! We’re definitely not in Stargate today, boys and girls. Ewww! I’m beginning to lose count of how often Moya’s floors get spattered with vomit. We’re all back in our bodies and feeling frisky. I believe Moya’s rockin’ tonight! I’m getting a kick out of cerebral-Crichton’s pronounced shitkicker accent. So, is this simply the typical feelings-first, emotions-good, intellect-bad story? Seems a bit more than that – focusing at the end on “our” Crichton and how he must reflect upon the various components within him. I like the way that he has to abandon the idea that he – as he sees and “knew” himself – is automatically the good guy. And maybe this is reading too much into it, but so far, one of Crichton’s assets is lateral thinking + pragmatism – and here we see what that looks like all by itself. So he has to decide whether that really is his “best bit.” Oh, thank you for not staying with the repressed/tease/tension geek standard for main characters (not) having sex. Thank you! British royal family shenanigans, not especially sympathetically. Neat to see the other side of Scorpius’ halfbreedness, too. “Dragon Casanova!” There’s a name. “You cannot strike me, I am royalty!” Americans love cue lines like that. Roman … cyber … god … dry ice … fat unreasonable guy? Not what I expected from the “Builders.” I’m finding this weird and hard to process. (Later: and man do I hate the old Trek chestnut of the superior-cosmic beings subjecting people to idiotic, abusive character tests.) Wow, Crichton is pulling out all the stops with the quick-fast references; I like the Blazing Saddles bit best. And man, is he at his best when completely certain he’s dead and completely out of his mind. Apparently they had some end-of-year budget to blow on that space-battle space-walk sequence. Geez. Is the show really going to jump ahead 80 years? That would be ballsy. And ouch! It’s gonna hurt that much the whole time? See, this is why I don’t go rock climbing. Well, it didn’t jump ahead like I was thinking, but the decapitation makes up for that. Even a little more head football, who’s got the head hilarity would have been good. Gotta love that fight scene with the acid and hanging chains. I’m convinced the camera lingered on that set afterwards just because everyone liked looking at it as long as possible. Brutal on Crichton, these last couple of stories. The whole future-kid thing bumped it to a new level. Cecilia: “Maybe he’s just compatible with everybody.” Finally, something humans are good at… Everything in this setting is parasitic or some variant. So when something gets called a parasite, it must be pretty gruesome. OK, the leg humping cracked me and Cecilia up. An easy joke but always good if the timing’s right. Let me guess … the critter’s toxin is actually immunizing D’Argo against the real parasite they haven’t seen yet. Later: yup, and man, did that misunderstanding turn into a major bummer. Whoa – it was all a dream, huh? Mindfuck episode, coming up. Again, they are walking a fascinating fine line between genre-savvy vs. cardboard-naïve. And even better, doing it in-show, which illustrates a writer-creator coherence that I didn’t think existed in TV prior to modern cable, outside of the BBC. Fortunately they have Crichton to work with, who responds to crazy doings by seeing and raising. And God help his dad and D.K. if John ever does get back to Earth … they’ll be lucky if he doesn’t shoot them on sight. What the fuck are those hair rollers? Wait, I get it, it’s riffing on the earlier comment about how her hair looks nicer. And Cecilia reminds me his mom’s supposed to be dead right before Crichton does. And uck! The chemo mom is plain hardball! OK, Crais getting out of the prowl car with the red pumps does it. Even more than Rigel in the gimp suit. I’m getting the idea that somewhere a Skarran mindfuck-interrogator is becoming really puzzled and frustrated, and making frantic excuses to his boss. … And there he is! In-head Scorpius strikes me as a direct predecessor to Baltar’s interior No. 6. The “no chip in your head” dialogue seems pretty explicit. My friend Camille says it reminds her of Parintachin in Poison Elves. Glowy-face guy is back! (name = Stark, which I didn’t catch originally) Oblique as usual; I’m not even sure that some of the crew even know he’s there. (Later: they do, so that particular bit of mindscrew isn’t under way at least.) Everybody has to do their version of “The Deadly Years,” I guess. This one was a bit more of a tearjerker than most, plus some particularly good old-coot makeup and acting. Rashomon episode. Myself, I’m inclined to be on Talyn and Crais’ side. Maybe I’m a sucker for their whole concept at this stage of the story. I’ve finally figured out Chiana’s makeup and physical design: she’s an anime girl! It’s very effective; she almost looks like a cel superimposed onto the live action. Cecilia and I agree that the gyny chair equipped with phallus is truly weird. It turns out to be mostly about D’Argo, actually. I’m realizing that this season is forcing deep reflection and rather painful self-awareness for every character. “Winona.” Crichton has now named his gun. Why do I not find that especially reassuring? I am quite positive that Chiana’s brother sang for The Cure. Ewwww! I thought the lab-rat episode brought us quite enough “injury to the eye” motif, thank you. Shoot. That bitch. Already! Stark certainly seems to have arrived with enough gear and information – perhaps too much to be real. I’m still having trouble getting a line on his character, going back to the “Memory” episode. Madman, action hero, saint? Sometimes he’s detached and virtuous, other times frantically emotional. The female bug-like character seems Syl-inspired. This is a fun caper sequence, actually. Watching Crichton deal with his inner Scorpius from the outside Is funny as hell, and everyone else is hamming it up too, with the usual tension-as-required coming from the unreliable hacking component. As usual, the immediate logistic crisis is mere framing for the psychological and emotional tensions, and although they haven’t quite gelled yet for the story, I’m looking forward to it. H’mmm. It is not good to be a female, blonde, loyal aide to a Peacekeeper commander. There went the second one. Door squish! Saw that one coming. And here’s that primary conflict I was looking for: Crichton and Scorpius in a veritable sex-scene of mutual interdependency and hatred. Anyone want to bet on the D’Argo-Jothee reunion being unequivocally emotionally positive and uplifting for everyone? Name your odds; I’ll still bet against you. Scorpius and the insect lady are an awesome couple. I hope she stays in the picture. Later: holy poo, that sex scene! And it looks like we’re recapping every interesting opponent from previous episodes, just for fun. I think it’s cool that each one seems to have undergone his or her own story since we last saw them. Good on Rigel! Awesome capper to the Durka back-story. That little booger is very, very dangerous when he can prepare properly. Even two-parters are rare in American TV (not counting season cliffhangers), given the emphasis on permitting new viewers to stay oriented, among other things. And here I’m seeing the second three-parter in a single season? That’s ambitious. Also, contrast my take on some first-season episodes which I still think were padded and draggy – now we’re in the zone where they barely fit in the content in three full episodes, not wasting a moment. I’m liking the hunter couple quite a bit this time around. (Later: the guy actor is eating the scenery and really enjoying himself.) (Later: Aw! Right when I was really starting to like him!) Anyone notice that Crais and D’Argo wear, effectively, dresses? And are even more bad-ass in doing so? Holy shit, do you see what Rigel’s holding? That’s disgusting and hilarious at the same time. How long is he planning to carry that around? His particularly placid satisfied expression is just right. This episode is all explosions, all the time! The sequence in the darkness with the cool oculars is especially good – some HK cinema technique in there if I’m not mistaken. Crazy! Twazy even! He’s … turning into Scorpius? OK, it’s all mental, but creepy, man, creepy. What would otherwise be a touching and romantic scene is whacked out even before he knocks her out and does the tongue thing. Bum-mer! Aerin! A bit later, now that I’ve recovered: they used every single action-movie trope that signals imminent escape from “certain death,” and refused the viewer each one. Icky brain scene – that sort of thing was going around at the time, wasn’t it? Hannibal and all, and Lexx of course. “American politics, Nixon to Clinton. Lose it.” Volumes spoken, there. Someone, somewhere on this creative team, is a dedicated Freudian. First with Crichton’s mom a few episodes ago, and here with Jothee goin’ for Chiana, sort of. Nastiest season cliff-hanger ever. Plus, if we take seasons as stories, a thoroughly uncompromising bummer.
This show rocks. I am enjoying it unreservedly, and it’s pretty much leaped to the example slot, as in “What shows do you like,” or “I like science fiction TV, especially Farscape.” I’ve ordered The Peacekeeper Wars to round out the show (wondering why that’s not simply part of the boxed DVD set in the first place, but who knows who makes these decisions). It wouldn’t seem to be my thing at first glance, given all my claims about social and provocative SF, but they’ve managed to do it. In part by completely subverting, indeed, short-range shotgunning,the whole “will he ever get home” thing. I maintain that avoiding any and all “verse” talk – you know, explaining the history of the Peacekeepers, mapping the sector, going into all manner of noise about seeded human stock everywhere, blah blah – has a lot to do with their ability to focus on what matters, including lots of sex and action for sure, but especially what hurts.
Watching it cold matters a lot. I know absolutely nothing about the story. I don’t know which actors will or won’t continue into a new season, I don’t know any buzz about what’s being planned, I don’t enter into industry rumors about what’s about to happen. So a main character’s death hits hard.
Season Three
Huh. Aerin’s in the credits, not looking dead one bit. It’s not a guarantee that she’s not dead, but if she’s not, I’m surprised they give it away. Maybe a DVD error, like Delenn’s transformation in Babylon 5? Conversely, seeing Crais and Scorpius there too makes me all kinds of happy. A few minutes in, what hits me is the technique: acting, scripting, direction, effects, timing … all of it so good that the complexity of minds and bodies is clear as day. Ewww! Unlicensed dentistry! Can we have injury to the eye back please? Oh, yes, sure. Go ahead. Lie to Rigel. That’ll work fine. Right when I was thinking the reunion with Jothee was going to be the single ray of light in all of this. That bar is in Berlin. Seriously. Terrorists, eh? Religious fanatics? Random anti-progress Luddite chanting knot-heads? H’mmm. Must check this air-date relative to a certain well-known real world event. (Nope. Jumpin’ the gun.) Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! The triangle is working perfectly – I can’t blame any single one of them and yet every word, every detail, digs each one further into hell. Anyway, I want a lawyer. I deeply resent the creators of the show violating my privacy and spying on me and utilizing these events from my life in their show! … (pause) … What? Everyone gets to vomit in this show sooner or later, don’t they? Now it’s Pilot’s turn. I would suggest a Farscape drinking game, but that carries a built-in contradiction, doesn’t it? Obnoxious, elitist, patronizing, shiny-suited twits … and here I was thinking that the fused alien ship was a stand-in for a new-school Trek ship. Oh wait … Ha! That’s what you get for wearing heels, red-head! The ship seems a little too infested with arrogant guests, in my opinion. And speaking of infestation, what is up with that snake thing? I don’t get it; it’s like, someone saw some anime movie with a flying snake (Spirited Away, say) and said, “Hey, let’s put one in, figure out what it means later.” I’m getting the idea from the alien captain’s constant invocation of “our families,” that their authorities back home are holding them hostage, under lethal threat. (Later: yup.) Ah, I see – she’s a spoiled preppie. And whoa, whoa, do not say any self-pitying shit around Stark! I’d almost rather face D’Argo in one of his rages. Let’s hope Stark and Crichton are never at their insane/brilliant peaks simultaneously during a point of disagreement. “Corpsicle” – that’s a Niven reference. Directly, or via adoption and generalization by fandom? Defining line! “Welcome to the United Federation Starship Buttcrack!” Slap! Is … this not a death speech? They wouldn’t double-dip us on rescinding a heroic death, would they? I’m getting the idea not. Now that the chip’s out of his head, the Scorpius/No. 6 similarity Is complete. Hard to believe the Battlestar creative folks weren’t riffing off this. Whoops. And later: whoops again. Time travel sucks, sucks. If I ever run into some neat invention that does any kind of it, I am running away. Also, on reflection, I’m trying to think of one single SF TV show or movie which has ever failed to have our heroes ultimately make use of the time travel macguffin – no matter how fucked-up it got in the middle – to save the day. Even The City on the Edge of Forever. Is this Farscape episode unique in the medium? Yuck! Pus ship! Cannibal hordes! Pure horror. Kill them, D’Argo, kill them! And then, uh oh. That would be a classic Trek villain of the good old school. Ah good. Talyn is involved. I believe it is time to make use of his special skills. Sure, battered a little, but I’m hopin’ for some yang here. Whoa. I am not seeing a way out of this for D’Argo. Wait – duplication? What the fuck? A bit of hope? And now Crichton’s desperate, literally in despair. What does that mean? Insane, exuberant, infectious, unstoppable switch flipped. Insanity-man villain, whoever you are, you are fucked now. Umm … not before things get a hundred times worse, of course, but it’s gonna happen. The southern accent’s on now. Sometimes a blow job is not a good thing. What was the name of this episode again? Oh, no. Now we are going to have difficulties. So this story’s not billed as a two-parter, but it might as well be. These bar scenes are hilarious. They are all Eurotrash beyond belief. And I’m trying to remember whose little flippy-trendy above-the-ears modified bowl cut the main douche bag’s hair reminds me of … Ah! The publisher butthole from Mountains of the Moon. This guy looks like his leather-duster older brother. (Later: Man is he obnoxious. Can we see him get beaten up by D’Argo again, except more?) Ah ha! I had an intimation of this a couple episodes ago, but now I see it for sure. Jool is our new Crichton! Smart, actually ten times tougher than she looks, pissed off, whiney, patronized and underestimated by everyone. Now I see why she’s been introduced. Jello strike? Red and blue? You know, once Talyn gets better, I don’t see much reason not to pulse-cannon the royal family’s residence, lobster and all. So, Talyn’s big enough to run around in now. Nice high ceilings in there too. Gotta love that Heavy Metal ship-eating thing. It looks like something Richard Corben would have enjoyed drawing. And come on, Crichton, of course you have to squeeze-and-fly out its butthole, why else would you be trapped in there? What show do you think you’re on, anyway? (Case in point: a few minutes later, vomit sighting!) Stark’s quite the hair-trigger this episode, isn’t he? Not a good idea to scream at Talyn, though. I’m thinking, Stark Is getting under-used. The “energy being” thing, the exact junction of genuinely beautiful mystic and fucking nutbar, the issue of what the others rely on him for, and similar. There’s a lot of potential there. Chiana managed to hit the equivalents quickly despite a far less interesting initial concept. Did I say vomit? Now we have cosmic mega space creature vomit! I wish they’d devoted a little more time and visuals to that effect, to make it appropriately spectacular and gross. That’s a good romantic story. It also humanized both Crais and Talyn, showing strengths and weaknesses. What the fuck, squared? Translucent manta attack makes you float and bleed? And it didn’t happen? Oh, mannn! OK, fact: I have been injured many times and in some cases, bled like a stuck pig. In one instance when I was fourteen, I went into shock, but most of the time, I’ve tended to myself with a certain scary calm. Knife incidents in the kitchen are a big yawner, I roll my eyes, clamp it, and go find the bandages. Once I totaled out on my bicycle and sliced my scalp wide open … I got back on the bike and rode home, soaked to the waist, no lie, in my own blood. But even so, you know what I can’t stand? Little drips of blood, punctures, rivulets. Drawing blood especially – I complain like a toddler and demand stickers and lollipops. Any time I have to think about the actual circulation going on being breached. I hate it. And now a whole plot point relies on dripping blood? Coming from who knows where? Aaggggghh! There’s a lot more going on than they realize, time-wise. The body odor thing is definitely some indication of massive lost time. Excellent new outfit for Jool, especially losing those weird hip-things and exposing an exceptional midriff. Is that what they cast for? Put a glossy Uhura still from “Mirror Mirror” on the table, then hand out a bunch of short tank-tops and march’em past? (Don’t get me wrong, I am quite enjoying Jool as a character and the actress’ performance; this episode seems to be a reconciliation between her and Chiana, for instance. The abs simply demand a little appreciation, OK?) Speaking of the old Trek, we know the rule: body-snatching is bad. Even if your intentions were good, either you get addicted, or you figure “just a little longer” to do something else, or you fall in love with someone … whatever it is, it all would have been better simply not to do it. Especially if everyone else gets exasperated and finds some way not only to evict you, but fry your hitherto-untouchable ass. Tellin’ you, watch the old Trek. Wisdom of the ages, lessons for eternity, even if it’s mysteriously lacking in vomit. Grim episode, particularly in the separate groupings and the brutal conflicts and revelations among them. And poor Rigel! Wow, Conan Crichton attack. Cecilia thinks it’s pretty funny he spent all this heroism and moral high ground only to have Crais take him down with a single shaft of logic. Harsh. So much for the family-ties-solve-all plotline. Of all the characters involved, I don’t know whose expression hurts most. Whoa – my guess is that Scorpius is gonna wind up with a Crichton in his head. Cecilia points out that it’s getting hard to keep track of all the versions runnin’ around now. That’s odd … didn’t Scorpius tell Jothee that his (Scorpius’) father was the Skarran? Was that merely a lie, along with the rape story, to try to goose Jothee into resenting D’Argo? (Ah. That turns out to be young Scorpius’ concern after all. Not a lie, then.) This is really all about bigotry, in lots of ways. In this instance, Scorpius seeks to escape the vicious prejudice of his Skarran mentor, ending up in the arms of the almost-identically viciously prejudiced Sebaceans, and therefore forced to become even more ruthless than any of them in order to survive there. Also, Pilot chooses to trust the scientist lady strictly on the basis of her species – and if I understand correctly, we never do learn whether her proposal was fully honest. And … I wonder whether the absolutist rape-and-slaughter image of the Skarrans is not itself questionable, not without its true aspects, just as Sebaceans are clearly not all gung- ho Peacekeepers. And, as the flowers shot shows, the story’s villain’s motivation is exactly the same as the heroes’. People on starship get very hot ‘n bothered, played for comedy. Haven’t I seen this before? Points for the music though, it’s hilarious. Oh, freaky! Big bleachy lady straight out of HK fantasy-action flicks, laying a whole help-me help-me trip on Stark. Then Satan-dude too! You know, I’ll just say it straight: never mind whatever either one says. Ha, that’s what happens when you ask Stark for help. He sympathetically, compassionately offers to “ease your passing,” i.e., to kill you all the way. Cecilia thinks that Crais’ delusion that anyone cares about “captain” or “orders” is pretty funny. And watch out for Rigel! He bites. Bar episode, yay! The visuals are like Kubrick actually having fun. (Later: persists throughout the episode, delightfully.) The torch-dancing is pretty cool … although I don’t quite get it, she makes the guy faint? I think I would like a night out with Jool and Chiana. Kind of bummed what I’m seeing, a little bit though – that apparently hedonism has to be corrupt at its foundation. Ha! The makers of the show and I clearly frequented the same bumper-cars rink when we were kids. The dreadlock soldier guys are totally Imperial Troopers quality, both in aim and in the efficacy of their armor. Now now, Crichton, if you haven’t been with a … substantially hefty woman before, then you have no call to be complaining about the opportunity. Allow me to recommend it. But perhaps taking the sweepstakes prize for mouthing off in ignorance, there goes the Charrid prisoner, thinking Rigel is helpless and harmless. Cecilia reasonably points out that the other John still retains a Harvey of his own. Ha! Stark’s doing a Peter Lorre impression: “And yes! I haaaate him.” A bullet (or ray-blast or whatever) actually takes down the ancient/Jack? That Skarran is being a little overconfident, right? Actually demanding to let Stark implant something into the back of his neck? Oh no, pretty please, don’t make me! Uh oh. Aeryn says, “Let’s do what we have to do here, and then we’ll go,” meaning going with John to Earth. He agrees. A moment or two later, they exchange “I love you!” upon splitting up. Does anyone else here get the idea that after this episode, there will be only one John, and not this one? Cecilia admires the buggy’s fuzzy seat covers. I give credit: that is one hell of a weapon, truly horrific. Definitely something you don’t want to exist, and I mean even after you use it to save your life. Man, savage death scene. One of the finest I think I’ve seen. And, writing this later: it’s hard to imagine that Aeryn will be simply “getting John back” when she reunites with the other one, considering how much she went through with this one and how much their feelings matured on the way. In fact, his adventures (the one on Moya) have generally been more alienating, more adolescent, and more cynical; perhaps the Aeryn-John romance will not be able to continue, duplicate or no duplicate. Looney Tunes bit – fantastic! What, and there’s more? Meep-meep! Did I mention that Roadrunner was always my favorite? Someone else’s too, apparently. Exotic princess seizes legendary blade from the depths and brandishes it high! Granted, she’s standing in a pool of space bat shit. Cecilia: “I think this is the ‘Aeryn’s gotta get over the dead people’ episode.” I’m finding it a bit draggy and weird. Kind of wish Crais had simply shot the mom for reals back when we thought he did. Huh. Crew meets itself. Plus my expected look at the other side of the Skarrans, holding in reserve of course the possibility that he’s very evil when he gets the juice back. You think Stark’s mask will update the remaining Crichton with the other’s experiences? On the one hand, that would solve the whole duality problem, but on the other, it’d be a little cheap and easy, depending on how they do it. Icky scummy alien goop scene + penis joke. Twofer! And speaking of penises, turns out the Nebari is Hedwig. Awwww! Rigel, bummer – brought low by a femme fatale. The worst casualty is his protective cynicism. So, I was wondering what happened to the Skarran. He’s the only survivor, right, assuming that the disassembled dude on the slab was blown to (smaller) smithereens. Anyway, here he is, chatting up Jool. D&D invasion! Weird little goblin trolls bust in, thinking this story is about them somehow! (You know, those collars seem to have some downside, in unexpected situations.) And what’s this? Insurance fraud? This whole bit is more of a genre switch interlude than the cartooning. Fuck … harsh on the medical ship. Seems a bit precipitous, considering that all of Talyn’s sudden violence to date turned out to be justified when the full story was known. I don’t even know where to start. This is incredibly awesome, not a note out of place, every scene a plot stresser. I’m lovin’ the power hierarchy of the Peacekeepers and every historical nuance without being an annoying re-presentation of dogma. It’s not just the Nazis, it’s a fascinating hybrid of both pre-WWII Britain and Germany. There’s a lot going on here – I’d give good money for a chance to talk with the creators about their inspirations and passions concerning the issues. Plus the fights – ooh, jetpack! Why look this must be … science fiction! Hilarious that Crichton doesn’t get or need any actual dialogue to communicate that exact sentiment. The episode transition scenes are riveting: the real Scorpius and the real John – the ultimate planner and the ultimate improviser, locked in simultaneous combat and alliance (and feeling the pain of every strike experienced by the other), hating each other worse than anyone else, and ultimately trusting one another more than anyone else. Ha! “Commandant Cleavage!” A nod to V’s Diana, or if it’s not, it should be. Cecilia and I call D’Argo’s cool-ass little space-skimmer “the Bat-Ship.” Hey! It suddenly occurs to me … did Talyn’s starburst work? (Later: no. But it was a thought.) I thought we had already stomped around in the muck of John’s unconsciousness about as much as humanly possible. But man! I am moved to cover my eyes at the exposure of so much naked psyche. Friends or home? I know I called it all the way back before season one ended. But she wants him the way he became, and he wants her the way she used to be …
The show makes absolutely no concessions to the new viewer. Switch it on, tune in, figure it out, and keep up, no expositions. It’s glorious for watching on DVD like we’re doing.
I think the writers never did quite know what to do with Talyn. He’s one of those great ideas that suddenly turned out to be way too big and important, and ultimately intractable as a sideline story.
Season Four
Man, Chiana’s gone crazier’n a shit-house rat. I had a girlfriend a lot like Sputnik (as Crichton calls her), including the utter amorality and that exact little head-tilt. The character’s giving me flashbacks of mingled lust and horror. Cecilia and I love the butt-dance sequence – classic Crichton berserk improv genius. Someone watched that old Scooby episode when Scoob and Shaggy did the up-and-down routine on the pulley-ropes for a really long tme. Weird! There’s a confrontation scene between Scorpius and whatsername, Commandant Cleavage, in the “Previously on Farscape” sequence, that Cecilia and I are positive we did not see in an actual episode. Cecilia points out that the planet location they land at looks very Stargate. Holy crap, Scorpius is in real trouble. Considering that he was arguably the hero of the two-parter near the end of the previous season, maybe it’s time for a rescue. “A couple of things” indeed! Later: “Boob sweat can make someone do anything,” says Cecilia. Which I knew. Shit! Every single person’s agenda gets screwed sidewise in this story, doesn’t it? I’m getting dizzy. Cecilia is bummed that they didn’t rescue Scorpius, but we agree that he’ll probably dig his own way out anyway, with his teeth if necessary. Ewwwwww! Double ewwwww! I thought I was inured to vomit by this late date, but they got me good. Somewhere, the show’s creators are laughing at me. Those are some serious d20’s. Dodecohedral studliness. Aerin looks quite gothy. I confess I don’t quite understand whether she has a whole Scorpius-style implant in her head, which would be pretty major if so. The new blonde aide doesn’t even last one episode? Man! I suppose it’s rude to point out that we have replaced one elitist, brilliant, red-headed, slim, cat-eyed, morally dubious female character with another … well, you get the idea. My guess is that the creators really wanted exactly one of those, and if Sikozu were to become inviable due to say, the, actress’ commitments or something, that we’d swiftly be seeing a third. As an individualizing detail, Sikozu does have an uncommonly nasty crazy-slasher smile. Chianna demonstrates exactly what happens when you tell someone X and also not to tell X to anyone else. Algebra sets in: put everybody into the parentheses, and then multiply through by X. Ewwwww! World’s nastiest hairball! Do you think that the writers started the season with a brainstorm session for all the different kinds of slime, muck, grot, and stink they’d use as they went along? That would be an amusing whiteboard. Stuck in a CRPG/LARP game! Like that never happens in science fiction TV, and like it’s ever any different, and I’m torn between wishing someone would do something different with it and wishing never ever ever to have to see it again. Great Maxx Headroom impression though. Sadly, after that, I find I tuned out a lot, and Cecilia had to explain various things as we went along. Maybe it would have been a fine half-hour romp. So we are totally going Die Hard with this little ship takeover. (Later: Crichton even says so.) The notable thing so far is the intelligence and teamwork everyone Is showing. And where is Scorpius? They certainly couldn’t have tied him up, could they? One of these days, I’m going to have to hold my nose and trace a whole school of genre SF characterizations and plot roles back to Boba Fett. Which means unfortunately delving into all manner of things I do not want the slightest contact with, but the very term “bounty hunter” seems to have entered the fandom and creator lexicon right next to “cleric” or “netrunner.” I might as well get a better look at it. Despite acknowledging myself to be a real enthusiast of Cowboy Bebop, I’m not really fond of the idea as it seems to have developed. It’s right up there with “spy” for all of the ridiculous assumptions and expectations it’s carrying. Coincidentally, my daughter received a few packs of Shrinky Dinks for Christmas, which I believe says it all about the situation. More intellectually, we’re also going serious SF retro this episode. Ewwwww! Stompy! (By the way, lots of Spanish is spoken this season. Wonder why.) “And since I’ve squeezed someone’s boobs, I am feeling much more assertive than I was yesterday.” Bugs! On reflection, bugs and grubs and basically interesting vermin have been thin on the ground since season one ended, in favor of hallucinations and goo. More substantively, this is a pretty good Star Trek tribal drama episode … although I am starting to think this season has more filler so far than all the previous seasons combined. Doctor Who hat award winner. That brings me to comment upon the general trend of Star Trek human aliens, which started last season but seems to have come to fruition by this point. Somewhere in the mission statement for the show reads, “How many times has our suspension of disbelief suffered when someone in a show is alleged to have hocked a loogie, and the camera cuts away? We say now, no more! In Farscape, whether clear, milky, oozing, dripping, or even with chunks, the viewer shall rest assured that bodily fluid verisimilitude shall always be maintained!” (Later: And now Scorpius really is a member of the crew. It’s always about the vomit.) Doesn’t anyone notice that this whorehouse is extremely boring? What happened to all our insanely cool/uncool Eurobars? They are working very hard to avoid (i) The Stars My Destination and (ii) The Terminator. Given that, whether they can dodge Back to the Future is the question; if they can, that’d be heroic. Later: it does seem to be going that way, though. Whoa. Was I just complaining about too much filler? I think the creators heard me. Plus, someone must have said, “Wait, aren’t we just doing Gilligan’s Island? Is the fucker never actually going back to Earth for real? And if not, what’s all that in the intro speech?” That was an insanely good, fascinating, heart-breaking story, and even if they didn’t designate it to be a multi-parter, it sure was. I also think the guy playing Jack must be the happiest actor ever, with all those neat versions and nuances of the character to play, a lot like the fun Tricia Helfer had with Number Six. D’Argo’s brother in law is clearly a jack-off lying creep. Any argument that’s founded on hysterical insistence + “Well you cooooould have …” is ass. Evidence, please. More scary d20’s! Is the teacher an interesting character or a stereotyped jerk? Hard to tell. He actually made the right call with Rigel (whose capacity to endure and direct pain is in no doubt by me), but I can’t see the Grasshopperiness in putting Crichton into the barbecue pit for days. Also, is anyone from Scorpius’ past simply and plainly a nice person? Just one? Face it, the whole shape-shifter + fruitless station shadowing business is padding. Plus you’d think that our gal heroes would look way different, just like the guys did, not merely colored differently. I am definitely liking Braca more and more, and I’m hoping to see him as more than just an extension of Scorpius, eventually. The Skarrans and the Charrids display a definite Vance influence, specifically the Dirdir. It could easily be indirect or even far removed, considering how thoroughly that fictional species has permeated modern SF, but it’s unmistakable when present. Cool – a similar episode to the media ones on Babylon 5. Ha ha, the creators’ opinion of anthropology and sociology is similar to mine. As far as indictments of general humanity go, though, this is even harsher than that Earth-simulation episode. I particularly like Noranti’s excellent comments on religion, and the hysterical reactions. Ah … I was wondering whether the business with the one guy who remembered the eighties events was going to be important. It seemed a little thin within the context of that episode alone. Funny … he’s sort of the butt of the situation, but his situation is no different from John’s throughout the whole show: basically right, trying to fit it together with whatever he thinks he knows, trying to reach out and participate with everyone else, judged to be nuts by everyone else, and to some extent, embracing the insanity in order to survive. See, two complementary things make sense right at this instant of the show. (1) John has, in fact, told Earth to “look up and see the wonders I’ve seen,” so there’s nowhere to go from here except outwards to the political sphere. (2) Scorpius, not humanity, not Luxxans, is the barbarian of the setting, including the difficult question of comparative nobility or atrocity. Incidentally, they never did tell us how he made his way out of that grave, did they? Holy cow, the abortion scene. That is really hard core. And then John on the alternate Moya? Yeesh. Moral event horizon or what? (Later: OK, neither of those worked out to be quite as bad as initially depicted, but still.) Lady MacBeth moment. A sorceress is born. A minor technical point: I confess I do not get it. How can you learn “all he knows” about something from his kid’s DNA? Amazing what Rigel can accomplish with publicly inappropriate body fluids. It didn’t even have to be incendiary this time. (Later: good point, Noranti. There is no such thing as a fake disease.) The swelling patriotic music behind John’s sarcastic “what an American wants” speech is … I’m not sure what it is. That is very thought-provoking. What the fuck? Bio-what? Bioloids? Weird rotating eyeballs? A fifth column of dissidents? And whoa, Stark? Not how I expected to see him again. I’ve always dreaded a showdown between him and Crichton. Seems the Skarran emperor, despite looking like a gigantic lobster, is actually one step ahead of John, no small feat. (Later: whoops. I think that makes four anti-hubris bombs that guy’s detonated? Or five?) Huh. So there are two Starks and that wasn’t the real one. Whoa. Repeat. Pretty much all I have to say about the final episode and a half.
Earth, America, and America by any other name
Do I have to repeat this? It’s not about finding his way home.
Pretty sure none of the writers have been pregnant
The Peacekeeper Wars – Damn good thing I ordered this DVD, huh?
Ewwwww! Nice to see Rigel enjoying an aquatic jaunt for once. And look, vomit! In case you weren’t sure what show this was. Who is that leather bikini hottie on Scorpius’ bridge? Sikozu? Why is she not red and scaly? Wait, Grayza is preggers too? Who and how? Now that is a turkey baster. Late in the game to point this out, but Cecilia’s right that starburst is clearly an homage to Tron. It’s great to see Edgley’s martial arts on screen, but as far as Chiana the character is concerned, I liked the way that she was more of a scrappy untrained punk, but doubly lethal when she was outmatched, scrambling around, and grabbing whatever came to hand. I knew the Eidolon dude would say that. Are these guys annoying elf elders or what? Ahhh … great origin for the Peacekeepers! I mean, never mind the human origin, that’s been obvious from the beginning, but the cultural thing that they really were “peacekeepers” of the most idealistic sort, that’s really neat. Huh, Jothee looks more Luxxan than he used to. Nice to see him, though. Although … Luxxans may not be exactly the right people to introduce themselves into the rather wonderful Federation-ness (as Crichton calls it) developing before us. Only in Farscape would you see a vaginal-probe insertion during a blaster-pistol fight, involving one of the active combatants. Black has this hilarious talent of grimacing to convey, simultaneously, “This is no big deal, really, we’re all enlightened here,” and “I am so totally uncomfortable and embarrassed.” To see her hitching her hips to accommodate the nozzle between shooting opponents, making those faces – I’m calling that one of the show’s crowning moments. Peace, peace, peace. “We all want peace.” I am so done with this word. Charrids vs. Luxxans: that is a whole lot of dreadlocks swinging around. Ho … lee shit! Sikozu? That is both plausible and depressing. I do not want to see what Scorpius does to her. Baby! Pretty good Apgar score too, if I haven’t lost my touch. “Yup, looks like a newborn,” says Cecilia, “Kind of like a Hinerian.” And Black was born to be filmed carrying her baby and firing a heavy rifle. Oh no … this is one show in which I really, really do not want to see any of the heroes die. Later: and who knew it’d be Pilot’s reaction which truly drives the point home. He found his way home. He cracked the technological secret of the galaxy. He discovered and excelled in his childhood dream. He found a family of friends. He earned the respect of anyone and everyone who thought they’d use him. He united his home planet with the larger galactic culture and as best as anyone could, safely. He re-introduced two long-separated branches of humanity. He found his love and started a family. The question is, at this last moment, has he lost his soul? He is certainly trying as hard as he can to hold onto it. Even if they all agree, is this not an atrocity that merely shocks them into silence? We are Crichton. That’s our question. The show raises it explicitly, without triumphalism.
“American politics, Nixon to Clinton. Lose it.” “Welcome to my Cold War.”