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scifi_rewatchThis cleverly-named episode (referring to an unwanted bug spawning, called Genesis, happening on Moya) is a nice piece of subtle work to draw out character relationships, reveal some more genetic differences between Sebaceans and Humans, and basically catch up with a small part of Crais’s Peacekeeper force. The bug plotline in itself is kinda silly, but kudos that it brought the rest of this out! John looks to Zhaan for some “warrior bonding 101” advice, Aeryn hesitatingly trusts him and Pilot, D’argo hesitatingly reaches out to Aeryn, and our favorite human tries to negotiate with the bugs, though they seem to prefer Rygel’s counsel. :P Now that I’ve gotten the basic summary out of the way, let’s jump into the particulars!
We open on a fairly normal day in Moya…Rygel paints a crude self-portrait, labeling it “perfection.” John, after quite stupidly complaining to D’argo about the lack of dental hygiene products in space, gets a little alien called a “dentic” shoved in his mouth. Hey, I was grossed out the first time I saw it, too, but if it works better than my own attempts to “manually” brush my teeth… :P I love “Farscape”’s creative answers to mundane problems.
The ship lurches and D’argo, John and Zhaan join Aeryn on command, but not before John’s throwaway line about the dentic tasting minty. Outside the crew looks at strange asteroid debris, but a more pressing problem is a marauder on the other side! We see a pixilated CGI hologram atop one of the controls. A marauder, Aeryn explains, a five-member crew, highly trained, “success measured by body count.” Gulp. Fortunately the debris seems to impede their scans, and the PK ship goes away. Pilot awkwardly thanks Aeryn for her help; Aeryn maintains that Moya “got lucky.”
…but we all know that “Moya” and “luck” don’t go together, as a bit of the debris suddenly enters the ship! I love how it’s accompanied by spacey, planetarium music. Nice lead into the opening credits.
John and Aeryn are working in the maintenance bay, and the former-PK gives us humans more intel about marauders. Their crew people are called commandos, and they follow a strict, cross-hatch search path. Aeryn herself was attempting to transfer to a marauder crew before she got caught up in “this little mutiny.” Aaw. Masking her emotions, she decides to goad John, supposing that Earth has no force “so ruthless, so disciplined.” “We call them linebackers, or serial killers; just depends on whether they’re professionals or amateur,” John responds. Not exactly an official Crichtonism but great line, man. :P
Beneath a table, something blurry and emitting small cricket-sounds watches the two humanoids. John tries to reach out to Aeryn, claiming that since they’re stuck together they should try to be… “What?” Aeryn challenges. “Family? Friends? I want neither.” John doesn’t let up; what if she needs something from someone some day? “No offense, human,” Aeryn responds, “but what could I possibly need from you?” Sounds foreshadowing to me, hee.
Zhaan admires Rygel’s painting, asking the Dominar, “is that how you see yourself?” Thanks to the ship-lurch, a smear of red covers both the real and the painted Rygel’s lips. The Hynerian boasts that his mother had his older brothers banished because he was the most handsome. :P The blurry, cricket things are watching these two as well. Zhaan cleans Rygel’s face and then turns to the painting, working on it with rapid, unhuman speed. When she’s finished with the better executed, more pompous piece of art she calls it a “spirit painting,” which shows the dominar’s inner spirit. Rygel comments that it looks a bit like his ancestor, Rygel the first.
In the maintenance bay a jumpy Aeryn asks if John feels hot but he doesn’t. D’argo comms down, though, and asks them to check out strange temperature readings. John waves his hand over an “Ouija board” control, and almost gets his hand stung with an unseen pincher! The device reads a small difference in heat, but Aeryn thinks it’s hotter. She actually does get stung by a dart, calling it a “metal splinter” and disposing of it, bloody tip and all. A small, mechanical hand grabs it once the two humanoids have vacated the room. Uh oh.
On Command, D’argo pulls a similarly bloody splinter from his hand. Pilot says that Moya’s propulsion is causing the heat; something is blocking the vents. Aeryn is still irritated, wanting to storm off and search the ship, though Zhaan says they should stick together. Aeryn and D’argo share a couple of japes about how in Luxan territory, “this is a mild, winter morning.” “No wonder Sebaceans hate your world.” Eh, lacks the bite of last week’s eppy! :P
John and Zhaan stick together. John attempts to adjust the heat valve but Zhaan laughs gently; he’s pushing it the wrong way. John is grateful that Zhaan is sympathetic to his adjustment process on Moya. The others are such meanies. What did you expect? Zhaan counters. With Aeryn and D’argo, everything is like some test, a “never-ending frat hazing at Alien U.” “They’re soldiers; win their respect,” Zhaan advises. “Actions speak to them….like fixing the heat.” Zhaan is such a mommy figure. <3
One of the cricket critters is grabbing some hair from John’s brush when the human enters his quarters. We get our first, up-close look at the critters, which seem like re-dressed DRDs. John lurches onto his ledge and comms the others. He’s found the problem…two-feet-long bugs! The warrior crew tells him he has to capture one for examination. John doesn’t seem thrilled by the idea. :P He and the bug do a weird, dance-around-each-other routine before our human can get a sheet around him, banging it on the bed and some furniture to get the creature to stay still. John’s first kill, hee.
Zhaan dissects the thing so she can analyze it’s DNA. Rygel, nearby, rubs some of its blue innards onto the Delvian’s smock but Zhaan is distracted by something—the DNA belongs to John!
John, working with Aeryn and D’argo to get through a door sealed off with blue paste, is not thrilled by the DNA-sharing. Hey, it won’t be your last time, pal. :-“ Zhaan asks for another sample—alive this time. The blue paste isn’t coming off of the door to the Ion chamber, which the creatures have put there. D’argo is working alone; a sweaty, irritable Aeryn is taking a break down the hall. John asks what’s up with her, and we learn about heat delirium—Sebaceans lack the gland to adjust to hot temps. “It’s a weakness not enough of them die from,” D’argo concludes. Charming. The Luxan, frustrated at his lack of progress with the door, takes a blow-torch to Moya’s walls, and earns a sting from one of the DRDs, plus an angry lecture from Pilot. Things just aren’t fun when your ship’s alive. :P
John walks over to Aeryn, suggesting that she lie down in her quarters for awhile. Aeryn explains a little bit more about heat delirium, and how one’s nervous system shuts down in stages. Once long-term memory goes you basically go on as a comatose shell, in a state called “the living death.” Reminds me quite heavily of what happens to Wizards in Harry Potter after receiving a Dementor’s Kiss. Eep. “It’s the only time we kill our own out of mercy,” Aeryn concludes.
Meanwhile D’argo punches a vent in frustration, and sends the little critters inside running. The crew goes racing after them…the lights flickering as John approaches Zhaan near the temperature valve. Interestingly enough this time, Zhaan can’t figure out how to work the thing, but John can. Hmm. The human notes that what Zhaan was attempting made the ship hotter, not cooler, earning him a bitch-slap. :P Yowza! As John sprawls on the ground Zhaan barfs blue goo on the controls and then quietly walks away. Um…ok.
John goes to Aeryn in the command, complaining about Zhaan’s behavior. But Aeryn is acting a little off as well…she’s no longer sweating, and she’s making the ship hotter as well! Pilot appears on the clamshell to tell John to stop her…you know this means another ass-whoopin’ for our boy. :P John is finally able yank her arm off, strangely covered in blue goo, and that’s when the real Aeryn comes in. :-O We’re getting somewhere!
As the crew examines the fake, dead Aeryn, John explains that she looked and felt real; he couldn’t tell the difference. “The fact that it was going to sabotage the ship wasn’t a clue to you?” D’argo argues. Hey, man, you often expect the real Aeryn of doing the same. :P Zhaan confirms that the exterior is a perfect match. John notes that neither stabby Aeryn or Zhaan said a word to him…real Zhaan confirms that she hasn’t been back in the passageway. John finally catches on to the fact that the bugs are using their DNA to make copies of them. Eep! There could be hundreds of those things by now. D’argo goes into warrior mode, saying we’ll kill them all on sight. But how does the crew tell the difference between the reals and the fakes? D’argo again, extracting blade: “we will cut off the tip of our small finger!” LOL. John tries to dial it down, choosing some orange spray for the backs of their hands. …ooooor what about that thing where the bugs can’t talk? C’mon, crew! *rolls eyes*
Aeryn loses track of what she’s saying, a la short-term memory loss, meaning the heat delirium is really starting to affect her. Zhaan will continue to analyze the blue glue, looking for ways to dissolve it. Aeryn goes off to Pilot, brusquely brushing off the others’ concerns. Meanwhile we need someone to explore the vents…looks like Rygel’s on call again! When the dominar expresses resistance, D’argo bodily dumps him in. :P He and John then share a chortling moment. Looks like the hazing’s moved on to someone else, hee.
A disheveled, panting Aeryn is having trouble speaking with Pilot. She looks at her shaky hand, scared that she can’t hold a weapon or a thought. As she faints, Pilot catches her with one, long arm. He tells her, “It’s strange to be so close to a Peacekeeper I don’t fear.” That was a compliment. Aaaw. To alleviate the heat Pilot wants to open the outer doors to space. Aeryn is concerned that this will leave them open to attack but Pilot points out “we’re already under attack.” So what else is new? ;)
John and D’argo keep thumping on the walls scaring the bugs—and Rygel. The dominar continues to wander as he hears noises. John is distracted by Aeryn’s heat delirium. D’argo remembers seeing Sebaceans under the effect, begging for death. John gets in D’argo’s face, claiming that he wants Aeryn to die. D’argo disagrees, saying Aeryn (and the human) are comrades now, but John doesn’t stop arguing. “The part of me that wants Aeryn to live is greater than the part of me that wants all Peacekeepers to die,” D’argo affirms brusquely. …considering his monumental hatred for the PKs, that seems like a pretty big statement, actually.
Aeryn, now leaning against Pilot’s console, peels her clothes off. Moya’s majestic helper can’t think of a way to better the PK’s situation; perhaps the others can? Aeryn brushes it off—they won’t care that she’s in trouble. “My kind imprisoned them; I’m sure they haven’t forgotten.” Pilot can’t argue with this.
Inside the vents, Rygel peers through a small window then crawls in, finding a cocoon-nest thing on the other side. He comms the others as lots of eggs roll out, immediately hatching into bugs. “They’re making us their home,” John guesses. “Then I’m moving!” Rygel proclaims. :P
Back in the lab, Zhaan has finally found a dissolvent against the blue goo. But before we get too comfortable, a bug comes up and stabs her in the neck! :-O Heart in throat time! D’argo grunts, running off for search-and-rescue, and bugs chase Rygel. Pilot comms to say that Aeryn is nearly unconscious. A DRD keeps prodding her awake. John continues to comm the non-responsive Rygel. Instead he gets a tap on the shoulder…from a John clone! Finally, some human life in the Uncharted Territories. ;)
John and his clone continue to stare at each other. In response to the orange marking, the clone holds his hand up and produces the same one. Told y’all to just go by talking ability! :P John tries to talk to the thing, but his clone beats him up, which strikes me as patently unfair; poor John has enough beings beating on him; don’t need to add himself! ;) This time, though, John fights back and sends the clone sprawling to the floor. “That’s how Andy Marks beat your ass in the seventh grade!” the real human says triumphantly. …doesn’t sound like much of a triumph, hee.
D’argo carries Aeryn to the command; still no sign of Zhaan. John enters with the gooey clone head while the former PK speaks incoherently about some flight mission from the past. Rygel checks in to say that he’s sitting still in the vents, which seems to keep the bugs away from him. And finally here comes Zhaan, still unable to get the stinger out. As D’argo moves to cut it out, Zhaan goes Exorcist-style. She’s possessed! The being inside her introduces herself as Monarch; three clones, of D’argo, Aeryn and John, come in behind her. She says Moya attacked her during her “genesis,” so now they all must die! Dum dum duuuum.
John is finally putting more pieces together. The genesis is a spawning process, and Monarch needs a warm place to give birth before returning to space. Monarch blames them for starting the attack when our human balled the bug up in his room. D’argo says this is still a war that they must fight to the end, but John attempts negotiation. They didn’t mean to harm her, he says. How much time do you need for your birthing? Monarch says she doesn’t understand the concept of time, but she’s about halfway through. Half doesn’t sound so good when looking at a shaky Aeryn. Monarch wants to know why Moya resists amping up more heat. “Because she’s a living being,” John says. “This heat is very bad for our habitat.” No shizz, man. D’argo’s still on the edge of attack, sending the clones towards him. John tries again—if it gets too warm, our habitat will die and then you bugs will die. That backs the clones up. Seems like they’re finally open to “talk,” at least metaphorically. :P
Later Rygel complains about the truce John made… “this is why I should handle all negotiations!” Rygel will prove to have an interesting track record with that. :P The rest of the crew is in one set of quarters; Aeryn is on the bed while D’argo attends to Zhaan’s neck wound. She says she still senses Monarch’s presence, and she was a prisoner in her own mind. …just keep that on the backburner for this show, hee. :P Anywho. John explains that so long as they don’t move, Monarch will keep the heat down, finish her cycle quickly, and birth no more clones. Sounds like things are finally turning around!
This is, of course, when the Marauder enters Moya’s open doors and lands inside. :-O The commandos come across the dead Aeryn clone, taking it for the real one. They figure it’s an ironic sense of mercy, since their former colleague would have been court-martialed anyway. That’s right; these peeps come from Crais!
The commandos are confused about why Moya is flying “dead in space” when they come across and kill a D’argo clone. In response, Monarch brings the heat back up. Aeryn groans on the bed and Pilot reports intruders. The bugs don’t get the difference, though; Monarch locks our crew in quarters while the commandos storm another hall and kill another D’argo clone. This is curious, too, as they only heard reports of one Luxan on Moya. The blue, gooey blood is weird too, but they press forward.
John tries to reach Monarch to say they weren’t the ones to attack just now, but so far Zhaan is unpossessed. Aeryn brings John close and wants him to promise to kill her if the living death takes hold. John, of course, is reticent, so Aeryn reminds him of his words of camaraderie from before. “A friend would do this for me. Family would do it swiftly.” John and D’argo both look conflicted by her words.
Outside, the commandos are also getting affected by the heat. One of them wants to retreat, but the leader drags them to command. Back in the vents, Rygel has been given the task to negotiate. At first he refuses, until Zhaan brings up the question—“what would Rygel the first do?” Nice tie-back. Rygel rolls his shoulders back and goes into the nest. I think this is the first time we’ve seen him walk!
Aeryn’s still in bad shape and there’s no further word from Rygel. John starts to feel guilty about laying that task on the Hynerian, but Zhaan is finally re-possessed by Monarch. She says that she trusts “their sovereign,” which gets D’argo growling, “Rygel is not my sovereign!” “He is today,” a wise John notes. :P
The commandos kill a John clone and then a bug. Monarch shows signs of pain. John suggests that she let them out to diffuse the situation. Monarch finally nods and unlocks the doors to an Aeryn clone outside. John shares a tense moment of the real one before the human suggests to Monarch that she crank up the heat. A-gulp. Aeryn grunts and pants, and Monarch brings Zhaan back. The Delvian says she’ll look after Aeryn while the boys go out to confront the commandos. D’argo puts a comforting hand on Aeryn’s shoulder first, aaw. Maybe his words from before were true. He’s still not thrilled to be paired with John, though. :P Aeryn tells John to remember his promise.
The commandos are sweaty and discombobulated as they step over one of the D’argos that they killed…except this happens to be the real D’argo! As the final dude passes, D’argo knees him in the groin and takes him down with his knife. Badass! Zhaan puts Aeryn in a cold shower, where she still mumbles about John’s promise.
John himself confronts the staggering commandos in command…followed by another John…and another one! Poor PKs are confused enough as they shakily hold up their weapons. The leader finally orders his troops to kill them all, and the real John comes in. He kneels down, all calm, by the leader and asks, “You ever have one of those days when life just wasn’t what you thought it would be?” LOL John. “I killed you!” the leader proclaimed. “Still here,” John says. The lead drops his gun…his colleagues are twitching on the ground. What kind of creature are you? They ask. Ah, there’s the rub! “Good question,” John says. “Too bad Crais didn’t ask before he declared war on me.” Smooth, John, smooth. Though honestly, I’d think most species could easily triumph against PKs if heat is their main vice. Kinda makes me question how they could get so powerful…then again, space is cold. :P Yeah.
D’argo storms in to do some killin’, but John’s got this. He tells the leader that he has two choices—stick around in the heat or go back to Crais. “Tell him he picked the wrong species to mess with.” Nice Clint Eastwood moment. :P John promises that he can deliver heat delirium to all PKs. Eep. The leader uses his last bout of strength to fall on John and put a knife to his throat, but D’argo is there with a gun to the head. Ah, shipmate love. John is cool under fire, still talking smack around the knife. Finally the commandos back off and the marauder leaves!
The DRDs clean off the gunk while John and D’argo return to the others. D’argo calls his shipmate’s move a “brave gamble” and John replies, “You wouldn’t have let them kill me…right?” Hee. John risked Aeryn’s life as well, D’argo points out. The human is hoping Crais will leave them alone after this, but at least he’s smart enough to sound doubtful. A little heat delirium won’t keep Crais from vengeance! :-/ We’ll have to wait and see.
Rygel has returned from a spa—“I had blue crud up in places you don’t want to know about.” John says Rygel did a good job; the Dominar is still preening about his ancestral blood. Pilot reports that the temperature is optimal now. Aeryn is on the terrace, but Monarch re-possesses Zhaan to say goodbye to everyone else. She pleased by their “encounter”…with Rygel! John looks a little bemused that he’s been out-negotiated. :P “We shall not meet again, my lord,” Monarch says sadly, stroking Ryg’s face. “Don’t worry; this one will last me a lifetime,” a less sentimental Rygel responds.
Zhaan is back, taking one last look at the pretty space debris. John leads her down to her quarters, and she says she can always lean on him. <3 She commends John for behaving like “a man of action.” John is still perturbed—every time he thinks he gets the hang of it, things change again and he’s more confused than before. “Time and patience,” Zhaan advises. Yet another saying that will come to have deeper meaning on “Farscape.” Zhaan claims that they were ignorant when they thought they had to destroy the bugs, though John says they’re still pests. Zhaan counters that they can still learn to work together, like with the dentics. Isn’t that how things operate on Earth? I guess…John supposes. Zhaan says distinctions can be tricky—Moya is a protector and also a servant to the crew. A mutual, symbiotic relationship.
“So who lives and dies on your world? Is it as arbitrary as it is on mine?” Deep, John. That’s the answer for all living beings, Zhaan replies. We realize it with patience…and time. Nice circle effect. The message may be a little heavy-handed, but I truly feel that “Farscape” is asking the questions that are important to all of us on our journeys, not just John. Our human in the Uncharted Territories is just lucky enough to have such a wise mentor as Zhaan.
John finally joins Aeryn on the terrace. Aeryn can’t remember everything that’s happened, but at least the shakes are gone. Weapon-holding ftw! She comments that she always thought lesser life forms were useless, “something to be squashed.” John, thinking he’s continuing the Zhaan conversation, takes a moment to realize that Aeryn is talking about him, not the bugs. :P Woops. Aeryn asks if John could’ve kept his promise, but our human doesn’t answer. They stare out silently at the asteroid dust. That terrace set was too-little used on “Farscape,” alas!
LOOONG review! Especially when I thought the bugs were a little lame and predictable. I also have my doubts about this very serious Sebacean/PK genetic flaw, but as we meet new characters, I think that heat delirium will take up new meaning. *zips lips for now!*
What I’m most impressed by in these early episodes of “Farscape” are the subtle interactions, which are changing our crewmates from enemies to friends (or at least people worth giving a second look to.) I love how John so easily aligns with Zhaan who is understanding of his ignorance and peaceful, like him, though he’s learning to be more of a warrior like Aeryn and D’argo as well. The two of them are the most rigid, but even they are looking to see past each other’s differences and form a new crew. And Rygel, for his part, has pulled his share for Moya and the folks. I’m most shocked by remembering how kind John was to him in the beginning. :P Later they develop a more mocking, even slightly animosity-laden relationship (as Rygel does with most everyone but Zhaan,) but for now, the hazing’s just begun. ;)
___
We open on a fairly normal day in Moya…Rygel paints a crude self-portrait, labeling it “perfection.” John, after quite stupidly complaining to D’argo about the lack of dental hygiene products in space, gets a little alien called a “dentic” shoved in his mouth. Hey, I was grossed out the first time I saw it, too, but if it works better than my own attempts to “manually” brush my teeth… :P I love “Farscape”’s creative answers to mundane problems.
The ship lurches and D’argo, John and Zhaan join Aeryn on command, but not before John’s throwaway line about the dentic tasting minty. Outside the crew looks at strange asteroid debris, but a more pressing problem is a marauder on the other side! We see a pixilated CGI hologram atop one of the controls. A marauder, Aeryn explains, a five-member crew, highly trained, “success measured by body count.” Gulp. Fortunately the debris seems to impede their scans, and the PK ship goes away. Pilot awkwardly thanks Aeryn for her help; Aeryn maintains that Moya “got lucky.”
…but we all know that “Moya” and “luck” don’t go together, as a bit of the debris suddenly enters the ship! I love how it’s accompanied by spacey, planetarium music. Nice lead into the opening credits.
John and Aeryn are working in the maintenance bay, and the former-PK gives us humans more intel about marauders. Their crew people are called commandos, and they follow a strict, cross-hatch search path. Aeryn herself was attempting to transfer to a marauder crew before she got caught up in “this little mutiny.” Aaw. Masking her emotions, she decides to goad John, supposing that Earth has no force “so ruthless, so disciplined.” “We call them linebackers, or serial killers; just depends on whether they’re professionals or amateur,” John responds. Not exactly an official Crichtonism but great line, man. :P
Beneath a table, something blurry and emitting small cricket-sounds watches the two humanoids. John tries to reach out to Aeryn, claiming that since they’re stuck together they should try to be… “What?” Aeryn challenges. “Family? Friends? I want neither.” John doesn’t let up; what if she needs something from someone some day? “No offense, human,” Aeryn responds, “but what could I possibly need from you?” Sounds foreshadowing to me, hee.
Zhaan admires Rygel’s painting, asking the Dominar, “is that how you see yourself?” Thanks to the ship-lurch, a smear of red covers both the real and the painted Rygel’s lips. The Hynerian boasts that his mother had his older brothers banished because he was the most handsome. :P The blurry, cricket things are watching these two as well. Zhaan cleans Rygel’s face and then turns to the painting, working on it with rapid, unhuman speed. When she’s finished with the better executed, more pompous piece of art she calls it a “spirit painting,” which shows the dominar’s inner spirit. Rygel comments that it looks a bit like his ancestor, Rygel the first.
In the maintenance bay a jumpy Aeryn asks if John feels hot but he doesn’t. D’argo comms down, though, and asks them to check out strange temperature readings. John waves his hand over an “Ouija board” control, and almost gets his hand stung with an unseen pincher! The device reads a small difference in heat, but Aeryn thinks it’s hotter. She actually does get stung by a dart, calling it a “metal splinter” and disposing of it, bloody tip and all. A small, mechanical hand grabs it once the two humanoids have vacated the room. Uh oh.
On Command, D’argo pulls a similarly bloody splinter from his hand. Pilot says that Moya’s propulsion is causing the heat; something is blocking the vents. Aeryn is still irritated, wanting to storm off and search the ship, though Zhaan says they should stick together. Aeryn and D’argo share a couple of japes about how in Luxan territory, “this is a mild, winter morning.” “No wonder Sebaceans hate your world.” Eh, lacks the bite of last week’s eppy! :P
John and Zhaan stick together. John attempts to adjust the heat valve but Zhaan laughs gently; he’s pushing it the wrong way. John is grateful that Zhaan is sympathetic to his adjustment process on Moya. The others are such meanies. What did you expect? Zhaan counters. With Aeryn and D’argo, everything is like some test, a “never-ending frat hazing at Alien U.” “They’re soldiers; win their respect,” Zhaan advises. “Actions speak to them….like fixing the heat.” Zhaan is such a mommy figure. <3
One of the cricket critters is grabbing some hair from John’s brush when the human enters his quarters. We get our first, up-close look at the critters, which seem like re-dressed DRDs. John lurches onto his ledge and comms the others. He’s found the problem…two-feet-long bugs! The warrior crew tells him he has to capture one for examination. John doesn’t seem thrilled by the idea. :P He and the bug do a weird, dance-around-each-other routine before our human can get a sheet around him, banging it on the bed and some furniture to get the creature to stay still. John’s first kill, hee.
Zhaan dissects the thing so she can analyze it’s DNA. Rygel, nearby, rubs some of its blue innards onto the Delvian’s smock but Zhaan is distracted by something—the DNA belongs to John!
John, working with Aeryn and D’argo to get through a door sealed off with blue paste, is not thrilled by the DNA-sharing. Hey, it won’t be your last time, pal. :-“ Zhaan asks for another sample—alive this time. The blue paste isn’t coming off of the door to the Ion chamber, which the creatures have put there. D’argo is working alone; a sweaty, irritable Aeryn is taking a break down the hall. John asks what’s up with her, and we learn about heat delirium—Sebaceans lack the gland to adjust to hot temps. “It’s a weakness not enough of them die from,” D’argo concludes. Charming. The Luxan, frustrated at his lack of progress with the door, takes a blow-torch to Moya’s walls, and earns a sting from one of the DRDs, plus an angry lecture from Pilot. Things just aren’t fun when your ship’s alive. :P
John walks over to Aeryn, suggesting that she lie down in her quarters for awhile. Aeryn explains a little bit more about heat delirium, and how one’s nervous system shuts down in stages. Once long-term memory goes you basically go on as a comatose shell, in a state called “the living death.” Reminds me quite heavily of what happens to Wizards in Harry Potter after receiving a Dementor’s Kiss. Eep. “It’s the only time we kill our own out of mercy,” Aeryn concludes.
Meanwhile D’argo punches a vent in frustration, and sends the little critters inside running. The crew goes racing after them…the lights flickering as John approaches Zhaan near the temperature valve. Interestingly enough this time, Zhaan can’t figure out how to work the thing, but John can. Hmm. The human notes that what Zhaan was attempting made the ship hotter, not cooler, earning him a bitch-slap. :P Yowza! As John sprawls on the ground Zhaan barfs blue goo on the controls and then quietly walks away. Um…ok.
John goes to Aeryn in the command, complaining about Zhaan’s behavior. But Aeryn is acting a little off as well…she’s no longer sweating, and she’s making the ship hotter as well! Pilot appears on the clamshell to tell John to stop her…you know this means another ass-whoopin’ for our boy. :P John is finally able yank her arm off, strangely covered in blue goo, and that’s when the real Aeryn comes in. :-O We’re getting somewhere!
As the crew examines the fake, dead Aeryn, John explains that she looked and felt real; he couldn’t tell the difference. “The fact that it was going to sabotage the ship wasn’t a clue to you?” D’argo argues. Hey, man, you often expect the real Aeryn of doing the same. :P Zhaan confirms that the exterior is a perfect match. John notes that neither stabby Aeryn or Zhaan said a word to him…real Zhaan confirms that she hasn’t been back in the passageway. John finally catches on to the fact that the bugs are using their DNA to make copies of them. Eep! There could be hundreds of those things by now. D’argo goes into warrior mode, saying we’ll kill them all on sight. But how does the crew tell the difference between the reals and the fakes? D’argo again, extracting blade: “we will cut off the tip of our small finger!” LOL. John tries to dial it down, choosing some orange spray for the backs of their hands. …ooooor what about that thing where the bugs can’t talk? C’mon, crew! *rolls eyes*
Aeryn loses track of what she’s saying, a la short-term memory loss, meaning the heat delirium is really starting to affect her. Zhaan will continue to analyze the blue glue, looking for ways to dissolve it. Aeryn goes off to Pilot, brusquely brushing off the others’ concerns. Meanwhile we need someone to explore the vents…looks like Rygel’s on call again! When the dominar expresses resistance, D’argo bodily dumps him in. :P He and John then share a chortling moment. Looks like the hazing’s moved on to someone else, hee.
A disheveled, panting Aeryn is having trouble speaking with Pilot. She looks at her shaky hand, scared that she can’t hold a weapon or a thought. As she faints, Pilot catches her with one, long arm. He tells her, “It’s strange to be so close to a Peacekeeper I don’t fear.” That was a compliment. Aaaw. To alleviate the heat Pilot wants to open the outer doors to space. Aeryn is concerned that this will leave them open to attack but Pilot points out “we’re already under attack.” So what else is new? ;)
John and D’argo keep thumping on the walls scaring the bugs—and Rygel. The dominar continues to wander as he hears noises. John is distracted by Aeryn’s heat delirium. D’argo remembers seeing Sebaceans under the effect, begging for death. John gets in D’argo’s face, claiming that he wants Aeryn to die. D’argo disagrees, saying Aeryn (and the human) are comrades now, but John doesn’t stop arguing. “The part of me that wants Aeryn to live is greater than the part of me that wants all Peacekeepers to die,” D’argo affirms brusquely. …considering his monumental hatred for the PKs, that seems like a pretty big statement, actually.
Aeryn, now leaning against Pilot’s console, peels her clothes off. Moya’s majestic helper can’t think of a way to better the PK’s situation; perhaps the others can? Aeryn brushes it off—they won’t care that she’s in trouble. “My kind imprisoned them; I’m sure they haven’t forgotten.” Pilot can’t argue with this.
Inside the vents, Rygel peers through a small window then crawls in, finding a cocoon-nest thing on the other side. He comms the others as lots of eggs roll out, immediately hatching into bugs. “They’re making us their home,” John guesses. “Then I’m moving!” Rygel proclaims. :P
Back in the lab, Zhaan has finally found a dissolvent against the blue goo. But before we get too comfortable, a bug comes up and stabs her in the neck! :-O Heart in throat time! D’argo grunts, running off for search-and-rescue, and bugs chase Rygel. Pilot comms to say that Aeryn is nearly unconscious. A DRD keeps prodding her awake. John continues to comm the non-responsive Rygel. Instead he gets a tap on the shoulder…from a John clone! Finally, some human life in the Uncharted Territories. ;)
John and his clone continue to stare at each other. In response to the orange marking, the clone holds his hand up and produces the same one. Told y’all to just go by talking ability! :P John tries to talk to the thing, but his clone beats him up, which strikes me as patently unfair; poor John has enough beings beating on him; don’t need to add himself! ;) This time, though, John fights back and sends the clone sprawling to the floor. “That’s how Andy Marks beat your ass in the seventh grade!” the real human says triumphantly. …doesn’t sound like much of a triumph, hee.
D’argo carries Aeryn to the command; still no sign of Zhaan. John enters with the gooey clone head while the former PK speaks incoherently about some flight mission from the past. Rygel checks in to say that he’s sitting still in the vents, which seems to keep the bugs away from him. And finally here comes Zhaan, still unable to get the stinger out. As D’argo moves to cut it out, Zhaan goes Exorcist-style. She’s possessed! The being inside her introduces herself as Monarch; three clones, of D’argo, Aeryn and John, come in behind her. She says Moya attacked her during her “genesis,” so now they all must die! Dum dum duuuum.
John is finally putting more pieces together. The genesis is a spawning process, and Monarch needs a warm place to give birth before returning to space. Monarch blames them for starting the attack when our human balled the bug up in his room. D’argo says this is still a war that they must fight to the end, but John attempts negotiation. They didn’t mean to harm her, he says. How much time do you need for your birthing? Monarch says she doesn’t understand the concept of time, but she’s about halfway through. Half doesn’t sound so good when looking at a shaky Aeryn. Monarch wants to know why Moya resists amping up more heat. “Because she’s a living being,” John says. “This heat is very bad for our habitat.” No shizz, man. D’argo’s still on the edge of attack, sending the clones towards him. John tries again—if it gets too warm, our habitat will die and then you bugs will die. That backs the clones up. Seems like they’re finally open to “talk,” at least metaphorically. :P
Later Rygel complains about the truce John made… “this is why I should handle all negotiations!” Rygel will prove to have an interesting track record with that. :P The rest of the crew is in one set of quarters; Aeryn is on the bed while D’argo attends to Zhaan’s neck wound. She says she still senses Monarch’s presence, and she was a prisoner in her own mind. …just keep that on the backburner for this show, hee. :P Anywho. John explains that so long as they don’t move, Monarch will keep the heat down, finish her cycle quickly, and birth no more clones. Sounds like things are finally turning around!
This is, of course, when the Marauder enters Moya’s open doors and lands inside. :-O The commandos come across the dead Aeryn clone, taking it for the real one. They figure it’s an ironic sense of mercy, since their former colleague would have been court-martialed anyway. That’s right; these peeps come from Crais!
The commandos are confused about why Moya is flying “dead in space” when they come across and kill a D’argo clone. In response, Monarch brings the heat back up. Aeryn groans on the bed and Pilot reports intruders. The bugs don’t get the difference, though; Monarch locks our crew in quarters while the commandos storm another hall and kill another D’argo clone. This is curious, too, as they only heard reports of one Luxan on Moya. The blue, gooey blood is weird too, but they press forward.
John tries to reach Monarch to say they weren’t the ones to attack just now, but so far Zhaan is unpossessed. Aeryn brings John close and wants him to promise to kill her if the living death takes hold. John, of course, is reticent, so Aeryn reminds him of his words of camaraderie from before. “A friend would do this for me. Family would do it swiftly.” John and D’argo both look conflicted by her words.
Outside, the commandos are also getting affected by the heat. One of them wants to retreat, but the leader drags them to command. Back in the vents, Rygel has been given the task to negotiate. At first he refuses, until Zhaan brings up the question—“what would Rygel the first do?” Nice tie-back. Rygel rolls his shoulders back and goes into the nest. I think this is the first time we’ve seen him walk!
Aeryn’s still in bad shape and there’s no further word from Rygel. John starts to feel guilty about laying that task on the Hynerian, but Zhaan is finally re-possessed by Monarch. She says that she trusts “their sovereign,” which gets D’argo growling, “Rygel is not my sovereign!” “He is today,” a wise John notes. :P
The commandos kill a John clone and then a bug. Monarch shows signs of pain. John suggests that she let them out to diffuse the situation. Monarch finally nods and unlocks the doors to an Aeryn clone outside. John shares a tense moment of the real one before the human suggests to Monarch that she crank up the heat. A-gulp. Aeryn grunts and pants, and Monarch brings Zhaan back. The Delvian says she’ll look after Aeryn while the boys go out to confront the commandos. D’argo puts a comforting hand on Aeryn’s shoulder first, aaw. Maybe his words from before were true. He’s still not thrilled to be paired with John, though. :P Aeryn tells John to remember his promise.
The commandos are sweaty and discombobulated as they step over one of the D’argos that they killed…except this happens to be the real D’argo! As the final dude passes, D’argo knees him in the groin and takes him down with his knife. Badass! Zhaan puts Aeryn in a cold shower, where she still mumbles about John’s promise.
John himself confronts the staggering commandos in command…followed by another John…and another one! Poor PKs are confused enough as they shakily hold up their weapons. The leader finally orders his troops to kill them all, and the real John comes in. He kneels down, all calm, by the leader and asks, “You ever have one of those days when life just wasn’t what you thought it would be?” LOL John. “I killed you!” the leader proclaimed. “Still here,” John says. The lead drops his gun…his colleagues are twitching on the ground. What kind of creature are you? They ask. Ah, there’s the rub! “Good question,” John says. “Too bad Crais didn’t ask before he declared war on me.” Smooth, John, smooth. Though honestly, I’d think most species could easily triumph against PKs if heat is their main vice. Kinda makes me question how they could get so powerful…then again, space is cold. :P Yeah.
D’argo storms in to do some killin’, but John’s got this. He tells the leader that he has two choices—stick around in the heat or go back to Crais. “Tell him he picked the wrong species to mess with.” Nice Clint Eastwood moment. :P John promises that he can deliver heat delirium to all PKs. Eep. The leader uses his last bout of strength to fall on John and put a knife to his throat, but D’argo is there with a gun to the head. Ah, shipmate love. John is cool under fire, still talking smack around the knife. Finally the commandos back off and the marauder leaves!
The DRDs clean off the gunk while John and D’argo return to the others. D’argo calls his shipmate’s move a “brave gamble” and John replies, “You wouldn’t have let them kill me…right?” Hee. John risked Aeryn’s life as well, D’argo points out. The human is hoping Crais will leave them alone after this, but at least he’s smart enough to sound doubtful. A little heat delirium won’t keep Crais from vengeance! :-/ We’ll have to wait and see.
Rygel has returned from a spa—“I had blue crud up in places you don’t want to know about.” John says Rygel did a good job; the Dominar is still preening about his ancestral blood. Pilot reports that the temperature is optimal now. Aeryn is on the terrace, but Monarch re-possesses Zhaan to say goodbye to everyone else. She pleased by their “encounter”…with Rygel! John looks a little bemused that he’s been out-negotiated. :P “We shall not meet again, my lord,” Monarch says sadly, stroking Ryg’s face. “Don’t worry; this one will last me a lifetime,” a less sentimental Rygel responds.
Zhaan is back, taking one last look at the pretty space debris. John leads her down to her quarters, and she says she can always lean on him. <3 She commends John for behaving like “a man of action.” John is still perturbed—every time he thinks he gets the hang of it, things change again and he’s more confused than before. “Time and patience,” Zhaan advises. Yet another saying that will come to have deeper meaning on “Farscape.” Zhaan claims that they were ignorant when they thought they had to destroy the bugs, though John says they’re still pests. Zhaan counters that they can still learn to work together, like with the dentics. Isn’t that how things operate on Earth? I guess…John supposes. Zhaan says distinctions can be tricky—Moya is a protector and also a servant to the crew. A mutual, symbiotic relationship.
“So who lives and dies on your world? Is it as arbitrary as it is on mine?” Deep, John. That’s the answer for all living beings, Zhaan replies. We realize it with patience…and time. Nice circle effect. The message may be a little heavy-handed, but I truly feel that “Farscape” is asking the questions that are important to all of us on our journeys, not just John. Our human in the Uncharted Territories is just lucky enough to have such a wise mentor as Zhaan.
John finally joins Aeryn on the terrace. Aeryn can’t remember everything that’s happened, but at least the shakes are gone. Weapon-holding ftw! She comments that she always thought lesser life forms were useless, “something to be squashed.” John, thinking he’s continuing the Zhaan conversation, takes a moment to realize that Aeryn is talking about him, not the bugs. :P Woops. Aeryn asks if John could’ve kept his promise, but our human doesn’t answer. They stare out silently at the asteroid dust. That terrace set was too-little used on “Farscape,” alas!
LOOONG review! Especially when I thought the bugs were a little lame and predictable. I also have my doubts about this very serious Sebacean/PK genetic flaw, but as we meet new characters, I think that heat delirium will take up new meaning. *zips lips for now!*
What I’m most impressed by in these early episodes of “Farscape” are the subtle interactions, which are changing our crewmates from enemies to friends (or at least people worth giving a second look to.) I love how John so easily aligns with Zhaan who is understanding of his ignorance and peaceful, like him, though he’s learning to be more of a warrior like Aeryn and D’argo as well. The two of them are the most rigid, but even they are looking to see past each other’s differences and form a new crew. And Rygel, for his part, has pulled his share for Moya and the folks. I’m most shocked by remembering how kind John was to him in the beginning. :P Later they develop a more mocking, even slightly animosity-laden relationship (as Rygel does with most everyone but Zhaan,) but for now, the hazing’s just begun. ;)
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