Farscape Episode 1.19: “Nerve”
Nov. 2nd, 2012 02:27 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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scifi_rewatchThe episode of episodes has arrived! Looking back, it seems like this is the final puzzle piece in introducing characters who will have the most impact on the rest of the “Farscape” series…but I don’t want to spoil you more than that. :P What we do see, however, is that the plot from the last episode leads into this one, and the plot from “A Human Reaction” has a far larger reach than we ever knew! So not only are many cast members introduced here, but so are many of the major themes and drive of “Farscape” into season two and beyond.
For a stand-alone episode (even though, technically it’s not, given the “to be continued…” at the end,) it was expertly paced with convenient plot points and character reveals (my favorite guest star made a reappearance!) and while normal obstacles were solved believably, bigger ones beyond our (or I daresay John’s) scope of understanding quickly took their place. But enough vague ramblings from above. Let’s get into the meat of this post, where I can discuss things in depth!
Aeryn is in the gym where she sparred with Matala in “Back and Back and Back to the Future;” this is an episode that references the past a lot. :P John comes in to ask if she’s joining them for dinner and she responds quite aggressively to leave her alone. He’s concerned about her exercising so soon after her encounter with Larraq’s “Swiss Peacekeeper Army Knife.” Despite his protests to open up to him, Aeryn insists that she’s fine…but then she throws up gory blood over her punching bag. :-O John aids her into a laying-down position and is about to comm for Zhaan, but Aeryn wants to go to her prowler instead. She explains how the knife must have pierced her peraphoral nerve—something unique to sebaceans, as a reminder that we’re different species—and if she doesn’t get a tissue graft from a compatible donor in 60 arns or so, she’s not going to make it. And since they’re nowhere near a Sebacean colony…or are they? That secret gammack base Larraq & co were trying to get to might come in handy after all.
But first John has to convince the rest of the crew. He stands, stoic and unyielding, not looking at any of them. They reminded him his PK deception fooled four space-weary commandos—briefly. If he’s found out this time, of course the whole crew is put at risk. And how swift an exit can an expecting-anytime Moya be prepared to make? So all of this is more important than the stark life-or-death choice Aeryn faces? John snaps. He’s ultimately able to guilt Rygel into saying that they should pool all their resources to save her life. Apparently, everyone follows the Hynerian’s lead in this matter.
Aeryn, now stooped over and coughing in her quarters, turns when John in PK-gear steps in. Even she isn’t on her own side when it means risking this much—but Pilot interrupts to say that they’re already at the gammack base. So instead, she asks if humans have any ritual for this sort of occasion; John posits the handshake and a “good luck.” It’s great how these subtle scenes actually show how much Aeryn is trying to reach out to him.
Moya is near a huge, yellow gas planet with one moon large enough for gravity—where the gammack base is. Some good news…the planet’s mass is large enough to shield them, as Pilot relays to Zhaan on command. Meanwhile, John is running diagnostics on the prowler when Chiana, dressed in her coat from “Durka Returns” and a scarf on her head waltzes in. She tells John that she’s going with him, which he doesn’t take to right away. Chi sells herself as “a burglar and a distraction-causer” who wants to earn her keep. John still isn’t buying…but that’s when she dangles Larraq’s ident chip in front of his face. Quite the grab when she was attacking him last ep! And would certainly make John’s job a lot easier (or possible at all. :P) Still, this is Chiana, after all, so he gives her a knowing look when he says ok and adds “if you’re gonna help.”
As they fly out of Moya in the prowler they confirm that they’re taking on their roles from last time: John= PK officer and Chiana = his server. They banter a little bit before seeing the gammack base—it looks like a bombed out mining base, but targeting systems are already on them. John opens comms and adopts his horrible accent to snark at the PKs who “can’t tell the difference between a friend and a foe.” His alpha attitude and vague identity as a “superior officer” is enough to get him landing coordinates…we see John take her down in a nice bit of CGI. Inside, John deboards to a long hallway…accompanied by PKs with guns in his face. The commander, wearing the same Japanese-inspired uniform as Crais, introduces himself as Javio. John basically mimics Larraq’s introduction from the last ep, secret mission and all. Still, he’s ordered to hand his ident chip over to the lieutenant who puts it in a machine, which verifies his identity. He brushes off Javio’s next question about how he knew the base was here by introducing “his server,” who waltzes in, slow-mo, taking off her scarf, and making “it’s hot in here” sound like it belongs in a porno. :P Oh, Chi. Though Javio is surprised that “Larraq” keeps company with a civilian (read: alien) he brushes it aside quickly and invites them both for drinks in the officer’s lounge.
In the lounge, which seems kinda like a techno bar, Chiana is clearly the center of attention as she’s on display among a variety of men. (“Males outnumber females here? 5 to 1? What do you poor guys do for fun?” she asks suggestively at one point.) Meanwhile, as she flirts away, Javio and John, to the side, are also admiring her. “Does she give good…value?” Javio asks; great cover for the obvious connotations here. :P But even Chiana can’t keep the attention from a sudden—obviously alien—presence in the doorway. As everyone goes silent looking at the gaunt, white-faced man in the head-to-toe black leather uniform, Javio excuses himself as “duty calls.” Once he and the alien leave, the lounge goes back to normal. John calls Chiana to him where he lectures about being elected “centerfold of the year” rather than helping Aeryn. Chiana grabs him suggestively and points out that the more they look at her, the less they look at him. Touche.
Later, they walk with the lieutenant, Hesko, to their quarters, but are stopped by a new test…a DNA test. Gulp. He and Chiana use their alpha-male and flirtatious disguises to try and overpass this, but Hesko is insistent. He’s the one surrounded by guns, too, so. Tension mounts as John sticks his hands into bright ovals…analyzing, analyzing… and finally says “genetic scan verified.” :-O John and Chi quickly mask their true expressions and carry on, brusquely refusing Hesko’s accompaniment any longer. On their own, they briefly ponder how the hell they got away with it, when a voice to the side of the hall whispers “Larraq!” It’s Gilina, from “PK Tech Girl”! She quickly moves deep into an oval-shaped room, hiding from view until John and Chi enter, and the doors snap shut behind them. John has his gun on her even when she comes into view “Is Crais here?” he asks in a panic. Turns out she’s been reassigned to the gammack base to help with weapons development—“New weapons in Peacekeeper hands. Just what the galaxy needs,” John quips. He explains to Chi that she’s a friend and Gilina explains how she saw him in the lounge and knew he’d need help getting to quarters, so she overrode the system. What a pal! She’s obviously smitten to see John again, but John is distracted and aloof.
Quick cut to Javio and the alien talking about the need for more efficiency for “the Aurora chair.” Uh oh. We’ll come back to that… Anywho. John dumps Aeryn’s tissue sample in front of Gilina and explains their situation. Gilina says no prob—she can do directly to the med techs—but John’s protectiveness suddenly makes an appearance. He doesn’t want her to risk herself…until she points out the obvious reasons why she should go and he should stay hidden. Once she goes, even Chiana leaves John alone by heading back to the lounge to flirt for more drinks. That part’s not as much of an act for her. :P
On Moya, Rygel approaches Aeryn, in bed and covered up to her chin, on his thronesled. He insists, babbling, that he’s here to check on her, and Aeryn counters that he’s checking to see if she’s dead so he can go through her things. Rygel claims resentment—especially since she has nothing worth taking. :P D’argo comes in and is able to entice Ryg to go to command because “a quick decision might be required if the Peacekeepers arrive.” Nice play to his ego. :P I love how well the characters know each other now. Meanwhile, Aeryn tells D’argo that she prefers to die alone—quite different than what she told John several eps back, it should be noted.
In the officer’s lounge Chiana is getting comfortable with Hesko until Javio comes in and shooes him off. The new pair flirts for a bit…ending with Javio making an offer for her services. Seems like the “forbidden fruit” of alien companionship is enticing to PKs! He poses his lifestyle as far more “civilized” than “Larraq” and his covert-ops/constant danger. He does have the tendency to constantly invite danger, Chi admits, which seems truthful about the Moyans on a whole. She says she’ll think about his offer…wonder if there’s any honesty to that. :/ Anywho. On Moya, Zhaan and D’argo talk about what they can do to help Aeryn—nothing but the graft can cure her, but can Moya take some of her toxins? D’argo posits. Luckily, on the gammack base, Gilina returns quickly with a synthesized match. Medical has gotten better since Aeryn was forced out! :P She presents it to John in an injector. As he ekes out a thank you, Gilina kisses his eyebrows, like before, but to little response this time. John says he has to get back to save Aeryn’s life. “We always seem to be saying goodbye,” Gilina says sadly. John at least has the grace to look troubled before walking out the door.
John strolls in the hallway towards the DNA checkpoint…the alien and a female sebacean assistant with bright red hair and a black leather outfit are walking towards him to creeper music. The alien looks briefly at John…then approaches a guard with the words: “That man, he’s an impostor. Seize him.” Dun dun DUUUN! John tries to fight them off, but he’s pretty severely out numbered. At least when they kick him to the floor, he’s able to hide the injector in a low cubby hole, unseen, before they drag him off. I knew John’s plan was too good to be true! :/
John is strapped to a chair…the Aurora Chair?...which rotates on a dias. The alien introduces himself as Scorpius and poo-poos John’s “Larraq” spiel. John notes that Scorpius doesn’t look Sebacean and Scorpius notes that while John looks the part, his energy signal is different. Uh oh. The female assistant, Niem, plays with a control console, which sends bouts of pain through John’s head piece. He tries to provoke Scorp with a “get stuffed” epithet, but Scorpius calmly explains that he’d rather be patient and extract information than kill John outright. Formidable enemy. :/ Niem continues to up the ante, and suddenly the screen facing John turns into mathematical equations and then his memories of leaving Earth! Red-eyed and perspiring, John asks what was that…pain memories. They’ll grow more distinct once his neural patterns are mapped. John tells Scorp to stay the hell out of his mind, but he’s interrupted by more pain—scream-worthy this time—and flashes of his life in the Uncharted Territories. Scorpius latches on to Moya, which reminds him that the PKs lost a Leviathan prison ship. He sends for Javio to look up the info…
On a suddenly not-so-safe Moya, Aeryn is rigged up to the Leviathan through a series of tubes, which leaves her jolting a bit but the toxins move out of her body. She questions Zhaan and D’argo whether this is safe for Moya and her baby…it is. She thanks Zhaan for thinking this up, but D’argo gives her a look when she tries to give him credit, so instead she says it was Pilot’s idea.
Chiana has rejoined Gilina in her room; they’re monitoring a red, holographic image that tells the tech that John was captured! She can’t find out anything more because they’ve blocked off main control…probably because they assume someone was helping him. :/ Suddenly Gilina is in danger, too… back in the Aurora Chair, John is sweaty and slurring about not being a spy. Javio has looked up the info, and points out that John and Chiana’s species aren’t connected officially to Moya’s escape. But fortunately (for them) John’s neural patterns are apparently locked in, because in the next go-around, we get a fully-formed memory, dialogue and all, with John wide-eyed and powerless to stop it. The memory comes from “Premiere,” when Crais charges John with his brother’s death. The PK officers recognize him, too. They note how he’s not been in touch with PK Command for awhile, but he’s out here hunting in the Uncharted Territories. Niem, meanwhile, has located the next John/Crais encounter from “That Old Black Magic.” Scorpius suspects Crais is renegade, and posits that they should send for him at once—saying they have his prey. Gulp.
With Chiana now obviously in danger, Gilina helps gussy her up as a tech…well, she certainly looks different in a green jumpsuit, black wig and slightly pink complexion, but she still looks pretty alien to me. :P The girls are confident the disguise will work, though, and they leave to track John down. John is screaming as he continues to be tortured, images of all the aliens he’s encountered flashing across the screen. Scorpius now knows John’s name, and thinks he’s some sort of spy. John, gasping and hoarse, still denies it. Scorpius wants to locate why he came to the gammack base, specifically, and comes across some of John’s interactions with Ancient Jack in “A Human Reaction.” But there’s a sudden neural block up! John, clearly losing it, cackles and denies it was him: “Don’t you hate when the batteries go dead!” Scorp orders Niem to increase extraction, and suddenly…
…we are in John’s subconscious. Ancient Jack is giving him the keys to unlock wormhole research. John stands, face upturned, to swirling mathematical equations. Ancient Jack assures him he won’t remember this part of their encounter: current-day John certainly looks shocked. Ancient Jack explains: “If you’re not smart enough to discover it on your own, you’re not smart enough to handle it wisely.” But this unconscious knowledge will act as a guide! :O John can go home! …if he’s alive. :/ Scorpius ruminates that John came here to steal what he unconsciously knew…the gammack base is for wormhole research! John laughs hysterically. But his hysteria is only beginning as Scorpius orders Niem to “segment his mind” to find the hidden equations. John pleads in desperation, but to no avail…he screams in agony. Niem points out that his mind might liquefy, ugh. Scorpius allows for a short recuperation.
The guards drag John into a dank, little concrete cell. He has an unhappy roommate—a humanoid alien who orders him off his sleeping mat (John is able to crawl away) before shouting what will become iconic lines in “Farscape” lore: “MY SIDE, YOUR SIDE, MY SIDE, YOUR SIDE!” :P The roomie also has an unhealthy attachment to the Aurora Chair as well, rocking himself as he says he’s been in over and over. Seems like the chair can cause longterm mental deterioration. :/ John collapses, and with a close-up of his tortured face, he whispers: “Danger, Will Robinson. Beware the Chair…”
On Moya, Aeryn is unconscious, leaving Zhaan free to ask D’argo why he didn’t want to take credit for helping her. D’argo says as a warrior, he should have respected her wishes to die alone. He probably saved her life, Zhaan counters. But they can’t go too deep into this before Moya lurches! Have the PKs found her?? Nope—Pilot explains that she’s having contractions! As if this episode didn’t have enough to worry about! :P Especially since it means Aeryn has to be disconnected now. :/ Where’s John with that miracle cure?
Chiana and Gilina walk openly through the corridors. We focus on some of the guards, but they don’t seem to be focusing on our girls. Gilina reaches what looks like a concrete washer/dryer cube and enters inside with Chi to mess with the conduits and link to main control. Meanwhile, John’s roomie is being tortured in the Aurora Chair, screaming “Again, Scorpy! Thrill me again!” Welcome to “Farscape” BDSM. :P Javio enters…followed by Crais! His hair is a little disheveled, but he’s otherwise present to take John asap. Scorpy leads him away, explaining that he needs John’s intel first, and let’s not forget who’s been ignoring his orders from high command. “Give me Crichton now and I’ll get you all the information he possesses,” Crais promises. Scorpy says only the Chair can do that—he can help by using his intel of John to get him to stop resisting.
Gilina continues to plug in cords before she gets the hologram up again, and finds the cell where John is being held. She’s able to patch in—luckily he’s alone and takes her advice to keep his back to the camera. Guess there’s no audio on surveillance. :P Gilina reports that she and Chi are in hiding, and John tells Chi where he stashed the injector. Gilina is more interested in rescuing him, but John says no—getting the sample to Aeryn is more important. Meanwhile their talk is interrupted as Scorpy and Crais walk into the cell!
As Chiana tries to think through an escape that won’t get her killed, Gilina is distracted by John’s feelings for Aeryn. Chi plays it sympathetic, assuring the tech that “Aeryn is just a shipmate. Crichton is in love with you.” Seems like genuine sympathy mixed with the need for Gilina to help her. She promises once Aeryn is better, they’ll have reinforcements to collect both John and Gilina. Unlike in “PK Tech Girl,” Gilina decides quickly that her best bet is to go with the fugitives. She’s in much deeper with them this time around, after all.
In the cell, Crais is giving John an ultimatum—he’s captured Moya and crew, see, and he’ll deliver them alive if John stops resisting the Chair. John has a hand over his face as he tries to suss through this pretty horrible situation. But first—so Crais has the crew. Like Zhaan…and Aeryn? Yup, Crais says. “They’re all in perfect health?” John asks knowingly. When Crais implies yes, John must know that the Moyans are still safe, but what other option does he have other than to say “fetch the comfy chair”?
Back in the cubby hole, Gilina has programmed a blind spot in targeting so Chiana should get free so long as she flies a specific trajectory. “How will I know if it works?” Chiana asks. “If you don’t get blasted out of the sky.” Small bit of levity this ep. :P Gilina has to stay behind to cause a diversion; Chiana goes. Meanwhile, John’s roommate is being hauled, unhappily, out of the Chair as he cries out for more. “Be nice,” a strapped-in John says, but that doesn’t seem to be happening as he immediately screams.
We focus on the injector in the cubby hole…it the blurs so we see Chiana heading towards it. One of the guards attempts to stop her, so she keeps going so he’ll push her down. Clever girl. She’s able to grab the injector unseen, then makes up an excuse so she can continue on her way. Least he never questioned that she was a tech; yay for PK classism! :/ Gilina stops briefly as guards pass outside her door, but then she whispers as she plugs the cords into the last conduits… “5..4…3..2…1…” Sudden evacuation procedure! Reactor overload! Outside, the PKs rush for the exits. The hangar bay is mostly deserted…except for Javio who keeps watch by Aeryn’s prowler. Chiana, from behind, tries to play herself off as a cowed tech, but he recognizes her voice. She quickly switches back to flirtatious mode, and finally attacks when he’s not buying it. Girl is such a survivor! :P He backhands her, but then Chi unscrews a flammable device, which she points at him when he shoots at her…engulfing him in flames! Chiana focuses for a bit on his charred remains—possible guilt?—before hightailing it out of there.
The prowler lands in Moya’s hangar, and Zhaan injects Aeryn with D’argo and Chiana looking on. “I’m not going to die,” Aeryn realizes. D’argo repeats a line she said to him way back in “Throne for a Loss”: “You will die. But not today.” Aeryn says she’s hallucinating, though, because Chi makes a worse Peacekeeper than John. :P Where is he, anyway? :/ D’argo eyes Zhaan before telling her she will soon. Looks like they’re protecting her in her fragile state. She needs to rest. D’argo offers to stay with her, taking her hand. She tells him thanks…a truly remarkable, touching moment for two characters who started off as such enemies.
John screams—Scorpy is operating the Aurora Chair himself—Niem enters to say the evacuation was a false alarm. It allowed for a prowler to escape; no idea where it is now, or who caused the alarm. John laughs manically—perhaps a stupid move—because Scorpius says “Crichton will tell us.” He ups the ante, and John screams horribly, the image pausing over his pained face to read “To be continued…”
WHOAH. What an episode. I already covered the over-reaching stuff…so I’ll talk about loving Chiana’s survival skills, John’s selflessness, Aeryn and D’argo’s flourishing relationship, and especially Gilina. Girl should get a lot more credit for putting her life on the line like that, over and over. She’s a kind-hearted soul, and she’s one tortured human’s mind-frell away from being discovered and likely executed. :/ All for a man who, it appears, has moved on from their little fling. John is certainly a darker person than he was during “PK Tech Girl.” And his torture in the Aurora Chair will only make it worse. Ben Browder’s acting was amazing—and heart-wrenching—this episode. And what did you think of Scorpius? He’s certainly a villain who can take up the stage. Having him with Crais shows some obvious power shifts in John’s dealings with the Peacekeepers. And eesh, what about that hidden memory where Ancient Jack gave John the key to unlock wormholes? One of the greatest payoffs to a “Farscape” episode ever, if not the greatest. This action alone dictates the flow of the narrative for the rest of the series. So I’d better stop there and let the episodes speak for themselves! :P
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For a stand-alone episode (even though, technically it’s not, given the “to be continued…” at the end,) it was expertly paced with convenient plot points and character reveals (my favorite guest star made a reappearance!) and while normal obstacles were solved believably, bigger ones beyond our (or I daresay John’s) scope of understanding quickly took their place. But enough vague ramblings from above. Let’s get into the meat of this post, where I can discuss things in depth!
Aeryn is in the gym where she sparred with Matala in “Back and Back and Back to the Future;” this is an episode that references the past a lot. :P John comes in to ask if she’s joining them for dinner and she responds quite aggressively to leave her alone. He’s concerned about her exercising so soon after her encounter with Larraq’s “Swiss Peacekeeper Army Knife.” Despite his protests to open up to him, Aeryn insists that she’s fine…but then she throws up gory blood over her punching bag. :-O John aids her into a laying-down position and is about to comm for Zhaan, but Aeryn wants to go to her prowler instead. She explains how the knife must have pierced her peraphoral nerve—something unique to sebaceans, as a reminder that we’re different species—and if she doesn’t get a tissue graft from a compatible donor in 60 arns or so, she’s not going to make it. And since they’re nowhere near a Sebacean colony…or are they? That secret gammack base Larraq & co were trying to get to might come in handy after all.
But first John has to convince the rest of the crew. He stands, stoic and unyielding, not looking at any of them. They reminded him his PK deception fooled four space-weary commandos—briefly. If he’s found out this time, of course the whole crew is put at risk. And how swift an exit can an expecting-anytime Moya be prepared to make? So all of this is more important than the stark life-or-death choice Aeryn faces? John snaps. He’s ultimately able to guilt Rygel into saying that they should pool all their resources to save her life. Apparently, everyone follows the Hynerian’s lead in this matter.
Aeryn, now stooped over and coughing in her quarters, turns when John in PK-gear steps in. Even she isn’t on her own side when it means risking this much—but Pilot interrupts to say that they’re already at the gammack base. So instead, she asks if humans have any ritual for this sort of occasion; John posits the handshake and a “good luck.” It’s great how these subtle scenes actually show how much Aeryn is trying to reach out to him.
Moya is near a huge, yellow gas planet with one moon large enough for gravity—where the gammack base is. Some good news…the planet’s mass is large enough to shield them, as Pilot relays to Zhaan on command. Meanwhile, John is running diagnostics on the prowler when Chiana, dressed in her coat from “Durka Returns” and a scarf on her head waltzes in. She tells John that she’s going with him, which he doesn’t take to right away. Chi sells herself as “a burglar and a distraction-causer” who wants to earn her keep. John still isn’t buying…but that’s when she dangles Larraq’s ident chip in front of his face. Quite the grab when she was attacking him last ep! And would certainly make John’s job a lot easier (or possible at all. :P) Still, this is Chiana, after all, so he gives her a knowing look when he says ok and adds “if you’re gonna help.”
As they fly out of Moya in the prowler they confirm that they’re taking on their roles from last time: John= PK officer and Chiana = his server. They banter a little bit before seeing the gammack base—it looks like a bombed out mining base, but targeting systems are already on them. John opens comms and adopts his horrible accent to snark at the PKs who “can’t tell the difference between a friend and a foe.” His alpha attitude and vague identity as a “superior officer” is enough to get him landing coordinates…we see John take her down in a nice bit of CGI. Inside, John deboards to a long hallway…accompanied by PKs with guns in his face. The commander, wearing the same Japanese-inspired uniform as Crais, introduces himself as Javio. John basically mimics Larraq’s introduction from the last ep, secret mission and all. Still, he’s ordered to hand his ident chip over to the lieutenant who puts it in a machine, which verifies his identity. He brushes off Javio’s next question about how he knew the base was here by introducing “his server,” who waltzes in, slow-mo, taking off her scarf, and making “it’s hot in here” sound like it belongs in a porno. :P Oh, Chi. Though Javio is surprised that “Larraq” keeps company with a civilian (read: alien) he brushes it aside quickly and invites them both for drinks in the officer’s lounge.
In the lounge, which seems kinda like a techno bar, Chiana is clearly the center of attention as she’s on display among a variety of men. (“Males outnumber females here? 5 to 1? What do you poor guys do for fun?” she asks suggestively at one point.) Meanwhile, as she flirts away, Javio and John, to the side, are also admiring her. “Does she give good…value?” Javio asks; great cover for the obvious connotations here. :P But even Chiana can’t keep the attention from a sudden—obviously alien—presence in the doorway. As everyone goes silent looking at the gaunt, white-faced man in the head-to-toe black leather uniform, Javio excuses himself as “duty calls.” Once he and the alien leave, the lounge goes back to normal. John calls Chiana to him where he lectures about being elected “centerfold of the year” rather than helping Aeryn. Chiana grabs him suggestively and points out that the more they look at her, the less they look at him. Touche.
Later, they walk with the lieutenant, Hesko, to their quarters, but are stopped by a new test…a DNA test. Gulp. He and Chiana use their alpha-male and flirtatious disguises to try and overpass this, but Hesko is insistent. He’s the one surrounded by guns, too, so. Tension mounts as John sticks his hands into bright ovals…analyzing, analyzing… and finally says “genetic scan verified.” :-O John and Chi quickly mask their true expressions and carry on, brusquely refusing Hesko’s accompaniment any longer. On their own, they briefly ponder how the hell they got away with it, when a voice to the side of the hall whispers “Larraq!” It’s Gilina, from “PK Tech Girl”! She quickly moves deep into an oval-shaped room, hiding from view until John and Chi enter, and the doors snap shut behind them. John has his gun on her even when she comes into view “Is Crais here?” he asks in a panic. Turns out she’s been reassigned to the gammack base to help with weapons development—“New weapons in Peacekeeper hands. Just what the galaxy needs,” John quips. He explains to Chi that she’s a friend and Gilina explains how she saw him in the lounge and knew he’d need help getting to quarters, so she overrode the system. What a pal! She’s obviously smitten to see John again, but John is distracted and aloof.
Quick cut to Javio and the alien talking about the need for more efficiency for “the Aurora chair.” Uh oh. We’ll come back to that… Anywho. John dumps Aeryn’s tissue sample in front of Gilina and explains their situation. Gilina says no prob—she can do directly to the med techs—but John’s protectiveness suddenly makes an appearance. He doesn’t want her to risk herself…until she points out the obvious reasons why she should go and he should stay hidden. Once she goes, even Chiana leaves John alone by heading back to the lounge to flirt for more drinks. That part’s not as much of an act for her. :P
On Moya, Rygel approaches Aeryn, in bed and covered up to her chin, on his thronesled. He insists, babbling, that he’s here to check on her, and Aeryn counters that he’s checking to see if she’s dead so he can go through her things. Rygel claims resentment—especially since she has nothing worth taking. :P D’argo comes in and is able to entice Ryg to go to command because “a quick decision might be required if the Peacekeepers arrive.” Nice play to his ego. :P I love how well the characters know each other now. Meanwhile, Aeryn tells D’argo that she prefers to die alone—quite different than what she told John several eps back, it should be noted.
In the officer’s lounge Chiana is getting comfortable with Hesko until Javio comes in and shooes him off. The new pair flirts for a bit…ending with Javio making an offer for her services. Seems like the “forbidden fruit” of alien companionship is enticing to PKs! He poses his lifestyle as far more “civilized” than “Larraq” and his covert-ops/constant danger. He does have the tendency to constantly invite danger, Chi admits, which seems truthful about the Moyans on a whole. She says she’ll think about his offer…wonder if there’s any honesty to that. :/ Anywho. On Moya, Zhaan and D’argo talk about what they can do to help Aeryn—nothing but the graft can cure her, but can Moya take some of her toxins? D’argo posits. Luckily, on the gammack base, Gilina returns quickly with a synthesized match. Medical has gotten better since Aeryn was forced out! :P She presents it to John in an injector. As he ekes out a thank you, Gilina kisses his eyebrows, like before, but to little response this time. John says he has to get back to save Aeryn’s life. “We always seem to be saying goodbye,” Gilina says sadly. John at least has the grace to look troubled before walking out the door.
John strolls in the hallway towards the DNA checkpoint…the alien and a female sebacean assistant with bright red hair and a black leather outfit are walking towards him to creeper music. The alien looks briefly at John…then approaches a guard with the words: “That man, he’s an impostor. Seize him.” Dun dun DUUUN! John tries to fight them off, but he’s pretty severely out numbered. At least when they kick him to the floor, he’s able to hide the injector in a low cubby hole, unseen, before they drag him off. I knew John’s plan was too good to be true! :/
John is strapped to a chair…the Aurora Chair?...which rotates on a dias. The alien introduces himself as Scorpius and poo-poos John’s “Larraq” spiel. John notes that Scorpius doesn’t look Sebacean and Scorpius notes that while John looks the part, his energy signal is different. Uh oh. The female assistant, Niem, plays with a control console, which sends bouts of pain through John’s head piece. He tries to provoke Scorp with a “get stuffed” epithet, but Scorpius calmly explains that he’d rather be patient and extract information than kill John outright. Formidable enemy. :/ Niem continues to up the ante, and suddenly the screen facing John turns into mathematical equations and then his memories of leaving Earth! Red-eyed and perspiring, John asks what was that…pain memories. They’ll grow more distinct once his neural patterns are mapped. John tells Scorp to stay the hell out of his mind, but he’s interrupted by more pain—scream-worthy this time—and flashes of his life in the Uncharted Territories. Scorpius latches on to Moya, which reminds him that the PKs lost a Leviathan prison ship. He sends for Javio to look up the info…
On a suddenly not-so-safe Moya, Aeryn is rigged up to the Leviathan through a series of tubes, which leaves her jolting a bit but the toxins move out of her body. She questions Zhaan and D’argo whether this is safe for Moya and her baby…it is. She thanks Zhaan for thinking this up, but D’argo gives her a look when she tries to give him credit, so instead she says it was Pilot’s idea.
Chiana has rejoined Gilina in her room; they’re monitoring a red, holographic image that tells the tech that John was captured! She can’t find out anything more because they’ve blocked off main control…probably because they assume someone was helping him. :/ Suddenly Gilina is in danger, too… back in the Aurora Chair, John is sweaty and slurring about not being a spy. Javio has looked up the info, and points out that John and Chiana’s species aren’t connected officially to Moya’s escape. But fortunately (for them) John’s neural patterns are apparently locked in, because in the next go-around, we get a fully-formed memory, dialogue and all, with John wide-eyed and powerless to stop it. The memory comes from “Premiere,” when Crais charges John with his brother’s death. The PK officers recognize him, too. They note how he’s not been in touch with PK Command for awhile, but he’s out here hunting in the Uncharted Territories. Niem, meanwhile, has located the next John/Crais encounter from “That Old Black Magic.” Scorpius suspects Crais is renegade, and posits that they should send for him at once—saying they have his prey. Gulp.
With Chiana now obviously in danger, Gilina helps gussy her up as a tech…well, she certainly looks different in a green jumpsuit, black wig and slightly pink complexion, but she still looks pretty alien to me. :P The girls are confident the disguise will work, though, and they leave to track John down. John is screaming as he continues to be tortured, images of all the aliens he’s encountered flashing across the screen. Scorpius now knows John’s name, and thinks he’s some sort of spy. John, gasping and hoarse, still denies it. Scorpius wants to locate why he came to the gammack base, specifically, and comes across some of John’s interactions with Ancient Jack in “A Human Reaction.” But there’s a sudden neural block up! John, clearly losing it, cackles and denies it was him: “Don’t you hate when the batteries go dead!” Scorp orders Niem to increase extraction, and suddenly…
…we are in John’s subconscious. Ancient Jack is giving him the keys to unlock wormhole research. John stands, face upturned, to swirling mathematical equations. Ancient Jack assures him he won’t remember this part of their encounter: current-day John certainly looks shocked. Ancient Jack explains: “If you’re not smart enough to discover it on your own, you’re not smart enough to handle it wisely.” But this unconscious knowledge will act as a guide! :O John can go home! …if he’s alive. :/ Scorpius ruminates that John came here to steal what he unconsciously knew…the gammack base is for wormhole research! John laughs hysterically. But his hysteria is only beginning as Scorpius orders Niem to “segment his mind” to find the hidden equations. John pleads in desperation, but to no avail…he screams in agony. Niem points out that his mind might liquefy, ugh. Scorpius allows for a short recuperation.
The guards drag John into a dank, little concrete cell. He has an unhappy roommate—a humanoid alien who orders him off his sleeping mat (John is able to crawl away) before shouting what will become iconic lines in “Farscape” lore: “MY SIDE, YOUR SIDE, MY SIDE, YOUR SIDE!” :P The roomie also has an unhealthy attachment to the Aurora Chair as well, rocking himself as he says he’s been in over and over. Seems like the chair can cause longterm mental deterioration. :/ John collapses, and with a close-up of his tortured face, he whispers: “Danger, Will Robinson. Beware the Chair…”
On Moya, Aeryn is unconscious, leaving Zhaan free to ask D’argo why he didn’t want to take credit for helping her. D’argo says as a warrior, he should have respected her wishes to die alone. He probably saved her life, Zhaan counters. But they can’t go too deep into this before Moya lurches! Have the PKs found her?? Nope—Pilot explains that she’s having contractions! As if this episode didn’t have enough to worry about! :P Especially since it means Aeryn has to be disconnected now. :/ Where’s John with that miracle cure?
Chiana and Gilina walk openly through the corridors. We focus on some of the guards, but they don’t seem to be focusing on our girls. Gilina reaches what looks like a concrete washer/dryer cube and enters inside with Chi to mess with the conduits and link to main control. Meanwhile, John’s roomie is being tortured in the Aurora Chair, screaming “Again, Scorpy! Thrill me again!” Welcome to “Farscape” BDSM. :P Javio enters…followed by Crais! His hair is a little disheveled, but he’s otherwise present to take John asap. Scorpy leads him away, explaining that he needs John’s intel first, and let’s not forget who’s been ignoring his orders from high command. “Give me Crichton now and I’ll get you all the information he possesses,” Crais promises. Scorpy says only the Chair can do that—he can help by using his intel of John to get him to stop resisting.
Gilina continues to plug in cords before she gets the hologram up again, and finds the cell where John is being held. She’s able to patch in—luckily he’s alone and takes her advice to keep his back to the camera. Guess there’s no audio on surveillance. :P Gilina reports that she and Chi are in hiding, and John tells Chi where he stashed the injector. Gilina is more interested in rescuing him, but John says no—getting the sample to Aeryn is more important. Meanwhile their talk is interrupted as Scorpy and Crais walk into the cell!
As Chiana tries to think through an escape that won’t get her killed, Gilina is distracted by John’s feelings for Aeryn. Chi plays it sympathetic, assuring the tech that “Aeryn is just a shipmate. Crichton is in love with you.” Seems like genuine sympathy mixed with the need for Gilina to help her. She promises once Aeryn is better, they’ll have reinforcements to collect both John and Gilina. Unlike in “PK Tech Girl,” Gilina decides quickly that her best bet is to go with the fugitives. She’s in much deeper with them this time around, after all.
In the cell, Crais is giving John an ultimatum—he’s captured Moya and crew, see, and he’ll deliver them alive if John stops resisting the Chair. John has a hand over his face as he tries to suss through this pretty horrible situation. But first—so Crais has the crew. Like Zhaan…and Aeryn? Yup, Crais says. “They’re all in perfect health?” John asks knowingly. When Crais implies yes, John must know that the Moyans are still safe, but what other option does he have other than to say “fetch the comfy chair”?
Back in the cubby hole, Gilina has programmed a blind spot in targeting so Chiana should get free so long as she flies a specific trajectory. “How will I know if it works?” Chiana asks. “If you don’t get blasted out of the sky.” Small bit of levity this ep. :P Gilina has to stay behind to cause a diversion; Chiana goes. Meanwhile, John’s roommate is being hauled, unhappily, out of the Chair as he cries out for more. “Be nice,” a strapped-in John says, but that doesn’t seem to be happening as he immediately screams.
We focus on the injector in the cubby hole…it the blurs so we see Chiana heading towards it. One of the guards attempts to stop her, so she keeps going so he’ll push her down. Clever girl. She’s able to grab the injector unseen, then makes up an excuse so she can continue on her way. Least he never questioned that she was a tech; yay for PK classism! :/ Gilina stops briefly as guards pass outside her door, but then she whispers as she plugs the cords into the last conduits… “5..4…3..2…1…” Sudden evacuation procedure! Reactor overload! Outside, the PKs rush for the exits. The hangar bay is mostly deserted…except for Javio who keeps watch by Aeryn’s prowler. Chiana, from behind, tries to play herself off as a cowed tech, but he recognizes her voice. She quickly switches back to flirtatious mode, and finally attacks when he’s not buying it. Girl is such a survivor! :P He backhands her, but then Chi unscrews a flammable device, which she points at him when he shoots at her…engulfing him in flames! Chiana focuses for a bit on his charred remains—possible guilt?—before hightailing it out of there.
The prowler lands in Moya’s hangar, and Zhaan injects Aeryn with D’argo and Chiana looking on. “I’m not going to die,” Aeryn realizes. D’argo repeats a line she said to him way back in “Throne for a Loss”: “You will die. But not today.” Aeryn says she’s hallucinating, though, because Chi makes a worse Peacekeeper than John. :P Where is he, anyway? :/ D’argo eyes Zhaan before telling her she will soon. Looks like they’re protecting her in her fragile state. She needs to rest. D’argo offers to stay with her, taking her hand. She tells him thanks…a truly remarkable, touching moment for two characters who started off as such enemies.
John screams—Scorpy is operating the Aurora Chair himself—Niem enters to say the evacuation was a false alarm. It allowed for a prowler to escape; no idea where it is now, or who caused the alarm. John laughs manically—perhaps a stupid move—because Scorpius says “Crichton will tell us.” He ups the ante, and John screams horribly, the image pausing over his pained face to read “To be continued…”
WHOAH. What an episode. I already covered the over-reaching stuff…so I’ll talk about loving Chiana’s survival skills, John’s selflessness, Aeryn and D’argo’s flourishing relationship, and especially Gilina. Girl should get a lot more credit for putting her life on the line like that, over and over. She’s a kind-hearted soul, and she’s one tortured human’s mind-frell away from being discovered and likely executed. :/ All for a man who, it appears, has moved on from their little fling. John is certainly a darker person than he was during “PK Tech Girl.” And his torture in the Aurora Chair will only make it worse. Ben Browder’s acting was amazing—and heart-wrenching—this episode. And what did you think of Scorpius? He’s certainly a villain who can take up the stage. Having him with Crais shows some obvious power shifts in John’s dealings with the Peacekeepers. And eesh, what about that hidden memory where Ancient Jack gave John the key to unlock wormholes? One of the greatest payoffs to a “Farscape” episode ever, if not the greatest. This action alone dictates the flow of the narrative for the rest of the series. So I’d better stop there and let the episodes speak for themselves! :P
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