Farscape Episode 1.22: “Family Ties”
Nov. 24th, 2012 08:13 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
chavalah.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scifi_rewatchWhat a way to wrap up a season! Wow. Looking back, it’s amazing how much ground they covered. And nothing comes close to the pressure of the first season anyway, since it has to introduce us to this world and all these characters. I’m not sure I was completely obsessed with the show on the first time around. But I was definitely hooked.
Being the end of the first season with an uncertain future, they did a lot of “relationship assessments” for characters to rehash all that’s transpired between them. But it didn’t come off as hokey, due to the high stakes of one of John Crichton’s infamous “plans” for survival. Beyond that, the episode included betrayal, action, suspense, and groundwork!
Season two, and the rest of the show, really takes the crew of Moya away from the beginning. It’s no longer about a hapless human, stuck around a bunch of misfits, getting into trouble avoiding a vengeful captain. That vengeful captain schtick is pretty much at the end of its life expectancy and one of my favorite parts about this episode is finding a new and surprising place for Crais to move forward. I also liked the opposing symmetry of John and Aeryn’s respective relationships to their parents. John recorded his last message to Jack and later D’argo lost his infamous puzzle ring. Aeryn, meanwhile, came clean about the fact that she wasn’t just a routine birthing in the ranks, and she even named baby Moya after her father. But I’ll get into the spoiler section before saying more!
The characters all struggled with their evolving wants and needs, and although we end in a precarious place, John’s words about this being “a Jerry Springer sorta family” ring true. They’re messed up but they’re there for each other. And I can’t wait til season two to figure out where this wacky crew will go next.
Moya and child are still inside the asteroid field, but things on the inside are markedly different. Pandemonium ensues! John and D’argo are walking down a corridor and talking heatedly with Zhaan on command. Chiana joins Zhaan and Aeryn joins the boys, and we learn that Rygel has blasted a transport the hezmana out of there. He’ll be spotted by the Peacekeepers...which is obviously his plan. :-O Betrayal! And they can’t go after him, cos that would only compound the problem. At least they can still communicate via the comms, so Pilot tries entreaties, Aeryn tries threats concerning the baby’s weaponry and D’argo tries Luxan threats about corpses and body functions. :/ The others chime in, too, and Rygel finally responds with the fact that there’s been too much talk: “I am a domniar of action.”
On the command carrier, Crais and Scorpius are equally confused. They briefly wrap up the M’Lee storyline from last episode, saying she’s on an out-bound Marauder; “have you found my security officer assigned to watch her?” :P But now back to Rygel… “perhaps he wishes to become part of your…collection,” Scorpius says coyly, looking around at the severed Hynerian heads in the room. Ugh. No time to wonder, though; Braca and soldiers enter with Rygel in custody. He makes a rather compelling argument, methinks…the Leviathan, the baby, the escaped prisoners, the “defector” Aeryn Sun, and especially John Crichton…all in exchange for his own freedom. Dun dun DUUUUUUN.
Back on Moya, the remaining crew argue over what’s next, with a great LOL-moment when John gets some “human, please” looks to the suggestion that Ryg is just trying to stall the Peacekeepers. :P The problems: Moya won’t leave baby. Baby can’t starburst. Baby’s weaponry is still pretty iffy against a command carrier. John is adamant that he won’t be taken alive to face dissection in the Aurora Chair. :/ Can’t blame him, though it brushes up against declaring suicide. But what about a suicidal mission? :P D’argo quickly agrees to Aeryn’s disgust: “to be in the warm glow of all this testosterone!” What if they sent an explosive transport into the belly of the command carrier? John posits. Oh, John and your plans!
Rygel is enjoying his third helping of food for his third stomach on the command carrier. :P Scorpius attempts to threaten him with the Aurora Chair, but Crais and Ryg both know that’ll just kill him, not extract any information. I’m thinking this Aurora Chair is probably more common in the Peacekeeper militia than I gave it credit for a few weeks back; everyone seems to know a bit about it. Scorp zeroes in on John—calling the others insignificant when Crais brings them up—but when Rygel starts demanding a full pardon, a ship and crew, currency, all the things he requires to go home, Scorpy, close up of his eyes, accuses him of lying. Lock him up. Rygel protests—they need him; he knows, for example, that John won’t be taken alive. Scorp pauses and calls this truth. Perceptive? He leans back in and asks if Ryg is willing to help him capture Crichton. We don’t hear Ryg’s answer.
Chiana and D’argo are having a loud argument in his quarters. He wants her to put on some restraints—kinda hypocritical, really, given his own feelings about the things—but it’s obviously as a desperate bid to save her life; the PKs don’t hunt her, and maybe she can convince them that they forced her to go along with them. Chi says don’t tell me how to lie; “it’s one of the best things I do!” D’argo calls her “a pain in the eema…” but, softer, admits she’s one he came to enjoy. :-O A-whaa? I know we’re getting ready for some heart-felt goodbyes to wrap up the season, but Chi and D haven’t really spent much time together. No comment in regards to the future. :P
Zhaan is creating a mixture of lutra oil which, once injected into the items on the transport, will become explosive. John’s a fan, hearkening back to her “chief anarchist” days, but Zhaan grows quiet as nostalgic, tinkling music starts up behind her. This will accompany the rest of the goodbyes. She says she senses that their family is coming apart, and John has his Jerry Springer line. This is a goodbye scene that makes sense to me. Some people might’ve forgotten, but Zhaan was John’s first friend and teacher aboard Moya. I wish they’d talked more about it, really, but the plot is calling. :P
More goodbyes from Pilot’s den where Aeryn hangs out with an anxious old friend. Lots going wrong in Pilot’s word, with two scared ships to deal with. They rehash their own history—shared DNA, Science 101, saving lives. We come in close to Pilot as he suggests Aeryn need not be captured; she has her Prowler, hint hint. The former PK admits she thought of that, but assures him she’s not going anywhere. When Pilot brings up Moya’s baby-naming request (plus the possibility that said baby might grow up in captivity,) an emotional Aeryn promises he’ll have an honorable name to bear in freedom.
John, in his quarters, attempts to leave a message for Jack, but it turns into a frustrating exercise. He sees Aeryn in the doorway and they rehash events from “A Human Reaction,” when Aeryn joined him on “Earth” and met Ancient!Jack. This leads Aeryn to an interesting trek down memory lane: a battle-hardened warrior; “your father,” John guesses, “my mother,” Aeryn corrects, appearing over her bunk and saying she was created in love. :-O Rather unusual for someone who was conceived on a PK base! I’d say it’s a little cheesy (the unique snowflake story) but since this is “Farscape,” they make it work for them in awesome ways. Start looking for them very soon!
Matters between Rygel and Scorp are apparently smoothed out for now, as Rygel takes a nice, steamy bath in Crais’s quarters. For some reason, he doesn’t notice the Hynerian heads until he’s way into it. Crais himself enters, barely feigning calm over Rygel’s resort-like schedule. Rygel points out that it’s pretty damn obvious the good captain isn’t in control anymore anyway. Crais offers to show his value—by drowning Ryg in the tub! :-O Except…isn’t Rygel amphibian? How does this work as a torture technique? Anywho. When Crais lets him up, he smacks a PK chip into the Hynerian’s hand—his death certificate. Gulp. A “Scarran half-breed” (file this away, folks!) like Scorp won’t keep his word; he’ll execute Rygel once the others are found. So why is Crais telling him this? Because he knows he faces the same future once he’s court-martialed, Crais says. They have a mutual desire to survive. Hmmm.
On Moya, John, D’argo, Aeryn and Zhaan wait with guns raised and tense voices in the maintenance bay; Rygel’s on the way back? What the frell type of trap is this? Chiana, in command, and Pilot confirm that he wasn’t followed and no tracking devices are locked on them. Has to be a trap…right? As Rygel throne-sleds it down the walkway, he ignores Aeryn’s command to drop to the ground; he wants to see their faces when…dun dun DUUUUN! Crais walks out behind him!!! John immediately lets out a maniac laugh: “my boy, Crais!” He’s here seeking asylum! And he’d rather be under protective custody until passions calm. Chiana takes care of cell door functions and Aeryn frisks the good captain. He’s unarmed, he promises. D’argo puts aside his qalta blade—he’s also unarmed. But he still punches Crais hard in the stomach, pummeling him to the ground. He demands that Crais tell the crew something, and Crais reveals that D’argo didn’t commit the crime (aka the murder of his wife) that he was imprisoned for! Her brother, a Peacekeeper, did instead! Pretty sure the crew was aware, but the big news was that the PKs were actively covering it up. The love for Crais isn’t going up in this room.
John and Aeryn escort Crais to his new cell…bit of irony for the former captain. He and Aeryn clear up that there’s nothing left to talk about “since you left me for dead;” surely no reason to re-hash that amazing scene! Aeryn leaves him alone with John, who does the stare-down as the doors slowly close. John wants to know what he’s really doing here, and laughs when Crais defers his defense to Rygel. :P Elsewhere, Rygel is explaining his position to Chiana and Zhaan. He’s learned that Scorpy truly is in charge now, but Crais may yet have value to them. So they cooked up a scheme where the good captain got permission to fly here under a flag of truce and convince the crew to surrender. Uh huh. Chiana and especially Zhaan are still a bit wary/hostile, considering Rygel went there to sell them out in the first place.
More goodbyes! D’argo is injecting the lutra oil into containers in the transport when Aeryn comes in. They rehash the fact that they’ve grown to rely on each other, warrior style. Aeryn also brings up his son, Jothee, and how she wishes she could’ve met him. Both are feeling their mortality in slightly different ways, but let’s not get into that. :P They’ve said their pieces to each other.
Braca goes to see Scorpius in Crais’s old quarters. They’re zeroing in on Moya’s location, but no word back from Crais. A curious Braca asks to speak freely…why let Crais go if he likely wouldn’t return? “We all have our windows of usefulness,” Scorpius says cryptically. For example: “My instincts tell me that your career might be well on the rise.” Isn’t Scorp great? You never know exactly what his endgame is. Hopefully Braca can stay in his good graces. :P
John, apparently, hasn’t left Crais’s cell; they sit on the floor staring at each other. John says he gets homesick looking at Crais, in his desperation for “human male-to-male conversation,” which seems blatantly shallow and unfair for when it comes to D’argo. But anyway. It’s not really about that at all…it’s about John confronting this man who was once his nemesis, who made the last year on the run a living hell for him. A tear goes down his face that speaks to the exhaustion of it all and how much he’s lost. Crais admits that he realizes now, in retrospect, that what happened to his brother was an accident. More than that, this hunt became less about Tauvo and more about his own image and career. “Somewhere along the way my priorities…decayed,” Crais reflects, which speaks strongly to his arc this season, methinks. He doesn’t apologize, but John, perhaps for all his human optimism, gives the former captain a chance to help the rest of them.
Later, we see Crais standing amongst Moya’s crew as they discuss John’s suicide plan. Turns out it’ll likely not work; the command carrier will detect and destroy the explosives well out of range. D’argo changes tactics—Scorpy values his gammak base down below (whoa, I thought they were way farther away from it!) If they send the transport there, the command carrier will go after it, giving Moya time to escape (plus baby if he’s tucked in close.) Only problem is, someone will have to fly the transport, aka sacrifice him/herself to the moon. Crais shoots that down, too. There’s one thing he values even more than the gammak base. All eyes turn to John in a well-executed scene.
Aeryn and D’argo are back in the transport, this time having a much less congenial discussion. Looks like D’argo gets to do something Aeryn also wants to do…later, with Zhaan, we find out it’s piloting the suicide mission. It’s kind of a touching moment that both are so adamant to take one for the team, but does the mission really need more than John? :/ Anywho. Zhaan points out that Aeryn might be needed with Moya’s baby. Aeryn remains frustrated, especially with Zhaan’s serenity during this time. “The instant I committed murder I sacrificed my right to exist,” Zhaan notes. Since then, she’s viewed every moment as “a generous yet undeserved gift from the goddess.” Aeryn seems to mull that over a bit, but the two leading ladies of the ship don’t get a more personal moment. Might not fit their characters anyway.
Chiana, on the other hand, is seeking out a personal moment with John. She puts his hands on her and says she doesn’t know how else to thank him for all he’s done for her…he was her passage onto the ship after all. John sits her down and tells her “never before the big game.” :P “You saved my life,” Chiana protests. John’s advice: “Pass it on.” Sometime in the future, folks might need help from her. Nice moment about how he’s trying to facilitate her growth. They stay close for a moment, and our human allows Chi to give him a quick kiss on the lips before moving away. …and yanno, I like my “alterative” John/Chiana shipper moments, so I’ll just leave that there. :P
On the Command Carrier, Braca approaches Scorpius with news from High Command—they’ve officially labeled Crais as “irreversibly contaminated” for his time spent among the fugitives. LOL…great full circle for our good captain. Scorp’s battle plan for when they find Moya is: cripple her, take the baby into custody if he responds to their signal otherwise destroy him, and grab John—the rest are disposable. It’s really abundantly clear where Scorpy’s priorities lie, yup. :P
We focus briefly on the baby from the outside, and then on Crais and Aeryn on the inside. Crais is more than enthralled with baby Moya. Unlike Aeryn, he knows quite a bit about Peacekeeper attempts to breed a Leviathan with a warship. All the other mothers/babies died…because they were in captivity for the birth. It’s also meant to respond only to voice command—no Pilot! What does Lani Tupu have against Pilots? ;) But for how wonderful Crais finds the ship, he concurs that it won’t make any difference against Scorp and the command carrier. Aeryn’s feeling very protective of the baby, given Crais’s obvious interest. This is the most enthused he’s been in awhile, that’s for sure.
John’s latest guest is Rygel as he culls his possessions into a pile. He’s giving up all his stuff?? Well, Rygel is material. :P Our dominar seems very hurt by John’s throw-away observation that he’s a greedy, soulless bastard. John brings out all the nicknames: “Sparky, Spanky, Fluffy, Buckwheat the Thirteenth,” and points out that he went to the command carrier to sell them out…they just weren’t buying. John’s hold on his thronesled forces Rygel to tell the truth—he realized he’d be killed either way. He admits he’s selfish, but given the chance he usually does the right thing, right? “I figure the right thing begins at the beginning of the day,” John says sagely. He’s full of advice today. :P He also gives Sparky a big kiss on the head! And the dominar thanks him awkwardly…for the possessions, of course. :P It’s an “aaaww” moment.
We cut to Moya’s mess hall where a ridiculous wealth of riches is laid out on the table. In voiceover, the crew is basically telling Chiana what the frell for bringing them here, and she explains how she wanted to thank everyone for what they’ve done for her. Sounds like someone’s taking John’s message to heart! The crew—including Crais—stare in wonder at their favorite foods. John isn’t among them; in a way that makes Chi’s contribution more special, given that it can’t impress him. :P He’s busy finally getting his message out to Jack. This in itself ties up John’s story arc from the first season—always so lost and confused out in the Uncharted Territories—but now he’s made peace with the fact that this is his life, and these are his friends. He’s coming to terms with some of Jack’s last advice to him in “Premiere”—he’ll have to learn to be a hero in his own way. He ends with a sign off: “This is John Crichton…somewhere in the universe.”
Just before leaving on their suicide mission, Zhaan enacts a Delian ritual on the boys, asking for success and safety on their journey. The guys turn away at the end, muttering “I hate this stuff,” “Chicks love it.” LOL. John, in his flight suit, picks up his gear while Rygel makes a really hideously awkward goodbye about you know, if our positions were reversed I’d do the same for you; no wait, didn’t mean that! :P Jon’s most tense goodbye is with Crais, who advises he fly a direct course; PK pilots are trained to expect maneuvers. D’argo, picking up his own gear, gets an awkward “come back to us” from Chiana. This leads him to stride to Zhaan and place the holochip of his wife and son in her hand. Make sure Jothee remembers me, he tells her forcefully. Aeryn gets the last word with the boys at the hangar door. She has a role to play in this as well; they’re going to inject into space after detonating the transport and D’argo (the one without a flight suit…guess there’s no Luxan ones on board,) can only last a quarter of an arn out there. Aeryn and her prowler are the rescue mission. She’s adamant: “I’ll be there!” Her last word is with John, where they reprise their ritual of not saying goodbye. Oh, shipperness. :P She stays near the hangar door as it closes on the boys.
On the command carrier, Braca brings Scorpius the news that a transport has jutted out of the asteroid field and towards the gammak base. The lieutenant wants orders, but Scorp is stubbornly resistant to strike without more information. On the transport pod, John and D’argo discuss when to inject the final lutra oil to start the chain reaction. The Luxan figures Zhaan’s vagueness about timing means she doesn’t have a clue about how much time they’ll have after. They better jump out the airlock quickly! Pilot breaks radio silence, because apparently the Peackeepers are now onto them. Still not pursuing, though. We cut briefly to Moya’s command where Zhaan, Chiana and Rygel are situated.
Braca has more news for Scorpius now—the Luxan and the human are in the transport. Whoa Nelly, that changes everything! Scorp orders a pursuit…also notify the base that they might come under attack. Perceptive Scorp is perceptive. In the transport D’argo has to pee, sending the boys into peals of laughter. :P Hey, we need our comedic break, too! On Moya, the crew are elated to see that the command carrier took the bait. Rygel wants to starburst immediately—of course—but the girls are waiting for Aeryn’s rescue attempt. Crais is behind with an inscrutable look on his face…leading me to wonder why hasn’t anyone locked this guy back up yet? :/
Nice look at the CGI prowlers leaving the command carrier as Scorp’s voice broadcasts: “the occupants of the transport are to be taken alive. This is my direct, inviolate order.” On the transport, the boys note that the ships are catching up to them, yikes. And I guess this does take two people, cos D’argo pilots while John puts the explosive catalyst in place. Aeryn, in her prowler from a distance, waits anxiously for them to get on with it. Pilot interrupts her, too, asking for her help in reaching out to the offspring. Aeryn does more than that: she finally gives him a name! “It’s Talyn. It was my father’s.” Touching tie-back to her parental history scene from earlier. <3
On the command carrier, Braca’s latest report is that the transport is filled with explosives! Scorp realizes the strategy right away—either abandon the gammak base and all that research, or shoot down/destroy John and his wormhole knowledge. Scorp’s voice turns growly as he realizes John (and the others, really,) intentionally bested him again. We see a shot of the moon where the gammak base is and then the transport—one or the other of Scorpy’s prized possessions is going down. John’s finished his work and D’argo set a crash collision course for the moon. Time to roll out! And time for D’argo to impart some wisdom onto John about why he’s not afraid: “Fear accompanies the possibility of death. Calm shepherd’s its certainty.” “I love hanging with you, man,” John says in admiration, which is a touching way to embrace the certainty of death! He also gives D Jack’s puzzle ring for luck, aaaw. D kisses it. Our human then puts on his space suit helmet, chuckling out Crichtonisms, and pops off the door…out they go flying into space!
On Moya, Zhaan cries desperately to Aeryn to grab the boys NOOOOW. Aeryn’s calm, collected, and searching. The boys, thankfully, have joined hands, and John’s comms reach Aeryn. D’argo gives John the thumbs up, so our human relays that so far he’s ok. They’re still waiting anxiously for the explosion, then…the moon lights up in a sea of fiery orange. Amazing visual, to be sure. John is screaming, beyond ecstatic. Scorpius, on the command carrier, turns briefly to the orange glow from below. And the peacekeepers are still moving away from Moya, meaning Aeryn still has time to locate the fellas then hightail the hezmana back to Moya.
All seems to be going well…until Pilot reports that someone has boarded Talyn! It’s Crais! He stands imperiously inside, commanding the ship to break away from Moya and fly deeper into the asteroid field. Everyone hears him over the comms and Crais explains that he’s saving his hide, of course. Zhaan and Aeryn, desperate and teary-eyed, do their best to talk him out of this—Talyn isn’t mature enough to be on his own…Crais could die. And a baby shouldn’t be taken from its mother! “You forget,” Crais tells Aeryn, “it was done to me. And it was done to you.” As an interesting caveat, he tells “Officer Sun” that he hopes if they meet again, their lives away from the Peacekeepers will be “different.” I guess this means he at least no longer wants her dead? Maybe he’s realized the futility of vengeful hunting. Be that as it may, true to his word, Talyn breaks away from his mother and disappears into the asteroid field.
Amidst the turmoil, Chiana then Pilot realize the command carrier is coming back. John tells them they need to staruburst now. Zhaan, then Rygel, say they won’t: “Rygel, this is not the time to give up selfishness!” John spits. :P Aeryn also refuses to leave the boys, but she tells Pilot to starburst and “save as many as you can.” But another complication exists in that Moya refuses to leave without her baby. John asks to speak to her directly, and we get an image of his condensed-helmet face juxtaposed over the innards of the ship, followed by the crew. John speaks to Moya’s understandable desire to save her child, but posits that she can only do that if she saves herself first. He ends with “thanks for everything. Now do what you have to do.” The microts tick down until there will be no more options left…then Moya starts up starburst. On command, Zhaan and Chiana look conflicted and sad while Rygel whispers “goodbye.” Moya disappears into a spark of starburst.
Aeryn, John and D’argo are left alone as D’argo’s head nods down. Aeryn confirms that she sees them but can’t get to them due to the peacekeeper vessels around. “It may not matter,” John says. “D’argo’s unconscious.” The music swells dramatically; the boys are still linked, against the backdrop of the burning moon, but D’argo’s grip on the puzzle ring relaxes and it floats away. The credits roll on the first season!
And isn’t that an image to end on?? First season: DONE. Time to move on to new things. I imagine it’s not too hard to figure out that they’ll get out of this scrape, somehow, but being “Farscape,” it won’t be simple or easy. Also, on first viewing, it would take a long time to watch what happens next! :P
A final thought: on the ScapeCast, the hosts spoke of the fact that at this time, with the destruction of the gammak base, some of the fandom started referring to John as a “mass murderer.” It’s a surprising stance to take with the main character, to be sure, and I think a little undeserved, seeing as he didn’t single-handedly cause the destruction. At the same time, however, it’s worth noting how many lives the Moya crew put in danger to save their own (leaving Scorpius and his warnings, perhaps, to be the good guys. Hope some people got off moon!) It’s definitely a complicated situation, and I don’t think the show addresses it as much from the angle on John’s impact on the innocent others (although there are a few instances of that). It definitely does address the impact of warfare on John himself, as well as all the main characters.
We’re headed into season two as well, and the hints about wormhole tech being a military game-changer will be much more pronounced. That might also put a different spin on the Moya crew’s actions—they were literally destroying research that would lead to a weapon of mass destruction. But I’m getting way ahead of myself here. We have three more seasons and a miniseries to explore the meaning of wormholes, the actions of characters, and a whole lot in between. I hope to see you again on this journey.
___
Being the end of the first season with an uncertain future, they did a lot of “relationship assessments” for characters to rehash all that’s transpired between them. But it didn’t come off as hokey, due to the high stakes of one of John Crichton’s infamous “plans” for survival. Beyond that, the episode included betrayal, action, suspense, and groundwork!
Season two, and the rest of the show, really takes the crew of Moya away from the beginning. It’s no longer about a hapless human, stuck around a bunch of misfits, getting into trouble avoiding a vengeful captain. That vengeful captain schtick is pretty much at the end of its life expectancy and one of my favorite parts about this episode is finding a new and surprising place for Crais to move forward. I also liked the opposing symmetry of John and Aeryn’s respective relationships to their parents. John recorded his last message to Jack and later D’argo lost his infamous puzzle ring. Aeryn, meanwhile, came clean about the fact that she wasn’t just a routine birthing in the ranks, and she even named baby Moya after her father. But I’ll get into the spoiler section before saying more!
The characters all struggled with their evolving wants and needs, and although we end in a precarious place, John’s words about this being “a Jerry Springer sorta family” ring true. They’re messed up but they’re there for each other. And I can’t wait til season two to figure out where this wacky crew will go next.
Moya and child are still inside the asteroid field, but things on the inside are markedly different. Pandemonium ensues! John and D’argo are walking down a corridor and talking heatedly with Zhaan on command. Chiana joins Zhaan and Aeryn joins the boys, and we learn that Rygel has blasted a transport the hezmana out of there. He’ll be spotted by the Peacekeepers...which is obviously his plan. :-O Betrayal! And they can’t go after him, cos that would only compound the problem. At least they can still communicate via the comms, so Pilot tries entreaties, Aeryn tries threats concerning the baby’s weaponry and D’argo tries Luxan threats about corpses and body functions. :/ The others chime in, too, and Rygel finally responds with the fact that there’s been too much talk: “I am a domniar of action.”
On the command carrier, Crais and Scorpius are equally confused. They briefly wrap up the M’Lee storyline from last episode, saying she’s on an out-bound Marauder; “have you found my security officer assigned to watch her?” :P But now back to Rygel… “perhaps he wishes to become part of your…collection,” Scorpius says coyly, looking around at the severed Hynerian heads in the room. Ugh. No time to wonder, though; Braca and soldiers enter with Rygel in custody. He makes a rather compelling argument, methinks…the Leviathan, the baby, the escaped prisoners, the “defector” Aeryn Sun, and especially John Crichton…all in exchange for his own freedom. Dun dun DUUUUUUN.
Back on Moya, the remaining crew argue over what’s next, with a great LOL-moment when John gets some “human, please” looks to the suggestion that Ryg is just trying to stall the Peacekeepers. :P The problems: Moya won’t leave baby. Baby can’t starburst. Baby’s weaponry is still pretty iffy against a command carrier. John is adamant that he won’t be taken alive to face dissection in the Aurora Chair. :/ Can’t blame him, though it brushes up against declaring suicide. But what about a suicidal mission? :P D’argo quickly agrees to Aeryn’s disgust: “to be in the warm glow of all this testosterone!” What if they sent an explosive transport into the belly of the command carrier? John posits. Oh, John and your plans!
Rygel is enjoying his third helping of food for his third stomach on the command carrier. :P Scorpius attempts to threaten him with the Aurora Chair, but Crais and Ryg both know that’ll just kill him, not extract any information. I’m thinking this Aurora Chair is probably more common in the Peacekeeper militia than I gave it credit for a few weeks back; everyone seems to know a bit about it. Scorp zeroes in on John—calling the others insignificant when Crais brings them up—but when Rygel starts demanding a full pardon, a ship and crew, currency, all the things he requires to go home, Scorpy, close up of his eyes, accuses him of lying. Lock him up. Rygel protests—they need him; he knows, for example, that John won’t be taken alive. Scorp pauses and calls this truth. Perceptive? He leans back in and asks if Ryg is willing to help him capture Crichton. We don’t hear Ryg’s answer.
Chiana and D’argo are having a loud argument in his quarters. He wants her to put on some restraints—kinda hypocritical, really, given his own feelings about the things—but it’s obviously as a desperate bid to save her life; the PKs don’t hunt her, and maybe she can convince them that they forced her to go along with them. Chi says don’t tell me how to lie; “it’s one of the best things I do!” D’argo calls her “a pain in the eema…” but, softer, admits she’s one he came to enjoy. :-O A-whaa? I know we’re getting ready for some heart-felt goodbyes to wrap up the season, but Chi and D haven’t really spent much time together. No comment in regards to the future. :P
Zhaan is creating a mixture of lutra oil which, once injected into the items on the transport, will become explosive. John’s a fan, hearkening back to her “chief anarchist” days, but Zhaan grows quiet as nostalgic, tinkling music starts up behind her. This will accompany the rest of the goodbyes. She says she senses that their family is coming apart, and John has his Jerry Springer line. This is a goodbye scene that makes sense to me. Some people might’ve forgotten, but Zhaan was John’s first friend and teacher aboard Moya. I wish they’d talked more about it, really, but the plot is calling. :P
More goodbyes from Pilot’s den where Aeryn hangs out with an anxious old friend. Lots going wrong in Pilot’s word, with two scared ships to deal with. They rehash their own history—shared DNA, Science 101, saving lives. We come in close to Pilot as he suggests Aeryn need not be captured; she has her Prowler, hint hint. The former PK admits she thought of that, but assures him she’s not going anywhere. When Pilot brings up Moya’s baby-naming request (plus the possibility that said baby might grow up in captivity,) an emotional Aeryn promises he’ll have an honorable name to bear in freedom.
John, in his quarters, attempts to leave a message for Jack, but it turns into a frustrating exercise. He sees Aeryn in the doorway and they rehash events from “A Human Reaction,” when Aeryn joined him on “Earth” and met Ancient!Jack. This leads Aeryn to an interesting trek down memory lane: a battle-hardened warrior; “your father,” John guesses, “my mother,” Aeryn corrects, appearing over her bunk and saying she was created in love. :-O Rather unusual for someone who was conceived on a PK base! I’d say it’s a little cheesy (the unique snowflake story) but since this is “Farscape,” they make it work for them in awesome ways. Start looking for them very soon!
Matters between Rygel and Scorp are apparently smoothed out for now, as Rygel takes a nice, steamy bath in Crais’s quarters. For some reason, he doesn’t notice the Hynerian heads until he’s way into it. Crais himself enters, barely feigning calm over Rygel’s resort-like schedule. Rygel points out that it’s pretty damn obvious the good captain isn’t in control anymore anyway. Crais offers to show his value—by drowning Ryg in the tub! :-O Except…isn’t Rygel amphibian? How does this work as a torture technique? Anywho. When Crais lets him up, he smacks a PK chip into the Hynerian’s hand—his death certificate. Gulp. A “Scarran half-breed” (file this away, folks!) like Scorp won’t keep his word; he’ll execute Rygel once the others are found. So why is Crais telling him this? Because he knows he faces the same future once he’s court-martialed, Crais says. They have a mutual desire to survive. Hmmm.
On Moya, John, D’argo, Aeryn and Zhaan wait with guns raised and tense voices in the maintenance bay; Rygel’s on the way back? What the frell type of trap is this? Chiana, in command, and Pilot confirm that he wasn’t followed and no tracking devices are locked on them. Has to be a trap…right? As Rygel throne-sleds it down the walkway, he ignores Aeryn’s command to drop to the ground; he wants to see their faces when…dun dun DUUUUN! Crais walks out behind him!!! John immediately lets out a maniac laugh: “my boy, Crais!” He’s here seeking asylum! And he’d rather be under protective custody until passions calm. Chiana takes care of cell door functions and Aeryn frisks the good captain. He’s unarmed, he promises. D’argo puts aside his qalta blade—he’s also unarmed. But he still punches Crais hard in the stomach, pummeling him to the ground. He demands that Crais tell the crew something, and Crais reveals that D’argo didn’t commit the crime (aka the murder of his wife) that he was imprisoned for! Her brother, a Peacekeeper, did instead! Pretty sure the crew was aware, but the big news was that the PKs were actively covering it up. The love for Crais isn’t going up in this room.
John and Aeryn escort Crais to his new cell…bit of irony for the former captain. He and Aeryn clear up that there’s nothing left to talk about “since you left me for dead;” surely no reason to re-hash that amazing scene! Aeryn leaves him alone with John, who does the stare-down as the doors slowly close. John wants to know what he’s really doing here, and laughs when Crais defers his defense to Rygel. :P Elsewhere, Rygel is explaining his position to Chiana and Zhaan. He’s learned that Scorpy truly is in charge now, but Crais may yet have value to them. So they cooked up a scheme where the good captain got permission to fly here under a flag of truce and convince the crew to surrender. Uh huh. Chiana and especially Zhaan are still a bit wary/hostile, considering Rygel went there to sell them out in the first place.
More goodbyes! D’argo is injecting the lutra oil into containers in the transport when Aeryn comes in. They rehash the fact that they’ve grown to rely on each other, warrior style. Aeryn also brings up his son, Jothee, and how she wishes she could’ve met him. Both are feeling their mortality in slightly different ways, but let’s not get into that. :P They’ve said their pieces to each other.
Braca goes to see Scorpius in Crais’s old quarters. They’re zeroing in on Moya’s location, but no word back from Crais. A curious Braca asks to speak freely…why let Crais go if he likely wouldn’t return? “We all have our windows of usefulness,” Scorpius says cryptically. For example: “My instincts tell me that your career might be well on the rise.” Isn’t Scorp great? You never know exactly what his endgame is. Hopefully Braca can stay in his good graces. :P
John, apparently, hasn’t left Crais’s cell; they sit on the floor staring at each other. John says he gets homesick looking at Crais, in his desperation for “human male-to-male conversation,” which seems blatantly shallow and unfair for when it comes to D’argo. But anyway. It’s not really about that at all…it’s about John confronting this man who was once his nemesis, who made the last year on the run a living hell for him. A tear goes down his face that speaks to the exhaustion of it all and how much he’s lost. Crais admits that he realizes now, in retrospect, that what happened to his brother was an accident. More than that, this hunt became less about Tauvo and more about his own image and career. “Somewhere along the way my priorities…decayed,” Crais reflects, which speaks strongly to his arc this season, methinks. He doesn’t apologize, but John, perhaps for all his human optimism, gives the former captain a chance to help the rest of them.
Later, we see Crais standing amongst Moya’s crew as they discuss John’s suicide plan. Turns out it’ll likely not work; the command carrier will detect and destroy the explosives well out of range. D’argo changes tactics—Scorpy values his gammak base down below (whoa, I thought they were way farther away from it!) If they send the transport there, the command carrier will go after it, giving Moya time to escape (plus baby if he’s tucked in close.) Only problem is, someone will have to fly the transport, aka sacrifice him/herself to the moon. Crais shoots that down, too. There’s one thing he values even more than the gammak base. All eyes turn to John in a well-executed scene.
Aeryn and D’argo are back in the transport, this time having a much less congenial discussion. Looks like D’argo gets to do something Aeryn also wants to do…later, with Zhaan, we find out it’s piloting the suicide mission. It’s kind of a touching moment that both are so adamant to take one for the team, but does the mission really need more than John? :/ Anywho. Zhaan points out that Aeryn might be needed with Moya’s baby. Aeryn remains frustrated, especially with Zhaan’s serenity during this time. “The instant I committed murder I sacrificed my right to exist,” Zhaan notes. Since then, she’s viewed every moment as “a generous yet undeserved gift from the goddess.” Aeryn seems to mull that over a bit, but the two leading ladies of the ship don’t get a more personal moment. Might not fit their characters anyway.
Chiana, on the other hand, is seeking out a personal moment with John. She puts his hands on her and says she doesn’t know how else to thank him for all he’s done for her…he was her passage onto the ship after all. John sits her down and tells her “never before the big game.” :P “You saved my life,” Chiana protests. John’s advice: “Pass it on.” Sometime in the future, folks might need help from her. Nice moment about how he’s trying to facilitate her growth. They stay close for a moment, and our human allows Chi to give him a quick kiss on the lips before moving away. …and yanno, I like my “alterative” John/Chiana shipper moments, so I’ll just leave that there. :P
On the Command Carrier, Braca approaches Scorpius with news from High Command—they’ve officially labeled Crais as “irreversibly contaminated” for his time spent among the fugitives. LOL…great full circle for our good captain. Scorp’s battle plan for when they find Moya is: cripple her, take the baby into custody if he responds to their signal otherwise destroy him, and grab John—the rest are disposable. It’s really abundantly clear where Scorpy’s priorities lie, yup. :P
We focus briefly on the baby from the outside, and then on Crais and Aeryn on the inside. Crais is more than enthralled with baby Moya. Unlike Aeryn, he knows quite a bit about Peacekeeper attempts to breed a Leviathan with a warship. All the other mothers/babies died…because they were in captivity for the birth. It’s also meant to respond only to voice command—no Pilot! What does Lani Tupu have against Pilots? ;) But for how wonderful Crais finds the ship, he concurs that it won’t make any difference against Scorp and the command carrier. Aeryn’s feeling very protective of the baby, given Crais’s obvious interest. This is the most enthused he’s been in awhile, that’s for sure.
John’s latest guest is Rygel as he culls his possessions into a pile. He’s giving up all his stuff?? Well, Rygel is material. :P Our dominar seems very hurt by John’s throw-away observation that he’s a greedy, soulless bastard. John brings out all the nicknames: “Sparky, Spanky, Fluffy, Buckwheat the Thirteenth,” and points out that he went to the command carrier to sell them out…they just weren’t buying. John’s hold on his thronesled forces Rygel to tell the truth—he realized he’d be killed either way. He admits he’s selfish, but given the chance he usually does the right thing, right? “I figure the right thing begins at the beginning of the day,” John says sagely. He’s full of advice today. :P He also gives Sparky a big kiss on the head! And the dominar thanks him awkwardly…for the possessions, of course. :P It’s an “aaaww” moment.
We cut to Moya’s mess hall where a ridiculous wealth of riches is laid out on the table. In voiceover, the crew is basically telling Chiana what the frell for bringing them here, and she explains how she wanted to thank everyone for what they’ve done for her. Sounds like someone’s taking John’s message to heart! The crew—including Crais—stare in wonder at their favorite foods. John isn’t among them; in a way that makes Chi’s contribution more special, given that it can’t impress him. :P He’s busy finally getting his message out to Jack. This in itself ties up John’s story arc from the first season—always so lost and confused out in the Uncharted Territories—but now he’s made peace with the fact that this is his life, and these are his friends. He’s coming to terms with some of Jack’s last advice to him in “Premiere”—he’ll have to learn to be a hero in his own way. He ends with a sign off: “This is John Crichton…somewhere in the universe.”
Just before leaving on their suicide mission, Zhaan enacts a Delian ritual on the boys, asking for success and safety on their journey. The guys turn away at the end, muttering “I hate this stuff,” “Chicks love it.” LOL. John, in his flight suit, picks up his gear while Rygel makes a really hideously awkward goodbye about you know, if our positions were reversed I’d do the same for you; no wait, didn’t mean that! :P Jon’s most tense goodbye is with Crais, who advises he fly a direct course; PK pilots are trained to expect maneuvers. D’argo, picking up his own gear, gets an awkward “come back to us” from Chiana. This leads him to stride to Zhaan and place the holochip of his wife and son in her hand. Make sure Jothee remembers me, he tells her forcefully. Aeryn gets the last word with the boys at the hangar door. She has a role to play in this as well; they’re going to inject into space after detonating the transport and D’argo (the one without a flight suit…guess there’s no Luxan ones on board,) can only last a quarter of an arn out there. Aeryn and her prowler are the rescue mission. She’s adamant: “I’ll be there!” Her last word is with John, where they reprise their ritual of not saying goodbye. Oh, shipperness. :P She stays near the hangar door as it closes on the boys.
On the command carrier, Braca brings Scorpius the news that a transport has jutted out of the asteroid field and towards the gammak base. The lieutenant wants orders, but Scorp is stubbornly resistant to strike without more information. On the transport pod, John and D’argo discuss when to inject the final lutra oil to start the chain reaction. The Luxan figures Zhaan’s vagueness about timing means she doesn’t have a clue about how much time they’ll have after. They better jump out the airlock quickly! Pilot breaks radio silence, because apparently the Peackeepers are now onto them. Still not pursuing, though. We cut briefly to Moya’s command where Zhaan, Chiana and Rygel are situated.
Braca has more news for Scorpius now—the Luxan and the human are in the transport. Whoa Nelly, that changes everything! Scorp orders a pursuit…also notify the base that they might come under attack. Perceptive Scorp is perceptive. In the transport D’argo has to pee, sending the boys into peals of laughter. :P Hey, we need our comedic break, too! On Moya, the crew are elated to see that the command carrier took the bait. Rygel wants to starburst immediately—of course—but the girls are waiting for Aeryn’s rescue attempt. Crais is behind with an inscrutable look on his face…leading me to wonder why hasn’t anyone locked this guy back up yet? :/
Nice look at the CGI prowlers leaving the command carrier as Scorp’s voice broadcasts: “the occupants of the transport are to be taken alive. This is my direct, inviolate order.” On the transport, the boys note that the ships are catching up to them, yikes. And I guess this does take two people, cos D’argo pilots while John puts the explosive catalyst in place. Aeryn, in her prowler from a distance, waits anxiously for them to get on with it. Pilot interrupts her, too, asking for her help in reaching out to the offspring. Aeryn does more than that: she finally gives him a name! “It’s Talyn. It was my father’s.” Touching tie-back to her parental history scene from earlier. <3
On the command carrier, Braca’s latest report is that the transport is filled with explosives! Scorp realizes the strategy right away—either abandon the gammak base and all that research, or shoot down/destroy John and his wormhole knowledge. Scorp’s voice turns growly as he realizes John (and the others, really,) intentionally bested him again. We see a shot of the moon where the gammak base is and then the transport—one or the other of Scorpy’s prized possessions is going down. John’s finished his work and D’argo set a crash collision course for the moon. Time to roll out! And time for D’argo to impart some wisdom onto John about why he’s not afraid: “Fear accompanies the possibility of death. Calm shepherd’s its certainty.” “I love hanging with you, man,” John says in admiration, which is a touching way to embrace the certainty of death! He also gives D Jack’s puzzle ring for luck, aaaw. D kisses it. Our human then puts on his space suit helmet, chuckling out Crichtonisms, and pops off the door…out they go flying into space!
On Moya, Zhaan cries desperately to Aeryn to grab the boys NOOOOW. Aeryn’s calm, collected, and searching. The boys, thankfully, have joined hands, and John’s comms reach Aeryn. D’argo gives John the thumbs up, so our human relays that so far he’s ok. They’re still waiting anxiously for the explosion, then…the moon lights up in a sea of fiery orange. Amazing visual, to be sure. John is screaming, beyond ecstatic. Scorpius, on the command carrier, turns briefly to the orange glow from below. And the peacekeepers are still moving away from Moya, meaning Aeryn still has time to locate the fellas then hightail the hezmana back to Moya.
All seems to be going well…until Pilot reports that someone has boarded Talyn! It’s Crais! He stands imperiously inside, commanding the ship to break away from Moya and fly deeper into the asteroid field. Everyone hears him over the comms and Crais explains that he’s saving his hide, of course. Zhaan and Aeryn, desperate and teary-eyed, do their best to talk him out of this—Talyn isn’t mature enough to be on his own…Crais could die. And a baby shouldn’t be taken from its mother! “You forget,” Crais tells Aeryn, “it was done to me. And it was done to you.” As an interesting caveat, he tells “Officer Sun” that he hopes if they meet again, their lives away from the Peacekeepers will be “different.” I guess this means he at least no longer wants her dead? Maybe he’s realized the futility of vengeful hunting. Be that as it may, true to his word, Talyn breaks away from his mother and disappears into the asteroid field.
Amidst the turmoil, Chiana then Pilot realize the command carrier is coming back. John tells them they need to staruburst now. Zhaan, then Rygel, say they won’t: “Rygel, this is not the time to give up selfishness!” John spits. :P Aeryn also refuses to leave the boys, but she tells Pilot to starburst and “save as many as you can.” But another complication exists in that Moya refuses to leave without her baby. John asks to speak to her directly, and we get an image of his condensed-helmet face juxtaposed over the innards of the ship, followed by the crew. John speaks to Moya’s understandable desire to save her child, but posits that she can only do that if she saves herself first. He ends with “thanks for everything. Now do what you have to do.” The microts tick down until there will be no more options left…then Moya starts up starburst. On command, Zhaan and Chiana look conflicted and sad while Rygel whispers “goodbye.” Moya disappears into a spark of starburst.
Aeryn, John and D’argo are left alone as D’argo’s head nods down. Aeryn confirms that she sees them but can’t get to them due to the peacekeeper vessels around. “It may not matter,” John says. “D’argo’s unconscious.” The music swells dramatically; the boys are still linked, against the backdrop of the burning moon, but D’argo’s grip on the puzzle ring relaxes and it floats away. The credits roll on the first season!
And isn’t that an image to end on?? First season: DONE. Time to move on to new things. I imagine it’s not too hard to figure out that they’ll get out of this scrape, somehow, but being “Farscape,” it won’t be simple or easy. Also, on first viewing, it would take a long time to watch what happens next! :P
A final thought: on the ScapeCast, the hosts spoke of the fact that at this time, with the destruction of the gammak base, some of the fandom started referring to John as a “mass murderer.” It’s a surprising stance to take with the main character, to be sure, and I think a little undeserved, seeing as he didn’t single-handedly cause the destruction. At the same time, however, it’s worth noting how many lives the Moya crew put in danger to save their own (leaving Scorpius and his warnings, perhaps, to be the good guys. Hope some people got off moon!) It’s definitely a complicated situation, and I don’t think the show addresses it as much from the angle on John’s impact on the innocent others (although there are a few instances of that). It definitely does address the impact of warfare on John himself, as well as all the main characters.
We’re headed into season two as well, and the hints about wormhole tech being a military game-changer will be much more pronounced. That might also put a different spin on the Moya crew’s actions—they were literally destroying research that would lead to a weapon of mass destruction. But I’m getting way ahead of myself here. We have three more seasons and a miniseries to explore the meaning of wormholes, the actions of characters, and a whole lot in between. I hope to see you again on this journey.
___
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}