Farscape Episode 3.18: “Fractures”
Nov. 18th, 2018 03:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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scifi_rewatchWelcome to the reunion episode! Though because this is “Farscape,” it turns out to be so much more. :P We do get the Moya and Talyn reunion, which is of course marred by Talyn John’s absence, but our guest aliens of the week also introduce a mystery thriller arc. I think that the ScapeCast crew had a little bit more fun with that than usual, mainly as a way to break the tension between John and Aeryn.
The episode also mixed and matched Crais and Jool to surprising effect, and introduced a transgender theme before that identity became quite the buzzword that it is today. And finally, it propelled John towards a new trajectory, which sets the course for the end of season three. Which also happens to be my favorite arc of the show ever. :P I get tingly, starting with this ending!
Episode summary is here, courtesy of the John and Aeryn Fansite.
The Moya crew is waiting for the Talyn crew to show up, but of course they open the hangar doors to the wrong people. :P Turns out another crew of diverse escaped prisoners took a shuttle pod (and a PK tech) and made their escape! The Scarran Naj Gil, Nebari Hubero and Hynerian Orhhn Pak were part of some Peacekeeper testing of a new weapon. Oh, and there’s a Boolite on board as well, who is in a bunch of gooey pieces but still alive. Definitely the most “alien” of “Farscape” aliens in awhile! The Moya crew agrees to patch up their pod and send them on their way; in the midst of all of this the Talyn crew finally drops anchor. John is their official greeter and Aeryn sets the tone as chilly. The boys later explain the fuller situation to him. But before John can wallow too much (or, say, play the message that Stark recorded for him in his mask) he’s called away by sudden plot—someone on board the ship sent their coordinates to Peacekeepers! Moya and Talyn starburst away, but the mystery still stands—with the PK tech in custody and not moving, whodunit? D’argo, Chiana and Rygel take sides with the three active ex-cons, while Jool and Crais attempt to put the Boolite back together again. The Boolite, of course, is attempting to tell them who sabotaged their pod to begin with. Chiana gets visions of people getting shot, starting with Naj Gil, which takes him off the table as a suspect. The others hide, but since Chiana trusts John, who is promising safe passage off the ship, Hubero decides to wait in the pod, but then she is shot! Turns out that Orhhn Pak is the bad guy! Much like her Hynerian counterpart, she will do anything she deems necessary to secure her freedom, including teaming up with the PK tech, throwing her fellow ex-cons under the bus, and taking Rygel hostage. (Turns out that all the sexy times they were having was just a convenient cover. :P) The newly freed tech is able to incapacitate Moya so that he, Orhhn Pak and Rygel can escape on the pod. John, Aeryn and D’argo come after them in Lo’La, blast off the hatch, kill the baddies and save Rygel, as you do. The coda takes us back to bigger “Farscape” themes, with John listening to a message not from Stark but from Talyn John. TJ fills his counterpart in about the destruction his wormhole knowledge can cause, and since the Scarrans are presently neutralized he sets the living John to stopping Scorpius. He also reminds John that it “takes time” with Aeryn, who is watching and grieving, unseen, from the hallway. Finally, the Johns play rock, paper, scissors—and I can’t believe I misread this for the past two decades, but they both draw scissors. Damn! I was sure that Talyn John played a rock! …and so let’s dissect this, briefly. I love that “Farscape” is still presenting me with new angles, even if this one comes because I was too silly to recognize a hand movement. :P I get why the show had the Johns pull the same gesture—it reiterated that they were, in essence, the same, but Aeryn couldn’t see that yet. Buuuut….it kinda goes against the broader show conceit about infinite possibilities! Because after spending months having various different experiences, the Johns shouldn’t be the same anymore. They’re not even technically playing rock, paper, scissors in the same time and space! Meh. Well, it is what it is.
I guess we should start with the big elephant in the room. :P And a good thing to note is how both John and Aeryn choose to present themselves. Aeryn is still rocking her tight-braid, closed-off aesthetic from the end of “The Choice.” And John chooses to go back to his black shirt, even before he knows that Talyn John is dead. I mean, logically it would make sense for the two Johns to wear different shirts when they’re on the same ship together, but instead the Johns wore different shirts to remind the audience of which crew we’re with during the separation. We are now officially back down to one John. :/ Later, Lone John does take back possession of Winona, which the ScapeCast crew interpreted as his way of saying he’ll fight for Aeryn, whom the gun represents. Aeryn herself isn’t ready to fight for him (or at the very least: it’s complicated). I still think it’s obvious (and Claudia Black agrees with me) that Aeryn sees the Johns as separate people because now they ARE separate people given their separate experiences. (So no, this isn’t a relationship reset, even if David Kemper and Claudia both use that term, because it’s a different John!Though I suppose she was in love with John before he was twinned. Woops.) Yes, she would’ve fallen further in love with this John the exact same way had he been with her on Talyn. But he wasn’t and the dude she was with is dead. So it’s a mix of loyalty and also of fear of getting hurt again, sure. And it’s not even fair to say that she completely dismisses this John, because then they wouldn’t have that tense moment in the hallway, or she wouldn’t be spying on him at the end of the episode. She obviously still cares for this guy, despite herself. (That’s why she forgets herself during their Rygel rescue and makes a reference that only Talyn John would know. :/ Well placed bit of dialogue there.) And she chooses to align with him for his end-of-season quest! The ScapeCast crew debated why she made this choice: which John (I go for both) was she honoring? But I’d also take it farther, and say that Aeryn was honoring her own moral code. She isn’t just promising to destroy a weapon of mass destruction because she has the hots for some guy. She also believes that this is the right thing to do. (Sidenote: imho, this moral personal code also belongs to Crais, John’s second buddy at the end of the ep.)
But John also has some other relationship drama going on—between himself and D’argo. Well, let me start with the good stuff. Bro is obviously in his corner, even before they know anything more from the Talyn crew than that they defeated the retrieval squad. He fends off the guests and allows John to be the greeter because he knows how much it means to him. Later, once everyone is filled in on Talyn John’s death, D’argo lends a supporting ear to his pal and even tries to speak up to Aeryn. Touching stuff. But on the opposite side of the coin, he’s getting suspiciously friendly with Naj Gil. I mean friendly by way of being antagonistic to his own crew. When I first watched this episode I think I bought into this because of the dramatic genre conceit. If we want the stakes to be high about who “the bad guy” is, then each guest star needs a friendly regular star in his or her corner. In one way, it makes sense for D’argo to feel for Naj Gul—they’re both warrior types. And yet…it kind’ve comes out of left field. It’s like first he’s ordering Naj Gul to stay still and not move, and then he’s arguing in Naj Gul’s defense. I guess one can say that the Scarran earned D’s trust by staying still and not moving. :P Or—maybe this is about D’argo’s pettiness with Chiana! If Chi is going to take Hubero’s side, then D’argo is going to flip her the bird by going for the other guy, hee.
Chiana’s affinity for Hubero makes much more sense. Beyond their shared species (and the fact that they’re both outcasts…seriously, Nebari Prime is Dystopia Central,) Hubero is helpless and downtrodden. She’s not like Jool, who is high maintenance and sees herself as superior to everyone else (though it should be said that Chiana and Jool have matured to a gossipy stage of friendship. :P) Hubero is also not like Jool in that she’s not quite…female. She’s an “androgen,” and I believe this scene might be the first where I seriously considered sexualities other than male or female. Presumably she’s still referred to as “she” because actress Kate Beahan is female. (“Farscape” played with the idea of gender before, but only, if memory serves, to make a joke about a male-presenting alien actually being female. :P) In retrospect, it would’ve probably made more sense for a larger amount of “Farscape” aliens to not present gender the way that most humans do. Though, I suppose to be fair, maybe the “Boolite” isn’t so recognizably male or female either, heh. It intrigues me that Jool and Crais were teamed up to work on fixing…him. I suppose, from Crais’s perspective, he didn’t want to be on Talyn and he didn’t necessarily want to hang with anyone else on Moya, so why not be useful? Jool got the chance to show her medical chops as well. And both characters got some jokes in as they argued about how to put the gooey alien back together again.
One familiar person whom Crais would definitely not want to hang out with would be Rygel. :P He smells a female of his species almost immediately after coming aboard Moya, lol. The ScapeCast crew had a lot to say about this pornographic part of the episode. (Yeesh, how many puppeteers were present to make that foreplay possible? :P) Karen pointed out how Rygel’s love life was kind of the opposite to John’s—in that Rygel gets his sexy times but is ultimately betrayed, whereas John gets the emotional cold shoulder but has a stalwart loyalist in Aeryn. The men on the show cracked wise about whether or not Orhhn Pak was actually attractive or if Rygel was just hard up. Yeesh. I think they felt for him that he was betrayed—not only that Orhhn Pak had lied about her motivations, but she also insults his sexual prowess. Though seriously, in terms of self-serving cunning, our two Hynerians are quite similar. (They’re also quite similar in appetite, as Jool notes. :P) I think the difference is that Rygel now feels a sense of loyalty to his crew. He wouldn’t sell them down the river the way that Ohrrn Pak is doing to the Boolite, Naj Gul and Hubero; this isn’t first season! :P (Sheesh, that makes me wonder…what if this other crew of escaped prisoners had stayed together for years? Would they then be more like our characters? We will never know.) Orhnn Pak’s ultimate death is played off for laughs—she tries to get back into the dominar’s good graces with the nickname “Rygie,” which she’s still wailing as she’s shoved out the airlock. (“Shove” might be too harsh, but she did go spiraling away.) The PK tech had a more traditional shoot out death, which conveniently led to him landing on something that would make the pod go boom; always have to end with an escape and explosion! :P As a final note, props to Matt Doran who played the PK tech. He had a creepy, indolent affectation that leant to the mystery part of the episode.
But let’s conclude with the important bits of this hour, which is definitely not in the A storyline. The—well the monologue—between the Johns was very affecting, and showed off their inner emotions well. They are still driven by the same goals. It was emotional to watch Talyn John take down the Scarrans, but Scorpius is obviously our big target. We know him better and have even seen him make some progress (or struggle to make progress) with the wormhole tech. A John/Scorpy showdown is simply inevitable. I also haven’t paid any attention yet to Chiana’s continued visions, which in this case portend but can’t stop Naj Gil and Hubero from getting shot. :/ So when she tells John after his Serenity “justice for the Reavers” moment (though technically “Farscape” came first!) that he’s going to die, it’s meant to be ominous. John picks up on that immediately. Of course this is our hook to keep us invested—I believe there was a stretch of time between originally airtimes here. :/ But even before seeing the rest of the show, I always thought Chiana’s warning was more hypothetical than based on visions. John’s idea is still too vague at this stage to have consequences. It’s just the fear of the unknown…that scary, cavernous unknown. Anywho, some parting thoughts from the wikia! David Kemper and Jonathan Hardy apparently had some fun with Orrhn Par’s costume design; they called her Carol Channing and Phyllis Diller. :P Apparently John isn’t the only one who can make Crichtonisms, hee. If I’m inferring from the wikia and IMDB correctly, Fiona Gentle originally did Orrhn Par’s voice in a cockney accent, but the crew ultimately wanted something more refined, and they went with voice actress Alexandra Fowler. Lani Tupu enjoyed his comedic role this ep but worried that Crais’s scream would be out of character (it definitely struck me as odd.) Some deleted scenes with Crais showed him telling John to talk to Aeryn about the Talyn story arc, and also Jool reminding us of how much the former Captain lied this season (striking a deal with Xhalax and all that.) Crais is a complicated guy. Thomas Halesgrove, on the other hand, who usually plays Scarrans, enjoyed getting the chance to do a nice one this time. :P Removing his heat gland does seem…well, a bit like mutilation. :/ Peacekeepers the torturers. Aeryn tells the PK tech she’s no longer one of them, but she doesn’t seem quite sure what she is part of now, either. :/ Anywho. Orrhn Par’s pistol when kidnapping Rygel was actually the “laser knife” from the premiere episode! And the real reason Jool had to wear that eyepatch is that Tammy MacIntosh had a minor eye injury and wasn’t able to wear her alien contacts. Yeesh. The “Farscape” costume accoutrements are really hardcore.
Favorite Chrichtonism: Rygel look - I-I completely understand. But you cannot let the little appendage start tellin' the big appendage what to do!
Favorite Quotes:
*upon reflection, D’argo’s friendship is a lot like Jool’s :P*
D’argo: Well is it them or isn't it?
Pilot: Moya can't be certain until she's closer.
John: Which one - green or black?
D’argo: This is not the time!
John: D'Argo! Green or black?
D’argo: Well - the black of course! I mean far be it from me to say - but I've always thought that the cut of that green shirt doesn't suit the shape of your body.
*case in point to the above…though it should be noted that Jool’s choice doesn’t fit Chiana as well*
Jool: Oo-hoo-hoo! Crichton is not going to like having the other Crichton around!
Chiana: Yeah - he'll like having Aeryn around though. You want me to wear this?.
Jool: Yeah! You look blixk!
*relatedly, Jool isn’t the best friend to John, either*
Chiana: She's gonna be walkin' off that pod - I know it.
Jool: Chiana's right. Aeryn's fine. I'm sure the other you has taken extra good care of her. I mean - all I meant was that I'm sure that he did everything that you would have done if you had been with Aeryn all this time.
*John’s continued alien education (also, the Peacekeepers aren’t fans of species rights)*
Hubero: The weapon the Peacekeepers were testing destroys the bonding of metallic molecules. That's why this pod is so damaged.
John: What exactly are we lookin' for?
Hubero: A Boolite.
John: And what does he look like? Big? Small? Hairy? Blue? Green?
Hubero: He doesn't - look like he used to. You see - Boolites have a much higher metal content than other species. So -- when the weapon hit our pod-
John: Excuse me- *picks up organic goo* What the hell is this?
Hubero: That's the Boolite. Or at least - a part of him.
John: Ho-kay.
Hubero: Boolite body parts can survive independent of the main body for as much as half a cycle.
John: Right. And he's still alive?
Hubero: You have to try to save him. Help put him back together.
*Aeryn sets the reunion tone*
John: Sparky! How you doin' man? Long time no see!
Rygel: Yes ah - good to see you too! But if anything is missing from my quarters - blood is going to spill.
John: Whatever. *to Crais, who looks awkward and says nothing* Crais. *to Aeryn* Well there's a familiar face.
Aeryn: *toneless before walking away* Hello John.
*Rygel finally gets the attention he desires :P*
Rygel: Oh - it is a female! Oh! Please - rise. You - recognize me?
Orrhn: Who could forget the royal profile? You're alive!
Rygel: Indeed. And you are-?
Orrhn: Orrhn Pak - from the Jensii Province.
Rygel: Aa-aah...
Orrhn: At least - I was.
Rygel: And you have been a Peacekeeper prisoner?
Orrhn: Arrested - because I refused allegiance to - Dominar Bishan.
Rygel: Oh! That's no crime - it's an act of courage!
Orrhn: Oh! I shouldn't have been speaking of myself - of my travails - when I am in your presence. Forgive me - your highness - forgive me.
Rygel: No - it is permissible for you to be the focus of attention - if I desire it - and I uh -I -- I - do - so - desire it.
*D’argo and Chiana take stock of new realities*
Chiana: Have you seen Aeryn and the others?
D’argo: Only for a moment.
Chiana: Not quite the reunion we were expecting. The other Crichton dead and - and Stark searching for Zhaan’s spirit...
D’argo: Well with a single Crichton and Stark missing perhaps it will restore some sanity to the ship.
Chiana: Stand back!
D’argo: What?
Chiana: The pulse blast - didn't you hear it?
D’argo: No.
Chiana: *to Naj Gil* You stay there. *to D’argo* No? Okay. Okay- it's happenin' again! I'm frellin' sensing stuff before it happens!
D’argo: So much for sanity!
*in a search for self, perhaps, Aeryn visits the PK Tech in his cell*
Markir: HEEYYY! HEY COME ON! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME IN 'ERE! You're a Peacekeeper. They beat me - they took me hostage.
Aeryn: You're a fugitive.
Markir: I'm a member of the Peacekeepers and If you help me out of here there'll be a big - big reward.
Aeryn: What? 200 darcats for a tech?
Markir: Those are escaped prisoners you have on your ship - they're dangerous. Don't you care?
Aeryn: No. Not any more.
*the crew takes sides on which guest star sent the PK signal…ending with some sexual innuendo :P*
Rygel: Why would anybody here want to signal the Peacekeepers?
D’argo: What about the tech? He was a Peacekeeper.
Chiana: Nonono - the tech is kept in a cell on tier 11. I put my currency on the Scarran.
D’argo: Well normally I'd agree with you - but Naj Gil has been with me the whole time. What about that Nebari?
Chiana: Hubero has never left my sight.
Rygel: And ah - since she arrived - sweet Orrhn has been atop me. Or ah - beneath me. Or ah-
John: HO-kay - there's a mental Polaroid we can all live without Ryg.
*Jool gets to show off her smarts*
Crais: According to Hubero's rendering of the Boolite - this obviously goes here.
Jool: Wrong. It's clearly vascular not skeletal. Put this piece there - attach that piece to there - then there.
Crais: Yes. Well - that would seem to be correct. I was hoping that once we got enough of him together that hewould be able to tell us how to do the rest. That's why I'm starting on the head and the mouth first.
Jool: Head and mouth.
Crais: What? You don't think that that's the head and that's the mouth?
Jool: Well - not unless he sits on his mouth.
*John doesn’t get any chatter out of Aeryn, but D’argo gives him a pep talk of sorts*
John: *while working on Moya repairs* Mag-stet. Turbo-sealer. Fluffy pink slippers. Donald Duck. Mickey Mouse. Hughie, Louie, and Dewy. *unknowingly hearkening back to a “guiding star” moment with Talyn John* You wanna talk? Okay fine - no talking. No. You know what? I wanna talk. I had words with Crais and um - he told me that you and the other me- Actually he didn't -- tell me anything. He um - told me to talk to you. So I assume... Aeryn I'm sorry. I... Maybe you're right-*Aeryn finishes her job and walks off* Maybe we shouldn't talk.
D’argo: Want some advice?
John: Nope. *despaired face covering* What? What?
D’argo: Oh my friend I... I don't know what to say. I don't have any advice. It's difficult isn't it? You're -jealous of the other you aren't you?
John: He died. The other guy. The copy.
D’argo: And now Aeryn thinks that you are the copy.
*advice perhaps inspired by how own love life*
Rygel: John - I think I'm in love with her. And - I think she loves me.
John: Well... that may be the best reason of all to get her out of here as quick as you can.
*Fifty Shades of Hynerian*
Orrhn: I heard what you said.
Rygel: I didn't mean-
Orrhn: I liked it Rygie. Are you ready to go again? Hm?
Rygel: Again?
Orrhn: We have half an arn. I've heard Dominar’s never need rest. Grrrr! Growl like a Luxan!
*some progressive gender politics on “Farscape”*
Chiana: So - what'd you do? Why'd they imprison you?
Hubero: Actually when the Peacekeepers found me they tried to give me back but - Nebari Prime didn't want me. To them I'm - just another mouth to feed in a non-conformist colony.
Chiana: Non-conformist? Wha-? Why? What? *Hubero shows genetalia* You're an an-an-an- an androgen.
Hubero: Not exactly male - not exactly female. Not exactly anything.
Chiana: When I was growing up I was told about androgens and- But I - uh - they w-were always taken - right after birth. I-I never met one.
Hubero: At least you didn't think you ever did.
*a “Farscape” twist on “Law and Order”*
Jool: Listen! Listen-
Boolite: ...Traitor... Traitor...
Crais: He keeps repeating the same word over and over.
John: Traitor?
Jool: I bet he still thinks he's on the transport pod.
Crais: So - the traitor-
John: -was on the pod. Can he hear us?
Boolite: Yee-e-eesss...
Jool: Well - there's a ear here somewhere.
John: Ho-okay - this is - a little too Naked Lunch. Can you tell us who the traitor is?
Boolite: I don't remember...
Crais: I've used all the brain matter we've found so far. It is possible the - part of his memory that holds the answer isn't here.
John: Either that or we're trackin' it all over the ship with our shoes.
*Chiana’s psychic powers adding to the tension*
Hubero: When they finally find us they'll be angry at you for hiding me.
Chiana: (as a simple point of fact) They get angry at me a lot.
Hubero: Do you trust Crichton? Would he really allow us to leave on a transport pod?
Chiana: Yeah I trust him -- but do you really wanna leave?
Hubero: Oh Chiana - I don't want to cause you any trouble. I'll wait in the transport pod until it's fixed.
Chiana: Wh-wh-whoever shot you would be in the pod.
Hubero: What are you talking about? I haven't been shot.
Chiana: I-I-I mean Naj Gil. Whoever shot- Hubero?
*Rygel got played!*
Rygel: Why Orrhn why? You were a prisoner of the Peacekeepers like the rest of us!
Orrhn: Because - my dear gullible Dominar - the odds of staying free stunk! So I struck a deal with the tech!
Rygel: W-w-when you were on Moya you were free!
Orrhn: For how long? I don't want to spend my life running from the Peacekeepers! And once I got here I found a superb bargaining chip - you! They'll be far more interested in recapturing a full Royal than a lowly soldier -- like myself.
Rygel: You're - a soldier?
Orrhn: You might not have deigned to take pleasure with me if you'd known I was a common soldier. And I needed -- you to take pleasure so you would fall asleep and I could roam the ship. It was unfortunate that the Scarran saw me.
Rygel: But you slept too - all Hynerians sleep deeply after - pleasure.
Orrhn: The pleasure - Dominar - was all yours.
Rygel: You were - faking?
Orrhn: Ugh - males!
*maybe Orrhn got played this time :P*
Orrhn: They won't shoot us down with him aboard.
Rygel: Oh-ho-ho-ho! I wouldn't be so sure about that!
*Aeryn has a dissociative moment with John :/*
John: This cable gonna hold?
Aeryn: It's irridium alloy; of course it'll hold - just like the Budong.
John: Budong? What are you talkin' about?
Aeryn: You- Just - follow my lead.
*post-rescue, John and Sparky continue to bond :P*
John: Hey Buckwheat how ya doin'?
Rygel: I will not be taken to task - for having a trusting nature.
Orrhn: *floating away* Rygiiiieeeeeeeeee!
John: Eh... Women.
*Talyn John’s speech to remaining John*
Talyn John: It's all in my head. Which means it's in yours too. Wormholes - A to Z. You've probably already heard what - we did with it. And that's just the beginning. You could fry a whole solar system. Furlow is still out there... somewhere. But for right now - the Scarrans are back to square one. Peacekeepers - they're your problem. Look at me. Now look at yourself. You know. Don't let Scorpius crack this. Whatever it takes. Okay - I'm gonna - piss you off now man. Be smart. Don't - push her. She takes... time. Oh - one more thing. *their final game of rock, paper, scissors* Good luck John.
*the first Serenity speech*
John: So that's what I'm doing. You don't have to come along. You don't have to like it. I just wanted you to know.
Pilot: Moya and I are against this idea in totality. I am sure Captain Crais is aware that Talyn resists also.
Chiana: You don't know how far Scorpius is in his wormhole research. You don't know where he keeps it - you don't know anything - how are you gonna stop him?
Jool: I'll pass if you don't mind.
Rygel: Why - are you wearing an eyepatch?
Jool: Boolite in my eye. Why are you such a moron?
John: Guys -- I don't see another option. Scorpius has the knowledge from my brain and I'm not gonna let him shaft the universe with it.
Chiana: *after Aeryn and Crais join him* You're all gonna die.
John: You see that one Pip or are you just guessin'? We choose our own path - this one is mine. I'm going to the Command Carrier. I'm going - to stop - Scorpius.
The episode also mixed and matched Crais and Jool to surprising effect, and introduced a transgender theme before that identity became quite the buzzword that it is today. And finally, it propelled John towards a new trajectory, which sets the course for the end of season three. Which also happens to be my favorite arc of the show ever. :P I get tingly, starting with this ending!
Episode summary is here, courtesy of the John and Aeryn Fansite.
The Moya crew is waiting for the Talyn crew to show up, but of course they open the hangar doors to the wrong people. :P Turns out another crew of diverse escaped prisoners took a shuttle pod (and a PK tech) and made their escape! The Scarran Naj Gil, Nebari Hubero and Hynerian Orhhn Pak were part of some Peacekeeper testing of a new weapon. Oh, and there’s a Boolite on board as well, who is in a bunch of gooey pieces but still alive. Definitely the most “alien” of “Farscape” aliens in awhile! The Moya crew agrees to patch up their pod and send them on their way; in the midst of all of this the Talyn crew finally drops anchor. John is their official greeter and Aeryn sets the tone as chilly. The boys later explain the fuller situation to him. But before John can wallow too much (or, say, play the message that Stark recorded for him in his mask) he’s called away by sudden plot—someone on board the ship sent their coordinates to Peacekeepers! Moya and Talyn starburst away, but the mystery still stands—with the PK tech in custody and not moving, whodunit? D’argo, Chiana and Rygel take sides with the three active ex-cons, while Jool and Crais attempt to put the Boolite back together again. The Boolite, of course, is attempting to tell them who sabotaged their pod to begin with. Chiana gets visions of people getting shot, starting with Naj Gil, which takes him off the table as a suspect. The others hide, but since Chiana trusts John, who is promising safe passage off the ship, Hubero decides to wait in the pod, but then she is shot! Turns out that Orhhn Pak is the bad guy! Much like her Hynerian counterpart, she will do anything she deems necessary to secure her freedom, including teaming up with the PK tech, throwing her fellow ex-cons under the bus, and taking Rygel hostage. (Turns out that all the sexy times they were having was just a convenient cover. :P) The newly freed tech is able to incapacitate Moya so that he, Orhhn Pak and Rygel can escape on the pod. John, Aeryn and D’argo come after them in Lo’La, blast off the hatch, kill the baddies and save Rygel, as you do. The coda takes us back to bigger “Farscape” themes, with John listening to a message not from Stark but from Talyn John. TJ fills his counterpart in about the destruction his wormhole knowledge can cause, and since the Scarrans are presently neutralized he sets the living John to stopping Scorpius. He also reminds John that it “takes time” with Aeryn, who is watching and grieving, unseen, from the hallway. Finally, the Johns play rock, paper, scissors—and I can’t believe I misread this for the past two decades, but they both draw scissors. Damn! I was sure that Talyn John played a rock! …and so let’s dissect this, briefly. I love that “Farscape” is still presenting me with new angles, even if this one comes because I was too silly to recognize a hand movement. :P I get why the show had the Johns pull the same gesture—it reiterated that they were, in essence, the same, but Aeryn couldn’t see that yet. Buuuut….it kinda goes against the broader show conceit about infinite possibilities! Because after spending months having various different experiences, the Johns shouldn’t be the same anymore. They’re not even technically playing rock, paper, scissors in the same time and space! Meh. Well, it is what it is.
I guess we should start with the big elephant in the room. :P And a good thing to note is how both John and Aeryn choose to present themselves. Aeryn is still rocking her tight-braid, closed-off aesthetic from the end of “The Choice.” And John chooses to go back to his black shirt, even before he knows that Talyn John is dead. I mean, logically it would make sense for the two Johns to wear different shirts when they’re on the same ship together, but instead the Johns wore different shirts to remind the audience of which crew we’re with during the separation. We are now officially back down to one John. :/ Later, Lone John does take back possession of Winona, which the ScapeCast crew interpreted as his way of saying he’ll fight for Aeryn, whom the gun represents. Aeryn herself isn’t ready to fight for him (or at the very least: it’s complicated). I still think it’s obvious (and Claudia Black agrees with me) that Aeryn sees the Johns as separate people because now they ARE separate people given their separate experiences. (So no, this isn’t a relationship reset, even if David Kemper and Claudia both use that term, because it’s a different John!
But John also has some other relationship drama going on—between himself and D’argo. Well, let me start with the good stuff. Bro is obviously in his corner, even before they know anything more from the Talyn crew than that they defeated the retrieval squad. He fends off the guests and allows John to be the greeter because he knows how much it means to him. Later, once everyone is filled in on Talyn John’s death, D’argo lends a supporting ear to his pal and even tries to speak up to Aeryn. Touching stuff. But on the opposite side of the coin, he’s getting suspiciously friendly with Naj Gil. I mean friendly by way of being antagonistic to his own crew. When I first watched this episode I think I bought into this because of the dramatic genre conceit. If we want the stakes to be high about who “the bad guy” is, then each guest star needs a friendly regular star in his or her corner. In one way, it makes sense for D’argo to feel for Naj Gul—they’re both warrior types. And yet…it kind’ve comes out of left field. It’s like first he’s ordering Naj Gul to stay still and not move, and then he’s arguing in Naj Gul’s defense. I guess one can say that the Scarran earned D’s trust by staying still and not moving. :P Or—maybe this is about D’argo’s pettiness with Chiana! If Chi is going to take Hubero’s side, then D’argo is going to flip her the bird by going for the other guy, hee.
Chiana’s affinity for Hubero makes much more sense. Beyond their shared species (and the fact that they’re both outcasts…seriously, Nebari Prime is Dystopia Central,) Hubero is helpless and downtrodden. She’s not like Jool, who is high maintenance and sees herself as superior to everyone else (though it should be said that Chiana and Jool have matured to a gossipy stage of friendship. :P) Hubero is also not like Jool in that she’s not quite…female. She’s an “androgen,” and I believe this scene might be the first where I seriously considered sexualities other than male or female. Presumably she’s still referred to as “she” because actress Kate Beahan is female. (“Farscape” played with the idea of gender before, but only, if memory serves, to make a joke about a male-presenting alien actually being female. :P) In retrospect, it would’ve probably made more sense for a larger amount of “Farscape” aliens to not present gender the way that most humans do. Though, I suppose to be fair, maybe the “Boolite” isn’t so recognizably male or female either, heh. It intrigues me that Jool and Crais were teamed up to work on fixing…him. I suppose, from Crais’s perspective, he didn’t want to be on Talyn and he didn’t necessarily want to hang with anyone else on Moya, so why not be useful? Jool got the chance to show her medical chops as well. And both characters got some jokes in as they argued about how to put the gooey alien back together again.
One familiar person whom Crais would definitely not want to hang out with would be Rygel. :P He smells a female of his species almost immediately after coming aboard Moya, lol. The ScapeCast crew had a lot to say about this pornographic part of the episode. (Yeesh, how many puppeteers were present to make that foreplay possible? :P) Karen pointed out how Rygel’s love life was kind of the opposite to John’s—in that Rygel gets his sexy times but is ultimately betrayed, whereas John gets the emotional cold shoulder but has a stalwart loyalist in Aeryn. The men on the show cracked wise about whether or not Orhhn Pak was actually attractive or if Rygel was just hard up. Yeesh. I think they felt for him that he was betrayed—not only that Orhhn Pak had lied about her motivations, but she also insults his sexual prowess. Though seriously, in terms of self-serving cunning, our two Hynerians are quite similar. (They’re also quite similar in appetite, as Jool notes. :P) I think the difference is that Rygel now feels a sense of loyalty to his crew. He wouldn’t sell them down the river the way that Ohrrn Pak is doing to the Boolite, Naj Gul and Hubero; this isn’t first season! :P (Sheesh, that makes me wonder…what if this other crew of escaped prisoners had stayed together for years? Would they then be more like our characters? We will never know.) Orhnn Pak’s ultimate death is played off for laughs—she tries to get back into the dominar’s good graces with the nickname “Rygie,” which she’s still wailing as she’s shoved out the airlock. (“Shove” might be too harsh, but she did go spiraling away.) The PK tech had a more traditional shoot out death, which conveniently led to him landing on something that would make the pod go boom; always have to end with an escape and explosion! :P As a final note, props to Matt Doran who played the PK tech. He had a creepy, indolent affectation that leant to the mystery part of the episode.
But let’s conclude with the important bits of this hour, which is definitely not in the A storyline. The—well the monologue—between the Johns was very affecting, and showed off their inner emotions well. They are still driven by the same goals. It was emotional to watch Talyn John take down the Scarrans, but Scorpius is obviously our big target. We know him better and have even seen him make some progress (or struggle to make progress) with the wormhole tech. A John/Scorpy showdown is simply inevitable. I also haven’t paid any attention yet to Chiana’s continued visions, which in this case portend but can’t stop Naj Gil and Hubero from getting shot. :/ So when she tells John after his Serenity “justice for the Reavers” moment (though technically “Farscape” came first!) that he’s going to die, it’s meant to be ominous. John picks up on that immediately. Of course this is our hook to keep us invested—I believe there was a stretch of time between originally airtimes here. :/ But even before seeing the rest of the show, I always thought Chiana’s warning was more hypothetical than based on visions. John’s idea is still too vague at this stage to have consequences. It’s just the fear of the unknown…that scary, cavernous unknown. Anywho, some parting thoughts from the wikia! David Kemper and Jonathan Hardy apparently had some fun with Orrhn Par’s costume design; they called her Carol Channing and Phyllis Diller. :P Apparently John isn’t the only one who can make Crichtonisms, hee. If I’m inferring from the wikia and IMDB correctly, Fiona Gentle originally did Orrhn Par’s voice in a cockney accent, but the crew ultimately wanted something more refined, and they went with voice actress Alexandra Fowler. Lani Tupu enjoyed his comedic role this ep but worried that Crais’s scream would be out of character (it definitely struck me as odd.) Some deleted scenes with Crais showed him telling John to talk to Aeryn about the Talyn story arc, and also Jool reminding us of how much the former Captain lied this season (striking a deal with Xhalax and all that.) Crais is a complicated guy. Thomas Halesgrove, on the other hand, who usually plays Scarrans, enjoyed getting the chance to do a nice one this time. :P Removing his heat gland does seem…well, a bit like mutilation. :/ Peacekeepers the torturers. Aeryn tells the PK tech she’s no longer one of them, but she doesn’t seem quite sure what she is part of now, either. :/ Anywho. Orrhn Par’s pistol when kidnapping Rygel was actually the “laser knife” from the premiere episode! And the real reason Jool had to wear that eyepatch is that Tammy MacIntosh had a minor eye injury and wasn’t able to wear her alien contacts. Yeesh. The “Farscape” costume accoutrements are really hardcore.
Favorite Chrichtonism: Rygel look - I-I completely understand. But you cannot let the little appendage start tellin' the big appendage what to do!
Favorite Quotes:
*upon reflection, D’argo’s friendship is a lot like Jool’s :P*
D’argo: Well is it them or isn't it?
Pilot: Moya can't be certain until she's closer.
John: Which one - green or black?
D’argo: This is not the time!
John: D'Argo! Green or black?
D’argo: Well - the black of course! I mean far be it from me to say - but I've always thought that the cut of that green shirt doesn't suit the shape of your body.
*case in point to the above…though it should be noted that Jool’s choice doesn’t fit Chiana as well*
Jool: Oo-hoo-hoo! Crichton is not going to like having the other Crichton around!
Chiana: Yeah - he'll like having Aeryn around though. You want me to wear this?.
Jool: Yeah! You look blixk!
*relatedly, Jool isn’t the best friend to John, either*
Chiana: She's gonna be walkin' off that pod - I know it.
Jool: Chiana's right. Aeryn's fine. I'm sure the other you has taken extra good care of her. I mean - all I meant was that I'm sure that he did everything that you would have done if you had been with Aeryn all this time.
*John’s continued alien education (also, the Peacekeepers aren’t fans of species rights)*
Hubero: The weapon the Peacekeepers were testing destroys the bonding of metallic molecules. That's why this pod is so damaged.
John: What exactly are we lookin' for?
Hubero: A Boolite.
John: And what does he look like? Big? Small? Hairy? Blue? Green?
Hubero: He doesn't - look like he used to. You see - Boolites have a much higher metal content than other species. So -- when the weapon hit our pod-
John: Excuse me- *picks up organic goo* What the hell is this?
Hubero: That's the Boolite. Or at least - a part of him.
John: Ho-kay.
Hubero: Boolite body parts can survive independent of the main body for as much as half a cycle.
John: Right. And he's still alive?
Hubero: You have to try to save him. Help put him back together.
*Aeryn sets the reunion tone*
John: Sparky! How you doin' man? Long time no see!
Rygel: Yes ah - good to see you too! But if anything is missing from my quarters - blood is going to spill.
John: Whatever. *to Crais, who looks awkward and says nothing* Crais. *to Aeryn* Well there's a familiar face.
Aeryn: *toneless before walking away* Hello John.
*Rygel finally gets the attention he desires :P*
Rygel: Oh - it is a female! Oh! Please - rise. You - recognize me?
Orrhn: Who could forget the royal profile? You're alive!
Rygel: Indeed. And you are-?
Orrhn: Orrhn Pak - from the Jensii Province.
Rygel: Aa-aah...
Orrhn: At least - I was.
Rygel: And you have been a Peacekeeper prisoner?
Orrhn: Arrested - because I refused allegiance to - Dominar Bishan.
Rygel: Oh! That's no crime - it's an act of courage!
Orrhn: Oh! I shouldn't have been speaking of myself - of my travails - when I am in your presence. Forgive me - your highness - forgive me.
Rygel: No - it is permissible for you to be the focus of attention - if I desire it - and I uh -I -- I - do - so - desire it.
*D’argo and Chiana take stock of new realities*
Chiana: Have you seen Aeryn and the others?
D’argo: Only for a moment.
Chiana: Not quite the reunion we were expecting. The other Crichton dead and - and Stark searching for Zhaan’s spirit...
D’argo: Well with a single Crichton and Stark missing perhaps it will restore some sanity to the ship.
Chiana: Stand back!
D’argo: What?
Chiana: The pulse blast - didn't you hear it?
D’argo: No.
Chiana: *to Naj Gil* You stay there. *to D’argo* No? Okay. Okay- it's happenin' again! I'm frellin' sensing stuff before it happens!
D’argo: So much for sanity!
*in a search for self, perhaps, Aeryn visits the PK Tech in his cell*
Markir: HEEYYY! HEY COME ON! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME IN 'ERE! You're a Peacekeeper. They beat me - they took me hostage.
Aeryn: You're a fugitive.
Markir: I'm a member of the Peacekeepers and If you help me out of here there'll be a big - big reward.
Aeryn: What? 200 darcats for a tech?
Markir: Those are escaped prisoners you have on your ship - they're dangerous. Don't you care?
Aeryn: No. Not any more.
*the crew takes sides on which guest star sent the PK signal…ending with some sexual innuendo :P*
Rygel: Why would anybody here want to signal the Peacekeepers?
D’argo: What about the tech? He was a Peacekeeper.
Chiana: Nonono - the tech is kept in a cell on tier 11. I put my currency on the Scarran.
D’argo: Well normally I'd agree with you - but Naj Gil has been with me the whole time. What about that Nebari?
Chiana: Hubero has never left my sight.
Rygel: And ah - since she arrived - sweet Orrhn has been atop me. Or ah - beneath me. Or ah-
John: HO-kay - there's a mental Polaroid we can all live without Ryg.
*Jool gets to show off her smarts*
Crais: According to Hubero's rendering of the Boolite - this obviously goes here.
Jool: Wrong. It's clearly vascular not skeletal. Put this piece there - attach that piece to there - then there.
Crais: Yes. Well - that would seem to be correct. I was hoping that once we got enough of him together that hewould be able to tell us how to do the rest. That's why I'm starting on the head and the mouth first.
Jool: Head and mouth.
Crais: What? You don't think that that's the head and that's the mouth?
Jool: Well - not unless he sits on his mouth.
*John doesn’t get any chatter out of Aeryn, but D’argo gives him a pep talk of sorts*
John: *while working on Moya repairs* Mag-stet. Turbo-sealer. Fluffy pink slippers. Donald Duck. Mickey Mouse. Hughie, Louie, and Dewy. *unknowingly hearkening back to a “guiding star” moment with Talyn John* You wanna talk? Okay fine - no talking. No. You know what? I wanna talk. I had words with Crais and um - he told me that you and the other me- Actually he didn't -- tell me anything. He um - told me to talk to you. So I assume... Aeryn I'm sorry. I... Maybe you're right-*Aeryn finishes her job and walks off* Maybe we shouldn't talk.
D’argo: Want some advice?
John: Nope. *despaired face covering* What? What?
D’argo: Oh my friend I... I don't know what to say. I don't have any advice. It's difficult isn't it? You're -jealous of the other you aren't you?
John: He died. The other guy. The copy.
D’argo: And now Aeryn thinks that you are the copy.
*advice perhaps inspired by how own love life*
Rygel: John - I think I'm in love with her. And - I think she loves me.
John: Well... that may be the best reason of all to get her out of here as quick as you can.
*Fifty Shades of Hynerian*
Orrhn: I heard what you said.
Rygel: I didn't mean-
Orrhn: I liked it Rygie. Are you ready to go again? Hm?
Rygel: Again?
Orrhn: We have half an arn. I've heard Dominar’s never need rest. Grrrr! Growl like a Luxan!
*some progressive gender politics on “Farscape”*
Chiana: So - what'd you do? Why'd they imprison you?
Hubero: Actually when the Peacekeepers found me they tried to give me back but - Nebari Prime didn't want me. To them I'm - just another mouth to feed in a non-conformist colony.
Chiana: Non-conformist? Wha-? Why? What? *Hubero shows genetalia* You're an an-an-an- an androgen.
Hubero: Not exactly male - not exactly female. Not exactly anything.
Chiana: When I was growing up I was told about androgens and- But I - uh - they w-were always taken - right after birth. I-I never met one.
Hubero: At least you didn't think you ever did.
*a “Farscape” twist on “Law and Order”*
Jool: Listen! Listen-
Boolite: ...Traitor... Traitor...
Crais: He keeps repeating the same word over and over.
John: Traitor?
Jool: I bet he still thinks he's on the transport pod.
Crais: So - the traitor-
John: -was on the pod. Can he hear us?
Boolite: Yee-e-eesss...
Jool: Well - there's a ear here somewhere.
John: Ho-okay - this is - a little too Naked Lunch. Can you tell us who the traitor is?
Boolite: I don't remember...
Crais: I've used all the brain matter we've found so far. It is possible the - part of his memory that holds the answer isn't here.
John: Either that or we're trackin' it all over the ship with our shoes.
*Chiana’s psychic powers adding to the tension*
Hubero: When they finally find us they'll be angry at you for hiding me.
Chiana: (as a simple point of fact) They get angry at me a lot.
Hubero: Do you trust Crichton? Would he really allow us to leave on a transport pod?
Chiana: Yeah I trust him -- but do you really wanna leave?
Hubero: Oh Chiana - I don't want to cause you any trouble. I'll wait in the transport pod until it's fixed.
Chiana: Wh-wh-whoever shot you would be in the pod.
Hubero: What are you talking about? I haven't been shot.
Chiana: I-I-I mean Naj Gil. Whoever shot- Hubero?
*Rygel got played!*
Rygel: Why Orrhn why? You were a prisoner of the Peacekeepers like the rest of us!
Orrhn: Because - my dear gullible Dominar - the odds of staying free stunk! So I struck a deal with the tech!
Rygel: W-w-when you were on Moya you were free!
Orrhn: For how long? I don't want to spend my life running from the Peacekeepers! And once I got here I found a superb bargaining chip - you! They'll be far more interested in recapturing a full Royal than a lowly soldier -- like myself.
Rygel: You're - a soldier?
Orrhn: You might not have deigned to take pleasure with me if you'd known I was a common soldier. And I needed -- you to take pleasure so you would fall asleep and I could roam the ship. It was unfortunate that the Scarran saw me.
Rygel: But you slept too - all Hynerians sleep deeply after - pleasure.
Orrhn: The pleasure - Dominar - was all yours.
Rygel: You were - faking?
Orrhn: Ugh - males!
*maybe Orrhn got played this time :P*
Orrhn: They won't shoot us down with him aboard.
Rygel: Oh-ho-ho-ho! I wouldn't be so sure about that!
*Aeryn has a dissociative moment with John :/*
John: This cable gonna hold?
Aeryn: It's irridium alloy; of course it'll hold - just like the Budong.
John: Budong? What are you talkin' about?
Aeryn: You- Just - follow my lead.
*post-rescue, John and Sparky continue to bond :P*
John: Hey Buckwheat how ya doin'?
Rygel: I will not be taken to task - for having a trusting nature.
Orrhn: *floating away* Rygiiiieeeeeeeeee!
John: Eh... Women.
*Talyn John’s speech to remaining John*
Talyn John: It's all in my head. Which means it's in yours too. Wormholes - A to Z. You've probably already heard what - we did with it. And that's just the beginning. You could fry a whole solar system. Furlow is still out there... somewhere. But for right now - the Scarrans are back to square one. Peacekeepers - they're your problem. Look at me. Now look at yourself. You know. Don't let Scorpius crack this. Whatever it takes. Okay - I'm gonna - piss you off now man. Be smart. Don't - push her. She takes... time. Oh - one more thing. *their final game of rock, paper, scissors* Good luck John.
*the first Serenity speech*
John: So that's what I'm doing. You don't have to come along. You don't have to like it. I just wanted you to know.
Pilot: Moya and I are against this idea in totality. I am sure Captain Crais is aware that Talyn resists also.
Chiana: You don't know how far Scorpius is in his wormhole research. You don't know where he keeps it - you don't know anything - how are you gonna stop him?
Jool: I'll pass if you don't mind.
Rygel: Why - are you wearing an eyepatch?
Jool: Boolite in my eye. Why are you such a moron?
John: Guys -- I don't see another option. Scorpius has the knowledge from my brain and I'm not gonna let him shaft the universe with it.
Chiana: *after Aeryn and Crais join him* You're all gonna die.
John: You see that one Pip or are you just guessin'? We choose our own path - this one is mine. I'm going to the Command Carrier. I'm going - to stop - Scorpius.
