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scifi_rewatch2019-11-15 11:50 am
chavalah) wrote in scifi_rewatch2019-11-15 11:50 am
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Farscape Episode 3.20: "Into the Lion's Den, Part 1: Lambs to the Slaughter"
I finally made it…to my favorite two episodes of “Farscape.” Been excited for this ever since I started this scifi rewatch project, way too long ago! And I think, in some ways, they might be my favorite two episodes of television ever.
Granted, I suppose some production values don’t live up. The music is a little canned, there’s obviously no big movie-style budget for lots of extras and lavish sets (though, to be fair, the Peacekeepers are pretty austere,) and even some of the CGI is a little bit hokey-looking.
But who cares? I’m not in love with this show for its technical side; I’m in love for the characters. And as we get into the final three episodes of season 3, things are really coming to a head. We see the instigation of what the crew has been talking about for the last episode and a half—Moya (the people onboard her, anyway,) come to Scorpius’s command carrier. Now everyone from the various story arcs of the year are all in one place, and with various agendas to keep them going.
Add on top of that that John’s having a “Hamlet” moment (my quick speak for someone who is conflicted on his next move,) and the introduction of a major new character who will impact the rest of the series. But what’s most fascinating about her now is not her own charisma, but the political realities that she broadens for us. Love, love, love.
Some technical notes about this recap—looks like the John and Aeryn website, which I linked to for their episode summaries, is down! So too is the ScapeCast and the Scaper Chronicles I’ve been listening to for years (some of their episodes are now on YouTube.) It’s the end of an era…though perhaps the beginning of a new one, what with all the 20th anniversary extravaganza and Farscape now being available on Amazon Prime. :D
This might have been around the time where I realized how special Farscape was, how they can indulge in these big messages with dramatic stakes and make, well, the Uncharted Territories and beyond, feel so real. I still love the kookiness and the sense of wonder, but seeing things come together on such an epic scale really grabbed me, and cemented my love for the macro nature of science fiction and fantasy. Plus, I still feel personally attacked by that final image before “to be continued…” I may need to get out more. :P
Episode Summary is here, courtesy of Farscape World.
After the events of last episode, John and Scorpy are yensched up and everyone is ready to take the next step. John and Harvey amp themselves up for battle in a black and white war scene featuring “When Johnny Comes Marching Home…” more like marching to the enemy here! Moya is in hiding, but everyone else—including Talyn—arrives on the Command Carrier. Crais wants Talyn to get a cognitive replacement, have his PK tech stripped, and be set free. Most of the rest of the crew also has demands to make of the unwilling Peacekeepers, which Scorpy agrees to for John’s help. John goes about attempting to learn about/sabotage Scorpy’s wormhole tech, but Scorpy’s backstory, which we got from “Incubator,” changes his tune. Maybe the Scarrans are really too big of a threat? Meanwhile everyone else is dealing with hostility on all fronts, which leads to D’argo, Chiana, Jool and Rygel returning to Moya. …but only for a short time, because a Commandant Mele-On Grayza, a brand new PK big wig, appears and captures them! We already know that it’s an embarrassment to the Peacekeepers that the Moya crew has stayed free for so long. Plus, she wants to shut down Scorpius’s wormhole project and negotiate with the Scarrans. Scorpius is far from pleased, and he’s able to get rid of her—for now. (An attempt to kill Scorpy via John’s i-Yensch bracelet fails.) Our hybrid’s fragile nerves have been shaken all episode, and though Harvey is normalizing John’s energy signature, he doesn’t trust the human’s motives. So as a last ditch attempt to force John to get his butt in gear, Scorpy pulls out the big guns: he’s found Earth and he’s going to destroy us all if John can’t figure out wormhole tech, like right now!
So John’s immediate dilemma after that “to be continued” sign is to take care of all of us! He spent the rest of the episode pointing guns in peoples’ faces whenever anyone on Moya was threatened; surely he can extend that impulse to 7 billion more humans? :P Also, the show is positing the idea that indeed John CAN go home now, and he’s not just stuck wandering the Uncharted Territories forever. But that’s hardly important in the short term. In the short term, Scorpy looks ready to blow his top if he doesn’t get any results soon, and John isn’t sure of his next move. When he boarded the Command Carrier, the only thing he was lacking was a surefire way to halt Scorpy’s wormhole advancement. But once he learned a bit more about Scorpy’s most primal motivations, plus the threat that the Scarrans pose, he immediately started questioning himself. This doesn’t sit well with Aeryn, who immediately reminds him of the sacrifice Talyn John made to keep wormhole tech from the wrong hands (and Scarran hands, at that.) It’s also a good reminder for the audience that though Aeryn is committed to (former Moya) John’s agenda, she’s not in love with the man. She’s in this for Talyn John’s memory. And maybe she’s also generally less philosophical: she has her goal and she’s sticking to it, not going beyond it. Whatever threat Scarrans pose to the galaxy isn’t in the parameters. But we have to respect John, and his steady characterization, for getting stuck on this, don’t we? Homeboy’s always been one to ponder the big picture. Anywho, in closing, I just gotta say I looove that “planetary terrain” set, so pretty! More on that later. (Also: not exactly important, but I love that John is working with Strappa and talking about Linfer, because scientists have got to stick together! :P)
The other big reveal of the episode—Commandant Mele-On Grayza! We don’t know it yet, but she’s kind of a big deal. :P Well, we know it with regards to Scorpius’s reaction to her, and how she’s talking about a “council” that can curb his wormhole project. Grayza is here in this context to put a thorn in the side of the plot by way of political grandstanding. Those people are always the worst, right? :P Or maybe Grayza legitimately means it when she thinks diplomacy with the Scarrans is a better option than playing with crazy, theoretical space weapons. She’s got her Luxan allies under her wing. And let me just pause and swoon again—I love that she came with someone, someone non-Sebacean, too. Just a reminder that Luxans are part of this proverbial world! Anywho. I mean yeah, everything about this is kind of an explosion of worldbuilding, and the show is better for it. Or are we supposed to believe that Scorpius, a half breed, is king of the Peacekeepers, and there is no broader government in play? Well, Commandant Grayza has now answered that question. Plus, she gives purpose to disgruntled underlings who are also not happy with having to treat their former prisoners as equals. Doesn’t really turn out great for them, but at least we get to see the i-Yensch subplot bear fruit, and John and Aeryn enter a quirky new, generator room set that vaporizes people who get too close. Plus, John gets to play with a jetpack! :P I gotta love when he’s stranded and dangling on a generator and he groans “this is just not fair.” Sometimes exasperation is the best option, show.
John’s experiences on the command carrier might be the most overtly surreal, but Crais and Aeryn are dealing with their own ghosts in coming home. Crais used to run this shindig, remember? Now he has his former second in command, Braca, sneering about how the good Captain is no longer important. Gotta love Crais’s comeback—a compliment can turn into an insult based off of it’s intention alone, heh. Meanwhile it seems like Braca was lying, because he sends in Crais’s former lover, Larell, to spy on him! Larell starts asking about the neural interface with Talyn, and THEN she suggests that Crais could prove his loyalty to Scorp by giving him what he wants from John. Oooo. (Discounting that Crais doesn’t have wormhole knowledge in his head, he could know SOMETHING from his time with our homeboy. Or he could act as the muscle to get John moving.) On the opposite end of the spectrum, things start out rather chilly between Aeryn and her old friend, Henta. There doesn’t seem to be any subterfuge in play, but Henta is genuinely hurt by Aeryn’s betrayal. Of course she’s been taught that the Peacekeeper way of life is the only correct one, something that Aeryn no longer believes, but I appreciate how this actress, Marta Dusseldorp, is able to give some dimension to the friendship. It felt like it hurt her on a personal level, that Aeryn left and wanted to stay gone. Aeryn, for her part, is feeling some nostalgia back on the command carrier, but not enough to give up her new ideals. In a deleted scene, Henta suggests that Aeryn try to reform the Peacekeepers from the inside, and Aeryn’s refusal to consider it made me arch my eyebrow this go around. I suppose because, almost 20 years after watching this episode for the first time, I’m wary of people who want to tear things down rather than fix them. But some institutions are too rotten, and I suppose that Peacekeepers may be one of them. So I suppose my biggest complaint about these two PK ladies is that they, Dusseldorp and Larell’s actress, Lenore Smith, just look too similar! It may just be the hair. :P But I had some trouble sometimes telling them apart.
Meanwhile, back with some of the folks we know well, I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s one B plot, but we check in with everybody. Moya is in hiding, because apparently she’s the only one with sense enough to not return to the organization that imprisoned her! :P Though actually, D’argo and Rygel get something special out of the deal. Rygel gets a political update on Hyneria, which thrills him no end because his cousin isn’t so popular as ruler right now. It seems Rygel might want to take back his throne soon…and here we are, near the end of a season! :/ Somewhat relatedly, I love that he references Orrhn from “Fractures,” because show continuity rocks! :P Anywho. D’argo, with more trepidation on the part of the Peacekeepers, gets his chest chains removed, and also the intel on his former brother-in-law Macton’s latest whereabouts. Of course the Peacekeeper narrative continues to be that D’argo killed his Sebacean wife rather than her brother, Macton, murdering her. There’s also a fair bit of anti-Luxan racism in play, particularly personified by the character of Lt. Reljik (Sean Taylor.) Just one of those cultural ticks I feel it’s important to include, because Farscape aliens have always been pretty human. They have their own systematic biases. Jool and Chiana have nothing to ask of the Peacekeepers, though Jool does her share of complaining and Chiana causes tension in the usual way; in the officers’ lounge, she attempts to join a gambling game through aggressive flirtation. Oh, Chi. Meanwhile there was D’argo right behind her, playing up on all the complications of THAT relationship. But once Chiana was back on Moya, we got another nod to her recent psychic abilities plot! She has a vision of Pilot screaming, which sadly does not save Moya from being harpooned by Commandant Grayza’s ship. :/ Alas. At least the debacle ended with John promising Pilot over transmission that he’ll hold Scorpy to his word to leave Moya alone. Though not sure how much that promise is worth when, five minutes later, Scorp has John’s head smashed on the table and he’s threatening Earth. :P
And finally, just a quick jaunt over to the Farscape wikia about the quirky behind the scenes stuff! Since it’s Grayza’s first appearance (played, I should say, by the scarily in control Rebecca Riggs,) there’s a lot of chatter about the inspiration for the character. Apparently Riggs was a fan of Blake’s 7, and Grayza is somewhat like the character Servalan, by way of high up military positions and using sex appeal to get what they want. I’m sure I’ll have thoughts about how Grayza uses her sexuality in season four. :/ Anywho. Costumer Dave Elsey wanted to dress Grayza a la Judi Dench’s Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. :0 Kinda glad THAT went to the wayside! I don’t see Grayza so much as regal as I do like a cold and calculating corporate executive. Brr. Meanwhile, the “planetary terrain” scene was shot in Sydney’s Centennial Park. Apparently, a strong morning mist prompted Claudia Black to comment on the “surreal atmosphere.” That’s how I felt, seeing that green space inside of the industrial command carrier! And finally, the first big teaser scene, of the shuttle landing and the Moya crew walking amongst the PKs towards Scorpius, was inspired by the award scene at the end of Star Wars, A New Hope. Funny, I was thinking of the scene in Star Wars, Return of the Jedi when the Emperor arrives on the starship with all of the Storm Troopers lined up to greet him. Has more of a “lions den” feel to it…maybe not to the Emperor, but to us, the audience. I guess the more obvious “lambs to the slaughter” parallel would be when Vader escorts Luke to meet said Emperor, heh. But speaking of A New Hope, there’s something rather Tarkinesque about Scorpy threatening John with Earth’s destruction, isn’t there? I guess that makes our homeboy Princess Leia. :D I bet he wishes he was that well put together.
Favorite Chrichtonism: I'm here - on a big, stinkin' Command Carrier. Dick Tracy's freakin' neural bracelet linkin' me to Bram Stoker's nightmare.
Favorite Quotes:
*John—and Harvey—psych themselves up for this episode*
Harvey: Oh turn back, John!
John: Shut up, Private. We're goin' in.
Harvey: If Scorpius discovers you intend to sabotage his wormhole research -- he'll kill you, John, and if you perish - so do I.
John: Thought you wanted to die.
Harvey: Not any more. I want to survive!
John: Then follow orders.
*folks in the waking world need some psyching up, too*
Pilot: Moya is under - great stress.
Chiana: She ought to see us.
Pilot: But she assures me she will - endure.
Jool: I hope we can say the same.
*John’s i-Yensch test*
John: Let's test the jewelry.
*the boys comment on command carrier living*
Aeryn: Treating you all right?
D’argo: So far.
Rygel: Food could be better.
*might be my favorite line of the episode. So much going on! So much potential, and everything from the season coming together*
Scorpius: John Crichton. I grant you - John - and your companions - full diplomatic rights, immunities and courtesies whilst aboard this vessel. At last - the rift between us is finally bridged.
*John’s first test in fooling Scorpy about his agenda*
Scorpius: So tell me John - what finally brought you here? Dominar Rygel claimed you preferred the Peacekeepers to the Scarrans. Any other reasons?
John: Moya. Pilot. Aeryn. D'Argo. They've been through hell in large part due to me. It's time I did something for them. Do not - screw with them Scorpius - give them what they want. It's a good deal for you.
Scorpius: Oh - uncontested.
*Crais and John force the PKs to un-PK Talyn*
Braca: Bringing a gunship aboard is too much to ask.
Crais: His weapons have been deactivated. Techs will remove them. He will be reprogrammed and set free.
John: No guns no Peacekeeper memories no emotional problems.
*Crais is playing his own games, too :P*
Crais: Show me to my quarters and get me the project schematics so I can isolate Talyn's design flaws. I'll need a Leviathan specialist. I request Lieutenant Larell.
Scorpius: For ah - any particular reason?
Crais: Only that she's the best qualified.
*dun dun duuuuun*
John: I came to work.
Scorpius: For - or against me?
*in all honesty, this Plint guy might have the best line of the episode :P*
Reljik: Full immunity for escaped prisoners! It's frelling madness! We shouldn't be welcoming these criminals - we should be executing them!
Plint: *escorting the Moya crew into the room at the same time* Make yourselves comfortable.
*after John destroys his work station*
John: Screw you and your intentions Scorp! I do not eat at the kiddie table! Now you either give me the big toys - or you send me home.
*Crais and Braca insult each other*
Braca: Not as salubrious as your previous accommodations. Still - considering the fact you should be in our brig - I suppose you can't complain. Don't bother searching for surveillance. You're not that important.
Crais: Lieutenant Braca. I predicted your rise in this organization. I stand by that prediction. You - are - a consummate Peacekeeper.
*Chiana stirs dren up by being Chiana*
Chiana: Room for another?
Reljik: No.
Chiana: But I have currency -- and, ah - other things.
Reljik: I don't see anything.
Chiana: No? *bending towards him* Look closer.
D’argo: Chiana - I think we should be moving along.
Chiana: We're just getting to know each other.
Reljik: I know exactly what you are.
Chiana: Oh?
Reljik: A Nebari tralk. ( And a Luxan who took a Sebacean wife and then murdered her.
Aeryn: *as D’argo hisses* D'Argo we didn't come here to fight.
D’argo: No. No I wouldn't dream of it.
*Aeryn doesn’t receive a kind homecoming*
Henta: For the love of Cholek - I heard you were here - but I didn't believe it.
Aeryn: Will you have a drink with me?
Henta: Thank you - *throws the drink in her face* - but I only drink with Peacekeepers.
*Strappa and Scorpy are still weirdly secretive*
Strappa: And this colonates the organic residue analyzer which ah-
John: - is tryin' to figure out why your wormhole pilots are turnin' to goo.
Strappa: You know of the - tissue liquefaction effect?
John: Yeah. It happened to Linfer when she tried to defect to Moya.
Scorpius: What did Linfer tell you?
John: Not a lot. She died. Tell you what - why don't you pull up her phase progression equations? Let's see how they compare to the stuff your - chip pulled out of my brain. *after an awkward moment* Fellas - open the bag or call me a cab - I cannot work blind.
*The usual for “Farscape” plans. :P Also, the mist room serves a dual purpose!*
Aeryn: Apparently it's safe to talk in here. Crais says that the mist interferes with their surveillance equipment.
John: Well he should know. It was his boat. How you holdin' up?
Aeryn: Well, I wish I was elsewhere.
John: Yeah.
Aeryn: Have you decided on a plan?
John: Plan A - was to wipe all their data - send them back to square one. That would work if I could find the erase button.
Aeryn: Mmhm.
John: Plan B... Steer 'em in the wrong direction - except I don't know which way that is.
Aeryn: Mmhm.
John: I'm startin' to look at Plan C.
Aeryn: Which is?
John: Forget the whole thing and run like hell before they kill us.
Aeryn: Are you serious about that one?
John: No. Just tell the others not to get comfortable.
Aeryn: Trust me they won't.
*Racism central*
Reljik: How the frell can Scorpius allow that Luxan on board? Can't stand Luxans. Never could.
Vonk: Me neither.
Reljik: Looking down his ugly nose at us. Like to wipe that sneer off his face.
Vonk: So would I.
*John almost gets his wish to leave, but at least D’argo finally gets what he wants*
Scorpius: Reljik - if anyone and I mean ANYONE - touches our guests - there will be two executions-- The offenders and YOURS! DisMISSED!
John: Can anybody think of a reason why we shouldn't head straight back for Moya?
Jool: No.
Aeryn: We were assured safe passage.
Scorpius: But John - Ka D'Argo - I do apologize. But this will not happen again!
D’argo: That's right - because I'm taking Jool, Chiana and Rygel back to Moya.
Scorpius: Unnecessary!
John: The fewer of us onboard the less likely one of your people is to get hurt.
Braca: Yes and the less incentive for you to keep your promises.
Scorpius: Those who wish to return may. But-
D’argo: Speaking of promises...
Scorpius: Braca - give him the file on Macton.
Braca: *obviously not thrilled to be betraying a fellow Peacekeeper* Latest activities. Current location.
D’argo: Thank you.
*flirtation central!*
Crais: Lieutenant.
Larell: Captain.
Crais: No longer. What were you told?
Larell: Only to assist you as required.
Crais: And are you displeased with this assignment?
Larell: Why would I be?
Crais: Working with someone who has - lost his command.
Larell: Scorpius stole your command! I knew he squeezed you out of power!
Crais: What else do you know?
Larell: That even though you left without a word - I never changed my feelings for you. *smooch time* Scorpius - he knows about our past. He put me in the Aurora Chair - found out everything. He said if I didn't spy on you - he'd destroy me.
Crais: Why are you telling me this?
Larell: For the last two cycles - I hated you. It was the only way I could get through it.
Crais: It's as I expected. Everyone who knew me - would be coerced into spying.
Larell: I don't hate you.
Crais: I don't hate you either.
*Scorp is getting impatient, so he provides backstory to muddle John’s intentions*
Scorpius: No progress?
Strappa: Uh - not as yet. So far we haven't been able to - to postulate any further equations. No.
Scorpius: Why - not?
John: Because - we keep being interrupted.
Scorpius: I'm sorry John - but we must move faster! The equations we need are in here. *taps John’s head*
John: Don't touch me. Locked away. I can't get at 'em.
Scorpius: Well perhaps you're holding back.
John: Grasshopper - you tried to snatch the feather from my head-
Scorpius: You should let me- LET ME FINISH! You may well be making every conscious effort - but subconsciously - you may still believe - that I will misuse the wormhole technology.
John: You say you're only after Scarrans, I'm cool with that. Long as it's true.
Scorpius: It is. *raises his palm* Maybe I can prove it to you.
John: What's that?
Scorpius: Excerpts from my file. Documenting my life before I joined the Peacekeepers.
John: Uh-huh - what's that gonna tell me?
Scorpius: Why I despise Scarrans.
*John’s intentions are now muddied*
John: The Scarrans - are they really the threat he claims? Or is he just out for revenge? What do you think?
Harvey: I share his intellect - but not his passions nor his fears. Yes - my assessment would be more objective than his. And I concur with him -- the Scarrans - pose a threat to ALL our species! Cheer up John! Scorpius has shown his biography to very few! He must be trusting you now.
John: Yeah... Yeah that's interesting - considering I've been lying to his face.
Harvey: Uuuhhh - I've managed to uh - normalize your energy signature. Scorpius can't detect you're lying! We may yet survive this John! Hoo-gaaaahhhh!
*dun dun duuun (re: Crais)*
Braca: And he believed your confession?
Larell: Yes. He trusts me completely.
*John’s still in existential crisis mode, Aeryn tries to ground him*
John: Look, Scorpy thinks that - Scarrans are - Public Enemy #1. They want to wipe out all the lesser species - is that true?
Aeryn: That's what we were taught.
John: Great. And what if the Peacekeepers - never develop wormhole tech? What if that's the only way to keep the Scarrans at bay?
Aeryn: Well they'll have to find another way to repel the Scarrans. But that's not your problem. You should be focusing on what you came here to do.
*Rygel, season four?*
Rygel: By the Hynerian Gods! Orrhn wasn't lying! Bishan's in disfavor! Hah! Hah! Hah! If I returned - I could muster up an army! Incite an uprising and restore myself to power! I can see it now. The serried ranks of my supporters - "Rygel! Rygel! Rygel!-"
*PKs can get their flirt on*
Larell: This ship is amazing! I understand why you took control of him! The - the neural interface - what was it like?
Crais: A thousand different sensations all at once.
Larell: Yet you're willing to give him up?
Crais: No choice. Ultimately - Talyn would not be commanded.
Larell: Ultimately - neither would you.
Crais: My inability to take orders is why I am no longer a captain.
Larell: Do you regret leaving the Peacekeepers?
Crais: Sometimes. What I regret most of is that I didn't - try to take you with me.
Larell: I wouldn't have gone. Not then.
*PKs can also give into the drama*
Henta: What do you want?
Aeryn: I want to talk to you.
Henta: Do you have something to say?
Aeryn: Where should I start?
Henta: What happened?
Aeryn: Am I a traitor? Well that depends upon your definition.
Henta: Define it how you like. You're the one who left.
Aeryn: Well no I didn't have a choice in that. Crais decided I was irreversibly contaminated and he threw me out!
Henta: And then he turned renegade and he got thrown out. You could have come back.
Aeryn: It was too late then.
Henta: You think you didn't have a choice?
Aeryn: I didn't want to come back.
Henta: Then you are a traitor.
Aeryn: A deserter perhaps.
Henta: Can you tell me why?
Aeryn: If you really want to know.
*Grayza certainly makes a compelling first impression!*
Reljik: What is this? Scorpius gave orders that this-
Grayza: I gave orders. Lieutenant Reljik isn't it?
Reljik: I am honored you remember Ma'am.
Grayza: Thrice decorated by High Command if I recall correctly.
Reljik: You do Ma'am.
Grayza: Would you be so good as to watch over these prisoners for me?
Reljik: Ma'am.
*Plint’s luck isn’t so good in this scene :P*
John: Move.
Plint: A security lockdown is in effect - Priority Velka-9. No one is permitted- *John and Aeryn knock him out*
*Scorpy and Grayza are definitely not seeing eye to eye*
Scorpius: What have you done? This Gammak Project - is under my authority!
Grayza: Your authority is not absolute - Scorpius. Let me introduce Kor Tosko, Special Luxan Ambassador.
Tosko: The Luxans have signed a defense agreement - with the Peacekeepers. I have been sent to promote other such alliances. But half the planets I visit fear Peacekeepers.
Grayza: The other half laugh at us - for our simple inability to capture a handful of escaped prisoners whose exploits are becoming legendary.
Scorpius: Why should we care what insignificant systems think?
Grayza: We're uniting - as much of the Uncharted Territories as possible. To improve our bargaining position with the Scarrans.
Scorpius: The Council intends to negotiate?
Grayza: A truce is being explored.
Scorpius: A truce won't prevent an invasion! As a show of weakness - it may even hasten one!
Tosko: Hence the alliances - to show strength.
Scorpius: SHOWING STRENGTH IS USELESS! MY PROJECT WILL GIVE US STRENGTH!
*the Grayza/John introduction goes off with dramatic flair*
Scorpius: Calm down John - calm down! Moya and your friends are unharmed.
Aeryn: Well we'd like to see them.
Grayza: You can't. I've taken them into custody.
John: *points a gun at her* Have we met?
Grayza: Commandant Mele-On Grayza. And you must be -- the infamous John Crichton.
John: Infamous? Two points - Commandant - One: Your boy here has made a lot of promises which you should keep because- Two: When my friends are threatened I am infamous - for making reeeaaally stupid moves. *to Aeryn* Yes? *she grunts the affirmative*
Grayza: Point two is clearly correct - but I cannot accept point one.
*more problems for season 4…or earlier!*
Grayza: All right Scorpius - we'll do this the hard way. I'll return with a full Council Sanction. You shouldn't have made me into an enemy. *to John* And you shouldn't have pointed a weapon at me.
John: Damn - I gotta stop pointin' guns at people.
*Scorpy appeals to John’s empathy about stupid colleagues :P*
Scorpius: John - now you know what stupidity I have to deal with. You must not fail!
*it’s like opposites day!*
Reljik: Reljik here. I'm alone. Comms encryption is engaged.
Grayza: Lieutenant - I intend to remove Scorpius from command.
Reljik: I'm sure most of us here would fully approve of that action.
Grayza: But going through channels takes time, and given the crews low opinion of Scorpius - I'm concerned for his safety.
Reljik: He is well protected. But because of the I-yensch bracelet he is vulnerable - through John Crichton.
Grayza: Then I am equally concerned for Crichton’s safety.
Reljik: I will do my best to address your concerns Ma'am.
Grayza: Thank you lieutenant.
*now Aeryn is trying to encourage Henta to desert! Yeesh*
Henta: Then you've rejected our ideals?
Aeryn: No - not all of them. I've actually kept Loyalty - Sacrifice - Honor. Not all Peacekeepers believe in those ideals you know.
Henta: I still do!
Aeryn: Yes, I'm sure you do. Aren't you ever worried that you might be fighting for the wrong cause?
Henta: No. Never.
Aeryn: What about the wrong leaders?
*this would have been an interesting development to follow!*
D’argo: I cannot believe that the Luxans made a pact with the Peacekeepers.
Scorpius: They're merely pledged to fight any Scarran attack. They remain autonomous.
D’argo: Yes but - for how long?
*of course John becomes Hamlet just as he’s able to enact sabotage. Aeryn is pissed in Talyn John’s name*
John: The knowledge the Ancients put in my head is starting to do its job. I can see which paths will work and which one's a dead end.
Aeryn: So you will be able to steer Scorpius onto the wrong path?
John: Yeah - I can screw up his research for years to come.
Aeryn: Why aren't you happy about that?
John: 'Cos I'm not 100% sure it's the right thing to do.
Aeryn: The other John gave up his life to stop the Scarrans from getting this infor-
John: I know - but it's my shift now. He didn't know what we know. He didn't get Scorpys backstory - he didn't see Scorpy put his ass on the line for us.
Aeryn: So what? Now you're actually considering helping Scorpius?
John: No. It's just - not - clear what my next move is.
Aeryn: Well then you get clear. I said I'd back you up, and I will. But you have to make a decision.
*Larell’s real agenda?*
Larell: Bialar - I know you may not believe me but - you could come back.
Crais: To the Peacekeepers? Scorpius despises me as much as I despise him.
Larell: This wormhole project - it means everything to him. As does loyalty. Give him what he wants from Crichton. Show Scorpius you're not his enemy.
*John’s response to dangling from a generator that could vaporize him*
John: Aw it's just not fair!
*the stakes for John and Scorpy just keep getting higher and higher*
John: We have been over this. I am still trying to assimilate all the data your people collected.
Scorpius: Grayza's arrival - drastically changes our timetable!
John: It is Einstein's timetable! God - it's God's timetable Scorp. Fix your end. I'm doin' my bit.
Scorpius: Are you?
John: Why are you bitchin' at me like we're married, Scorpy-Sue? Just tell me what's on your mind.
Scorpius: I suspect you're stalling - either through ignorance or by design. I hoped you'd see reason.
*and now the entire planet is under fire! Thanks a lot, John! :P*
John: What more - do you want - from me?
Scorpius: Cooperation. *earth Hologram!*
John: You stole that - from my memory. *pulls gun on Scorp*
Scorpius: You will kill both of us.
John: I reckon so. *Scorpy stabs his own hand to take John down*
Scorpius: It took quite some effort to triangulate the stars from your planet. More - to gain a visual confirmation!
John: *as Scorpy smashes his head into the table* Get the hell offa me, you freak!
Scorpius: Even without wormholes, Earth is reachable. At top speed -- just over 60 cycles. You give me what I want or I swear - I will keep you alive so that you can witness your home world's destruction!
Granted, I suppose some production values don’t live up. The music is a little canned, there’s obviously no big movie-style budget for lots of extras and lavish sets (though, to be fair, the Peacekeepers are pretty austere,) and even some of the CGI is a little bit hokey-looking.
But who cares? I’m not in love with this show for its technical side; I’m in love for the characters. And as we get into the final three episodes of season 3, things are really coming to a head. We see the instigation of what the crew has been talking about for the last episode and a half—Moya (the people onboard her, anyway,) come to Scorpius’s command carrier. Now everyone from the various story arcs of the year are all in one place, and with various agendas to keep them going.
Add on top of that that John’s having a “Hamlet” moment (my quick speak for someone who is conflicted on his next move,) and the introduction of a major new character who will impact the rest of the series. But what’s most fascinating about her now is not her own charisma, but the political realities that she broadens for us. Love, love, love.
Some technical notes about this recap—looks like the John and Aeryn website, which I linked to for their episode summaries, is down! So too is the ScapeCast and the Scaper Chronicles I’ve been listening to for years (some of their episodes are now on YouTube.) It’s the end of an era…though perhaps the beginning of a new one, what with all the 20th anniversary extravaganza and Farscape now being available on Amazon Prime. :D
This might have been around the time where I realized how special Farscape was, how they can indulge in these big messages with dramatic stakes and make, well, the Uncharted Territories and beyond, feel so real. I still love the kookiness and the sense of wonder, but seeing things come together on such an epic scale really grabbed me, and cemented my love for the macro nature of science fiction and fantasy. Plus, I still feel personally attacked by that final image before “to be continued…” I may need to get out more. :P
Episode Summary is here, courtesy of Farscape World.
After the events of last episode, John and Scorpy are yensched up and everyone is ready to take the next step. John and Harvey amp themselves up for battle in a black and white war scene featuring “When Johnny Comes Marching Home…” more like marching to the enemy here! Moya is in hiding, but everyone else—including Talyn—arrives on the Command Carrier. Crais wants Talyn to get a cognitive replacement, have his PK tech stripped, and be set free. Most of the rest of the crew also has demands to make of the unwilling Peacekeepers, which Scorpy agrees to for John’s help. John goes about attempting to learn about/sabotage Scorpy’s wormhole tech, but Scorpy’s backstory, which we got from “Incubator,” changes his tune. Maybe the Scarrans are really too big of a threat? Meanwhile everyone else is dealing with hostility on all fronts, which leads to D’argo, Chiana, Jool and Rygel returning to Moya. …but only for a short time, because a Commandant Mele-On Grayza, a brand new PK big wig, appears and captures them! We already know that it’s an embarrassment to the Peacekeepers that the Moya crew has stayed free for so long. Plus, she wants to shut down Scorpius’s wormhole project and negotiate with the Scarrans. Scorpius is far from pleased, and he’s able to get rid of her—for now. (An attempt to kill Scorpy via John’s i-Yensch bracelet fails.) Our hybrid’s fragile nerves have been shaken all episode, and though Harvey is normalizing John’s energy signature, he doesn’t trust the human’s motives. So as a last ditch attempt to force John to get his butt in gear, Scorpy pulls out the big guns: he’s found Earth and he’s going to destroy us all if John can’t figure out wormhole tech, like right now!
So John’s immediate dilemma after that “to be continued” sign is to take care of all of us! He spent the rest of the episode pointing guns in peoples’ faces whenever anyone on Moya was threatened; surely he can extend that impulse to 7 billion more humans? :P Also, the show is positing the idea that indeed John CAN go home now, and he’s not just stuck wandering the Uncharted Territories forever. But that’s hardly important in the short term. In the short term, Scorpy looks ready to blow his top if he doesn’t get any results soon, and John isn’t sure of his next move. When he boarded the Command Carrier, the only thing he was lacking was a surefire way to halt Scorpy’s wormhole advancement. But once he learned a bit more about Scorpy’s most primal motivations, plus the threat that the Scarrans pose, he immediately started questioning himself. This doesn’t sit well with Aeryn, who immediately reminds him of the sacrifice Talyn John made to keep wormhole tech from the wrong hands (and Scarran hands, at that.) It’s also a good reminder for the audience that though Aeryn is committed to (former Moya) John’s agenda, she’s not in love with the man. She’s in this for Talyn John’s memory. And maybe she’s also generally less philosophical: she has her goal and she’s sticking to it, not going beyond it. Whatever threat Scarrans pose to the galaxy isn’t in the parameters. But we have to respect John, and his steady characterization, for getting stuck on this, don’t we? Homeboy’s always been one to ponder the big picture. Anywho, in closing, I just gotta say I looove that “planetary terrain” set, so pretty! More on that later. (Also: not exactly important, but I love that John is working with Strappa and talking about Linfer, because scientists have got to stick together! :P)
The other big reveal of the episode—Commandant Mele-On Grayza! We don’t know it yet, but she’s kind of a big deal. :P Well, we know it with regards to Scorpius’s reaction to her, and how she’s talking about a “council” that can curb his wormhole project. Grayza is here in this context to put a thorn in the side of the plot by way of political grandstanding. Those people are always the worst, right? :P Or maybe Grayza legitimately means it when she thinks diplomacy with the Scarrans is a better option than playing with crazy, theoretical space weapons. She’s got her Luxan allies under her wing. And let me just pause and swoon again—I love that she came with someone, someone non-Sebacean, too. Just a reminder that Luxans are part of this proverbial world! Anywho. I mean yeah, everything about this is kind of an explosion of worldbuilding, and the show is better for it. Or are we supposed to believe that Scorpius, a half breed, is king of the Peacekeepers, and there is no broader government in play? Well, Commandant Grayza has now answered that question. Plus, she gives purpose to disgruntled underlings who are also not happy with having to treat their former prisoners as equals. Doesn’t really turn out great for them, but at least we get to see the i-Yensch subplot bear fruit, and John and Aeryn enter a quirky new, generator room set that vaporizes people who get too close. Plus, John gets to play with a jetpack! :P I gotta love when he’s stranded and dangling on a generator and he groans “this is just not fair.” Sometimes exasperation is the best option, show.
John’s experiences on the command carrier might be the most overtly surreal, but Crais and Aeryn are dealing with their own ghosts in coming home. Crais used to run this shindig, remember? Now he has his former second in command, Braca, sneering about how the good Captain is no longer important. Gotta love Crais’s comeback—a compliment can turn into an insult based off of it’s intention alone, heh. Meanwhile it seems like Braca was lying, because he sends in Crais’s former lover, Larell, to spy on him! Larell starts asking about the neural interface with Talyn, and THEN she suggests that Crais could prove his loyalty to Scorp by giving him what he wants from John. Oooo. (Discounting that Crais doesn’t have wormhole knowledge in his head, he could know SOMETHING from his time with our homeboy. Or he could act as the muscle to get John moving.) On the opposite end of the spectrum, things start out rather chilly between Aeryn and her old friend, Henta. There doesn’t seem to be any subterfuge in play, but Henta is genuinely hurt by Aeryn’s betrayal. Of course she’s been taught that the Peacekeeper way of life is the only correct one, something that Aeryn no longer believes, but I appreciate how this actress, Marta Dusseldorp, is able to give some dimension to the friendship. It felt like it hurt her on a personal level, that Aeryn left and wanted to stay gone. Aeryn, for her part, is feeling some nostalgia back on the command carrier, but not enough to give up her new ideals. In a deleted scene, Henta suggests that Aeryn try to reform the Peacekeepers from the inside, and Aeryn’s refusal to consider it made me arch my eyebrow this go around. I suppose because, almost 20 years after watching this episode for the first time, I’m wary of people who want to tear things down rather than fix them. But some institutions are too rotten, and I suppose that Peacekeepers may be one of them. So I suppose my biggest complaint about these two PK ladies is that they, Dusseldorp and Larell’s actress, Lenore Smith, just look too similar! It may just be the hair. :P But I had some trouble sometimes telling them apart.
Meanwhile, back with some of the folks we know well, I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s one B plot, but we check in with everybody. Moya is in hiding, because apparently she’s the only one with sense enough to not return to the organization that imprisoned her! :P Though actually, D’argo and Rygel get something special out of the deal. Rygel gets a political update on Hyneria, which thrills him no end because his cousin isn’t so popular as ruler right now. It seems Rygel might want to take back his throne soon…and here we are, near the end of a season! :/ Somewhat relatedly, I love that he references Orrhn from “Fractures,” because show continuity rocks! :P Anywho. D’argo, with more trepidation on the part of the Peacekeepers, gets his chest chains removed, and also the intel on his former brother-in-law Macton’s latest whereabouts. Of course the Peacekeeper narrative continues to be that D’argo killed his Sebacean wife rather than her brother, Macton, murdering her. There’s also a fair bit of anti-Luxan racism in play, particularly personified by the character of Lt. Reljik (Sean Taylor.) Just one of those cultural ticks I feel it’s important to include, because Farscape aliens have always been pretty human. They have their own systematic biases. Jool and Chiana have nothing to ask of the Peacekeepers, though Jool does her share of complaining and Chiana causes tension in the usual way; in the officers’ lounge, she attempts to join a gambling game through aggressive flirtation. Oh, Chi. Meanwhile there was D’argo right behind her, playing up on all the complications of THAT relationship. But once Chiana was back on Moya, we got another nod to her recent psychic abilities plot! She has a vision of Pilot screaming, which sadly does not save Moya from being harpooned by Commandant Grayza’s ship. :/ Alas. At least the debacle ended with John promising Pilot over transmission that he’ll hold Scorpy to his word to leave Moya alone. Though not sure how much that promise is worth when, five minutes later, Scorp has John’s head smashed on the table and he’s threatening Earth. :P
And finally, just a quick jaunt over to the Farscape wikia about the quirky behind the scenes stuff! Since it’s Grayza’s first appearance (played, I should say, by the scarily in control Rebecca Riggs,) there’s a lot of chatter about the inspiration for the character. Apparently Riggs was a fan of Blake’s 7, and Grayza is somewhat like the character Servalan, by way of high up military positions and using sex appeal to get what they want. I’m sure I’ll have thoughts about how Grayza uses her sexuality in season four. :/ Anywho. Costumer Dave Elsey wanted to dress Grayza a la Judi Dench’s Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. :0 Kinda glad THAT went to the wayside! I don’t see Grayza so much as regal as I do like a cold and calculating corporate executive. Brr. Meanwhile, the “planetary terrain” scene was shot in Sydney’s Centennial Park. Apparently, a strong morning mist prompted Claudia Black to comment on the “surreal atmosphere.” That’s how I felt, seeing that green space inside of the industrial command carrier! And finally, the first big teaser scene, of the shuttle landing and the Moya crew walking amongst the PKs towards Scorpius, was inspired by the award scene at the end of Star Wars, A New Hope. Funny, I was thinking of the scene in Star Wars, Return of the Jedi when the Emperor arrives on the starship with all of the Storm Troopers lined up to greet him. Has more of a “lions den” feel to it…maybe not to the Emperor, but to us, the audience. I guess the more obvious “lambs to the slaughter” parallel would be when Vader escorts Luke to meet said Emperor, heh. But speaking of A New Hope, there’s something rather Tarkinesque about Scorpy threatening John with Earth’s destruction, isn’t there? I guess that makes our homeboy Princess Leia. :D I bet he wishes he was that well put together.
Favorite Chrichtonism: I'm here - on a big, stinkin' Command Carrier. Dick Tracy's freakin' neural bracelet linkin' me to Bram Stoker's nightmare.
Favorite Quotes:
*John—and Harvey—psych themselves up for this episode*
Harvey: Oh turn back, John!
John: Shut up, Private. We're goin' in.
Harvey: If Scorpius discovers you intend to sabotage his wormhole research -- he'll kill you, John, and if you perish - so do I.
John: Thought you wanted to die.
Harvey: Not any more. I want to survive!
John: Then follow orders.
*folks in the waking world need some psyching up, too*
Pilot: Moya is under - great stress.
Chiana: She ought to see us.
Pilot: But she assures me she will - endure.
Jool: I hope we can say the same.
*John’s i-Yensch test*
John: Let's test the jewelry.
*the boys comment on command carrier living*
Aeryn: Treating you all right?
D’argo: So far.
Rygel: Food could be better.
*might be my favorite line of the episode. So much going on! So much potential, and everything from the season coming together*
Scorpius: John Crichton. I grant you - John - and your companions - full diplomatic rights, immunities and courtesies whilst aboard this vessel. At last - the rift between us is finally bridged.
*John’s first test in fooling Scorpy about his agenda*
Scorpius: So tell me John - what finally brought you here? Dominar Rygel claimed you preferred the Peacekeepers to the Scarrans. Any other reasons?
John: Moya. Pilot. Aeryn. D'Argo. They've been through hell in large part due to me. It's time I did something for them. Do not - screw with them Scorpius - give them what they want. It's a good deal for you.
Scorpius: Oh - uncontested.
*Crais and John force the PKs to un-PK Talyn*
Braca: Bringing a gunship aboard is too much to ask.
Crais: His weapons have been deactivated. Techs will remove them. He will be reprogrammed and set free.
John: No guns no Peacekeeper memories no emotional problems.
*Crais is playing his own games, too :P*
Crais: Show me to my quarters and get me the project schematics so I can isolate Talyn's design flaws. I'll need a Leviathan specialist. I request Lieutenant Larell.
Scorpius: For ah - any particular reason?
Crais: Only that she's the best qualified.
*dun dun duuuuun*
John: I came to work.
Scorpius: For - or against me?
*in all honesty, this Plint guy might have the best line of the episode :P*
Reljik: Full immunity for escaped prisoners! It's frelling madness! We shouldn't be welcoming these criminals - we should be executing them!
Plint: *escorting the Moya crew into the room at the same time* Make yourselves comfortable.
*after John destroys his work station*
John: Screw you and your intentions Scorp! I do not eat at the kiddie table! Now you either give me the big toys - or you send me home.
*Crais and Braca insult each other*
Braca: Not as salubrious as your previous accommodations. Still - considering the fact you should be in our brig - I suppose you can't complain. Don't bother searching for surveillance. You're not that important.
Crais: Lieutenant Braca. I predicted your rise in this organization. I stand by that prediction. You - are - a consummate Peacekeeper.
*Chiana stirs dren up by being Chiana*
Chiana: Room for another?
Reljik: No.
Chiana: But I have currency -- and, ah - other things.
Reljik: I don't see anything.
Chiana: No? *bending towards him* Look closer.
D’argo: Chiana - I think we should be moving along.
Chiana: We're just getting to know each other.
Reljik: I know exactly what you are.
Chiana: Oh?
Reljik: A Nebari tralk. ( And a Luxan who took a Sebacean wife and then murdered her.
Aeryn: *as D’argo hisses* D'Argo we didn't come here to fight.
D’argo: No. No I wouldn't dream of it.
*Aeryn doesn’t receive a kind homecoming*
Henta: For the love of Cholek - I heard you were here - but I didn't believe it.
Aeryn: Will you have a drink with me?
Henta: Thank you - *throws the drink in her face* - but I only drink with Peacekeepers.
*Strappa and Scorpy are still weirdly secretive*
Strappa: And this colonates the organic residue analyzer which ah-
John: - is tryin' to figure out why your wormhole pilots are turnin' to goo.
Strappa: You know of the - tissue liquefaction effect?
John: Yeah. It happened to Linfer when she tried to defect to Moya.
Scorpius: What did Linfer tell you?
John: Not a lot. She died. Tell you what - why don't you pull up her phase progression equations? Let's see how they compare to the stuff your - chip pulled out of my brain. *after an awkward moment* Fellas - open the bag or call me a cab - I cannot work blind.
*The usual for “Farscape” plans. :P Also, the mist room serves a dual purpose!*
Aeryn: Apparently it's safe to talk in here. Crais says that the mist interferes with their surveillance equipment.
John: Well he should know. It was his boat. How you holdin' up?
Aeryn: Well, I wish I was elsewhere.
John: Yeah.
Aeryn: Have you decided on a plan?
John: Plan A - was to wipe all their data - send them back to square one. That would work if I could find the erase button.
Aeryn: Mmhm.
John: Plan B... Steer 'em in the wrong direction - except I don't know which way that is.
Aeryn: Mmhm.
John: I'm startin' to look at Plan C.
Aeryn: Which is?
John: Forget the whole thing and run like hell before they kill us.
Aeryn: Are you serious about that one?
John: No. Just tell the others not to get comfortable.
Aeryn: Trust me they won't.
*Racism central*
Reljik: How the frell can Scorpius allow that Luxan on board? Can't stand Luxans. Never could.
Vonk: Me neither.
Reljik: Looking down his ugly nose at us. Like to wipe that sneer off his face.
Vonk: So would I.
*John almost gets his wish to leave, but at least D’argo finally gets what he wants*
Scorpius: Reljik - if anyone and I mean ANYONE - touches our guests - there will be two executions-- The offenders and YOURS! DisMISSED!
John: Can anybody think of a reason why we shouldn't head straight back for Moya?
Jool: No.
Aeryn: We were assured safe passage.
Scorpius: But John - Ka D'Argo - I do apologize. But this will not happen again!
D’argo: That's right - because I'm taking Jool, Chiana and Rygel back to Moya.
Scorpius: Unnecessary!
John: The fewer of us onboard the less likely one of your people is to get hurt.
Braca: Yes and the less incentive for you to keep your promises.
Scorpius: Those who wish to return may. But-
D’argo: Speaking of promises...
Scorpius: Braca - give him the file on Macton.
Braca: *obviously not thrilled to be betraying a fellow Peacekeeper* Latest activities. Current location.
D’argo: Thank you.
*flirtation central!*
Crais: Lieutenant.
Larell: Captain.
Crais: No longer. What were you told?
Larell: Only to assist you as required.
Crais: And are you displeased with this assignment?
Larell: Why would I be?
Crais: Working with someone who has - lost his command.
Larell: Scorpius stole your command! I knew he squeezed you out of power!
Crais: What else do you know?
Larell: That even though you left without a word - I never changed my feelings for you. *smooch time* Scorpius - he knows about our past. He put me in the Aurora Chair - found out everything. He said if I didn't spy on you - he'd destroy me.
Crais: Why are you telling me this?
Larell: For the last two cycles - I hated you. It was the only way I could get through it.
Crais: It's as I expected. Everyone who knew me - would be coerced into spying.
Larell: I don't hate you.
Crais: I don't hate you either.
*Scorp is getting impatient, so he provides backstory to muddle John’s intentions*
Scorpius: No progress?
Strappa: Uh - not as yet. So far we haven't been able to - to postulate any further equations. No.
Scorpius: Why - not?
John: Because - we keep being interrupted.
Scorpius: I'm sorry John - but we must move faster! The equations we need are in here. *taps John’s head*
John: Don't touch me. Locked away. I can't get at 'em.
Scorpius: Well perhaps you're holding back.
John: Grasshopper - you tried to snatch the feather from my head-
Scorpius: You should let me- LET ME FINISH! You may well be making every conscious effort - but subconsciously - you may still believe - that I will misuse the wormhole technology.
John: You say you're only after Scarrans, I'm cool with that. Long as it's true.
Scorpius: It is. *raises his palm* Maybe I can prove it to you.
John: What's that?
Scorpius: Excerpts from my file. Documenting my life before I joined the Peacekeepers.
John: Uh-huh - what's that gonna tell me?
Scorpius: Why I despise Scarrans.
*John’s intentions are now muddied*
John: The Scarrans - are they really the threat he claims? Or is he just out for revenge? What do you think?
Harvey: I share his intellect - but not his passions nor his fears. Yes - my assessment would be more objective than his. And I concur with him -- the Scarrans - pose a threat to ALL our species! Cheer up John! Scorpius has shown his biography to very few! He must be trusting you now.
John: Yeah... Yeah that's interesting - considering I've been lying to his face.
Harvey: Uuuhhh - I've managed to uh - normalize your energy signature. Scorpius can't detect you're lying! We may yet survive this John! Hoo-gaaaahhhh!
*dun dun duuun (re: Crais)*
Braca: And he believed your confession?
Larell: Yes. He trusts me completely.
*John’s still in existential crisis mode, Aeryn tries to ground him*
John: Look, Scorpy thinks that - Scarrans are - Public Enemy #1. They want to wipe out all the lesser species - is that true?
Aeryn: That's what we were taught.
John: Great. And what if the Peacekeepers - never develop wormhole tech? What if that's the only way to keep the Scarrans at bay?
Aeryn: Well they'll have to find another way to repel the Scarrans. But that's not your problem. You should be focusing on what you came here to do.
*Rygel, season four?*
Rygel: By the Hynerian Gods! Orrhn wasn't lying! Bishan's in disfavor! Hah! Hah! Hah! If I returned - I could muster up an army! Incite an uprising and restore myself to power! I can see it now. The serried ranks of my supporters - "Rygel! Rygel! Rygel!-"
*PKs can get their flirt on*
Larell: This ship is amazing! I understand why you took control of him! The - the neural interface - what was it like?
Crais: A thousand different sensations all at once.
Larell: Yet you're willing to give him up?
Crais: No choice. Ultimately - Talyn would not be commanded.
Larell: Ultimately - neither would you.
Crais: My inability to take orders is why I am no longer a captain.
Larell: Do you regret leaving the Peacekeepers?
Crais: Sometimes. What I regret most of is that I didn't - try to take you with me.
Larell: I wouldn't have gone. Not then.
*PKs can also give into the drama*
Henta: What do you want?
Aeryn: I want to talk to you.
Henta: Do you have something to say?
Aeryn: Where should I start?
Henta: What happened?
Aeryn: Am I a traitor? Well that depends upon your definition.
Henta: Define it how you like. You're the one who left.
Aeryn: Well no I didn't have a choice in that. Crais decided I was irreversibly contaminated and he threw me out!
Henta: And then he turned renegade and he got thrown out. You could have come back.
Aeryn: It was too late then.
Henta: You think you didn't have a choice?
Aeryn: I didn't want to come back.
Henta: Then you are a traitor.
Aeryn: A deserter perhaps.
Henta: Can you tell me why?
Aeryn: If you really want to know.
*Grayza certainly makes a compelling first impression!*
Reljik: What is this? Scorpius gave orders that this-
Grayza: I gave orders. Lieutenant Reljik isn't it?
Reljik: I am honored you remember Ma'am.
Grayza: Thrice decorated by High Command if I recall correctly.
Reljik: You do Ma'am.
Grayza: Would you be so good as to watch over these prisoners for me?
Reljik: Ma'am.
*Plint’s luck isn’t so good in this scene :P*
John: Move.
Plint: A security lockdown is in effect - Priority Velka-9. No one is permitted- *John and Aeryn knock him out*
*Scorpy and Grayza are definitely not seeing eye to eye*
Scorpius: What have you done? This Gammak Project - is under my authority!
Grayza: Your authority is not absolute - Scorpius. Let me introduce Kor Tosko, Special Luxan Ambassador.
Tosko: The Luxans have signed a defense agreement - with the Peacekeepers. I have been sent to promote other such alliances. But half the planets I visit fear Peacekeepers.
Grayza: The other half laugh at us - for our simple inability to capture a handful of escaped prisoners whose exploits are becoming legendary.
Scorpius: Why should we care what insignificant systems think?
Grayza: We're uniting - as much of the Uncharted Territories as possible. To improve our bargaining position with the Scarrans.
Scorpius: The Council intends to negotiate?
Grayza: A truce is being explored.
Scorpius: A truce won't prevent an invasion! As a show of weakness - it may even hasten one!
Tosko: Hence the alliances - to show strength.
Scorpius: SHOWING STRENGTH IS USELESS! MY PROJECT WILL GIVE US STRENGTH!
*the Grayza/John introduction goes off with dramatic flair*
Scorpius: Calm down John - calm down! Moya and your friends are unharmed.
Aeryn: Well we'd like to see them.
Grayza: You can't. I've taken them into custody.
John: *points a gun at her* Have we met?
Grayza: Commandant Mele-On Grayza. And you must be -- the infamous John Crichton.
John: Infamous? Two points - Commandant - One: Your boy here has made a lot of promises which you should keep because- Two: When my friends are threatened I am infamous - for making reeeaaally stupid moves. *to Aeryn* Yes? *she grunts the affirmative*
Grayza: Point two is clearly correct - but I cannot accept point one.
*more problems for season 4…or earlier!*
Grayza: All right Scorpius - we'll do this the hard way. I'll return with a full Council Sanction. You shouldn't have made me into an enemy. *to John* And you shouldn't have pointed a weapon at me.
John: Damn - I gotta stop pointin' guns at people.
*Scorpy appeals to John’s empathy about stupid colleagues :P*
Scorpius: John - now you know what stupidity I have to deal with. You must not fail!
*it’s like opposites day!*
Reljik: Reljik here. I'm alone. Comms encryption is engaged.
Grayza: Lieutenant - I intend to remove Scorpius from command.
Reljik: I'm sure most of us here would fully approve of that action.
Grayza: But going through channels takes time, and given the crews low opinion of Scorpius - I'm concerned for his safety.
Reljik: He is well protected. But because of the I-yensch bracelet he is vulnerable - through John Crichton.
Grayza: Then I am equally concerned for Crichton’s safety.
Reljik: I will do my best to address your concerns Ma'am.
Grayza: Thank you lieutenant.
*now Aeryn is trying to encourage Henta to desert! Yeesh*
Henta: Then you've rejected our ideals?
Aeryn: No - not all of them. I've actually kept Loyalty - Sacrifice - Honor. Not all Peacekeepers believe in those ideals you know.
Henta: I still do!
Aeryn: Yes, I'm sure you do. Aren't you ever worried that you might be fighting for the wrong cause?
Henta: No. Never.
Aeryn: What about the wrong leaders?
*this would have been an interesting development to follow!*
D’argo: I cannot believe that the Luxans made a pact with the Peacekeepers.
Scorpius: They're merely pledged to fight any Scarran attack. They remain autonomous.
D’argo: Yes but - for how long?
*of course John becomes Hamlet just as he’s able to enact sabotage. Aeryn is pissed in Talyn John’s name*
John: The knowledge the Ancients put in my head is starting to do its job. I can see which paths will work and which one's a dead end.
Aeryn: So you will be able to steer Scorpius onto the wrong path?
John: Yeah - I can screw up his research for years to come.
Aeryn: Why aren't you happy about that?
John: 'Cos I'm not 100% sure it's the right thing to do.
Aeryn: The other John gave up his life to stop the Scarrans from getting this infor-
John: I know - but it's my shift now. He didn't know what we know. He didn't get Scorpys backstory - he didn't see Scorpy put his ass on the line for us.
Aeryn: So what? Now you're actually considering helping Scorpius?
John: No. It's just - not - clear what my next move is.
Aeryn: Well then you get clear. I said I'd back you up, and I will. But you have to make a decision.
*Larell’s real agenda?*
Larell: Bialar - I know you may not believe me but - you could come back.
Crais: To the Peacekeepers? Scorpius despises me as much as I despise him.
Larell: This wormhole project - it means everything to him. As does loyalty. Give him what he wants from Crichton. Show Scorpius you're not his enemy.
*John’s response to dangling from a generator that could vaporize him*
John: Aw it's just not fair!
*the stakes for John and Scorpy just keep getting higher and higher*
John: We have been over this. I am still trying to assimilate all the data your people collected.
Scorpius: Grayza's arrival - drastically changes our timetable!
John: It is Einstein's timetable! God - it's God's timetable Scorp. Fix your end. I'm doin' my bit.
Scorpius: Are you?
John: Why are you bitchin' at me like we're married, Scorpy-Sue? Just tell me what's on your mind.
Scorpius: I suspect you're stalling - either through ignorance or by design. I hoped you'd see reason.
*and now the entire planet is under fire! Thanks a lot, John! :P*
John: What more - do you want - from me?
Scorpius: Cooperation. *earth Hologram!*
John: You stole that - from my memory. *pulls gun on Scorp*
Scorpius: You will kill both of us.
John: I reckon so. *Scorpy stabs his own hand to take John down*
Scorpius: It took quite some effort to triangulate the stars from your planet. More - to gain a visual confirmation!
John: *as Scorpy smashes his head into the table* Get the hell offa me, you freak!
Scorpius: Even without wormholes, Earth is reachable. At top speed -- just over 60 cycles. You give me what I want or I swear - I will keep you alive so that you can witness your home world's destruction!