TeeVee

We review a couple of dark episodes on the day before Halloween, which is fitting we guess. First up — “…Different Destinations”. Where the crew accidentally go back in time and try to set right what they messed up by trying to make sure they didn’t mess history up. But this isn’t your typical time travel episode where things all turn out the same or better in the end. Afterall, this is Farscape we’re talking about. Finally the really dark episode, “Eat Me”. Farscape’s survival horror episode. Where the crew fend off cannibalistic pseudo-zombies and a mad scientist on a diseased and dying Leviathan. And where the ending leaves the crew seeing double… double Crichtons. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

We have our first two parter of season 3 already. And it’s not a happy, fun time for our wayward crew. First up — “Self-Inflicted Wounds (Part 1): Could’a, Would’a, Should’a”. While on their way to a planet that can help Zhaan heal, Moya runs across a wormhole. Before anyone can do anything, a ship comes out of it and materializes part way inside Moya. The crews of both ships work on ways to separate themselves, but it seems the aliens on the other ship have ulterior motives. And we meet our newest crewmember - Jool. Finally in “Self-Inflicted Wounds (Part 2): Wait for the Wheel”, we learn that the aliens are sabotaging Moya so their ship can be the only one to escape the wormhole. Our crew must put their differences of opinions and desires aside to save them all before the aliens’ plans are realized. And one of our crew makes the ultimate sacrifice. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason are back after an extended time away, some of which was out of their control. They jump into the beginning of season three — which now has new opening theme music, “new” cast members and a new narration. First up, the exciting conclusion to the end of season two, “Season of Death”. That’s the name of the episode, not the name of the last season… Does Aeryn come back to life? Does Crichton get his head back together, both literally and psychologically? Does Rygel really like what Chiana’s cooking? Then we wrap up with “Suns and Lovers”. Where we hopefully put the whole D’Argo / Chiana / Jothee love triangle behind us, never to be spoken of again. And not just because the crew is trapped on a disabled space station about to be destroyed by a mysterious wave of energy soon approaching. Can they find the source of the signal attracting the wave in time? Can they saved the trapped children and themselves? And can Aeryn and Crichton finally find some “alone time”? Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason close out season two of Farscape with a pair of episodes reviews and then the season two review, lowlights and highlights. First up, “Liars, Guns and Money (Part 3): Plan B”. Instead of using their newly obtained mercenaries to rescue D’Argo’s son, now they’re off to rescue Crichton from Scorpius’ clutches. But don’t worry, Stark has another foolproof plan… ah, frell that, it’s time for a guns blazing, frontal assault! They manage to rescue Crichton, but at what cost? Finally, “Die Me, Dichotomy”, the (mostly) exciting season two cliffhanger. The crew locates a healer who can both heal Moya and get the neural chip out of Crichton’s head. But the chip isn’t having any of that and does its best to get itself, and Crichton, back to Scorpius. And then some other things happen that we’d like to forget about, before the exciting cliffhanger ending that sets up season three. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason review the first two parts of Farscape’s second ever three part storyline, “Liars, Guns and Money”. And during all that, wander off on tangents about Star Wars, the A-Team and past episodes of this here podcast. First up, “Part 1 - A Not So Simple Plan”. Which is pretty much as advertised. Stark (hey, isn’t he dead?) has a not so simple plan to steal enough money to buy D’Argo’s son Jothee from the slavers holding him captive. With such a complicated plan, it goes off without any issues at all. No… who are we kidding? Of course not. The crew must deal with a heavily secured depository, its leader, and our old buddy Scorpius to get what they need. Finally, “Part 2 - With Friends Like These…”. After learning that all their efforts last time weren’t quite good enough, this time it’s Crichton who comes up with his own somewhat simpler plan to free Jothee. But it involves recruiting several people we met in season one who they didn’t leave on the best of terms with. It goes better than you’d expect, but there’s yet another complication that might make their hard work all for naught. And Crichton has to make a hard choice… Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason have been gone for a little while due to real life, but we’re back with two above average episodes to make up for it. First up, “The Ugly Truth”, where Crais tries to get Moya’s crew to help him disarm Talyn. But things don’t go according to plan and the crew has to recount, from each of their perspectives, what went wrong or else face summary execution. Finally, “A Clockwork Nebari”, where Chiana learns some truths, some ugly, some not-so-ugly, about her people and her brother. Meanwhile the crew is mentally cleansed by the aforementioned Nebari and have to snap out of it if they’re going to get away. It’s like totally bitchin’, man. Far out. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

This time we review two really amazing episodes. Granted, in the grand scheme of things, they didn’t really happen but they’re still amazing. First up, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, where Crichton is back on Earth again. Or is he? This time it’s completely different… and just keeps getting crazier and crazier. And we also prove conclusively that the 2000’s line-up of the Guardians of the Galaxy is a complete rip-off (homage?) of Farscape. We wrap up with “The Locket” where the crew gets all timey-wimey inside a misty space bubble. Aeryn and Crichton are stranded on nearby planet that seems to only appear every 55 years while Moya and the rest of the crew never age. How can they all get reunited and back to their normal ages before it’s too late? And our old buddy Stark is back with some dire news for D’Argo. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

We conclude the amazing three part “Look at the Princess” trilogy and then talk about a not-so-amazing story. First up, the exciting conclusion of the trilogy, “Look at the Princess, Part 3: The Maltese Crichton”. They manage to wrap up all the plotlines from the last two episodes in a very satisfying way. And start up a new plotline that will run for many more episodes. Everyone gets a happy ending. Well… almost. Finally, “Beware of Dog” gets a mixed review from both of us. We felt the main plot was a rehash of a couple of different season one episodes. However, we really loved the subplot about Crichton’s continuing interaction with visions of Scorpius that are becoming more and more frequent and intense. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason watch the first two episodes of an amazing three part Farscape epic — “Look at the Princess”. In “Part 1: A Kiss is but a Kiss”, we enter a world full of political and social intrigue. Crichton can’t catch a break between Aeryn, who can’t commit more to their relationship, a princess to whom Crichton is the only one genetically compatible who needs a husband so her scheming brother doesn’t become ruler, and our old buddy Scorpius who wants to dissect Crichton’s brain. While those relationships are complicated, D’Argo and Chiana’s budding new relationship is getting more intense. In “Part 2: I Do, I Think”, Crichton has no choice but to marry the princess to escape Scorpius. But there’s a downside to married royal life… he and the princess must spend the next 80 cycles as statues. What will the crew do to prevent that? What will all the scheming political envoys do to either prevent the marriage or make it succeed? Oh, and Zhaan and Pilot meet Moya’s creator. And it’s not happy that she gave birth to a gunship and proceeds to shut her down, for good. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

We’re almost halfway through season two! Farscape season two is in its groove as Eric and Jason review another two really good episodes (hey, spoilers!) First up, “Out of Their Minds”, where an unfortunate side effect of a strange alien ship’s weapon and Moya’s defense screen causes the crew to switch bodies. Several times. We also learn that the DRD’s have more functions than we previously realized. Oh, and the attacking aliens have programmable vomit. Yes, you read that correctly. Finally, we review “My Three Crichtons”, where the crew has to deal with the clones of Crichton Past and Crichton Future that some strange ball of energy created. Which Crichton winds up as the “Last Crichton Standing”? But where’s Uncle Charley? Okay, that last one was probably too old a reference to “My Three Sons”, go look that up on Wikipedia kids… Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

We continue our rewatch of season two. First up, “Home on the Remains”, where Eric and Jason struggle with the pronunciations of the guest star character names. The crew is starving (what, no more crackers?) and go to a place Chiana used to call home to try to find some more food. Only to get caught up in the local power scheme of keeping people working in the mines to pay for food and protection from the mysterious, deadly creature that roams the mines. Finally, we review “Dream a Little Dream”, where we learn what happened to the rest of the crew after the ending of season one while Aeryn, John and D’Argo were away from Moya. The crew winds up on a planet full of lawyers. And for once, it’s not Chiana or Rygel that you’d think would run afoul of the law… no, it’s Zhaan. Can Chiana and Rygel prove Zhaan’s innocence and get off the planet before Moya leaves? Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Season two is back to being what we know and love about Farscape. Yay! First up, “The Way We Weren’t”, where we finally get the backstory on Pilot and how he came to be bonded to Moya. We also learn that Aeryn was there as well, much to the crew’s shock and anger after seeing her on a previously undiscovered recording. Will they and Pilot forgive her for what she did back then? Finally, we review “Picture If You Will”, where a shopkeeper gifts Chiana with a picture that can seemingly foretell the future. Or can it? Nope, it’s just the crew’s old maniacal super powerful adversary Maldis getting his revenge on them for what they did to him last season. They barely beat him last time with help they no longer have. Can they defeat him this time? Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Farscape has seemed to hit what can only be described as a “Sophomore Slump” with the first part of season two. But Jason and Eric power through these next episodes as we know better things are to come. First up, “Taking the Stone”, where Chiana is having a rough time and goes to a nearby cemetery planet (yes, you read that right) to clear her head. We learn that Crichton really wants her to come back to Moya, even if he has to do things way out of character to make that happen. And Rygel “borrows” some nice shiny objects from one of the graves on the cemetery planet. Nothing bad ever happens to grave robbers, right? Finally, we review “Crackers Don’t Matter”, where an alien has offered to make Moya undetectable by scans. Which will surely come in handy since Scorpius has left lots of wanted beacons on the planet they just came from where they only had time to buy food crackers… lots and lots of crackers. However, the crew starts acting abnormally when going to the alien’s planet… to the point of insulting, assaulting and even attempting to kill each other. What’s going on? Can they figure it out before it’s too late? And what about all those crackers? Oh right, they don’t matter. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

We kick off season two of Farscape with somewhat of a mixed review. First up, episode one, “Mind the Baby”, where we pick up after the exciting events of the season one finale. Can the crew be reunited in time before Scorpius finds both Moya and her offspring Talyn? Can they finally escape this asteroid field? John and D’Argo get some more bonding time. And Talyn is being a pain in the neck, literally, for Crais. And then we “discuss” episode two, “Vitas Mortis”. There are some good “Farscape nuggets” to mine from the episode despite what we thought of the main plot. Oh well, they all can’t be winners. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

After a little bit of a delay, we have way too much fun wrapping up season one of Farscape. First up, “Bone to Be Wild”, where we discuss where the heck Stark disappeared to after leaving with the crew last episode; how does gravity work on an asteroid; how do Leviathans have their inorganic parts installed; and the fall of Commander Crais and the rise of Scorpius as the big bad for the series. Then we cover the season one finale, “Family Ties”. Where we discuss where the heck one of the guest stars of the last episode disappeared to after leaving with the Peacekeepers; did Rygel really try to sell out the whole crew to save himself; how planning your big escape plan is shown and not skipped over; and some more great character development and interaction that we’ve come to expect from Farscape. Finally, we recap our thoughts about the entire season… the lowlights and the highlights. And that even the lowlights have some bits worth watching… not just because we have to for the podcast. Next time, onward to season two! Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Farscape delivers its first two-part episode and it does not disappoint! In the first part, “Nerve”, Aeryn’s still suffering from the wound she received in the last episode. And the only cure just happens to be on the secret Peacekeeper base nearby. Crichton and Chiana go there to get it and wind up meeting an old friend, a potential new friend and a new enemy. The Peacekeeper Scorpius captures Crichton and subjects him to the Aurora Chair, a device that rather painfully extracts your memories. We leave Crichton trapped in the comfy chair as we end on our first cliffhanger… But we don’t have to wait months for a resolution, no, it’s right on to the next episode, “The Hidden Memory”. Scorpius learns of Crichton’s feud with Captain Crais and summons him to the secret base. While the crew mount a rescue mission, Moya goes into labor! But there’s something not right with the baby. Can the crew rescue Crichton before he breaks in the chair? What’s up with Moya’s baby? What will Aeryn do when she finally meets Crais again? Listen and find out! Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Season One is getting closer and closer to being over. In our first episode, “Through the Looking Glass”, Crichton does a lot of running around, through four different Moyas in multiple dimensions due to Moya getting stuck in Starburst. And apparently they are not alone as something really wants them to leave. On top of that, each dimension has a different negative effect on the crew. Can they overcome these strange environments and the lurking presence and get back to normal space? And what’s with all the food at dinner? Both times! Finally, we review “A Bug’s Life”. No, not the 1998 Pixar movie — the 1999 Farscape episode with the same name. Moya welcomes a Peacekeeper Special Ops unit on board whose ship is damaged. They’re taking their top secret cargo to an also top secret Peacekeeper base hidden in the Uncharted Territories. So of course, Rygel and Chiana open up the cargo and release the deadly body-possessing, body-hopping virus inside. It’s a race against time to find out who’s got the virus and neutralize it before it can escape the ship and infect whole worlds! Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason cover two really great episodes. First up, “Durka Returns”, where — you guessed it — the Peacekeeper Durka who imprisoned and tortured Rygel for 130 years returns seemingly from the dead. But now he’s a kinder, gentler Durka courtesy of the Nebari and their “mental cleansing”. Or is he? Let’s see how Rygel reacts to this. The Nebari also have a prisoner, Chiana, who doesn’t wish to be cleansed and wants asylum on Moya. Will the crew let her stay? Finally we review “A Human Reaction”. Crichton finds a wormhole back to Earth! But after being gone for seven months, and having translator microbes in his head, and strange technology on his spaceship, he’s not exactly welcomed back with open arms. Things get even worse when the rest of the crew show up unannounced. Can they get away before they’re poked, prodded and dissected by the military? Why does Crichton think everyone he sees in Australia is someone he knows from his past? Is there some unseen force behind all this? Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

Eric and Jason continue their rewatch of every episode of Farscape. This means that sometimes you watch some that are good and sometimes some that are not so good. First up, the mostly not good “The Flax”. Where Aeryn and John finally reveal their true feelings for one another (the good) and the rest of the crew do things we don’t really care about (the not-so-good). We wrap it up with “Jeremiah Crichton”. We didn’t dislike it as much as the cast and crew apparently did. It’s a mostly good episode where Crichton goes native and where Rygel finally appears to care about other people instead of just looking out for himself. Eric Scott and Jason Johnson.

In “Till the Blood Runs Clear”, Crichton finally manages to recreate a wormhole, but it isn’t stable. Crichton and Aeryn meet a new friend who can repair his ship — for a steep price, while D’Argo meets some not so friendly, and not so bright, bounty hunters. Finally, “Rhapsody in Blue”, where the crew are summoned to a planet with some other Delvian priests like Zhaan. We learn some of Zhaan’s darkest secrets and what some of her people will try to do to throw off Peacekeeper rule. And our crew has to struggle with what’s real… and what’s not. Jason Johnson and Eric Scott.