Farscape, lovely Farscape
Jan. 20th, 2008 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
minxyFarscape, Season 4, first watching
This is 4.06, Natural Election
Previously on Farscape… pregnant, didn’t tell John, figured out wormholes (wanna go home?), found Moya, missed her, Found Aeryn, who is sick enough to think the betrayal of bringing Scorpius aboard is going to be okay.
Rotating captains for Pilot, huh? And D’Argo is playing music while John experiments… would it sound like Spanish numbers to everyone? Wouldn’t it sound just like the numbers of their native language?
Aeryn’s been pacing, now she’s going to ambush John for a talk.
(Let’s all take a moment to appreciate Aeryn initiating a serious chat)
It’s nice that they are getting along, though, I half expected John to still be pissed.
We have wormhole! A little off schedule… and off course, and size. And now the stars are blackened out. I can appreciate Rygel’s (Cap’n Rygel, sorry, and could Pilot sound any more long suffering?) freak out.
Sparks in the dark.
Collision? And Moya is convulsing… sensory neurons? That’s interesting.
Pilot really doesn’t like Sikozu, does he? Like, really.
Funny how, even with this elected, rotating captain thing, they work so well as a group at this point. Understandably chaotic from Pilot’s perspective, of course.
Grandma is freaking out, and the DRDs are trapped, poor lil’ guys.
Plant floating in space gumming up the rudder.
Sikozu and Scorpius. Creepy arsed chemistry, but the chemistry cannot be denied.
‘See plant, kill plant.” That’s deep, D’Argo. (It’s got to be on the Luxan coat of arms!’)
Before she left Moya, she got pregnant? BUT IT MAY NOT BE JOHNS? HULLO?
“You’re life is so much more interesting than mine!” Chiana, sometimes you’r words are in marvelous contrast to your body language.
This plant is a junkyard plant that hangs out near worm… I LUUUUUVE SHOOTING THINGS. HAHAHA, I love D’Argo, man.
This is neat danger. I like the creepy junkyard plant problem.
HA, Chiana’s head poking out of Moya’s hull is funny. Although, she is really, really creeped out and on the edge of panic and that’s making me itch in sympathy.
I guess she’s not actually into the whole secret keeping thing, is it? Though, she seems to just tell D’Argo because he’s D’Argo and then thinking it through after the fact.
Sikozu is attempting to handle Grandma and Scorpius is breaking out of jail and looking creepily at the plant. You know, it’s interesting that Sikozu makes the same fascinated face at any kind of discovery; she doesn’t seem to have the ethical distinction of creepy/not creepy (though I’m not sure Grandma and Scorpius are so terribly different if you ignore that.)
YOWSA, PILOT HAS BEEN BODY SNATCHED.
And the Aeryn-Chiana discussion is both marvelous and angsty. Nice work, women.
And that conversation between D’Argo and John is similarly gorgeous breakingness. That John had considered *whether* he was the father already, and is infinitely more upset at the gossip mill is amazing. And sweet.
“There are so many other reason you should hate yourself at the moment.” Fabulous pep talk, D’Argo.
You know, they should decide whether this is a plant or a fungus. Neat that Scorpy’s glowsticks work and trigger the solution cascade.
Aw, John and 1812 = OTP
Well, I guess mentioning Aeryn’s baby OVER THE COMMS let’s the cat out of the bag for anyone who *didn’t* know before.
Oooh, skeleton shot. Is it wrong to get porny over Crichton’s bone structure?
Yay for election day! Kar D’Argo for president!
Wow, Sebacean women can stay just a little bit pregnant for 7 years? Wow. So she needs a doctor to get really pregnant?
How does this explain her earlier comment about how before when she said to Chiana that she wasn’t pregnant before? Technically, she was, she just didn’t know it, right?
Wow, Aeryn is so destroyed by the idea that she may not be able to count on John in this. I don’t think John meant to say it that way, actually. It was another one of those gorgeous non-verbal conversations they have, but this one got a little confused by the overlying verbal stuff.
Moving on to 4.07, John Quixote (apparently written in a fit of crack induced insanity by Ben Browder, ladies and gents.)
Sikozu wants to PLAY with Scorpius? Where is John?
And Chiana want’s to play reality games, simulations, press the flash! Then she totally porns out.
Wow, that went cracked really really quickly.
Did they just… drop a T.V. on John’s (helmet-clad) head?
HAHAHAHA, I love the little musical trill in time with Chiana’s head tilt.
“I am the AVATAR!!!!” Go Stark.
Okay, John is now the most Max-Headroomy-Evil-Criminal in the universe?
Did Ben write all that poetry? He needs behavioral meds.
This is so, so, weird.
Is it bad that it’s as disturbing as anything else that Chiana is SO SMALL?
THE VAN JUST WINKED AT THEM.
Wow, that’s a wacky incarnation of Zhaan. Would'a been nice to see the real Zhaan, of course. I gather she couldn't do all that blue make-up, though.
The guy is *LACTATING*? This is mind boggling, seriously.
Oooookay, split screen. They would be going a little cracked with the camera work too?
Oh, the horror. HA.
RYGEL IS THE BLACK KNIGHT???? ?!?!?!?!
Chiana had way too much fun stabbing Rygel.
Um, hi Jool? D'Argo is, um, eating out all the girls? Why are there two Chiana's?
John’s out, Scorpius is out, command carrier is coming, Sikozu is missing, Chiana is still trapped in the game.
I snicker when Max!John suggests naming the sword Cameron. Uma is nice too, but it’s strangely ominous when he starts talking about wanting to go sideways rather than up and down all the time. Also, he’s already the biggest criminal in the universe but he’s studying to be an astronaut?
I can handle Scorpius (Harvey, I suppose) being there, but Princess!Aeryn’s accent is TOO MUCH.
(Can I hep you fine sumpthace tho theth that sthword? SRSLY)
IS THAT… CRAIS?
Every time they meet someone nice Crais scares them away?
Wow. Then back to the ship and Scorpius has mind control of Pilot at least? I don’t know that I’d rule out Aeryn making choices of her own volition at this point.
Oh. Well.
The game again. There’s clearly some deep meaning about neural interfaces here or something.
OH, They’re still in the game! “Moya is part of the game!” That feels disturbing.
Oh, two Chiana’s was a purposeful thing! Awesome.
Oh good God. Two sword fights going on and Princess!Aeryn hugging a HEART PILLOW. “Honey, butler’s dead!” Gracious.
Jaysus, they must have had fun filming this scene. “Women!” That’s okay, Crais, you don’t have to deal with them any more. “Well, I’m not the princess you theek, but that doesthn’t mean we can’t have a really good time!” Well, frell, people.
Suicide was a good idea, but reset had to be….. REAL ZHAAN!!!!! Baby, I missed you Zhaan! (I think her lipstick changed, or something).
A lot of people have died because of John. Has he wasted Zhaan’s death? Once more into the blue make-up, good woman. It was nice to see you.
Glad they sorted out Scorpius by themselves, that’s nice strength on the Moyan’s part.
Interesting discussion of whether John is a warrior, apparently he doesn’t want that to be his defining characteristic.
Did he take those drugs? Why did he not acknowledge Aeryn otherwise? Wow, that was sneakily creepy for a cracked episode.
(Ben, srsly, hook a girl up with some of that good crack.)
This is 4.06, Natural Election
Previously on Farscape… pregnant, didn’t tell John, figured out wormholes (wanna go home?), found Moya, missed her, Found Aeryn, who is sick enough to think the betrayal of bringing Scorpius aboard is going to be okay.
Rotating captains for Pilot, huh? And D’Argo is playing music while John experiments… would it sound like Spanish numbers to everyone? Wouldn’t it sound just like the numbers of their native language?
Aeryn’s been pacing, now she’s going to ambush John for a talk.
(Let’s all take a moment to appreciate Aeryn initiating a serious chat)
It’s nice that they are getting along, though, I half expected John to still be pissed.
We have wormhole! A little off schedule… and off course, and size. And now the stars are blackened out. I can appreciate Rygel’s (Cap’n Rygel, sorry, and could Pilot sound any more long suffering?) freak out.
Sparks in the dark.
Collision? And Moya is convulsing… sensory neurons? That’s interesting.
Pilot really doesn’t like Sikozu, does he? Like, really.
Funny how, even with this elected, rotating captain thing, they work so well as a group at this point. Understandably chaotic from Pilot’s perspective, of course.
Grandma is freaking out, and the DRDs are trapped, poor lil’ guys.
Plant floating in space gumming up the rudder.
Sikozu and Scorpius. Creepy arsed chemistry, but the chemistry cannot be denied.
‘See plant, kill plant.” That’s deep, D’Argo. (It’s got to be on the Luxan coat of arms!’)
Before she left Moya, she got pregnant? BUT IT MAY NOT BE JOHNS? HULLO?
“You’re life is so much more interesting than mine!” Chiana, sometimes you’r words are in marvelous contrast to your body language.
This plant is a junkyard plant that hangs out near worm… I LUUUUUVE SHOOTING THINGS. HAHAHA, I love D’Argo, man.
This is neat danger. I like the creepy junkyard plant problem.
HA, Chiana’s head poking out of Moya’s hull is funny. Although, she is really, really creeped out and on the edge of panic and that’s making me itch in sympathy.
I guess she’s not actually into the whole secret keeping thing, is it? Though, she seems to just tell D’Argo because he’s D’Argo and then thinking it through after the fact.
Sikozu is attempting to handle Grandma and Scorpius is breaking out of jail and looking creepily at the plant. You know, it’s interesting that Sikozu makes the same fascinated face at any kind of discovery; she doesn’t seem to have the ethical distinction of creepy/not creepy (though I’m not sure Grandma and Scorpius are so terribly different if you ignore that.)
YOWSA, PILOT HAS BEEN BODY SNATCHED.
And the Aeryn-Chiana discussion is both marvelous and angsty. Nice work, women.
And that conversation between D’Argo and John is similarly gorgeous breakingness. That John had considered *whether* he was the father already, and is infinitely more upset at the gossip mill is amazing. And sweet.
“There are so many other reason you should hate yourself at the moment.” Fabulous pep talk, D’Argo.
You know, they should decide whether this is a plant or a fungus. Neat that Scorpy’s glowsticks work and trigger the solution cascade.
Aw, John and 1812 = OTP
Well, I guess mentioning Aeryn’s baby OVER THE COMMS let’s the cat out of the bag for anyone who *didn’t* know before.
Oooh, skeleton shot. Is it wrong to get porny over Crichton’s bone structure?
Yay for election day! Kar D’Argo for president!
Wow, Sebacean women can stay just a little bit pregnant for 7 years? Wow. So she needs a doctor to get really pregnant?
How does this explain her earlier comment about how before when she said to Chiana that she wasn’t pregnant before? Technically, she was, she just didn’t know it, right?
Wow, Aeryn is so destroyed by the idea that she may not be able to count on John in this. I don’t think John meant to say it that way, actually. It was another one of those gorgeous non-verbal conversations they have, but this one got a little confused by the overlying verbal stuff.
Moving on to 4.07, John Quixote (apparently written in a fit of crack induced insanity by Ben Browder, ladies and gents.)
Sikozu wants to PLAY with Scorpius? Where is John?
And Chiana want’s to play reality games, simulations, press the flash! Then she totally porns out.
Wow, that went cracked really really quickly.
Did they just… drop a T.V. on John’s (helmet-clad) head?
HAHAHAHA, I love the little musical trill in time with Chiana’s head tilt.
“I am the AVATAR!!!!” Go Stark.
Okay, John is now the most Max-Headroomy-Evil-Criminal in the universe?
Did Ben write all that poetry? He needs behavioral meds.
This is so, so, weird.
Is it bad that it’s as disturbing as anything else that Chiana is SO SMALL?
THE VAN JUST WINKED AT THEM.
Wow, that’s a wacky incarnation of Zhaan. Would'a been nice to see the real Zhaan, of course. I gather she couldn't do all that blue make-up, though.
The guy is *LACTATING*? This is mind boggling, seriously.
Oooookay, split screen. They would be going a little cracked with the camera work too?
Oh, the horror. HA.
RYGEL IS THE BLACK KNIGHT???? ?!?!?!?!
Chiana had way too much fun stabbing Rygel.
Um, hi Jool? D'Argo is, um, eating out all the girls? Why are there two Chiana's?
John’s out, Scorpius is out, command carrier is coming, Sikozu is missing, Chiana is still trapped in the game.
I snicker when Max!John suggests naming the sword Cameron. Uma is nice too, but it’s strangely ominous when he starts talking about wanting to go sideways rather than up and down all the time. Also, he’s already the biggest criminal in the universe but he’s studying to be an astronaut?
I can handle Scorpius (Harvey, I suppose) being there, but Princess!Aeryn’s accent is TOO MUCH.
(Can I hep you fine sumpthace tho theth that sthword? SRSLY)
IS THAT… CRAIS?
Every time they meet someone nice Crais scares them away?
Wow. Then back to the ship and Scorpius has mind control of Pilot at least? I don’t know that I’d rule out Aeryn making choices of her own volition at this point.
Oh. Well.
The game again. There’s clearly some deep meaning about neural interfaces here or something.
OH, They’re still in the game! “Moya is part of the game!” That feels disturbing.
Oh, two Chiana’s was a purposeful thing! Awesome.
Oh good God. Two sword fights going on and Princess!Aeryn hugging a HEART PILLOW. “Honey, butler’s dead!” Gracious.
Jaysus, they must have had fun filming this scene. “Women!” That’s okay, Crais, you don’t have to deal with them any more. “Well, I’m not the princess you theek, but that doesthn’t mean we can’t have a really good time!” Well, frell, people.
Suicide was a good idea, but reset had to be….. REAL ZHAAN!!!!! Baby, I missed you Zhaan! (I think her lipstick changed, or something).
A lot of people have died because of John. Has he wasted Zhaan’s death? Once more into the blue make-up, good woman. It was nice to see you.
Glad they sorted out Scorpius by themselves, that’s nice strength on the Moyan’s part.
Interesting discussion of whether John is a warrior, apparently he doesn’t want that to be his defining characteristic.
Did he take those drugs? Why did he not acknowledge Aeryn otherwise? Wow, that was sneakily creepy for a cracked episode.
(Ben, srsly, hook a girl up with some of that good crack.)
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 05:32 am (UTC)Yup. He said a few years ago in Burbank (they did live commentary on JQ) that he wanted to write a sonnet for Paul Goddard.
(Ben, srsly, hook a girl up with some of that good crack.)
Amen to that!
John Quixote is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, there is nothing I don't love about it. If you're interested, I did a little video to the episode, from AvaStark's POV.
eta: I'd really like to encourage you to listen to Ben and Claudia's commentary for the episode. Not only is it a lot of fun, but also it gives you some insight into why Ben did certain things with the story. I wish I could say for certain that there are no spoilers for upcoming episodes, but I'm really not sure. I'd have to go listen to it again myself to tell you (the torture! ;)).
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:12 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, Netflix is not sending me the Starburst edition versions of these, and I assume that's where I'd find the commentary. (Or maybe it's the one from the Burbank con and I'd need to scour the internets, I dunno.)
I would love to, though. I love listening to them talk about Farscape.
Off to d/l your vid! Avatar!Stark was really interesting in this episode.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:26 pm (UTC)*discreetly gives you an mp3 of the commentary* There are one or two spoilers for the rest of the season from Ben.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:44 pm (UTC)*rapidly d/l's and queues up images too.*
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Date: 2008-01-22 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-24 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 05:34 am (UTC)would it sound like Spanish numbers to everyone? Wouldn’t it sound just like the numbers of their native language?
I think it would, yes, but we viewers are getting to hear it the way John's saying it. Which he's doing because, I don't know. He's John. :)
Pilot really doesn’t like Sikozu, does he? Like, really.
Well, y'know, she was involved in that whole "harvesting Leviathans for their neural tissue" thing. I can understand him holding a grudge about that.
Sikozu and Scorpius. Creepy arsed chemistry, but the chemistry cannot be denied.
It is true. I tried denying it for quite a while, and eventually had to give in. :)
John Quixote (apparently written in a fit of crack induced insanity by Ben Browder, ladies and gents.)
Oh, man, even for Farscape that episode is cracky. I remember feeling the need to scrape bits of my brain off the living room walls the first time I watched it. :)
Wow, that’s a wacky incarnation of Zhaan. Would'a been nice to see the real Zhaan, of course. I gather she couldn't do all that blue make-up, though.
Big Male Zhaan was played by regular Farscape director Rowan Woods, which somehow just makes it even crackier. And apparently Virginia Hey's problems with the blue makeup were chronic rather than acute; she was willing to wear it again, she just couldn't handle doing it every day. She didn't shave her head again, though, which explains why Zhaan's skull looks a little weird. (Not that Zhaan has a skull, technically, I think. But you know what I mean.)
I'm glad you weren't spoiled for the appearance of real!Zhaan, by they way. (Or, OK, real!virtual!Zhaan.) Annoyingly, Sci-Fi felt the need to actually show that scene in their promos when it aired the first time. Grr.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:21 pm (UTC)He got over Aeryn shooting Pilots. Shooting Moya's pilot in fact. I think he's also irritated by her manner with him--I think she still doesn't refer to Moya by name, for instance (or it took a while). Could be wrong. Pilot holding a grudge, though, that's interesting!
I'm glad you weren't spoiled for the appearance of real!Zhaan, by they way.
*bites sci-fi* You guys have been amazing with all your enthusiasm for newbies, fic recs and such, and all without spoiling me for just about anything. Love it. (I also love the barely restrained squee I hear sometimes when I mention what I'm about to watch, hee)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 08:32 pm (UTC)There are certain things about Farscape that it's surprisingly hard not to spoil, but the fandom as a whole really does seem to try not to ruin things for newbies. We all remember how cool it was to be surprised by some of this stuff the first time, I think! (Well, except for the stuff Sci-Fi ruined for us. :P)
And it is simply the nature of Farscape to generate the barely restrained squee. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:26 pm (UTC)How can you not love John Crichton? I mean, I have been crushing *hard* on Aeryn, but the John love is equally undeniable, for all I can think a little more clearly through my reasons for *why* I love John (1. leather pants, 2. crazy, 3. cries a lot on camera, and I admire actors who aren't afraid to look really awful on film, 4. loves getting beat up on film, sometimes by girls, frequently by falling face-first into camera frame, 5, hair-acting... etc, etc.)
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Date: 2008-01-21 07:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:27 pm (UTC)I remember him talking about writing Green Eyed Monster and having the season plot points he had to work into the story; he didn't have those here?
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:33 pm (UTC)Partly because they probably hadn't been invented at that stage -- Farscape's production process apparently tended to be a mixture of long-range planning and wild spur-of-the-moment improvization *g*.
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Date: 2008-01-21 06:35 pm (UTC)I LOVE THEM. Seriously, I love the Farscape guys.
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Date: 2008-01-21 12:31 pm (UTC)Rygel as the Black Knight makes me laugh just thinking about him. Yeah.
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Date: 2008-01-21 06:29 pm (UTC)Brilliant bit of casting, that.
You know, I was watching some Vala episodes last night, and she was wearing a tiara for part of it-- your icon right there sort of looks like a tiara on Zhaan's head...
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Date: 2008-01-21 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 03:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 04:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 05:02 pm (UTC)JQ is so wonderfully insane; it stands up to rewatching because, as shunda said, there are so many layers.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:34 pm (UTC)I love this kind of reaction to watching it for the first time, but I am also looking forward to going back and seeing what I missed on the first go-round and really sink my teeth into it. Here's to obsession! We're big fans of that here!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 07:37 pm (UTC)Love that Ben loves Monty Python. Love the "Flower Power" van and Chiana's choice of costume and plastic flower pots. The set designers had a field day. But you are right that there is Scorpius in the center with his neural net. Kaz' theories are brilliant. Love her write up and vid.
One thing from the commentary: Claudia made that accent up as a combination of Mike Tyson meets Southern belle. And don't you love it that Chiana wins every fight? She is the heroine much more than John in this ep.
Thanks for your continued write ups. I love revisiting eps with you.