shipperx | Farscape Re-Watch 1.08-1.10 (Reply)

1.08 - That Old Black Magic

Rygel: I don't know your customs for these situations -- not that I care. So, I'll give you the Hynerian Ceremony of Passage and be done with it. John Crichton, valued friend...now wait a minute, valued friend is a bit of a stretch. John Crichton, unwelcome shipmate, may you have safe transport to the hallowed realm. Actually, not our hallowed realm. That's for Hynerians. Go find your own hallowed realm. With the Ceremony of Passage complete, I declare you officially dead, and claim all of your possessions for myself.

After reading about vampires all week, I land on the Farscape episode with the vampire. He is a vampire, even Crichton calls him such. Now, true, he's not a blood-sucking vampire. He's an alien who feeds on life energy (I believe there was a Trek TOS villain that did the same), but that's basically a vampire. And he's the icky-creepy kind of vampire not the sexy or the sparkly. He is annoying though. You've got to give him that. But this vampire serves his purpose as it is through him that Crichton and Crais directly interact and Crichton comes to realize that there is no talking his way out of Crais's vendetta. The vendetta isn't even really about him. And to combat the MOTW, Zhaan is pushed to violence, unleashing that which she had thought permanently contained. (Which makes me think of BtVS's post-Darth Willow. There's an interesting contrast to be made there someday, I think).

In

shadowcat67's rewatch, she mentioned that she thinks that Zhaan episodes may be the weakest of the character episodes. I don't think I disagree. (Though she is also correct in pointing out that D'Argo episode rarely seem to be particularly dynamic). That Old Black Magic may or may not be a Zhaan-centric episode, but she does have perhaps the most prominent storyline this episode.

Anyway, I think that Zhaan as a character-type may have been a challenge for the writers. While discussing Doctor Who with

elisi we both mentioned that most protagonists need to change. The few that do not change (such as the Doctor) usually have to change those around them. Zhaan as an elightened zen-like priest doesn't leave a lot of room for change. What little change that is possible for her is largely what we see in this episode, which is breaking her zen to de-evolve and going against her training to cause harm to another living being. It's an understandable instinct on the writers part to try to deconstruct Zhaan's zen to have a story, but that only leaves her a story of losing her development then regaining it again. Zhaan's character archetype just doesn't leave a great deal of room for change, which would leave her changing those around her. I suppose she really does work best as sounding board and guiding sage for other characters. I think this may be why they eventually introduce Chiana. Farscape is really good about having female characters on hand and Chiana has more of an emotional journey to make than Zhaan does. I can see why they took to Chiana once they created her... which isn't for a few episodes yet.

The other character who is featured this episode is Crais. Do the villains get character development episodes? Crais gets development here as they show us his background,his having been conscripted out of his rural, agrarian home to be raised a Peacekeeper, which is what fuels so much of his rage. He and his brother were ripped from their homes as children with Crais vowing to take care of his younger brother... the one that was killed in the series premiere. And then there's the moment where we know that Crais has really and truly gone off the deep end. Crais has orders to call off his fugitive hunt and leave Crichton et al to the Uncharted Territories. Rather than take these orders, Crais murders his first in command and hides that he ever got orders to cease and desist in the first place. Crais has lost control and, much like the villain wants, he's rules by his most base instincts.

The first time I saw this episode, I was shocked that Crais killed his first-in-command, but it certainly sets the stage for what is to come of him by the end of the season. I love that his choices here have consequences.

1.09 - DNA Mad Scientist

So the Fugitives are offered maps through the Uncharted Territories to their homes. What would they do for it? Darn near anything. All they need is a sample of their DNA (from their eye! Farscape has a real thing for sticking things in people's eyes. Ew!) So a sample of DNA is required for these maps to their home planets, and all that's required is payment...which happens to be Pilot's arm. They have to cut off their pilot's arm if they want to go home and. they. do. it!!! This isn't Star Trek, folks. Farscape's characters can, at times, be shockingly ruthless...as people become when left in survival mode for very long. They cut off Pilot's arm... and we're still in the first part of the episode! Needless to say, Pilot is upset, John is disapproving, and Aeryn... For Aeryn, there is no map home. She knows where she is. She knows the way home. She just can never go there again.

Aeryn: They are going home. And someday, you will too.

John: Sure. I mean - if I ever find a way home. Yeah.

Aeryn: I was born a Peacekeeper soldier. I've always been one among many. A member of a division, a platoon, a unit. I've never been on my own, John. Ever.

John: When I find a way home - if I find a way home - I'll take you with me.

Aeryn: Me? On a planet full of billions of you?

I love this moment. I love it because it is sweet for Crichton to offer and it's a sign of just how far he must travel from this point to reach the day he tells Aeryn "Anywhere in the universe. You choose." Because... Aeryn is right. Her going to Earth is not an option. It certainly sounds like a viable option to John at this stage of the game. But what would Aeryn do on Earth? As bad as her situation is, traveling through the galaxy fighting bad guys (and occasionally saving the universe) are things that she knows. It's where she fits. Earth has no place for her. She knows this. John doesn't understand that yet. So it is sweet for him to offer and it's also a sign of how much he has to learn about Aeryn.

Beyond that, this episode is very much about the way people use people (etc.) to get what they want, and how everyone justifies this behavior to themselves. Zhaan, Rygel, and D'Argo use Pilot to get what they want. The female scientist used her lab rat for research until the Lab rat turned RatMan (NamTar is ratman in reverse). RatMan/NamTar then uses people and ultimately uses Aeryn to try to get yet another DNA upgrade that he wants. People can be viciously selfish sometimes, and it makes everyone ugly.

1.10 - They've Got A Secret

D'Argo episode, where we learn that the way that he describes himself in the series premiere is even more inaccurate than we already thought! He left his home world to be with his wife -- his wife! -- in a bi-species marriage where her family did not approve, even though they shared a child. Peacekeeper racism is such that D'Argo's brother-in-law would rather see his sister dead that the wife of a Luxon. So he killed her. And D'argo's imprisonment and arrest? It was nothing battle related. It was because he was wrongly accused of with his wife's murder. So he spirited their child to safety, before he was arrested, convicted, and sentenced for killing the wife that he loved.

Oh... and the ship got knocked up! Pregnant space-ship! And someday we'll learn that this was the experiment that Aeryn's Peacekeeper lover was running when she betrayed him...