Farscape Rewatch: PK Tech Girl (1.07.)

[selenak]

Wiki summary: The hulk of the legendary Peacekeeper ship, the Zelbinion, holds a pleasant surprise for Crichton, but Rygel must confront the time spent on the ship where he was tortured by the sadistic commander Captain Durka, while the crew work to reactivate the ship's shields to defend themselves from an attack.




This was the episode when I decided to stick with the show, so I've got a soft spot for it, but I do think it holds up upon rewatching. Every one in the ensemble - except Pilot - gets character stuff to do, the menace of the week, the Sheyang, offers a solid suspense plot as our heroes have to figure out a way not to outfight but to outwit the opposition wiht a mixture of bluffing skills and tech repair, and Gilina is a likeable (seemingly) one shot character, the first Peacekeeper other than Aeryn herself to come across sympathetically. That she's the "tech girl" of the title is good world building, showing that PK society does not consist solely of people with the primary skill/job of fighting or flying.

Gilina is, of course, also that easily resented trademark of a show in its early states, the romance of the week before the endgame pairing gets together. (And it's worth recalling Farscape started in a sci fi tv context where long term pairings between regulars weren't unheard of anymore - B5, DS9 - but still far more unusual than romances of the week.) Here I admire how the show manages to on the one hand make her hitting it off with Crichton believable - he's still primarily a scientist, they bond over their mutual tech expertise as well as physical attraction and his compassion for her situation - but don't let that be her only purpose in the expisode. Just as important, if not more so, is what she presents to Aeryn: a look back to the world Aeryn, and this is important, hasn't left voluntarily but has been forced out, a possible road not taken. Being on board a dead Peacekeeper ship is haunting for Aeryn for all the reasons Crichton lists at the end of the episode, but speaking of a living Peacekeeper, no matter that it's one from a different "department", so to speak, is worse. But not completely. I love how Claudia Black plays all the myriad of different reactions Aeryn has to Gilina throughout the episode, from interrogating her (she gets to be Officer Sun again) to the understanding in her face that Gilina will not give the Moya crew away (and not just because of Crichton). Gilina not considering Aeryn a traitor anymore at the end means something because there's a part of Aeryn, despite her development so far, that longs to return home - if she could, as Gilina still can.

At the same time, this episode also offers a stark reminder of just how brutal PKs can get via the first Rygel subplot without a single moment of him being the comic relief. When he first says he's been tortured on board this ship, first time watchers may think he's talking hyperbolically, because Rygel, and then we quickly see no, he means just that. He was tortured.For years and years and years. That Rygel is played by a puppet and we never in the Durka flashbacks see, as some grimdark shows probably would insist on showing us, the full gore, so to speak, is absolutely immaterial; those are devastating scenes. Rygel facing Durka's corpse (or so he thinks) may be 101 pop psychology; the earlier scene where Rygel spits at Gilina and says it's bad enough he has to share living space with "one of these abominations" (meaning Aeryn) is a visceral reminder how deep those scars go, and how relatively shortly ago Aeryn was indeed part of the forces of oppression (and torture).

The Zhaan and D'Argo interaction here comes across as if it should pre-date, not post date "Thank God It's Friday, Again", and indeed Amazon Prime as opposed to wiki lists the episodes in reverse order. But I suippose I can buy D'Argo being a bit resentful at first about Zhaan coaching him in the art of lying because of male pride. Zhaan's practical compassion with Rygel is what stands out for me re: her scenes. A character like Zhaan, who often like here plays the "wise counsillor" role (in different ways to D'Argo and Rygel) in this episode, can come across as treacly or one dimensional, but the way Virginia Hey plays it gives me the sense that Zhaan knows what she's talking about re: confronting your demons.

Trivia:

- Aeryn's ability to carry parts of the storage far easier than Crichton is neat reminder again that Sebaceans are depicted as physically stronger than humans.

- for all that Aeryn admitting, mid-argument, she's attracted to Crichton is fun, their last quiet conversation at the end of the episode, that "I stand corrected" is the big emotional relationship building moment forme here

- fluid dropping from dessicating corpses: definitely the most gruesome entry in Farscape's fascination with physical by products so far; well, we are mostly water....

- that wiki summary is one of those bizarro types of tv guide misleads - "a pleasant surprise for Crichton", what?


The Other Days

Comments

[neuralclone]

On a slightly more technical note, the thing that caught my eye this time around was the sheer skill of the set design and special effects--on the derelict command carrier in particular. I also admired the closeup of Rygel's eye and the craftsmanship that must have gone into creating that extremely realistic but inhuman eye. The workers behind the scenes don't always get the respect they deserve, but their input does so much to make the Farscape universe real.

As far as the content of the episode goes, I was all, "Yay! Character development." I loved seeing a bit more of Aeryn's background and what makes her tick, and I really loved seeing some more of Rygel's backstory. He's often used as comic relief, but I still maintain he's one of the more tragic characters on the show, and a lot of his traits can be seen as the results of 130 cycles of imprisonment and torture.

(And his story points up how harsh the Farscape universe is. Moya is full of walking wounded, all due to the actions of the Peacekeepers, yet the Peacekeepers seem to be the closest thing this world has to law and order. So the choice seems to be between the proverbial Bad Cops or lawless anarchy. Not good for the people caught between either way.)

Gilina--as you said, apparently the "girl of the week" of this episode (and how nice to see Crichton getting all techy again!) but I can see hints of John/Aeryn here, particularly with Aeryn's admission that she found John attractive--"at first"--and their conversation at the end of the episode. Or maybe hindsight is talking?

D'Argo bluffing the Sheyang was fun (particularly as it began unintentionally) but I've got to say, if the Luxans never lie to their enemies in combat they must be pretty poor strategists. Proud warrior race they may be, but if they can't feint or mislead then they can't win many wars. Perhaps someone should send them a copy of Sunzi's "Art of War"? :)

[jesuswasbatman]

It says so much about how confident in the puppets they were at this stage, and deservedly so, that the opening close-up shot of Rygel's eye and face is so emotionally meaningful, and shows how good their craftsmanship was. And the fact that Rygel gets such a purely serious plotline this episode confirms it.

It's also good that Gilina gets just as meaningful a farewell scene with Aeryn as she does with Crichton, and this episode gets across just how much being a Peacekeeper means to Aeryn, despite us seeing them only as villainous up to this point.

At the point that I watched Farscape, I'd just come off watching Battlestar Galactica all the way through, so I was worrying during the initial scene of Aeryn interrogating Gilina that the whole episode would be that kind of thing, with the main subject being "is it morally acceptable to torture an enemy", like "Flesh and Bone".

D'Argo's plot in this one is a bit lighter-hearted, but it's fun to see him initially accidentally, and then genuinely, play the tough military officer. And the Sheyangs get a surprising amount of cultural development for a group of characters who could be just D&D-style wandering monsters of the week. On Luxans never lying to their enemies - I take that line as another sign of D'Argo being young and naive. If I remember rightly, when we finally meet full-time Luxan soldiers in "The Peacekeeper Wars" they're a lot less idealistic.

[kernezelda]

One of the things I like about the episode is John's telling Gilina he has a doctorate in cosmic theory. He's a doctor, he's smart, he's already used his brains to get the Moyans out of a couple of jams, but compared to the vast wells of knowledge in this wide array of not just one, but many alien cultures, he's a toddler trying to play catch-up.

I also find it interesting how fast he feels an attraction to Gilina, and as we learn later, she is definitely his type--the smart, feminine blonde. Alien she may be, but she's the first woman here who's looked at him and didn't see a mental deficient or genetic defective.

[lostsheep_inprogress]

I kept waiting for Gilina to either get killed, or turn out to be some kind of vicious traitor under the sweet-harmless-tech exterior. I was very pleased when neither of those things happened. I think it was more interesting for her to be exactly what she seemed, because it makes the Peacekeepers a more complex entity, and because it gave Crichton and Aeryn so much to react to that making her turn out villainous would have sort of neutralized. Watching how fast she fell for Crichton after he protected her from Aeryn, I couldn't help thinking, when was the last time anyone was actually nice to this girl? When was the last time someone stood up for her or tried to protect her? Has anyone ever? Don't sign me up for the Peacekeeper Corps, y'all...