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Farscape Rewatch: A Bug's Life (1.18.)
Wiki summary: When a group of Peacekeepers from a damaged Marauder board Moya, the crew pretend to be a Peacekeeper prison vessel. The Peacekeepers' secret cargo presents a serious threat when Rygel and Chiana open the container.
Aaaand we get Crichton in leather for the first time. Albeit not yet in all in black but with red stripes. I must say that later episodes have spoiled me in terms of the versatility of our cast when possessed by someone else; John with the virus doesn't feel much different than John impersonating a peace keeper, Chiana with the virus isn't much different than (early) Chiana in general, and so forth. This being said, the virus is just a Macguffin here to enforce a team-up between our Moyans and a group of Peacekeepers, who for all that they're one-shot characters and redshirts to boot, getting picked off one after another, come across as individuals, not an uniform group.
One particular highlight in this regard being the Aeryn and Captain Larraq scenes. They do have chemistry, but even that aside he's the first PK commander who doesn't come across asinsane somewhat unhinged, sadistic or both, and you can tell that Aeryn while trying to get information out of him does warm up to him. Partly because it's yet another glimpse at the life she's lost, presented in an attractive package; if she'd met him a year earlier, she'd probably gone for that date. Otoh, the show doesn't forget he's still part of a authoritarian army that goes for orders above ethics; Larraq might have doubts about his mission of bringing the virus to Gammak Base, but he still would have done it if not for that chance encounter with our heroes.
Rygel and Chiana hold the idiot ball this episode for opening the box without any safety preparations whatsoever in order to keep the plot going; I wish the script would at least have made them wear masks and gloves and then exposing themselves by accident. This being said, Zhaan is amazingly indulgent with Rygel afterwards when he's defrosted; earlier this season she'd just have snapped at him. And we do get to see some more of John's big brother attitude towards Chiana.
How likely is it that Zhaan's antidote would work on three different species (Delvians, Sebaceans, Luxans) at the same time? This asked for most of my inner handwavium upon rewatch.
John using his scientific knowledge to kill the virus (and Larraq with it) via making Moya igniting the Caesium: it's another glimpse of what's to come, especially the cold rage in which he does it. Or maybe I'm reading with hindsight, but this is the episode that first establishes the existence of the Gammak Base and PK scientic research. We've had a (dna) mad scientist before, but John's own use of his science background has always had positive connotations, and he's used it for our gang to escape, mostly. But, to quote a later season, "it's never just science", and next week we're going to meet his shadow self, our big antagonist, so I'm going with foreshadowing here. John's days of leftover innocence are rapidly coming to a close.
The Other Days
Aaaand we get Crichton in leather for the first time. Albeit not yet in all in black but with red stripes. I must say that later episodes have spoiled me in terms of the versatility of our cast when possessed by someone else; John with the virus doesn't feel much different than John impersonating a peace keeper, Chiana with the virus isn't much different than (early) Chiana in general, and so forth. This being said, the virus is just a Macguffin here to enforce a team-up between our Moyans and a group of Peacekeepers, who for all that they're one-shot characters and redshirts to boot, getting picked off one after another, come across as individuals, not an uniform group.
One particular highlight in this regard being the Aeryn and Captain Larraq scenes. They do have chemistry, but even that aside he's the first PK commander who doesn't come across as
Rygel and Chiana hold the idiot ball this episode for opening the box without any safety preparations whatsoever in order to keep the plot going; I wish the script would at least have made them wear masks and gloves and then exposing themselves by accident. This being said, Zhaan is amazingly indulgent with Rygel afterwards when he's defrosted; earlier this season she'd just have snapped at him. And we do get to see some more of John's big brother attitude towards Chiana.
How likely is it that Zhaan's antidote would work on three different species (Delvians, Sebaceans, Luxans) at the same time? This asked for most of my inner handwavium upon rewatch.
John using his scientific knowledge to kill the virus (and Larraq with it) via making Moya igniting the Caesium: it's another glimpse of what's to come, especially the cold rage in which he does it. Or maybe I'm reading with hindsight, but this is the episode that first establishes the existence of the Gammak Base and PK scientic research. We've had a (dna) mad scientist before, but John's own use of his science background has always had positive connotations, and he's used it for our gang to escape, mostly. But, to quote a later season, "it's never just science", and next week we're going to meet his shadow self, our big antagonist, so I'm going with foreshadowing here. John's days of leftover innocence are rapidly coming to a close.
The Other Days
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John clearly got the memo from Hollywood that villainous = (pseudo) British accent. Correction, upper class British accent--he wouldn't have been nearly as effective if he'd broken out into Cockney or broad Yorkshire. Scorpius appears to have got the same memo, though come to think of it, since all our characters' speech is mediated through translator microbes, who'd notice an odd accent or two? (Something I've wondered for years: do all Peacekeepers speak the same language, or, since some are recruited from outside the service, do they babble in a medley of tongues?)
I think this is the point where we start to see Early Crichton slipping away: he dons the Peacekeeper facade fairly easily along with the leather, and he kills Larraq and the virus without hesitation or remorse. Somehow I think that earlier in the season he would have worked harder to find another solution, even if end the result was the same.
Lastly, "A Bug's Life" looks like a self-contained episode, but it sets things up so John goes the Gammack base and encouters Scorpius--thus setting up the over-arching plot for the rest of the series!
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That's because John couldn't fake a German accent, which would have been even better by the laws of Hollywood. :)
Something I've wondered for years: do all Peacekeepers speak the same language, or, since some are recruited from outside the service, do they babble in a medley of tongues?
I'm assuming the later. What I've been wondering: if babies in this galaxy are already injected with the translator microbes, how do they learn any language?
Somehow I think that earlier in the season he would have worked harder to find another solution, even if end the result was the same.
Probably, though in that scenario he was pressed for time, and the virus let loose on billions of beings in the galaxy truly was a frightening prospect. Otoh, you can bet that if it had been Aeryn the virus had possessed, even late John would not have killed her.
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Hah! I've been wondering the same thing. Wouldn't it be amusing if they were all just babbling baby noises at each other?
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