Farscape Rewatch: Vita Mortis (2.02.)

[selenak]

Wiki summary: D'Argo takes part in a sacred ritual that helps a dying Luxan, an Orican, to pass on. During the ritual the Orican invokes a ritual of renewal, drawing from what she thinks is D'Argo's strength. Consequently Moya starts to age rapidly.



For all that Farscape billed itself as the anti-Trek, this reminds me of nothing as much as an avarage ST episode. Not least because various incarnations of ST did the "vampire/succubus/energy draining telepath drains one member of the ensemble" plot a copule of times. I don't recall watching it back in the day, or if I did, I'd forgotten all about it, so it was new to me.

I was thrown the first time we saw and heard old Nilaam, because I thought: Hang on, isn't that Noranti? And indeed it was Melissa Jaffer, though sadly not for the rest of the episode. Nothing against Anna Lise Philipps, but she didn't have the same charisma or presence. I'm not keen on this trope in general, with a very few exceptions ("Being Human", the UK original, did a great and original succubus), though I will say that at least as opposed to the last life energy drainer priestess (last season, which only John seemed to recall, in Blue Raphsody), Nilaam was presented as not deliberately malicious, and in the end she was willing to die after a period of temptation. Otoh, once it was clear she was draining Moya, there wasn't much of an ethical dilemma, and possibly due to the change of actress, I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection between her and D'Argo. (Girls of the week sometimes work, and sometimes they don't.)

Otoh, the episode did offer some good character and relationship moments for our ensemble. The tetchy one between Chiana and Aeryn (which is also noticeable as the first indication Chiana will develop a thing for D'Argo), which is one of those reminders Chiana hasn't been on board as long as everyone else and is still establishing relationships with the rest; the tender one between Aeryn and Pilot (who again calls for her, and her alone, when Moya and himself face distress), which made me go "awwwww" unabahedly. Also, for all that John's noticably darker this season even if you don't know what's to come, and I don't mean due to his choice of costume, this episode is heavy on the friendship that's developed between him and D'Argo, both with the not-so-paranoid protectiveness and the later being there after Nilaam's death.

Still. Mainly Nilaam is there to endanger Moya and provide D'Argo with more angst. (Having to kill, or at least assist the suicide of, a woman he's just gotten romantically attached to; given that D'Argo was wrongly accused of killing his wife, this is extra hard.) As opposed to, say, the equally one shot guest character in "Bone to be Wild", she doesn't feel (to me, it's imo as always) as a person in her own right once she's rejuvinated, as opposed to a plot device and her mystical powers are a bit too fantastical for me to buy - especially the inadvertent draining of Moya from afar. So what's supposed to be tragic falls emotionally somewhat flat to me, and I won't watch the episode anytime soon again.

Trivialities: where did D'Argo get the Luxan ceremonial robes he's wearing from? Otoh, thanks, show, for answering the question how our heroes keep their wardrobe clean.

The other episodes

Comments

[kernezelda]

Perhaps the ceremonial robe was in D'Argo's luggage when captured inititally. The prisoners' belongings were aboard Moya, given D'Argo's shilquin and red tunics, Rygel's robes and jewelry, and Zhaan's robes. We saw them reclaiming their possessions from a storage drawer in the premiere. Presumably they were issued prisoner uniforms, and their belongings transferred along with them from place to place, since a single outfit could probably not last for cycles (Zhaan's 3 on Micar 7, D'Argo's 8 on Micar 7's chem mines, Rygel's 130 in various locations}. Which seems like a nice little bit of officiousness in an organization that drains planets' resources wholesale (Sykar).

There were several parts to enjoy in the episode, though I don't love it as a whole: Chiana and Aeryn's scene, and the revelation of amnexus fluid as opposed to clogged amnexus system vents; John in the gorgeous, long leather coat and gloves. Tapping his fingers. Mmmmm.

[selenak]

He does look very dashing in that coat, I agree!

[conuly]

He's gotta know that, too.

[jesuswasbatman]

This is the most detail about Luxan culture we get for most of the series, and it is interesting as far as the mystical side goes - just as strong as the Delvians. Once again we see how sweet and gentle D'Argo is when in love. It makes the Star Trek thing of "of course the Klingons are into very rough sex" seem simplistic. It seems very, very Farscape to me that either Anthony Simcoe or the producers were at pains to maintain continuity in a notorious sex scene later in the season that D'Argo, or maybe Luxan culture in general, is very much into women being on top in sexual positions.

And yes, S1 John certainly wouldn't have been as suspicious of Nilaam as he is in the early scenes of the episode.

Also quite Farscape that, as opposed to the Trek analogies you draw, Nilaam isn't a malicious femme fatale but, at worst, in denial about what has led to her rejuvenation.

[jesuswasbatman]

Also, as I mentioned in commenting on the earlier episode, the backstory about D'Argo's tattoos makes it clear that the "Luxans never use deception in war" element of "PK Tech Girl" was Doylistically quickly abandoned or Watsonianly utter bullshit.

[selenak]

Seriously, given "Minbari never lie" and "Vulcans never lie" got established only to be disproven in the episodes they were introduced, I wonder why Sci Fi writers bother.

[neuralclone]

This is another episode I couldn't remember at all--until I watched it, and then I remembered Zhaan, D'Argo and Crichton walking towards the... castle? --mainly because it was the first outing for Crichton's long leather coat. I suspect that if D'Argo had been my favourite character I would have much clearer recollections of this episode because it had some great character stuff for him. As it was, I probably forgot it because it was a standalone episode which didn't tie into the season arc.

My first reaction was wow! the set designers have pulled it off again! and my second was, "There seem to be a hell of a lot of abandoned buildings in the Uncharted Territories with squatters living in them." Scorpy's Gammak base was another example. I'm left wondering if some sort of cataclysm had it the UCs some time in the past. It would be an interesting piece of back story to explore!

The second thing I noticed was the continuing development of darker and edgier John: quicker to anger and to go on the attack, quicker to draw his gun. Even his hair is getting spikier and edgier.\

Lastly I enjoyed all the little character bits, from Pilot talking to Aeryn (then Aeryn trying to solve the problem a really BIG gun), Chiana doing the laundry and being snarky, to Rygel acting as an impromptu plug stopping a hole in Moya. There was a lot to enjoy in this episode, even if I don't rate it in my top 10 ever!

[selenak]

I'm left wondering if some sort of cataclysm had it the UCs some time in the past. It would be an interesting piece of back story to explore!

From what I recall of The Peacekeeper Wars, wouldn't that fit with the eventual backstory the writers came up with - I mean, clearly something momentous happened to the Eidelons?

[neuralclone]

So Crichton is basically wandering through a Galactic Dark Age?

(Just a quick thought: Crichton compared himself to Dorothy Gale from Kansas, but you could also compare him to Frodo. He's holds the key to absolute power and he's being hunted for it through the remains of a fallen civilization!)