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selenakWiki summary: Desperately short of food, Chiana leads the crew to a dead Budong where she once worked. Without any currency, they must work for food and supply the deteriorating Zhaan with meat.
Seriously, I appreciate that Farscape, from the first season onwards, every now and then shows our regulars dealing with such essentials as needing food on a ship which doesn't have Star Trek's solution of creating it. The dead Budong as a mine and and camp is bizarre in a Farscape way, though honestly, the first time watching I expected the thing to be alive after all, because sometimes my mind goes there and the body horror of it would be very FS too.
Speaking of body horror: Zhaan and her spores, with just a hint of cannibalism in the offering when Zhaan explains to Crichton why she needs meat, specifically. (That was a great moment for Virginia Hey reminding us Zhaan can be creepy and fierce.) Otherwise, the main point of this subplot seems to have been showcasing both Aeryn's saving the day competence and that old fear and resentment of Aeryn the Peacekeeper still is only half buried in Zhaan. (Which however wasn't news; we got a reminder already in The Way We Weren't. Otoh, Aeryn shows her own only half buried resentment, in this case of Chiana, with the "your favourite tralk" remark to Crichton, which, hm. I thought we were past that?
The main plot in the Budong moves the developing D'Argo/Chiana relationship forward while at the same time showing far clearer than I recall why it's not a good idea from the start. Or maybe I'm overreacting with hindsight, but I think D'Argo does come across as having such a clear idea of what's right and wrong for Chiana that he doesn't even consider he could be wrong.
Both Chiana's mercy killing of her old flame Temmon upon her arrival and her ultimate way of dealing with B'Sogg - which in its vicious effectiveness reminds me of what she did the guard in Nerve show that for all that she can get herself easily in difficulties, she didn't survive so far in an evil universe by accident, and she can, in fact, not just kill but enjoys dealing out pain to a certain type of powermad jerk. Her friend Altana was around just long enough to be sympathetic so one shares some of Chiana's rage.
The downside is that the evil gorilla or what the creature is supposed to be really looks hokey, a rare thing in this show, but hey. It does make for a memorable final image when our gang feasts on him, I admit.
Also fun: Crichton and Rygel in a biting contest. Otoh, I disapprove of Rygel getting involuntarily beaten at a game.
The Other Episodes
Seriously, I appreciate that Farscape, from the first season onwards, every now and then shows our regulars dealing with such essentials as needing food on a ship which doesn't have Star Trek's solution of creating it. The dead Budong as a mine and and camp is bizarre in a Farscape way, though honestly, the first time watching I expected the thing to be alive after all, because sometimes my mind goes there and the body horror of it would be very FS too.
Speaking of body horror: Zhaan and her spores, with just a hint of cannibalism in the offering when Zhaan explains to Crichton why she needs meat, specifically. (That was a great moment for Virginia Hey reminding us Zhaan can be creepy and fierce.) Otherwise, the main point of this subplot seems to have been showcasing both Aeryn's saving the day competence and that old fear and resentment of Aeryn the Peacekeeper still is only half buried in Zhaan. (Which however wasn't news; we got a reminder already in The Way We Weren't. Otoh, Aeryn shows her own only half buried resentment, in this case of Chiana, with the "your favourite tralk" remark to Crichton, which, hm. I thought we were past that?
The main plot in the Budong moves the developing D'Argo/Chiana relationship forward while at the same time showing far clearer than I recall why it's not a good idea from the start. Or maybe I'm overreacting with hindsight, but I think D'Argo does come across as having such a clear idea of what's right and wrong for Chiana that he doesn't even consider he could be wrong.
Both Chiana's mercy killing of her old flame Temmon upon her arrival and her ultimate way of dealing with B'Sogg - which in its vicious effectiveness reminds me of what she did the guard in Nerve show that for all that she can get herself easily in difficulties, she didn't survive so far in an evil universe by accident, and she can, in fact, not just kill but enjoys dealing out pain to a certain type of powermad jerk. Her friend Altana was around just long enough to be sympathetic so one shares some of Chiana's rage.
The downside is that the evil gorilla or what the creature is supposed to be really looks hokey, a rare thing in this show, but hey. It does make for a memorable final image when our gang feasts on him, I admit.
Also fun: Crichton and Rygel in a biting contest. Otoh, I disapprove of Rygel getting involuntarily beaten at a game.
The Other Episodes
no subject
Date: 2020-09-20 08:43 pm (UTC)I must admit, Altana's line about her and Chiana having their own fun when Tennon wasn't around made me go to the femslash place... and there will be a couple of later episodes suggesting that Chiana doesn't see old age as rendering anyone unattractive as a partner.
B'Sogg's arm getting burned off rendered this one of only two Farscape episodes to get an 18 rating in the UK on home video, the other being a particularly gruesome gynaecological-horror scene towards the end of S4.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 07:55 pm (UTC)UK on home video seems to be specieist, if Pilot's arm getting sliced off didn't rate a similar reaction. :)
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 08:49 pm (UTC)some Chiana/Noranti exchanges
As in them unambiguously going undercover as a lesbian couple in "Bringing Home the Beacon"?