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selenakWiki summary: Stark returns from the dead with a plan to save D'Argo's son and make them all rich in the process albeit through armed robbery. What they do not know is that it is Scorpius's money they are stealing.
Not having watched this for years: as epic as I recalled, and also still with one exception my favourite take on the bank heist trope in a different genre. (The exception is the Doctor Who epsiode Time Heist. ) Two things which had faded in my memory until this rewatch and/or they didn't stand out for me in the same way back then:
1. Crichton physically attacking Stark after D'Argo's arrest. Now if this was Aeryn or D'Argo early in s1, I wouldn't have been surprised, but from John, who was actually the person on Moya first bonding with Stark, this kind of physical menacing/thuggery against someone who hasn't given given them any reason to believe ill of him is disturbing. Now in this particular case, you can argue that it's part of the way the neural chip (and the general PTSD) is affecting John's behavior more and more - and btw, I think the gradual way this is portrayed over the season is very well done - but now that I think of it, don't "The Peacekeeper Wars" have a meant-as-funny "slapping Stark around" scene which is sort of the culmination of such scenes? I don't even like Stark much (I seem to recall his s3 behavior towards Aeryn as creepy), but the past 20 years and various rl events have seriously lowered my tolerance for "funny violence" type of scenes.
2. D'Argo taking major offense at John at first not being on board with his/Stark's crazy plan when he's always been on board with John's crazy plans. Note the "John" part. Aeryn isn't on board with the crazy plan, either, but D'Argo doesn't take it out on her for the remaining episode. I'm not saying this is ooc, mind: for all that Aeryn and D'Argo have bonded earlier due to their mutual warrior-ness, by now D'Argo and John have gotten closer, and I would say D'Argo really regards John as his best friend by now. He's become increasingly tunnel-minded about his son (for the understandable reason that the Jothee situation went from some vague "one day I will see my son again, who is hopefully alive and well" prospect to "my son is currently held as a slave and will be sold soon" ), so interpreting John's hesitation as betrayal works with who D'Argo is. Keeping it up through the episode, though, even after John helped with the plan showcases D'Argo' s grudgeholding side in a way that does not go unnoticed by Chiana. (This, as all the other warning signs re: why D'Argo and Chiana won't last did pass me by on first s2 watching.)
Other than that: Zhaan playing riuthless space pirate with one eye was as fun as I recalled - must have been a welcome change of pace for Virginia Hey, too, given Zhaan spends a lot of s2 in angst otherwise -, and Farscape aims to deserve its "an American astronaut falls into the Australian BDSM scene" description by introducing Natira, and Scorpius/Natira. Natira's looks come across as inspired by both spiders and scorpions, fitting enough, but it's the way the actress moves in all those prosthetics which make her one of the show's most memorable aliens. It's also striking of how with just a few lines and interactions, you get the sense of the kind of relationship she and Scorpius have. For all the deserved mutual not trusting each other an inch, though, it's worth pointing out that Scorpius depositing his money with her in the first place (and not in Peaceeper ruled territory) says something about his need to leave himself non-PK controlled escape routes with funds, and the confidence that Natira can be trusted to be good for said money one way or the other.
The way Aeryn deals with John's increasing tormented hallucinations - that he tells her and trusts her on grounding him to reality - is deeply touching even to a non-shipper like yours truly, and also not a little heartbreaking, given what's to come.jesuswasbatman's comparison early s2 Spike and Drusilla with reversed gender came to my mind when I watched their scenes in this episode. They are possibly at their most in sync couple'est here, and we've watched them get there from brooding and bristling kicked-out-PK Aeryn and manic pixie dreamboy John (from her pov) step by step.
On the other end of the emotional scale, the good enemy ship Crichton/Scorpius gets another massive outing here, what with the literal getting into each other's heads and John (barely, barely, but he does do it!) managing to withhold inserting the cooling rod against all the headfuckery while being in a clinch with Scorpius. Given this is the episode introducing Natira and what that says about Scorpius' preferences, I think a case can be made that John's ability to plot Scorpius' demise despite the chip and almost pulling it off is when Scorpius becomes intrigued by John the person in addition to John the walking wormhole data carrier. :)
It takes a lot not to immediately watch the next episode(s) after this one, but Darth Real Life helps. I'm behind replies to other entries anyway...
The Other Days
Not having watched this for years: as epic as I recalled, and also still with one exception my favourite take on the bank heist trope in a different genre. (The exception is the Doctor Who epsiode Time Heist. ) Two things which had faded in my memory until this rewatch and/or they didn't stand out for me in the same way back then:
1. Crichton physically attacking Stark after D'Argo's arrest. Now if this was Aeryn or D'Argo early in s1, I wouldn't have been surprised, but from John, who was actually the person on Moya first bonding with Stark, this kind of physical menacing/thuggery against someone who hasn't given given them any reason to believe ill of him is disturbing. Now in this particular case, you can argue that it's part of the way the neural chip (and the general PTSD) is affecting John's behavior more and more - and btw, I think the gradual way this is portrayed over the season is very well done - but now that I think of it, don't "The Peacekeeper Wars" have a meant-as-funny "slapping Stark around" scene which is sort of the culmination of such scenes? I don't even like Stark much (I seem to recall his s3 behavior towards Aeryn as creepy), but the past 20 years and various rl events have seriously lowered my tolerance for "funny violence" type of scenes.
2. D'Argo taking major offense at John at first not being on board with his/Stark's crazy plan when he's always been on board with John's crazy plans. Note the "John" part. Aeryn isn't on board with the crazy plan, either, but D'Argo doesn't take it out on her for the remaining episode. I'm not saying this is ooc, mind: for all that Aeryn and D'Argo have bonded earlier due to their mutual warrior-ness, by now D'Argo and John have gotten closer, and I would say D'Argo really regards John as his best friend by now. He's become increasingly tunnel-minded about his son (for the understandable reason that the Jothee situation went from some vague "one day I will see my son again, who is hopefully alive and well" prospect to "my son is currently held as a slave and will be sold soon" ), so interpreting John's hesitation as betrayal works with who D'Argo is. Keeping it up through the episode, though, even after John helped with the plan showcases D'Argo' s grudgeholding side in a way that does not go unnoticed by Chiana. (This, as all the other warning signs re: why D'Argo and Chiana won't last did pass me by on first s2 watching.)
Other than that: Zhaan playing riuthless space pirate with one eye was as fun as I recalled - must have been a welcome change of pace for Virginia Hey, too, given Zhaan spends a lot of s2 in angst otherwise -, and Farscape aims to deserve its "an American astronaut falls into the Australian BDSM scene" description by introducing Natira, and Scorpius/Natira. Natira's looks come across as inspired by both spiders and scorpions, fitting enough, but it's the way the actress moves in all those prosthetics which make her one of the show's most memorable aliens. It's also striking of how with just a few lines and interactions, you get the sense of the kind of relationship she and Scorpius have. For all the deserved mutual not trusting each other an inch, though, it's worth pointing out that Scorpius depositing his money with her in the first place (and not in Peaceeper ruled territory) says something about his need to leave himself non-PK controlled escape routes with funds, and the confidence that Natira can be trusted to be good for said money one way or the other.
The way Aeryn deals with John's increasing tormented hallucinations - that he tells her and trusts her on grounding him to reality - is deeply touching even to a non-shipper like yours truly, and also not a little heartbreaking, given what's to come.
jesuswasbatman's comparison early s2 Spike and Drusilla with reversed gender came to my mind when I watched their scenes in this episode. They are possibly at their most in sync couple'est here, and we've watched them get there from brooding and bristling kicked-out-PK Aeryn and manic pixie dreamboy John (from her pov) step by step. On the other end of the emotional scale, the good enemy ship Crichton/Scorpius gets another massive outing here, what with the literal getting into each other's heads and John (barely, barely, but he does do it!) managing to withhold inserting the cooling rod against all the headfuckery while being in a clinch with Scorpius. Given this is the episode introducing Natira and what that says about Scorpius' preferences, I think a case can be made that John's ability to plot Scorpius' demise despite the chip and almost pulling it off is when Scorpius becomes intrigued by John the person in addition to John the walking wormhole data carrier. :)
It takes a lot not to immediately watch the next episode(s) after this one, but Darth Real Life helps. I'm behind replies to other entries anyway...
The Other Days
no subject
Date: 2020-11-29 06:34 pm (UTC)I'd thought that Stark stayed dead for longer than one episode, though.
And I'd always thought that "Time Heist" was an outright rip-off of this episode.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-30 07:44 am (UTC)I'd thought that Stark stayed dead for longer than one episode, though.
Yes, which further makes me raise an eyebrow at that storytelling choice. It's hard to feel with Zhaan and miss him if first, he's not been around long enough to endear himself, and then, he's not even "dead" for longer than an episode.
Mind you, as I said two weeks ago, they did play fair by letting Stark tell Zhaan from the get go there was a chance he could survive this execution method, and how. But they still seemingly wanted to have their cake and eat it with the "dead! dead?" angst.
Meanwhile, I bet exactly zero first time watchers thought Scorpius was dead at the end of this episode, even if John did.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-29 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-30 01:04 am (UTC)Here
Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty
Sound of their breath fades with the light
I think about the loveless fascination
Under the Milky Way tonight
Lower the curtain down on Memphis
Lower the curtain down all right
I got no time for private consultation
Under the Milky Way tonight
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
And it's something quite peculiar
Something shimmering and bright
Leads you here despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight
no subject
Date: 2020-11-30 07:47 am (UTC)