Farscape Rewatch: A Prefect Murder
Jul. 19th, 2021 09:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakI was on the road throughout the weekend, hence the belated entry.
Wiki summary: The crew of Moya get caught up in a planetary coup, and Aeryn gets bit by a bug that makes her kill 18 members of the planet and Aeryn almost kills John.
You know, I had zero memories of this episode, to the degree that I wondered whether I missed it the first time around, but I don't think so, s4 was the first season I watched more or less in real time and I was careful not to miss an ep. In any event, this particular entry feels like a weird collection of fragments which don't quite achieve a whole story, several of which might have made on if being paid more attention, but as it is, they take from each other.
Case in point: starting in Aeryn's disoriented pov on the one hand shows how badly she's affected by the Macguffin of the episode, but otoh it takes away from D'Argo bonding with the main murder victim, which would have been helpful if the episode wanted us to care about the guy beyond him giving Aeryn angst. The conversation between the Prefect and D'Argo in theory checks the right columns - their estranged sons whom they want the best for and who are somewhat between different cultures, responsibility (since D'Argo is now Captain) - but because it's told as if the audience is suffering a bad LSD trip along with Aeryn, it's hard to care, and both of whom come across as unpleasant instead when slut shaming Chiana.
D'Argo feeling (even more) responsible for everyone now that he's been chosen as Captain and trying to live up to this, thus making mistakes would also be a good D'Argo story - in theory. In practice, he practically disappears from the episode half way.
Aeryn being made to kill again, the way she did in the "The Way we weren't" flashback when Crais ordered the execution of Moya's previous Pilot, and her horror about this once she's able to process what happened would have been a terrific main story - in theory. As it is, Claudia Black does her best, and the silent final image of Aeryn sitting at the graves (because even after the true murderer is uncovered, it doesn't change the fact these people are dead at her hands) is powerful, plus John being silently supportive instead of delivering a monologue of how this isn't her fault is a welcome reminder of why they're actually a good couple even as friends if they're not put through the wringer of romantic angst. But instead of a story which could have been structured the way Oedipus by Sophocles is - the detective discovers to his horror that he himself is the killer he seeks - which would have put the main focus squarely on Aeryn and her emotions - the episode keeps jiumping viewpoints and adds the unnecessary and cheap angst of John and Aeryn being made to aim guns at each other. Which doesn't cause anguish in this viewer but eyerolling. Show, once you've done Die Me Dichotomy as the ultimate "lovers made to kill each other by evil mastermind" tale, this kind of one episode ploy just feels cheap and farcical.
Sikozu instead of Chiana (or D'Argo) having the one night stand with growing emotions with the local character of the week could have been used to tell us more about Sikozu, who is still in the process of getting fleshed out, after all, but since we don't see what attracted them to each other in the first place, or get some emotional reveal (I'm thinking of D'Argo, in his first season, talking with Zhaan at the end of the Brave New World episode and confessing he actually was happy on that planet), it falls flat.
Lastly, if the episode did want to do a multiple pov vaguely Agatha Christie like tale which it felt like until Chiana overhears the true killers talking, well, Farscape itself did a wonderful episode like that - which was hilarious, suspenseful and chock full of good character stuff revealing how our gang saw each other - two seasons ago.
In conclusion: no wonder I did not remember this one. One more ep until what I recall were three excellent mid season episodes.
The other episodes
Wiki summary: The crew of Moya get caught up in a planetary coup, and Aeryn gets bit by a bug that makes her kill 18 members of the planet and Aeryn almost kills John.
You know, I had zero memories of this episode, to the degree that I wondered whether I missed it the first time around, but I don't think so, s4 was the first season I watched more or less in real time and I was careful not to miss an ep. In any event, this particular entry feels like a weird collection of fragments which don't quite achieve a whole story, several of which might have made on if being paid more attention, but as it is, they take from each other.
Case in point: starting in Aeryn's disoriented pov on the one hand shows how badly she's affected by the Macguffin of the episode, but otoh it takes away from D'Argo bonding with the main murder victim, which would have been helpful if the episode wanted us to care about the guy beyond him giving Aeryn angst. The conversation between the Prefect and D'Argo in theory checks the right columns - their estranged sons whom they want the best for and who are somewhat between different cultures, responsibility (since D'Argo is now Captain) - but because it's told as if the audience is suffering a bad LSD trip along with Aeryn, it's hard to care, and both of whom come across as unpleasant instead when slut shaming Chiana.
D'Argo feeling (even more) responsible for everyone now that he's been chosen as Captain and trying to live up to this, thus making mistakes would also be a good D'Argo story - in theory. In practice, he practically disappears from the episode half way.
Aeryn being made to kill again, the way she did in the "The Way we weren't" flashback when Crais ordered the execution of Moya's previous Pilot, and her horror about this once she's able to process what happened would have been a terrific main story - in theory. As it is, Claudia Black does her best, and the silent final image of Aeryn sitting at the graves (because even after the true murderer is uncovered, it doesn't change the fact these people are dead at her hands) is powerful, plus John being silently supportive instead of delivering a monologue of how this isn't her fault is a welcome reminder of why they're actually a good couple even as friends if they're not put through the wringer of romantic angst. But instead of a story which could have been structured the way Oedipus by Sophocles is - the detective discovers to his horror that he himself is the killer he seeks - which would have put the main focus squarely on Aeryn and her emotions - the episode keeps jiumping viewpoints and adds the unnecessary and cheap angst of John and Aeryn being made to aim guns at each other. Which doesn't cause anguish in this viewer but eyerolling. Show, once you've done Die Me Dichotomy as the ultimate "lovers made to kill each other by evil mastermind" tale, this kind of one episode ploy just feels cheap and farcical.
Sikozu instead of Chiana (or D'Argo) having the one night stand with growing emotions with the local character of the week could have been used to tell us more about Sikozu, who is still in the process of getting fleshed out, after all, but since we don't see what attracted them to each other in the first place, or get some emotional reveal (I'm thinking of D'Argo, in his first season, talking with Zhaan at the end of the Brave New World episode and confessing he actually was happy on that planet), it falls flat.
Lastly, if the episode did want to do a multiple pov vaguely Agatha Christie like tale which it felt like until Chiana overhears the true killers talking, well, Farscape itself did a wonderful episode like that - which was hilarious, suspenseful and chock full of good character stuff revealing how our gang saw each other - two seasons ago.
In conclusion: no wonder I did not remember this one. One more ep until what I recall were three excellent mid season episodes.
The other episodes
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Date: 2021-07-19 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-19 04:46 pm (UTC)