Still Farscape: I, E.T.
Dec. 3rd, 2006 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieDhoom 2 left me in a haze of hormonal lust. Seriously.
So, I got home and did what any woman will.
Watch Farscape, of course.
The episode was the second one of the first season (duh). A.k.a 'I, E.T.'
In that episode, Moya (the Leviathan ship on which our heroes travel) cannot muffle the Peacekeeper beacon installed which leads the crew to land Moya on a planet and have John, Aeryn and D'Argo go to look for 'chlorium' an element which they need to dull Moya's pain when they remove the beacon.
This is one of the 'lesser' FS eps. In fact, if I compiled my least favorite 10 FS eps, this would be on it. But there are still so many things to like about it.
You know what strikes me about this (the same way Premiere struck me. I just can't help it). How kind Crichton is. Because part of his arc in FS is his losing this, acquiring a hard edge that has been beaten into him. But the thing is, Crichton is originally, innately, a gentle person.
And he acquires a lot by the end of FS, he does amazing things, but he loses this innocence, this gentleness piece by piece, turning into this haunted wreck, someone hard, brittle, dark. His clothes are so symbolic of it: as the seasons progress he acquires more and more PK gear and by S4 he looks out of place in 'earth' clothes. PK leather becomes his armor. He loses this openness.*(see footnote, spearated because spoilery for PKW)
But here, it's still on display. He hadn't lost it. The world hasn't been truly horrible to him yet. I think of the moment in the kitchen of the alien lady where he waves her weapon at her and then he realizes what he is doing and he is horrified and he gives the weapon back to her, so she can hold it against him if she wants.
Oh, John.
Oh, John.
I also love Aeryn in this one. She slowly discovers her humanity, baby steps. She snipes back and forth at D'Argo, but it's acknowledging him as a person (however irritating), she is briefly concerned for Zhaan's pain. And how good is the show about maintaining John/Aeryn connection through little things. Love the bit when Moya does the crash landing and they fall on each other: they automatically stand together. Or when they say the sentence in unison and just glare at each other.
And I love that Crichton refuses to leave without D'Argo. At that point it's not because D'Argo is a friend: they don't know each other well and like each other even less. But because Crichton cannot leave a shipmate behind.
And we see bonds between the crew begin to build: Not just Aeryn and Zhaan but we have Rygel be concerned for her (btw, how awesome is it to have Rygel bite a chunk of Aeryn's arm off. Not your average muppet).
Favorite little bit: Crichton telling Aeryn that the planet they have landed on reminds him of Lousiana. Or Dagoba, where Yoda lives. And explains that Yoda is a little green guy who trains warriors and Aeryn takes it in matter-of-factly and you see him smile.
Also, I do like the alien concept overturn: Crichton is the alien here.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
F
O
R
P
K
W
* In fact, one of the things I adore about Peacekeeper Wars the most, is that through the birth of his son, Crichton recovers the joy and innocence and the wonder that he's lost through the years.
So, I got home and did what any woman will.
Watch Farscape, of course.
The episode was the second one of the first season (duh). A.k.a 'I, E.T.'
In that episode, Moya (the Leviathan ship on which our heroes travel) cannot muffle the Peacekeeper beacon installed which leads the crew to land Moya on a planet and have John, Aeryn and D'Argo go to look for 'chlorium' an element which they need to dull Moya's pain when they remove the beacon.
This is one of the 'lesser' FS eps. In fact, if I compiled my least favorite 10 FS eps, this would be on it. But there are still so many things to like about it.
You know what strikes me about this (the same way Premiere struck me. I just can't help it). How kind Crichton is. Because part of his arc in FS is his losing this, acquiring a hard edge that has been beaten into him. But the thing is, Crichton is originally, innately, a gentle person.
And he acquires a lot by the end of FS, he does amazing things, but he loses this innocence, this gentleness piece by piece, turning into this haunted wreck, someone hard, brittle, dark. His clothes are so symbolic of it: as the seasons progress he acquires more and more PK gear and by S4 he looks out of place in 'earth' clothes. PK leather becomes his armor. He loses this openness.*(see footnote, spearated because spoilery for PKW)
But here, it's still on display. He hadn't lost it. The world hasn't been truly horrible to him yet. I think of the moment in the kitchen of the alien lady where he waves her weapon at her and then he realizes what he is doing and he is horrified and he gives the weapon back to her, so she can hold it against him if she wants.
Oh, John.
Oh, John.
I also love Aeryn in this one. She slowly discovers her humanity, baby steps. She snipes back and forth at D'Argo, but it's acknowledging him as a person (however irritating), she is briefly concerned for Zhaan's pain. And how good is the show about maintaining John/Aeryn connection through little things. Love the bit when Moya does the crash landing and they fall on each other: they automatically stand together. Or when they say the sentence in unison and just glare at each other.
And I love that Crichton refuses to leave without D'Argo. At that point it's not because D'Argo is a friend: they don't know each other well and like each other even less. But because Crichton cannot leave a shipmate behind.
And we see bonds between the crew begin to build: Not just Aeryn and Zhaan but we have Rygel be concerned for her (btw, how awesome is it to have Rygel bite a chunk of Aeryn's arm off. Not your average muppet).
Favorite little bit: Crichton telling Aeryn that the planet they have landed on reminds him of Lousiana. Or Dagoba, where Yoda lives. And explains that Yoda is a little green guy who trains warriors and Aeryn takes it in matter-of-factly and you see him smile.
Also, I do like the alien concept overturn: Crichton is the alien here.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
F
O
R
P
K
W
* In fact, one of the things I adore about Peacekeeper Wars the most, is that through the birth of his son, Crichton recovers the joy and innocence and the wonder that he's lost through the years.
