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dangermousieEp 3.02 of Farscape, “Sons and Lovers” is one of my favorites, in some ways. For Farscape it is a light, happy ep, much needed before the sorrow of the coming two parter, then the bleakness of DD and all the queasiness starting with Eat Me.
Of course, by standards of most other shows, this would be a heavy, serious ep: Zhaan is still dying, D’Argo finds out his son and his gf cheated with each other (!) etc. But it is not like that at all, and not just because of razor sharp writing (some of the best, sharpest dialogue, IMO). Zhaan is dying but not gone, and there is hope she will find a proper planet and heal. No one is dead or driven insane. No one is even hunting Moyans this time, and you can’t even say they are merely at the wrong place at the wrong time because they end up saving the situation so it’s good for people at the station they ended up there. No one important dies, and the death toll is super low even for the extras. It is, in Moya terms, a good day.
In a way, this whole episode is about three romantic relationships, all in a state of flux. There are John and Aeryn, just beginning, in their giddily hopeful-tentative dance (soon to get complicated with EM enormously, of course). There are Zhaan and Stark, a relationship ending, through outside forces: through Zhaan’s impending death. And there are Chi/D’Argo, exploding in a messy, neuron bomb kind of way.
It is also an episode drenched in sex. Not just, on a most obvious level, Chiana and Jothee, both acting out through their betrayal of D’Argo, but also the sex that John and Aeryn are not having, and the self-gratification Rygel indulges in (I never got it before, but when he is watching Chi/Jothee on the holovid, he is stroking his eyebrows which is his equivalent of you know what. Yikes). And I’ve forgotten how explicit some of the dialogue is (see below).
You know, my favorite scene in this ep is actually…well, actually it’s two scenes.
One is Zhaan and Stark in the bar, with Zhaan telling Stark to stop fussing because ‘I am dying, I am not an invalid’ (OMG Zhaan love) and his seeing the lesions on her head and realizing that her disease progressed much faster than they thought and the helpless distraughtness and his insistence despite it all that they will find a place for her to heal (is he, like John, holding on so unimaginably tightly to his OTP because she is the one thing he has left?) And then that quote, when she tells him about helping her to pass on is the one thing he can do, and he is an expert (btw, seriously, I bet he was frelled up even before the Aurora Chair, that sounds like a gift no one would want to have). And his reply ‘I am an expert on dying, I am just not an expert on you dying.’ Well…soon you will become an expert on this, Stark.
*ok, happy thoughts, happy thoughts. This is a happy ep*
OK, Paul Goddard is gorgeous. GUH. Seriously, I am finding a man with no hair and half his head in a metal mask hot. Heeeeelp. But neat points to TPTB for little touches of character consistency, as when Stark tips those servitors some enormous tip and is all communist about ‘servants are never paid enough.’ I think his dislike of exploitation is pretty personal: guy is a former slave after all.
The other favorite scene is in the conduits, John and Aeryn discussing the sex they are not having. This is the first time we see them after the mutual love confession and the crazy, incredible kiss. And their chemistry is as thick as ever, but what I am noticing is the sheer amount of physical contact, of joyfully matter-of-fact invasion of each other’s personal space that is in this ep, from their hands nearly touching when she shows off her new ammunition, to her sitting by him, as she comes in (and of course, when there is the storm, Aeryn is the one John yells for, first, to make sure she is OK, just like Stark is doing same with Zhaan).
And then in the conduits, I love the scene where Aeryn basically offers pure sex, no emotional attachment necessary. She says they can have sex and to be emotionally detached. I have to say, I so do not follow the lady’s logic here. Point one, she and John love each other, and have admitted said fact to each other. Point two, now they are going to have sex, if she has her way. But how are you not having a relationship if you are in love and you are friends and you are having sex? Whaaaa?
I don’t think she connected the dots and desperately trying to compartmentalize. I suppose she can be hoping that their love is only lust which will pass if they do it, but a. they have done it already and b. she doesn’t seem to want to deny she loves him, she just doesn’t want to act on it, but isn’t sleeping with the man you love and who loves you back, acting on it? How is it supposed to work?
She is all ‘I don’t need emotions’ but she already has them, she shares Crichton’s feelings. Oh, poor Aeryn, feeling her way in the dark. Plus, there is the simple fact that she always found John attractive, on a purely physical level, way before any love stuff. Heh, girl is frustrated. I do think John should have taken her up on the offer (as Chi said in LATP in S2, he should go ‘fast with the body and slow with the soul’ with Aeryn, and Chi should know stuff like that). But instead, he doesn’t and his line of ‘I got two hands, I can alternate’ when rejecting is super awesome. Not to mention how close they are to each other there, and all the touching is driving them both nuts, and making me a little hot too. It’s a combustible scene. And then she starts taking off her shirt before falling into a hole. Awww.
I do love that he totally wants to take her up on that offer at the end of the ep but before he can say so, she tells him he was right and they should hold off. Eeeee. And they are mutually grinning at each other, and they tell Rygel to shut up in unison, while grinning, and OMG, I love my ship so much.
On non-shippy front, it is fun to see Crichton legend being born/formed (as that security chick recites it, greatly distorted). And fun to see the boy get a bit smashed in the bar. He needs it. I also love his ‘no patience with this crap’ for the fanatical religious security chick villain. If you think about it, he has a right to be fed up. Not only were they down there for r&r, but she is total small fry, comparatively, so it’s annoying having to deal with this.
Let’s see, what else? I love Pilot’s evil cackle as he spaces villain girl. Eeee. It’s so interesting though, because in the beginning, death of evil an awful person bugged John, but no more. His compassion is shrinking, isn’t it? But did I mention my love for competent, sane, not tormented Crichton? So much love.
And then there is the betrayal of D’Argo plot. I feel horrid for D’Argo (love the John and D’Argo bonding scene outside, so much though. In a way, they have such a best buddy thing). I have to say though, while Chi might be a sucky gf, she is generally a loyal friend, a brave person, and a useful crewmate. None of which I can say for Jothee (look at their different reactions when Moya is in a crisis, he is useless. Or when D finds out about cheating, Chi tells D it’s her fault, not Jothee’s, as Jothee just stands there like a tree). But of course, he leaves, shamed by his actions, to grow and be worthy, and he actually becomes that, see his return in PKW. I love that possibility of grace in FS. Even for Crais, and obviously so much more reachable for Jothee.
Oh, and Rygel. I love the obnoxious, hilarious little toad.
Next ep: Zhaan, oh no! And Jool, oh yes! (A lot of people don’t like Jool but even before I liked her by her own rights, I thought she was a great comic relief from the darkness. You enjoyed her getting in trouble. Plus, if I was stranded on a ship of alien criminals in space, I am afraid I’d be more Jool, less John).
This ep has such awesome dialogue, I simply have to quote.
JOHN [re: his drink]: Hey yo, Heavy D! Hey man, have you tried one of these things? They're terrible, but once you get past the blue slime... underneath... pure aviation fuel!
-----
STARK: Here... let me help you.
ZHAAN: I'm dying Stark, I'm not an invalid.
-----
JOHN: So, what did you buy?
AERYN: Just some essentials.
JOHN: Wha'd that be? Floss? Lip-liner?
AERYN: Weapons.
-----
BORLIK: You know, I heard he destroyed a Peacekeeper Gammak Base... murdered an entire Nebari battalion, even laid waste to a Shadow Depository-- I heard he was a devil. He raped and pillaged-- he popped eyeballs.
JOHN: Whoa, whoa-- where... where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off-- there was no raping, very little pillaging, and... Frau Bleucher popped all the eyeballs.
-----
BORLIK: Hey Moordil, Moordil! Intoxicants for Crichton and his... his grunt.
AERYN: I'm not his grunt.
BORLIK: Yeah, so... you here to kill somebody? Can I help you?
JOHN: No, no, no. My 'grunt' does all my killing-- I'm strictly R&R.
-----
CHIANA: What's the matter with you Ryge?
RYGEL: I heard you.
CHIANA: You heard nothing.
RYGEL: Freezer chamber... young half-breed. Any of this getting you wet?
-----
CHIANA: Keep your lips shut!
RYGEL: You do the same with your legs!
-----
AERYN: You know, I've been thinking about us.
JOHN: You want to talk about this now?
AERYN: It's a good time. No one here to bother us. I know the pressures of living close. How it can affect the safety of an entire battalion--unless tensions are relieved.
JOHN: So, what do you suggest?
AERYN: Well, in Peacekeepers, it was common practice to, ah... reduce fluid levels.
JOHN: Fluid levels. Like... what, like Valvoline, like brake fluid?
AERYN: Like sex... We can have sex, if you want.
JOHN: You know what... uh... now is not a good time. How about I, uh... check my diary and get back to you later in the week.
AERYN: It would... relieve the tension.
JOHN: Is this for you, or for me?
AERYN: For both of us.
JOHN: You know what? I got two hands, I can alternate, I can release all the tension I want. I don't need your charity.
AERYN: And I don't need your emotions. But we can have sex if you want.
-----
RYGEL: Well, he's gonna die isn't he?
ZHAAN: Well, yes, but...
JOHN: Blue...
RYGEL: What does it matter if we leave him?
JOHN: Blue... Sparky... Just knock it off. We've got at least two arns, Aeryn can use that time to try and free the trapped girl.
RYGEL: I don't give a siezil's ass about a trapped girl.
JOHN: Yes, and that's what makes you a great humanitarian, Buckwheat. But we are not leaving. It's 'Scooby-Doo' time.
----
STARK: The sores are worse. The weakening is progressing...
ZHAAN: Stark... don't...
STARK: ...much faster, much faster than we predicted... much.... but I-I will find you a planet. A planet with the right soil and moisture.
ZHAAN: Calm yourself, Stark. Please. You're the expert here. You've witnessed more death that anyone else. So many dissatisfied souls dying before they felt ready.
STARK: Yes. I'm an expert on dying... I'm just not an expert on you dying.
----
Re: evil girl:
ZHAAN: She's somehow magnetized herself to the pipe.
RYGEL: Okay. Enough. Let's kill her, cut her off the frelling pipe and chuck her out.
---
BORLIK: Worm. Are you ready to die in the cleansing apocalypse?
RYGEL: Worm?! Are you ready to die in a cleansing ramming?
JOHN: Rygel, cut it out.
RYGEL: I'm gonna kill the bitch now!
JOHN: Rygel, we don't know what's going on. We don't know anything, so we don't know if killing her will stop the damn signal.
RYGEL: Who cares?! It'll shut her up, and make me feel good!
----
BORLIK: See, I see your fear, worm. But the Holy Gezma will embrace even you, if you repent.
RYGEL: Repent? We have less than an arn. I was a Dominar! It'd take me longer than that to repent.
----
AERYN: Frell me dead.
-----
BORLIK: I think I'll be able to share my purification. It took all my strength, but I was able to reconfigure the magnetics and stick here. By the time you cut me down, the storm will be upon us.
JOHN: You're too smart.
BORLIK: Where are you going?
JOHN: Uh, you win... we lose... you, you outsmarted us. But that door you're stuck to? It's detachable.
BORLIK: No!
JOHN: Yes.
BORLIK: No, you lie! No, you will still be purified! The Holy Gezma's punishment will be brought down upon--
JOHN: Blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-
BORLIK: ( resumes loud chanting )
JOHN: Pilot, I'm clear. Detach the door... and suck this bitch out!
------
And I couldn't help it. Here are the caps from the gorgeous episode. I love the lushness of the colors. Caps courtesy of Farscape-Caps (if you are looking for caps, I'd also like to recommend F.E.I ran by the amazing![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
scottishlass)
My favorite scene of the ep. Who ever thought that conversation about NOT having sex could be so sexy?
But their mutual agreement at the end, wryly, not to have sex, is almost as mmmm:
John and Aeryn in the beginning of the ep. *swoon*
Zhaan and Stark. Love 'em:
Now which one wins the craziness sweepstakes?
I adore Stark:
But not as much as I ado Crichton. Seriously:
Chiana and D'Argo, milliseconds from explosion:
Chiana is beautiful:
I love this scene with Zhaan and Stark, when he finds out she is worse:
Chiana and Jothee. I love her so much:
D'Argo makes me want to cry:
And I lied. Not the last thing. Here are the caps (also from fs-caps) of my all time favorite FS scene, the one from Season of Death that I blabbed about earlier, John finding out Aeryn is alive, and falling apart first in disbelief and then joy.
Of course, by standards of most other shows, this would be a heavy, serious ep: Zhaan is still dying, D’Argo finds out his son and his gf cheated with each other (!) etc. But it is not like that at all, and not just because of razor sharp writing (some of the best, sharpest dialogue, IMO). Zhaan is dying but not gone, and there is hope she will find a proper planet and heal. No one is dead or driven insane. No one is even hunting Moyans this time, and you can’t even say they are merely at the wrong place at the wrong time because they end up saving the situation so it’s good for people at the station they ended up there. No one important dies, and the death toll is super low even for the extras. It is, in Moya terms, a good day.
In a way, this whole episode is about three romantic relationships, all in a state of flux. There are John and Aeryn, just beginning, in their giddily hopeful-tentative dance (soon to get complicated with EM enormously, of course). There are Zhaan and Stark, a relationship ending, through outside forces: through Zhaan’s impending death. And there are Chi/D’Argo, exploding in a messy, neuron bomb kind of way.
It is also an episode drenched in sex. Not just, on a most obvious level, Chiana and Jothee, both acting out through their betrayal of D’Argo, but also the sex that John and Aeryn are not having, and the self-gratification Rygel indulges in (I never got it before, but when he is watching Chi/Jothee on the holovid, he is stroking his eyebrows which is his equivalent of you know what. Yikes). And I’ve forgotten how explicit some of the dialogue is (see below).
You know, my favorite scene in this ep is actually…well, actually it’s two scenes.
One is Zhaan and Stark in the bar, with Zhaan telling Stark to stop fussing because ‘I am dying, I am not an invalid’ (OMG Zhaan love) and his seeing the lesions on her head and realizing that her disease progressed much faster than they thought and the helpless distraughtness and his insistence despite it all that they will find a place for her to heal (is he, like John, holding on so unimaginably tightly to his OTP because she is the one thing he has left?) And then that quote, when she tells him about helping her to pass on is the one thing he can do, and he is an expert (btw, seriously, I bet he was frelled up even before the Aurora Chair, that sounds like a gift no one would want to have). And his reply ‘I am an expert on dying, I am just not an expert on you dying.’ Well…soon you will become an expert on this, Stark.
*ok, happy thoughts, happy thoughts. This is a happy ep*
OK, Paul Goddard is gorgeous. GUH. Seriously, I am finding a man with no hair and half his head in a metal mask hot. Heeeeelp. But neat points to TPTB for little touches of character consistency, as when Stark tips those servitors some enormous tip and is all communist about ‘servants are never paid enough.’ I think his dislike of exploitation is pretty personal: guy is a former slave after all.
The other favorite scene is in the conduits, John and Aeryn discussing the sex they are not having. This is the first time we see them after the mutual love confession and the crazy, incredible kiss. And their chemistry is as thick as ever, but what I am noticing is the sheer amount of physical contact, of joyfully matter-of-fact invasion of each other’s personal space that is in this ep, from their hands nearly touching when she shows off her new ammunition, to her sitting by him, as she comes in (and of course, when there is the storm, Aeryn is the one John yells for, first, to make sure she is OK, just like Stark is doing same with Zhaan).
And then in the conduits, I love the scene where Aeryn basically offers pure sex, no emotional attachment necessary. She says they can have sex and to be emotionally detached. I have to say, I so do not follow the lady’s logic here. Point one, she and John love each other, and have admitted said fact to each other. Point two, now they are going to have sex, if she has her way. But how are you not having a relationship if you are in love and you are friends and you are having sex? Whaaaa?
I don’t think she connected the dots and desperately trying to compartmentalize. I suppose she can be hoping that their love is only lust which will pass if they do it, but a. they have done it already and b. she doesn’t seem to want to deny she loves him, she just doesn’t want to act on it, but isn’t sleeping with the man you love and who loves you back, acting on it? How is it supposed to work?
She is all ‘I don’t need emotions’ but she already has them, she shares Crichton’s feelings. Oh, poor Aeryn, feeling her way in the dark. Plus, there is the simple fact that she always found John attractive, on a purely physical level, way before any love stuff. Heh, girl is frustrated. I do think John should have taken her up on the offer (as Chi said in LATP in S2, he should go ‘fast with the body and slow with the soul’ with Aeryn, and Chi should know stuff like that). But instead, he doesn’t and his line of ‘I got two hands, I can alternate’ when rejecting is super awesome. Not to mention how close they are to each other there, and all the touching is driving them both nuts, and making me a little hot too. It’s a combustible scene. And then she starts taking off her shirt before falling into a hole. Awww.
I do love that he totally wants to take her up on that offer at the end of the ep but before he can say so, she tells him he was right and they should hold off. Eeeee. And they are mutually grinning at each other, and they tell Rygel to shut up in unison, while grinning, and OMG, I love my ship so much.
On non-shippy front, it is fun to see Crichton legend being born/formed (as that security chick recites it, greatly distorted). And fun to see the boy get a bit smashed in the bar. He needs it. I also love his ‘no patience with this crap’ for the fanatical religious security chick villain. If you think about it, he has a right to be fed up. Not only were they down there for r&r, but she is total small fry, comparatively, so it’s annoying having to deal with this.
Let’s see, what else? I love Pilot’s evil cackle as he spaces villain girl. Eeee. It’s so interesting though, because in the beginning, death of evil an awful person bugged John, but no more. His compassion is shrinking, isn’t it? But did I mention my love for competent, sane, not tormented Crichton? So much love.
And then there is the betrayal of D’Argo plot. I feel horrid for D’Argo (love the John and D’Argo bonding scene outside, so much though. In a way, they have such a best buddy thing). I have to say though, while Chi might be a sucky gf, she is generally a loyal friend, a brave person, and a useful crewmate. None of which I can say for Jothee (look at their different reactions when Moya is in a crisis, he is useless. Or when D finds out about cheating, Chi tells D it’s her fault, not Jothee’s, as Jothee just stands there like a tree). But of course, he leaves, shamed by his actions, to grow and be worthy, and he actually becomes that, see his return in PKW. I love that possibility of grace in FS. Even for Crais, and obviously so much more reachable for Jothee.
Oh, and Rygel. I love the obnoxious, hilarious little toad.
Next ep: Zhaan, oh no! And Jool, oh yes! (A lot of people don’t like Jool but even before I liked her by her own rights, I thought she was a great comic relief from the darkness. You enjoyed her getting in trouble. Plus, if I was stranded on a ship of alien criminals in space, I am afraid I’d be more Jool, less John).
This ep has such awesome dialogue, I simply have to quote.
JOHN [re: his drink]: Hey yo, Heavy D! Hey man, have you tried one of these things? They're terrible, but once you get past the blue slime... underneath... pure aviation fuel!
-----
STARK: Here... let me help you.
ZHAAN: I'm dying Stark, I'm not an invalid.
-----
JOHN: So, what did you buy?
AERYN: Just some essentials.
JOHN: Wha'd that be? Floss? Lip-liner?
AERYN: Weapons.
-----
BORLIK: You know, I heard he destroyed a Peacekeeper Gammak Base... murdered an entire Nebari battalion, even laid waste to a Shadow Depository-- I heard he was a devil. He raped and pillaged-- he popped eyeballs.
JOHN: Whoa, whoa-- where... where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off-- there was no raping, very little pillaging, and... Frau Bleucher popped all the eyeballs.
-----
BORLIK: Hey Moordil, Moordil! Intoxicants for Crichton and his... his grunt.
AERYN: I'm not his grunt.
BORLIK: Yeah, so... you here to kill somebody? Can I help you?
JOHN: No, no, no. My 'grunt' does all my killing-- I'm strictly R&R.
-----
CHIANA: What's the matter with you Ryge?
RYGEL: I heard you.
CHIANA: You heard nothing.
RYGEL: Freezer chamber... young half-breed. Any of this getting you wet?
-----
CHIANA: Keep your lips shut!
RYGEL: You do the same with your legs!
-----
AERYN: You know, I've been thinking about us.
JOHN: You want to talk about this now?
AERYN: It's a good time. No one here to bother us. I know the pressures of living close. How it can affect the safety of an entire battalion--unless tensions are relieved.
JOHN: So, what do you suggest?
AERYN: Well, in Peacekeepers, it was common practice to, ah... reduce fluid levels.
JOHN: Fluid levels. Like... what, like Valvoline, like brake fluid?
AERYN: Like sex... We can have sex, if you want.
JOHN: You know what... uh... now is not a good time. How about I, uh... check my diary and get back to you later in the week.
AERYN: It would... relieve the tension.
JOHN: Is this for you, or for me?
AERYN: For both of us.
JOHN: You know what? I got two hands, I can alternate, I can release all the tension I want. I don't need your charity.
AERYN: And I don't need your emotions. But we can have sex if you want.
-----
RYGEL: Well, he's gonna die isn't he?
ZHAAN: Well, yes, but...
JOHN: Blue...
RYGEL: What does it matter if we leave him?
JOHN: Blue... Sparky... Just knock it off. We've got at least two arns, Aeryn can use that time to try and free the trapped girl.
RYGEL: I don't give a siezil's ass about a trapped girl.
JOHN: Yes, and that's what makes you a great humanitarian, Buckwheat. But we are not leaving. It's 'Scooby-Doo' time.
----
STARK: The sores are worse. The weakening is progressing...
ZHAAN: Stark... don't...
STARK: ...much faster, much faster than we predicted... much.... but I-I will find you a planet. A planet with the right soil and moisture.
ZHAAN: Calm yourself, Stark. Please. You're the expert here. You've witnessed more death that anyone else. So many dissatisfied souls dying before they felt ready.
STARK: Yes. I'm an expert on dying... I'm just not an expert on you dying.
----
Re: evil girl:
ZHAAN: She's somehow magnetized herself to the pipe.
RYGEL: Okay. Enough. Let's kill her, cut her off the frelling pipe and chuck her out.
---
BORLIK: Worm. Are you ready to die in the cleansing apocalypse?
RYGEL: Worm?! Are you ready to die in a cleansing ramming?
JOHN: Rygel, cut it out.
RYGEL: I'm gonna kill the bitch now!
JOHN: Rygel, we don't know what's going on. We don't know anything, so we don't know if killing her will stop the damn signal.
RYGEL: Who cares?! It'll shut her up, and make me feel good!
----
BORLIK: See, I see your fear, worm. But the Holy Gezma will embrace even you, if you repent.
RYGEL: Repent? We have less than an arn. I was a Dominar! It'd take me longer than that to repent.
----
AERYN: Frell me dead.
-----
BORLIK: I think I'll be able to share my purification. It took all my strength, but I was able to reconfigure the magnetics and stick here. By the time you cut me down, the storm will be upon us.
JOHN: You're too smart.
BORLIK: Where are you going?
JOHN: Uh, you win... we lose... you, you outsmarted us. But that door you're stuck to? It's detachable.
BORLIK: No!
JOHN: Yes.
BORLIK: No, you lie! No, you will still be purified! The Holy Gezma's punishment will be brought down upon--
JOHN: Blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-
BORLIK: ( resumes loud chanting )
JOHN: Pilot, I'm clear. Detach the door... and suck this bitch out!
------
And I couldn't help it. Here are the caps from the gorgeous episode. I love the lushness of the colors. Caps courtesy of Farscape-Caps (if you are looking for caps, I'd also like to recommend F.E.I ran by the amazing
scottishlass)My favorite scene of the ep. Who ever thought that conversation about NOT having sex could be so sexy?
But their mutual agreement at the end, wryly, not to have sex, is almost as mmmm:
John and Aeryn in the beginning of the ep. *swoon*
Zhaan and Stark. Love 'em:
Now which one wins the craziness sweepstakes?
I adore Stark:
But not as much as I ado Crichton. Seriously:
Chiana and D'Argo, milliseconds from explosion:
Chiana is beautiful:
I love this scene with Zhaan and Stark, when he finds out she is worse:
Chiana and Jothee. I love her so much:
D'Argo makes me want to cry:
And I lied. Not the last thing. Here are the caps (also from fs-caps) of my all time favorite FS scene, the one from Season of Death that I blabbed about earlier, John finding out Aeryn is alive, and falling apart first in disbelief and then joy.
