Look at the Princess: A Kiss is but A Kiss

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the SACC review of part One of the Princess trilogy. Let me just state now, for the record, I HATE TO BE CONTINUED EPISODES!! OK...now with THAT out of the way, lets get on with the review. As always this contains huge honkin' spoilers for A Kiss, and all my ideas are from my own brain.

Overall:

• There are three important points in this episode. First, Aeryn and Crichton are finally admitting how they feel about each other, and Aeryn is scared of those feelings. Her fear is gripping to watch...she's been afraid to admit right out how she feels about Crichton, always pulling away and blaming his "rutting instincts" when they start getting hot and heavy. And she knows now that she doesn't want Crichton to leave, marry, or die. The big fear comes when she realizes what Chiana finally has to tell her: If she tells Crichton how she really feels, she knows he will drop the Princess and attempt to escape. But she knows to do that would mean his death, or worse capture by Scorpy. So we get major Aeryn angst as she battles if it's better to stay silent, let Crichton have a chance at a decent life without her, or finally admit her feelings and condemn him to suffer and die.

  On top of that, we get Crichton making point 2 and 3. He may have accepted that Moya is now his home, and that her crew is his family, but he's still holding onto the hope of going home very tightly. That hope, while I think it's not the ONLY thing that drives him, is one of his main drives. Without that he has to let go of a major part of his life. And he finally admits what I've been suspecting for so long..."He's in my head, back of my mind, corner of my eye. He scares me, and I can't shake him." Of course what sane, normal human wouldn't be freaked out after receiving the torture Crichton got from Scorpy. For Aeryn to brush off this painful revelation is just wrong, and gives us a major clue as to why Crichton has been a bit more uptight since escaping the Gammak Base.

  Both Ben and Claudia do an excellent job this entire episode.

Crichton:

• Well he was bitten by Rygel, he got knocked around a bit by the hired thugs, and we're left with the wonderful shot of him getting zapped by the tazer from Hell. Overall I give this a Hope Part II Is Easier Rating.
  
• At least he didn't die.

The Good:

• Talk about starting with a bang...not two minutes in and we're watching Crichton and Aeryn play tonsil hockey!
• "We've got to do something!" Zhaan begins to pray. "Something useful!"
• Gotta laugh at Zhaan rolling her eyes when Rygel began to talk!
• I didn't catch it the first time, but it is clear that Counselor Tino lets the crew come down because he spots Crichton.
• Poor Crichton, breaking in on D'Argo and Chiana not once, but twice! He needs to teach those two about the proper use of a hanger. :-)
• A bit more of Crichton being the typical guy: "I'm never leaving this world!"
• Well we finally get to meet a Scaran, and learn a bit about where Scorpy get's some of his attitude towards PK's, his mind powers, and perhaps the ideas behind building the Aurora Chair. If Scorpy's capability of mind-probing is not as powerful since he's a half-breed, that could explain him wanting to gain that power back by building a device that does it for him.
• I love the blissful look on Pilot's face when Zhaan begins to sing...
• ...and the panicked look on Rygel's face just as Aeryn is about to kiss him! LOL!
• We've seen both Crichton and Zhaan freak out when they think their friends are in danger, or have been abandoned. Once again Zhaan goes a bit nuts when she is forced to abandon everyone. It's interesting the two have this in common, even if that fear comes from two different reasons.
• Jezz...Rygel is such a little peeping Tom!! Watch him smile and enjoy watching Crichton kiss the Princess!
• And now the Understatement Of The Century Award goes to Crichton, who after kissing the Princess and watching the reaction says: "Uh oh."
• At least it's a gilded cage...right?
• I'm convinced for most of this episode D'Argo is the only one thinking clearly (when he's not thinking with his mivoinks). He's the most level-headed when it comes to recognizing the situation Crichton is in, and cuts right to the heart of the matter with how Crichton should choose his path. The scene where Crichton tells him about the 80 years as a statue is heartwrenching to watch and wonderfully acted by both Ben and Anthony. No wonder Crichton wants D'Argo as his best man...whatever that means :-)
• "Time-share his condo in Hell?"
• Pilot gets so few chances to reproach anyone in the crew, so it was both fun and surprising when Pilot was so stern with "Pa'u Zotah!" And he was right not to take her fear induced anger.
• Well the Empress is one sneaky woman. She couldn't have picked a better threat to make Crichton marry the Princess...and you have to appreciate the reasons why she wants him to marry even if you hate her for doing it.
• Scorpy is just too happy, even after Crichton agrees to marry the Princess. You would think he was counting on Crichton trying to escape and he could take him, so why wasn't he more upset when he apparently lost Crichton to the Princess? Well here's my awful theory...Crichton will be spending the next 80 years as a statue still able to think, see, hear...uh, frozen in one place though, and unable to get away when Scorpy comes by to probe his mind for wormhole secretes. *shudder* Let's hope I'm wrong.
• Watch D'Argo when Aeryn says "I've had just about enough of you" to Chiana. The look on his face, and the way he holds up his hands and walks away makes it clear he's not getting involved in THAT cat fight again!
• Moya has 8 senses? Wow...
• So if Scarens and Sebaceans hate each other as much as we are being lead to believe, how did Scorpy come into being?
• You know, when even RYGEL is right, you have to pay attention. And as much as we hate what he's saying to Aeryn after she fights the Scaren, he is right.
• We get to see just a bit of Ben Browder the dad when he's playing with Virtual Kid, and it's wonderful to watch! Awww...
• "500 in dog years"
• Moya finds...GOD??
• Crichton has sisters? And he doesn't mention his Mom, so is Mom dead?
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Oy...
• The last scene with Aeryn and Crichton was painfully emotional. Aeryn is so close to saying how see feels, but she KNOWS if she does Cricthon will try and escape to be with her and probably die. And Crichton want's nothing more then to have Aeryn say those words...I think he would be happy to try and be with her, even if he fails and ends up back in the Chair, just if he knows Aeryn does feel the same way that he does.

The Bad:

• "How come I'm always the last to know?" Uh Crichton...have you NOT been watching D'Argo and Chiana the last few episodes?
• While the Scaren is a scary, interesting, and fun creature, he doesn't have the range of facial movement that I've come to expect from the Jim Henson Company.

The Nitpicky:

• That first shot of the planet, swooping down and around the buildings to come around that huge pyramid, was incredible. Wonder if Daniel Jackson is off somewhere having a ball exploring? :-)
• No wonder the inhabitants of this planet are so happy, all their clothing is comfy pajamas!
• So the Princess has been watching to many romantic movies, what with her expecting her lover to say all the "right" things and sweep her off her feet.
• OK as much as I dislike the movie, did anyone else convert one of Kirk's lines from one of the Star Trek movies (can't remember the name, or number) to say "What does God want with a Leviathan?"
  

You would just have to be on this side of my life to understand how frelling insane that is! - Crichton
Lauren (OboeCrazy)
SACCer #1: The Most Vocal Defender