Liars, Guns and Money Part 2: With Friends Like These

Hi everyone!

Welcome to part 2 of the review of the Liars, Guns and Money Trilogy, aptly titled With Friends Like These (...who needs enemies?) This review contains HUGE HONKIN’ spoilers for that eppy, and I swear on Durka’s headless grave all ideas are my own.

Overall:

• Middle parts of a trilogy are the most difficult to review, because they tend to have no beginning or end. They are what they are, middle, filler, and a bridge linking the whole series together. We do, however, get a few endings: D’Argo has finally found his son, a task he has been trying to do since day one. And Rygel has some closure with Durka, repaying the PK in quite a graphic way for all the cycles of torture he endured.

This eppy also is as close as Farscape will probably ever get to one of those awful retrospective/flashback episodes. Of course the writers give us this eppy in a slightly twisted way, we do get a few obligatory flashback sequences, but they are very short and concise. What we do get is some of our favorite characters actually showing up to contribute to the new plot...almost a Very Special Farscape Episode if you will. :-)

And Crichton:

• It’s a strange situation, this eppy. The good news being that Crichton didn’t once get hurt! Add one more tally to the very short list of OCB-less episodes. But the bad news is that he’s left in a position that all but guarantees next week will make up for it. So this episode gets a Calm Before The Storm Rating.

And he didn’t die!

The Good:

• Words of wisdom from Grasshopper: "A fleeting taste of wealth is worse than a lifetime of poverty."

• Between the title of this episode, the current anger D’Argo has towards Crichton, and Scorpy’s proclamation that Crichton surrender or Jothee dies...I was truly afraid that either Crichton was gonna walk right to a transport and turn himself in, or D’Argo was gonna stun-tongue him and do it.

• ...and apparently so was Crichton, as the worried, almost fearful look on his face when D’Argo attacks the console and then shouts at him clearly shows he thinks he’s very close to getting kidnapped.

• Speaking of Crichton and his feelings, did he feel much more calmer this episode? He only hears the ChipScorpy when he calls him, he sounds much more centered and in control...perhaps the knowledge that whatever was driving him nuts was not his own personal breakdown but an actual evil outside force has allowed him to regain his balance. Knowing about the Chip has got to be a personal vindication for him...it’s not space sickness, or his own mind going insane, the cause is "external" and that’s something he can now focus on fighting back against.

• Poor Stark, cowering in a corner of the bridge after failing D’Argo again.

• I wonder how long D’Argo has "seen" his son pushing him on, blaming him when he failed.

• Great Scene #1: D’Argo admits to Chiana how close he came to handing over Crichton, and how truly afraid he is of loosing Jothee. The pure anguish on D’Argo’s face is heartwrenching, and Chiana manages to show how upset she is that D’Argo could think to betray Crichton while still being supportive.

• Gotta love how Crichton still calls them the Tabloids, and everyone still corrects him with Tavlecks.

• There’s an interesting look on D’Argo’s face, when John tells Zhaan she should tell Scorpy where he’s gone if they don’t return in time.

• ACK! Scorpy practically attacked Natira with that kiss! That wasn’t gonna be tonsil hockey, that was going to be full contact football!

• Good thing Chiana and Rygel are still so greedy, or else...

• "Crichton’s too honorable."
  "Aeryn’s too dull."
  "D’Argo’s too..."
  "Zhaan..."
  "...simple?"
  "Yea, but he’s not a thief."

• How ironic that D’Argo saves the Trackers who tortured him back in TTBRC.

• And now the winner of the Dirty Double Meaning Award goes to Aeryn, for this classic line after the Sheyang spouted his little fireball: "I’ve seen bigger."

• Jothee could have gone several ways with how he views D’Argo: Hatred for his father, not knowing his father, or still faithful in his father. For once I’m glad the writers went with the more sappy, happy ending with Jothee still having faith and loving his parents after all these cycles.

• Stark surprises everyone again with his verbal attack on Scorpy in order to buy some time for the others.

• Bekesh changed his tune over wanting the gauntlet very very quickly...

• Great Scene #2: Zhaan and Pilot discuss the plan to get rid of the infestation. Poor Zhaan is crying over her plan to burn Moya, knowing how much pain it will cause but unable to think of an alternative. And Pilot is at first so afraid and shocked that Zhaan would suggest it, but eventually shows his loyalty in the one charged with their protection.

• One of the best surprises in this eppy was the revelation that Durka had survived and was now leading the Zenetian Pirates! I did NOT expect that, almost knocked me out of my chair when it happened! And then to have Rygel dispatch him so quickly was very cool!

• "You know flossing could help you with that gingivitis." But the best part of that line is the disgusted look Crichton gives after catching a wiff of Bekesh’s breath.

• Heartbreaking Moment of the Episode...Chiana tries to comfort Pilot as he, Zhaan and Stark are curled up in agony over burning Moya.

• As if telling Zhaan to tell Scorpy where he was going wasn’t enough of a clue, Crichton then goes on to contradict Aeryn’s prediction that "Scorpious is going to kill Jothee." And then walking away.

• And Rygel comes through with the Pirates! Hands up to all those who thought he may just take off with the transport!

• Great Scene #3: D’Argo and Jothee are reunited as Aeryn looks on grinning. Then all three realize what Crichton did to get Jothee back. The first half of that scene we see both Jothee and D’Argo so happy they’re crying, and the joy on D’Argo’s face when Jothee tells him he still loves him and has had faith in him all these cycles is wonderful! Then the camera switches to Aeryn’s grinning face, that falls quickly as they realize what Crichton has done...while we hear the horror in D’Argo’s voice we see it on Aeryn’s.

• Great Scene #4: Crichton stands resolute and attempting (but failing) to look unafraid as Scorpy stalks around him like a piece of meat. *shudder*

The Bad:

• OK I don’t know what was up with the "Bug Cam", but it looked like they mounted one of the Blaire Witch cameras on top of a remote controlled spider and let it loose! What made those shots especially bad was the fact that the actual CGI of the bugs was excellent.

• I’m very disturbed by the fact that Crichton would so easily and quickly torture Bekesh by holding him prisoner until he started to suffer through withdrawl. Especially when the rest of this eppy Crichton was acting so much more like himself...

• Damn Scifi Channel...they showed the teasers for next week before the end of the eppy, and just gave away the fact that Crichton was gonna be captured and Jothee was going to be reunited with D’Argo!

The Nitpicky:

• These opening "Last time on Farscape" flashbacks are getting longer and longer...

• Isn’t it convenient our hero’s didn’t just find the races they wanted, but the members of those races they had met before!

• So Chiana found a huge honkin’ slime gun to trap a bug with?

• Oh wow...I really did not need to see Natira popping Scorpy’s...uh...thermal core.

• It’s interesting that back in RiB D’Argo saw visions of his son when he was much younger...and now the visions are the correct age and just dead on with reality. That’s some impressive mental visualization. :-)

"Forever the optimist."
"Yea well it’s a common human trait...in humans with a death wish."
-Aeryn and Crichton

Lauren (OboeCrazy)
SACCer #1: The Most Vocal Defender