Season of Death

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the first review of season three! It’s been a long hiatus and an even longer story arch leading up to this episode, so lets get right to it! As always all ideas are my own, and this contains HUGE HONKIN’ spoilers for Season of Death, so be warned that these spoilers can’t just be cut out of your head!

Overall:

• Out with the old, and in with the new. That’s the way this eppy worked. We had the return of Aeryn, alive and well. We had the restoration of Crichton, alive, sane and with just a small NeruoScorpy locked in a dumpster. We have the end of any specific person now chasing Moya’s crew around the galaxy, and the addition of several new members to that crew. And some new interpersonal relationships that are going to make things interesting in the episodes to come. Of course along with all of this comes a new opening and a cool new theme song.

Overall a satisfying way to wrap up not only the last 4 episodes of season 2, but several large story arcs that have been going on for a while. I look forward to seeing what new storylines build from here.

And Crichton:

• Our first episode of season three falls on the WACKer side of Charity, but just by a bit. We’ve got the initial agony over the screwed up brain operation and the leftover NeuroScorpy, a bit frostbitten, and a good whack by the Scarran. Yet overall this episode gets an At Least Now He’s Sane rating.

And he didn’t die!

The Good:

• I greatly enjoyed the new opening sequence. Crichton’s new voice-over compliments the new direction of the series nicely, and it was great to see Paul, Lani, and Wayne added to the lineup. Seeing Claudia still there gave me reason to suspect they were gonna find a way to bring her back but that really didn’t spoil anything too much. Interestingly enough though, the gentleman playing Jothee is not there....hrm...also I did like how we now get the episode titles at the beginning.

• Poor Pilot doesn’t get much to do in this episode, but the few moments at the beginning when he has to angrily fend off the entire crew asking him for updates was a wonderful scene. Reminded me of children bugging their parents in the back of the car "Are we there yet?"

• "For everything there is a season. A time to be born and a..."
  "...and a time to die, I know! The Devil quotes scripture..."

• So as awful as it is for Crichton to still have NeruoScorpy around, its interesting that in a twisted way one of his wishes has come true. NeuroScorpy has been through his mind and obviously understands much of the references and pop culture in there (see above quote)...Crichton now has an alien to talk to in his own human way who completely understands him.

• I knew it was coming...both Chiana and Jothee hate D’Argo acting the controlling, keep them safe parent. Making them stay out of harms way only drove them nuts...and towards each other.

• Scorpy has too much fun taking over other people’s minds. Makes me wonder how many Scorpy Clone are out there.

• Watch Bracca look completely freaked out as Scorpy plays with his new toy: Grundschlick.

• In the middle of all this action we’re faced with a moral dilemma: Do they kill a donor for parts to help save Crichton, saving him and also releasing the donor from an existence trapped in the middle...yet going against Crichton’s wishes to kill anyone for parts? Or do they respect Crichton’s wishes and not kill another being, yet leave Crichton damaged and keep the being trapped?

• Great Scene 1: Zhaan shares Unity with Crichton to discover what’s going on in his head, D’Argo stands by Crichton and vows to help him...if he wants the help or not, Stark attempts to support Zhaan and help Crichton, and Grundschlick (controlled by Scorpy) tries to finish Crichton off.

• "Do NOT make me tongue you!"

• I loved watching Chiana and Jothee basically go through the whole relationship Chiana and D’Argo had in about 5 minutes. Distrust, toleration, protectiveness, anger, seduction, and then really great sex!

• "Aeryn’s gone...want to die."
  "Aeryn died so you could live. She would want you to keep fighting."

• I love the fight scene between NeuroScorpy and Crichton! John’s been waiting to do that to the Scorpy Clone for months, and he does it with style as he shows Scorpy who’s in control of his brain now. From the shocked look on NeuroScorpy’s face, to the cartoonish noise when he flies into the dumpster, to the invisible crowd cheering Crichton on, it was a fun scene!

• "He was all mouth Stark, how did you know?"
  "I didn’t, I just thought it sounded good!"
  "Well it worked. Harvey’s caged. Let’s pay the bill and get out of here."

• While the above quote clearly shows Crichton got his speech back, it was still fun to hear him practicing tongue twisters just in case.

• "Look, one plan at a time!"

• The scene where Zhaan brings Aeryn back through Unity was interesting to watch. I thought it was neat that Zhaan found Aeryn still sitting in the Prowler chair, and her answer to Aeryn when asked why she was doing it, "Because I love you, but more importantly Crichton loves you" was quite moving. It’s especially wonderful when you consider how much mistrust has passed between these women since they first met.

• Who couldn’t love Aeryn returning from the dead, like some avenging angel with a Qualta Blade, to save first Stark and Zhaan, then Crichton and D’Argo.

• Anthony has some wonderful comedic timing that only gets to come out in little tiny spurts, like the wonderful "Frell." he lets out when D’Argo’s knife breaks on the Scarran’s skin!

• While I personally thought the scene was too short and a bit rushed, I still enjoyed watching Crichton realize that Aeryn isn’t a figment of his imagination and she is truly alive. Especially the way his shaking hand goes up to stroke her cheek, then touch her hair...I’m not a shipper but that still made me go "awww..."

• Poor Crais (and who ever figured I’d one day type THAT!)...he’s proven himself in the last few episodes, and has truly helped several times, only to be duped that he’s killed Scorpious plus he has to leave before he can find out Aeryn is alive. I can’t wait for him to return so we can find out what he has that would make Aeryn so happy!

• So it’s an interesting setup, where Moya and her crew think Scorpy is dead, plus Crais and Talyn think both Scorpy and Aeryn are dead. The dren’s gonna hit the fan when they all find out the truth.

• Stark has a little vindictive side in him that comes out every so often...like his announcement that Grundschlick is "dead too...effectively".

• Welcome to Double Meaning Theater. Our scene this week: as D’Argo and Rygel eats the food Jothee and Chiana prepared, we get a few sentences that just ring true in more then one way. Take Rygel for example, "All the time you too spent in here was ultimately productive." And later D’Argo, "Too excellent cooks, I couldn’t be luckier."

• Great Scene 2: Crichton and Aeryn, both sane and alive and truly who they are, finally say to each other "I love you", "I love you too." I especially enjoyed the way Aeryn’s face and eyes lit up when she said her line...and then the parallel with the neural cluster scene in DMD, where after saying those words ScorpyJohn took Aeryn’s head and snapped it...yet this time it’s John, and he ends that scene right!

• Of course this wouldn’t be Farscape if it was a completely happy ending. Aeryn’s rise from the dead has taken its toll on Zhaan, who is now dying

• "Is there anything we can do to help?"
  "Nothing."
  "I can’t accept that."
  "I have."

The Bad:

• My big one...how did Rygel get back onto Moya?! He and Crichton had been dropped off, Crichton to be operated on and Rygel to leave in the ship Grundschlick was going to provide. When the others arrive he’s still there...but later appears on Moya to almost catch Chiana and Jothee in the act. Did he take the transport pod that Stark, D’Argo and Zhaan came in, and if so how did THEY get back?!

• I’m a little miffed at how easily Aeryn came back from the dead. True Zhaan is now going to pay a high price, but if it was possible this whole time why didn’t Zhaan and Stark try it before Aeryn’s spirit had gone so far? Plus how did Aeryn get healed in the first place, I thought the doctor said her injuries were life threatening!

The Nitpicky:

• Don’t Eat That Part 1: Scorpy takes a bite out of Crichton’s head, eating the leftover part of Crichton speech center. Eeewww. Once digested will Scorpy suddenly start talking like Crichton?

• And now, because at this point we don’t have it memorized yet, here’s John’s opening voice over. The stuff in parenthesis is him "whispering" it in the background: "My name is John Crichton. (I’m lost) An Astronaut (shot through a wormhole) in some distant part of the universe. (I’m trying to stay alive) Aboard this ship (this living ship) of escaped prisoners (my friends). If you can here me (beware)...if I make it back (will they follow?). If I open the door (are you ready?) Earth is unprepared (helpless) for the nightmares I’ve seen. Or should I stay (protect my home), not show them (you exist) but then you’ll never know the wonders I’ve seen."

• Was Rygel giving the doctor CPR?

• When Crichton first pushes NeuroScorpy onto the ground, he flails around for a few moments like a bug trying to right itself.

• Poor Doc didn’t die once, but twice in this two parter!

• Don’t Eat That Part 2: Scorpy makes Grundschlick take a nibble on his own finger. Eeewwww...

"I hate the cold!"
"Freeze or fry!"
-D’Argo and Crichton

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