Suns and Lovers

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my review of Suns and Lovers (alternate title, Sex Lies and Videotape), the first show after the whole ending/beginning season arch. Of course just because it’s not part of that arch doesn’t mean that we don’t get plot lines continuing. So lets get right to the review. As always this contains HUGE HONKIN spoilers for Suns and Lovers, and all ideas are my own so don’t send a storm after me.

Overall:

• For the first season, during a crisis it was often Crichton who pulled the whole crew together to fight through it. Last season since Crichton was busy fighting madness it was mostly Aeryn and D’Argo as the pillars of strength on the ship. Now this season with Crichton once again sane and the crew fully bonded as a family we get quite an ensemble cast working together through this adventure.

• While the overall story is the crew’s attempts to survive sabotage on the station, there are more sub-plots going on then you can shake a stick at! Zhaan’s getting worse, Chiana and Jothee are getting it on, Crichton and Aeryn are trying to decide if they should reduce fluid levels, and D’Argo is just not having a good day. Welcome to space opera, folks.

And Crichton:

• Well except for some very minor shaking from the first storm, Crichton escapes this episode quite unharmed! Congrats, we have our first SACCer episode! This show gets an Unscathed rating.
  And he didn’t die!

The Good:

• So as disgusting as it was to see Rygel be a Peeping Tom, I’m really not surprised he was looking for the Playboy channel on that DRD.

• The opening shot of Moya docked in the station by those two suns was absolutely stunning! Great job!

• It’s wonderful to see Crichton sane and in complete control again! Lord have I missed that.

• It’s also fun to see him telling his troubles to the bartender. Wonder if that’s also a UT custom.

• "These things are terrible, but once you get past the blue slime, pure aviation fuel!"

• I loved watching Stark’s giddy joy at giving the servants a whole years wage. He’s certainly enjoying being Robin Hood!

• And now for Lines You’ll Only Hear on Farscape: "I’m dying Stark, I’m not an invalid."

• People have wondered if Crichton’s gaining a reputation in the UT, and apparently he’s now known well outside of PK and Scarran circles. I wonder if this will help gain more friends or enemies.

• As much as Chiana and Jothee have fun together, Chiana still has a maturity that Jothee is lacking. She’s grown used to being part of a team, a family, on Moya and Jothee is still looking after himself. This becomes rather apparent when Chiana first goes to check the broken hatches and tries to leave him in charge of the newly revived Interon.

• Trust Rygel to make Chiana and Jothee hyper-sensitive about how they smell, sending Jothee to get two baths! Of course the fact that a deathly ill being just puked all over Jothee might be another good reason to wash himself...

• Great Scene 1: Aeryn and Crichton discuss their mounting sexual tension and if it will affect the crew. As much as Crichton may want to talk about it later, it’s almost become a tradition that they don’t discuss these relationship matters unless they are in the "wrong" situation (i.e., in the middle of trying to save some kids on a broken space station) Of course I highly doubt that having sex will really "reduce the fluid levels". Crichton is definitely thinking long term in this relationship, and a quick romp in the hey, while sastifiying, isn’t going to stop him. And I don’t think it’ll stop Aeryn either.

• More Lines You’ll Only Hear On Farscape:
  "I’ve got two hands, I can alternate. I can reduce all the tension I want, I don’t need your charity."
  "And I don’t need your emotions, but we can have sex if you want."

• I think Crichton suspects Borlik almost from the get go...watch him look directly at her when he’s informing them the storms are being directed at the station by sabotage.

• Evidently Crichton’s reputation is enough to make Borlik look really worried when Crichton states "I’ve got an idea."

• I love D’Argo’s failed attempts at teasing Jothee smelling like perfume!

• It’s so sad watching Chiana and D’Argo talk in the transport hanger...D’Argo is open and honest and really trying to patch whatever problems they have, while Chiana is distressed that she’s betrayed him and obviously still cares deeply about him.

• Probably the most moving moment for me came when Stark finished examining Zhaan’s head. She’s trying to tell him not to worry, that he should be used to dying, and he says "Yes I’m an expert on dying, I’m just not an expert on you dying." Especially after his outburst insisting Zhaan show him her head, this quiet admission just tore my heart out.

• Great Scene 2: Chiana and Jothee discuss if D’Argo knows about them, D’Argo discovers them and Chiana’s attempts to lie are fruitless as he discovers whats been going on. D’Argo can be a wonderfully rational being, a rock to lean on...but like all emotional beings he lashes out horribly at the ones that deeply hurt him. Extraordinary acting by Anthony!

• There’s something wonderfully ironic that it’s Little Blue the DRD that discovers the homing beacon in Borlik.

• "Dude, she’s stuck man!"

• There’s a few great moments between Crichton and Pilot as they try to figure out how to get Borlik off the station and Moya free from the cables. I love watching the two of them work together...more often then not they finish each other’s sentences, and Pilot often brings out the scientist in Crichton, something that we don’t get to see very often.

• Great Scene 3: Crichton confronts D’Argo about Chiana, Jothee, and freeing Moya. Last week D’Argo was the one trying to talk sense into a distraught and suicidal Crichton. This week Crichton gets to return the favor.

• Watch the absolute fury on Crichton’s face when he tells Chiana and Jothee, "You betrayed the one person on this ship who would have done anything for you." Man I never want to see anyone looking that angry at me!

• "Yeah, we need you D’Argo, we need you...oh and by the way would you mind putting your hands against the wall and spreading your legs so I can kick you up the mivoinks?"

• I love the sudden apprehension on Pilot’s face as he realizes that D’Argo may be going outside not just to save Moya, but kill himself.

• "Repent? We have less then an arn...I was a Dominar, it’ll take me longer then that to repent!"

• Refrigerator magnet?! LOL!

• Considering what happened in DMD, I don’t really want to hear Aeryn say "Frell me dead."

• Gotta love watching Crichton and Pilot beat Borlik at her own game at the end...Crichton’s false surrender, only to tell Borlik the wall she’s now stuck to is detachable, and then Pilot’s evil laugh at the end as he flings her out into space is almost disturbing but fun!

• Crichton and Aeryn may have decided to hold off on the sex till later...and I’m happy if it means more of those wonderful smiles between the two of them!

• Great Scene 3: Chiana and Jothee resolve their feelings for each other and say goodbye as D’Argo watches, crying. I don’t think Chiana’s completely honest about why she frelled Jothee...it may have had more to do with the heat of the moments then her deep inner desire to not be tied down with D’Argo. But it’s mature of her to admit to Jothee she was mostly using him, and he takes it rather well. D’Argo, however, is crushed to know that this whole situation has caused him to loose his son and his lover, and I don’t think D’Argo is going to be a happy camper for a very long time.

The Bad:

• I hate to say it, but I found it rather obvious from the beginning that Borlik was the one behind the sabotage. Didn’t surprise me at all when she was discovered.

• So D’Argo brought this ship on board that they can’t get into because of the force field. And then we just forget about it? If it’s empty why did D’Argo bring it on board? What was the point?

The Nitpicky:

• Did the bartender sound Irish to anyone else or was it just me? I kept expecting him to say to Crichton, "Ach, I dunna what yer talkin’ about!"

• So before falling, Aeryn is ready to expose her chest to Crichton...uh, dear? Crichton already got to play with those in OOTM. :-)

• There’s a ton of new alien words in this eppy...more so then I’ve heard in a long time in one show. I had to turn on the CC a few time just to make sure I didn’t misunderstand something.

• When Borlik first starts chanting, then her eyes change color and she starts floating, I thought she was suddenly possessed! I was having Exorcist flashbacks...almost expected her to start spitting pee soup over everyone!

• How come in space, apparently everyone moves as if they’re under water? There’s no scientific reason for that...if anything since you’re weightless you should be able to move easily.

• Did the children Aeryn rescued come from Whoville? Perhaps it was just the hair...

"Woah, woah, where do they get these stories? Let’s set the facts straight! First up there was no rapeing, very little pillaging, and Frau Blucher popped all the eyeballs."
-Crichton

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