Farscape - General Discussion

[Danny Franks]

Why should the PKs all sound the same though? We don't all sound the same. People who live in the same state don't sound the same. 

 

This must have been Crichton's reasoning when he was coming up with his loopy PK accent in A Bug's Life. But then, I've always liked that Crichton's plans and notions have been a little... wanting at times.

 

Going back to the point about Jenavian's dialogue synch in Look at the Princess, I think I've realised that it's a minor point that has always bugged me. That it was just that little bit off, and gave her character an odd quality. It makes sense that it was ADR. Still, she was so hot that it never bothered me, and I wish she's a character that had showed up again later in the series.

[jah1986]

Just re-watched A Bug's Life again last night and didn't realize this was the first time Crichton masqueraded as a PK.  Maybe it was how Aeryn sounded to him or maybe he was basing it off Crais. I don't know and even his using the British word for Lt. Why didn't anyone ask why he was talking like that?

 

Of course Nerve is next and the introduction of Scorpius.  Once he came on the scene Crais just couldn't be taken seriously as a major threat.

[ganesh]

I don't think Crias was ever taken too seriously beyond "we need to just stay the fuck away from him." When he and Crichton were fighting in the first Maldis episode, Crichton explains what happened. It's clear Crais is more mad at himself. He couldn't kill Crichton when he had the chance. When they finally capture him, Crais pretty much admits it. Scorpius was a real threat because he was relentless.

[PugLoaf]

I've just now fallen in love with Farscape. Just finished the finale of season 2. I hope they reveal the secret crais wanted to tell aeryn quickly (unless it was revealed and I missed it, I was very sleepy and might have to rewatch a bit). I'm also hoping for more hynerians! I love Rygel and want to see his planet!

[ganesh]

They reveal the secret. 

[Il Cucchiaio]

I've just now fallen in love with Farscape. Just finished the finale of season 2. I hope they reveal the secret crais wanted to tell aeryn quickly (unless it was revealed and I missed it, I was very sleepy and might have to rewatch a bit). I'm also hoping for more hynerians! I love Rygel and want to see his planet!

I discovered Farscape a couple of months ago, and I've been kind of obsessed with it since then.  I wish it hadn't taken 15 years for this show to cross my radar.   I usually like to feed my TV obsessions by reading other fans' thoughts about a show, but there isn't a whole lot of active Farscape discussion on the old interweb these days.  

 

It's funny, sometimes the show feels fairly modern and I forget that it first aired a decade and a half ago, and then sometimes it feels very '90s to me (especially when I stumble across fan sites from when the show was still airing--I didn't realize geocities still exists).

[Danny Franks]

The pilot episode always feels so, so dated to me, when I watch it. And it's not just because Ben Browder looks so young and innocent, either (though not as young and innocent as he looked in Memphis Belle). But I do think the show has a timeless quality, for most of its run. Because the space it explores is completely apart from anything remotely human and recognisable, and because the fashions of the Peacekeepers, the only human-like race, run along the 'fascist leathers and jackboots' line, which will always work well.

 

I think the effects mostly hold up, too, although some of the stunt work and action scene direction in the early episodes leaves a bit to be desired. There are moments that are nowhere near as dynamic and exciting as they were written to be. But I will always maintain that this show depicts one of the most complete journeys for, not one, but a whole group of characters, of any show I've watched. They all change so much (well, maybe not Rygel, but we can't expect miracles) and grow so much, and become a real family, and it's such a great story to watch and get drawn into.

 

It's a show that always combined drama and comedy and tragedy seamlessly, and could do slapstick silliness, then turn as dark as night, at the drop of a cracker. The writers and the actors really were fearless, and I think that always told in the quality of the show.

[JayKay]

I wish it hadn't taken 15 years for this show to cross my radar. I usually like to feed my TV obsessions by reading other fans' thoughts about a show, but there isn't a whole lot of active Farscape discussion on the old interweb these days.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. It's a cult classic, but it's not got the chattiest of cults these days.

Even though I see it quite often anyway, I kinda wish we could do a rewatch. There are so many things to love about the show, but it would be satisfying to be able to go through the specifics, episode by episode. Fans from back in the day might be burnt out on the same old conversations, but it's the closest us noobs can get to following the show live.

[Il Cucchiaio]

I think the effects mostly hold up, too, although some of the stunt work and action scene direction in the early episodes leaves a bit to be desired. There are moments that are nowhere near as dynamic and exciting as they were written to be. But I will always maintain that this show depicts one of the most complete journeys for, not one, but a whole group of characters, of any show I've watched. They all change so much (well, maybe not Rygel, but we can't expect miracles) and grow so much, and become a real family, and it's such a great story to watch and get drawn into.

Some of the costumes and sets look a little cheap to me, especially compared to those on shows that air today (although to be fair, I would guess that the budget on a show like Game of Thrones dwarfs [seriously, no pun intended--I hate puns] the budget that Farscape had to work with).  But like you're saying, the strength of this show is in its characters and their development, not so much in its visual effects and art direction.

 

On a related note, after all the shows in the last decade or so where the protagonists have been, if not The Bad Guys, then at least bad guys, I've found it refreshing to watch a show where I actually like and root whole-heartedly for the main characters.  Though I can appreciate that there have been some great shows lead by anti-heroes, I think that trope has become overused.  Series like Farscape should serve as a reminder to show runners that heroes don't have to be boring and that characters can be flawed but still lovable.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Il Cucchiaio

[PugLoaf]

Making my way through season three now. I was sad about the turn of events for Chiana and D'argo but loved the lines it gave Rygel.

I also have to admit I was a little sad about losing the core Moia (sp?) team now that they've split amongst two ships.

Forgive me if I repeat thread content I didn't read through in detail to avoid spoilers as best I can.

[ganesh]

Moya.

[Il Cucchiaio]

some of the stunt work and action scene direction in the early episodes leaves a bit to be desired

The "fight" scene between Aeryn and Matala in Back and Back and Back to the Future is hilarious.  Especially if you watch it on mute.  It kills me every time.

[Danny Franks]

The "fight" scene between Aeryn and Matala in Back and Back and Back to the Future is hilarious.  Especially if you watch it on mute.  It kills me every time.

 

Oh man, as someone who gets terrible second hand embarrassment, I can't even watch that scene. I feel so bad for both women, being asked to do... that.

 

The whole action climax of PK Tech Girl is really badly done as well. It doesn't help that Sheyangs are about as threatening as Mr. Toad, but it's all just blocked and directed so woodenly, and even Aeryn's "on the ground now!" comes off as really lame.

[ganesh]

When Aeryn and Crais fight on Talyn though, it's pretty good. CB said that was just him and her, no stunt doubles. 

 

One could also argue that in the beginning of the show, Aeryn was only a pilot, so she didn't know how to fight hand to hand well, and she was never in a position of authority so she didn't know what the hell she was doing. 

 

Contrast that with PK wars where she and John are licking the clips to the blasters and looking like they're going to single handedly level the place. And people we not taking them lightly. 

[Danny Franks]

Nah, I'd just argue that when the show began, no one really knew how to shoot action scenes that well. I don't mind pointing out some of the weaknesses of the show, especially in its first season, when I do think it took a while to turn into something unmissable. Plus, it was always a relatively small budget Australian production, so I can forgive them a lot anyway. It's not like it was ever Lexx bad.

 

I think they always fudged Aeryn's fighting abilities somewhat. Yes, she was a pilot, but she was shown to be a badass soldier as well, so I guess the Peacekeepers train their warriors in all aspects of combat. They had enough time to do it, given how PK kids are raised.

[RadiantAerynSun]

There was a rewatch blog post going on tor.com for the last 2 yr or so. Finished a couple mos back I think. It was actually starting up when I started watching it for the first time.

[JayKay]

Sometimes I wonder if the reason I preferred Talyn John's episodes to Moya John's was because I hated that bizarrely edited "milking" episode so damn much. Just no to all of it. That's the only episode I ever skip entirely.

[shimarella]

Aw now I'm terribly nostalgic for this show after reading this thread! I don't get the cable channel that reruns Farscape...I really wish Sci-Fi would do that again. Does anyone else have that collection of songs a fan created for Farscape? Gammak Bass/Kobol Dance Party, maybe? I was just listening to it. The mix he did for "Prayer" is excellent. It actually gave me an idea to start creating a piece inspired by the dark goddess that Aeryn Sun references. 

[PugLoaf]

Sometimes I wonder if the reason I preferred Talyn John's episodes to Moya John's was because I hated that bizarrely edited "milking" episode so damn much. Just no to all of it. That's the only episode I ever skip entirely.

I now wish I had somehow realized I was watching the episode you are referring to before it was too late.

Overall, so far I think I am not loving this season as much as the other two, though it might be a side effect of binge watching.

[Il Cucchiaio]

I get the impression that the third season is the most popular one, but my personal favorite is season 2, and I think I might rank season 1 a little higher than season 3 too (or at least the second half of season 1).

[Danny Franks]

The first two seasons are easily the best, in my book. Season 2 probably comes out on top because the show is fully formed, the characters are well enough fleshed out, and there is a clearer line between hero and villain. It's also the season of John's descent into madness, which was so compelling to watch, and so wrenching at times. The cliffhanger to end the season was a real jawdropper.

 

But what I really like about it is, Scorpius is a bad guy. As villainous and nefarious as they come. Relentless and merciless in his pursuit of John and the wormhole knowledge. He's not been defanged by fan popularity or wacky imaginary antics. In season 2, that dude still has the aura that Darth Vader had in the first Star Wars movie.

 

I imagine season 3 works best for the John/Aeryn 'shippers, because it's really the only one that has them in a relationship, even if it's only one of two Crichtons, and it ends in tragedy. But as I've said, I never really cared a whole lot about them as a couple, and I think what interest I did have was killed by the storyline at the end of season 3. In season 4, I was rooting for John and Sikozu to hook up.

[blueray]

I just rewatched the pilot (I've seen the whole show a few times) and I like how much all the characters grow throughout it.

 

As for the conversation above about the accents, I took it as in cannon the translators are doing the best they can to make John understand what is being said, so it the case of Aeryn or other PK's the closest to their accent is Australian. Of course it's really because the show was Australian.

[Ringthane]

I absolutely love discussing these episodes again. It's been a while since I've re-watched but most of the episodes are burned into my brain so I don't think I could ever do a full re-watch.  It always amazes me how with this show you know exactly which episode it is just going by the episode title. That is rare in my case. I don't even know most episode titles of shows I watch but Farscape was different. I agree with others that the show really seemed to find its footing with PK Tech Girl.

 

If I remember right, that's because they started out shooting two episodes at once.  Once they got to PK Tech Girl, they decided they'd be better off filming one at a time, and the show quality really improved.  They talk about it on one of the commentaries (might even be the one for PK Tech Girl).

[ganesh]

BB talked about forgetting which episode he was in at times when they were doubling up. 

[Ringthane]

One thing I thought about while re-reading this thread: isn't it something, that in this day and age, when they'll CGI the streets in regular shows so that the buildings and stuff look different, two of the most popular and fondly remembered shows of the past twenty years have consisted of people acting with puppets (Farscape and MST3K).  And the puppets are just as real and just as much a character as any of the humans. 

[ganesh]

People were upset about *Moya*. That's not even a puppet! Just a set!

[Loandbehold]

From what I've heard, Moya was a bit of a prima donna. Always complaining that her trailer wasn't big enough and craft services never brought enough food.

[Joe]

So I just got back from Mad Max. Melissa Jaffer, Noranti, has a notable role. Not the first Farscape castmember in the series, either. Virginia Hey was in 2, the Road Warrior. Both series being Aussie productions, there's probably a few other smaller roles here and there.

 

Further IMDBing reveals that Hugh Keays-Byrne, the lead villain in both this and the first Max, was Grunchlk! He's good at being bad.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Joe

[Just Here]

Claudia Black will be a series regular in the CW's Containment, which is set to air next season (21015-16) sometime "midseason."  (On IMDb, the series is currently listed under a working title, Cordon.)

[JeanneH]

"Confinement" looks quite similar to the movie "Contagion," judging from the trailer.

[Joe]

Another main cast member. Jonathan Hardy was in the first Max. He's the weaslly official in the police captain's office, dressed in kendo gear.

[Rai]

I was so happy to see Melissa Jaffer in Mad Max!  Playing essentially Noranti, really, what with the bad-assery and the seeds and all.

 

Apparently, the big bloated accountant guy with the feet was one of Zhaan's Delvian colleagues too.

[Joe]

Really? Farscape isn't listed on his IMDB page.

[Rai]

Oh, well, that's what one of my friends said.  I guess he was WRONG.

[Joe]

Maybe your friend is right, and it just isn't listed. Ask him which episode, which character.

[Kev]

Heh

 

 

But as I've said, I never really cared a whole lot about them as a couple, and I think what interest I did have was killed by the storyline at the end of season 3. In season 4, I was rooting for John and Sikozu to hook up.

Blasphemy!

[blueray]

I just watched Through the looking glass . I forgot how good that episode was. A great sci-fi episode. And I love the ending where they are all eating and having fun together. I feel like this show and many others rarely have scenes like that.

[ganesh]

It's been a while since good sci fi did character development so well. Check out sens8.

[WatchrTina]

Just checking in the give a "Hell Yeah!" for Farscape. I have the whole series on DVD but haven't watched in years.  I started re-watching last month, treating myself to one or two at a time.  But Hurricane Patricia is dumping loads of rain on Texas and I decided to give myself a mini-binge this weekend as a treat.  I don't look at the episode names and I'm not allowed to skip so that means sitting through a few stinker episodes but last night, unexpectedly, I hit "Out of Their Minds", the episode where they keeps switching bodies.  Oh joy!  What a treat to watch each of the actors emulate each other's portrayals.  Ben Browder as Rygel was a riot, as was Claudia Black as Crichton. They must have had so much fun making that episode.

 

But today . . . today I hit the first of the "Princess" trilogy.  OMG.  So good.  I remember what happens -- you can't forget a group of episodes that is not only pivotal to the season (the return of Scorpius!) but is also generally regarded as one of the high points of the whole series.  And yet, it has been so long since I have seen it that I have forgotten the side plots and many, many of the jokes.  I'm enjoying myself SO much.  I'm off to part 2 now.  I can't read this thread because I don't want to be "spoiled" for your favorite parts of upcoming episodes -- some of which I may have forgotten and get to experience afresh all over again -- but I just had to share my delight over rediscovering this show.

[ganesh]

LATP was such balls for the show. It was a 3 parter in the first half of the second season iirc. And it wasn't too far after The Way We Weren't, which really established the show imo.

[Philbert]

"Look at the Princess" had its good points and bad. There was probably too much filler in the middle but overall the storyline was fairly cohesive and it introduced some interesting new characters-who sadly did not make any further appearances on the show. One thing it did do is bring in the Scarrans and set up the underlying tensions for the eventual Peacekeeper-Scarran War which made up so much of the storyline for season four and "The Peacekeeper Wars."

[ganesh]

Jumping out into hard vacuum was BAMF.

[Loandbehold]

Just saw this: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/sci-fi/rockne-obannon-officially-confirms-farscape-movie-a98494 So, maybe???Sorry, we've just been hearing about this for so long that I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Yet.

[ganesh]

I haven't read the comics, but everyone says they're good. If they're basing the movie off that, it could be really exciting. If they intend to make this a franchise, they'll have to start moving past Farscape = John+Aeryn only, though there's no rush.

[WatchrTina]

I'm re-watching the series now.  I'm in season 3.  Just binged through the episodes that take place while John is duplicated.  Whoa.  So good.  My heart was broken over and over again.  Poor TalynJohn.  Poor Aeryn.  Poor MoyaJohn.   But that last scene in "Fractures" -- the episode where both crews are reunited and the recorded TalynJohn tells MoyaJohn about the risk that Scorpius poses -- that last scene when John declares his intention to take down Scorpious' command carrier and Aeryn -- grieving, cold-as-ice Aeryn -- comes to stand beside him.  Chills.  I can't wait for what is to follow.

Man this show was good.

[blueray]

Just noticed this was taken off of Netflix in November, it have no notice from the official channels.

[WatchrTina]

Well, I finished my binge-watch of the entire series yesterday.  Sigh.  That was a good ride.  It had been long enough that I genuinely could not recall how they got out of many of the fixes that got themselves into, so it was fun all over again.

And then I re-watched the behind-the-scenes footage dealing with the day they announced that Farscape was cancelled and the producer read to the cast and crew a draft of Matt Roush's TV-Guide article condemning the decision.  Oh man.  I remember how much that hurt.  I participated in a small way in the "I Am Farscape" campaign that erupted afterward (contributed to the newspaper ads, wrote a letter to the President of the SciFi channel.)  But I didn't expect it to work.  And while I am VERY grateful for the 3-hour mini-series "Peacekeeper Wars" that they gave us to wrap things up, it still makes me sad that the SciFi channel jerked their core audience around in that way.  But then, I am a die-hard Firefly fan and we all know how that went.  For that matter I was also a die-hard Babylon 5 fan and while that show DID end up getting the five seasons that were originally planned for the long-term story arc, they went through the opposite situation that Farscape went through.  Farscape was renewed for seasons 4 and 5 and a long-term arc was planned, only to have it cut off on a frelling cliff-hanger at the end of season 4.  B5 was told that the show was ending after season 4 so the writers crammed two years of plot into one season . . . and then it was renewed for a 5th season.  As you can imagine, that last season was not its best.

I'm glad I'm not a television writer.  I'd go off like D'argo on a regular basis.  So many stupid decisions.

Well, I had a fun ride and now I'm suffering from post-binge let-down. Time to go watch something non-science-fiction to re-set my brain.  Or better yet, time to turn off the TV and do something else for a while.

[ganesh]

I wrote a letter too! 

[millahnna]

I sent a bra. Or Twelve. 

[Loandbehold]

10 hours ago, millahnna said:

I sent a bra. Or Twelve. 

Were they yours?*

*Asking for a ... friend.