Farscape season 1 done
I'd been meaning to check out Farscape for well over a decade now. Technically I did, once, when a friend showed me an out of order episode and possibly the pilot episode as well, but that was so long ago and I really can't remember anything about them aside from my takeaway from them being "Weird."
But everything I'd heard about the show since then sounded like it was absolutely my brand (my brand being "out of his element protagonist thrown into a dangerously unpredictable environment that subjects him to all sorts of horrible things including torture and mindrape. and it has muppets") and last week I finally took the plunge and finished the first season yesterday. And I really liked it! The "brainrot" stage of affection hasn't set in yet, but it shows a lot of promise ("promise" being "man, how about that torture chair").
"Rhapsody in Blue" was the episode that signaled I was going from casually enjoying it to getting invested; it supplied me with a much-needed nutrient of experiencing character backstory first-handedly. Then Chiana showed up and the quality of the episodes kept steadily rising, with "Through the Looking Glass" being the standout of the season. It's weird, it's imaginative, it lets the whole cast shine, and it stands well enough on its own that I'd recommend it as a show sampler.
Crichton as a character was the most important part in sealing the deal of this as a show for me, and he's very, very likely my favorite. On paper, he sounds like he’d be insufferable for his nonstop pop culture references, but it ends up working here because it alludes to his mental state of constant homesickness and need to stay grounded. There's never that sense of “Now clap” as an intent of his remarks, or even a sense of smugness that he finally knows something these aliens around him don't, either--just desperation to keep it together. As I've likely indicated, I love my protagonists to be desperate and struggling.
Looking forward to watching more.
But everything I'd heard about the show since then sounded like it was absolutely my brand (my brand being "out of his element protagonist thrown into a dangerously unpredictable environment that subjects him to all sorts of horrible things including torture and mindrape. and it has muppets") and last week I finally took the plunge and finished the first season yesterday. And I really liked it! The "brainrot" stage of affection hasn't set in yet, but it shows a lot of promise ("promise" being "man, how about that torture chair").
"Rhapsody in Blue" was the episode that signaled I was going from casually enjoying it to getting invested; it supplied me with a much-needed nutrient of experiencing character backstory first-handedly. Then Chiana showed up and the quality of the episodes kept steadily rising, with "Through the Looking Glass" being the standout of the season. It's weird, it's imaginative, it lets the whole cast shine, and it stands well enough on its own that I'd recommend it as a show sampler.
Crichton as a character was the most important part in sealing the deal of this as a show for me, and he's very, very likely my favorite. On paper, he sounds like he’d be insufferable for his nonstop pop culture references, but it ends up working here because it alludes to his mental state of constant homesickness and need to stay grounded. There's never that sense of “Now clap” as an intent of his remarks, or even a sense of smugness that he finally knows something these aliens around him don't, either--just desperation to keep it together. As I've likely indicated, I love my protagonists to be desperate and struggling.
Looking forward to watching more.