Farscape Rewatch: Vita Mortis (2.02.)
Wiki summary: D'Argo takes part in a sacred ritual that helps a dying Luxan, an Orican, to pass on. During the ritual the Orican invokes a ritual of renewal, drawing from what she thinks is D'Argo's strength. Consequently Moya starts to age rapidly.
For all that Farscape billed itself as the anti-Trek, this reminds me of nothing as much as an avarage ST episode. Not least because various incarnations of ST did the "vampire/succubus/energy draining telepath drains one member of the ensemble" plot a copule of times. I don't recall watching it back in the day, or if I did, I'd forgotten all about it, so it was new to me.
I was thrown the first time we saw and heard old Nilaam, because I thought: Hang on, isn't that Noranti? And indeed it was Melissa Jaffer, though sadly not for the rest of the episode. Nothing against Anna Lise Philipps, but she didn't have the same charisma or presence. I'm not keen on this trope in general, with a very few exceptions ("Being Human", the UK original, did a great and original succubus), though I will say that at least as opposed to the last life energy drainer priestess (last season, which only John seemed to recall, in Blue Raphsody), Nilaam was presented as not deliberately malicious, and in the end she was willing to die after a period of temptation. Otoh, once it was clear she was draining Moya, there wasn't much of an ethical dilemma, and possibly due to the change of actress, I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection between her and D'Argo. (Girls of the week sometimes work, and sometimes they don't.)
Otoh, the episode did offer some good character and relationship moments for our ensemble. The tetchy one between Chiana and Aeryn (which is also noticeable as the first indication Chiana will develop a thing for D'Argo), which is one of those reminders Chiana hasn't been on board as long as everyone else and is still establishing relationships with the rest; the tender one between Aeryn and Pilot (who again calls for her, and her alone, when Moya and himself face distress), which made me go "awwwww" unabahedly. Also, for all that John's noticably darker this season even if you don't know what's to come, and I don't mean due to his choice of costume, this episode is heavy on the friendship that's developed between him and D'Argo, both with the not-so-paranoid protectiveness and the later being there after Nilaam's death.
Still. Mainly Nilaam is there to endanger Moya and provide D'Argo with more angst. (Having to kill, or at least assist the suicide of, a woman he's just gotten romantically attached to; given that D'Argo was wrongly accused of killing his wife, this is extra hard.) As opposed to, say, the equally one shot guest character in "Bone to be Wild", she doesn't feel (to me, it's imo as always) as a person in her own right once she's rejuvinated, as opposed to a plot device and her mystical powers are a bit too fantastical for me to buy - especially the inadvertent draining of Moya from afar. So what's supposed to be tragic falls emotionally somewhat flat to me, and I won't watch the episode anytime soon again.
Trivialities: where did D'Argo get the Luxan ceremonial robes he's wearing from? Otoh, thanks, show, for answering the question how our heroes keep their wardrobe clean.
The other episodes This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1405847.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
For all that Farscape billed itself as the anti-Trek, this reminds me of nothing as much as an avarage ST episode. Not least because various incarnations of ST did the "vampire/succubus/energy draining telepath drains one member of the ensemble" plot a copule of times. I don't recall watching it back in the day, or if I did, I'd forgotten all about it, so it was new to me.
I was thrown the first time we saw and heard old Nilaam, because I thought: Hang on, isn't that Noranti? And indeed it was Melissa Jaffer, though sadly not for the rest of the episode. Nothing against Anna Lise Philipps, but she didn't have the same charisma or presence. I'm not keen on this trope in general, with a very few exceptions ("Being Human", the UK original, did a great and original succubus), though I will say that at least as opposed to the last life energy drainer priestess (last season, which only John seemed to recall, in Blue Raphsody), Nilaam was presented as not deliberately malicious, and in the end she was willing to die after a period of temptation. Otoh, once it was clear she was draining Moya, there wasn't much of an ethical dilemma, and possibly due to the change of actress, I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection between her and D'Argo. (Girls of the week sometimes work, and sometimes they don't.)
Otoh, the episode did offer some good character and relationship moments for our ensemble. The tetchy one between Chiana and Aeryn (which is also noticeable as the first indication Chiana will develop a thing for D'Argo), which is one of those reminders Chiana hasn't been on board as long as everyone else and is still establishing relationships with the rest; the tender one between Aeryn and Pilot (who again calls for her, and her alone, when Moya and himself face distress), which made me go "awwwww" unabahedly. Also, for all that John's noticably darker this season even if you don't know what's to come, and I don't mean due to his choice of costume, this episode is heavy on the friendship that's developed between him and D'Argo, both with the not-so-paranoid protectiveness and the later being there after Nilaam's death.
Still. Mainly Nilaam is there to endanger Moya and provide D'Argo with more angst. (Having to kill, or at least assist the suicide of, a woman he's just gotten romantically attached to; given that D'Argo was wrongly accused of killing his wife, this is extra hard.) As opposed to, say, the equally one shot guest character in "Bone to be Wild", she doesn't feel (to me, it's imo as always) as a person in her own right once she's rejuvinated, as opposed to a plot device and her mystical powers are a bit too fantastical for me to buy - especially the inadvertent draining of Moya from afar. So what's supposed to be tragic falls emotionally somewhat flat to me, and I won't watch the episode anytime soon again.
Trivialities: where did D'Argo get the Luxan ceremonial robes he's wearing from? Otoh, thanks, show, for answering the question how our heroes keep their wardrobe clean.
The other episodes This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1405847.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.