Farscape Rwatch: We're So Screwed (Part 2): Hot to Katratzi (4.20)
Wiki summary: The crew of Moya head to Katratzi in hopes of rescuing Scorpius, who possesses knowledge of wormholes, from the Scarrans. To do this, Crichton straps an atomic bomb to his hip.
Of this episode, I renembered Crichton's original entrance plus monologue at the Scarran council chamber plus the Scorpius and Staleek scene (more about my original reaction later), and nothing else, including the reveal that Sikozu (and the Kalish she's mainly interacting with in this episode) is a bioloid. I don't think the show in what few episodes remain ever touches on the implication there - that if Sikozu is sentient and self determined, as she evidently is, then so was the Aeryn copy John shot, and all other bioloids -, but maybe they were planning to do something with it in a full fifth season.
Another thing I find amazing: at no point does John refer to this episode's location as the Death Star. (Or does he and I missed it because he talked too fast?) You'd think he'd make the obvious reference. Especially with an Emperor around.
More seriously: Aeryn's fond smile while John was monologuing very much reminded me of
londonkds's observation that Aeryn and John may come across as a gender reverse (s2 of Buffy) Spike and Drusilla in the Unchartered Territories, with Crichton as the evidently insane one mumbling cryptic truths and Aeryn as the fond and adoring sane partner in villainy. This said, this entire stunt is really insane, with the sheer number of people who'd get killed if someone called his bluff. The monologue itself is vintage Crichton, and Farscape, down to the concluding "I'm an American, and what do I want? Capitalism!"
Grayza continues her post-Bring Home the Beacon trend of being believable in her position and more interesting now that she's not playing the one note evil vamp anymore, while Akhna's and Staleek's mutual hostility is the kind of inter-Scarran conflict that makes me wonder whether the Scarrans would have gotten the individualizing teatment the Peacekeepers got in season 2 and we'd have gotten to know them on a similar "still evil empire, but made up of individuals instead of Evil Firebreathers (TM)" level. Speaking of Staleek: the first time I watched, the "Scorpius was spying for Staleek all this time and is really after power and nothing else!" seeming reveal made me very upset, since it seemed to negate everything interesting about the character and also conflicted with Incubator. It was a loooooong week during which I fretted and hoped this would be a double bluff (i.e. Scorpius fooling Staleek), as indeed it would turn out to be. As a result of which upon rewatch what I'm now most curious about is that if Scorpius in the equivalent of a John Le Carré spy where both sides think he works for them but he's following his own agenda (though he has stronger negative feelings about one side), would a "Spy who came in from the Cold" type of plot work with him?
Riot alert: my favourite part of this is undercover D'Argo and Rygel. Now that they interact in more variations than just D'Argo snarling at Rygel for being more greedy than usual, they make an efficient team!
The other episodes This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1461581.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
Of this episode, I renembered Crichton's original entrance plus monologue at the Scarran council chamber plus the Scorpius and Staleek scene (more about my original reaction later), and nothing else, including the reveal that Sikozu (and the Kalish she's mainly interacting with in this episode) is a bioloid. I don't think the show in what few episodes remain ever touches on the implication there - that if Sikozu is sentient and self determined, as she evidently is, then so was the Aeryn copy John shot, and all other bioloids -, but maybe they were planning to do something with it in a full fifth season.
Another thing I find amazing: at no point does John refer to this episode's location as the Death Star. (Or does he and I missed it because he talked too fast?) You'd think he'd make the obvious reference. Especially with an Emperor around.
More seriously: Aeryn's fond smile while John was monologuing very much reminded me of
londonkds's observation that Aeryn and John may come across as a gender reverse (s2 of Buffy) Spike and Drusilla in the Unchartered Territories, with Crichton as the evidently insane one mumbling cryptic truths and Aeryn as the fond and adoring sane partner in villainy. This said, this entire stunt is really insane, with the sheer number of people who'd get killed if someone called his bluff. The monologue itself is vintage Crichton, and Farscape, down to the concluding "I'm an American, and what do I want? Capitalism!"
Grayza continues her post-Bring Home the Beacon trend of being believable in her position and more interesting now that she's not playing the one note evil vamp anymore, while Akhna's and Staleek's mutual hostility is the kind of inter-Scarran conflict that makes me wonder whether the Scarrans would have gotten the individualizing teatment the Peacekeepers got in season 2 and we'd have gotten to know them on a similar "still evil empire, but made up of individuals instead of Evil Firebreathers (TM)" level. Speaking of Staleek: the first time I watched, the "Scorpius was spying for Staleek all this time and is really after power and nothing else!" seeming reveal made me very upset, since it seemed to negate everything interesting about the character and also conflicted with Incubator. It was a loooooong week during which I fretted and hoped this would be a double bluff (i.e. Scorpius fooling Staleek), as indeed it would turn out to be. As a result of which upon rewatch what I'm now most curious about is that if Scorpius in the equivalent of a John Le Carré spy where both sides think he works for them but he's following his own agenda (though he has stronger negative feelings about one side), would a "Spy who came in from the Cold" type of plot work with him?
Riot alert: my favourite part of this is undercover D'Argo and Rygel. Now that they interact in more variations than just D'Argo snarling at Rygel for being more greedy than usual, they make an efficient team!
The other episodes This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1461581.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.