Line #16 Recap/FarscapeS04E07JohnQuixote


1	'''Season 4, Episode 7''':
2	!John Quixote
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4	En route to Moya in a transport pod, Chiana tries out a strange, neural link game she bought. She soon forces Crichton to try it out and for good reason: it starts out as a recreation of the escape from the Gammak Base. All of a sudden, however, the game shifts into a medieval-esque adventure game, with Aeryn as a princess in a tower, Stark as "guide to the game embodied" and other familiar faces playing other parts. Unable to just opt out, Crichton and Chiana have to play the game to escape, but there's a far more sinister motive at work here.
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7	!Tropes present in this episode include:
8	* BlackKnight: Rygel's role in the game, a homage to the Black Knight character from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail.''
9	* BluffTheImposter: To figure out which Chiana is which, Crichton asks what Aeryn's secret is.
10	* {{Callback}}: The first part of the game recreates [[Recap/FarscapeS01E20TheHiddenMemory the escape from the Gammak Base]].
11	-->'''Chiana:''' [[LampshadeHanging Drad, huh? Bring back memories? Gilina, Scorpius - Gammak Base!]]
12	* CarFu: During his second run-through of the game, Crichton steals male Zhaan's van and uses it to run over Game!Rygel.
13	* ContinuityNod:
14	** [[Recap/FarscapeS03E15InfinitePossibilitiesIcarusAbides The dead John Crichton]] gets a couple of nods.
15	** A ''very'' subtle piece, with the constant cries of "Eat me," the title of an episode about duplicating the characters. Jool also says "Why won't anyone eat me?", referring to her being the only character to not be duplicated in that episode.
16	* DarkerAndEdgier: Scorpius in the game is a far nastier, less reasonable person - to the point of outright trying to kill Crichton over being inconvenienced.
17	* ElevatorFloorAnnouncement: Yes. The game-game-game has a dedicated announcer for inter-level transit. You'll either love it-love it-love it or hate it as much as John does.
18	-->[[Series/MaxHeadroom John Headroom]]: [''elevator music plays constantly''] Yes, I know. This elevator sucks. My job su-su-sucks. Day after day the same-the same thing. Up. Down. Up. Down-down. Just once-just once it'd be nice to go... sideways. Just-just... sideways. Frog Princes! [''door opens, Sheeyang spits fire, John slays it''] N-n-not that I plan on doing this forever-ever. I have plans you know - [''softly''] Big [''loudly''] PLANS! I-I-I'm studying to be an astronaut. And... Penthouse! Have a good day.
19	* FantasticMedicinalBodilyProduct: The Virtual Zhaan's "milk" has healing properies in the virtual world. Though the other nipple produces [[PoisonIsCorrosive acidic poison]], choose wisely.
20	* GameBreakingBug: The whole plot. In the game you play as Crichton (as interpreted by Stark), and so when Crichton himself logs in it goes utterly insane and dumps them in a MinusWorld.
21	* TheGameNeverStopped: At first it seems as if Crichton has made it out of the game and back onto Moya (with Chiana, this time), only for Scorpius to have taken over the ship by hacking into Pilot via a neural interface, then using chips to commandeer the others. But once John discovers he still has one of the question stones Game!Stark gave him, he realizes he never really escaped after all and has to exit by properly "winning" it.
22	* GenderBender: Zhaan is male for most of the game. This proves to be a clue to what Crichton really needs to do to win.
23	-->"Ugliness enslaved..."
24	* GirlOnGirlIsHot: When Crichton kissing Princess Aeryn fails to end the game Game!Stark suggests that maybe Chiana has to kiss her, and adds that he'd ''love'' to watch that.
25	* IAmAHumanitarian: Game!D'Argo likes to taste his victims. Recreations of Chiana and Jool are oddly okay with that.
26	* MindRape: The game itself. Game!Stark states that when Crichton's body dies, his spirit will become trapped in the game "with us." Scorpius also takes over Moya in this fashion, though this is later revealed to be part of the game.
27	* MinusWorld: The game is supposed to be a simulation of the Gammak base raid from season 1. The level they spend most of the episode in is due to a bug and shouldn't exist.
28	* NiceJobBreakingItHero
29	-->'''Crichton:''' So how'd you do it? Who helped?\
30	'''Game!Stark:''' You did. You and that tragic brother; pouring his heart out on his deathbed.\
31	'''Crichton:''' Bull. This game has crap he couldn't know.\
32	'''Game!Stark:''' It's crap ''you'' gave me along the way. You talk ''so'' much.
33	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Crichton kisses Game!Aeryn and... nothing happens. As Crichton thinks he's trapped and has no way out, Game!Stark boasts, "This is ''my' world, meat; you're just walking through it!" This, however, prompts Crichton to figure out what he needs to do.
34	-->"''Your'' world, ''your'' princess!"
35	* NonSequiturEnvironment: Crichton and Chiana realize that they're still playing the game when - among other immersion-breaking glitches - they find Moya's docking bay doors opening onto the game's fairytale kingdom.
36	* NotInTheFace: Game!Stark appears on a TV screen to gloat, only to panic as Crichton raises his sword. And since he's on the TV, ''only'' his face is being shown.
37	* OhCrap: Crichton when he's been on Moya for a while, only to realize he's still in the game.
38	* RealityIsOutToLunch: And this episode is deranged!
39	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: In a sense; Game!Stark wants to trap Crichton inside forever as punishment, since he blames him (and Aeryn) for Zhaan's death. To escape, John not only has to free her from the male disguise, but also earn her forgiveness (by promising to save the universe, set right the balance, and make sure [[EarnYourHappyEnding the deaths of everyone who died for him meant something]]) so she will kiss him.
40	* ShoutOut: [[Series/MaxHeadroom John Headroom]]. And the title is a pun on ''Literature/DonQuixote''.
41	* SpotTheImposter: Chiana has a double in the game, who swaps places with her off-screen when she and Crichton get separated. It takes Crichton until getting back to that level to realize what has happened.
42	* TakenFromADream: After apparently managing to escape from the simulation, Crichton soon finds himself dealing with Scorpius attempting to take over Moya... up until he finds the last hint voucher in his pocket - revealing that he never escaped at all.
43	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Virginia Hey's appearance was meant to be a last-minute surprise, but Sci-Fi Channel's promos focused on that particular moment. Some reviewers commented at the time, "That sound you hear is Ben Browder screaming over the plot twist being spoiled."
44	* TrappedInTVLand: Of the video game variety. Humorously, when Crichton first realizes he's trapped, a television does fall on him.
45	* VirtualRealityWarper: Crichton tries to turn the tables on Scorpius by dragging him into the buggy VR game he was playing earlier in the episode. Unfortunately, Scorpius sees right through the simulation's fabric and can manipulate it in ways that ordinary players can't even attempt: within seconds, he turns Crichton's pulse pistol into a banana, dissolves Gilina into meaningless equations, and nearly manages to [[YourMindMakesItReal shut down Crichton's lungs in the real world]] before Aeryn saves him. And then it turns out that Crichton never stopped playing the game at all, and everything that's happened since he "quit" the first time - including Scorpy's breakout - was set up by Avatar Stark to frell with Crichton's head.
46	* WinToExit: The only way out of the game is to complete it and "Kiss the Princess".

Context Recap / FarscapeS04E07JohnQuixote