Recap / Farscape S 02 E 11 Look At The Princess A Kiss Is But A Kiss

Season 2, Episode 11:

Look at the Princess, part 1: A Kiss Is But a Kiss

The episode begins with Aeryn giving Crichton a flying lesson in the module; however, things get intimate when Crichton notices that Aeryn has scented her hair. Unfortunately, both the lesson and the kissing end when Aeryn decides she doesn't want to be "a slave to (Crichton's) hormones", and she leaves in a huff. Following this, the trouble really begins when Moya finds herself targeted by a cluster of satellite weapons, having apparently trespassed into orbit of a Peacekeeper world. Following four arns of tense negotiation, it turns out the satellites aren't Peacekeeper at all; they belong to a neutral empire of Sebacean colonies that broke away from the Peacekeepers almost 2,000 years ago, and the planet below is their capital.

Zhaan remains behind on the ship while the rest of the crew enjoys some R&R at a club, where a few things are established: first of all, there's a tradition among the natives, in which they put a few drops from a vial on their tongues and then kiss. The taste determines whether the couple is compatible or not, like a saliva mood ring. Secondly, there's a succession crisis going on; the eldest child of the Empress, Princess Katralla, is slated to take the throne, but as she hasn't been able to find a compatible mate, it looks like her younger brother, Prince Clavor, will succeed instead. The bad news is that Clavor is a petulant brat with a gold-digger fiancée and a budding alliance with the Scarran Imperium; for good measure, they've sent an ambassador to keep an eye on him.

Complications arise when Scorpius' command carrier arrives in orbit. Zhaan and Pilot opt to flee, hoping that the carrier will follow them. Nice try; Scorpius doesn't take the bait. Back in the club, Crichton is approached by the planet's representative, Councillor Tyno, who introduces him to an anonymous kissing partner; Crichton doesn't suspect anything until the kiss turns out to be sweet — whereupon the whole club falls silent, Prince Clavor throws a temper-tantrum, and Tyno orders guards to take Crichton into protective custody.

The woman he kissed was none other than Princess Katralla; as the only man found that can provide her with healthy offspring, John is encouraged to marry her. And he can't say no, either. Clavor's pact with the Scarrans would result in the Peacekeepers invading, so the Empress wants to keep her son off the throne and Katralla on it; to that end, she invites Scorpius down for a visit, making Crichton's choices abundantly clear: either wed her daughter, or be given to Scorpius. With little other choice in the matter, Crichton accepts.

Unfortunately, it's not going to be as simple as just marrying the girl: once the royal couple are married, they are petrified and turned into statues, and left to stand in the royal court for the next eighty cycles; because they can still see and hear, they are expected to absorb as much information on court politics as they can, so that when the Empress and her husband finally die, the new couple are ready to take their place without any need for training. Crichton is understandably stressed, knowing that by the time he's de-petrified, all of his old friends and relatives on Earth will be dead, but with the threat of being given to Scorpius still hanging over his head, he's out of options. Faced with the prospect of losing everyone he knows, Crichton is left alone in his royal apartment...where he's attacked by a gang of assassins. He's quickly subdued and held in place while one of them shoots him with a beam weapon...

Meanwhile, far away from the Royal Planet, Moya is trying to find her way back when a signal draws her off course and into what appears to be a cloud of interstellar dust; as Zhaan watches in amazement, the cloud appears to reach out to them, and Pilot reveals that it's a representative of Moya's Builders — her gods.

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Tropes present in this episode include:

• Accidental Marriage: On Crichton's part, anyway.
• Agony Beam: As the first episode featuring Scarrans, this is also the first episode that features the dreaded Scarran heat projection. Over the course of this episode, Cargn uses it on Clavor, Jenavian, and Aeryn — before the latter punches him in the head.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: However, in these episodes it looks like a dragon-like Breath Weapon, while later it's projected from the hand (probably because the mouth version makes it look like Cargn just has very bad breath).
• Ambiguous Syntax: Crichton calls out to Chiana to ask if she wants to go down to the planet with him. Her "Yes!" turns out not to be an answer to his question.
• Bar Slide: Cargn of all people does this to Aeryn during their brawl in his quarters.
• Beard of Evil: Saskaretski Cargn sports the Scarran equivalent of a soul patch.
• Being Watched: Rygel immediately zeroing in on the angry-looking Scarran on the balcony. Looks like he's not happy about the new invaders.
• The Big Damn Kiss:
  • In the cockpit (heh), John leans in and nuzzles Aeryn's hair, asking about the fragrance she's wearing. Aeryn looks bemused and coolly mentions that Zhaan gave her some scented oils for her hair. He keeps his face pressed into her mane, and Aeryn warns him, "Personal indulgences can fracture a small crew." ...And then they kiss. And then they kiss more. And then Aeryn suddenly writhes away, throws open the cockpit hatch, and bolts. D'oh.
  • Everyone's reaction to Katralla smiling after she and Crichton kiss. It clues him in that something out of the ordinary is happening, and this quaint local ritual is more important than they thought.
• Bizarre Alien Senses: Moya picks up a signal on one of her eight senses. Presumably this is why she can only describe the signal to Pilot as "familiar and compelling."
• Black Sheep: Clavor, which Crichton lampshades. He wants to be ruler so everyone has to fawn over him, and doesn't care about the implications of violating the long-held neutrality of the Breakway Colonies.
• Brainless Beauty: Jenavian, Clavor's Gold Digger fiancé. At one point, Cargn Mind Probes her on what she was thinking while he was torturing Clavor; her only answer is, "I was hoping you wouldn't wear that to our wedding!"
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place: And lampshaded as such by Crichton.
• Breath Weapon: Cargn can project heat from his mouth, evoking this.
• Catfight: When Chiana and Aeryn start slanging each other, D'Argo intervenes to stop things regardless of how entertaining he finds it.
• Cannot Spit It Out: John and Aeryn cannot tell each other their feelings. John lampshades this with by saying it is the one thing they cannot overcome.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The Royal Planet's kickass defense sattelites will prove important in the next episode.
  • It's revealed that Councilor Tyno and Princess Katralla are madly in love, but cannot marry because they're not genetically compatible. Keep that tidbit in the back of your mind.
  • The Empress seals the news that Crichton is human, not Sebacean.
• Chekhov's Gunman:
  • For reasons having nothing to do with her exceptional beauty, keep your eye on Clavor's fiancee.
  • Ro-NA, the servant fussing over Prince Clavor's robe, becomes important in the next episode.
  • This is also our introduction to the Scarrans, who eventually become the main villains of the series.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Crichton outright says that if all Katralla's family wants from him is an heir, they could just let him donate his sperm and be done with it. It's not quite so simple. They don't just need an Empress and an heir; they need a royal family and dynastic continuity.
• Cliffhanger: This episode ends with John writhing in the beam of a Disintegrator Ray. To Be Continued...
• Crucified Hero Shot: Downplayed as it only involves Crichton zonking out on the bed after being told the fate of the entire Breakaway Colonies lies in his compatible DNA.
• Crystal Spires and Togas: The Royal Capital has flying cars, pyramid megastructures and a scantily clad beautiful elite.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: The fight between Aeryn and Cargn is not in Aeryn's favor. To her credit, she does manage to land a few hits and stop Cargn from using his heat projection. Nevertheless only the intervention of the Empress saves her life.
• Curse Cut Short/Half-Truth: Crichton and Aeryn are squished together in the Farscape-1's cockpit. Aeryn gives Crichton some piloting tips, and he points out that his ship isn't built for "hairpin maneuvers." Aeryn asks if he'd like to learn something, "Or are you content to continually display your ineptitude?" He huffs that she must mean his "improvisation, the kind that bails your sorry military—"
• Distinction Without a Difference: Councilor Tyno emphatically denies that Crichton is under arrest. But when Crichton promptly goes to leave, the armed guards bar his way. Turns out he's under protective custody. The literal kind—they're trying to protect Crichton, but have no intention of giving him a chance to run away.
• Distracted by the Sexy: John puts zero effort into figuring out what this liquid and kissing ritual is all about, he's too busy enjoying the fact that random beautiful women are coming up to him and kissing him for no apparent reason.
  John: I am never leaving this world!
• Double Entendre:
  • Aeryn scented her hair to see if Crichton would notice. He replies he's "Standing. At. Attention."
  • Later he explains the "arrangement" with Princess Katralla as, "I am the reverse King Arthur, I'm the one who can put the sword into the stone."
• The Dreaded: Despite his carefree facade, Crichton admits that Scorpius terrifies him. "He's in my head. Back of my mind, corner of my eye—he scares me Aeryn, and I can't shake him."
• Enemy Mine: Rygel proposing to Tyno that since he's royalty, he is obliged to come bearing gifts for the colonies' new sovereign. "Your hatred of the Peacekeepers can never approach ours. Fate has conspired to forge this alliance!" Tyno is reluctant to believe that any royalty of note would be traveling among escaped prisoners, but he eventually allows them passage, though only after seeing Crichton. An oblivious Rygel plays all 'I told ya so' at Crichton.
• Everyone Can See It: Except Crichton. Chiana and D'Argo's relationship had flown right over his head. "How come I'm always the last to know?"
• Failed Attempt at Drama: Clavor is pontificating on how power is a burden and a curse. This dramatic proclamation is slightly marred by the fact he's being fussed over by a servant who is adjusting his cloak.
• Fake-Out Make-Out: Trying to avoid further propositioning at the club, Aeryn performs the kiss-test on Rygel! They do their best to look as happy as possible until the failed suitor leaves, at which point they both spit in disgust.
• Fakeout Escape: When Scoripus turns up in a Command Carrier, Zhaan and Pilot starburst away in the hope that Scorpius will think the others are all on board. Despite them making the starburst as short as possible, Scorpius doesn't pursue and instead comes down to the Royal Planet, clearly already aware that Crichton is down there.
• Fantastic Drug: The "kissing liquid." A drop on the tip of each person's tongue, touch tips of tongues, then kiss. The implication is that the liquid changes flavor based on the genetic compatibility of the kissers. Crichton notes that it's "sweet, like molasses" after kissing Katralla. D'Argo and Chiana's kiss is a bit sour, and the kiss between Aeryn and Rygel is downright disgusting.
• Fanservice: Apparently, the Royal Planet's hat. Women tend to wear thin, flowing dresses that hug their figures delightfully. These range from very low-cut to strapless tops to halter tops to bikini tops, with skirts generally slit up the sides to show generous flashes of leg. Males tend to wear loose trousers with robe-like tops that are rarely closed or have anything beneath them.
• Faux Affably Evil: With people like Scorpius and the Scarran emissary pretending to be diplomatic, it comes with the territory.
• Foreshadowing:
  • D'Argo and Chiana's taste test. D'argo thinks the taste-test is a bad idea, but Chiana overrules him and puts a drop on his tongue. They kiss, and (alas) D'Argo lets loose an irritated hiss. No good. Chiana reassures him it's okay; "We don't play by the rules they do." Though the kiss-test is merely meant to gauge one's ability to bear healthy children, you can see it's a bad omen for this relationship. [The puppet department sighs with relief at not having to design a grey-skinned, face-tentacled baby.]
  • The kiss test is given a lot of focus before Chrichton kisses Katralla, and D'Argo and Aeryn do the work of (not obviously) explaining to the audience how it works; first with D'Argo and Chiana's sour kiss, later with Aeryn and Rygel's disgusting kiss (which she claims is "sweet!" to get guys to stop pestering her for kisses). So when everything stops as Katralla smiles and John says the kiss was "like molasses," you have a pretty fair idea what just happened, even if John is clueless.
  • When Crichton comes face-to-face with Scorpius, we get a quick montage of clips from his imprisonment in the Gammak Base. However, the montage also includes something we didn't see before: Scorpius about to inject something into Crichton.
    "Something to remember me by."
• Forgot Flanders Could Do That: We're reminded of the fact that Rygel is quite a capable statesman. This episode shows Rygel completely in his element for probably the first time in the series.
• Decadent Court: Coronation time turns the royal court into this.
• The Dutiful Daughter: Katralla; however, it's made clear that she's only this because she has absolutely no other choice in the matter.
• Gilded Cage: The Royal Apartment that Crichton ends up imprisoned in.
• Hand Gagging: Crichton trying to stop Rygel ruining things during their four-arn negotiation with Councilor Tyno. It works until the former Dominar hears the word "coronation", whereupon Rygel demonstrates the use of his teeth once more on a crewmate.
• Hands-On Approach: Aeryn is cramped into John's one-man module and has to practically sit on him to teach John how to fly better, a fact that causes him to notice that the Raised by Wolves soldier has suddenly started wearing perfume.
• Hard Light: The projection of Crichton's future son.
• Homoerotic Subtext
  • When Dregon offers the kiss test to Aeryn, she snarks that he should try Crichton instead seeing as he's enjoying all the kissing. Dregon looks at Crichton in expectation before being waved off.
  • Scorpius makes his Big Entrance by giving Crichton a Man Hug. Crichton tells him it's over between them and he should find another girlfriend.
  • When Crichton asks D'Argo to be his Best Man, D'Argo points out that he's with Chiana now.
• Hope Springs Eternal: Crichton resists the situation because becoming a statue for 80 cycles guarantees he'll never see his family and friends again.
  D'Argo: Well, you may never see these people again, anyway.
  Crichton: Hope, D'Argo. It's what keeps you going. You're gonna see your son; I'm gonna get home. Hope. I have hope or I'm nothing.
• Improvised Weapon: Surprised by the sudden appearance of Scorpius at a nightclub, D'Argo grabs an ornamental vase and holds it like his qualta blade, prepared to strike the villain down. Scorpius has other plans.
• Inadequate Inheritor: Absolutely nobody wants Clavor taking the throne besides his Scarran backer. His own mother admits he's a fool who'll dirsupt the system's entire power structure for his own gratification. She's far more eager to get Katralla on the throne which is why she pushes John into the marriage.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Twice in the same episode. The first time D'Argo frantically waves Crichton away and he departs with a certain degree of embarrassment. However, in the second occasion, Crichton has just been told about becoming a statue and is too upset to care that Chiana is completely naked and orgasming. In turn, D'Argo doesn't even bother getting angry—he just asks, "Why don't you stay and tell us about it?"
• Iron Lady: Empress Novia. While she does care about the millions of people that would be killed if the Peacekeepers or the Scarrans were to invade, she's scheming, manipulative, and unbendingly stubborn. Katralla herself admits that this is also Novia's style of parenting.
• I Want Grandkids: The whole point of the marriage is to produce healthy heirs, so Novia takes the opportunity to note that she expects a steady flow of grandchildren from Crichton. Gulp.
• Kill Sat: Self-tracking pulse cannons hold Moya in a potential crossfire the moment she enters the territory of the Breakaway Colonies. Even Scorpius with a full Command Carrier doesn't try his luck.
• Kiss-Kiss-Slap: Crichton chasing Aeryn across the landing bay while she declares, "No, no! I will NOT be a slave to your hormones!" Crichton, incredulous, shouts back, "MY hormones? Hey, I was lips, you were tongue!" For her rejoinder, Aeryn's turns around to slug Crichton (he blocks it).
  D'Argo: The alternative is having your brain dissected by Scorpius.
  Crichton: Humans do not live as long as Sebaceans, or Hynerians, or Delvians. When I get back, everyone—my Dad, DK, my sisters, Cameron Diaz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer WILL BE DEAD!
• Law of Inverse Fertility: Katralla has to produce an heir before she can become Empress, but her brother's meddling means she can't have a child with any male Sebacean.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: The Scarran ambassador muses that the Princess' new hubby must "die tragically" within the day.
• The Man Behind the Man: Cargn makes it clear that Clavor is his puppet even before he becomes a Puppet King.
  "You will rule not because you desire it, Clavor, but because I doooooo..."
• Marriage of Convenience: Crichton and Katralla's union is entirely practical on both sides. He needs protection from Scorpius, and she needs an heir.
• Master of the Mixed Message:
  • Crichton urgently pressing Aeryn against the bulkhead and inquiring, "Why did you do your hair?". Aeryn confesses, "To see if you'd notice." He releases her and replies, "Standing. At. Attention." Aeryn retreats back into her shell of stoicism and flees.
    Aeryn: I'll let Zhaan know that you find her oils pleasing.
    Crichton: It's you I find pleasing!
  • And of course, Crichton points out to Aeryn that "I was lips, you were tongue!"
  • Lampshaded by Chiana, who accurately predicts that since Crichton's off the market, Aeryn's now going to "mess with his head" some more and possibly derail the marriage. This would put everybody, not least of all Crichton, in serious jeopardy.
• Modesty Bedsheet: A Gender-Inverted Trope when Crichton barges in on Chiana the second time. She's Toplessness from the Back while D'Argo's head is under the blanket, presumably putting that Overly-Long Tongue to good use. Chiana storms off while D'Argo just wraps the blanket around himself and listens to Crichton vent with a resigned expression.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: Cargn, the emissary of the Scarran "Master Race."
• Neck Snap: Used by Clavor's assassins on the only security guard in Crichton's apartment.
• No, Mister Bond, I Expect You To Dine: After meeting D'Argo at the bar, Scorpius defuses the potential brawl-to-the-death by ordering him a drink.
• No Sympathy: As soon as she hears about it, Aeryn is dead-set against Crichton's wedding. Everyone else points out to her that not only is he in an untenable position (marry the princess or get delivered to Scorpius), but that Aeryn's objection is entirely personal and selfish and isn't in any way about helping John.
• Not What It Looks Like: Cargn and Clavor see Scorpius and D'Argo sitting together and talking. They missed the part where D'Argo wanted to club Scorpius with a decorative vase, so they assume that they're working together, and therefore that Crichton is a Peacekeeper spy sent to block the Scarran advance and push the Breakaway Colonies towards the Peacekeepers.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Whatever Empress Novia said to Scorpius to get him to play along with her plan, since her plan is basically to force Crichton to marry Katralla or Novia will give him to Scorpius. Whether she lied in the face of the Living Lie Detector or convinced him some other way, she gets Scorpius to enter at maximum affability, and encouragingly tell John to "make the right choice," and stands aside smiling as John and Katralla discuss their options. However she did it, Novia outfoxed Farscape's resident Magnificent Bastard, hinting at how the Breakaway Colonies have remained independent for 1,900 cycles.
• Oh, Crap!: Zhaan and Pilot when Scorpius shows up in a Command Carrier. The crew are down on the planet and they have no time to retrieve them. So they starburst away, hoping Scorpius will assume everyone's aboard Moya and give chase. He doesn't.
• Opposites Attract Revenge: Subverted at both ends. Casanova doesn't have much of a shot at wooing Aeryn, as we'll soon see next episode.
  • Crichton tries to confront Aeryn in the corridor, but she dodges him again, saying she wants some space. Fine! Crichton decides it's his turn to act like a bratty teenager and calls out to Chiana, invoking much teeth-gnashing from Aeryn. "Yeah, I'm going down to the planet, you wanna hang?" Off-screen, we hear Chiana moan, "Yes!...Yeah!" Crichton obliviously takes this as an affirmative and barges into her room, where (of course) Chiana and D'Argo are having a close encounter.
    Crichton: WHOA-HO-HO! Bad timing! Good time— uh, sorry, wrong time!
• Playing Cyrano: Subverted with Chiana, whose relationship tips are suspiciously skewed toward convincing Crichton to boink her instead.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Clavor snapping at his servant, Ro-Na, for performing her duties in front of guests. "Stop it! I said, before I speak with them, not during!" She looks down, abashed, and Clavor turns back to Crichton and sighs casually, "Ignorant creature."
• Pun: "Better wed than dead."
• Resistance Is Futile: As a flurry of weapons satellites fly past them, Rygel shouts, "Run, fight, surrender — PICK ONE!" However, it is Pilot (or rather, Moya) who waves the white flag immediately: "Resistance by her means death."
• The Rich Have White Stuff: Everything about the Royal Planet is white. Everyone wears white, the decor is almost entirely white, even their Peacekeeper-style pulse rifles are painted white. The only exception, apparently, is their wedding clothes, which are in reds and pinks.
• Rigged Contest: Clavor, with the help of the Scarrans, poisoned Katralla's DNA so she would be incompatible with any Sebacean male. If she's not genetically compatible to have kids, she can't get married, and if she can't get married, she can't be Empress. Fortunately, along comes a hapless human male from Earth who is compatible. . .
• The Rival:
  • Clavor and Katralla for the throne.
  • Aeryn winds up with two rival suitors on the planet, one somewhat awkward and dorky, the other entirely too smooth and handsome. She's not terribly interested in either one.
• Royal Brat: Clavor.
• Sadistic Choice: "My daughter, or that abomination. Choose."
• Sex for Solace: D'Argo asks Crichton not to mess up his relationship with Chiana, because at least she's brought some pleasure to his miserable life.
• Shotgun Wedding: Novia turns the Arranged Marriage into this when she brings in Scorpius to prod Crichton in the right direction.
• Sinister Schnoz: Clavor.
• Sissy Villain: Clavor, again.
• Smug Snake: Clavor, again.
• Starcrossed Lovers: Katralla and Tyno are very much in love but her poisoned DNA means they can't have children, so Katralla has to marry someone else.
• Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: The Builders who created Moya are regarded by the Living Ship as her gods.
• Taken for Granite: Discussed, but not actually demonstrated this episode.
• Tempting Fate:
  • John, excited random beautiful women coming up to him for kisses every sixty seconds, excitedly exclaims "I am never leaving this world!" That comes very close to being the case.
  • John tells Empress Novia that there's nothing that could make him marry her daughter. She just smirks and gestures to Scorpius, who's just walked through the door.
• Test Kiss: A literal version. The inhabitants of the Royal Planet use a chemical applied to the tongue before kissing to test if their genes are compatible for procreation. Crichton and Katralla yield a positive result which kicks off the plot. D'Argo and Chiana try it out and get a negative result. Aeryn kisses Rygel and lies that it's positive to get a man to leave her alone.
• This Cannot Be!: Clavor on seeing that the Kiss Test has had a positive result. Cargn has calm him down before his outraged reaction gives away their entire plot.
• Title Drop: Downplayed. After Crichton and Katralla kiss, the crowd hushes as they realize she's smiling. You can hear some of the partygoers in the background exclaim "Look at the Princess! She's smiling!"
• To Be Continued: Ends on a memorable frame of Crichton apparently being disintegrated by whatever weapon the assassins are using, screaming in agony as it looks like his body is about to be ripped apart.
• Unnervingly Heartwarming: Scorpius reintroduces himself to Crichton by striding into the room and warmly hugging him around the shoulders, treating him as a long-lost friend. It's a bizarrely sweet touch neatly undercut by the fact that Scorpius has tortured Crichton very brutally in the past, and is likely planning on doing the same if he can manage to recapture him; for good measure, the merest sight of Scorpius prompts Crichton to suffer a flashback.
  Scorpius: You know that no matter what you think, the rift between us need not be terminal.
• Uptown Girl: The whole Royal Planet gives off this vibe. . . understandable, since it's the Royal Planet. Specifically, Katralla has been groomed all her life to become Empress and lead her people, a quintessential Princess Classic in space. Crichton is. . . well. . . Crichton.
  Crichton: You would just have to be on this side of my life to understand how frelling insane that is!
• Villainous Demotivator: During yet another one of Clavor's temper tantrums, the prince goes so far as to threaten to reveal the extent of Cargn's mission to the Empress. The Scarran emissary simply blasts Clavor in the face with a heat beam, and warns him that any attempt to end their alliance will mean Clavor's instant death, regardless of the consequences to himself.
• The Wise Princess: Katralla, for the most part; knowing that she can never really have what she wants, she's forced herself to think of the bigger picture. For good measure, she also apologises to Crichton for how badly things have turned out.
• Who Dares?: On meeting Crichton, Clavor tries to dismiss Tyno and his guards, no doubt to facilitate that tragic death that his backer promised. When Tyno says his instructions are that Crichton is to be guarded at all times, Clavor demands to know "Whose order dares to countermand mine?" The reply visibly knocks some of the arrogance out of him.
  Tyno: The Empress. Your Mother.
• World of Snark
  • When Clavor says he has half a mind to expose Cargn's plotting, the Scarran replies, "You do have half a mind, Your Highness." Then when he finds out Jenavia is equally brainless, he walks off snarking: "Destiny’s couple, you are."
  • Not that Cargn isn't on the receiving end.
    Cargn: I don't believe I've had the pleasure.
    Aeryn: Yes, I've heard that about Scarrans.
• V-Sign: When Clavor grandly introduces himself as "first among my people", Crichton flips him the peace sign. (no. 2) Harmless greeting, or sounding out his rival?