Season 3, Episode 19:
I-Yensch, You-Yensch
The crew commence their plan to get aboard Scorpius' command carrier. D'Argo and Rygel meet with Scorpius and Braca at a neutral location. Despite interference from a pair of inept thieves, they manage to broker a deal: Crichton and the rest of the crew will be invited aboard the command carrier as honoured guests while Crichton assists with the wormhole research. To ensure there's no foul play, both Scorpius and Crichton will wear I-Yensch bracelets, which synchronise each other's nerve impulses and ensure that if one of the pair is hurt or killed, the same thing will happen to the other.
Meanwhile, Talyn is descending further and further into madness as a result of his conflicting Leviathan/Peacekeeper biology. Things come to a head when Talyn, in a panic, destroys an unarmed transport full of civilians. Crais wants to take Talyn to a facility where his biologicals function can be shut down until the defective elements of his personality can be repaired: doing so will effectively kill the Talyn they know, but if they don't, Talyn is bound to have more emotional problems down the line and cause more damage. After Talyn actually fires on Moya in a fit of paranoid rage, Aeryn agrees to Crais' plan and manages to talk Talyn down, convincing him that a shutdown and repair is necessary.
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Cliffhanger Cop Out: The prior episode ended with Crichton, Aeryn, and Crais intending to find Scorpius's wormhole project, and the implication was that they were on their own. While Jool intends to leave on the transport and Chiana also threatens to, the rest of the crew is fully on board with helping Crichton (which is how D'Argo and Rygel get into this mess).
- The Comically Serious: Rygel drops a helium fart in Scorpius' presence. Cue Scorpius delivering a snark in Helium Speech.
- Contrived Coincidence: The main conflict in the A plot is due to a completely coincidental plot twist in the story of a struggling diner just happening to take place while the mains are there.
- Crazy-Prepared:
- Ahead of the meeting, Scorpius has a team of commandos storm the diner just to ensure that D'Argo and Rygel were being truthful.
- Part of the negotiations is to ensure safety aboard the Command Carrier, hence the bracelets.
- Deus Exit Machina: Scorpius orders the commandos to return to the ship (as well as carry the ones that D'Argo had punched out). This, of course, makes it possible for the thugs to later takeover the diner.
- Likewise D'Argo and Braca are synched via the bracelets as a demonstration and Braca is seriously injured by the thugs which means D'Argo who could probably beat them all up easily is crippled by the nerve feedback and unable to do anything but lie there.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: After leaving Moya, Naj Gil dies abruptly and offscreen when Talyn blows up the med ship he is on in a fit of paranoia.
- Faking the Dead: After getting shot, Scorpius does this. It helps him take the thugs by surprise.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Downplayed. Rygel and Scorpius have no love for each other, but this adventure allows them to reach an understanding in their negotiations.
- Genre Blindness: During the climax, one of the thugs asks why this job had to be so difficult. Rygel remarks that it's because they didn't have a plan and just assumed everything would work out.
- Groin Attack: One of the thieves kicks Braca in the genitals, and thanks to the I-Yensch bracelets D'Argo feels it too.
- Hero of Another Story: The diner owners Essk and Voodi have their own thing going on, and we see quite a bit of the plot from their point of view.
- Mooks: Discussed. Scorpius intended to have Braca wear the bracelet while Crichton wears the other. Rygel remarks that Braca is expendable and that the deal only goes ahead if Scorpius wears the bracelet.
- Mugging the Monster: Deconstructed. The two crooks have no idea how dangerous the customers at the bar and grill are. However, their incompetence doesn't lead to a Curb-Stomp Battle, but makes the situation much more dangerous because of their unpredictability. It also doesn't help that the group is without weapons and D'Argo is incapacitated by the bracelets.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Talyn has a breakdown after destroying the hospital ship, then another after shooting at Moya.
- Shoot the Dog: Shutting down Talyn is this for the crew. The cognitive replacement they hope to get him would permanently alter Talyn's mind. Crais takes this especially hard.
- Spanner in the Works: The thugs were supposed to burn down the diner so the owner could collect the insurance. The presence of the other characters throws everything off.
- Stupid Crooks: The restaurant cook hires some monkey-like thugs to burn down the restaurant for the insurance money. When they find the meeting in progress they throw together a half-baked ransom plot too.
- Synchronisation: The I-Yensch bracelets induce this on the people wearing them.
- Xanatos Gambit: While Rygel was reasonably sure that Scorpius was wearing protective armor, he admits it wouldn't have been that bad for him if Scorpius had actually died.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Rygel and Scorpius have to play this to keep the thugs from shooting up the place. Sometimes, it involves turning on each other.
