Line #86 Recap/FarscapeS02E08DreamALittleDream


1	'''Season 2, Episode 8''':
2	!Dream a Little Dream
3
4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/farscape_s2e08_9113.jpg]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:Like everything else, ''Farscape'' takes PlanetOfHats and [[Website/SFDebris bitch-slaps it]].]]
6
7	In a Moyan transport pod, Zhaan catapults awake from her guilt-ridden dream of Crichton and the others dying horrible deaths. Crichton is poking around in the pod's guts and finds Rygel's leftover meal sizzling against the nav linkage. Looks like he and Zhaan are stuck for awhile. Zhaan passes the time by reflecting on the search for Crichton and the others. Zhaan and Pilot searched through 24 planets, countless moons and asteroids with no sign of them; Litigara was their last hope. Moya was anxious to leave Litigara's orbit to search for Talyn. So, in her search, Zhaan was getting desperate...
8
9	Flashback: Zhaan, Rygel, and Chiana hit the streets of Litigara, asking people if they've seen two Sebaceans and a Luxan. Zhaan comms Pilot and pleads for more time to find the others, but Pilot and Moya are obdurate. Meanwhile, Rygel is falling-down drunk, and Chiana is partying it up with the locals. Zhaan exhaustedly agrees to Pilot's timetable, then overrules Rygel and Chiana's resulting protests by tearfully accusing them of being useless in the search. Unaware that she's being tailed by one of the Litigarans from the bar, Zhaan charges off alone. However, she's stopped by a yelling intercom ordering her not to enter the crosswalk. A female Litigaran peeks around a corner while holding a remote control. The crosswalk tells Zhaan she can now cross. She does, and nearly gets run down by a car. A few beefy cops yank Zhaan and drag her off to jail for... jaywalking.
10
11	With Zhaan in the clink, Chiana tells the panicking Pilot to chill out. A public defender named Dersh arrives on the scene and speedily extrapolates what Zhaan's minimum sentence will be - 10 solar days. Chiana grumpily suggests getting another lawyer, and Dersh says they're welcome to try; over 90% of the population are lawyers.
12
13	Meanwhile, a powerful attorney named Ja Rhumann is on the phone with a nervous-sounding policeman, who is complaining that tonight's not a good night for him. Rhumann says they have the "perfect subject" and orders that the plan be carried out, then hangs up. That night, the Litigaran woman from earlier approaches Zhaan's cell and opens the door, giving her a map to the exit. Zhaan takes this obvious bait and makes a break for it. In the streets, Zhaan finds Chiana and Rygel (yay!) but trips over a dead body (uh oh!). Convenient cops rush to arrest her, and Zhaan's map burns up in her hands. The cop who was phoned by Rhumann earlier arrives on the scene, announcing that she's under arrest for murder.
14
15	Back in the pokey, Dersh reveals that the man Zhaan "killed" was Wesley Kenn, a rising young advocate for the utilities; the 10% of the population who aren't lawyers. The charge is that she murdered him with her bare hands, although due to Kenn's radical politics, nobody's too cut up about it. Chiana balks at the lawyer's limp defense, but Dersh says that if he pleads a defense he even ''suspects'' is false, he'll suffer the same fate as his client.
16
17	In court, Zhaan is led to a standing prisoner's dock. Rygel explains to Chiana that Litigara is ruled by law firms, and the one currently in power is run by Ja Rhumann. The judge is about to give the verdict, when Zhaan asks if it matters that she is innocent. Her counsel immediately panics and withdraws his representation. The judge says that she can't change her plea without counsel, so Chiana runs up to Zhaan's dock and says it's all dren and that she can't let Zhaan be condemned. Zhaan hisses at her to shut up and orders her back to Moya. Chiana ignores her and nominates herself and Rygel as Zhaan's lawyers.
18
19	In the same bar from the opening, Chiana and Rygel are sifting through some hefty law tomes. Chiana sees a Utility get maltreated by some esquires and asks if they get a lot of that. They're lawyers, the bartender seethes. It's their right. Chiana complains about the complexity of Litigaran law, prompting the bartender to covertly slide over a slim book. It's the basis for all the Litigaran laws, before they got all clogged with red tape. Barkeep taps The ''Axiom'' and tells them it's the only book they need.
20
21	Chiana calls Pilot to demand a little more time. Pilot says imperiously that Moya will give them until one more revolution of the planet. After that they're out of there, with no promises to return. Chiana notices the officer who arrested Zhaan has conspicuous burns on his face. The bartender mentions that it was a dual full moon the other night. Litigarans with blue eyes usually stay indoors because the moonlight burns them. Chiana thinks this cop might know a thing or two that might be worth their knowing as well, so she trots off to make a new friend. Meanwhile, Rygel asks the bartender about the "Light of Truth" mentioned in The ''Axiom'' and learns that it goes back to the very origin of the law – a burning stick which burns brighter when someone is lying.
22
23	Court is back in session. Back to questioning the cop, Chiana notes his purpled complexion. He admits he got it the night of the murder. Chiana notes that while he got burned, the victim -- also blue-eyed -- didn't. Chiana also brings up the fact that the cop once worked for Ja Rhumann's law firm -- something she learned last night. Rhumann looks uncomfortable as muted hubbub fills the galley. Afterward, Chiana gets caught in an electro-net and taken to see Ja Rhumann. Rhumann sweats Chiana in his office by demanding that she stop her line of questioning, or else she and Rygel will be brought up on false charges. The next morning, Chiana takes Rygel's comm and tries desperately to get Pilot back on the line. All she hears back is static, but eventually Pilot responds and tells her that Moya overheard the whole conversation with Rhumann through the comm. She's decided to give them a little more time.
24
25	In court, Chiana calls Ja Rhumann to the stand. Chiana breaks a chair and designates one of the legs the Light of Truth. Rhumann blusters that the Light of Truth is a parable, and Rygel argues back that The ''Axiom'' would disagree. Chiana ignites the wood and holds it aloft. Rygel and Chiana proceed with their line of questioning, confirming that Rhumann stood to benefit from Kenn's death and that getting an "off-worlder" to take the fall would be mighty convenient. Rhumann covers himself by answering with "speaking hypothetically" and "it doesn't necessarily follow." Rygel reminds everyone that the cop got moonburn, but the victim didn't. Chiana goes on that maybe Kenn was murdered elsewhere and dragged to the alley where Zhaan was sure to be. Rygel whispers "Now." under his breath. Pilot pushes some buttons and Moya sends a beam of light to the planet. The stick explodes with light. With each denial of the murder conspiracy, the stick glows even more bright. Rygel asks if the judge will believe a guilty man or the symbol of her world. She orders Rhumann arrested and drops all charges against Zhaan.
26
27	Back in the present, Zhaan tells Crichton that she keeps seeing them die, even though they live. She says that the experience shows that her spirituality was lacking, but he says that since she recommitted herself to the Seek it may have been worth it.
28	----
29	!!Tropes present in this episode:
30	* AlienSky / WeirdMoon: Litigara's dual moons. They also loom quite large.
31	* AllCrimesAreEqual: On Litigara, a simple jaywalking is treated as seriously as murder.
32	* AmoralAttorney: Most of the lawyer-class Litigarans that we see aren't particularly nice people.
33	* ArmyOfLawyers: Combined with a PlanetOfHats (right down to the hats).
34	* AudienceMurmurs: Follows Chiana's dropping the bomb on her witness' conflict of interest.
35	* TheBartender: Chiana and Rygel get legal advice from a useful Litigaran bartender.
36	* BigNo: Aeryn getting fragged in her prowler. Luckily, it's just a dream.
37	* BizarreAlienBiology: On days when both moons are at their fullest, blue-eyed Litigarans are prone to "moon burns" on their skin. This becomes a plot-point later in the episode, when a blue-eyed police officer who happened to "stumble" across Zhaan at the murder scene is being cross-examined by Chiana, who points out that it was odd he was out that night when blue-eyed Litigarans tend to stay indoors. A ''very'' important deleted scene revealed that the murder victim was ''also'' blue-eyed but was ''not'' burned, suggesting he had been killed elsewhere and dumped where Zhaan could find him.
38	* {{Bookends}}: The episode begins and ends with John and Zhaan waiting in a pod for the others to pick them up. These scenes were added to frame the rest of the episode as a flashback when it was moved from the premiere slot.
39	* BottleEpisode: The framing narrative, presumably to save money, conspicuously involves only two regular cast members in an existing, frequently-used set, with two other regular characters only getting brief voice-only appearances on a radio transmission.
40	* BoundAndGagged
41	* CallForward: The episode fills in a few blanks with regards to events in "Mind the Baby", specifically explaining why Zhaan spends most of the episode in an apparent trance, what Chiana was referring to when she mentioned a trial, and why Zhaan initially thought she was still hallucinating Crichton when he returned (see "Out of Order").
42	* CatapultNightmare: The episode starts with a reenactment of last season's finale, but events play out a little differently: Aeryn's Prowler is blown up by Peacekeepers, D'Argo dies in space, and Crichton's space helmet cracks and [[YourHeadASplode 'splodes his handsome face]]. Luckily, it's just one of Zhaan's nightmares. (Had this episode aired in its original format, the anticlimatic deaths of the heroes would have been pretty alarming).
43	* ChangedMyMindKid: Moya appears to have left, leaving Zhaan, Chiana and Rygel stranded on Litigara. Luckily she decides to return for them in time to help with the "Light of Truth" deception.
44	* ContinuityNod: Crichton complains that Rygel left his [[{{Recap/FarscapeS02E07HomeOnTheRemains}} keedva barbeque]] simmering next to the navigation circuits of his pod, leaving him adrift in space. Oh that wacky Rygel.
45	* CourtroomEpisode: A lot of the episode covers Zhaan's trial.
46	* ADayInTheLimelight: With Crichton, Aeryn and D'Argo still missing the remaining castmembers get more focus.
47	* DrowningMySorrows: Rygel getting hammered in a Litigara bar. (The original version of the episode had ''Rygel'' having the nightmare with John's head exploding.)
48	-->'''Zhaan:''' Getting dren-faced is not helping, Rygel.
49	-->'''Rygel:''' Well, it's helping ''me''!
50	* FantasticDrug: Following her 'questioning' of the arresting officer, Chiana's nursing a hangover. Rygel nudges her awake and gives her some Nashtin cleansing pills, warning her ''not to take them all at once''. SmashCut to the courtroom, where Chiana is buzzing around the room on a caffeine-pill freakout.
51	* FantasticRacism: The "Utilities" are what they call the poor sods that make up the other 10% of Litigara's population. They are the blue collar workers. It's not entirely clear if they're actually another race or not; they are the only ones with hair while the few others we see without head coverings have unidentified black markings on the back of otherwise bald heads, but that isn't necessarily genetic.
52	-->'''Rhumann:''' You see, this is all about "Utilities' rights", my dear. Utilities don't need any more rights.
53	-->'''Finzzi:''' They need to work ''harder''.
54	* FantasticUnderclass: With the planet extensively mechanized, actual physical labour has become so unnecessary that utilities workers make up less than 10% of the population... and because of the stigma attached to professions outside legal work or law enforcement, utilities are uniformly treated like scum.
55	* FemmeFatale: The crosswalk-tinkering attorney, later revealed to be Finzzi (a flunky of Ja Rhumann).
56	* ForegoneVictory: Zhaan tells Crichton the story of how she was framed for murder with Rygel and Chiana acting as her attorneys, long after it happened. Yeah, they won. This would have been averted if this episode aired first as originally planned.
57	* {{Frameup}}: Poor Zhaan keeps getting set up to go into court as the defendant!
58	* GoodNewsBadNews: Once Zhaan is back in the slammer for murder, her weary attorney Dersh announces that he has good news: "You're no longer facing trial on the traffic violation."
59	* {{Hallucinations}}: Zhaan is tormented by hallucinations of [[RuleOfThree Crichton, Aeryn and D'Argo]] returning from the grave. Luckily, Zhaan ''knows'' she's hallucinating and can remark with some irritation on what she ''thinks'' is going on. Crichton is consolatory but distant; Aeryn is accusative, guilt-tripping Zhaan to the point of TakingTheBullet at her trial; D'Argo plants a kiss on her (Huh. ''That's'' a surprise.) and urges her to become a Seek again.
60	* HighCollarOfDoom: Finzzi's snazzy coat.
61	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He who lives by the law, dies by the law.
62	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As Zhaan sits in her cell and chants quietly to herself, Rygel calmly sits by her side and holds her hand. When Chiana arrives, Rygel pulls his hand away and complains about Zhaan's mumbling.
63	* KlatchianCoffee: Chiana's [=OD=] on Rygel's hangover cure.
64	* LaResistance: Wesley Kenn, the slain advocate for "Utilities" rights. Kenn is considered a "troublemaker," and not too many are sad to see the end of his radical, equality-seeking ways.
65	* LeftHanging: The crew bugs out immediately after the trial and never learn what happened to the planet afterwards.
66	* LieDetector: [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] with The "Light of Truth."
67	* LookBothWays: If only Zhaan had done so...
68	* LoopholeAbuse: To be expected on a planet full of attorneys. The bartender claims the legal code was deliberately made more complex over the years just to enable these and eternal arguments over them.
69	* MamaBear: Moya is depserate to get back to the asteroid thicket and find her offspring.
70	* MotorMouth: Chiana after she downs a couple of stimulant pills.
71	* NamingYourColonyWorld: A planet of lawyers named Litigara, which is a bit odd as they're in a part of the galaxy where the English pun doesn't even make any sense.
72	* NeverTellMeTheOdds: An apparition of Crichton consoles Zhaan over her choice of abandoning him, saying the odds of them even surviving were ten million to one.
73	* NoMisterBondIExpectYouToDine: Played with, as Ja Rhumann tosses Chiana's comm badge into a glass of bubbly rather than offer her some.
74	* ObligatoryJoke: Rygel farting helium at the trial, to Chiana's consternation. "We're in court. So ''sue'' me!"
75	* OhCrap: Rygel realizing that he's not allowed to lie in court.
76	-->'''Rygel:''' How could you not tell me that?! I thought we might even pull this off! But ''you'' and ''me'', '''not lying'''?? Are you mad?!
77	* PassingTheTorch: With half of her shipmates presumed dead, Zhaan's been saddled with leadership responsibilities and isn't weathering the burden very well. She confides that Rygel and Chiana are "like children."
78	* PlanetOfHats: Litigarans are almost all attorneys.
79	* PosthumousCharacter: Wesley Kenn.
80	* PropheticName: "Litigara"?
81	* RaceAgainstTheClock: Chiana and Rygel need to get Zhaan out of trouble before a panicked Moya decides to leave the system without them.
82	* SanitySlippage: Zhaan.
83	* SayMyName: In the dream sequence, Crichton screams Aeryn's name as she's being shot down.
84	* ShoutOut:
85	** The DreamSequence in which John's head explodes when his spacesuit visor cracks is reminiscent of a similar death depicted in the film ''Film/{{Outland}}''.
86	** When Zhaan hallucinates seeing Crichton, Aeryn and D'Argo coming to break her out of jail, they TeamPowerWalk down the corridor in silhouette. This is allusion to the 1983 movie ''Film/TheRightStuff'' where the astronauts walk in slow motion upon entering the hangar.
87	* SpaceJews: The names "Dersh" and "Rhumann" are vaguely derived from Jewish origin.
88	* StaticStunGun: Zhaan gets tazered on multiple occasions. Later, Chiana is snared by an "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin electro-net]]" before being taken to see Rhumann.
89	* StimulantSpeedtalk: Chiana spends all night seducing one of the witnesses in the hopes of getting information out of him and is left hungover the following morning. [[GuileHero Rygel]] gives her some stimulant pills to get her through the next stage of Zhaan's trial, warning her to take only one for every third of the day. Chiana, [[TheHedonist being Chiana]], ''takes all three at once.'' She spends the next session completely hopped out of her brain, gibbering high-speed nonsense at the witnesses and frequently going on wildly unnecessary digressions.
90	* SurvivorGuilt: Because Zhaan has forsaken the spiritual path the Pa’u, she has no healthy way of reconciling her feelings of grief at the loss of her comrades, and her guilt at having survived at their expense. By the end of the episode, Zhaan has her head on straight.
91	* ThirdPersonFlashback: The episode shows many events that Zhaan wasn't present at, and which it's unlikely that other people would have told her about. This is probably because it wasn't planned as a Whole Episode Flashback.
92	* ThisPageWillSelfDestruct: Zhaan's escape map conveniently burns up in her hands just before the police swoop in.
93	* TitleDrop: Crichton sings a bit of "Dream A Little Dream of Me" after Zhaan mentions dreaming about him dying.
94	* ThrowTheDogABone: Moya decides to stay in orbit after after overhearing Chiana's scene in Rhumann's office.
95	* TrickedIntoEscaping: The villain sends someone to break Zhaan out of prison (which she was only in because they'd secretly arranged it). They don't intend her to get far - rather, they're committing a murder and want to ensure there's a "dangerous escapee" in the area who they can pin it on.
96	* UnwantedAssistance: Zhaan didn't want Chiana as her attorney.
97	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Viewers see the aftermath of the episode before they see the main events of it.

Context Recap / FarscapeS02E08DreamALittleDream