The second episode of the series (although not shot second) is probably the weakest of the rather infamous 'first six.' Again, despite some really nifty special effects and some really nice camerawork, this episode falls down heavily in the plot department. The writing is of course the weakest point of the entire episode-it looks like they were rushed and sent a half finished script to production ahead of schedule-and yes, Sally Lapiduss (if that is indeed your real name)-I'm looking at you. The main story, and there really is no secondary plot here, looks like a rework of an old Star Trek episode; or actually, more like a really crappy episode of the Battlestar Galactica (1978). You all know the one; Starbuck crashes on a backwater planet and meets a woman living all alone with her son. God that just sucked. At least the idea of the paddac beacon being triggered by the crew's escape lets us remember that the Peacekeepers are still after them.
Of course, "Farscape" being "Farscape", this episode is considerably better than that mess but it still suffers from a trite and meandering storyline. This is one of the few early episodes that doesn't tie back to the main story arc later on down the line and while it does offer some nice scenes between the regular characters, it's essentially pointless. And please don't get me started on the whole "we can understand you even though we don't have translator microbes. Yes, I know that Word of God is that the microbes grow naturally on that planet so the natives ingest them at birth. It's a clever wank but it's still just that: wank.
There are a few saving graces however:
1. The scene with D'Argo and Aeryn in the tree discussing what a loser Crichton is never fails to amuse me. Claudia Black and Anthony Simcoe are just that frelling funny (if yout don't believe me, listen to the dvd commentary some time. It's a riot). It's a nice hint to what their relationship eventually became.
2. As mentioned, the special effects are very nice, particularly Moya flying over and crashing into the swamp. This is also where we get our very first John/Aeryn 'proximity alert.'
3. The supporting cast, particularly Mary Mara is fairly good. They just don't have that much to work with.
1.02 I, E.T.
The second episode of the series (although not shot second) is probably the weakest of the rather infamous 'first six.' Again, despite some really nifty special effects and some really nice camerawork, this episode falls down heavily in the plot department. The writing is of course the weakest point of the entire episode-it looks like they were rushed and sent a half finished script to production ahead of schedule-and yes, Sally Lapiduss (if that is indeed your real name)-I'm looking at you. The main story, and there really is no secondary plot here, looks like a rework of an old Star Trek episode; or actually, more like a really crappy episode of the Battlestar Galactica (1978). You all know the one; Starbuck crashes on a backwater planet and meets a woman living all alone with her son. God that just sucked. At least the idea of the paddac beacon being triggered by the crew's escape lets us remember that the Peacekeepers are still after them.
Of course, "Farscape" being "Farscape", this episode is considerably better than that mess but it still suffers from a trite and meandering storyline. This is one of the few early episodes that doesn't tie back to the main story arc later on down the line and while it does offer some nice scenes between the regular characters, it's essentially pointless. And please don't get me started on the whole "we can understand you even though we don't have translator microbes. Yes, I know that Word of God is that the microbes grow naturally on that planet so the natives ingest them at birth. It's a clever wank but it's still just that: wank.
There are a few saving graces however:
1. The scene with D'Argo and Aeryn in the tree discussing what a loser Crichton is never fails to amuse me. Claudia Black and Anthony Simcoe are just that frelling funny (if yout don't believe me, listen to the dvd commentary some time. It's a riot). It's a nice hint to what their relationship eventually became.
2. As mentioned, the special effects are very nice, particularly Moya flying over and crashing into the swamp. This is also where we get our very first John/Aeryn 'proximity alert.'
3. The supporting cast, particularly Mary Mara is fairly good. They just don't have that much to work with.
Overall, I give it a 4 out of 10.