Farscape will be my Early Edition replacement until further notice -- and given that SABR Matt has only seen The Peacekeeper Wars, it will be 100% my gig. I hope you enjoy my commentary.
PS: I really, really, really love Stark. That puts me in the minority, but I don't care. When we get to the relevant episodes, you will see much gushing. How much, you may ask? Have you seen how often I shower love upon Londo and Vir in my Babylon 5 reviews? Yeah -- my Stark obsession is pretty similar.
PPS: And yes, this is the one with the muppets -- but The Muppets Will Make You CryTM.
*****
Overall: 5.7
If you're completely new to Farscape, this episode will probably not persuade you that the series is funny and brilliant. But trust me - once you slog through these opening bits, you won't be disappointed.
Plot Synopsis:
Farscape World has a synopsis here.
The Skinny:
This is not the episode that originally sold me on the series as a whole. As a matter of fact, I found - and continue to find - this pilot a little dull.
There are glimmers of future brilliance here, mind. For example, Zhaan, Rygel, and D'Argo all approach Crichton with a hyper-vigilant suspicion that I feel is quite appropriate for a region of the universe in which the human-like beings are evil. They also behave as one would expect the members of a prison population to behave. Not only do they have trouble accepting Crichton, but they have trouble accepting each other. Cooperation does not come easily, and I think that's nice.
The other nice thing I notice from the get-go is how seamlessly the muppets are integrated with the live-action cast. No one has any trouble playing off Rygel, for instance, and I think that's because the production team does a fantastic job investing the little guy with a real personality. You'll see that this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to the muppets. Again, as I said, The Muppets Will Make You CryTM. They will also make you laugh; Rygel definitely makes me laugh here when he becomes the source of the series' very first fart joke. (Of which there will be many. When it comes to humor, O'Bannon and Co. write like adolescent boys. This, I feel, invests the show with a peculiar charm. LOL!)
Unfortunately, this episode is, in general, a bit of a muddle. The necessary exposition doesn't feel natural, and the plot just lays there. That's a shame, because the concept certainly has a lot of potential. Consider: an astronaut-scientist from Earth is accidentally thrown into another part of the universe where the aliens are largely suspicious and hostile -- and, oh by the way, he stumbles onto a jail break. Sounds exciting on paper, no? Unfortunately, the execution just doesn't meet the mark.
In particular, I think Crais' vendetta against Crichton is way, way overplayed in these early episodes. I just don't believe that anyone who is even marginally intelligent would, upon watching the relevant video, conclude that Crichton deliberately killed Crais' brother. Even Teeg recognizes it was an accident. But because the writers needed Crichton to be pursued by someone, they manufactured this super-psycho outrage in Crais -- and I don't think it works at all. Fortunately, in later episodes, Crais calms down and becomes a much more interesting character. (This probably has something to do with the introduction of Scorpius, who is a far more effective Big Bad.)
Writing: 5.0
Such big, impressive ideas shouldn't result in such a plodding script. Alas.
Acting: 6.0
This show has a great cast, but they haven't quite hit their stride here. A number of scenes feel "off."
Message: 6.0
There is no message here. This is merely a utilitarian introduction.
Highlights:
D'Argo: We are wasting time we do not have. She is infantry - Peacekeeper Command tells her where to fight and die. This one - (He means Crichton.) - is some kind of higher brain function deficient. (Suddenly, D'Argo's voice climbs in pitch.) How he escaped the genetic sieving process I do not know.
(For the rest of this scene, everyone speaks in the Munchkin register.)
Zhaan: Rygel?
John: What just happened?
Rygel: (defensive) It's a perfectly natural bodily function! And it's odorless!
D'Argo: So your loyal subjects tell you!
John: You fart helium?! (ROTFL!)
John: Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close Encounters my ass! (Heh.)
John: Don't move, or I'll fill you full of... little yellow bolts of light! (LOL!)
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