Overall: 9.3
This is some seriously frelled up dren right here. But as you've no doubt noticed, the really psychotic episodes of Farscape also have this strange tendency to be Totally. Frelling. Awesome.
Plot Synopsis:
Thank goodness somebody at the Farscape Wiki has already summarized this episode. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how I could've done it.
The Skinny:
It's very easy to get lost in all the funkadoo imagery the Scarran interrogator pulls from John's subconscious in this episode. Crais in red heels? Rygel in bondage gear? Yeah -- I don't even know. But believe it or not, Won't Get Fooled Again is serious business. While the writer (Richard Manning) certainly has a good time playing with the irrational dreamscape, he also manages to move the story forward and reveal more about John's increasingly tenuous mental health.
Since the beginning of the current season, you've no doubt noticed that John has become way more suspicious. The traumas of the late first season have already taught him to distrust every strange critter, being, or artifact that happens to cross his path. Faced with a universe that is cruel and unforgiving, John has basically reverted to caveman survival mode. And Manning continues that evolution here. Thanks to his experience in A Human Reaction, John knows that the Scarran's bizarro-world is fake from moment one, and his attempts to break out of the illusion escalate to the point of pure reckless insanity. He attacks his "father". He throws his "boss" over a balcony. He tries to commit suicide-by-semi. Yet despite his frantic efforts, nothing terminates the nightmare. Poor John.
But Manning doesn't stop at illustrating John's loss of innocence; he also reveals to us that John himself is disturbed by said loss. The scenes between John and his "mother" are brilliant in part because they reveal John's lingering guilt over the things he's had to do to stay alive -- and in part because Ben Browder's performance there is absolutely frelling PHENOMENAL. Holy crap! When he breaks down and tearfully begs someone - anyone - to stop torturing him with the image of his mother in the final days of her (presumably) terminal illness, my heart almost stops. It really is that good.
Of course, this is also the episode in which John's connection to Scorpius is confirmed once and for all -- and Scorpius' ability to tie up John's tongue via the chip is definitely creepy. But again, Manning goes beyond utilitarian explanations. Probably the second most brilliant scene in the episode occurs the moment the Scarran brings the real Aeryn into the vision and tries to convince John that Scorpius is behind everything. At that point, John has already had a talk with the Scorpius in his head - whom I will henceforth call Harvey because that's the fandom vernacular - so Aeryn's appearance, in effect, forces John to choose between trusting Aeryn and trusting Harvey. And you know what's really interesting? John decides to trust Harvey. Damn, but that's some fine writing. In that one scene, Manning foreshadows the entire final arc of the season. It's one thing to see Scorpius and hear his voice. It's another thing entirely to start believing what that voice is telling you. That indicates that Scorpius' influence over John has crossed the line from chilling to dangerous.
Writing: 10.0
It continues to amaze me how the Farscape team can write with purpose while on crack, meth, and acid simultaneously.
Acting: 12.0
Yes, you read that right. Ben Browder's performance is a genuine tour de force from start to finish. Plus, I need to offset the fact that --
Message: 6.0
-- there isn't really a message. Personally, I don't think this episode needs one.
Highlights:
Er. This one is really hard to highlight. I recommend just watching it.
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