I've been a bit exhausted with Star Trek lately, 17 seasons straight of the same franchise will do that to you, so I decided to take a brief detour to a much darker and stranger sci-fi world. Farscape's first season mostly lays the groundwork for the series, but has a great payoff and succeeds at establishing its own unique vibe.
Farscape is a series about an astronaut named John Crichton going through a wormhole and ending up on a Leviathan (basically a living ship) with a bunch of criminals escaping from what is essentially the space police, known as the Peacekeepers. The two major storylines of Season 1 are from John being pursued by the brother of a Peacekeeper he accidentally killed and the Leviathan herself giving birth, but the plotting of this season as a whole is really intricate and impressive. The entire first half of Season 1 is pretty episodic, but the last few episodes of the season bring pretty much all of those disparate threads together, revealing that many episodes ended up being far more important to the overall story than it initially seemed. I'll admit the first half of this season was a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of unoriginal or bland episodes, but those later revelations at least made some of them better in hindsight. The characters are also pretty great, with everyone being simultaneously likable and morally gray. The whole cast gets at least one episode to flesh them out, from D'Argo revealing his backstory, to Rygel confronting his past torturer, to Zhaan dealing with her dark side. Even the less prevalent characters like Crais, Gilina, and Stark manage to be interesting.
Farscape has a pretty offbeat sense of humor, and isn't afraid to be horny and a bit crass. I don't think every joke landed with me (Rygel's helium farts just grossed me out), but I can't deny that this show carved out an identity all its own. But an even more important aspect of Farscape's identity is its phenomenal production. It's shocking how good this show looks even today. The set design is intricate and used to its fullest, the makeup and costumes are immaculate, and the usage of Muppets for some of the aliens actually works surprisingly well. Characters like Rygel and Pilot blend in with the other characters way better than they would have with CGI, and are expressive to the point where I often forget that they're not actually real living creatures. The CGI has definitely aged the poorest out of the effects, but there are still some moments where it looks great. I especially love how big and explosive the bullets are during the action scenes. The only aspect of Farscape's production that I don't quite love is the at times bizarre cinematography and score. There are some ambitious camera movements and angles that feel kind of distracting, the eclectic music can be just as annoying as it is atmospheric, and don't even get me started on those awful slow-motion effects. However, I do think the last few episodes do a better job of reigning in the quirks of the cinematography and music without losing their unconventional charm. I also think the main title theme is an absolute banger.
Highlights:
DNA Mad Scientist: This is the episode where you start to realize: "Oh, it's that type of show". DNA Mad Scientist is bleak, disturbing, and almost genius. The highlight is the moment where, without hesitation, D'Argo, Rygel, and Zhaan cut off Pilot's arm for a chance at going home. There's no complex discussion about whether or not it's "morally right" like in something like Star Trek, this happens in the first ten minutes and the rest of the episode has the characters facing the grisly consequences. Aeryn's transformation may be gross but it's also a fantastic showcase of just how phenomenal and realistic the practical effects look in Farscape, and overall, this episode does a good job at hammering home the fact that even though you may be rooting for the Farscape crew, it doesn't change the fact that they're still criminals.
Durka Returns: This was definitely one of the more plot-heavy episodes this season. As the title indicates, Rygel's torturer Durka is revealed to be alive, and he definitely lives up to all the hype. Once he snaps out of his Nebari-induced trance, Durka proves to be one of the best Farscape villains yet. Speaking of which, the Nebari are a super fascinating species whose desire for conformity can put even the Borg to shame, and Chiana is a great addition to the cast.
Nerve: This episode was a fantastic game-changer that brought all of the season's big threads together. Gilina is back, the events of A Human Reaction actually kickstarted the overarching storyline of the series, Scorpius and Stark make their fantastic debuts, Crais has been going renegade, Aeryn's stabbing from the previous episode actually put her in mortal danger, we get to see the inner workings in a Peacekeeper base, and John begins his descent into insanity. It's impressive just how much was crammed into Nerve, and to think it's only Part 1.
The Hidden Memory: While Nerve was a bit more shocking, The Hidden Memory was another incredibly eventful and surprising episode. The rescue mission to save Chricton was a lot of fun and led to a pretty fantastic shootout. Gilina's death was predictable and a bit disappointing, but between Moya's birth, Stark taking off his mask multiple times, Scorpius putting Crais up to be tortured, and the many loose ends, this episode was more than impressive.
Family Ties: What a phenomenal season finale. I love just how character-driven and personal much of it is, giving pretty much the entire cast a chance to connect, interact, and resolve their big seasonal arcs. While not much actually happens throughout the first 35 minutes outside of Rygel's betrayal and Crais's defection, there's a real sense of finality and impending doom, especially when it's made clear someone will have to sacrifice themselves. And then the cliffhanger happens, easily one of the most bonkers I've ever seen. Crais stealing Talys, Moya having to starburst away with half the crew, Aeryn being left behind, John floating in space as a planet blows up behind him, and of course, D'Argo going unconscious made for a killer ending to the season.
Overall, Season 1 of Farscape is a pretty good start to the series. Despite a weaker first half and some odd directoral choices, the likable cast, interesting plot, fantastic payoff, and truly impressive production make for a strong first outing.
3/5 Stars
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