Farscape S1 Ep14: Jeremiah Crichton

"Since I left home, I’ve been hunted, beaten, locked up, shanghaied, shot at. I’ve had alien creatures in my face, up my nose, inside my brain, down my pants.
This is the first time, the first place, where I’ve felt peace."

 

-John Crichton-

The truth is John Crichton ain't seen nothin' yet!

That aforementioned quote of frustration accurately reflects why Farscape (1999-2003) is so refreshing as a genre-bursting science fiction series. Farscape, in effect, is the antithesis of Star Trek's orderly, sterile world, of which so many series attempt to emulate and mirror. Not Farscape. It's the anti-Trek. This is a series entirely its own. This is world-building often fueled by discord, disorder and downright chaos. Rather than the hierarchical, military-style command structure of humans and aliens found in everything from Star Trek to Stargate to Babylon 5, we generally glimpse a window into familial anarchy of alien and human co-habitation. There is indeed love there amid the functional dysfunctional of our space-faring castaways.



In fact and in truth, Farscape, for me, is at times so radical, so genre-defying, so flip, it flies in the face of my usual tastes for science fiction. In other words, as brilliant as the series is, I can really only tolerate Farscape in small bursts, or small starbursts if you will.

As much as I truly enjoyed each riveting installment of Season One, I found myself unable to sustain that same enthusiasm for the series beginning with Season Two despite some stand out entries (The Way We Weren't). Farscape is so brave and transformative with science fiction conventions it's almost a bit too much for my tiny little brain. Okay, that's not really true.



As the series progressed it became even more risky and adventurous in its sci-fi approach heading into uncharted waters as much as it did the Uncharted Territories at every pass. It's one series you both applaud for its creative magnificence and/or potentially grow weary of as an entertainment if consumed like an unrestrained glutton.

I can binge watch a good amount of television including Game Of Thrones (2011-present), Stargate Universe (2009-2011), Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009), Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Fargo (2014-present) and Homeland (2011-present), but Farscape, as I've come to discover, is not one of them. It's a playfully challenging series and one for which I genuinely need to be prepared or in the right mood.



Jeremiah Crichton is Farscape's variation on a theme, its own version of Robinson Crusoe, the novel by Daniel Defoe first published in 1719. It's a story that has inspired popular culture, TV and film since what seems like the beginning of time itself.

Lost In Space (1965-1968), Gilligan's Island (1964-1967), Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964), Castaway (2000) and much more have all extracted inspiration from the Defoe survival classic. At first glance this appears to be the most obvious pop culture reference, but, more matter as a matter of fact, the truth is Jeremiah Crichton was more directly the influence of the film Jeremiah Johnson (1972) starring Robert Redford, a Ben Browder favorite. The film centers on a jaded (like Crichton) Mexican War (1846-1848) veteran who looks to escape into the solace of the West to essentially take refuge there as a mountain man. This echoes Crichton's own desire to escape and ultimately, inadvertently, live off the land, grow a beard and establish a new life.

Farscape, Season One, Episode 14, Jeremiah Crichton, would, ironically, be one of the least convention-defying entries of Season One.



Tired of the onboard shenanigans by his newly forged family, John Crichton takes an escapist ride in his ship.

Meanwhile, Moya, the living female leviathan/vessel that is home for these space misfits and castaways is once again suffering from a health-related issue forcing Pilot to starburst essentially deserting Crichton.

As a result, Crichton takes residence or stows away on a nearby planet, grows a beard and befriends the residents of its seemingly peaceful world.




Elsewhere, Moya's health problems are an ongoing source of anxiety for the crew throughout the Farscape series. The U.S.S. Enterprise and other man-made vessels have had their fair share of technical problems forcing repairs from time to time, but here, Moya, the leviathan, a female, experiences troubles that are generally biological in nature, not least of which is her pregnancy. This, of course, is a constant source of concern for Pilot, essentially Moya's voice throughout the series, and the others. Problems here for the ship are directly attributed to her pregnancy and a risk to her fetus. This is all perfectly logical and normal in Farscape's world

The writers of Farscape, by not only including a good number of strong female characters aboard Moya, have made Moya a female herself and thus infused the series with a good many issues that directly speak to and with the female voice.



Another significant theme that is underscored in Jeremiah Crichton is loyalty and the family-like bond that continues to form for all aboard Moya. Now missing for three months, KaDargo, Aeryn, Zhaan, Rygel and Pilot finally find John. He believes he was marooned and left a castaway by a makeshift family that turned their backs on him, but is quickly proven wrong. His grudge quickly dissolves when he discovers that Moya and company have searched for him since the day Moya starburst away for her and her child's own safety. Once again, Jeremiah Crichton, serves up another character-driven and emotion-driven tale that explores the complex dynamic of all aboard the living ship. All of these lives matter. No one is expendable and this is out of love.



Jeremiah Crichton is no means a bad episode. In fact, Jeremiah Crichton is a visually great-looking episode given its location shooting. Everything in Australia either looks beautiful or strange and that difference gives every episode a kind of otherworldy feel because we rarely see science fiction television framed in such a setting. It makes refreshing use of its landscape and offers a nice take on the science fiction world as much as England did for Star Wars (1977). It's certainly a nice alternative to Vancouver, British Columbia (The X-Files, Stargate SG-1).



Despite the visuals, Jeremiah Crichton is also one of the weaker turns in Farscape Season One. But this is Farscape and even a weak entry has plenty to offer on one level of production, performance or another.

One of my biggest issues with Jeremiah Crichton is its use of the primitive peoples storyline. It could have leaned more heavily on Crichton surviving alone on the planet, which would have been even more compelling, but devolves into a story with primitive peoples. Okay vibrant primitive peoples. This is like the Farscape version of Stargate SG-1. Stargate SG-1 was a great adventure series but one not averse to the use of primitive peoples. Those SG-1 stories are some of my least favorite and this particular episode reminds me of the less challenging episodes of Stargate SG-1. An episode like Stargate SG-1, Season One, Episode 3, Emancipation comes to mind. These are sometimes the least engaging and interesting to me in general. No matter how you slice it, it becomes difficult looking passed all of the bad, primitive clothing meaning no offense to production team. It's just not science fiction enough for my tastes. There's just not enough outer space accoutrements or trappings. But this is a minor quibble and fortunately Farscape spends very little time on stories like this one. Yet, given all of the crazy in Farscape, in some ways a story like this one is almost a welcomed respite.




My look at Jeremiah Crichton also marks the first Farscape entry to be analyzed using the much maligned and critically beleaguered Blu-Ray release. The images are all taken from the Blu-Ray release. While it is not a remarkable improvement over the DVD release, some improvements are notable (and the images included here offer evidence of that). But this, as critics have suggested, is not a substantial upgrade from any of the previous DVD issues. Nevertheless, again, it's Farscape, you buy it! Onward and upward with all sci-fi upgrades when the wallet or purse permits!

Farscape S1 Ep13: The Flax

We return to the crazy insane universe of Farscape. Case in point, D'Argo is frustrated and fuming over the fact Moya, their ship, is heavy into her pregnancy, as first revealed in Farscape, Season One, Episode 10, They've Got A Secret, and the ship's changes are affecting his quarters. On its face, it's sold as normal enough and that's no small challenge, but we're talking about arguing aliens aboard a living vessel that's expecting. Yes, we're a long way from Star Trek: The Original Series here and you have to love its irreverence. I love the fact the creators let it all hang out, take risks and dive into adventurous concepts and stories, like Moya's pregnancy, from day one, Season One. The creators wasted no time establishing Moya as a living vessel, and now throw a wrench immediately into the works with her pregnancy and make it a ship in trauma as a result. Now that is risky scripting. Farscape is a truly absorbing place and a 'verse simply filled with colorful characters alive with emotion and feeling. It's wonderful stuff even if it's not always successful in delivering an entirely compelling story. The Flax is one such example.

There are a number of technical achievements in The Flax to be sure, and while it may not be the strongest episode of Season One it has its highlights and offers a turning point for the characters that is substantial. Welcome to Farscape, Season One, Episode 13, The Flax.

The Flax [a great name], is essentially a web, a "magnadrft mesh" in space established by the Zenetans for looting and piracy.

John Crichton and Aeryn Sun pilot a transport pod in open space so Crichton might grow more familiar with bio mechanical technology a la Moya. Sun doesn't understand Crichton's southern expression "slicker n' snot." She chalks it up to her microbes failure to translate reminding us this is how the aliens communicate to one another aboard Moya first established in Farscape opener, Premiere.

Crichton equates his piloting training in open space to that of a teen driving in a mall parking lot on a Sunday morning. Do you remember those days? We had a wide open, essentially vacant, military base we used when I was a teen. We were stopped typically by the military police, but a quick answer and a simple wave of my Mom's hand a la Obi Wan Kenobi as she leaned across my body from the passenger's side and we were Scott-free to go. Then fifteen and I was off terrorizing the natural inhabitants of a deserted military base. Good times. Innocent times. A time when the military police would just say "be careful" and send you away with a smile. Can you imagine that? Talk about far out.

Aboard Moya, Zhaan, Rygel and Ka D'Argo are getting testy. There seems to be an almost natural influence by Moya and her pregnancy on the team like an ornery mother in discomfort and in need of pickles or chocolate.

Crichton and Sun are caught in the web of The Flax and the episode essentially establishes the setting for a relationship-building exercise between Sun and Crichton for the duration.

An unidentified vessel is scanned for weapons and allowed to attach to Moya. A rascally scoundrel type, a Zenetan pirate named Staanz, pays a visit complete with tattoos, body markings and, if you look carefully, grease under the finger nails. He's essentially a scavenger or garbage collector or as Staanz puts it, a garbologist. There are loads of great details in Farscape along with terrific establishing shots, mattes and colors employed on shots of Moya floating through space.

Zhaan suggests they not pass judgment, but D'Argo scans the Peacekeeper data files and determines Staanz was a former Peacekeeper prisoner with a lengthy record. Remember Moya was a Peacekeeper-utilized vessel. Zhaan implores D'Argo not to make a hasty judgment about Staanz as they too were once prisoners and those Peacekeepers were not above recording character fabrications into their data files.

D'Argo roughs up Staanz who admits to once being a pirate and a Zenetan gang member who ran The Flax.

Zhaan's conversation with Staanz speaks to the very heart of Farscape and its thematic elements of the dysfunctional and modern family. Zhaan asks Staanz if he intends to help two of their "complement" stuck in The Flax.

Staanz: "They're not family?" Zhaan: "No." Staanz: "Good. There's nothing worse than losing family."

While Zhaan suggests they are not bound by blood, she is indeed developing ties to the group and her concern for them is indeed the natural response of a non-traditional family. In point of fact, socially the group is her family despite her words and she knows this to be true.

Meanwhile, efforts to break free of The Flax for Crichton and Sun continue to be futile. Crichton says waiting for the others to rescue them might be the best option, but level heads prevail and they get back to work.

D'Argo requests Staanz help him reach a downed Luxan deep space voyager for some vital map information. After D'Argo's departure from Moya with Staanz, Zenetans arrive aboard Moya. The race indicates their scanners secured information that the Leviathan was pregnant. The Zenetans won't harm her and also point out that any efforts to commandeer a Leviathan typically end up in the death of its attackers. In fact, eighty Zenetans once died in such an attempt. How exactly? We don't know. Nevertheless, we have an idea as clear evidence exists that Moya, or any Leviathan, will find ways to protect itself. They've Got A Secret and Exodus From Genesis are both exceptional examples of the lengths to which a Leviathan will go. They prove that Moya will utilize any means necessary, like anti-bodies, to self-preserve. Zhaan adds, "a mother will protect her child," underscoring the series maternal and feminine component. The intolerable, insufferable Rygel simply can't keep his yap shut and challenges the Zenetans to a game inviting them to stay longer than expected to Zhaan's dismay. With friends like Rygel who needs enemies. Rygel is without question my least favorite character.

On the transport pod, events lead to Crichton falling atop Sun prostrate for the continued establishment of their physical and emotional chemistry. I'm an unabashed supporter of these kinds of relationships, a shipper to a degree, of romantic or sexual relationships in science fiction. Crichton and Sun, Carter and O'Neill [Stargate SG-1], Mal and Inara [Firefly], T'Pol and Tucker [Star Trek: Enterprise], and Starbuck and Apollo [Battlestar Galactica, uh, the new series] to name a few. A little romance or sexual tension never hurt anyone. So with Crichton and Sun the attraction is indeed there and there is a delicious interplay between them. But things go from bad to worse as the pod begins to lose life support and the duo will need to de-pressurize. With just one space suit functioning, the one that fits Sun, Crichton will need to be given a chemical injection, a "kill shot," normally used on Peacekeepers/Sebaceans to slow the heart, while a second injection is to be applied to hopefully revive him. Crichton demonstrates the "lo-tech" CPR technique that humans use in the event basic Earth revival methods are required.

D'Argo ad Staanz wind up caught in The Flax themselves as the episode alternates between three different threads. Eventually they break free.

Before Sun gets to work, Crichton and Sun share an interesting character moment. You know these intimate exchanges tend to be among my favorites.

Claudia Black is a sexy, stunning beauty. Crichton is out cold after the injection. He has roughly four minutes before expiration.

Elsewhere, a frustrated Rygel loses to the two Zenetans he confesses he knows of Staanz' whereabouts. Rygel loses and gives up their location in shame, but he is a petulant creature prone to irrational behavior and whim unfamiliar with self-discipline and restraint where required. As it turns out, in this instance, he bluffs the nasty Zenetans, lies to them, and sends them far, far away [to another galaxy maybe]. Zhaan is impressed. Thus our original belief that this once great king wielding great power over a great many minions now reduced to a cowardly toad is once again foiled by his clever move against these marauding buffoons.

Staanz finds the Luxan Assault Piercer. D'Argo dreamt of serving aboard a ship like that as a boy. D'Argo is torn between his newfound family and thoughts of the one he misses dearly, but makes the very mature decision to save Crichton and Sun rather than satiate his own selfish desires demonstrating true honor in his heart and genuine commitment to this newly established makeshift group or family.

Sun is unsuccessful in repairing the transport pod with just thirty minutes of breathable air remaining. As the pod grows cold, a now alert Crichton and Sun snuggle for warmth. Sun asks if Crichton saw anything approaching an afterlife following the kill shot. Surprisingly, he indicates he saw nothing. Why? Why didn't he lie given their circumstances to alleviate Sun's fears or at least assuage the dire circumstances of their situation? Nothing like death staring you in the eye to bring out true feelings. The twosome have landed in one another's arms on more than one occasion, but this is the first official kiss with potential as far as I can remember.

D'Argo rescues his comrades. And in a strange twist it is revealed that Staanz is apparently the female of the species with eyes for D'Argo declaring "I love you." Bizarre as it might be it's quite funny.

Despite making the right call, D'Argo is upset with his decision this day in another sobering character moment. It's certainly easy to empathize with D'Argo, but it's not a Catch-22. Nevertheless he is disturbed not only by the fact he may never see his son, but also the indecision of a warrior's heart.

The final moments are shared between Sun and Crichton as Crichton humorously confirms Sun's sex. With all that's transpired with the alien female you can never be sure. They smile. The scene itself takes place in a bubble atop Moya against a green screen and that set was apparently established for future use. It proved an awkward location for storytelling according to the Farscape companion book for Season One apart from this moment of intimacy. It was also expensive. It was then scrapped, and thus the set was implemented just once for The Flax.

The Flax never centers completely on the downed transport pod and Crichton and Sun's efforts to survive like so many in a long line of genrific, classic tales including Galileo Seven [Star Trek: The Original Series], Sub-Smash [UFO], The Last Sunset [Space:1999], The Uninvited [Thunderbirds]to some degree The Gun On Ice Planet Zero [Battlestar Galactica], You Can't Go Home Again [Battlestar Galactica new] and many more. The Flax is good, but not as successful as many I've mentioned here because it distracts away from the survival tale with activities on Moya and other threads. More specifically though it never captures the sense of life and death in play here that some tales have done much better. The urgency is not conveyed as successfully as one might hope. Thus The Flax never quite achieves nirvana in that way.

Funny enough, designer Rick Eyres notes his fondness for the transport pod he created in Farscape The Illustrated Companion. He likens his design to Thunderbird 2 "but cooler!" Therein lies a great example. It's a pretty cool-looking pod, but playfully adapting a response from the now classic Vice-Presidential debate of 1988 between Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Dan Quayle. "Designer, I grew up with Thunderbird 2: I played with Thunderbird 2; Thunderbird 2 was a friend of mine. Sorry, your transport pod is no Thunderbird 2." It's just not the same kind of iconic, classic design that captured the imagination so perfectly that it could ever stand the test of time. Shape, color, design functionality and cool - these are all factors that played into the perfection of T2. The pod, like The Flax isn't a devastating classic, but it interesting and does offer enough attributes to carry the day. By the way, doesn't mentioning Thunderbird 2 qualify this entry for FAB FRIDAY? And honestly that was an accident.

The Flax: C+. Writer: Justin Monjo. Director: Peter Andrikidis.

Pop culture reference: John Crichton: "This is fun. This is Top Gun. This is the need for speed."