Reviews (2)

Not the best movie I've ever seen
I found the movie hard to follow and it didnt have the greatest plot. I wouldnt pay $10 for it.

Excellent film; visually stunning and great acting, story.
This film (theatrical release 1988, video release date April 1999) will prove to be a favorite of Jeff Fahey fans, and general movie-goers alike. It was filmed in Australia, and is visually stunning. Story revolves around a teenage girl's life and the people and situations she encounters in turn of the century Australia. Her character, Alice May Richards (played by Tushka Bergen) grows up on a horse ranch; has to deal with the farm going bankrupt, her father's death, getting shipped off to the city away from the life and horses she loves. Meanwhile she meets Ben Creed (Jeff Fahey) a dashing, hardworking broker, who falls for her, but her attentions are focused on a macho and less interesting horseman on her ranch...I won't spoil it for you, but this movie is highly interesting for character development and the twists and turns of the plot. This was probably a huge hit in Australia...I have purchased this video a total of seven times for gifts since I originally viewed it in June of 1999. Excellent choice for young girls who are horse lovers...and a very excellent effort by Jeff Fahey as well. Again, the visual aspects of the beautiful countryside, the horses, characters costumed perfectly in turn of the century clothing, and great plot and all round acting makes this film a real winner! Enjoy! (Note: no nudity, or situations unsuitable for a G audience!) A real GEM! ... Read more

Description

Farscape: Season Two Volume 2.5 episodes: "A CLOCKWORK NEBARI" A brainwashed Aeryn and Rygel return from a Commerce Planet with a surprise forChiana-two fellow Nebari to take her home and "mind cleanse" her as well. Chianalearns her brother, Nerri is still alive and now the head of the Nebari resistancemovement.

"LIARS, GUNS AND MONEY-PART I: A NOT SO SIMPLE PLAN"A plan to steal loot to buy D'Argo's son Jothee from the Slave Traders goes terriblywrong when D'Argo is captured in the heist.The crew's attempt to rescue him iscomplicated by the arrival of Crichton's nemesis Scorpius.

"LIARS, GUNS AND MONEY PART II: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE..." Scorpius wants to make a deal: D'Argo's son in exchange for Crichton. A plan to use thestolen loot to hire old foes and rescue Jothee makes sense, until it is discovered that thevaluable ingots are actually alive... and eating Moya!

"LIARS, GUNS AND MONEY PART III: PLAN B"No money. Angry mercenaries. An injured Moya. And Crichton in the hands of Scorpius!Only an all-out assault has any chance of rescuing him. But even if Aeryn's plansucceeds, can Crichton rescue his own mind from Scorpius?

"DIE ME, DICHOTOMY" The neural chip Scorpius put in Crichton's brain finally takes over, turning him againstour crew. Aeryn is forced into a deadly confrontation with Crichton/Scorpius that onlyone will survive. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wonderful ending of the second season!
The last five episodes of the second season are truly wonderful. A great story line and set supported by wonderful performances really hook you for the third season. One simply needs to know how things turn out. I am truly impressed with the quality and scope of Farscape. If you have not watched the show yet you should go back to the very beginning of the first season and watch all the episodes. It is a great story! As mentioned in a review below you should make sure to watch the second episode on the FIRST DVD last (the episodes are out of order). Outstanding show! Shame on the Sci-Fi channel for cancelling this creative work.

Fun show
Very entertaining show. These are some of the best episodes of the second season.

What a sad loss...
I remember starting a thread on the farscape newsgroup about how I worried that the series would end up cancelled much as Babylon5 was. Alas, here is a dvd set that shows what a tragedy it is. If this is the first Farscape you have read reviews about-
My feelings toward this show are best summed up by the feeling that I actually care what happens to each of the characters. It is as though they are my friends. It is said that the Henson group planned a 5-season story arc, One can only hope they'll manage to do a movie or two to finish it.

New Fans Be Warned
I started watching Farscape into the fourth season....my son finally conviced me to watch it. A little ironic isn't it, since it has been cancelled!
So...I have been buying all the dvds and going back to the beginning. I have enjoyed every episode, even though I know about some of the future. Now to my warning...for people like me, trying to watch the show from the beginning, and for people like me who just purchase without always reading amazon comments, BE WARNED that the episodes are out of order on this dvd set. I watched the final episode of the set, which is on the first dvd, and boy was I confused. I went to a web site that lists all the episodes and of course, I figured out what had happened. So, buy these, enjoy them, but do it in order!!!

THE BEST OF A GREAT SHOW!!!
These episodes is among the best of a truly great show and I can't recommend them high enough!! Just imagine the Liars,Guns and Money trilogy in a theater and it'll put the Star Wars prequels to shame.....Great acting,suspense,humor,drama,writing;what else can be said about a show that hasn't been said before??? Get these for the unconverted and maybe they'll undertstand what the fuss is about!!! Shame on you Sci-Fi for cancelling this wonderful show.... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Holiday Magic
This is one of the best movies i have ever watched.It is about what we forget all to often,the spirit of santa not buying presents.

Great Movie based on "The Flight of the Reindeer"
Excellent movie! I love Richard Thomas as the professor obsessed with proving that reindeer can, indeed, fly! Beau Bridges as "Nick" is also wonderful. The sets are great too - look just as I would imagine Santa's village would look. Saw this last year on TV for the first time and am looking forward to receiving my very own copy! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Inferno
This was an interesting concept for a movie. A solar flair burst bigger than anything ever recorded is headed toward Earth. The temperature begins to rise on what is already a hot summer. The movie focuses on Los Angeles and how the city copes with the rising heat. The main characters are a local high school teacher, who is also a member of the National Guard, a Doctor who can no longer practice because of a patient's death, a lifeguard from a local beach, who is also a medical tech and her bad boy ex-boyfriend, also a General who has been sent to LA to try and keep the city under control until the solar wave passes over Earth. The city is placed under Marshall Law as the temp soars to around 140 degrees and starts baking the city along with the cast. Not a bad story but could have been better. ... Read more

Description

"Bone to Be Wild": While hiding in an asteroid field from Crais' Command Carrier, Moya picks up an urgent distress call. As Aeryn stays on board to help the Leviathan bond with her newborn, Crichton, Zhaan, and D'Argo answer the call in hopes of finding charts that will steer them through the field. But the garden-like asteroid from where the distress signal originated holds only two inhabitants. One is a feral female; the other, a massive plant-like male. When each proclaim the other is a ruthless killer, Crichton, Zhaan, and D'Argo are forced between the two aliens--a place that makes them easy prey for one... or both!

"Family Ties": When the crew fails to evade the pursuing Peacekeepers, one of Moya's own steals a transport and flees to the Command Carrier to betray the others in exchange for his own life! To deal with the treachery, Crichton devises a dangerous, possibly fatal mission that places them all in jeopardy. But the traitor finds a surprising collaborator on the enemy ship--one who will change the crew's destiny forever. Discover the nerve-shattering cliffhanger that had critics on the edge of their seats and fans screaming for more! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great climax for season 1 Finale
This DVD marks the end of season one and these two episodes are indicative of this great series. "Bone to be wild" is a good who do you trust episode. The crew while hiding in an asteroid field to avoid Crais and Scorpious are hailed by an unknown alien. Once meeting this alien they find that a creature is preying upon them as they find remains of previous victims. They are attacked by another plant like creature who is more than he seems. They find out that they only have a short time before the creature attacks again but who are they going to trust?
"Family Ties" sees Rygel up to his old tricks in trying to sell out his comrades to save his own green hide. But with Crais under arrest and Scorpious in charge he knows he has much of a chance to cut a good deal. He instead makes a deal with Crais and comes back to Moya with him. So Crichton is faced with one of his nemises, will he overcome the urge to take revenge? It ends with a great cliffhanger in this season finale. Look out for this one if you are a farscape fan or someone who enjoys a good drama and great acting, sci-fi or no. Enjoy:)

"Farscape" ends Season One with a massive starburst
Volume 11 finishes off Season 1 of "Farscape," and heralds the return of the audio commentaries that allowed the first DVDs in this series to set the standard for being fan-friendly. Of course, you are not going to listen to the commentary tracks until the second time around, where Anthony Simcoe provides solo commentary on "Bone to be Wild" and Ben Browder and Claudia Black do their tag-team act on "Family Ties." However, one thing that cropped up in the latter is useful for appreciating what we are seeing, namely that "Farscape" had not been reviewed when they started filming the finale of Season 1. Consequently, you want to read "Family Ties" as not only a cliffhanger, but also as a possible grand finale (sort of like this year's final episode of "Angel").

Episode 21, "Bone to Be Wild," starts with Moya still hiding in the asteroid field from the Peacekeeper Command Carrier of Crais (Lani John Tupu). While Aeryn (Black) checks out the newborn Leviathan with its intriguing synthesis of Peacekeeper technology, Chrichton (Browder), D'Argo (Simcoe) and Zhaan (Virginia Hey) answer a distress call. What they find is an asteroid that is a garden paradise and two creatures, each claiming the other is a killer. The title has to do with the fact that the female of the pair only eats bones and the only animal life on this asteroid is her opponent and, as we discover, two of the three visitors. Meanwhile, Crais discovers he is in a losing power struggle with Scorpius (Wayne Pygram), and Aeryn starts to build a relationship with Moya's newborn offspring. Obviously there is a lot happening in this episode that we will have to remember down the road.

Episode 22, "Family Ties," is fairly impressive as a season finale in terms of the massive galactic train wreck that is created by the time the producers credit pops up at the end of the episode. Keep in mind that for most of the filming the cast thought this was their final episode, so there is a sense of gravity here beyond that dictated by the situation. The chaos begins immediately as Rygel goes off to cut his own deal with the Peacekeepers on their Command Carrier, where Crais is on the verge of losing control to Scorpius. Things start getting really worse until Moya's crew has to come up with a desperate and complicated plan to get out of the asteroid field alive. Then the situation gets so bad that when it ends they do not even need to tell you "to be continued," because the thought of ending the series at this point is too horrible to contemplate.

"Farscape" certainly ends its first season on a high note, ironically by charting the depths of despair. The commentary tracks provides lots of insights into the details of the show, such as how to turn the instructions in the language of Papau New Guinea for getting to a McDonalds into a Delvian blessing (drop one consonant per word). The commentaries were recorded at the end of Season 3 so the actors are able to provide perspective on what would be happening down the road (there are lots of references to "seeds" being planted). You will also find a pair of video profiles this time around, featuring series creator Rockne O'Bannon and executive producer David Kemper, along with a look at the Jim Henson Creature Shop in Australia, conceptual designs, and other goodies.

Season Finale Triumph
Family Ties is such a strong episode that I have ignored its unfortunate pairing with Bone to be Wild (an episode of little consequence and terrible storyline placement) and given this a 5 star rating. Family Ties is everything a season finale should be -- enemies old and new, each character coming fully into their own, Farscape's typical wit mixed with the most poignant moments to date, and of course a cliffhanger that makes you glad the SciFi channel is goofy enough to air the final four episodes right before the beginning of the new season so you don't have to agonize too long. These actors can handle anything with style, and Family Ties is one of the most stylish episodes from any season.

Great and Silly episodes
The DVD's are well coordinated and the menus are easy to follow. The clarity is excellent.

Farscape was (and I specify was) one of the best new SciFi series out. I recommend all episodes in season one and season two however, starting with the ending of season three it has become silly and juvenile. Chreiton's brain implant is becomming redundant and needs to be resolved. I do not plan on purchasing any additional episodes (perhaps even watching) unless they get new writers (someone over the age of 12 at least)for the upcoming episodes.
LETS HOPE THEY RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL CONCEPTS OF THE SERIES.

Two great episodes to watch over and over
Being Sci-fi fans for a long time, particularly of the Star Trek franchise (our favorite was Voyager), we have been bowled over by the Farscape series. It is far more creative and adventurous than anything before it--thanks to the amazing work of Henson's Creature Shop and the bold vision of its creators...but the real success of the show is due to its fabulous cast, who make the scripts sing and sizzle...funny and poignant and raucous adventure, all rolled into one! These two episodes are truly representative of Farscape's best features, with creatures to die for (Bone to Be Wild) and the captivating performances by the cast (Family Ties). Our full salute to this inventive show! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No surprises, but serviceable adventure yarn
There isn't much to say about this typical story of greed, intrigue, and jungle adventure -- this one takes place in the wilds of Borneo, for a change, and is set in 1955 although a lot of the film feels as if it's taking place in the 1930s. There's a sort of pre-WWII colonialism mentality about it that is jarring, and very little evidence of the modern world apart from some references to atomic bombs. Even the clothes, hairstyles, and mannerisms seem dated, archaic. Oh, well. The plot centers around a quest for a fabulous diamond and the romantic triangle (or is it?) between the married swells in pursuit (the oddly dyspeptic Carradine and an elegant Paris Jefferson) and their hard-scrabble guide (Billy Zane, good as usual in another cartoon role). There's a lot of running around in uncomfortable-looking surroundings, Zane doing a Bogart impression, and nasty natives of the sort normally encountered in vintage Tarzan movies. Very retro, but all in good fun, and the underappreciated Paris Jefferson -- best known perhaps as a radiant Athena in the "Xena" TV series -- steals every scene she's in, the perfect cool Britishwoman under fire. Who wouldn't steal a diamond for her?

...

Jealousy, Greed, Jungle adventure and not-stop action!
Having read a little about Louis L'Amour and his early adventures as a merchant seaman at his web site (louislamour.com), I can see some of his own life in this story! From the absolute KING of the Western comes an exciting, jungle action adventure flick that combines Indiana Jones with Casa Blanca, Tarzan, and Romancing the Stone. Zane is the perfect down-on-his-luck adventurer, trapped by his bad luck, empty pockets and a haunting secret past. Carradine brings just enough stiff-upper-lipped genious to his role to make you love - hate - love - hate the guy. And Paris Jefferson is a sophisticated sensous Gwenevere whose romantic notions get the better of her. Yet when the chips are down, she turns out to be the stongest of them all! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend to everyone. And if you want to talk to the writer (and Louis L'AMour's son) Beau L'Amour, visit the discussion forum at louislamour.com He has been very active with comments on the making of this movie! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great family fun
My little cousin has watched this tittle 6 times. He knows it line for line. It has a good story line. I will buy this video. Wish it was out on DVD.

Not great but not bad
Well when I first watched this movie I thought it was ok. There is a pretty cool jungle fight scene in the begining. The world has ben taken over by an evil alien race who defeated them with these giant robots. At the begining as aI said before a group of freedom fighters is searching for the wreckage of an old robot which could spell freedom for the earth. On the way there they are attacked by this huge robot. Now This has to be one of the cheesiest bluescreen scenes I've ever seen. We're talking like Godzilla fake here. Although I will admit the robot to robot fight scenes are quite cool. I give it a solid three for leaveing me dissapointed at the ending. ... Read more

Description

"PK Tech Girl": Our crew encounters the drifting derelict of the most feared Peacekeeper battleship, Zelbinion. The discovery has a devastating effect on Rygel… it's the first ship on which he was imprisoned. And Aeryn is finding herself jealous of the attraction she witnesses between Crichton and Gilina, the PK technician they have met aboard the Zelbinion. But as our crew comes under attack by the Sheyangs, a race of savage scavengers, all must put their emotions aside and focus on the battle they face…

"That Old Black Magic": A simple trip to a commerce planet turns into a life-or-death nightmare for Crichton when he is tricked by the dark sorcerer, Maldis. As his spirit literally gets torn from his body, Crichton is transported to a dark supernatural world and forced to battle his arch enemy, Crais, in a deadly game designed to entertain Maldis. It is up to Zhaan to save Crichton, but to do so, she must rekindle a dark side within herself that she thought was buried forever… ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Love the show, hate the DVDs
Well, actually, to clarify, I hate DVDs that have just *two* episodes and nothing more. I didn't mind so much when the episodes had commentary tracks because I didn't feel quite so cheated. Paramount started the disgraceful practice of two-episodes per disk but I'm not particularly interested in helping that notion become an industry standard. The people at ADV could learn a thing or two from MGM (who have their own DVD problems when it comes to movie releases, I'll admit), who just released a reasonably priced five-disk set of the first season of Stargate SG-1, with each episode letterboxed and anamorphic. And there were extras on each disk, including the four or five episodes per.

But hey, ADV, start putting four or five Farscape episodes per disk, and releasing them in season box sets, and I am *so* there with you. Until then, rather than spending my money on the Farscape two-episode DVDs being released slower than snails move, I'll just save my dollars for season two of Stargate SG-1.

Love that Farscape
I did not get interested in Farscape until the last 5 episodes of the second season. I don't know why I didn't watch it before. I have been hooked ever since and have started collecting the DVD's as they come out. I would prefer more than two episodes per DVD but only if they were the same quality. "That Old Black Magic" is my favorite episode so far. My favorite character is Bialar Crais and TOBM really delves into what makes him tick. "PK Tech Girl" was also a good episode. It is interesting to see how John reacts to all the new things he is encountering in their travels. Buy 'em and watch 'em they are the best!!!!!!!!!

Best Sci-Fi Show EVER!!!!
I am 37 year old and have watched Sci-Fi all my life. Farscape is definitely the most creative, original, dynamic, intriguing, sophisticated, intelligent and exhilarating sci-fi show ever produced. YOU MUST SEE THE WHOLE THING!!!!! If you want to learn more about what Farscape is about visit www.savefarscape.com.

A pair of pivotal PeaceKeeper episodes (but no commentary?)
Well, here I have been watching the Season 1 "Farscape" DVDs and praising the tag-team great commentaries I had been enjoying as the best in fan friendly extras (not to mentioning why Joss Whedon has been so skimpy with such commentaries on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" DVDs). So I get to Volume 4, which is the best pair of episodes I have seen to date, and guess what: no commentaries. I was all ready to give this volume 5 stars but I have to subtract one in protest because I am so disappointed.

"PK Tech Girl" does offer the old chestnut about the prisoner who falls for the captor, in this case retelling the tale (quite self-consciously it must be admitted) with the titular character, Technician Gilina Renaez (Alyssa-Jane Cook), a PeaceKeeper technician found on an abandoned PK super cruiser, and John Crichton (Ben Browder) in the familiar roles. What makes this episode work a bit better than that is how this affair irks Aeryn (Claudia Black), plus the fact that this is not a one shot deal for Gilina, which makes this more than a brief but close encounter. There is also a nice little subplot with Rygel, who was once tortured aboard this Peace Keeper ship and needs to confront a rather significant ghost.

I had been wondering what had happened to PeaceKeeper Captain Bialar Crais (Lani John Tupu), who has vowed to hunt down Crichton in the pilot episode. Well, in "That Old Black Magic" Crais and Crichton are brought together by a warlock vampire type being who wants them to try and kill each other. Crichton has long wanted an opportunity to explain that the death of Crais' brother was an accident. This episode gives him a chance to reason with the PeaceKeeper, for all the good it is going to do him. Meanwhile, Crichton's crewmates are trying a way to rescue him, even though they do not know exactly what is going on. Again there is an interesting element to the story involving the difficulty Zhaan (Virginia Hey) is having in taking advantage of her long dormant dark side in being part of the rescue effort. Of the first eight episodes, this is the best of the bunch.

The reason that both of these episodes are above average is because they both have implications for several of the story and character arcs in "Farscape." Like all great science fiction shows, the characters and their relationships are the best part of the show. By this point in the first season we are starting to learn some interesting things and the characters and their relationships are starting to click. On to Volume 5, please.

Farscape is the greatest show on TV.
Anyone who does not understand why one would buy DVD's of this show is not a fan. The DVD's last forever and you can revisit the show when ever you want through them. I'm not getting these for right now. I'm getting these for ten years from now. ... Read more

Description

"DNA Mad Scientist": When a mysterious DNA researcher, Namtar, holds high the promise of helping Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rygel return to their home worlds, they will let nothing stand in their way. Caught up in their excitement, they begin to turn against each other, with no price seeming too great for the opportunity to go home. But how selfish will their sacrifices be…?

"They've Got a Secret": Trying to clear the ship of all Peacekeeper devices, D'Argo inadvertently causes an extremely strange reaction within Moya, at the same time driving himself into an inexplicable delirium. As D'Argo relives the painful events that led to him becoming a prisoner of the Peacekeepers, Moya's life support systems begin to shut down. Pilot falls unconscious, cutting off all hope of communication with Moya. The DRDs transform from mechanical servants to deadly protectors, attacking the crew with chilling resolve. As they race against time to correct the problem, the crew is in for a shocking surprise…. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wonderful episodes, wish this DVD had commentaries
"DNA Mad Scientist" is one of the best of the early Farscape episodes. "They've got a Secret" is also good, and gives information about one of the characters that is important for later episodes in the series. This is a wonderful scifi series, much better than Star Trek, which has gotten tired and boring in its latest incarnations. Farscape mixes humor, drama, romance, action, great stories and characters into a very satisfying whole, and takes on some of the great human themes and problems that go beyond genre, as the best scifi does. My only real complaint is that I loved the commentaries on the first three DVDs in this series, and I wish we could have them back on future DVDs--please! Or maybe an extra of outtakes and bloopers.

It's No Secret, One of these episodes is really bad.
As you can tell from my title, one of these episodes does not impress me at all.

"DNA Mad Scientist" features one of the best Henson creations of the series with Namtar, who is the title character of this episode. Basically, he is a fully realized alien species complete with backward knees (like the rear legs of dogs or horses).

The storyline is pretty straightforward. Namtar is collecting DNA from a variety of species and offeres the Moya crew a complete map of the galaxy in exchange for one of Pilot's arms. D'Argo, Rygel, & Zhaan go behind Aeryn & John's back to collect the arm (with Pilot screaming in agony, this is one of the most shocking scenes in Farscape history). With the DNA collected from the arm, Namtar then infects Aeryn and she begins to transform.

Although you can probably guess how it will turn out, there is an interesting surprise that's revealed at the end of the show about the origins of Namtar. The special effects are once again top notch, especially the scene with the map of the planets floating in Namtar's office. Overall, this is a fine episode and one of the better ones from the pre-Chiana days.

"They've Got A Secret" is simply the most boring episode of Farscape ever produced. Unfortunately, this episode cannot be ignored because it began two of the most important running plots in the series. The first one deals with D'Argo as he was accidentally cast out of Moya during the teaser. He is recovered, but his mind is drifting and we get to know something important about his past. His "secret" does manage to produce a tender scene with Zhaan, but that's about it.

Moya also has a "secret" and while it's revelation is somewhat interesting, the time it takes to get there may have you fast forwarding the DVD to get to that point. Basically, we have a twenty minute show stretched into fifty minutes with one long, pointless scene after another with the crew guessing as to what is wrong with D'Argo & Moya. I swear to the Lord above that one scene alone with John & Aeryn conversing about "what is going on", time itself comes to a stop.

I know that many 'scapers will disagree with me about my review of this episode. And all I can say is that I call 'em like I see 'em. This could've easily been a thirty minute show with room to spare and we wouldn't have missed a thing.

Ken

The bad side and the good side of the Farscape crew
Volume 5 of Season 1 of "Farscape" offers up an interesting counterpoint between two episodes that show the characters at their worst and at their best as crewmates. In "DNA Mad Scientist" D'Argo, Zhaan and Rygel barely blink before they cut off one of Pilot's arms in order to trade it for a crystal that will show them how to get home and avoid the Peacekeepers. At that point they turn on each other in the great tradition of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." Meanwhile, the titular mad scientist turns Aeryn into an intergalactic guinea pig in one of those plotlines I hate where playing with DNA has characters evolving/devolving with the greatest of ease, leaving it to Crichton to restore sanity and order to our dysfunctional little family.

"They've Got a Secret" keeps us guessing as to who exactly they turns out to be in this episode, which has long-range implications for the series. In a previous episode we had been teased with the idea that D'Argo has not revealed the true reason that he was imprisoned by the Peacekeeper. Yes, we find out what his deep dark secret is in this episode--it proves to be very deep and very dark--and, no, you never would have seen this one coming. Certainly we see a different side of D'Argo in this episode, turning the blustering warrior into a much more sympathetic figure.

I am not surprised but Crichton, the only human character on "Farscape," turns out to be the least interesting one of the bunch. Part of the reason for this is that he is so busy saving the day in episode after episode that his character development consists of nothing more than making pop culture references and missing Earth. In this particular volume it is D'Argo who clearly grows the most as a character. Having lauded these DVDs for the tag-team commentary on the first three discs, I would add my voice to the chorus of those who are bitterly disappointed that the practice does not extend to the entire series. This DVD series started off setting the standards for being fan-friendly and now it is fairly pedestrian. Now we have the irony that just as the episodes were getting a lot better, we lose the commentary and insights from the cast and crew.

Two Great Eps, but No Substance :(
As a latecomer to FARSCAPE, I was pleased to see that ADV was releasing the episode of the series on DVD, and the first season is working its way along on these 2 eps per disc DVDs. While the first three DVDs had some neat extras on them, the last two (including this one) don't. And that's sad, given the price on these DVDs.

One of the things that FARSCAPE excels at is the story driven by character, and these two episodes have it. The disc begins with with "DNA Mad Scientist," one of my favourite episodes from the first season. With the possibility of finding a way home based on the help of scientist Nam'Tar, Moya's crew are willing to sacrifice a little bit of DNA from their eyes in what is obviously a highly unpleasant procedure. But when the demands for the starchart information the crew wants means one of Pilot's arms...well, let's just say the ruthlessness of some of the crew surprises the viewer. Things take on a more dangerous slant, when Nam'Tar injects some of Pilot's DNA into Aeryn Sun, and only John Crichton can make things right as the rest of Moya's crew are preoccupied by their own agendas and greed. A terrific story, with lots of really good character development, a few shocking bits along the way, some cool special effects, and a set of extra footage that makes the episode come more sharply into focus.

The second episode is "They've Got A Secret", in which apparent malfunctions on Moya and diversion of the ship's nutrients and energy flow threaten both Pilot and Moya's crew...but leads to a surprising development which will play a major part in the rest of the first season story arc, and leads into a morass of ramifications for the second season to deal with. Strong in characterisation and the element of suspense, this episode's extra footage provides some illumination on a couple of the characters and adds immeasurably to the story being told here. One of the best episodes of its kind in television science fiction, with a truly unique surprise that is not all that telegraphed.

As noted, there are no extras on this DVD, other than the extra footage per episode and the Profile on Rygel (and some of the folks behind-the-scenes on this annoying little Hynerian). I still get ticked off at the fact that ADV insists on putting their commercial advertising for other ADV products at the *beginning* of the DVDs, rather than as a menu feature, and that the last couple of FARSCAPE DVDs have had no real special features on them. On the other hand, the quality of the DVD and its two episodes with the extra footage doesn't quite make up for the lack of any additional features. The Rygel feature is entertaining in its own right, but there's nothing on the DVD besides the two episodes that makes it worth the price. The only reason I've given this episode three stars is for the quality of the episodes themselves and the fact that the extra footage in each one adds something to the shows in question.

Two Excellent Eps
DNA Mad Scientist is great. The creature in this episode is amazing. And secret is an excellent character builder. ... Read more

Description

"Til the Blood Runs Clear ": While out studying solar flares in his module, Crichton unexpectedly creates a wormhole. Aeryn manages to pull the module away before they're sucked in. They are forced to land at the Dambada Depot where they discover a Wanted Beacon offering a reward for the return of Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rygel. When confronted by two vicious Bloodtrackers determined to get the reward, Crichton and Aeryn must also impersonate bounty hunters. The situation gets even more complicated when D'Argo comes down to the planet and is captured by the Bloodtrackers…

"Rhapsody in Blue": The crew wakes to find Moya has StarBurst on her own accord to answer the distress call of another Leviathan. But the call was merely a psychic ruse by a stranded Delvian sect who needs Zhaan's powers to heal their leader, Tahleen, from madness. Crichton and the rest of the crew are helpless as they become victims of the sect's mystical powers, as Tahleen attempts to steal Zhaan's soul! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Best sci-fi on TV!!!
In short, Farscape is the most brilliant science-fiction television show in television history. The absolute best way to see them are on DVD. The picture and colors are amazing, and you get the complete episodes. On Sci-Fi, at least 5 minutes are trimmed out of every episode, unlike in the UK, where they get to see the whole thing. Now, we can too!
These two episodes are wonderful, by the way, particularly in character development.
Oh, and as far as the extras, it turns out that there were no commentaries for the past few disks, because of licensing problems. At a recent Science Fiction convention, a rep from ADV films, who produce this disk, said that this problem has been cleared up, and the commentaries, and much more features will return by the 11th volume, and will be for all volumes after that. So don't stop buying the DVDs...The lack of extras is not the DVD producers' fault and they are returning them soon!

Personally, the amazing picture quality and extra scenes are reason enough to buy these DVDs. The extras are just icing on the cake!

Forced landing and hallucinations ......
If you've ever seen Farscape, then you have yet to see till the blood runs clear and rhapsody in blue.

Till the blood runs clear is where Crichton and Aeryn are forced to land Farscape One Module on the planet Dam-Ba-Da after it suffers a plasma leak during a failed experiment to create wormholes. While there, they notice a Peacekeeper Beacon broadcasting rewards for the capture of D'Argo, Zhaan and Rygel. A pair of bounty hunters also take notice of the broadcast, forcing Crichton to impersonate a bounty hunter himself in order to ensure the safety of the others.

Rhapsody in blue is about the entire crew who experience strange and powerful dreams. Moya, imagining the distress cries of a pregnant Leviathan, starbursts without warning in search of the call. Moya and the crew discover it is not a ship but a small colony of Delvian missionaries who followed their leader into the Uncharted Territories. The become distracted by powerful hallucinations of their pasts, activated by the mind control of the missionaries.

To keep you on the edge of your seat, I can speak no more of these 2 great episodes. All I can say is, you WILL enjoy them. If you're not a Farscape fan, you will be after viewing these episodes.

Very Pleasing!
I enjoyed this dvd like I have enjoyed the other ones.I really enjoyed ''Till the Blood runs Clear'' it shows John finding the beginnings of a wormhole and what that does to his module.The Aeryn-John relationship progresses some as well.Plus,D'Argo and John come to an understanding with one another.This episode also forshadowed some things in season 3 which I found to be interesting .
''Rhapsody in Blue'' was also a interesting episode for it showed some more delvians and more of Zhaan's past and why she is a prisoner on Moya.John we see has had a long-term relationship with a woman named Alex who he almost had proposed to which I found to be interesting thing to know as well.But I am a fan of the John-Aeryn relationship so I am glad he is in the UT with everyone on Moya.These two episodes showcase how far the characters have come in the short time the show had been on at this point.It is half way through season 1 and it has been One helluva ride!

Crichton continues to set things straight on "Farscape"
This is my first trip through the "Farscape" universe and by the time I have gotten halfway through Season 1 my recurring thought is that John Crichton (Ben Browder) really needs to stop hogging the stage. Now, I understand that this earth astronaut stuck in a galaxy far, far away is our conduit into this particular science fiction realm, but I am really much more interested in the other characters on Moya. The recurring plot element at this point in the series is that every time one of the others becomes the focus point, Crichton is required to save the day.

"Till the Blood Runs Clear" has the crew discovering that bounty hunters are looking for the reward posted by Captain Crais for Zhaan, D'Argo and Rygel. This leaves Crichton and Aeryn (Claudia Black) off the hook for the time being, but they cross paths with a pair of Bloodtrackers. At this point Crichton goes into an alpha male routine as the baddest tracker in the galaxy (he is "Butch" and Aeryn is "Sundance"). This is all quite inconvenient for Crichton because while out in his spacecraft he almost created a wormhole and he needs the ship repaired before the localized phenomenon dissipates. At least in this episode Crichton and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) have a long overdue talk, but the, ah, intense pleasure Zhaan (Virginia Hey) gets from soaking up the rays is a missed opportunity for further exploration.

The good news is that "Rhapsody in Blue" involves the crew encountering a remote Delvian outpost, but the bad news is that all of the blue skinned women there have hair. Consequently, none of them look as great as Zhaan (Virginia Hey's decision to shave her head clearly set the bar too high for the actresses playing the other Delvian women in this episode). The head priestess says she wants to help Zhaan control her madness, but, of course, she has something else in mind. Actually, everybody in this episode has something else in their mind as the Delvins play head games with the crew. "Rhapsody in Blue" is the first episode to really unravel Zhaan's past and Crichton has to deal with more than just learning about the crime for which she was imprisoned.

The obvious formula of the series at this point, to always keep Crichton center stage, is working against the evolution "Farscape." It is not surprising that the aliens are more interesting than the one "human" character." By this point viewers are clearly hooked on the series and they should be opening it up more in favor of the rest of Moya's crew. Having a poignant moment of understanding between Crichton and one of his crewmates each week becomes quite dull from all this repetition. Volume 6 of Season 1 of "Farscape" includes a look at Moya and Pilot, but, once again, the commentaries that made the first three DVDs so fan-friendly are missing.

Two Great FARSCAPE Episodes
One of the things that the FARSCAPE tv series does so well is explore the boundaries of television science fiction and take on the task of giving their stories interesting turns and twists of both plot and characterisation. The sixth DVD disc of the first season is no exception to this rule.

The first episode on this disc is "Till the Blood Runs Clear." In the story, Crichton and Aeryn, while out researching wormholes, are forced to land on the desert world of Dam-Ba-Da, and seek the help of the mechanic Furlow to repair Farscape 1. They discover that there are warning beacons out on the characters now, and Crichton and Aeryn are forced to pretend to be a pair of bounty hunters when they encounter two Vorcarians, seeking the rewards for the fugitives. Complicating matters are Zhaan's reaction to the solar flares in the area, and D'Argo's impatience with Crichton and his arrival on the planet - only to be captured by the bounty hunters, and putting Crichton in a dangerous position. This is a terrific episode that focuses on Crichton and Aeryn, and leads to some interesting revelations as Crichton and D'Argo come to a mutual understanding about their relationship. The extras here provide some interesting depth to the characters, and make some of the storyline a bit clearer. One terrific episode, that owes a lot to some of the sf movies that have been out there for a while.

"Rhapsody in Blue", the second offering on the DVD, is a story in which the strange dreams about past loves that Moya's crew have, coupled with Moya's own Starbursting in response to another pregnant Leviathan, leads the crew into the clutches of a group of renegade Delvians led by one Tahleen. She wants to learn the secrets that Zhaan possesses that prevent Zhaan from succumbing to her "dark impulses," but when Zhaan offers to show her the means in Unty, a Delvian form of joining of two spirits/souls, Tahleen takes the extra step and *steals* the knowledge from Zhaan. With the rest of the crew being disrupted by the other Delvians' manipulating their worst fears and desires, it's up to Crichton to show Zhaan the path back to her loveable self. A superb episode that sheds light on the Delvian Seek, on Zhaan's crime, and on the love of John Crichton's life. It has some interesting ramifications for the future, and sees several changes in the personalities of Moya's crew. The extra footage here enhances elements of the "Delvian experience", but isn't a necessity.

Like the previous DVDs in the series, the sixth DVD of FARSCAPE's first season has the commercials ads at the beginning... but the episodes presented and the sheer quality of both sound and picture are abso-frelling superb. While the extras on this DVD are once more pretty skimpy - presenting a Profile on Moya, Pilot, and the folks who bring these beings to life - the reason for the lack of extras on the last few DVDs has been explained as a licensing problem (one that has been cleared up, and will see other features once more, such as the commentary versions of the episodes on the DVDs, on them from the eleventh DVD on). That doesn't mitigate the cost of the DVDs however, as these are quite expensive, but FARSCAPE is a series well worth owning on DVD. Overall, "Till the Blood Runs Clear" and "Rhapsody in Blue" are terrific episodes of FARSCAPE that emphasize the true boundaries to which sf can be pushed, but the lack of extras make the DVDs not necessarily everyone's cup of tea. ... Read more

Description

"Through the Looking Glass": The pregnant Moya attempts StarBurst prematurely in an attempt to prove her worth but abruptly comes to a halt sending the crew flying. In the aftermath, they discover Rygel has disappeared. Setting off to look for him, Aeryn and D'Argo also disappear in a flash of light before the other's very eyes. Crichton discovers inter-dimensional doors leading to four different Moyas. Crichton learns that Moya is stuck in the wall of StarBurst. He must get all four Moya to push forward at the same time if they ever want to reunite and not be destroyed. Crichton must race against the clock if he is to save them all.

"A Bug's Life": When special commandos are forced by a fuel leak to come aboard the ship they are deceived into believing that Moya is still under Peacekeeper control. They reveal to Aeryn and Crichton that they are on a mission to a secret base to deliver an unmarked crate. Curious about the crate's contents, Rygel and Chiana are the first to discover an unseen enemy; a lethal virus living within a host body. Virtually undetectable, the virus plays a deadly jumping game as it changes host from Thonn to Chiana to Crichton. The commandos and Moya's renegade crew must work together to recapture it, for if it remains in its infancy stage, it can be stopped before breeding to hundreds of worlds. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A good place to start your Farscape adventure
Both episodes are superior pieces of work from the first season of Farscape.

"Through the Looking Glass" is a supurb stand-alone episode that is, IMHO, the best introduction to those new to the Farscape universe. All of Moya's crew gets to shine is this interesting set-piece when Moya gets stuck in starburst and is split into four separate environments representing normal, light, sound, & giddyness (I guess). Note how the show begins and ends with the crew eating together and just how different the mood is between both scenes. Also note Chiana's rather cat-like growl at John in the "happy" section.

"A Bug's Life" in notable for being the first in the five-episode run that ended the first season. It's best viewed with the rest of the episodes so you can fully enjoy the storyline.

A hearty recommendation and bon appetite!

Crichton figures out how to save the crew two more times
Volume 9 in the DVD series of Season 1 of "Farscape" offers another set of episodes where Moya's crew struggles to work together to keep themselves alive and free. In "Through the Looking Glass" the problem is spatial. The crew is expressing their concerns about Moya's pregnancy; to prove she is still up to the task Moya attempts StarBurst prematurely. The result is rather disorienting; Rygel has disappeared and Crichton (Ben Browder) discovers inter-dimensional doors leading to four different Moyas. Once again, it is up to Crichton to figure out what is really going on before everybody dies.

"A Bug's Life" overs the "Farscape" twist on the old "alien, alien, who's got the alien" plot line. Special Peacekeeper commandos come aboard Moya when their ship has a fuel leak, where they find Crichton pretending to be in command with Aeryn holding a big gun by his side. The others are pretending to be prisoners to make the visitors beleive Moya is still under Peacekeepr control. The commandos are on an ultra-top secret mission to deliver an unmarked crate to a secret base. However, when the too curious for their own good Rygel and Chiana check out the crate, they release a lethal virus that jumps from one host body to the next and most of the bodies on board Moya are carrying guns and hair triggers.

These are standard "Farscape" episodes, pretty much on cruise control. When I watched the DVD feature on Lani John Tupu, play provides the voice for Pilot and plays Peacekeeper Captain Bialar Crais, I was struck by how many memorable scenes were included in the clips. There is nothing equally memorable in this particular pair of episodes. At least there is a rationale for the crew being back at each other's throats again in "A Bug's Life."

One of the better season 1 dvd's
Maybe it's just my poor timing, but I find these episodes to be ones that haven't often turned up on Scifi. They're both excellent. Without spoilers, the first one begins with the crew hilariously munching out and trashing each other while occasionally throwing food, interrupted by Moya splitting into dimensions. The dimensional shifts are handled differently than usual, which is quite interesting. In A Bug's Life, Crichton masquerades as a Peacekeeper captain in order to deal with a peacekeeper crew landing on Moya, but much else goes on, with Erin particularly good in this episode believably attracted to someone other than John. The "extra" focuses on Lani Tupu. It is terrible, like all the extras on the Farscape dvd's, but is redeemed by his talking of how he voices Pilot!

Two Favorites in one DVD
Add this volume to the "Best Of" compilation and you will have nearly everything you need of season 1 ("They've Got a Secret" is also important). TTLG is one of my favorites, allowing the cast to have some fun and a mini-mystery. Bug's Life is pivotal to the storyline in the finale arc (Farscape delivers some of the most amazing finales in tv, definite movie calibre!).

FARSCAPE Continues to Shine!
Science fiction tv series often find it difficult to maintain a high level of quality in their first year, and while FARSCAPE has had some inconsistency in this regard, the ninth DVD of the first season of the series brings us two of the best episodes in the first season to this date.

The first episode on the DVD, "Through the Looking Glass," offers the vision of a Moya split into four different realities through the act of the Leviathan's attempting to Starburst without enough energy to make the trip successfully. Each of the realities has variances from the norm that make the situation more difficult. Crichton manages to find gateways or doorways between the realities, and attempts to bring the four Moyas back together again. But there is another force at work here, a force that is ripping gouges in the realities of the various Moyas, and perhaps this is the biggest threat of all...or not. This episode brings together some of the best characterisation and acting in the series so far, presenting as it does two marvellous "dinner on Moya" scenes - one at the beginning, one at the end - that truly frame the differences in the crew at the two different points of the story. It is an episode where Chiana truly begins to fit in on Moya (in her own way, of course), and where we get to see a different side of Rygel and the others as well.

The second episode is "A Bug's Life," the first season episode that leads into the story arc that wraps up the season which will change the lives of the characters forever. When Larraq and his fellow PK Commandos commandeer Moya to transport a single crate to the Peacekeeper Gammak base in the Uncharted Territories, Crichton and Aeryn masquerade as PKs, while D'Argo, Zhaan, and Rygel pretend to be prisoners once more. But when Rygel and Chiana's curiosity get the better of them and they open the crate, they release a virus on board that threatens the entire crew...and may cost one of Moya's crew's life. This episode is a marvellous morality play that deals with the issues of trust, and has a wonderfully paranoid feeling to it. Heck, "evil Crichton" is worth seeing this one for!

Both episodes have some extended footage here that adds to the stories in general, and "A Bug's Life" is notable in this regard, featuring a good scene between Aeryn and Larraq that explains much of the personality of our favourite female PK. Thh additional footage in "Through the Looking Glass" is also worth the effort of seeing, and provides a bit of insight into the major characters, but doesn't really enhance what we've seen to this point. What would have made this DVD really exceptional would have been a commentary version of each of these episodes, since both are psychological works that really would have been enhanced by such material. There is a nice Profile on Lani Tupu's work here, although there was less time than I would have liked to see devoted to Pilot in this, but such is life and all.

With two of the best episodes of the first season on it, this ninth FARSCAPE DVD is a good buy as each of these episodes is worth viewing more than once. A few more extras on the DVD wouldn't have hurt it, but I think that this DVD is still worth the price. ... Read more

Description

"Back and Back and Back to the Future": After rescuing two aliens from their disintegrating ship, Crichton and D'Argo fall victim to rather strange effects, apparently from the very presence of the alien female. Soon, Crichton begins experiencing "future flashes" where he is attacked by her--both sexually and fatally. Is Crichton losing his mind? Or does he now, mysteriously, have the gift of prophecy? More importantly, can he change the horrible future he sees?

"Thank God It's Friday, Again": When Moya's crew follows D'Argo to the planet Sykar, they find a strange, almost Utopian society centered around a certain plant. But the world's happy veneer is ripped away when Crichton is assaulted, Rygel's body becomes explosive, and D'Argo and Zhaan become pleasure-seeking cult members. As the true purpose of the plant and the planet are revealed, Crichton finds the Uncharted Territories to which they've escaped are not as uncharted as they seem... ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Exploring a Different Uncharted Territory
The pilot episode of Farscape lets us know these stories take place in the Uncharted Territories. But starting with the episodes featured on this disc, we see that these uncharted territories include the souls of Moya and her crew.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" pierces the gruff exterior of D'Argo as a mysterious femme fatale named Natala ensnares the warrior's heart. Unfortunately, Crichton starts having visions of himself with Natala which become progressively more disasterous. Not only do we start to see more of D'Argo's vulnerablility, but we're also treated to a well-designed, time-travelling head trip.

"Thank God It's Friday, Again" has D'Argo on an alien world, but after just three days the gang finds he has traded his soldier's weapons for a famer's tools. Though he seems blissfully content with his new life, things start to spiral out of control with Zhaan slipping into the same blind happiness as D'Argo, an apparent attempt on Rygel's life, Crichton's abduction by a rebel force, and the slow realization that this paradise is intimately linked to one of the galaxy's greatest threats. This is one of Farscape's best episodes, not only for it's wonderful visual appeal, but also for the way it expands our understanding of the characters. A wistful D'Argo confides in Zhaan that this experience echoes some of his long-held dreams. Aeryn reaches beyond her Peacekeeper-imposed blinders as she and Pilot must work together, not in military maneuvers, but in the more cerebral world of science as she struggles to find out what has happened to Rygel. And to top it all of, we have Angie Milliken's beautifully disturbing portrayal as the planet's ruler, Volmay. (Plus the infamous "She gives me a woody" line.)

Each episode offers a commentary: The first, featuring Ben Browder and director Rowan Woods, draws attention to the directorial choices made such as camera angles and set design. The second features Anthony Simcoe and series creator Rockne O'Bannon and gives a glimpse into the Australian influences on Farscape. The character profile features Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, which seems odd as these two episodes spend a lot of time on D'Argo, but you won't catch me complaining. The Delvian has always been a favorite of mine and it was interesting to hear Virginia Hey's take on the character she embodies. (And embodies is the word: during the interview she completely forgot she was wearing prosthetics at the time!) Zhaan's still gallery has some beautiful shots, though the posing in a few seem overly dramatic. The conceptual drawings are fascinating, though it would have been nice to have some captions. It took a while to realize that some of the aliens depicted were actually Tavleks featured in "Throne for a Loss" from the _previous_ disc.

As O'Bannon explains, each of the characters starts off as a standard sci-fi stereotype. The beauty of Farscape is that it then leaves those cliches behind, delving into these wonderfully realized characters.

Crichton saves the day not once, but twice
I am a "Farscape" neophyte working their way through Season 1 and it seems clear to me that Volume 3 is where this science fiction series starts clicking as the characters start to emerge with some complexity and the stories fit this point in the saga. The common denominator here is that human John Crichton (Ben Browder) gets to save the day to the relief, if not the surprise, of his new crewmates.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" is, as the title suggests, a time travel tale in which Crichton becomes unstuck in time. The fun here is decoding when Crichton has flashed forward and when he is back in the present, and, of course, his attempts to convince the others that he is telling the truth and not gone insane. This is the best episode of the series so far, not only because there it is well thought out but also because there are some key moments regarding character interaction and revelation.

"Thank God It's Friday..Again" is too reminiscent of the "Star Trek" episode where Spock gets pollinated and is happy for a while to really be a standout episode. However, there is a standout performance by a guest star as the leader of the shiny happy people. Once again, the best parts of the episode have to do with the character interaction, particularly between Aeryn (Claudia Black) and Rygel (Jonathan Hardy) as well as Zhaan (Virginia Hey) and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe).

One of the things that is most commendable about "Farscape" is that these DVDs are extremely fan friendly. All of the episodes (so far) offer commentary tracks by a rotating pair of cast and crewmembers. This time around it is actor Browder and director Rowan Woods on "Back and Back and Back to the Future" and actor Simcoe and series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon on "Thank God It's Friday...Again." Having the tag team commentary works well and the talk is usually about the series and the characters overall as well as the individual characters.

There is also a video profile of a "Farscape" character on each disc and this time around it is the turn of Virginia Hey and Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, the most fascinating alien of the current media generation. Then there is the fact that there is deleted footage that was not broadcast in North America, which is meaningless to me because I do not know what it was I did not see the first time around when I did not see it in the first place.

D'Argo's Time To Shine
After finding himself [pulled through] through a wormhole and thrust into the depths of space that neither he nor any human before him had envisioned, Astronaut John Crichton finds himself confronted with Worlds beyond comprehension. In what seems like mere moments he finds himself aboard a living vessel named Moya with a group of escaped convicts trying desperately to outrun a race called the Peacekeepers and their leader whose brother Crichton accidentally caused to perish. In order to escape these forces, the crew of Moya are forced to head into the Uncharted Territories, knowing that they will be followed but that at least the pull of the Peacekeepers isn't a strong as it is elsewhere. Yes, space isn't what it seems.

In these two episodes from the first season, we find D'Argo, a creature from a warrior race with tendrils sprouting from both the top of his head and his chin, as our focal point.
In the first piece, "Back and Back and Back to the Future," the crew of Moya decide to rescue a couple of aliens from their ship that seems to be disintegrating. One of those on board, a female, seems to have some strange allure over both Crichton and D'Argo, putting D'Argo at odds with the human and jealous of what the other members of the crew think. Added to this is the fact that Crichton starts to have flashes of the future, and it seems that this future contains elements that don't seem to lead anywhere but demise.

To me, this episode was a worthwhile one that had some hidden portions within the plot and that played with the mind of the ever-maddening human as he tries to cope with the oddities of space. Its also interesting to see how he thinks he can change things like so many others would only to see that lead to an even worse fate over and over again, making him wonder if he's simply going mad, if things can be changed if he's not, and why he had to end up with such an unwelcome gift in the first place.

In the next episode, "Thank God Its Friday - Again," D'Argo finds himself possessed by something called Hyper Rage, making him aggressive toward any male he sees as a challenge to him, and Crichton finds himself hiding for three days until, at last, D'Argo decides to leave Moya and head for the planet Sykar. When the crew decides to go in search of him, they find him at peace within himself and the society he's found there, happy with the lifestyle of hard work and partying that this allows. Other problems soon begin to manifest as Rygel's bodily fluids become explosive for some reason and Zhaan seems to be overcome by whatever is influencing D'Argo.

This is also an episode I found rather enjoyable because a few things happen here that explain the ways that some societies fuel other ones, and the way that oppression can be elation depending on how its presented. It also places Crichton in some precarious situations when it comes to staying alive, and shows the duality of some of the crew and the bonds that begin to form between some of them; even the ex-Peacekeeper and the Pilot that once despised all their kind.

For anyone that hasn't looked into Farscape yet, I would suggest going back to the Premiere DVD, watching it, and allowing yourself be hooked by the storyline and the characters being developed therein. The dialogue is of the greatest of qualities and only gets better as the show progresses, the individuals that are chasing and the people fleeing are all interesting and the events of today create the rippling effects of tomorrow, plus there is a point to everything taking place. The creative team that developed it should be commended and recommended highly, at least in this viewer's book.

Two Good Episodes
"Back and Back and Back to the Future" is an episode where Crichton is able to experience the future, then return back to the present when things go wrong (like he gets killed). As he corrects certain things, he is able to move forward in the present. The story of this episode has been seen before, but it is enjoyable all the same.

The second episode here is "Thank God It's Friday, Again". This episode takes place on a planet where every day is a work day, every night is a huge party with the promise that tomorrow is a rest day. However, when tomorrow becomes today, the cycle is repeated. The people are slaves to a plant which they cultivate. The plant works like a narcotic on most of the people. Some are able to resist and others with the help of a worm implanted in them can resist as well. Crichton is given such a worm and soon learns the secret of the plant and this planet. The plant is used by the Peacekeepers as it fuels their energy weapons and the planet is a giant storage facility for them.

If you've never seen Farscape, this is a well-written show and worth watching.

When I found Farscape on cable-surfing,.,.I was ecstatic
When I found Farscape on cable-surfing,.,.I was ecstatic. Had someone made a mistake(?) I think Australian movies have the BEST science fiction PROPS. Whether it is the background bulkhead in one of the space ships or the scenery when on a planet I can really experience being there. The Australians take the best of the British (whimsically futuristic) and the best of USA (details, diversity) put it together and come up with a really belevable "set".
Also, usually when I see a skinny woman getting the upper-hand on a man I turn the channel because I don't believe it, but Erin, who was once a peace-keeper but is now a good guy, is believable as being "tough".
The characters are explained in detail by the actors (and others) in "Extras". ... Read more

Description

"Durka Returns": When Moya nearly collides with another transport, Moya feels obligated to make repairs and brings the vessel aboard. Once docked, they find the ship carries a powerful race known as the Nebari---including a Nebari official, Salis, a Nebari criminal, Chiana, and Captain Selto Durka, the ex-Peacekeeper Commander responsible for the torture of Rygel. Durka has been mentally cleansed by the Nebari to remove all those thought processes deemed unacceptable, making him incapable of inappropriate behavior. Seeking revenge, Rygel attempts to kill Durka, but instead breaks the mind cleansing.

"A Human Reaction": Crichton finds a wormhole and returns to Earth. However, only his father, Major Jack Crichton, believes he is really his son. When Moya's Transport Pod blasts through, Crichton convinces the military not to shoot, but he can't prevent them from drugging and imprisoning Rygel, D'Argo and Aeryn. In horror, Rygel is killed and dissected. Aeryn escapes with Crichton and they steal away to a safe house where they give in to their long-standing passion. The next morning, with his father's help, Aeryn and Crichton plan an escape until he realizes that nothing is as it seems. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Enter Chiana
"Durka Returns" and "A Human Reaction" are two excellent episodes. The first ep involves Moya accidently colliding with a Nebari transport. The transport is brought aboard, from which a Nebari male, Salis, a female Nebari prisoner named Chiana, and a Sebacean exit the pod. Much to Rygel's horror, the Sebacean is the dreaded PK Captain Durka - The one who tortured him for so many cycles during his captivity. Salis, the Nebari official, informs the crew of Moya that Durka has been 'cleansed' of all aggressive, violent behavior and that he consitutes no danger to anyone. Rygel and the others are skeptical; You can take the Sebacean out of the Peace Keepers, but can you take the Peace Keeper out of the Sebacean? Why is Chiana a prisoner? Is she as dangerous as Salis claims? Perhaps, even a murderer?!?
"A Human Reaction" takes place when Crichton finds an unstable wormhole. In the hope that the wormhole will take him back to Earth, he flys his module in. What he finds is Earth, but his welcome home isn't what he had hoped for. Aeryn, D'Argo, and Sparky, worried about Crichton, follow him in a pod to Earth. But is Earth ready for the likes of these alien beings? Or is something more sinister at work than Crichton realizes?

Moya will never be the same with the introduction of the sex kitten and all around B-girl, Chiana.

Chiana arrives on Moya and Crichton returns to Earth
The standard first season episode of "Farscape" involved human John Crichton (Ben Browder) saving his alien crewmates aboard Moya from whatever peril of the week afflicts them in a particular episode. That makes the two episodes collected in Volume 8 of Season 1 of "Farscape" stand out all the more, because which the earth man remains the focal character, we are not dealing with the same old stories this time around:

"Durka Returns" but the Peacekeeper responsible for