After a long absence, the Nebari show up again - and their interest in Chiana has increased for reasons which are even more sinister than before...

Why does "neural cleansed" John sound like he belongs in Bill and Ted world?

Lol @ Melian, absolutely dude :lol: :lol:

John: Chiana, let me ask you a question. When you first came on board Elvis had you in cuffs, dragging you back to Nebari Prime. Now we got Deborah Harry doing the same thing. Why are your people so jazzed about getting you home?

Yet another "only on Farscape" moment - a race trying to conquer the universe by using its youth to spread a venereal disease. Priceless! :lol:

Anyway, the title - obviously - is a deliberate reference to the brainwashing of A Clockwork Orange. I remember not really enjoying this episode before, but it's actually a hell of a lot better than I gave it credit for. The threat of the mental cleansing provides a clear and present threat right up until the final moments of the episode, which is a good driving force for the narrative.

Harvey's presence is well utilised to explain Crichton's immunity to the temporary cleansing - it actually makes sense. Even though he is unaffected by the Nebari techniques, John is still acting crazier than normal, a solid indication that his mental state is continuing to slide. The treatment his eyeballs get is possibly the top gross out moment of the series so far.

Is this the first time he calls his gun Winona? I think it is. A great day in Farscape history. It's almost like welcoming a new character. :lol:

Quote of the episode:

Rygel: I'm nobody's puppet! :lmao:

Of course he keeps to character by trying to sell out Crichton the moment Meelak walks in on their plotting. Little git. I think he gets manhandled more in this episode more than any other since Throne For A Loss, and it works very well.

D'Argo's tearful rant after he's been cleansed is hilarious as well. I must admit that, in the scene where Aeryn and D'Argo catch Crichton and Rygel making their "repairs", I was convinced that the two of them had come out of the cleansing as well and were just testing Crichton to make sure he was okay. Of course, it didn't turn out that way, which is a major plus point.

Zhaan is virtually AWOL in this episode.

I always get very angry when anyone causes Pilot pain. Don't ask me why - I accept, hard as it is, that he isn't actually real :unsure: . But he's such a gentle creature, to be tortured like this is just shameful. His glee after he has staged the fake Peacekeeper at the end is very funny:

Pilot: Crichton, did that work for you? I thought it worked. Hmmm, definitely. :lol:

Of course this episode is most important for Chiana. The fact that the Nebari are actually contemplating expanding their empire gives a new slant to them, especially seeing as Pip's background has barely been touched upon. The indication is that they may even be big enough to take on the Peacekeepers, which would be interesting.

Chi goes through a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, in this episode and Gigi sells it really well. The effects of the collar are quite distressing and it certainly had the effect on me of wanting to see Chi kick Varla's arse at the end. The fact that she doesn't get to do it is actually quite refreshing, because that would have been such standard television fare.

The upshot of these events is her discovery that Nerri is still alive but, as much as she wants to join him and his resistance cell, she understands - eventually - that she can't. As Crichton observes: "When do people like us get what we want?"

I've actually come away from it this time thinking this is a really good episode. Nice one!

Because it's coooooool, man! :lol:

I kinda guessed where they had lifted the title from Steve. ;)

A clockwork Orange, way over rated in my opinion :)

LOL again at Rygel's "I'm nobody's puppet" line, pure class :lmao:

How chilling was Aeryn coming back on board, and not ragging on Chianna, you just knew something was up.

I enjoyed this ep, I've never been totally enamoured with Chianna, but hey, she even got some sympathy from me. Is it worse to believe your brother's dead, or knowing that he's alive, but you can't see him, hard one that. At least it makes sense as to why the Nebari, are desperate to get their hands on Chianna.

I'm thinking John using the over zealous peaceful surf dude act, went a bit overboard. I was waiting for him to say 'excellent' or 'bogus' all the way through :lol: :lol:

I know exactly what you mean Steve with the treatment of Pilot, but at least he was able to get a modicum of revenge by using a faked peacekeeper attack to fool the Nebari :thumbsup:

I love the end scene where John still has D'Argo Zhaan and Aeryn locked up, even though they've totally recovered from the neural cleansing.

ewwhhhh to the eye balls :x

Ok. I wrote this before I read your reviews so it pretty much says the same things all over again.

Pilot: Did that work for you? I thought it worked.

I like this episode, it’s Chi-centric and she carries it well. Finally we get to see a glimpse in to the background of everyone’s favorite tralk, and to see just how devious (and patient) Nebari Prime really is, they have been spreading this contagion for over 20 cycles. Talk about long term planning!

Flashbacks show us just how much she and Nerri cared for each other, it’s easy to see now just why she went a little mad when he died (Timeline – it’s been a quarter of a cycle since Nerri ‘died’). From the look of terror on her face as she sees Varla and realizes Aeryn and Rygel have been cleansed, to the relief when she finds out the John hasn’t, fantastic acting from GE.

Mind cleansed Aeryn is really scary. That air of calm, that freaky smile. Shudder And just how sad is it that it is Aeryn that attaches the collar to Pilot.
Mind cleansed D’Argo is just hilarious, weepy and apologetic. But I want to know why he was not on the initial trip to the planet; after all they were looking for info about his son. It seems like a bit of a plot bunny to me, just to get Rygel onto the planet and so be one of the first to be cleansed.

The temporary mind cleansing procedure itself is pretty cringe-worthy. Removing the eyeballs from the sockets so that the drug can be injected directly into the neurons behind them. Yuck!
Luckily the Scorpy clone (Harvey) in Johns head saves him, prompting this little peach of a speech to Pilot
“….The Nebari are a bunch of geeks, and their damned mind cleansing don’t work on Momma Crichton’s baby boy. John Crichton, astronaut, master of the universe!!” Anyone else think John may be a little more insane than previously?
On a side note, I’m really not sure about John’s hair in this episode. Luckily the leather pants provide a fine distraction.

Surfer dude John is hilarious. “Crab man” Nice nickname for Pilot! “Totally screw the pooch babe” What? “Don’t eat so much. You’ll Belushi out” John uses so much pop culture in this episode it is amazing any of the others understands a single thing he says! I like Stoner John. He’s fun. He tells Chi that he has his dirty thoughts back. About her, or just in general?

This episode also boosts one of the best lines in Farscape history.
Rygel: I am Nobody’s puppet!” Hilarious. You can just imagine the writers giggling as they wrote it.

Surprise! Nerri is still alive, and is head of the Nebari underground. But poor Chi. So near and yet so far, he may be alive but he won’t let her join him. “The only thing Nerri loves more than the resistance is you.”

Ok. Why does John give up the peacekeeper ruse? And why doesn’t Chi use her cuffed hands to choke Varla? Why does pilot carry on with the show after John tells him to stop” Why does…..Stop Karen. Take a breath and move on. This is Farscape, not reality!

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable stand alone episode that also works to enhance the season arc and improve our understanding of one of my favorite characters. Great stuff!!

That doesn't matter at all Karen - it's great to hear your views ;)

Okay, imo ( ;) ), John gives up the ruse because Varla is going to kill Chiana; Chiana doesn't choke Varla because every time she gets close Varla hits those button things (technical term) on her forehead; Pilot carries on because he's enjoying it so much, hence the "I thought it worked... definitely" line. :)

Thanks for clearing that up :D

I enjoyed this one.

A welcome return for the Nebari, who seem to become major players in the politics of Farscape with each episode they're in. There's a nice juxtaposition there as well, with Chiana being the first Nebari that you see, you kind of get the impression that her entire race are like that. The fact that they aren't just makes them even more sinister.

Steve's right, their plan's ingenius, I certainly can't remember anything quite like that :lol:

Yes, an important episode for Chiana, and the possibility of her brother turning up at some point in the future.

Rygel get's some amusing scenes here as well :thumbsup:

Interesting to note Chiana's body language when she discovers that Crichton hasn't been successfully cleansed. You get the distinct impression that D'Argo's what she's settled for in John's absense :rolleyes:

The mental clone appears to be Crichton's get out of jail card at the moment. I'm sure that won't last :lol:

And don't you just love the ending of this one where John comforts Chi

Regarding Chi's body language

I'm thinking its both ways. It is plain that John does love Aeyrn but I don't think that stops him from finding Chi attractive.

Its a difficult question regarding D'Argo however, who would she choose if given the choice of John and D'Argo, at this stage I'm not sure.

Great storyline regarding the Nebari threat and Chi's history with Neri.

More please
:)

I'd agree with that as well :)