The plan continues to deteriorate and Moya's crew is forced to call in some old allies.

Meanwhile, Moya is viciously assaulted by an enemy within, and time starts running out for D'Argo...

D'Argo: In command, for a microt, I was ready to take Crichton by force and deliver him to Scorpius. It was all I could do to stop myself.
Chiana: Crichton is your friend.
D'Argo: Jothee is my blood... my child. All I have left of my wife. Now why is that not enough?

Money that sprouts legs and walks. Hmmm, don't see that every day, do you? The cliffhanger at the end of part one was a little bizarre to say the least, but - to me anyway - the planning that went into this three-parter shines through in this second brilliant episode. The money subplot doesn't feel like padding because it is a genuine means to and end, which I'll come back to in a minute.

Scorpius, by tapping into Stark's hacking software in the first episode, has found out where Jothee is and beats Moya to the punch, bidding on the lot of slaves with the compensation he has received from Natira. Incidentally, I like the way Natira intended the Karack Metallites to destroy Scorpy's ship, and yet they spend most of this episode doing God only knows what to each other (although the hilarious sight of Scorpy's coolant unit popping out of his head at what appears to be a moment of intense pleasure gives a pretty good indication :lol: ). She's obviously just as devious as a lot of the other characters on the show. Scorpy alludes to the fact that he has steered the Peacekeepers away from her Shadow Depository in return for her looking after his fortune. Seeing as it is a place for criminals to store their prizes it kind of makes you wonder what he's been up to. He's obviously stored enough wealth there for Natira to feel it worth the risk of attempting to assassinate him.

Anyway, back to the point. Scorpy contacts Moya and offers to give Jothee back to D'Argo in exchange for Crichton. Cue the high running of emotions and the further widening of the rift between the Luxan and the human, and then the conversation at the top of this post. Anthony Simcoe is a revelation.

They have to come up with a plan - and they do. If the first episode was "Farscape Does Ocean's Eleven", this part is "Farscape Does The Dirty Dozen". Drawing upon two seasons worth of alien encounters, this episode becomes a real trip down memory lane. Crichton determines that they can still rescue Jothee, but in order to do so they will need some help from a Sheyang, a Vorcarian Blood Tracker, a Zenetan Pirate and a Tavloid. Sorry, Tavlek. And so the gang split up to go and recruit some old friends: Teurac the Sheyang from PK Tech Girl; Rorf and Rorg from Till The Blood Runs Clear; the pirates from The Flax; and Bekesh from Throne For A Loss.

I absolutely love this, especially the sequences as the gang do their recruiting. The continuity from the first season episodes is spot on, right down to the blue tinted foliage on the Tavlek world. The scenes between Bekesh and Crichton are very funny, too, as the alien tries to convince John that he has done away with the gauntlet and turned to religion, but all the while jonesing for the stimulant that the weapon provides. Bekesh also gets my favourite line in the episode, when he suddenly shows an interest in the reward he'd get for helping:

John: What about your great reformation?
Bekesh: It's easier to reform when you're rich. :lol:

And, in the midst of all this, Rygel gets to deal with his old adversary Durkha once and for all.

Things on Moya aren't going too well as Chi, Rygel, Zhaan and Stark discover that the money has become mobile and is eating through the hull. Again, I go back to my problem with seeing Pilot suffer, and this episode does it again. But it's not only him, it's Moya too, and the scenes of devastation on board in the aftermath are very sad to watch.

And then there's the ending. The whole thing about a means to an end that I mentioned before, it's all here, it all links together. The metallites were meant for Scorpius but they end up on Moya. Scorpy uses his compensation to buy Jothee. With the money to get D'Argo's son back lost Crichton is condemned. But it is his choice to leave when he sees the pain and suffering it is causing, when it is the only thing he has left to do to help D'Argo.

I guess more callous, critical viewers would call it predictable. I think of it as gut-wrenchingly inevitable. Let's face it, we all probably guessed what was going to happen right from the opening scene, but the manner in which it comes about is heartbreaking. I particularly love the way the camera singles out Aeryn as she and D'Argo learn what John has done. D'Argo is talking, but the camera pushes in past him to focus on her expression, and once again Claudia Black does an amazing job without any dialogue. Of course Pygram and Browder are superb once again, and the final scene (and the final shot, as those fateful words "To be continued" arrive on screen) are chillingly perfect.

John: You want the wormhole technology, I want your implant out of my head. So finally the rift between us is not so great. You do what you gotta do. You win.
Scorpius: As if there was ever any doubt.

To be continued...

:o

Aeryn: Scorpius is going to kill Jothee.
John: No, he won’t

Busy episode this one. Pre credits we find out that Scorpy isn’t dead (not so much of a surprise) and that he (with the help of Natira) has bought the slaves and D’Argos son (Surprise!). Bummer.

John’s plan is a neat way for the writers to bring back some of their favorite creations from the first series. But how did D’Argo manage to locate the exact 2 bloodtrackers that tortured him in ‘Till the Blood Runs Clear’? And Rygel seemed to handle his re-aquaintance with Durka rather well. Much better than the last two times he saw him (well once, and the fake one). The first time I saw this episode I was expecting a big confrontation, what you get is short and sweet and hilarious!

Talking of hilarious. The whole Pip/Ryg conversation about why each the crew wouldn’t steal the money when they discover it is missing.

Rygel: Crichton is too………Honorable He makes that sound like a bad thing!
Chi: Aeryn is too….Dull
Rygel: And D’Argo is too……
Chi: Go on, say it.
Rygel: Simple

From the hilarious to the downright gross. Scorpy and Natira. There are some things that really are best left alone. Curse my vivid imagination!!

The sight of the charred and blackened Moya was almost too much, and it was easy to see why John decided to turn himself in when he had seen the devestation that had already been caused.

The father/son reunion scene is beautiful, with Jothee assuring D’Argo that he never gave up hope. But it’s the look on Aeryn’s face as she realizes what John has done that pulls most on the heart strings.

Roll on part 3!!

That's just an incredibly emotional moment, perfectly acted and directed. :thumbsup:

Totally.

It's the kind of scene, and episode, that makes me wish more people had given the series a chance. Those who stuck with it get richly rewarded from now on. :)

Oh my, part 2 hits the ground running. :thumbsup:

So the gang unaware that their money is eating the ship, try to make a bid for Jothee and the slaves, but shock horror, they've been bought already, by Scorpy no less. Yes it is kind of obvi.ous how it's going to end, I think Steve used 'inevitable' which pretty much sums it up. For over a season we've been teased by John's apparent 'madness' and then the revelation that Scorpy inserted a part of himself into Crichton's brain, during his ordeal in the Aurora chair. I think I'd feel cheated if this wasn't dealt with one way or another :)

Words cannot express Crichton's cunning plan, with his list of people to get (again, I keep thinking telephone boxes and 'party on dude' :lol: ) Okay, I'm fairly inexperienced still of Farscape, so I couldn't really remember where they all came from, except the pirates from the Flax.

ewwhhhhhhh again for Natira and Scorpy, good god woman, you really don't want to lick that :x What exactly are those things on her head :o

Heartbreaking reconciliation between D'argo and Jothee. I'm expecting things not to be rosy though :(

What can you say about the crew's realisation of what John has sacrificied for the return of Jothee, and again Claudia Black, how does she not have loads of TV awards :cry: :cry:

Brilliant stuff, roll on part 3 :thumbsup:

They're the eye-popping pokers of lurve....

So I guess I'm the only one who thinks she's sexy, then? :unsure: :lol:

You think shes sexy in that getup? I thought you meant in real life :fear: :unsure: :ph43r:

Both :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lmao:

I think it's those high heels... :ph43r:

Stop the madness!!!!!! :ph43r:

:wacko:

Incidentally, what do you reckon Scorpy did that got him riches he felt he had to hide in a Shadow Depository?

Gimp boy, in an exclusive kinky club :lol: :lol:

I'm sure Scorpy could always find a way to skim a little cash from the money the PK give him to continue his little 'experiments'.

:o :lmao: :lmao:

He must have been very good at it :lol:

Well he had the costume already ;) :lol: :lol:

... left over from his guest starring appearance in Pulp Fiction :lol:

:rolleyes:

Got to love Rygel's disappointment :lol:

and

:lol:

Watched this one again the other night, fabulous stuff.

Love them getting the old character's together, Natira & Scorpy, the money/ spiders eating Moya and Chi defending herself against them.

Them having to burn Moya, Zhaan taking Pilot's pain and also the fact that they have to disguise that anything is wrong.

John's worry when he sees Moya burning.

The Sheyang not getting his fireballs big enough :lol:

Best part was seeing Rygel finally killing Durka and keeping his head as a trophy :thumbsup:

Great stuff :thumbsup:

Nice touch, but really gross too ;)

:lol: I just love seeing the evil side of Rygel, he can be so sinister :lol:

I know. It's hard to believe that a muppet can be so scary :fear:

Those are the times when you suddenly realise that you don't think of him (or pilot) in terms of being puppets, they have become real characters in their own right :thumbsup:

Just thinking, if Rygel had been played by an actor instead of a puppet I don't think that I would have liked his character half as much.

He is so expressive and its only the odd moment when there is a bad shot that you snap back to reality and remember its a puppet.

He is a dominar of layers :lol:

:lmao:

Of the three parts, this one was probably the one where the pacing slowed. Not unexpected, it's always difficult being the middle episode of a trilogy. It continues the plot being set up in the first part as well as trying to steer things towards what will happen in the concluding chapter.

Must admit, when the 'spiders' started running up and down infesting the ship I was shouting Replicators at the TV :lol:

Interesting to see the gang recruiting some old friends (and foes) in aid of their cause.

At this point I was quite surprised at how things started to take on the reflection of events towards the end of the first season; John gets himself captured by Scorpius, who starts torturing him for the wormhole technology, with the gang in a desperate bid to free him. If anything though, and I loved the Nerve/The Hidden Memory two-parted, this trilogy is even better.

Some really fine performances as well here, especially from BB, CB and WP :thumbsup:

Jothee = Connor :rolleyes: Or at least it appeared that that was going to be the case :lol:

In so many ways
:lol:

:x

I just got that....... :lol:

:lol: sorry definite :x


It is like a build up episode isn't it really setting everything in place for the final part. Very well done though :)

I agree. I think the series has a lot more confidence by this point, and it really shows. :thumbsup:

Having said that, Nerve and The Hidden Memory will always be towards the top of my list because they were the ones that made me a fan, the first episodes that really kicked ass :)

Couldn't disagree with that Steve. They were the first episodes really (with the slight exception of A Human Reaction I guess) that absolutely compelled me to see the next episodes as quickly as possible. It's a shame I didn't get to view them properly when they aired on the Beeb, had I done so I'd probably have stuck with the series :rolleyes:

Something occurred to me (for the umpteenth time) while I was watching this last night: John refers to them having two solar days to intercept the transport ship carrying Jothee before it reaches Scorpius, but then the crew zip off in different directions to find the various aliens to help with the plan. But none of the ships they go in have starburst capability do they? So how do they get where they need to go, and back, inside that time? I'm guessing the answer is that a solar day in those parts could be extremely long...? :ponder: :shrug:

Or they didn't really think that bit through or couldn't be bothered to work out a way of getting them in the story that would work so they glossed over that bit :o ;)

Still good episode, looking forward to the next part :thumbsup:

That only happens on Star Trek :p