While Rygel and Stark are away on a recon mission, Talyn is swallowed by a live budong. Trapped in its gullet, the remaining crew's ability to work as a team is tested by jealousy from an unlikely source.

John: "That's no moon... That's a budong!"

:lol:

Sorry, but there's no other way I could start this post without that particular riff on the famous line from Star Wars. :thumbsup:

Sooooo, not only is Ben Browder apparently good looking, not only does he apparently look hot in leather, not only does he apparently look good in a tux and in jeans, not only does he apparently have a nice arse, but also - apparently - he can write as well. Bastard. :lol:

I love this episode, and I really shouldn't. It commits a cardinal sin, in my mind (as I mentioned briefly in the Thanks For Sharing thread), in that they have split the crew up. This episode is devoid of D'Argo, Chiana, Pilot, Moya, Jool. It's just wrong! And, on top of that, it tells what is at heart a very basic love triangle, whilst throwing a jealous and untrusting biomechanoid ship at us as well. It just shouldn't work, but it's the kind of spin that only Farscape could put on this kind of story, and it works quite brilliantly.

John: "Aeryn, do what you have to do."
Aeryn: "I will."
John: "Fine, but do not sugarcoat it for me. Right thing to do, my ass."
Aeryn: "And what's that supposed to mean?"
John: "It means that you do things the way you want to, when you want to, with who you want to do them."
Aeryn: "It's got nothing to do with what I want."
John: "It's ALWAYS about what you want. So, yes, walk back in there, and let Crais stick a spike in the back of your neck."
Aeryn: "Listen to me--"
John: "It's a brave new universe, Aeryn. You and Crais, you can finally rejoin that Peacekeeper family you've been pining for from the moment we met."
Aeryn: "You've got this so--"
John: "Just don't pretend to me that it wasn't what you've always wanted!"
Aeryn: "You finished? ...You're right. I don't want you there."

Browder's grasp on character is quite astonishing. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that he's almost as good as David Kemper in that regard. Maybe, in some ways, he is fortunate to have been given an episode where there is less than the usual complement of characters involved, so that he can focus on Crichton, Aeryn and Crais, with a few very good and amusing scenes for Stark and Rygel. There's never an instant during the episode where I felt like I'd been pulled out of the experience by poor characterisation or dialogue. He really did a great job.

The special effects of the Budong amongst the planet's rings are superb and very effective, especially when coupled with the Dolby Digital soundtrack, you can really sense the size of the creature and it is genuinely quite scary when it looms over one of the ships. It's a bit of a shame that we don't get to see more of its innards, but tv budgets can only stretch so far.

Talyn's attitude towards Crichton is very interesting. Whilst he is willing to accept Crais and Aeryn, John's non-Peacekeeper heritage proves to be a major stumbling block for him, to the point where he even tries to kill him. I could be wrong, but this may be Farscape's take on HAL 9000 from 2001. I have to assume that this is something that he was born with, due to PK meddling, rather than something that Crais has taught him, especially seeing as Crais is paying a particularly high price for taking the Hand of Friendship from the young Leviathan.

The way in which Aeryn decides to deal with the matter, as Crichton tries in vain to get back into the ship before the warhead detonates, is touching and very much an indication of how far she has come since her Peacekeeper days.

I have to wonder how Stark became quite such an expert on Budongs, considering how rare they are supposed to be, but his solution has a certain amount of poetic justice about it...

Stark: "We just want it to eat 'cause we're candy."
Rygel: "Candy? You've killed us all, you trankass! Mother always said I'd die from incompetence. I finally know what she meant! That's why we kept people like you chained in the first place, your entire race--"
Stark: "Shut up! (knocks Rygel unconscious) We're candy..."

Am I the only one who fell into the trap of assuming that Crais had been planning John and Aeryn's alienation all along? I like the way that's done, and the revelation towards the end that it was Talyn, that it was the Leviathan who had shown John the way to the vidchip. Nicely done.

Aeryn: "You saw the recording, and you didn't say a word. You are like a plague, John Crichton, and you have ruined my life. And yet, I just...keep coming back. ...You could talk now."
John: "Let me show you something. ...Come here, I'm not gonna bite... This is a star chart. These are the names I gave the stars."
Aeryn: "They've already got names."
John: "Yeah, I know, but Mintaka Three sounds boring to me, anyway. That's Huey, Louie, Dewey...you see that one? That's that star right there. The bright one. It's my point of reference, my guide, and it always becomes the center of my chart. I always name it 'Aeryn'."
Aeryn: "You say it's your guide."
John: "It's my one constant. ...Would you like to name some stars?"
Aeryn: "There's a lot of them."
John: "Then we could take our time."

And then, of course, the episode comes to an end with a wonderful final scene (even if the star flashing as they kiss is just a little cheesy). Brilliantly acted (again), very well written (again, and with a sly reference to a TNG episode, Who Watches The Watchers), it's a terrific end to a very good episode. The standard of the episodes this season is just amazing.

:thumbsup: I love this episode.

No, I was convinced that it was Crais using Talyn it was a shock when it is revealed. Before this point we assume that Crais has been guiding Tayln. I think because Moya is willingly compliant with Pilot and the crew that we are lulled into thinking that all leviathons are the same and that they are the ones who serve the pilot, not the other way around. When Crais reveals that its Tayln who is in control and not him (definitely shades of Hal) it was a total surprise to me.

I thought it was really well done though, the DRD's who are normally his friends messing with Crichton, the unresponsive doors and that devastating video chip. When it comes to the end the lengths Talyn will go to, to get rid of the unwelcome human is totally shocking and very well played by all the cast.

Stark & Rygel make a fantastic comedic sideline in this episode and again its really well written. Ben can do funny as well as drama. I wonder if another writer would have put John through such trials?

Aeryn too feels such a strong bond with Talyn due to her relationship with the compassionate Moya, naming him and seeing him grow as well as her left over peacekeeper training blinds her to the reality of the situation and this is so well done.

The cheesy ending with the star I think is a nod to the viewers that we have been waiting for this perfect moment and it is like a fairytale ending, is it just a fairytale, will there be another peaceful moment for these two?

This episode is so good imo that you don't miss the other characters, really well done


:thumbsup:

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. At the risk of repeating myself, I usually hate it when they do this sort of thing, but by keeping the two crew's stories completely separate Farscape really makes it work to its advantage, imo. :)

:D It is very well done but it still feels odd watching these episodes, not in a bad way, just odd :D

I guess that was the intention. Farscape was never a show for allowing the viewer to feel comfortable. :lol:

:thumbsup: Thats our farscape :lol:

btw I'm trying to convince a friend to join our rewatch :thumbsup:

Excellent :thumbsup:

That's a really good point, especially when we are told that Leviathans are actually beasts of burden. Taking that into account it would come as a surprise because Talyn is the first of his kind. I don't suppose even Crais could predict how it would turn out, even though he was behind the project to produce a Peacekeeper Leviathan gunship.

I've been thinking about this waaaay too much. :rolleyes: :lol:

:lol: Nah not too much :lol: :lol:

I think they created the differences between Tayln & Moya really well. Moya the more organic Tayln the shiny tecnological version. I'd like to add that I love the scenes where Aeryn/Crais use the implant to see around Tayln's corridors, fantastically shot. :thumbsup: And once again, bad Tayln :lol:

I think this is the first episode where we really get to see around Talyn's innards, isn't it? Yet another step up for the quality and vision of the show. :thumbsup:

:D Yes, its surprising how big he has grown(?). It is very well done :thumbsup:

And he's still growing. He's still smaller than Moya, and Crais makes that comment about his crew quarters not being fully developed yet. The mind boggles. :lol:

:lol: :lol: He did have showers though tee-hee :lol:

:lol: :lol:

I like the way everything has a hint of the Peacekeepers about it, from the colour scheme to the angles in the design on the table in Crais's quarters. Excellent.

:thumbsup: Yes, its the wickedly good detail that makes it such a visual feast. Even in one off locations they make the designs so perfect and atmospheric. Its amazing what they achieved time/budget wise. Every picture tells a story :D

Even in the worst episodes the look of the sets make up for them.

Question from Season 1 - 3 what would you say is your favourite set?

I have got to say Moya. For Pilots Den, for the never ending corridors and ventilation pipes, the organic nature of the ship, the control collar, the manual controls and Pilots controls, the quarters come prison cages and in every season we see a little more :thumbsup:

I really liked the Shadow Depository, too. :thumbsup:

Yeah that looked huge, really excellent. The deposit boxes were awsome. They like to save their budgets for epic finales don't they :D

Yeah, I think I said something similar before you joined. There's a definite structure to all four seasons, and it does seem like the budget very well, with most of the money going into the multi-episode climaxes. Which is great, because each season really ends on a high. :)

:thumbsup: Great minds :D

I think S2 finale is my favourite :thumbsup:

Certainly in terms of the final episode. Die Me, Dichotomy is up there with Becoming and Anasazi as the best season finale I've seen.

In terms of the actual events at the climax to the season, this third year is my favourite. :)

:lol: Yeah I know :D

:whistling:

Just had to see that one more time :lol: :lol:

<_<


Oh, damn, I've done it again! :o :rolleyes:

Being lazy again, and not adding too much. :shifty:

This is my favourite kind of episode. Forget the 'plot' the Buddong, whatever, although it did provide some great comedic elements for Stark, who I have to say, is beginning to play 'insane' as well as BB. Let's get back to that love triangle...... beautifully done. I too, was fooled by the 'not being Crais, but Talyn', I so did not see that coming. I knew the footage was fake though. Too obvious, Aeryn turning to the camera like that :rolleyes:

Kudos to BB, I've never been particularly impressed when the stars of shows, pen their own material, it never quite works, and on most occasions the star always has the best lines, more screen time, yadda yadda yadda, but BB pulled this off. The Aeryn/Crais situation, built up through the end of season 2 had to be resolved one way or the other, thankfully BB went for the viewers choice option :thumbsup:

I actually loved the last scene, a bit corny, but a definite awwhh moment, and the 'I always name it Aeryn' line :cry: :cry:

One last thing to add, Talyn almost killing Crichton, would have been a perfect way for the writers to deal with the 2 Crichtons' problem, glad they didn't go for the easy option. Just that I'd mention it :lol: :lol:

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Of course it's got nowt to do with having two Crichton's around has it? :unsure: :lol:

You know Farscape, it never takes the easy option. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Yay Lisa. I bet you watch this one a few times :D

It is a great episode, one of my favourites which just goes to show what a talented writer BB is :thumbsup:

I was thinking along those lines when I watched Relativity last night. Acting insane and yet keeping it just on the right side of irritating must be a really tough line to walk. Paul Goddard's bloody brilliant at it. :thumbsup:

I wasn't too keen on Stark in S2 but he really grew on me in S3. I think as well as being incredibly funny we also see a couple of different sides to him.

Hey Steve, you actually managed to watch some Farscape in between half life. :thumbsup:

That was during breaks in the game where I got too scared to continue. :fear: :lol: :lol:

:unsure: Is it very realistic then?

I like the way that you watch Farscape for comfort :lol: cos its so normal :lol:

The chapter I just finished was set at night in an abandoned town overrun by zombies and headcrabs (spider-like things that hiss and spit and jump at you). I was heard to scream like a girl on several occasions. :rolleyes: :lol: :lol:

Farscape does comfort me. It's like spending time with friends. :)

And this is fun
:unsure: :rolleyes: :lol:

Thank the Godess for Farscape :lol:

Speaking as an arachnophobe, no. :lol:

Speaking as a gamer, it was just a brilliantly conceived and executed scenario. But then, the whole game has been so far. :thumbsup:

More from me :D

3.8 Green eyed monster

I love the banter at the beginning of this episode, first between John, Crais and Aeryn (“Talyn. You’ve seen them both naked. Maybe you can tell us who’s bigger”), and a little later with just Aeryn and John (“I must be smarter than I look”, “That would be easy”). Well done Mr Browder!

What would you call this? A love triangle? I don’t think so, not really. Aeryn loves John, and he loves her. Crais may like Aeryn, it’s hard to tell with him, and Talyn wants Crais and Aeryn together (I think) and wants John dead. To my mind he dislikes John for a number of reasons, not just that he is not a PK (see below).

I think this is the episode where I finally started to think of Talyn as character, the way I’ve accepted Moya for years. Who knew that he could be so psychotic? (I initially thought it was Cris tormenting John too). He’s not anything like Moya. She could never be so cruel. It’s not really any wonder though when you think about it. He’s part PK, has had Crais as his only guide, and he has no pilot. There is something very wrong with that boy!

What can I say about the ending :cry:
Love it!! I even love the twinkle :D

Yeah, I picked up on the Star Wars reference as soon as he started saying it too :thumbsup:

Again, an improvement over the previous episode. The triumvirate of Crais/Aeryn/Crichton works really well here, an the ultimate reveal re Talyn and his relationship with Crichton is both shocking and quite unnerving.

The primary story works best to set up the triangle and gives some memorable development across the respective dynamics. beyond that, the Stark/Rygel pairing works well as well. One of the things that's struck me over this episode and the ones that follow it, is just how little Zhaan's character is being missed. Not necessarily by the crew, but myself as a viewer. I was never a huge fan anyway, but the entire group dynamic seems to have changed for the better as a result of her departure. Stark seems to be edging to the side of nutter again. I've often thought he treads a fine line, but every now and then Paul Goddard's performance forces you to re-evaluate that assessment, and it's quite conceivable he's plain barmy afterall :lol:

A good episode, and the switching between one crew to the next and then back again on an episodic basis works quite well. It starts here and plays out over subsequent episodes, but I rather enjoyed that change, and bold new format.

I don't think its just Zhaan that we don't really miss in these episodes, it really shows how strong the cast are that they can be halved and still carry the episodes so well without other crew members being missed.

It also cleverly gives the writers a chance to give extra attention to each character.

Its also amazing that they gave Ben the opportunity to write this one, not many shows would let one of their actors write an episode, again bold move that paid off :)


Stark hilariously barmy, love his pairing with Rygel :lol:

It's one of the series strongest points, imo, and fair play to the writers and cast for being daring enough to attempt it and good enough to carry it off.

Can't argue with that. It was a bold move, and it could so easily have gone wrong. The fact that it didn't, and in doing so gave the series one of it's most consistant run of episodes, is a credit to the writing indeed.