What Talyn needs most is rest and time to heal...but it doesn't look as though he's going to get it, as the Retrieval Squad closes in.

Aeryn: "Nice to see you again, Mother."

You know, I watched this episode straight after watching last week's Battlestar Galactica. Don't worry, I'm not going to launch into some diatribe about how much better Farscape is (cos that's obvious :rolleyes: ), but it's more a case of how different it is. BSG, along with practically every other sf show out there, feels safe. I sat there at the beginning of its episode knowing exactly how it was going to end: character conflicts at the beginning were nicely resolved, everything was back to normal. Sometimes predictable is nice, maybe even comfortable.

Relativity is anything but predictable, and it certainly ain't comfortable. For Aeryn it is yet another painful experience. Not only does she come face to face with her mother, Xhalax Sun, for the first time since that night many years ago, but she also learns that it was her own mother who killed her father, given the opportunity to redeem herself in the eyes of the Peacekeepers. Talk about a double-whammy.

Xhalax: "Where are you taking me?"
Aeryn: "Back to the gunship. Which I named Talyn, by the way."
Xhalax laughs in disgust.
Aeryn: "Yes, I thought you'd find that amusing."
Xhalax: "Naming it after Daddy? It's not amusing, it's sentimental and weak. Is that why you're sparing me? Because I'm your Mummy?"

It's also refreshing that Aeryn does not get to turn her mother back to the side of good. Xhalax is an uncompromising character who is angered and embarrassed by her daughter's betrayal and compassion. None of it makes any sense to her, and she spends much of the episode quoting Peackeeper regulations at her daughter, as if thinking she may be able to turn Aeryn back to that side. She finally gives up towards the end, attempting to sever Talyn's higher functions so that she can control him for the journey back to the Peacekeepers.

Xhalax: "I would take you back, attempt to redeem you if it was possible. But your corruption is too advanced."
Aeryn: "My corruption began the moment I was conceived."
Xhalax: "No!"
Aeryn: "Don't you see? My independence comes from you, anyway. I grew up wanting to be just like a woman I'd only seen once!"
Xhalax: "You are a traitor."
Aeryn: "I am the part of you that wanted to be a rebel, the part of you that knew deep down inside what was right!"
Xhalax: "Shut up!"
Aeryn: "You've resisted Peacekeeper doctrine before --"
Xhalax: "Shut up!"
Aeryn: "-- why can't you do it again now?"
Xhalax: "You...are an aberration!"
Aeryn: "I am your child!"

And, in the end, Aeryn cannot bring herself to kill her mother, even though she knows that Xhalax, if left alive, will pursue them across the galaxy until she achieves her goal. Crais has to do it for her.

But there's the rub: Xhalax and her retrieval squad are after not only Talyn but also Crais, who - as Harvey handily informs John - has not been completely straight with Moya's crew. Colour me stunned. Yet again his motives are muddied as we learn that he has been using Crichton and co for protection, and that he had guessed that Xhalax was after him as well. Crais - naturally - denies this, claiming there were other reasons for his allegiance with them. Will they ever become clear?

The Colartas are an evil looking creation. They are expert trackers who spend most of the episode hunting down Crichton and Crais by scent. When our boys mask that, they switch to heatseeking. Formidable foes, to say the least, but they are fatally hampered by the fact that the planet's gravity is two and a half times what they're used to.

This episode has an absolutely glorious opening shot, as the camera pans down to the planet surface and through the jungle to reach Talyn, landed amongst the vegetation to heal. Dagobah revisited.

In fact, they did an amazing job with this jungle. Even though you can tell it's set-bound they manage to make it look more detailed than most jungles you see on tv shows.

The only thing I was left wondering was what happened to the rest of Xhalax's retrieval squad and her ship? Surely there were a lot more Peacekeepers with her? And how did Talyn avoid the ship when taking off?

Again, Rygel and Stark are used mainly for comic relief, and it works pretty well. Even after Rygel is nearly gutted by Xhalax (and died for a few microts) there is still time for a few laughs, especially with Stark's handiwork in sewing up Rygel's wound. :lol:

Oh, and let's not forget about John and Aeryn's sexual exploits, which were so loud they kept Rygel awake most of the night.

Rygel: "She was bad enough, but Crichton, he was louder than she was. He actually sounded like he was exerting himself. What kind of male is he anyway?"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Isn't it just great that those crazy kids have finally got it together? God only knows what the other Crichton's going to think...

Another excellent episode, with a sad ending and a lot of drama.

Blast, now I've got to start some more episode threads. :rolleyes: :lol:

:thumbsup: I love this episode. The dynamic between Aeryn and Xhalax is fantastic.

I'm going to watch it again but I think you have covered most of it.

:thumbsup:

I'm doing one-line reviews from now on. They'll be as follows:

It's magnificent
It's great
It's good
It's average
It's poor
It sucks

:lol:

:lol: No you won't and shouldn't either.

You did leave a little out which I will be commenting on later. I was just saying that you do good reviews :lol:

Thanks Alex :D

But, at the risk of repeating myself, so does everyone else and I like to know what you guys think. Within reason, of course. Ponderings on Browder's bum don't qualify. :lol:

:lol: No I was going to mention the bit where Crais & Crichton cover themselves in the stinky slime but I'll have to watch it again :thumbsup:

:) Going back to the Xhalax question of where was the rest of the retrieval squad, I think that Xhalax wanted to handle this herself and seeing other peacekeepers may have complicated the story between her and Aeryn.

Whilst its just the two of them we question whether she still has feelings for Aeryn with others around it would added more pressure to behave in line. This way we just see her reactions as shocking as they are.

Why Talyn escapes so easily is another question and I can't think of an answer.

:)

Yeah, I mean they came down in a prowler, didn't they? I just couldn't figure out why at no point did she make contact with the rest of them, even after gaining control of Talyn. :unsure:

:) I could make excuses but I think the reality is they just wanted to concentrate on Xhalax & Aeryn, a few coms wouldn't have gone amiss.

Yeah, it's just one of those things that could have been explained with one line of dialogue. I'm not normally a nitpicker, but that one just leaped out at me. :)

Anyway, you're right, the Aeryn/Xhalax dynamic is the important thing here, and it's superbly realised. :thumbsup:

Relativity commentary

From what did you watch last night


I know what you mean but I thought it was fun to see another side to Lani. He comes across as very jovial in the commentary not at all how I imagined him.

Yeah, he is good fun. Have you watched any of the dvd interviews with him? He and Gigi always come across that they felt very lucky to be involved with the show. :)

:D Yeah they are both really sweet, especially Gigi. She looks so young too.

I'm sad that I didn't go to the Starfury convention that they both went to the other year, I bet they are good fun. I'll try to go if they do another one.

They are both very gracious. Mind you the whole cast seems really nice.

I watched the BB interview about Green Eyed Monster the other night. That was funny, he couldn't stop giggling, especially when they showed him the Crichton action figure. :lol:

:lol: Whats that on? I don't remember it.

Ben is a laugh isn't he. Did you manage to watch that interview I mentioned a while back.

I think it's on the Relativity disc, in the infopods. :)

I haven't seen the other interview, no.

:thumbsup: I'll have a look. I haven't seen the extras for ages. :thumbsup:

John: "Do you wanna bleed to death?"
Crais: "What do you think?"
John: "Shut up then!"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol:

John & Crais are a great double act. I just loved the stinky slime, bet they loved doing that. Its great that Crais is injured and reliant on John although he clearly hates it.
:thumbsup:

Crais is one of my favourite characters. I love the way Lani Tupu plays the role. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Yes I like the way he is on the edge all the time. He is very composed one most of the time but you can see the anger/desire bubbling underneath all the time, its really well done. You know it won't take much to set him off.

This ep is particularly good as it shows just how manipulative he has been.

At the start I thought his delivery was quite stilted and I figured he felt awkward saying the dialogue and such. But, as it goes on, I realised that it's him trying to make the character kind of alien, and the longer it went on the more impressed I became. I think he's fantastic. :thumbsup:

:) Yes, its really hard for 'sebaceans' as they look like humans they have to make little differences without being obvious. It works really well though as you start to anticipate their behaviour rather than the standard human response. Does that make sense?

I'd still love to find out what Crais & Tayln got up to during their time apart from Moya.

Yes, me too. But, in a way, it was interesting to have that rogue element there that was always popping up at unexpected moments.

:) Lisa, where are you. You will love this one. :)

Nudge, nudge :lol:

Lisa! :whip: :lol: ;)

This is indeed true, but what makes the episode for me, is the Crichton/Crais dynamic. They w**k fantastically together, bouncing off one another. It's a shame they rarely get so much time together.

This one's a fantastic episode as the 'Retrieval Squad' story comes to a head, and a particularly powerful conclusion to the episode. Although whenever Crais' honesty is called into question there's always a nagging doubt at the back of your mind :rolleyes:

Crais is one of the characters whose grown on me most. Like Paul Goddard with Stark, Lani Tupu has accomplished so much with the role. If you look at the character in Premiere and then at the same character during season three, there's marvellous evolution there.

Testament also to the character of Crichton. There's virtually no one amongst the principle, or peripheral cast to be honest, whom he doesn't w**k well with in a dynamic sense. Great writing it has to be said.

I enjoyed this one thoroughly, but as I've said before, it was the characters and their interaction that stole the show from the plot for me.

oops did I not review this one.

Sorry guys, but I'm sure you appreciatedme trying to watch the whole thing before the PK wars :lol: :lol:

Spot on, James :thumbsup:

Can't really add anything to that, he's one of my favourite characters :)

Absolutely, and I bet you're glad you did :)

I've found myself saying that about three or four characters now from one time to another :lol:

It's a problem we pretty much all have James :lmao:

:lmao: I don't think I'd be able to do a favourite character list, I'd chop and change it every 2 seconds :lol:

Scorpius
Crais
Crichton
Stark

Pretty sure it's one of them. As to which........:unsure:

:lol:

:ph43r: bump ...

Why did you bump this thread Alex? Do you know something we don't? ;) :D

Glad someone else asked, it had me stumped too :lol:

:lol: I bumped for SJ, we watched it the other day and you can't see the topics unless you change the option to from the beginning, so I thought I'd make it visible :lol:

hint hint, not so subtle eh :lmao: