Moya, still trapped in the asteroid field, has a bigger problem. Rygel has taken a transport pod and is heading towards Crais's Command Carrier. The rest of Moya's crew aren't happy. Apparently his eminence is out to strike a deal with Scorpius and Crais...

Season finale

Well, where to start......

The moment we had all been waiting for, Rygel trying to cut a deal with the enemy and betray the others. It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it ;) Poor Ryg, Scorpy didn’t want to play.

There are so many lovely moments in this episode between the characters as they try to deal with the very real possibility that not all of them will make it out of the asteroid field alive.
Aeryn’s reaction to John saying he would rather die than go back in the chair and D’Argo agreeing to his suicide mission idea (“Ugh! Just to be in the warm glow of all this testosterone!”).
The scene between Pip and D’Argo as he tries to persuade her to lie if she is caught (“Don't tell me how to lie! It's one of the BEST things I do! “, “You are a real PAIN IN THE EEMA! But one I have grown to enjoy.”).
Zhaan describing the crew as her family.
Aeryn and Pilot in his den (“Please tell Moya, that it remains my honor, to name her son. It will be a good, strong name that he will bear proudly. In freedom, if I have anything to say about it.”). :cry:
John and Aeryn’s conversation about his dad and her parents (“When I was very young, one night a soldier appeared over my bunk. Battle-hardened. Scarred...”, “Cool. Your father?”, “My mother.”).
D’Argo and Aeryn (“I though I would live much longer”, “I never thought I’d live this long”).
John and Aeryn NOT saying goodbye.

The appearance of Crais on board Moya was definitely something I was not expecting when I first saw this episode, especially the revelation that Crais had known of D’Argo’s innocence all along. John’s reaction to Crais apparent change of heart was particularly poignant as a single tear slides down his cheek. And how did they let Crais get on board Talyn? Surely someone was keeping an eye on him?

I’m glad Scorpy wasn’t stupid enough to fall for Crais’ and Ryg’s plan.
I was just wondering. Is this the first time we hear mentioned that Scorpy is half Scarran?

Other great bits, the throw away mention of M’lee (” Have you found my security officer assigned to watch her?”), the looks that the rest of Moya’s crew give John when he hopefully suggests that Ryg isn’t betraying them, the throw back to the series pilot as you see John playing with the DRD as he makes his final recording to his father (You can see the tape around the DRD’s antenna where John had broken it), Zhaans’ service ( “I hate this stuff”, ” Chick’s love it”), the image of John’s lucky ring floating out from a comatose D’Argo’s’ hand......And to many more to mention :D

And you can almost hear a dramatic voice-over “Are our heroes really out of luck this time? Tune in next season for the ongoing saga of - FARSCAPE!” :fear:

Enough. Sorry it’s a bit jumbled folks

"I love hanging with you, man"

It's difficult to know where to start with Family Ties. It is a bold, doom-laden episode. Whereas practically every other series tries to end with big action and drama, this is a very quiet character driven episode. As a consequence there is a lot of talk and the action, when it arrives, is considerably underplayed in favour of the effect it has on everyone involved.

So what do we have here? Well, Rygel lives up to billing as the devious little sod that he is, trying to hand over Moya and her crew in return for his own freedom. Over the course of the episode it is probably he who learns most, as his attitude at the end (when he refuses to leave without Crichton, D'Argo and Aeryn) is in complete contrast to the one at the beginning.

Crichton is willing to sacrifice himself to enable the others to escape. Amusingly D'Argo decides to go along with him because, after all, the ship is an anarchy and no-one can tell him what to do. It probably had more to do with him not wanting Crichton to get all the glory, though :lol: It's telling that we learn categorically that he did not murder Lo'laan. Crais deservedly gets the brunt of D'Argo's anger.

Crichton has touching scenes with all of the crew, particularly Aeryn and Chiana, but his most telling comments come in the form of his messages to his father. There is a definite sense of having come full circle in this episode.

Zhaan proves herself to be the crew's ultimate anarchist as she cooks up the homemade explosives. She feels that she gave up her right to live the moment she committed murder. We don't see her offering to fly the transport pod, though, so she obviously wants to live.

The scene between Aeryn and Pilot is one of the most emotive in the episode for me, not only because it is confirmation that Aeryn has let go of any hope of returning to her former life (when Pilot suggests she take her Prowler and leave she refuses) but also because of future events. Her refusal to say goodbye to Crichton is nicely played, but her naivety in taking Crais aboard Talyn is only shown up in the closing moments. You have to wonder why she did it.

Of course this, as much as The Hidden Memory, is a defining episode for Crais. Deemed unfit for command by Scorpius, Crais uses Rygel's impending execution as a bargaining chip to get Sparky to take him to Moya, in effect rendering himself as irreversibly contaminated as he had previously declared Aeryn.

Imprisoned aboard the leviathan he finally admits to Crichton that he knows his brother's death was an accident. In addition to what Karen has already said, I think the tear that Crichton sheds is as much a tear for what he misses, or what could have been, as it is for Crais's change of heart. Crichton confesses that he misses bonding with human males, misses the talk about sport and cars. As always it is about his desire to return home, but I can't help wondering if he was also thinking about the life he could have had in a Sebacean world had he not been on the run since the moment he arrived.

However, he soon goes on to show how much he has bonded with D'Argo. The Luxan has a lot of great moments in this episode that show just how much the character has grown. He admits as much to Aeryn and also shows how much he has come to care for John. In fact John has them labelled as a double-act, like Kirk and Spock or Abbott and Costello. It's as amusing as it is touching. I'm still not sure why Jack's ring falls away from his hand when they're in space, though :unsure:

But then Crais's ultimate agenda is revealed. He didn't come to help, he doesn't care about Moya and her crew. All long he had been after Talyn, and at the climax of the episode he gets what he desired.

This episode also marks the beginning of a new and intriguing relationship between Scorpius and Braca. This is where we find out that Scorpius is a Sebacean/Scarran half-breed. We are also given another example of how ruthless he is in the shape of his decision to execute Rygel after the others are captured just to show what he thinks of traitors. Robbed of his Gammak base he now has a new toy to play with in the shape of Crais's Command Carrier. Hmm, I wonder what he's going to do with it. His refusal to destroy the explosives-laden transport pod is an indication. It would have been nice if they had mentioned the oily surface of the moon back in Nerve, though.

It's a great finale. The show took a while to find its feet, the characters took a while to find themselves. But ultimately it all comes together beautifully. Family Ties, by using character interaction rather than action, sums it all up, literally ties it all together and sets up the direction for season 2 in the process. And it's a pretty good cliffhanger, too, although nothing compared to the other seasons.

Marvellous.

I can't add anything to what you've already put.

This was such an emotional episode, which makes me hate the previous one even more. Back to the incredible form of Nerve/The Hidden Memory.

I'm dying to know what happens. Does D'Argo survive, does Aeryn manage to get them aboard the shuttle under the nose of the Peacekeepers, do they retrievethe baby, do they find Moya :o

I think I'm going to rewatch it and then post. Too much to take in on 1 view :unsure:

Funnily enough, my first instinct after watching it this afternoon was to watch it again. I think I might do that now. Stargate be damned! :lol: :lol:

It will while away the time, till Melian's boxset arrives :thumbsup:

Very true. I always like to savour cliffhangers a bit anyway :thumbsup:

I'm going to rewatch it right now, so night Steve, might post more comments tomorrow :)

Can't really add much more to that what Steve's already mentioned on this one.

One thing that instantly springs to mind as being a highlight was the musical score to this episode. It was quite noticeable in a good way, often reminding me of one of B5's more mellow scores.

This one appears to be a massive episode on many character levels. Rygel, living true to his nature and trying to sell them all out, but luckily Scorpius' instincts failing him on this occasion. The rivalry between Crais and Scorpius, that started back in Nerve comes to a head with surprising consequences. All the characters say their collective goodbyes in their own way. I loved the scene between Crichton and Chiana. Subtly and superbly played by both.

It was difficult to see where they were going after Nerve/The Hidden Memory, with regards to the season finale. It seemed like living up to that standard again would be a tough task. They just about succeeded.

So, at the end of the first season I have to say I'm impressed. There have been a few shaky episodes, but no more than every other show in it's first season. And, with episodes like A Human Reaction, Nerve, The Hidden Memory and Family Ties, the future looks very promising.

Season 2 viewings will be underway shortly :thumbsup:

I agree with all the above although I will rewatch them to put a full review up as it is such a massive episode. I love this scene between them too, one of my favourites between them of all the episodes.

A fantastic end for the season and a superb cliffhanger.

I don't really understand what bone to be wild is doing in between these episodes and I generally tend to skip it when rewatching them, other than the Moya - Tayln storyline I think it lets them down and it should have just been a trilogy instead. :thumbsup:

Absolutely. I think they learned that lesson in the other seasons. :)

I still like it though :lol:

It's a bit like The Girl in Question, it's not the awfulness of the ep, more it's position in the season. Not so easy with the Farscape ep, cos the Talyn scenes are necessary to the finale, it just seems to kill the atmosphere, built up by the previous 2 eps, imo anyway :lol: :lol:

It does, I agree, and it's noticeable that they didn't do it again.

I still like it though :phones:

Denial :lol: