Farscape Returns Tonight

Silverhammer writes "After a seemingly interminable winter hiatus, SciFi Channel's Farscape returns tonight with the first part (of four) of the Season Three finale. The 'Farscape Undressed' recap show starts at 8 pm EST, and the episode itself -- titled 'I Yensch, You Yensch' -- starts at 9 pm EST. Here is a spoilerific review." God it's about time. Debatably the best scifi on TV.

Comments

'Farscape Undressed' is a MUST

[LittleGuy]

'Farscape Undressed' serves as a visual FAQ (hosted by Ben Browder and Claudia Black, out of character) for those new to the series (the missus and I caught the first FU, and we because hooked on the show), as well as a recap to events leading up to the upcoming season/new shows (they updated the recap for the 2nd FU, to include all the then-new/now-old show).

In addition, there is behind-the-scenes commentary with the producers and the crew. And the bantering between Browder and Black playing off one another is a hoot and a half.

Re:'Farscape Undressed' is a MUST

[JabberWokky]

Good Ghod, that sucked. Not the show (not having really watched it, a group of SF geeks got together to watch the Undressed and season opener).

The show was okay - probably pretty good when you get into it (although the cheesy set of the battleship biomechanical ship evoked a "Hey, I think that's the arcade I used to hang out in in the 80s" from someone). Nifty aliens (which I knew), nifty costumes (which I knew), and okay dialogue and pretty decent acting. All in all, a show I would have no problem getting into.

But the "Farscape Undressed" almost made me not want to watch the show. HIDEOUS acting (what the *hell*... it looked like a few people doing high school book reports in front of the class) cheesy interaction with the Henson characters (either you're in character or not. Having the humans be their acting selves and the aliens be in character is jarring), and really nifty but ultimately uninformative seizure inducing quick flashes of nifty SFX does not an intro to a show make.

It looked like a fairly simple, very detailed plot (no giant leaps to follow, but lots of interesting little threads), but they tried to make it a semi-documentary, semi-in character discussion, and wound up with an incomprehensible mess. The writer and editor of it should be shot. I'd say I learned significantly more about the show by watching the episode than seeing unrelated action clips introduced by actors uncertain of what they were supposed to be playing.

Gah. As someone else put it - "It was a pretty neat show. That undressed thing, though - I wish I had that hour of my life back".

About the only defense it has is that it looked like it would be really cool to watch if you had seen all the shows - a really neat montage of the highlights. But for anybody who hadn't seen the show before (who is was theoretically addressing), it was utterly useless.

--
Evan

Usenet...

[dane23]

alt.binaries.tv.farscape. Had them all in high quality SVCD months ago.

damn them, damn them to hell....

[Em Emalb]

Well, since I don't have tivo, or one of the other systems, I end up recording stuff like this.....now here's my problem....sci fi fans often bitch about how great shows are, and yet they seem to be cancelled after a few short seasons.....well, here's a tip network execs, if you want your show to be successful, DON'T PUT THE DAMNED THING ON ON FRIDAY EVENING. The majority of your demagraphic is out and about partying, or hanging out, not watching tv....

this message brought to you by the statements DUH and D'OH.

Re:damn them, damn them to hell....

[Shagg]

sci fi fans.... out and about partying on friday evening...

Is it just me, or does something about the above strike you as funny?

You're in for some great episodes

[Archibald Buttle]

Blimey - for once us folks on the other side of the pond (the UK) are ahead of our American cousins on a sci-fi show! The BBC showed the end of Farscape's third season a few months ago now.

I'm not going to give away too much, but you guys are in for a treat. The interplay between Crighton and Scorpius in the final episodes of the season is fantastic. I'd love to say more, especially about the role that Talyn and Crais play in the story, but doing so could ruin your enjoyment of the episodes.

Incidentally the BBC has a great Farscape web site (better than the official one) which you can find at http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/farscape/
This site includes an episode guide which has synopsis of the last 4 episodes of the season which you guys in the US haven't seen yet. The guide has plenty of spoliers - you have been warned. As well as the episode guide you'll find quite a few interviews (video and transcripts), and various other bits and pieces of interest.

The one minor annoyance though is that the season ends on a cliff-hanger. What's really annoying is it looks like you guys in the US will be getting season 4 before I do - the official Farscape web site says it will start on June 7th on Sci Fi...

Farscape - I Yensch, You Yensch and other Episodes

[astapleton]

The review is fairly accurate, but remember that different writers are putting these episodes together. Still, it's not the best episode aired. Still, coming from someone who has already seen the four final episodes of this season, suffer through this one...it's a set up for the 2nd and 3rd episodes which will establish an interesting new relationship between two of the characters. And ignore all spoilers for 'Into the Lion's Den' and 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'...you'll regret it if you don't.

And don't ask me how I laid my hands on the final four episodes. *grin*

Good Farscape, Bad Network

[fm6]

I do like Farscape. It's not earthshakingly good, but it's certainly the best TV SF I've seen in a long time. Fairly imaginative, interesting stories, good acting, cliche-phobic. Knows how to be bizarre without going over the top. Very funny at times.

The best thing about Farscape is the way it turns the typical white-man's-burden storyline on its head. The hero is the standard ruggedly-handsome, super-brilliant cowboy-astronaut, of course. But for once the aliens aren't with the program. They won't admit to his Obvious Superiority no matter how many times he saves the day.

It is hard to accept that anybody can fart Helium -- but that kind of absurdity is all part of the fun.

As for the scheduling idiocy -- well, I won't repeat my previous rant. Suffice to say this is class media monopoly stupidity. Farscape is supposed to be a key part of SciFi's strategy to convince people that they're a real network, not just a dumping ground for cancelled shows. That's why they ordered two seasons in advance. But that strategy won't work until they start showing their viewers some respect.

Fractures, or, what just happened.

[OctavianMH]

So, for those of you who haven't been religiously following the Farscape universe, here's a quick run down of where everything's left off.

The last episode was called "Fractures", and features a bittersweet reunion of the crew, who had been traveling separately for about 10 episodes, one group on Moya (the big ship you see in all the commercials), and the second on Talyn (Moya's son, a mutant ship with really big guns).

Why Bittersweet, do you ask?

Weeeell, it's not a _complete_ reunion, two of the members of Talyn's group don't make it back to Moya. First, Stark. For those who don't know, he's a recurring character who's basically a rather deranged humanitarian, and Zhaan's (the Blue girl...as opposed to the monochromatic girl) soulmate. The second character not to make it back is John Crichton. Wait! John? Isn't he a main character? They can't kill a main character! Whooa.. settle down there sparky. John was cloned in an earlier episode. Cruel plot device? Ratings ploy? Whatever. It worked, and created some interesting circumstances. Essentially, the John on Talyn who dies gets it all figured out. Unlocks the wormhole technology in his head (with some help), forces Harvey out of his subconcious, and even gets the girl (Aeryn). In the meantime the John on Moya is just as screwed up (He has a near-death experience in the LOONEY TOONS world, for Chrissakes).

So. The reunion. The John that Aeryn fell in love with is dead. Stark is MIA, and everyone is just plain unhappy. Aeryn's a mess, the John that's still alive is confused as hell.

To wrap up, John(1) left a message for John(2), explaining everything that happened with the wormholes, and the knowledge locked in his brain, etc.. and told him how close Scorpius is to figuring out how to control wormholes himself. So John(2) does what any good down-home hero would do and decides that he needs to stop Scorpius at all costs, and will go to his ship to do it.

Aeryn and Crais join John, and Fractures ends.

Until tonight...

All done Karma Whoring now...ENJOY!