Farscape Volume 10
featuring the episodes Nerve and The Hidden Memory
I have no idea how much of Farscape was plotted out ahead of time and how much the series’ writers made things up as they went along. I don’t really care, either, as long as the episodes are good. But either way, this two-parter represents a gutsy and successful move, as the series’ main villain shifts from Bialar Crais to Scorpius. Scorpius’ motives and methods are more multidimensional than Crais’ - Crais’ menace came from his blind hatred and the military force at his command, but Scorpius comes off as more cunning and more of a psychological threat. And as a character, Crais is well served by the shift. Not only is it interesting to see how he responds when the tables are turned and he becomes the hunted, but throwing him into the mix with Moya’s crew sets up whole new possibilities for interesting character relationships. But I am getting ahead of myself.
This is a very well-done two-parter. The tension builds nicely, and most of the resolutions seem plausible. The Scorpius-Crichton interaction is well done, with Scorpius’ even-keeled resolve playing nicely off Crichton’s bemused and tortured defiance. My only real quibble is with the way the Gilina/John relationship plays out - it just seems a little too soap-opera-esque to me. I also wonder how well those elements of the episodes play to those who haven’t seen PK Tech Girl …I’m not sure the dialogue really gets across the nature of their relationship from that episode. With these last few episodes of the first season, Farscape starts to transform itself from an episodic action-adventure series to something more akin to a serialized drama, and accessibility becomes a much more pressing matter. (Indeed, there are some who trace the show’s eventual cancellation to its willingness to overlook such concerns.)
If you’re thinking of watching any Farscape, you better take a look at this disc. Rating higher than usual despite the unimpressive extras because the episodes are just that darned good.
