2023/06/02

Season 3 of Farscape is truly a roller-coaster ride, oh wow, what a season. Certainly the best season yet! It definitely is better than season two which, for me, had a number of mediocre episodes! Don’t get me wrong, season two is still a solid season but in comparison to this season, it is just not as good! If you read my other Farscape blogs, you’ll probably now I love the final 5 episodes of season one. During these episodes Crichton infiltrates the command carrier and meets Scorpius for the first time. This season, Crichton and most of the crew, return to the command carrier, but this time a deal has been struck with Scorpius regarding the wormhole technology. In reality Crichton wants to kill Scorpius. But these episodes are at the end of the season again and where the icing on the cake for me. I really love these kind of episodes.

After two seasons, the opening credit intro had been updated. I already liked the intro of the first two seasons but season 3 intro is definitely a step up. Not only the vocal part has been updated, but also a new “slide” show of pictures and scenes have gotten an uplift. Luckily the theme song remained the same. The season continues from the season two finale where Crichton has lost the ability to speak because Scorpius prevents the doctor from performing this task. Chiana misses D’Argo who is giving her too little attention because she and his son Jothee spend lots of time together, something is happening between them. Aeryn died in the season two finale but Zhaan succeeds in reviving her! Scorpius cannot get away because the command carrier is too far away and Crais and Talyn are hunting for him. In the finale moments of the episode Crichton and Aeryn declare loving each other but Aeryn doesn’t want to act on it, Zhaan pays a heavy price for saving Aeryn! This was only the first episode “Season of Death”, definitely one of the best of the 3^rd season

The 2nd episode of the season, “Sun and Lovers” is all about relationships. Relationships between Chiana & D’Argo, Chiana & Jothee, Aeryn and Crichton. Basically it’s all about sex and D’Argo feels betrayed when he finds out what Chiana and Jothee have been doing it, can you blame him? Episode 3 & 4, Self-Inflicted Wounds Parts 1 & 2, a lot happens! Moya crashed into another vessel, these aliens are wormhole researchers! Rygel triggers one of the cryo chambers from the season two finale, a woman comes out of it: Joolushko Tunai Fenta Hovalis  aka Jool! She learns from Rygel that Crichton supposedly killed her cousins, she wants to kill him. D’Argo can’t take Chiana back, someone has to sacrifice him/herself to free Moya from the other ship. Aeryn and Crichton are fighting over it but it is Zhaan who takes the responsibility, in part because she was dying anyway. It is a goodbye to Zhaan and Starks cry-out is truly gutting!

“…Different Destinations” got to be one of the best episodes in the whole series! Stark accidentally sends himself, Crichton, Aeryn. D'Argo and Jool back in time where they alter the timeline and are forced to interfere further to restore it. Stark didn’t want to look into the past with a device but Crichton sort of made him do it. They did change the timeline and although they think they’ve corrected it mostly, when they return to their own time and learn what has changed, Crichton and the others are devastated.  “Eat me” is another entertaining episode where the gang (D’Argo, Crichton, Chiana and Jool) land on a Levithan which is a Peacekeeper controlled ship. These soldiers have become sort of cannibals who eat the Leviathan and other beings. There is also a scientist there, who has the ability to create original copies of beings. Crichton’s copy is being brought back to Moya.

In “Thanks for Sharing” Talyn is badly damaged, Crais on Moya in a coma, we have two Crichtons. We learn more, from Crais, about Aeryn and her mother, after Crais has woken up, he shows footage of her mother visiting Aeryn. The crew is split up when Talyn starburst with Aeryn, Crais, a Crichton, Rygel and Stark on board, leaving Moya and the others behind. In “Green Eyed Monster” Talyn is eaten by a Budong, Crais has lesions from his connection with Talyn and confesses that Talyn often controls him. Aeryn first wanted to connect with Talyn also, but now she has second thoughts. Talyn sees Crichton as an outsider, wants him gone, he fabricates a vid showing Aeryn and Crichton intimate together. Nice moments in the finale moment of the episode when Crichton and Aeryn patch up.

In “Losing Time” the crew experiences loss of time and only because Crichton had recorded them, are they aware of it. An entity has boarded Moya and jumps from body to body. Finally he jumps into Pilot’s body and the entity liked this body, doesn’t wanna leave. Scorpius thinks he has found something on the chip which brings him closer to the knowledge about wormholes. He tells Braca that the Scarrans want to go to war with the Sebacians and the only reason they haven’t done this is because they told the Scarrans they have an secret wormhole weapon.  “Relativity” is another superb episode, Talyn is hidden on a world, waiting to get strong enough to flee but retrieval squad, led by Aeryn’s mother has arrived there also, and is searching for Talyn and Crais. Crichton realizes Crais has used them all that time. In the final moments of the episode it seems like Crais kills Aeryn’s mother but it is done off screen. Just as Aeryn thinks this is not a good idea to let Crais kill her, it is done. Aeryn and (a) Crichton finally have sex! – Note – for quite some time the crew has been split up between Moya and Talyn, only Crichton is able to be on both ships! 😊

“Incubator” is another very good episode, Scorpius is having trouble getting further with the wormhole tech from the chip, he decides that the chip goes back inside his brain, where Crichton becomes the “visitor” in his brain. Scorpius tells Crichton his life story how he came to be, that he is the products of a rape from a Scarran male and a Sebacean female. Meanwhile a scientist working for Scorpius defects and goes and search for Moya. The crew is suspicious but Pilot and Moya knows her species, they trust her. – Note – Nice to see some more background about Scorpius. In “Meltdown” Talyn gets the urge to fly into a sun. While in its vicinity Stark is contacted by an alien woman who is being held against her will. Creature Mu-Quillus is luring them into the sun, he lives there, he also holds the woman, Sierjna, captive. Note – Not my favorite episode, found the sex-drive between Aeryn and Crichton becoming annoying quickly. A weird but fun episode “Scratch & Sniff” where Moya and Pilot are sick of the constant bickering of the crew, they want Crichton and D’Argo gone for 10 days. But Crichton returns after 2 days because he is no longer wanted on that planet, he tries to explain to Pilot what happened.

“Infinite Possibilities” Parts One and Two definitely belong to the best episodes of the season! We get to see Furlow back. The ancient Jack, who appears as Crichton’s dad is back and accuses John of mis-using the wormhole tech, in reality it is Furlow, who works with the Charrids, aggressive people, who are the arch-enemy of Rygel’s people. Crichton, Aeryn, Rygel and Jack go to a planet where Furlow is, they get in heavy fights with Charrids, somehow Aeryn and John manage to kill 100 -150 Charrids while they themselves remain unharmed! Charrids have allied themselves with the Scarrans. Jack and John decide to destroy the tech Furlow created. Jack tries to remove Harvey from Crichton’s mind which has an unexpected result! Furlow has made a deal with the Scarrans, double-crosses John and escapes. When Furlow’s vehicle crashes, the device is activated. John needs to be a hero and shuts it off and gets a lethal dose of radiation. In an emotional scene John dies after saying goodbye to his friends and Aeryn. In “Revenging Angel” Farscape becomes partly animated a la Chuck Jones/Loony Tunes style. Note - Especially the animated stuff was real funny!

In “The Choice” Aeryn is trying to deal with the death of Crichton, she left the crew and is residing on a planet. Her mother is there too, she has paid a guy to pretend to be her dad and although Aeryn immediately knows he is not her dad, she plays the game. Her mother wants her dead, or does she? She tells Aeryn she had to choose, kill her, or her father! When her mum is about to surrender, Crais burst in the room! Stark goes searching for Zhaan. Note – Some quality acting on Claudia Black’s part! “Fractures” is another top-notch episode! A transport docks at Moya, they are escaped Peacekeeper prisoners, one of them is a Scarran. Talyn also arrives, other than saying “hello John”, Aeryn ignores him as much as possible because of her grief for the other Crichton. There is a traitor in the midst of these escaped prisoners who is sending out transmissions. The deceased Crichton recorded a message for the other Crichton, Aeryn is listening with in secret. After this Message Crichton reveals plan to others that he is going to the command carrier to stop Scorpius, Aeryn and Crais join him.

“I-Yensch, You-Yensch” is a good set-up for the final episodes of the 3^rd season. Rygel and D’Argo are going to a planet to make a deal with Scorpius, about the wormhole tech, to come to the command carrier, with the reasoning: better the devil you know (instead of the Scarrans) but of course there a are complications but there seems to be a basis to trust each other…. Talyn destroys a PK vessel but right after he also destroys a harmless medical vessel. He shows remorse but when Crais and Aeryn suggest to shut him down temporarily, he also attacks his mother Moya.

“Into the Lion's Den” parts one and two, these episodes I mentioned briefly at the beginning of the blog. Like final 5 season one episodes, Crichton is back on the command carrier, this time his crew is also there. they are treated with hostility from the rest of the crew, trying to kill them. Scorpius tries to prevent this. There is a struggle for power going on between Scorpius and Commandant Mele-On Grayza but for now he seems to be able to protect Crichton and his crew. Under pressure Scorpius threatens him and the planet Earth! Crais tells Scorpius that Crichton has no intention of helping but Crais does this on purpose to put Scorpius of guard, he needs a distraction, he plans to starburst with Taylyn inside the command carrier! It will be destroyed in about half an arn which gives the crew plenty time to escape. Which means Crais sacrifices himself!  Note – Again, these kind of episodes definitely are the icing om the cake!

The season 3 finale, “A Dog with 2 Bones” the Crew and Moya are trying to bury the remains of Talyn but there is another Leviathan who doesn’t want Talyn there because Talyn was weaponized. They will either have go away or destroy the leviathan. Crichton is still lovesick over Aeryn, he misses her badly but Aeryn cannot handle it at the moment. She even feels she has go away and she doesn’t want Crichton to come with. When she has left, Utu-Noranti (aka Wrinkles), who somehow is suddenly on Moya, whispers to Crichton that Aeryn is with child! He wants to go after her while sitting in his module when a wormhole suddenly appears and swallows-up Moya, leaving Crichton behind. Note – What a cliff-hanger, really shocking, really exciting! First what Wrinkles whispers, next moment a wormhole, pulling Moya in, leaving Crichton alone in his module, imagine, having to wait 3-5 months for episode 1 of season 4!

Final Word:

Till now season 3 is definitely my favorite season, it was a rollercoaster ride with only one or two above mediocre episodes but the rest of them is an 8 or 9 out of 10, really enjoyed it. If season 4 can surpass this I will even be more happy and excited and if I remember correctly from last rewatch, I was kind of excited with season 4 because of the Scarrans who have a bigger role this season. Highly recommended!

Screencaps taken from: FarscapeCaps.com