2023/05/13

Season two opens, more or less, right after the season one finale, in “Mind the Baby”, D’Argo & Crichton are “hanging” in space and Aeryn needs to get to them asap so D’Argo won’t because he doesn’t wear protection of any kind. After the fantastic ending of season one, the 5 episode arc more or less, the next episode usually is a letdown. This is not the case with “Mind the Baby” but to me, it was not as exciting as the previous episodes. Perhaps because I watch them almost back2back this is more obvious.

Obviously Aeryn has saved both men and are hiding on an asteroid from the command carrier of Scorpius who is looking for Crichton. Talyn is alone, Moya is desperately looking for her. Aeryn is keeping secrets from both Crichton & D’Argo, regarding Talyn & Crais, Zhaan is living in her own bubble. Talyn makes a choice who is to become his captain! The 2^nd episode is more episodic, “Vitas Mortis”, where crew finds a holy Luxan woman who is nearing the end of her life. She finds D’Argo strong/respectable enough to help her make the journey. However, during the transition, she feels lots of strength she intrepid as a new beginning and uses the transition to practice the rejuvenate ritual instead. About that same time Moya is becoming very ill. Note – It was nice to see Crichton being so worried about his friend Ka D’Argo. The next two episodes belong to my least favorite episodes of the season. First “Taking the Stone”, where Chiana’s brother Nerri dies, she goes off to this planet where people don’t seem to age. At a certain age they jump in a deep well, only to be caught near the bottom by a sonic net, which Aeryn says is sustained by their own voices. Note – One of my least favorite episodes, although it has a few nice moments in the end between Crichton and Chiana and Crichton and Aeryn.

Episode 4 “Crackers don’t Matter” is, I think, my least favorite episode of the season where the crew starts behaving really ridiculous and obnoxious caused by an alien named T'raltixx who came on board Moya under the pretense of adjusting her electromagnetics to make her untraceable. The next episode “The Way We Weren’t” is definitely one of the best episodes of the season or arguably of the whole series! If this episode doesn’t grab you by the throat, I don’t know what will! In this episode we get to see how Pilot was bonded with Moya. The original pilot forcibly removed and killed. Pilot was not bonded naturally, so he was always in pain. Aeryn was there too and when Pilot remembers this all, Pilot wants Aeryn gone from Moya! Note – As I said, near perfect episode, sometimes very uncomfortable to watch, makes you sick to the stomach….if you are a normal human being that is!

In “Picture if you Will” Maldis is back and wants revenge on what happened before. However, he does not want revenge on Crichton, but on Zhaan! In the final moments of the episode Zhaan says: I’ve never been more scared! Episode 7, “Home on the Remains” is not a favorite of mine, Not the worst this season but comes close, can’t make heads or tale of it! Desperate for food, the crew visits one of Chiana's old stomping grounds, where not all of the past can stay buried. Zhaan is on Moya, she’s ill, Moya and Aeryn are getting sick because of Zhaan, while Crichton, D’Argo, Rygel and Chiana visiting the remains of a budong. A better epsiode “Dream a Little Dream”: During the last episode of Season one, before Crichton, Aeryn and D’Argo are found, Zhaan, Chiana and Rygel are on a planet where Zhaan is being set-up for a murder she did not commit of course, and it is Rygel and Chiana’s task to get her free. With the help of some magic, Moya/Pilot, they pull it off.

In episode 9 “Out of their Minds”, a wounded ship has their guns aimed at Moya, apparently Talyn has attacked them. Zhaan goes over to that ship to try and work it out because they intend to destroy Moya! Their weapons make the crew’s swap bodies when the shield is at 62%. Note – Not my favorite episode but some real funny moments! D'Argo as Chiana is hysterical! Crichton as Aeryn, looking at his/her boobs, swinging them left to right and back! In “My 3 Crichton’s” Moya is visited by an entity, a spot which becomes big and swallows-up Crichton. But then he is spit out in 3 different Crichton’s: The Original, an Ape like, and a future version, the last one thinks himself to me superior of all 3. Original John also feels himself superior over the ape like John, who, according to Chiana is sweet and caring. But if they all 3 stay on Moya the sphere will destroy the ship. Note – The evolved Crichton is a creepy bastard, that’s for sure.

“The 3-parter “Look at the Princess” definitely belongs to the best episodes of the season. These kinds of episodes are the icing on the cake. It all starts that Aeryn doesn’t want to give in to her feelings towards John. Moya arrives at a planet where there is a coronation taking place. The future queen is looking for a husband and there is only one man suitable for marriage…. John Crichton of course! The queens brother has manipulated things with the help of a Scarran. What Crichton later learns is that the queen and her husband become statues for 80 cycles! Crichton at first is not about to get married but when Scorpius arrives, he sees no other choice but to marry her. This is also the first episode where D’Argo and Chiana become a couple. Moya meets her makers, because she got a baby who was a gunship, her makers want to end her existence and are starting the procedure. Zhaan is doing her best to fight against them. Note – At the end a really satisfying moment between Aeryn and John.

In episode 14, “Beware of Dog”, Moya is having a parasite on board and Chiana and D’Argo have purchased a parasite hunter, a strange creature which seems to be doing everything except hunting. It can split-up / change into another creature which seems to do the hunting better, but the crew mistakes the split-off creature for the parasite. In reality, someone else of the crew has been taken over by parasites. Note - Fun episode, Crichton keeps seeing Scorpius as if he is on the ship with him, telling him he can’t escape what is coming for him. “Won’t get Fooled Again” Crichton has suddenly returned to Earth after his Module crashed. Of course, he doesn’t believe it actually has happened because he sees his crew mates as other persons but still being alien. Here we learn that Scorpius has actually implanted a chip inside Crichton which basically means Scorpius is hitchhiking in Crichton’s mind. Note – A bit of an absurd but fun episode!

In “The Locket” Aeryn is investigating the mist, which is in front of Moya, she has been gone 1 day but when she returns she is a 165 cycles old. When Crichton goes after her he also gets stuck on that planet for 50 cycles while on the ship nobody ages and for them a few days pass. First there is this presumption that it is the planet where times passes very quickly but it is actually Moya who is in a time-bubble. Stark returns this episode because he has news about D’Argo’s son Yothee. In “The Ugly Truth” Talyn destroys a ship from Plokavians while the crew is all on Talyn. Crais orders them to go and escapes. The crew of moya, except for Chiana and Rygel, are being taken by the Plokavians, including Stark who was there too. They want to know who fired the shot. Everyone tells a slightly different story in order to protect Talyn. But when the Plokavians decide to kill everyone because they all lied, Stark offers himself up.

We are nearing the end of the second season and I have to say, since the first episode of the 3-parter “Look at the Princess” there hasn’t been a mediocre episode, the final 11 episodes are all very exciting while in the first 11 episodes about half of them were mediocre to okay at best. Episode 18, “A Clockwork Nebari” is another favorite of mine: Two Nebari come to Moya with Aeryn and D’Argo, after they were attacked by Peacekeepers. Both Aeryn and D’ Argo have been clensed and these Nebari try to do the same to the other crewmembers. We learn that Chiana’s brother is not dead, in fact one of these two Nebari’s works for her brother and has a message for her. Great episode, Nebari are no sweethearts, that is for sure!

Another 3-parter, episodes 19-21, “Liars, Guns and Money”, is another brilliant episode. Stark is back, returned from the dead! Stark has a simple plan to rob a bank, used mainly by criminals, so they can buy the freedom of the slaves where Jothee is one of them. When Scorpius arrives at the bank the plan becomes way more difficult to carry out. They do manage to get away with the loot, but the loot become metallic spiders once they arrive on Moya. When Scorpius realizes the plan of the Moya crew, he intervenes so Crichton sees no other way than to sacrifice himself.

The season finale “Die Me, Dichotomy”, is another brilliant episode, worthy of a season finale. The crew have found a doctor who can help Moya heal and also possibly help Crichton with the removal of the chip Scorpius had implanted. Scorpius is taking over Crichton’s mind with this chip. He is no longer in control of his own mind. When Crichton escapes with his module, Aeryn goes after him but because Crichton is no longer in control, he becomes responsible when Aeryn has to use her ejector seat. She lands on ice, which breaks, and she drowns! The doctor has found a way to remove the chip, but the chip is close to his speaking skills, the doctor removes the chip and is planning to restore speech afterwards but before that happens Scorpius suddenly enters the room….Chiana and Jothee grow closer together as also Stark & Zhaan.

Final Word:

Not sure if I favor season two to season one at this point but I think it is a close match between the two. The two 3-parters definitely are the icing on the cake. In my memory from last rewatches, I didn’t like Scorpius in Crichton’s mind but with this rewatch I realized I actually liked this personal arc.

Screencaps taken from FarscapeCaps.com