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'Thanks for Sharing' by OboeCrazy
1st Runner up for the Best Episode Review category in the 2002 Farscape Fanfiction Awards
Hey everyone!
Wow, what a long hiatus! It?s good to be back with all
new episodes, especially since this time we get a run of
new ones! It?s also good to be reviewing again...hey I?m
a fan first and a reviewer second, so these are just my
way of enjoying the show!
So on with this weeks review of Thanks for Sharing. As
always this contains HUGE HONKIN? SPOILERS for
that eppy, and all ideas are my own. I?m not lying, don?t
stick a crab on my head.
Overall:
There are good and bad things about Soap Operas. The
chance to have plots that extend over longer then an hour
lets you really get to know your characters, as well as
develop rich and complicated backgrounds and
backstories for those characters. However the extended
drama can get tiresome, plus it?s very difficult to start
watching one without being completely confused about
what?s going on. Who is that? Why are they here?
What are they talking about? And how come there are
two of him?
Farscape began as most other scifi dramas, one hour
shows that are mostly independent save for normal
character development. But lately we?ve moved into a
realm where every show requires a ?Previously on
Farscape? segment at the beginning. Space Opera can
lead to wonderfully complex storylines, but it can also
get tiresome to be so restrained by backstory that you
cannot tell a simple contained story. Season two
balanced this well, letting us have great arcs (Liars, Guns
and Money, the Princess Trilogy) along with beautiful
individual episodes (The Way We Weren?t, Crackers
Don?t Matter). Let?s hope we can return to that balance
soon.
And Crichton:
I spent most of the hiatus trying to decide how I was
going to deal with two Crichtons and how episodes
would be ranked depending on who got hurt. What it
came down to was the simple fact that?s been hammered
into our heads: both John?s are equal, the same
individual.
So this week ranks as a WACKer episode because John
(either one, I lost track :-) ) got severally injured in an
explosion with a major leg artery impaled. This episode
get?s a Good Thing My Double Has A Donar Card
rating.
At least neither of them died.
The Good:
-She may not be quite as good as Zhaan, but at least Jool
has finally found her niche on Moya and is making
herself useful. And now that she is, she?s getting along a
bit better with most of the crew.
-This week we see the problems with dealing with
yourself. For someone who?s major problem in the
series has been his uniqueness, Crichton really doesn?t
like having a double. Of course he barely has enough
stuff for one person, none the less two, and both
obviously don?t want to loose Aeryn.
-I love the FX shots of the planet, they are wonderful!
-It?s interesting to see how the crew?s reputation
continues to precede them...and it?s never the good side.
-D?Argo sums up nicely the plots of the last three
seasons in three words: ?Every frelling planet!?
-So Crichton and Stark share their repressed animosity
towards Crais in a small moment, when Crichton asks
Stark if they could remove the neural link to save Talyn
and kill Crais...only to find out it won?t work ?cause
Stark already tried.
-?There, I woke him up. Now I hope he drops dead.?
-Since the end of S2 I?ve been waiting to see Crais?
reaction to finding Aeryn alive. I was not disappointed.
For a moment the eloquent Crais is almost left
speechless.
-It would make sense that no one would want to come
out and admit to the planet?s rulers that they need the
cromexten to save Talyn?s life. Who knows if these
people will take advantage of their weakness or not. So
first Rygel and then Crichton walk a thin line as they try
to assure the cromexten is only for medical purposes but
not let them know they are in dire need.
-I love how D?Argo had the foresight to sabotage the
transport so Rygel can?t leave without them.
?What have you done with the pod??
?Well, nothing you can fix.?
-Great Scene 1: Aeryn (and the audience) finally finds
out what Crais has on that chip that he said would make
her so happy back at the end of S2. As Aeryn watches a
piece of her past come to vivid life, she?s so absorbed
she nods in response to her mothers image talking to a
much younger Aeryn (who has the BIGGEST damn eyes
I?ve ever seen on a kid!). Her eyes brimming with tears,
she see?s one of the first indications that she?s
special...that she can be more.
-There?s something ironic about both Crichtons coming
up with the same plan...two heads aren?t better then one,
they just come to the same conclusions from different
places. :-)
-?John Crichton, Wizard of OZ.?
-?Criminals, no no no. We?re businessmen.? That?s our
John, the politician.
-Poor Aeryn keeps getting confronted with people telling
her she can be more. Velorick, Crichton...now Crais
tells her she can help her MOTHER be more.
Apparently being more is Aeryn?s lot in life.
-Best Small Moment of the Eppy: Crichton is handed a
long black object, and with a bemused look at Chiana he
asks, ?Is this a proposition?? Chiana?s brief smile as
she reveals the objects purpose just completes a
wonderful little moment.
-In the What Did I Just Say?! Category: D?Argo goes for
the metal impaled in Crichton?s leg. Crichton says,
?Don?t pull it out!!? and what does D?Argo do?
*wince*
-?I want an apology!?
?I want the truth!?
?You can?t handle...? John Crichton as Jack Nicholson.
-You want a gruesome shot? As InjuredCrichton gets up
out of bed the shot starts looking at the floor covered
with spots of dried blood.
-Great Scene 2: Aeryn comes to check on
InjuredCrichton and they discuss what comes next as
well as their trust/distrust in Crais. Aeryn enters smiling
at the sight of Crichton recovering nicely, leading to a
wonderfully quiet moment between the two. At the end,
even though Crichton still doesn?t trust Crais, it?s
obvious he DOES trust Aeryn. So if Aeryn believes
Crais then John will too.
-One of the best lines in the episode, one that?s been in
all the previews for this week, that you really need to
hear to appreciate, is D?Argo saying in that wonderfully
deep voice of his, ?I?m your Daddy!?
-Once again Moya?s crew arrives on a planet and ends
up disrupting the entire government in power. Between
direct actions by Crichton and Co to indirect actions
from the shape-shifting creature stalking them as Serova,
the three rulers of this world are now dead.
-Great Scene 3: MoyaCrichton discovers that
InjuredCrichton not only ditched everyone, but took
along just about every thing he cares about (the clothing,
the notebook and pen, and Aeryn). Upset that he can?t
decide if he would have done the same thing, he tries to
figure out what exactly he wants as D?Argo attempts to
help his friend. And in the end they both know that at
least Aeryn is being taken care of.
-?At least he?s out of your nose.?
?Hair.?
?Yes, that?s what I meant, at least he?s out of your nose
hair.?
The Bad:
-I?m getting a bit tired of the fact that every planet we
visit is populated by Sebecean-like creatures. I
understand that real-life production costs keep aliens to a
minimum, but one of the best things about Farscape was
the truly alien universe Crichton was thrown into. That
includes...well...ALIENS. Star Trek annoyed me with
the ?forehead of the week?, I hope we don?t get suck
with ?funky clothed Sebeceans of the week?.
-OK I?ll admit it. I hate the idea that Aeryn?s mother is
the one leading the retrieval squad. It?s so contrived for
angst and Soap Opera-like that the situation stinks of
melodrama. Plus PK Command would have to know
that Momma Sun would be just as susceptible to being
swayed by her own daughter (especially after knowing
how much she loves Aeryn). Sending an officer with
emotional ties into the fray was just stupid on their part.
The Nitpicky:
-Apparently Crichton realized his ultra-smart double
from ?My Three Crichtons? did look a lot like those
aliens from Alien Nation. Hrm...Rockne?
-On top of that he?s realized the aliens from ?Out of their
Minds? were Dark Crystal rejects as he asks Crais if he
was attacked by the Skeksies. Hrm...Jim Henson?
-But what he didn?t realize was the lie detector creature
was a lot like the alien face hugger from ?Alien?!
-Plus the planet?s population had obviously had way to
much spice, what with the ultra-blue eyes right out of
?Dune?!
-So Crais wants to know how Aeryn is alive, and
Crichton says ?Let?s skip the backstory right now. What
happened to your ship??. Uh, Crichton? Isn?t finding out
what happened to Crais also backstory?
-So the alien bomb is two pieces of colored Gak blown
together with some hairdryers? :-)
-Was that red shapeshifter another kind of Scarran or
something new we don?t know about yet?
-Anyone else think that with the hair, makeup and black
revealing outfits that Serovia looked like Elvira?
-Rejected Dialogue: D?Argo picks up one of Crichton?s
leather jackets and says, ?I?m selling these fine leather
jackets.?
?Work now, freak later. Work now freak later.?
?All right, yes, that?s fair...how much later??
-Crichton and Stark
Lauren (OboeCrazy)
SACCer #1: The Most Vocal Defender
http://www.scaper.com
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