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Episode Guide |  Who the frell? Jump to the CHARACTERS |
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In Whole
Pilot allows station personnel and their DRDs to board (Noranti and D'Argo are waiting away from the station in Lola). Scorpius has to explain that the three (Crichton, Chiana and Rygel) are each spies for the Scarrens, spying on their respective species, with John spying on the PKs. John sets out to board then station, being reminded that no weapons are allowed on board - if you have any, the station's DRDs/Sentinels will shoot on sight. John gives 1812 Winona (I assume) to keep an eye on.
On the station, Sikozu has been 'making friends' with one of the technicians, as Chiana and Rygel watch on. The technician is a Kalish, one of Sikozu's own kind, and they seem to be running the station for the Scarrens.
John goes over to get some food, joined by Sikozu, who quietly informs him the Scarren freighter is docked, but leaving in half an arn.
On the freighter, the nurse is ministering to Aeryn. The nurse offers to make things easier for Aeryn, if only she'll trust her...
Opening!
On the station, Crichton, Scorpy, Chiana and Rygel are planning. Guns are out of the question - they'd get shot before they even made it through the first airlock. But they have a trump card - D'Argo and Noranti in Lola. But they can't attack the freighter - a bunch of Scarren warships would hunt them all down. But they've got the best chance possible here, rather than at a military base, of rescuing Aeryn. Rygel seems to have a plan and, fortunately for him, it involves a lot of food...
Meanwhile, Jenek arrives on the scene, with a Charrid sidekick. Sikozu's info seems to have been correct up until now. Scorpy goes over and introduces himself (fortunately as Captain Wentrask). Jenek asks the Charrid to leave, and Scorpy gives Jenek a clearance code, making him trust him, before rising to let Scorpy know it's time to leave.
Back on the freighter, Aeryn is dillusional after being pumped with drugs. This gives us possibly one of the sweetest (and all too brief, unfortunately) scenes I've seen in Farscape. Aeryn imagines John has come to her side. He feels the baby, encourages her, says she's doing well. Aeryn strokes his hand as he strokes her pregnant belly. Then he leaves, and Aeryn has to confront reality again.
Meanwhile, it seems Rygel has actually eaten his fill for once! Crichton spies a new person - Sebacean, the nurse from the freighter. However, Rygel chooses that moment to put his plan into effect, and projectile-vomits all over the place!
Attracting the attention of the station's doctor, Rygel seems to think it may be a recurring bout of Hynerian Dermapholica (I think that's how it's spelt) which he says he had many years ago and has laid dormant in him since. It's a very contagious disease, and the station doctor has no choice but to lock down the entire station - nobody can come or go, including the occupants of Moya, and the occupants of the freighter.
With Rygel in quarantine, Jenek is getting seriously annoyed, wanting to get to Katrazi as soon as possible. Fortunately nobody at the station is familiar with Rygel's fake disease, and the technician Sikozu was flirting with has sent out a request for all medical vessels in the sector, an idea from Sikozu herself.
Meanwhile, Chiana is getting friendly with another technician, while Noranti and D'Argo arrive on board, Noranti offering her services as a healer, and D'Argo as her assisstant (according to Noranti, Luxans make "fine pilots, exceptional bodyguards and superlative lovers"!!!).
Noranti goes to the medical centre on the station, where the doctor tells her that there are no signs of illness from Rygel at the moment whatsoever. Noranti just tells him that the symptoms are just taking a bit of time, and goes to examine Rygel. While Noranti is preparing him something to eat, Rygel revealing that he really did have Dermapholica a while back, but it has laid dormant in him since. Noranti makes Rygel eat something (rather grudgingly).
Noranti goes back to the rec room of the station to meet with D'Argo, who is staring intently at Chiana talking rather intimately with one of the techs. D'Argo goes over, and offers to buy Chiana a drink, the tech leaving, and they enjoy a precious moment of privacy, D'Argo filling her in on the situation so far, and that he and Noranti had heard Sikozu calling for medics on the comms and had played along.
Meanwhile, Rygel is now exhibiting symptoms of Dermapholica. Noranti reveals that the disease can infect non-Hynerians and is very contagious, and now everyone on the station or in vessels docked to it will have been exposed. Noranti will try and concoct a cure, but needs more supplies. Jenek refuses to give Noranti any supplies or access to the freighter, whereas Scorpy (still as captain Wentrask) says she can use anything on Moya she wants.
On their way to Moya, Noranti reveals that she actually made Rygel sick instead of making him pretend. The disease on the station is real, and everybody HAS been exposed, so she has to work to save them all. This variety it contagious, and everyone will have been exposed. Nebari and Scarrens are immune to it though, but Sebaceans are not - including Aeryn and the baby.
Meanwhile, Jenek is getting rather agitated, and wants to set off for Katrazi - he says the facilities there would heal his captive quicker, and Scarrens are immune anyway. Kalish aren't though, and the station controller (a Kalish) won't let the disease get out and cause death to his own kind. Noranti has requested Rygel is moved to Moya, for easier access between Moya's medical supplies and for taking tissue samples from Rygel.
While Rygel tries to vent out his frustration at Noranti, Scorpy and John discuss their next move. John desperately wants to get on the freighter, but Scorpy wants John to wait - Jenek will never give him access. However, Jenek isn't the only one with access, John says, and sets off to woo himself a nurse...
Meeting the nurse in the rec room, John offers her a Sebacean cure for the Dermapholica - the cure for a bit of 'relaxation'. Just in case 'someone special' has been infected. Of course, with the symptoms being so hard to detect until the patient is near death, nobody can tell who is infected and who isn't - therefore the nurse could be infected and not even know it. The nurse takes him to the freighter, and John finds Aeryn strapped down.
John tells the nurse there is only enough of the cure for two, and the nurse says that another Sebacean needs treatment, referring to Aeryn (so she's not all bad, well she is sorta, well... you know what I mean). Crichton knocks the nurse out, and tries to free Aeryn. Aeryn though resists, and seems to have lost the power of speech from the drugs, and before John can get her out he is knocked out by the Charrid escort.
Later, John is being interrogated by Jenek, and reveals that his 'cure' was just a pile of dust, saying all he was after was a sebacean woman. Scorpy arrives and gets Jenek off John's back. John tells Scorpy the reason he managed to hold out against the mind-probe was that he didn't lie - he just didn't tell him the full truth :)
Meanwhile, Sikozu and her tech 'friend' are doing some research on the disease, with little success. Sikozu suggests the tech get some rest, leaving Sikozu in charge of the comms channel consoles.
Meanwhile, seems Noranti has found the cure for the Hynerian disease at least - though not yet for other species. She gives it to Rygel, who goes to sleep and even seems to be dead at one point. At the same time, one of the Kalish techs has come down with the disease, and has proven fatal.
Meanwhile, on Moya, it seems Rygel is still alive (I think BBC did some very bad cutting, as this was not explained) and Jenek has requested Noranti board his freighter. Scorpy is still trying to negotiate with Jenek to gain access to his medical supplies.
Sikozu is giving Crichton and Chiana a briefing on the freighter - it is not only docked, but also tied to the station's power grid. Meaning anything happens to the station's power, it also affects the freighter. She plans to knock out the power, killing the doors, alarms and the station's DRDs until emergency power override activates, maybe a 30 microt interval. In the meantime, Sikozu says she should also be able to unlock all the doors, and get the beacons they need to prove they're supposed to be in Scarren space when they escape from the station with Aeryn.
Meanwhile, on the freighter, Noranti has been brought in to check Aeryn over. She says she doesn't appear to be infected, Jenek disagrees, saying that any of them could be infected and not know it. Jenek wants to save Aeryn's fetus, insisting that it be transplanted over to a healthy body. First choice - Chiana, since she is immune. Jenek orders the Charrids to fly to and board Moya, since they cannot take their weapons through the station. After a brief scuffle, Chiana is taken over to the freighter.
Recriminations fly between Sikozu and Pilot, as Pilot didn't see the Charrids board in time to stop them. Scorpy (of all people) calms both of them, telling them it is now time to act.
On the freighter, they are preparing Aeryn for the operation, Noranti dead against it. Chiana is brought in kicking and screaming (as per usual), and possibly the biggest prongs that you should ever see in your life come out of Aeryn's bed and stab her, restraining her to the bed. Noranti tries to give her something to ease the pain, the station doctor saying she should give it to Chiana instead (since she will soon be the one that matters) and leads her off. However, Jenek is commed - captain Wentrask (Scorpy) wants a word with him.
Meeting with Jenek in the rec room, Scorpy tells Jenek he knows his prisoner is Aeryn Sun. He knows Jenek seeks the wormhole tech from her fetus, if it is Crichton. But Scorpy says the PK spy he is trying to deliver can give him Crichton himself.
Meanwhile, Sikozu gets into the comms room to turn off the power. The tech tries to stop her, suspecting her of accessing the confidential systems, codes and schematics. John and D'Argo are wondering why Sikozu is taking so long to cut off the power, and D'Argo goes to have a look. He sees Sikozu cornered by the tech, and 'tongues' him as Noranti and the doc on the ship get ready to begin their operations, Noranti desperately trying to buy time.
Sikozu though unlocks the docking ports on Moya, the transport pod and Lola, and goes around trying to turn the power off. D'Argo picks up a couple of multi-coloured bags, and asks if they're the security beacons.
Sikozu gives him a sly grin, and simply says yes.
With the power now off, John grabs his guns and heads off to the freighter - of course nobody can see him without the light (unfortunately he doesn't use the cool night vision goggles, just a torch) and none of the DRDs can sense his weapons because they're all turned off without the power. John kills a couple of Charrids on the way, and knocks out the doctor. Noranti asks why he didn't kill him, and John says simply that his kill count is too high.
Back in the control room, Sikozu says she will jam the docking controls for the freighter so it cannot break free. She does this with a weird heat-beam thing from her hand (which looks uncannily Scarren) which she manages to convince D'Argo was nothing.
Now carrying Aeryn and not his guns, John comes face to face with an armed Charrid who tells them to drop their weapons. John has none, but Noranti has, and drops the weapon accordingly. A moment later, the power comes back on, the DRDs reactivate, detect the Charrid holding a gun at the others, and kill him appropriately.
With Jenek now unable to get ANY signal out of any of his Charrid assisstants, he turns his anger towards Scorpy and overpowers him, taking him prisoner, while Crichton, Aeryn, Sikozu, Chiana, D'Argo and Noranti getting back aboard Moya and fleeing, bringing the transport pod and Lola in on the docking whip.
Yep, you guessed it, they're just gonna leave without Scorpius, which all of the crew seem quite happy about, apart from Sikozu (of course). Sikozu tries to protest, but Chiana knocks her out.
Finally together again, John puts Aeryn to bed in her sleeping quarters, and stays by her side.
Now with the recuperated Rygel, Noranti is helping clean up his skin. She feels guilty about the man who died from the disease she caused. Rygel says that he has been in the same position, that as Dominar, his actions in the past have lead to the death of those who did not deserve it. Yet they have to accept it. Noranti says she must seek forgiveness from the divine eternal, and Rygel says that will be hard going. But he can at least offer his own forgiveness.
Now back with Aeryn, John is sleeping by her side. However, all is not well in his mind.
There is a coffin. John's dressed in a suit. The coffin opens, and the figure that emerges is wearing a black coolant suit, a very bad tux, and very long nails.
Yep, it's Harvey, back from what was seemingly supposed to be his grave!!!
Except it's not the same Harvey as before. Seems when Scorpius said he took him out of his head (4.05 - Promises) he just upgraded Harvey, to Harvey 2.0!!! (sorry, just love that). The new, improved Harvey who, as well as getting out those stubborn grass stains, pledges utter loyalty to Scorpius and can play funky tunes on his fingernails!
And Harvey now wants John to go after Scorpius. For it seems, another new improvement for Harvey, is his ability to communicate to Scorpius everything that John knows. Aeryn, baby...
... wormholes...
And now the Scarrens are going to torture the information out of Scorpius instead of having access to it via the baby.
The episode ends with John yet again hearing voices in his head, urging him on to yet another suicide mission, but this time to save Scorpius...
What I thought
Scarren border station. Moya has docked in order to gain access to Scarren space. Security checks and quarantine, which all vessels at the station must endure, takes five days. Moya senses three other vessels at the station, one being one of her transport pods - meaning Sikozu made it OK, as she was to go ahead to allow them to dock, under the guise of a Kalish beuracrat. John is also supposed to be a PK spy for the Scarrens, and Scorpius their captain, using the name Wentrask.
After the last few eps, I thought this was really good. There wasn't anything especially brilliant in it, it's hard to pin down, but it's the way everything gels together. There are one or two particularly brilliant scenes with Aeryn and a brief delusion, and of course Harvey's return (new, upgraded version 2.0 Harvey!), and of course Noranti starts getting in on the action, her actions unfortunately killing a few people, which leads to a brilliant scene with Rygel at the end, and of course excellent characterisation between Rygel and Noranti. However, we also get to see how the dark side of Crichton has emerged, which is an excellent aspect. Ooh yeah - forgot to mention the excellent bit, where D'Argo and Chiana still look like they have very fond feelings for each other! I'm still not sure though. I am tempted to give it a 5, but it's not what I consider an ideal episode. Many people will. Many people will love this, and I really like it. I'm going to give it the strongest 4 out of 5 I can - any more and it would have got a 5, but alas it's just not my favourite type of episode. It's a good mix, but not my fave. So, an amazingly strong 4 out of 5.
