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Episode Guide |  Who the frell? Jump to the CHARACTERS |
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In Whole
Well, Scorp was being pretty smart, or so he thought. He's just gone and got everyone captured - John's bomb hasn't gone off, and Ak'nar has quelled John's little riot. The rest of Moya's crew were captured on their way to their various exits, and security is now on high alert. Doesn't seem like they've got a hope in hell. Guards are now positioned to contain the crew of Moya in specific areas. John tries to bluff to Staalik, saying that Grayza had a better offer and were going over to her carrier but, with the riot going on, felt it best not to disturb the Scarrens.
Not his best bit of bluffing really, is it? And now all non-Scarren vessels have been targeted and, if they so much as charge a weapon, will be blown out of the sky. However, Staalik offers to give John a lift to the carrier.
Meanwhile, Jenek has managed to gain access to Lola and has begun copying all the logs and starcharts. He comms Staalik, who is in his quarters alone, and Staalik orders him to leave no trace.
Meanwhile, the Moya crew have been rounded up and confined to a few areas. All in a meeting room, Scorpius tries to justify his decision - to stop John leaving for his own protection. His plan would have failed - Scorp says it's likely Lola would already have been disabled - bye bye plan. And it's also likely they'd pick up Moya, even if she is masking her signature, and the base defenses would destroy them on their way out.
However - and this is probably a first - D'Argo is intrinsic in a plan! He'll activate Lola using the voice recognition system and get the ship to blast them out. He tries this, but to no effect - Lola isn't responding, which he believes to be impossible. Chiana suggests getting a ride out on the Command Carrier, but wouldn't you know it - Ak'nor arrives just as she says that. Ak'nor isn't at all frightened by Grayza, the command carrier, John or his bomb. She's got guts. And lo, she manages to pin Crichton to a table and watches the bomb increase it's speed.
Suicidal, that one is. Intro!!!
Alalalalabomba!!! (sorry, just had to do that)
Well, guess who's back this time?!? It's 1812!!! Yep, the little DRD returns quickly, having found John a room that isn't bugged or spied upon in any way to have a little talk with Scorp.
Now this bit's complicated folks. Thinking caps on.
John needs convincing that Scorp did the right thing. The flower, the chrysfirium flower in the chamber from the last ep. It's the Scarren's achilles heel, Scorpius tells him. For the moment, these flowers are even more important than wormholes. Harvey fills him in on the details, smoking in John's head. Even the Charrids and the Kalish haven't figured it out. Scorpius says that Stark used to live on Katrazi assisting in death rituals, which was why Scorpius had him tortured in the aurora chair all those cycles ago. The chrysfirium flowers can only grow in rare conditions, and the Scarrens can only propel their power from the location of these flowers.
Harvey time again - the Scarrens need the flowers. Scarrens are primitive creatures, but if they eat the flowers they actually get somewhere on the evolutionary table - they get big brains, and can actually get somewhere in life.
Though Stark provided many details about Katrazi, the flowers and the Scarrens, Scorpius could never get the location from him, but was about to just as John rescued him. But John was taking too long with giving the wormhole knowledge to Scorpius, and he needed some way to hurt the Scarrens.
Scorpius has no wormhole knowledge.
Seems Harvey lied. As per usual. Scorpius admires the ingenuity of his neural clone. They had a deal, John and Scorpy. Aeryn for wormholes. But John left Scorpy behind to die, screwed him over. A simple failsafe in Harvey that Scorpius pre-installed. If John screws Scorpius, Harvey finds a way to get him re-interested. In this case, telling him Scorpius knows everything about wormholes.
And the only reason the neural clone has returned is because that failsafe was activated. Otherwise, Harvey would be still in his coffin playing with his fingernails for days on end (and who can blame him? They'd be damn fun!).
John really should honour his contracts in the future, Scorpius tells him. And Harvey wants a donut. And Scorpius tries to enlist John to help him destroy the flowers. If he doesn't, Scorpius will try it on his own but rest assured, he tells John, his path is the only way off Katrazi.
Still keeping up? Good. Rest of the episodes pretty easy from here on in.
John accuses Scorpius of using him. Scorpius says they use each other, and congratulates him on the idea of the bomb. John asks him to be nearby when it goes off.
John and Aeryn are on board Grayza's Command Carrier - which now has several Scarren guns aimed at it now that John and Aeryn are aboard. However, Grayza and the PKs can go whenever they like - the Scarrens just wouldn't let Crichton leave with them, so that's getting a lift off the PKs out of the question. Meanwhile, Grayza asks that she and John have a private word.
With the ship on high alert, Aeryn goes to the medical unit, to take care of a personal problem.
Grayza is belittling John, about how he is still not sharing wormhole tech. In her hands, there can be peace, but John still refuses to give her the tech. Grayza accuses him of being self-righteous - all her life, she says, has been devoted to peace and because of John the chance of that is gone. "Frelled. Screwed. Raped. Welcome to the universe, commandant."
Back on Katrazi, Chiana and D'Argo have been allowed aboard Lola. Everything seems to be fine, but D'Argo can smell that someone else has been in. He decides the best thing to do will be to shut down the ship and run scans on it, but it'll take three arns. And if they find something they can't fix, they'll go with Scorpius' plan.
Scorpius meanwhile is trying to convince Noranti and Rygel of the plan - so far, locking them in an elevator as it tunnels through solid rock. If Sikozu is unable to get elevator access, they need to find Stark - the only other person who would be able to help (he used to live on Katrazi). But how do they do that?
Oh wait, he's just over there. But that's not Stark - it's one of many bioloid clones of Stark. How does Scorpius know this? He knows/believes Stark would never torture him. Staalik replaced the real Stark with a bioloid so Ak'nor would believe him to be the real Stark. The plan - find the bioloid creation chamber - the real Stark should be there.
Meanwhile, Ak'nor is stalking John as he and Aeryn return to Katrazi. John knows this - especially when they run into each other - and doesn't seem to care one bit. John says that so far Grayza is the high bidder, and Ak'nor says she is about to make an offer. Leave Scorpius behind, and they can escape. Ak'nor says she will make sure the hierarchy blames Staalik for their escape, and Ak'nor takes his position. John really doesn't like Ak'nor though, and Aeryn stands in the way. Ak'nor leaves at this - John says she scares the crap out of him. Aeryn says it's the hat.
Jenek though has more or less disarmed the bomb - only a quarter of an arn is needed. Sikozu and her bioloid 'friend' though are trying to find a way into the system - all the codes have been changed and security has increased. However, there is a master keychip which he will try to get, but if he is caught it may expose the entire Kalish underground. But it will help defeat the Scarrens, and he decides to try.
Meanwhile, John is painting 'HI THERE' on his bomb. John's planning on givimg the Emperor a little present, and knows he can't do anything to John while the bomb is ticking.
The bomb stops ticking.
Damn, John's jinxed!
New plan - the bomb cannot be reactivated in any useful way. All it is now is an impact bomb. Lola won't be running for another arn. Guards are all over the place - Rygel and Noranti are pinned down, hiding from them. Plan - meet at the elevator if you can. Ak'nor is suitably happy with her security - Staalik though doesn't hold as much faith.
John and Aeryn find Sikozu and Scorpius at the elevator, shorting the controls. As they get in and take out a Charrid and Kalish, D'Argo and Chiana arrive. However, the elevator will not run without the proper keycodes, which Sikozu's spy friend was supposed to be securing. At the last minute, he arrives, hands over the codes, and gets shot by pursuing Charrids. Grief-stricken, Sikozu begins operating the elevator to get away and get to the chrysfirium chamber. It also means that another elevator won't be able to follow, and the drill should be activated on the elevator so they can go anywhere on the planet.
Hang on to your hats kids, it's time for another voyage to the centre of the planet!
Noranti and Rygel meanwhile decide to go along with the plan to find Stark and use his help to get out. The Scarrens are trying to override the elevator (now called a Rabricator, but hey), and we rejoin the merry little crew of Grayza and Braca on the Command Carrier. Seems communication intercepts from Katrazi indicate they're after Crichton with orders to kill. Grayza determines that this means his bomb has been disarmed. Crichton has lost. And so has Grayza. She orders, much to Braca's puzzlement, that the Command Carrier to go to full battle status.
Meanwhile, in the happy fun elevator Rabricator thing, "The Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" continues (next Tuesday, part of Sci-Fi's all new line-up - hehe) as the elevator finally reaches the chrysfirium chamber. However, the drills still aren't working. Sikozu stays with the lift to try and get them working, along with Chiana, and the rest go to "Do Battle With The Flowers" (Wednesday at 8pm, part of Sci-Fi's all new line-up - I'm loving this!). However, the doors of the elevator have other plans, as the Scarrens are trying to recall the lift, and Chiana comes into play as a doorwedge.
D'Argo says that Lola should be functional by now - if Sikozu can start the drills and get the to the surface, Lola can get them off the planet.
Anyhoo, remember the rather large plant that was at the end of the chamber? Seems that is the momma plant, the one that fertilises the others. Kill it, Scorpius says, and no other chrisfirium can grow there. Scorpius fires a shot, but the plant is shielded - a new addition since Stark's last visit, it seems.
The Scarrens are rather admanent they want their lift back, and the doors are increasing their pressure. Scorpius is venting his steam all over the place - seems the guy really doesn't like to lose. Sikozu though has got control of the drills - they can bore their way to anywhere on the planet. This is good news. However, the Scarrens have got control over the elevator. This is bad news. They recall it.
Fortunately, it seems the Scarrens are as safety conscious as we are when it comes to elevators, and they won't go anywhere until the doors are closed. Unfortunately, being a doorwedge was never part of Chiana's job description, and she calls for D'Argo who gets the doors open just enough for Chiana and Sikozu to get out, before the elevator closes and heads back up, as Scorpius is trying to find a gap through the shield, to no avail.
Well, there goes the getaway car, and here come a few Scarrens, along with John's nuke that has been left in the elevator. Staalik takes this moment to congratulate Ak'nor on her incompetence, while Jenek comms and informs him that Grayza's Command Carrier is showing high signs of battle readiness.
Back in the chamber, the gang decide to hide in the flowers - their only option really. John just realises that he left a nuclear bomb in an elevator - Chi says he's done worse. Their weapons are gonna be useless against Scarrens.
However, Sikozu has a plan. She says that she is not a normal Kalish, and there are others like her, part of a resistance movement against the Scarrens. Sikozu and the other resistance members are genetically modified to kill Scarrens by emitting an intense radiation that destroys their heat-regulating gland. However, Sikozu is nervous - if the Scarrens were to find out, they'd kill millions of innocents to root them out. However, the others regard her as part of the team - they won't tell her secret. She gets up, ready to confront the Scarrens as they arrive, and tells the others not to look upon her - especially not Scorpius.
Four Scarrens arrive and confront Sikozu, but she floats into the air, emitting a strange glow that kills them and knocks Sikozu for six. D'Argo takes Sikozu as everyone leaves, but Scorpius still wants to get rid of the flowers - he really has a problem with losing, does that guy, but he eventually follows.
Meanwhile, Noranti and Rygel have found Stark, and open up the pod he is in. Stark comes to, just recognising Rygel, and noticing that Noranti is green ("how lovely of you to notice" she replies). However, a bioloid Stark arrives, and the two of them shut the pod on the real Stark as the bioloid pins Rygel to a wall, JUST as Noranti decides to show off her knife-throwing prowess!
Needless to say, that's one less madman for them to deal with, dispatched in record time for once!
Change of scenery - Staalik is trying to get Grayza to see reason. Grayza though believes that the Scarrens have subverted the conference and with it any chance of peace. Staalik says the Scarrens still are at a truce with the PKs, and asks that Grayza adhere to the name chosen for her kind. Then he orders Jenek to annihilate them if they do anything.
On the carrier, it's time for the patriotic music again as Braca asks Grayza if she is sane. They're at peace, under a flag of truce, and Grayza persists in pursuing a path of madness under a delusion of honour. She orders Braca to prepare for attack, and Braca goes off to have a quiet word in a sergeant's ear...
Returning to the elevator, John decides to cut the link from the elevator to the surface, by shooting the console. Now the Scarrens have no control over the lift. However, D'Argo doesn't have much control either, and he is the one who has decided to drive while Sikozu sleeps off her weird radiation thingy.
A Scarren guard, seemingly Ak'nor's lover, reports to Ak'nor saying the status of the flowers is unknown, and Crichton has activated the drill on the elevator, and it is now impossible to predict his destination. Ak'nor, rather expectedly, is annoyed, while the Charrids and Kalish argue between themselves a bit more. Jenek reports to Staalik, saying that Grayza refuses to reply to their communications. Jenek has recorded all transmissions asking them to step down - should they retaliate Peacekeeper High Command will see no fault with the Scarren's self defense. Staalik is quite happy with Jenek - if he captures Crichton, Ak'nor's job will be his, Staalik promises him.
Back on the Command Carrier, Grayza is getting ready to fire. Braca though really doesn't think Grayza is going down the right path - she'll start a war here and now. Grayza says that a war is inevitable, but Braca argues they're at a truce. Grayza replies, saying "didn't Scorpius tell you? Truce with the Scarrens is suicide." Braca, in full hearing of all those on deck, argues, saying that all those on this vessel must pay for her miscalculation with their lives. It's for the greater good, Grayza says, and the crew of the Command Carrier will be remembered as heroes.
Braca plays his trump card then, relieving Grayza from duty due to lack of judgement under stress. Grayza orders the officer of the deck to shoot Braca.
But Braca gave his order first, and Grayza is no longer in a position to give orders.
Braca gives the order to leave.
The crew of Moya still seem intent on drilling round Katrazi for hours on end, turning it into cosmic swiss cheese. It's giving everyone a major headache. Chiana kinda likes it. In the conference room, Staalik is giving orders in his usual angry way, saying to ignore Ak'nor's orders. John Crichton is the most important person on this base now, he says (bar Staalik himself, of course).
It's at that point that D'Argo chooses EXACTLY the wrong time and place for the elevator to resurface.
The conference room, where Staalik and a whole bunch of Charrid commandoes are.
Needless to say, Staalik scarpers before the roof comes down, giving the order that Crichton is to be kept alive at all costs.
Probably not a good idea for Crichton to be the one to have a look out the top of the elevator then. But have a look he does, and finds himself getting shot at, the Charrid not getting a good enough look. John pulls the hatch back down, and quickly lets everyone know of the situation. Chiana asks if they're cursed - depends on if the elevator hull will hold. It seems quite strong. There is another hatch, out the bottom of the elevator, but it'd be a huge drop down the shaft they made, too big to live through.
They comm Noranti and Rygel, who have Stark and are just outside Lola, but its crawling with Scarrens. D'Argo decides to test if Lola is operating, and tells the ship to shoot the Scarren, which it does.
Jenek though has managed to reach the chrisfirium chamber, finding it intact, while the Charrids outside the elevator send for reinforcements (and the main Charrid leaves, saying he's going to check on Staalik's safety). Inside the elevator, John asks Scorpius how important the plant is. Answer - very.
John quickly comms Rygel, Noranti and Stark. They're safe in Lola, with the forcefield around it.
New plan - John drops the nuke down the shaft.
Oh wait - he forgot to vote. John, Aeryn and Scorpius for the nuke being dropped, Chiana and D'Argo against. Sikozu abstains because she's still out cold. Even Scorpius cracks a merry little smile at this one.
However, they don't know how well the elevator will hold out. It IS supposed to be very strong. Wonder if it's made of high-grade lead? Sikozu, just coming to, says that the pressure will escape through the shaft. Scorpius concurs, and says that at this distance the elevator will protect them.
And everyone else? Screw them!
Believing this may be their last moments, everyone huddles together in the lift. D'Argo and Chiana get close again, and surprisingly so do Scorpius and Sikozu. John and Aeryn just goes without saying.
Jenek gets back in the replacement elevator, reporting to Staalik that everything is OK. Then the bomb drops through the glass roof panel into his hands and explodes in a nice purple bubble cloud explosion or something. It rises through the shaft and around the elevator, vapourising everyone on the surface and causing a load of explosions all over Katrazi.
After the explosion, Rygel comms John and shouts at him for setting it off. John simply replies "you missed the vote".
Safely back on Moya, Pilot is enjoying meeting Stark again. They've already put a few starbursts between them and Scarren territory, and Moya is tired. Nobody appears to be following - the Scarrens must be too busy on Katrazi. Noranti offers to help celebrate by cooking one of her dishes - Gaspicion haunch stew - something which definitely perks Rygel up.
Talking of perking up, seems Chiana and D'Argo have been doing a bit of that, and are now mid-bout. Even Scorpius and Sikozu are feeling the love bug, sharing their first kiss, with a creepy rendition of John and Aeryn's music from Dog With Two Bones.
Speaking of John and Aeryn, John seems depressed. Well, maybe not depressed, but not himself. Everything old is new again. But it's getting really old. He wore a bomb today. A nuclear bomb, in a field of flowers. And if he could get lucky, tomorrow he'd have a bigger bomb. He could kill more people - maybe not the innocent people. Children maybe.
Aeryn simply reaches over to comfort him. Because at that moment, it's all she can do.
What I thought
Blah de blah de blah, must go back to save Scorpius, blah de blah, discover the truth, blah de blah. And now, on Farscape...
Ooh, we liked this. Nice character interaction, everyone seems to be getting it on in the end, and more plot twists explained than... well, something with a lot of plot twists that need explaining! Seems Harvey is just regular old Harvey after all, but some of the plot was a bit needlessly complicated, but still a very good episode. One huge, fast-moving set-piece with little gap inbetween. Little character interaction, but as if that's really gonna happen in an ep like this? Scorp though shows a lot of character, and you really have to wonder which side is he on? He's on his own side, that's what, and is ready to use every asset he can. Sikozu finally reveals herself to the gang, but Noranti and Rygel's B-plot isn't really that eventful. But the ending, it's a bit odd. No cliffhanger, no guns pointing at people, nobody about to die. Instead, John gives himself a bit of grief about all the people he's killed. We're really starting to worry about him. Now, what to give it? Tempted to give it a 5 - yeah, let's give it a 5!
