FARSCAPE..worth the trouble?

[Kegg]

Deranged Nasat wrote:

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To Farscape I say:



Good show.

That is a great pic. Perfect avatar. Hmmmm....

Checkmate wrote:

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Oddly enough, the only people I've ever personally met that didn't like the show didn't like it for the show itself, but simply because they use puppets for some of the aliens.

I've never really got that. I mean, Yoda. If you have a problem with Yoda being a puppet in Empire Strikes Back, I don't want to know you; and if you don't, then what's the difference? This is even the same puppet company; Farscape's puppets are directly building on the legacy of the Yoda puppet but are also, frankly, more complicated and convincing where the two regulars are concerned.

It's true many of the guest star puppets vary wildly in how convincing they are - some of them not at all - but the principals are definitely the equal of Yoda.

[USS Intrepid]

Absolutely worth the time, IMO. I like it much better than Babylon 5 or any of the Stargate shows. It's all subjective of course, so as others have already noted, your mileage may vary.

[Steve Roby]

Initially, Farscape seemed like a fun if lightweight change of pace from Trek and B5. But it was entertaining, and I kept watching. And it got less and less lightweight, more involving, and sometimes downright heartbreaking. I think it lost its way sometimes, but it had some great characters, generally solid acting, a distinctive look, and some episodes like nothing else in any of the other big space operas.

[IcecreamLtDan]

I have to agree with the majority of the people here. Farscape is my all time favorite space opera. No show has ever moved me the way this one has. I'm 42 and I grew up with Star Trek TOS, Space 1999 and all the sci-fi shows that followed and not one of them made the impression on me this one did. I consider Scorpious to be the all time best baddie around and I find his character simply fascinating and feel that the show could have been done from his point of view and worked as well.

[Orac Zen]

Checkmate wrote:

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Oddly enough, the only people I've ever personally met that didn't like the show didn't like it for the show itself, but simply because they use puppets for some of the aliens.

I've had a similar experience. Of all the criticisms of Farscape I've seen / heard, it's probably the most absurd.

(Of course, they're the same people who bitch and moan about Star Trek always having foreheaded "aliens," so I really don't know what the Hell they want!)

This is part of why it makes no sense to me. So many people bitch about forehead aliens. They get something alien and bitch about it because "they're puppets". So what? (It's particularly absurd in the case of one person who's a big Star Wars fan and therefore, presumably, can cope with Puppet Yoda. )

But considering both Rygel and Pilot are fascinating characters all on their own [...]

This is the other reason I don't get the "puppet" criticism. To each their own, of course, but Rygel and Pilot rock.

[Ensign_Redshirt]

It has been years, but I thought it was boring and weird... sometimes even both.

But maybe I'll have to give it another try some day as well.

[Forbin]

DO EEEET!!!!!

Yes, the show can be quite awesome and quirky. You're guaranteed to have a LOT of fun watching it. Just keep in mind it's more often toungue-in-cheek than "normal" sci fi.

[USS Intrepid]

Orac Zen wrote:

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I've had a similar experience. Of all the criticisms of Farscape I've seen / heard, it's probably the most absurd.

This is part of why it makes no sense to me. So many people bitch about forehead aliens. They get something alien and bitch about it because "they're puppets". So what? (It's particularly absurd in the case of one person who's a big Star Wars fan and therefore, presumably, can cope with Puppet Yoda. )

I'll be honest, that was something that made me skeptical about the show to begin with, but in hindsight it was an idiotic and illogical bias. And I agree, those puppets were absolutely fascinating characters.

As others have said, Farscape went places other shows didn't dare, and while it didn't always pay off, when it did, it did so in spades.

[RoJoHen]

Plus, I mean, they're Jim Henson puppets! You can't go wrong with Jim Henson puppets!

[Forbin]

Pilot had better lip-sync than Crichton! I swear I could read that puppet's lips sometimes.

[Can]

Can wrote:

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At the other hand however some initial episodes during Season 1 are mediocre at best and it is a struggle to watch a few of them. But once you watch and finish S1 if you liked what you see so far then I envy you. Remaining seasons are just getting better..

Every great series or franchise have hits and misses , nothing is perfect....But I should point out for me even the most of the mediocre Farscape episodes were much better and in higher quality than most of the best episodes of other sci-fi/fantasy series...I guess the characters and creativity of writing team made the trick...

[votd]

Farscape is amazing - I'm not a big fan of Crais as the main villain in S1 though, he comes across as wooden and non-threatening; once Scorpius steps up though so does the whole show.

[Dar70]

Robert just watch the dang thing. This is like the third thread on farscape since its recent series collection release. The second I think where someone wonders if they should watch it. Its a great show. My favorite scifi show ever.(one of my favorite shows ever) Even the bad episodes are fun and not really that bad. it has everything a scifi fan could hope for. Great character relationships, friendships, enemies, conflict, drama, sadness, comedy, action, sfx, sets, the list keeps going.


Stop reading this thread and watch 2 episodes a day. Come back in about 45 days and tell us how you liked it. Sheesssh.

[Plomeek Broth]

First time Farscape viewer here.

I have watched the first 10 episodes of Season One so far. I really like the characters, especially D'Argo and Rygel. I'm down with the puppets. However, the actual stories themselves so far seem really disconnected and the opening scene of some episodes make me feel unsettled because they start in the middle of something already happening and there is no leading up to how they got where they are, who they are dealing with, and what is actually going down. It feels like I skipped a scene or two at the beginning of an ep when really I haven't. On a positive, this is the first sci fi show I have seen that feels truly alien in space and very very weird (read creative and fresh). I keep hearing Season 1 is the worst and just stick with it and most people say the Bugs Life ep is when things get good or sometime late in the season. Heck, I can't wait to get a few eps down the line to where Chiana is introduced.

So far so good. I've watched the first 10 eps only (but they really do feel standalone and I am clamoring for the story arcs). Is this a typical first time viewer reaction to Farscape?

[RoJoHen]

Plomeek Broth wrote:

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Is this a typical first time viewer reaction to Farscape?

Yep, pretty typical. Farscape is my all-time favorite show, but even I can barely watch most of Season 1 anymore.

My favorite episodes of Season 1 are "DNA Mad Scientist," "A Human Reaction," and the last few episodes starting with "A Bugs Life." The final arc (yes, I said arc!) of the season is absolutely fantastic.