Watching Farscape lately...

[Scotty]

Back in the day when I was a hopeless Trekkie there wasn't any room in my heart for another good sci-fi show. I remember bashing the hell out of Farscape when it aired, preferring the hopelessly inferior Enterprise at the time over David Kemper and Brian Henson's brilliant show. Now the sight of Scott Bakula pacing up and down his ready room is more than enough for me to switch the tv off.

When the price of A&E's complete Farscape DVD set dropped to 70 dollars, I immediately ordered it. I'm now rewatching the show from the beginning and am nearing the end of season 2. Oh, what a brilliant, adventurous, groundbraking and deliriously silly sci-fi show Farscape is! I love rewatching it. I haven't seen some of the episodes since they first aired.

Having said that, I still feel, as I did all those years ago that when Farscape worked, it worked and when it didn't, it didn't. Some of the early season 2 episodes are just painfully bad (Taking The Stone anyone?). But I just watched the Look At The Princess trilogy and it shows what fantastic television farscape could be. More importantly, the show still holds up after all these years.

Anyone else watch Farscape lately?

 

[Forbin]

Why yes, yes I did, and it was a wonderful re-experience.

Sadly I bought the whole series on individual disks, which currently fill up and entire 24 shelf, and I don't feel justified in the monetary waste that would come from rebuying it in a nice compact boxed set.

 

[Trent Roman]

I've been watching through for the last few months. I've approaching the mid-point of Season 4, and I have to say, after really enjoying most of the third season, I think I've OD'ed on Farscape. I'm forcing myself to get through the rest of the episodes before I have to return the DVDs. After a season all about altering the shows dynamics, it seems to have gone back to the same place it was before. This non-romance/pregnancy plotline between Aeryn and Crichton is dragging on interminably. Sikozu is a poor replacement for Jewel, not bringing anything to the show except for her curious hero-worship of Scorpius (who, himself, isn't living up to the potential that the 'Scorpius aboard Moya' idea initially seemed to have). Tormented Space seems like a futile attempt to create anxiety about the setting, since the stories so far are no different from any of the usual weirdness-of-the-week plots. Speaking of which, it might be just me, but it feels like the plots are getting harder to follow, not just strange but outright inconprehensible. And there's no sense of where all this is going, with occasional reminders that Greyza and the Scarrans are out there but no real evolution on that front either. Last two seasons, at the midpoint, they delivered a great serialized story that kicked the arcs into gear; I'm dearly hoping that will be the case again, because I'm running out of interest in the current meandering.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Canadave]

^ I remember I gave up on Farscape at some point during the fourth season. I enjoyed the rest of the show, but I felt they really dropped the ball in their last year. Pity, as the rest of the show was fairly enjoyable.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Watching Farscape was an aggravating experience, that's for sure. But in these dreadful days of space opera drought, I would love to have a show like that back on TV. I particularly miss Ben Browder and the way they never really resolved the Nebari plotline!

preferring the hopelessly inferior Enterprise

I wish that was back, too! I wouldn't even care if we got ANiS and Space Nazi crap.

Speaking of which, it might be just me, but it feels like the plots are getting harder to follow, not just strange but outright inconprehensible.

Farscape did have a tendency to drop you into episodes in a way that made you feel like you missed the first 15 minutes, and I usually had to consult threads in this forum for explanations of key points I'd forgotten in the storyline.

 

[Kegg]

Why yes, yes I did, and it was a wonderful re-experience.

This. Farscape holds up damn well, and honestly, I think it has basically the right approach to space opera compared to any other show of recent years or maybe ever - the right blend of weirndess, whimsy, melodrama and farce. This is how epic space odysseys ought to be done, people.

Speaking of which, it might be just me, but it feels like the plots are getting harder to follow, not just strange but outright inconprehensible.

After watching the entire show twice I still have no idea what's really going on in the Arnessk arc. That it included a 'previously on' featuring a scene that never took place didn't help.

But yeah, season four does have some major flaws, particularly in the first half of the season. The good news, such as it is, is that the final arc of the series is the equal to the concluding arcs of the previous seasons. Lots of big crazy plot stuff going on there.

 

[Trent Roman]

After watching the entire show twice I still have no idea what's really going on in the Arnessk arc. That it included a 'previously on' featuring a scene that never took place didn't help.

That was one of them, yes. I too noticed the never-before-seen bit about Braca's loyalties in the recap. I wondered if there had been a webisode that never made it onto the DVD.

One just the other night spent about the first third of the show going over the same actions without any kind of consistent perspective or linear stream, and I thought I was watching a particularly annoying time travel episode, except the non-linear storytelling suddenly ends and the rest of the episode unfurls as normal with no real mention of why the narrative was so fucked up in the beginning. Almost like they realized their plot was too short and just filmed the same thing multiple times to fill in the gap. I was clutching my head there.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Kegg]

^
Ah yes, "A Prefect Murder". One of my least favourite episodes in the show's run, by far. Only "Taking the Stone" rivals it for sheer dullness.

My understanding about Braca is that the scene was shot but cut; but since the plot info was still relevant it was included in the montage. Or something like that.

 

[DS9Continuing]

I've been watching through for the last few months. I've approaching the mid-point of Season 4, and I have to say, after really enjoying most of the third season, I think I've OD'ed on Farscape. I'm forcing myself to get through the rest of the episodes before I have to return the DVDs.

Make it as far as "Unrealized Reality," please. From that point on you'll have no question about finishing the whole thing.

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

A Prefect Murder is absolutely the worst ep in the series, and the only one I skip in my watchthroughs. No redeeming characteristics whatsoever.

 

[Lindley]

After watching the entire show twice I still have no idea what's really going on in the Arnessk arc. That it included a 'previously on' featuring a scene that never took place didn't help.

That was one of them, yes. I too noticed the never-before-seen bit about Braca's loyalties in the recap. I wondered if there had been a webisode that never made it onto the DVD.

It's in the Deleted Scenes section. Is that the only time they reference a deleted scene in a Previously On?

 

[Trubinator]

It's my favorite show ... ever. The show is just downright jawdropping in season 3, and the concluding miniseries, which is a must-own, is one of the all time best finales.

 

[RandyS]

Yes, I finished a re-watch that I started in January 1 two weeks ago, and ironically, the "Look at the Princess" trilogy is one of my least favorite episodes.

But for the most part, I loved the show, and feel that it is the third best sci-fi show out there.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

I feel "Look at the Princess," while not bad, is kinda over-rated. "Liars, Guns, and Money" is far more my speed as far as three-parters go. Farscape is still on of my favorite shows. You just have to remember to take the good with the bad. When the show was firing on all cylinders it was some of the best damn tv anyone has ever made.

 

[Can]

For me ( and this is a biased opinion ) Farscape is absolutely one of the best if not finest space opera/fantasy show for last decade. Characters were written with a wonderful touch and played with amazing interpretation. Chemistry and interaction between characters are incredible. Character development is quite good. Not to mention best romance story I have ever seen in sci-fi genre. Farscape universe is crazy , funny , weird but also dangerous , gritty and sometimes dark. High production values also help a lot... Yes there are some stinker episodes like "Taking the Stone" or "A Prefect Murder" but that is not an exception in other successful sci-fi franchises either. And even those bad episodes add something to universe of Farscape , change the characters , outlook and merge with rest of series. They are not meaningless stand alones. (mostly)

I only regard two other series in same level with Farscape. Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica. They have different thames , plots , messages of course. But about orginality in sci-fi those three series are perfection for me.

 

[Scotty]

I feel "Look at the Princess," while not bad, is kinda over-rated. "Liars, Guns, and Money" is far more my speed as far as three-parters go. Farscape is still on of my favorite shows. You just have to remember to take the good with the bad. When the show was firing on all cylinders it was some of the best damn tv anyone has ever made.

The reason I mentioned it in my first post is because when I first saw those episodes, they did nothing for me. Now, having rewatched them I noticed how much these episodes set up the latter part of the season, and in fact the rest of the show. I agree that the Liars Guns and Money trilogy is far better, but I'm not there yet, so I can't judge on a second viewing.

Farscape is one of few shows, on which I could tell if I would like an episode just by finding out who had written it. I pretty much dislike all episodes written by Justin Monjo (Taking The Stone, The Locket, The choice) but everything by Kemper, Manning or Shankar was pure gold!

 

[Orac Zen]

You just have to remember to take the good with the bad. When the show was firing on all cylinders it was some of the best damn tv anyone has ever made.

Yep. No show appeals to everyone but more than most Farscape is not for everyone. When it was poor it was horrible; when it was great it touched heights few other shows have even approached, let alone equalled.

I pretty much dislike all episodes written by Justin Monjo (Taking The Stone, The Locket, The choice) but everything by Kemper, Manning or Shankar was pure gold!

No argument on the latter, but in one of those "to each their own" things I have to say I don't dislike any Monjo episode. In fact, while "Taking the Stone" is so-so and "The Locket" is pretty damned decent for a mushy-gushy type of episode (the type which I usually find repellent), "The Choice" is probably my favourite episode of the entire series.

 

[Kegg]

It's in the Deleted Scenes section. Is that the only time they reference a deleted scene in a Previously On?

It's the only time I've ever noticed it. If they did it elsewhere it was far more subtly done.

Farscape is one of few shows, on which I could tell if I would like an episode just by finding out who had written it. I pretty much dislike all episodes written by Justin Monjo (Taking The Stone, The Locket, The choice) but everything by Kemper, Manning or Shankar was pure gold!

That's a compelling point. I didn't know Monjo was responsible for all three episodes, though they're ones I dislike for varying reasons (now that I think of it, they're all on the soapish sentimental side, ain't they? Woe is me, wah wah wah.)

 

[Aeon]

For me ( and this is a biased opinion ) Farscape is absolutely one of the best if not finest space opera/fantasy show for last decade. Characters were written with a wonderful touch and played with amazing interpretation. Chemistry and interaction between characters are incredible. Character development is quite good. Not to mention best romance story I have ever seen in sci-fi genre. Farscape universe is crazy , funny , weird but also dangerous , gritty and sometimes dark. High production values also help a lot... Yes there are some stinker episodes like "Taking the Stone" or "A Prefect Murder" but that is not an exception in other successful sci-fi franchises either. And even those bad episodes add something to universe of Farscape , change the characters , outlook and merge with rest of series. They are not meaningless stand alones. (mostly)

I only regard two other series in same level with Farscape. Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica. They have different thames , plots , messages of course. But about orginality in sci-fi those three series are perfection for me.

You pretty much summed up my feelings about Farscape.

 

[Pingfah]

I never liked this series when it was on, but I checked it out on DVD to assure myself that I didn't like it, and it turned out that I do in fact like it.

But I got through the first 2 seasons thinking it was great, and then stalled about 2/3 through S3, it just seemed to somehow lose it's soul, around the time the blue lady left.