Come watch Farscape with the Hype TV Show Club in August.

[sabetoonth]

Any Hype members are welcome to join us in our viewing of these shows.
The Discussion Thread: http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=491461


The only rules are

• Only shows on the list will be selected
• Only the first season is required for the monthly viewing. If a show has multiple seasons
• Each show on the generator has a minimum of 10 episodes per season, if not, we will watch S1&2
• ALL spoilers must be tagged as such, as none of us have seen these shows before aka don't be a jerk
• Any posts not following the spoiler rule as subject to Deletion

What is Farscape?

Farscape features a diverse ensemble of characters who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities in the form of a militaristic organization called the Peacekeepers. The protagonists live inside a large bio-mechanical ship called Moya, which is a living entity. In the first episode, they are joined by the main character, John Crichton, a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally flew into the entrance of a wormhole near Earth during an experimental space flight. On the same day, another stranger is picked up by Moya: a stranded Peacekeeper named Aeryn Sun. Despite his best intentions, John does make a few major enemies; the primary of these is known as Scorpius. There are a few stand-alone plots, but the show gradually unfolds progressive arcs beginning with their recapture by the Peacekeepers, followed by John’s search to find another wormhole back to Earth, and an eventual arms race for weaponized wormhole technology. Secondary arcs explore the way in which the characters change due to their influences and adventures together, most notably John over his obsession with wormhole technology, his relationship with Aeryn and the neural clone of Scorpius that haunts him in his brain.

 

[E-Man]

[YT]aa6Ncd_8-Ew[/YT]

 

[flickchick85]

Ooooh yay, one I haven't seen and actually have interest in! Think I might actually do this one.

 

[E-Man]

Ooooh yay, one I haven't seen and actually have interest in! Think might actually do this one.

So you're going to be a noob like us. One of us. One of us!

 

[flickchick85]

Don't make me change my mind.

 

[E-Man]

Don't make me change my mind.

Pfft.

 

[mocomic]

Truly a classic sci fi show. It and first wave were ahead of there times

 

[flickchick85]

Pfft.

 

[E-Man]

I watched the first three episodes last night before bed. It's rough around the edges, but I like where this is going. I can bypass the bad effects because the show is well over a decade old, and it was low budget at the time, if I'm not mistaken. One thing this has going for it is that it seems like its own thing. It does not try to be Star Trek at all. It manages to have a ship full of aliens without jocking Star Trek's style like some space operas do. It also doesn't borrow anything from Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop like some space operas do. It hasn't blown my mind yet, but so far it's got a good setup.

 

[ComicChick]

i just started the first episode and i'm about half way in. for being an older show, the effects are a little dated, sure, but the makeup crew did a solid job on designing some of these characters

 

[E-Man]

I think I realize why I'm not binging this like I do with other shows I like. This show so far is good, but their stated interests isn't really developed like it should be. With most space operas there is a firm reason why the crew is on the ship, and the show is built around that concept going somewhere. Cowboy Bebop is bounty hunters looking for criminals, Firefly was about smugglers doing jobs across the galaxy, Star Trek is about explorers, Killjoys is about bounty hunters, etc. With this I know why they're together on the ship, but up to the point I'm at, episode 17, it seems like they're just hanging out on the same ship and things happen. It's very unique, but it doesn't feel like it's moving anywhere. As mentioned before I know why they're on the ship, and that they want to get home, but the episodes don't seem to reflect that. They just seem like they're just chillin' together on the ship, and when stuff happens they work together to fix the ship or get it out of whatever scenario, and then the next episode the same thing happens. I am liking the originality of the show, but I hope that they really start pushing toward something more firm.

 

[ComicChick]

well i don't know any of their names really, Jon, Aeryn the peacekeeper and Criest or something like that who is the head of the peacekeepers.

the blue lady was a priest apparently, and the tongue guy a soldier. the thing that looks like a shrimp with Justabill's eyebrows kinda annoys me. and the fact that the ship is a lifeform is kinda interesting. i don't know how long their "cycles" are, but tongue-guy said he was on the ship for 3 i believe, and since they are all

Spoiler

prisoners[/spoilers], it is either a jail or it takes forever to get them to where they need to be.

it hasn't hooked me yet, but i'm about to start episode 2

 

[ComicChick]

finished episode 2, enjoyed it far more than i did the first episode

the sarcasm meter goes off the charts sometimes, but there were some good bits of dialogue. particularly when John and Dargo (sp?) were talking and John accused him of wanting Aeryn to die. Dargo said the parts that didn't want her to die were greater than the parts of him that did. i liked that because his nature is to hate the peacekeepers, but he's growing to see her as something else, an ally perhaps. John said basically it wasn't enough, and Dargo said "it was all [he] had." i liked that a lot.

and also near the end, the dialogue between John and Zahn (blue lady) where he asked her about death where she's from.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I think I realize why I'm not binging this like I do with other shows I like. This show so far is good, but their stated interests isn't really developed like it should be. With most space operas there is a firm reason why the crew is on the ship, and the show is built around that concept going somewhere. Cowboy Bebop is bounty hunters looking for criminals, Firefly was about smugglers doing jobs across the galaxy, Star Trek is about explorers, Killjoys is about bounty hunters, etc. With this I know why they're together on the ship, but up to the point I'm at, episode 17, it seems like they're just hanging out on the same ship and things happen. It's very unique, but it doesn't feel like it's moving anywhere. As mentioned before I know why they're on the ship, and that they want to get home, but the episodes don't seem to reflect that. They just seem like they're just chillin' together on the ship, and when stuff happens they work together to fix the ship or get it out of whatever scenario, and then the next episode the same thing happens. I am liking the originality of the show, but I hope that they really start pushing toward something more firm.

well i don't know any of their names really, Jon, Aeryn the peacekeeper and Criest or something like that who is the head of the peacekeepers.

the blue lady was a priest apparently, and the tongue guy a soldier. the thing that looks like a shrimp with Justabill's eyebrows kinda annoys me. and the fact that the ship is a lifeform is kinda interesting. i don't know how long their "cycles" are, but tongue-guy said he was on the ship for 3 i believe, and since they are all

Spoiler

prisoners[/spoilers], it is either a jail or it takes forever to get them to where they need to be.

it hasn't hooked me yet, but i'm about to start episode 2

Spoiler

I can't argue with anyone that the start of the show is a little rough here and there. The first season is a little aimless, though it does lay the character groundwork for what comes later. All I have to say is once Scorpius shows up... Things get focused real fast.

I always tell people that this really is a show that builds in quality as it goes on. It really just gets better and better as the cast grows and the world becomes richer.

Another key thing with this show is... Things ACTUALLY CHANGE over time. Relationships deepen, characters cross over from villains to allies. And it plays with lots of Sci Fi tropes and takes them to their logical conclusion in many ways rather than just having the episode end with, "Well that was a sticky situation" and then moving on. Things have lasting impact. But yes... The early goings could easily be viewed as a little "meh", but stick with it and you will rewarded I think.

 

[flickchick85]

So I've only watched a couple episodes, but I like it well enough so far. I do agree with what E-Man has said about it lacking that narrative drive most other shows of this nature seem to have. But the most important thing with a show like this is that, if you're gonna spend time with and watch the adventures of this crew episode-to-episode, then liking the crew is absolutely vital, and thankfully, I do like this crew quite a bit. They've developed a very believable chemistry very quickly, and I'm going to enjoy watching their relationships develop as I can already sense them becoming a family. The narrative drive can come later.

 

[ComicChick]

i'm on episode 4 now. i kinda like the crew, but that little Rigel thing still irritates me.
the time-jumping episode was pretty interesting and i hated that scorvian (sp?) spy. was glad to see her get hers

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

So I've only watched a couple episodes, but I like it well enough so far. I do agree with what E-Man has said about it lacking that narrative drive most other shows of this nature seem to have. But the most important thing with a show like this is that, if you're gonna spend time with and watch the adventures of this crew episode-to-episode, then liking the crew is absolutely vital, and thankfully, I do like this crew quite a bit. They've developed a very believable chemistry very quickly, and I'm going to enjoy watching their relationships develop as I can already sense them becoming a family. The narrative drive can come later.

Yeah, what the show lacks in focus in the early episodes it makes up for in the chemistry of the main cast and the overall enjoyment you get out of the characters, which, okay, do conform to some well worn tropes, but as the show goes on they all get nice wrinkles as we learn more about them. The problem in the early going is that the whole "Crais is chasing Jon to avenge his brother" thing feels like weak tea as a main plot. Thankfully the show was nimble enough to be able to change course and bringing in another villain with a more complex motivation as well as a better all around character and an actor to boot, brings the show up to the next level and the cast rises to the occasion as well.

i'm on episode 4 now. i kinda like the crew, but that little Rigel thing still irritates me.
the time-jumping episode was pretty interesting and i hated that scorvian (sp?) spy. was glad to see her get hers

The time jumping one was an unorthodox narrative and such things pop up a lot on the show.

As for Rigel... I loved that little bugger. For myself, that he was the most mercurial, devious, self centered and egocentric of the cast (and brother... that comes in handy in quite a few stories) was refreshing. Instead of trying to make him JUST the idiot cutesy mascot they gave him this prickly personality and made him a character that brought in conflict or at least he was the one that illustrated that there were less heroic options in any given situation.

 

[ComicChick]

maybe i need to see more of the show to see him in the way you describe him. he basically feels like a little cutesy mascot to me right now, except for this last episode where his ego and whatnot almost cost him his life

Spoiler

permanently

and almost killed Moya.
i can't help but think he looks like a giant shrimp every time i see him lol

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

maybe i need to see more of the show to see him in the way you describe him. he basically feels like a little cutesy mascot to me right now, except for this last episode where his ego and whatnot almost cost him his life

Spoiler

permanently

and almost killed Moya.
i can't help but think he looks like a giant shrimp every time i see him lol

Rigel is a bastah, as Sam would say. He can be used for comic effect, and he is often, but he's far from cutesy to me. He's a devious bugger. Think of him as a sort of Anti-Yoda and I think you'll get what they were going for with the character.

 

[ComicChick]

i'll try, but i've never seen star wars... lol

 

[E-Man]

My feelings about Rigel are pretty simple. If he were real I'd Falcon Punch the hell out of him.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

i'll try, but i've never seen star wars... lol

I'll pray for your soul CC.

 

[flickchick85]

I'm 10 episodes in, and Rygel's definitely growing on me. Not as much as Pilot, though. He's definitely my favorite...puppet creature, lol. And I agree that the whole "Crais is chasing Crichton for revenge" subplot is kinda weak, so I'm glad to hear the show will get a more interesting villain soon.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I'm 10 episodes in, and Rygel's definitely growing on me. Not as much as Pilot, though. He's definitely my favorite...puppet creature, lol. And I agree that the whole "Crais is chasing Crichton for revenge" subplot is kinda weak, so I'm glad to hear the show will get a more interesting villain soon.

The show did something I find a lot of TV projects just don't seem to be able to do... Course correct for the better. Crais' vendetta was the weakest element of the first episode, and I think they eventually found that out.

A little bit of trivia... The actor that plays Crais is also the voice actor for Pilot.

 

[ComicChick]

:themoreyouknow: