Kevin Thomas Riley's Enterprise Site

 

1-01 Premiere

The pilot episode, while good, could have benefited from being two hours. There is just so much things crammed into this one it feels very rushed. The pace is frantic and if you're a newbie it must be hard to keep track of everything and everyone. Crichton gets on board Moya and is put in a cell, semi-released, put back in, escapes, and then they're captured on that commerce planet, escapes... Whew, that's just exhausting!

But I like how they introduced the characters, and that they don't bond instantly. They're thrown together and has to make do, even if they don't trust each other. I also liked the alien-ness conveyed, especially with regards to Moya. I don't mind the muppets. They feel "real" enough, and since the regular actors act as if Rygel, Pilot et al. are real, it sells the conceit.

Considering the vastness of space, isn't it a tad coincidental that Crichton's wormhole would put him right were Moya was, and at the same time as there was a prison break? I suppose there wouldn't be a story otherwise, but still... Storytelling licence!

Premiere gets a grade of 6 DRDs out of 10.

     

 

1-02 I, E.T.

As for I, E.T., it's not one of my favouritess, no, and I can understand why they pushed it back when originally broadcast. It was kinda boring, really, and that planet was way too similar to Earth. And it was terribly convenient that John just happened to stumble upon one of the few UFO aficionados there, and they were friendly to boot.

I liked the story on board Moya better, with Rygel crawling around and Zhaan helping ease Moya's pain.

For a grade I guess I'd give it a 3 on my 10-graded scale.

  

 

1-03 Exodus from Genesis

The episode Exodus from Genesis was an average episode. The plot was fairly standard, the regular Alien-like infestation and cloning plot, which had it's plot holes - like why the Monarch replicated the crew before they became a threat, not to mention their weird biology.

What carried this episode was the character developments. We saw how the crew started to grow closer and co-operate with each other, especially between John and Aeryn (the last seen was terrific in that regard), but also between John and D'Argo. The seeds of friendship has been sown. Then also a rather touching scene between Aeryn and Pilot. And of course Zhaan taking on a caring/mother role.

Those Peacekeepers were a let-down. Not very threatening at all, and what's with the weird make-up? I still don't get the Sebacean Heat Delirium. First of all they're essentailly transplanted Humans so why this difference, how did that come about and why? Maybe I'm forgetting something from later in the series. I still think it doesn't make sense and makes the PKs unneccessarily vulnerable for a fighting force. Also, haven't we seen a lot of PKs, including Aeryn, in hotter environments later on in the series?

Anyway, I'll give this one a grade of 5 out of 10.

    

 

1-04 Throne for a Loss

I also rather liked Throne for a Loss. At this point the crew haven't bonded as much, and it shows. They're still just accidental comrades-in-arms, working together by necessity, even if they're getting closer.

While Rygel was smart to take that crystal, did he really know it would be that important? It's not like he could've anticipated being kidnapped. It's more likely he just used it as an ornamental device for his make-shift scepter. Still, it did him good since otherwise the others very well may have left him. I actually feel sorry for him. And speaking of Rygel, I remember watching this episode the first time around and actually forgetting that he was a puppet. He felt real to me the same way puppet-Yoda did (and puppet-Yoda still feels more real than CGI-Yoda).

D'Argo and Aeryn had some real nice bonding scenes too. You can feel the grudging respect developing between two warriors. And they make fun of Crichton "Imagine – somewhere out there there's a whole world full of Crichtons. How useless that must be." Heh!

The scenes between Zhaan and the young Tabloid ("Tavlek!") was decidedly un-Trekkian, which is a good thing. On Trek he would never have chosen the drug-glove. On Trek he would become the saviour of his people from drug abuse. But life isn't so smooth, especially if you're a Tabloid... *punch* "Tavlek!" Ouch!

I'll give it a grade of 6+ out of 10.

     

 

1-05 Back and Back and Back to the Future

To be honest, Back and Back and Back to the Future was rather meh! The repeating time is by now rather hackneyed staple of sci-fi, and I got bored with each passing one, just like I do when it happens on other shows. Trek has done a whole bunch of them over the years.

While there weren't any good bum shots of Aeryn, this episode had plenty of very nice ab shots! She should wear that kind of top more often. Rowr!

But I did like how Crichton made D'Argo trust him by revealing that the Luxan had a secret reason for his imprisonment, even if he didn't know what it was. Another step in them becoming friends.

I'll give it a garde of 4+ on my 10-scale.

   

 

1-06 Thank God it's Friday. Again

Thank God it's Friday. Again was another average episode. It uses a rather tired cliché of heroes from above coming to free an enslaved people. I'm also not sure that the Moya crew was needed. The immune people could've done it themselves, even without Rygel's explosive pee.

Frankly I enjoyed the scenes on Moya much more. Aeryn got to flex her brain muscles for a change, and she had some nice moments with Pilot, showing how they are growing closer as friends. D'Argo had a nice scene with Zhaan at the end too.

So I'll give this episode a grade of 5 on my 10-scale

    

 

1-07 PK Tech Girl

I like PK Tech Girl very much, both the episode and the girl. Man, she's wicked cute! It's also the first signs of the John/Aeryn 'ship when Aeryn catches John and Gilina kissing and becomes jealous, even admitting that she found John "interesting" in the beginning. John has actually more in common with the tech girl, since they're both educated, which undoubtedly affects Aeryn on a sub-conscious level. So for a romance-of-the-week™ thing this wasn't that bad.

I also liked the background given on the Peacekeepers, that they're originally just that, a group hired to keep the peace but eventually transformed into something more sinister and tyrannical.

Rygel also got more depth here since the derelict happened to be the ship where he was first held captive. Nice seeing him struggling with his demons.

I was less impressed with those scavengers, the Sheyangs. Visually they looked alien but made little sense (spitting fire!?) and I thought them much too incompetent to be a credible threat. Cool way that Aeryn disposed of one of them though, coming down the chain blasting him. And her line "sorry about the mess" was very Han Solo.

I'll give the episode a grade of 8- on my 10-graded scale, the highest grade yet for this show.

       

 

1-08 That Old Black Magic

I didn't like That Old Black Magic much. There just wasn't that much of a story to sustain a whole episode. I got bored with Crais and Crichton fighting it out. It didn't lead anywhere. Sure, we got to know why Crais is so obsessed but it just struck me as too much. Get over it, be a little more rational! After all, you're a Peacekeeper Captain even if you and your brother were forcibly drafted.

It was also rather pointless since Crais didn't change his mind. At some level I can appreciate that for being rather un-Trekkian but this revenge mission can get tiresome fast. Luckily Crais doesn't stay this way.

I didn't care much for Maldis the Sorcerer either. Feeding on anger, huh? An old staple of sci-fi that I first saw on TOS Day of the Dove. Not very original.

What I probably liked best was what we learned about Zhaan, and that she can be pretty vicious.

So I'm afraid I'll only give this episode a grade of 3+ on my 10-graded scale.

  

 

1-09 DNA Mad Scientist

DNA Mad Scientist was a really creepy episode and that Namtar guy gave me bad vibes from the start. Why trust someone like that? They really must have been desperate, so desperate that they thought nothing much about cutting off one of poor Pilot's arms. That also showed that they're not this well-bonded crew either. In fact they're quite selfish. Rygel, D'Argo and Zhaan can't even stick together and try to trick each other to gain the upper hand (and Namtar's crystal). This is interesting and very un-Trekkian.

It should have consequences down the road too, especially for Pilot's relationship with them, even if D'Argo tried to make amends in the end by playing that Luxan guitar. John and especially Aeryn is another story. They didn't take part in the dismemberment. And Aeryn has bonded with Pilot before, and now she's had his DNA infused with her.

I also liked Aeryn's pain in knowing that she is alone among them in not having a home to go to, so she cannot get worked up like the others in finding a way home. At least Crichton was nice enough to offer to take her back to Earth with him.

The above was what appealed to me about this episode. Otherwise the whole metamorphosis angle felt too clichéd. We've seen sudden physical changes back and forth a gazillion times before and I'm a bit tired of them, especially with the seeming ease at which they can be reverted. In reality the first change would likely kill the subject from trauma.

I'll give this one a grade of 6- on my 10-graded scale.

     

 

1-10 They've Got a Secret

The episode title, They've Got a Secret, is very apt since there were a lot of secrets revealed here. First, Moya's pregnant and second, D'Argo has been married, to a Sebacean woman no less, and has a son. That's a lot to take in. But for this I really liked the episode.

The concept of a living ship is cool, but sometimes I wonder how safe that would be to inhabit. This is why it felt so creepy when Moya seemed to turn on them. And who'd have thought that the DRDs could become menacing? If a vessel is alive and conscious, what's to stop it from deciding that the crew is just a nuisance (or a carbon-based infestation to speak V'Gerese) and do away with them?

While the reason behind the revelation about D'Argo, his son Jothee and how he was framed for the murder of his wife, was a bit too convenient, I appreciated it. It gave more depth to him. I also liked the last scene with him and Aeryn very much. It showed how much they've changed already and that they've come to respect one another, and that Aeryn has begun to overcome her Peacekeeper conditioning, in this case to think that mixed bloodlines are evil. She sees D'Argo and Jothee as persons.

I'll give it a grade of 7 on my 10-graded scale.

      

 

1-11 Till the Blood Runs Clear

While Till the Blood Runs Clear lacked a little in substance story-wise, it was a very nice Crichton/D'Argo buddy episode - or I should perhaps say proto-buddy episode since they're not really friends yet, but on the path of becoming ones. For now, they're "allies" and I liked that D'Argo insisted that he won't abandon an ally in battle. The bounty hunter plot was merely a means to an end here, and as such not that interesting. The Vorcarian Blood Trackers weren't that memorable, rather annoying in fact.

I also liked that small scene with Aeryn for a moment imagining what it would mean to take up Crais on his offer of amnesty (provided he could be trusted, which of curse she knew he couldn't). She's also pissed off at John for him wanting to fly into the wormhole, had it not been unstable, without asking her first. While she has nowhere to go, she's not ready to follow him back to Earth.

Furlow was a fun character, with some good lines. She's definitely not stupid and has an interest in wormholes too. And she will be back!

I'll give the episode a grade of 6- on my 10-scale.

     

 

1-12 Rhapsody in Blue

I have to admit that I wasn't that enamoured with Rhapsody in Blue. Yes, it did delve into the darker aspects of Zhaan and the Delvians, but the way it was presented was rather confusing and I fond myself distracted from the plot at times. It was hard to tell sometimes what was happening and especially why.

Still, it was interesting to learn abort Zhaan's background and that she's not always been this timid priest, but that the reason for her imprisonment was that she had committed murder (albeit somewhat justified). And we've seen hints about her darker side before. The revelation about how close Delvians come to madness when they search for purity is quite scary. Evil Delvians are not to be trampled with.

Given the hallucinations induced on the crew I'm not even sure what was real. Did Crichton even have a girlfriend named Alex? She was pretty enough and I actually recognised the actress (Darlene Vogel played a biking cop on another TV show before).

And speaking of looking pretty, Aeryn looked real nice in what appeared to be Crichton's underwear.

But all in all, I cannot give Rhapsody in Blue more than a grade of 4 on my 10-scale.

   

1-13 The Flax

The Flax was a pretty good episode, with a new development on the John/Aeryn front. When I first saw it I remember being a bit surprised that they advanced it so much so soon. OK, so they thought they were going to die, but still… Aeryn sure has come far in a relatively short space of time if she's even contemplating getting involved with the human at this stage. And while we already know she's afraid of being alone, I doubt that was the main reason why she both saved his life and then jumped his bones. Pity that D'Argo (with an amused look on his face) walked in on them.

Rygel proved to be useful here too, what with playing that scavenger pirate and all. He really didn't have to do that, but it's apparently more to the Dominar than being selfish. Even Zhaan was tricked into thinking he'd lost the game and sending the pirate off.

And man, was that scavenger guy who wasn't really a guy annoying or what? Poor D'Argo for both having to put up with him, er… her, and then becoming the object of her affections. Butt ugly too, even if she was considered a beauty by the standards of her race. D'Argo also came through and decided to go save Aeryn and Crichton instead of getting to that Luxan ship. So the crew has gotten closer and are not willing to betray each other now. Nice progression.

I'll give it a grade of 6+ on my 10-graded scale.

     

 

1-14 Jeremiah Crichton

Easily the worst episode so far, Jeremiah Crichton is cliché upon cliché and boring on top of that. Instead of showing more on the John/Aeryn front, that got an interesting new turn in the previous episode, we get this.

I could've lived with John throwing a fit after getting fed up with everything and storming off, and even get left behind. But after that the episode transformed into something completely different. He gets stranded among some natives, grows an unconvincing beard and there's a silly "love" triangle and… Well, no need to repeat a story that's been told many times before.

Worse, D'Argo and Rygel arrive (after searching for three months) and Crichton's feeling of abandonment is resolved in under a minute. And Rygel is taken for a God in scene that's been copied from C-3PO in Return of the Jedi. Pointless.

The first fifteen minutes or so of the episode is what keeps it from getting a lone grade. It barely gets a 2- on my 10-graded scale.

 

1-15 Durka Returns

After the very disappointing Jeremiah Crichton the show needed something a lot better, and with Durka Returns that's what we got. Even if it was very convenient for Moya to stumble upon a Nebari ship containing Rygel's old torturer first mentioned and seen in PK Tech Girl, and who now should've been dead even if he had survived the defeat of the Zelbinion, I can let that slide since we got a real good story from it.

While psycho Durka was indeed creepy, I actually found the Nebari creepier. A civilization that practices "mental cleansing" in order to suppress non-conformist behaviour strikes me as scary indeed. It makes you wonder if not most Nebari are "adjusted" in some way. Perhaps that is the very fundament of their society?

It gave us Chiana at any rate. I like her, and not just because she's cute even with all the make-up. She's sassy and rebellious, not afraid to go her own way. I also like the fact that while the crew might not like the impression given by Salis, they didn't trust Chiana either. For all they knew, she might really be dangerous.

Rygel also grew a pair as he was finally able to confront his old nemesis and see him for what he was, not merely a sadist to be feared but a coward who ran. And while it was interesting seeing Rygel as a Cassandra character, warning to no avail that the real Durka was still there, it was also convenient that this real Durka would re-emerge.

I'll give Durka Returns a grade of 7 on my 10-graded scale.

      

1-16 A Human Reaction

I know A Human Reaction is something of a fan favourite but it's not for me. I know it sets up future developments for Crichton but that doesn't change the fact that it is essentially an imaginary episode - "it was all in his head" kind of thing. For me that's a subset of the dreaded Reset Button™ I've come to dislike so much on Trek.

I got that feeling early on when we saw the Earth through the fake wormhole. There's just no way Crichton could go back home and remain there so it all boiled down to what gimmick they'd use to get him back on Moya by the end of the episode. This was further hammered down when we saw Rygel lying dead and cut open.

Also, it remains unclear if or how much the others participated in this fantasy. At first I thought John and Aeryn did sleep together (even if it was just a mind-frell), but given how they behaved in the episodes after this one I'm thinking they didn't. All in all it's still confusing to me as to what really "happened" and who actually took part in it aside from Crichton.

So I'm sorry that I can't seem to get so worked up about this. But then again I seem to not enjoy or like supposed Farscape fan-favourites as much as most fans.

But I did like the goodbye scene at the beginning, when you could actually see that D'Argo, Zhaan, Aeryn and even Rygel were going to miss Crichton. This is how much their relationships have advanced since the original mistrust. It was rather moving.

So I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience give A Human Reaction a better grade than 4- on my 10-scale. And that's with one extra grade for the goodbye scene and the set-up with the Ancients.

   

1-17 Through the Looking Glass

Multiple dimensions are bit standard fare, perhaps even clichéd, in science fiction. But in Through the Looking Glass it was put to rather good use. It wasn't bogged down with a lot of made-up technical explanations - it was just have Moya move back (or forward as it would turn out) to get out of it.

The different dimensions were well conceptualised, the sound, the sight, the different colours and everyone, even new girl Chiana, had to help out in the different places to make it work. Rygel making horribly bad jokes was actually pretty funny, as was Crichton and Aeryn playing charades.

The end was rather moving, with them all sitting down to eat and joke around, showing that they've all come together as a crew, and Moya herself is part of it. Her fear of being abandoned was what caused her to starburst even if she wasn't ready. And they all refused to abort Moya's baby to save themselves, and now they're celebrating what appears to be the rather imminent birth.

I'll give this episode a grade of 6+ on my 10-graded scale.

     

1-18 A Bug's Life

I rather liked A Bug's Life. Despite the sci-fi cliché about alien possession™ it was entertaining and suspenseful enough to keep my attention. It also gave us a new chance to meet some Peacekeeper grunts, this time from some special ops unit. You could see on Aeryn's face that she was tempted at the thought of joining them, even if she knew it would be impossible. Larraq was a decent enough fellow, and I cannot blame him for having an interest in Aeryn.

Even if it proved disastrous, it was perfectly in character for both Rygel and Chiana to try and open up that sealed box. Those two will be quite dangerous together. And fun!

Being imprisoned again, and put in chains, is something D'Argo especially didn't like, even if it was just for show. Some terrible memories there. I found it a bit odd that the PKs so readily accepted that the "prisoners" had escaped and then to work with them even after learning that it was all a deception. Granted it was a dangerous virus aboard but one would think their instincts would have kicked in and try to neutralize D'Argo and the others. But maybe these special troops were of a different breed? Indeed, it was hinted at that the ordinary PKs looked down on the dirty and undisciplined commandos.

Another oddity is why everyone agreed to have Zhaan, who for all they knew could've been the infected one, develop the means of detecting the virus. Had she been infected, she could easily have fooled the rest.

My grade for A Bug's Life will be a 7- on my 10-graded scale.

      

1-19 Nerve

Farscape really cranked up the storyline with the amazing Nerve (and the second part A Hidden Memory). They both have it all, deep emotion, action, suspense and character drama. This is Farscape at its best.

Aeryn was mortally wounded in the last episode and now Crichton has to infiltrate the secret Peacekeeper base they also learned about in the last episode so they can find her a cure. A bit surprisingly China chips in - she probably feels a part of the crew now. It was also rather touching to see how they all wanted to help Aeryn. Especially moving and tender was D'Argo's concern, considering his feelings for Peacekeepers.

Chrichton and Chiana conveniently encounter the wicked cute PK tech girl Gilina, who decides to help them out because she still loves Crichton. It's also convenient that she can come and go more or less as she please, but maybe the lower-class techs doesn't deserve the attention of the other PKs. Still, it's odd that she was never missed. She mustn't be part of a work crew.

Of course they're able to get a cure and give it to Aeryn but alas Crichton is captured by the new arch-villain Scorpius. He's a great character and I'm not surprised he's considered one of the all time greats in science fiction bad guys. He's much more interesting and menacing than Crais, and that gets obvious when Crais appears. While not a pure Sebacean, it is clear Scorpy has tremendous authority among the Peacekeepers. His S/M outfit is something I'm still not fully used too. It is a bit over the top, but then so is Scorpius.

The torture scenes with Crichton in the Aurora chair were pretty gruesome. While I still harbour reservations about A Human Reaction it was a nice twist to see that the Ancient aliens have implanted some secret wormhole knowledge in Crichton's subconscious mind. This will be a recurring theme on the show and the major motivation for Scorpius's actions.

Aside from Scorpius we were also introduced to another recurring character in Stark, who plays mad to fool his interrogators. I'll admit that I never really warmed up to him, and while he says he played mad, I think he's really never on the sane side either.

I'll give my first ever full grade of 10- to Nerve.

         

1-20 A Hidden Memory

Nerve set it up and A Hidden Memory delivered. After these episode things will change forever in the Farscape-verse. Moya is no longer just a ship full of fugitives doing planet-hopping in the uncharted territories.

This time it's almost-cured Aeryn that has to do some ass-kicking to save Crichton from Scorpius's clutches. And again Gilina comes to the aid, but at the eventual cost of her life. Too bad, I really dug her. Nice to see that she still helped out and didn't turn on them after she realized that John didn't love her. The same can be said for Stark, who wasn't the clichéd cellmate-informer.

A great but very chilling scene was when Aeryn confronted Crais in the Aurora chair. He had destroyed her former life, and she'd learned a thing or two since then, but she still hates him and turns up the chair to maximum. On some level though, she must recognise that without his actions, she's still be an ignorant soldier.

I find myself feeling some sympathy for the poor bastard Crais. Now his life is in ruins too, and he's clearly out of his league when it comes to Scorpius.

The revelation about Moya's child was another surprising twist. What will the do with an armed Leviathan? This is another set-up for future storylines that will prove very interesting. But it is a bit chilling. The birth of a child ought to be a happy occasion. And once again it was nice to see Chiana helping out. She's a wild one, but she's also resourceful.

I'll give A Hidden Memory the same grade as part one, a 10- on my 10-graded scale.

         

1-21 Bone to be Wild

Considering the standards set by the preceding episodes, Bone to be Wild was something of a let-down, at least when the main plot was concerned. The two sub-plots were much more interesting than who is good and who is bad among a bone-eating woman (played by Ben Browder's real life wife) and an alien botanist. First it's one and then it's the other and back again. The main shocker at first viewing was the revelation that Zhaan is a plant. While it does make sense in hindsight, I still wonder why she needs mammary glands.

And am I evil for laughing out loud when D'Argo said "No offense - but I say we take this tree-hugger, shove him out the access port, and get the hezmana out of here."

The story with Aeryn bonding with Moya's child was much better and revealed a softer side of her character as she essentially becomes an extra mom for him, he trusts her. And watching Scorpius and Crais battling it out on the command carrier was great and it is clear who will be victorious. Scorpy also reveals his (probably Scarran) strength when he fights it off with Crais. The episode also introduces us to Lieutenant Braca, an interesting character who will be with all to the end of the show. For now his loyalties lie with Crais.

Had it not been for the main plot, Bone to be Wild would've gotten a higher grade than 7- on my 10-graded scale.

      

1-22 Family Ties

This season finale kicks the living daylights out of most other season finales I've seen. Family Ties was superbly acted and directed. I wish more shows could give as much oomph as this one does.

The character moments were awesome from everyone. My only complaint in this (and it's a very minor one) is that the goodbyes were a bit too drawn-out, but they were very touching. They are all family now, as the title suggests. Well, perhaps not the devious Dominar, who tries to sell them out to the Peacekeepers. I was honestly somewhat surprised by that, both because I had thought Rygel had outgrown this and because, even if he hadn't, there would be precious little chance that the PKs would keep their end of the bargain, if striking a bargain were even a realistic possibility, which it never was. I also thought the others forgave him much too easily when he return, and with Crais of all people.

The latter part kicked major ass, when they were trying to execute a desperate plan. So we end up with D'Argo (sans spacesuit) and Crichton floating around in space while Aeryn tries to find them, Moya starbursting away and Crais commandeering Talyn, Moya's offspring, and also going away. Great stuff.

I'll give Family Ties a grade of 9- on my 10-scale. An excellent episode but not quite as good as the Nerve/A Hidden Memory two-parter.