In the second episode of the third season of Farscape, there’s too much happening at once! MY EMOTIONS CAN’T COPE WITH THIS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Farscape.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of suicide
Seriously, though. I liked this episode, it does a number of important things with its characters, but there’s a lot going on here, and at times, it’s to the detriment of the story. Not all the time, though! I think that because there are so many different plots unfolding in “Suns and Lovers,” it gives the show a sense of chaos that’s compelling in and of itself. It makes it feel less like what happens to the crew is in episodic form, you know? Everyone’s got something going on in their own life that they’ve got to deal with.
Regardless, I’m going to talk about this based on each separate plot.
Zhaan / Stark
I feel like I should call foul here, since the end of the previous episode made it seem like Zhaan was dying LIKE RIGHT NOW. I fully expected this episode to deal entirely with that, but instead, the dramatic tension given to us in “Season of Death” is deflated by the events in “Suns and Lovers.” It’s still a serious concern of Zhaan’s, and we do get a visual confirmation of her own physical degradation. That’s a scary thing! But I definitely feel like this episode sapped the story of all it’s immediacy. She is dying, just… not right this second? In a few days!
Other than this, both Stark and Zhaan don’t really play that much of a part in the episode. She’s by Moordil’s side once he’s fatally wounded for most of this story. But in that aspect, it actually makes sense to delay the episode where she deals with her coming death. (Could that not happen? Thanks, universe.) Here, we get an inkling of Zhaan’s acceptance of her fate, which kind of scares me because that suggests she really is committed to passing. UM, SHE IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER SO FAR, SO THIS ISN’T GOOD. Ah, goddamn it, why did they have to name the premiere “Season of Death”? IT’S MADE ME PARANOID ABOUT EVERYONE.
Aeryn
That includes Aeryn, who plunges through a pipe and also nearly dies due to the oncoming storm, and this might be the cruelest thing a show has ever done to me. I’m now worried that any of these characters might die, and it makes shit too tense for me. I suppose it would be too cruel to kill off Aeryn after she just came back to life, but still. I can’t help it!
I am also super thrilled at how openly this show has Aeryn and Crichton speak about sex because THEY’RE BEING HONEST. They’re communicating! And it’s really great to see this because that is how these two are going to work past their cultural differences. The Sebaceans see sex as a casual part of life, a way to “release fluids” and reduce tension. It’s not like humans necessarily see things all that differently, but Aeryn is well aware that there are vast differences between how she and Crichton view a relationship. I mean, the fact that she’s even considering any sort of regular arrangement is a huge growth for her character. I’d like to think that it’s because of her… shit, I almost said “near death experience.” But she didn’t nearly die. SHE ACTUALLY DID. Regardless, I don’t think it’s impossible to suggest that this played a part in her behavior in this episode, you know?
Ugh, these two goobers are just so cute with one another when they’re actually getting along, and it’s the only thing here not SWIMMING IN DEATH.
The Storms
Here’s a good example of how this episode feels a little weird because there’s so much going on. The main story that frames the narrative centers on the “curse” that seems to be taking out commerce stations. There is, sadly, very little given to us to develop any sort of contextual understanding to what’s happening here. The writers invoke the whole “sacred ground” trope, where curses fall upon those who disrespect a sacred place, and then it’s never given any sort of detail. It such a simplistic plot that it seems almost out of place on a show (and an episode!) that’s as specific as Farscape is. The trope is played straight, given to us through expository dialogue, and at no point does anyone point out that the Sacred Stillness was real and these commerce stations really did disrespect these holy places.
I could be reading this incorrectly, and I’m fine admitting that, but I have almost nothing to go on. Even Borlik’s characterization is singular. She’s just a committed member of her religion, willing to sacrifice herself in order to cleanse the holy land. And that sounds simplistic because I feel like there simply isn’t enough worldbuilding here!
If anything, the story works more to develop D’Argo than anyone else. It’s his horrifying trip out on Moya’s shell that makes this episode so haunting and memorable. I don’t feel like we’ll ever hear about the religion mentioned here again. (I can’t even remember it’s name.) So it largely exists for other characters.
Interions
Okay, WHO WAS THAT DUDE? What did he die of? Who was he talking about who “found” him and his partner? WHO IS THE OTHER INTERION? I’m so lost.
The Ship
Didn’t Moya take on a ship??? The one that D’Argo couldn’t get inside because it had a force field. Right??? WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED WITH THAT? That seems like a huge deal not to address. It’s another ship! What is going on with this episode????
Lovers
But let’s be real: the whole D’Argo / Chiana / Jothee fiasco absolutely upstages the entire episode. Do we even care about anything else? (I care deeply about Aeryn and Crichton’s sex talk, shut up.) I don’t think there’s really anything “wrong” about how this is written aside from Rygel’s unchecked shaming of Chiana. Can someone punch him in the face for using gendered slurs and spying on people having sex? Wait, I just realized something. How could anyone out in the galaxy know the word b***h? That seems highly unlikely that it would be so common, but I’m constantly surprised how frequently the men fling this word about in the Farscape world.
Anyway, that’s a separate issue. Again, I don’t know that I have a criticism about the writing for these three characters. I think I’m just always deeply uncomfortable about any story that deals with cheating. It’s such an ugly thing to go through (SHOUT OUT TO MY FIRST BOYFRIEND you’re the worst I HOPE NOTHING BUT TERRIBLE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU SINCE THEN), and so I can do nothing but cringe when I watch it unfold on television. It looks like I wasn’t too off the mark in my last review; Chiana definitely sabotaged her relationship with him because he’d planned to move her to a farm. That doesn’t excuse her treatment of either Jothee or D’Argo. Instead, it just makes the whole thing brutally sad. Like I said on video, it’s clear now that “Season of Death” is referring to more than just life. “Suns and Lovers” details the absolute death of this relationship, and then nearly documents D’Argo’s death, too.
In one sense, what happens here feels rushed, but the more I think about it, the more I’m gracious that this wasn’t dragged out for multiple episodes. Plus, as was demonstrated in this episode, Jothee and Chiana are not even remotely good at hiding their guilt. That didn’t make this any easier to watch. It was only a matter of time before Rygel gloated about what he knew, and it was only a matter of time before D’Argo found out that the union tattoo he bought would prove to be useless.
But holy hell, it was so much worse than I expected. D’Argo brands his son with a symbol of unity, WHICH IS SO TRAGICALLY IRONIC THAT IT HURTS. And then, D’Argo decides that he wants to die. It’s a horrifying thing to watch, which is of course made worse because of the name of the previous episode. D’Argo’s sense of duty and loyalty even reigns then, since he reasons he can take himself out while helping the others escape. It’s just such a relentlessly sad thing, and somehow, IT’S NOT EVEN THE WORST THING IN THIS EPISODE.
I admit I was convinced that Crichton would pull D’Argo back in and he’d be dead. I also admit that I was relieved to find out that D’Argo had survived, but it did not prepare me for the onslaught of tears to come. Truthfully, this whole situation sucks for everyone, but it sucks for D’Argo the most. The Luxans value loyalty above almost everything, so it makes sense that this is the one thing that decimates D’Argo so completely. We’ve never seen him cry as he does here, not even when he got his son back. I’M SO UPSET, Y’ALL. How are D’Argo and Chiana going to deal with crewmates after this? I imagine there’s going to be a lot of fighting and bickering between them, and the rest of the crew is only going to be able to tolerate that for so long. I just… lord. THIS SHOW. I’m two episodes into season three and everything already hurts. HOW? HOW IS FARSCAPE REAL?
The video for “Suns and Lovers” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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