In the fourth episode of the third season of Farscape, I hurt. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Farscape.
I’m not going to get over this anytime soon: Season of Death.
It’s undeniable to me that the risks that Farscape took in the second season have now paid off. This show is able to do precisely what they want with their characters and their stories. I know I said that the episodes last season went to unimaginable lengths, but here’s why that matters: it allows the writers to go even further because they know they’re not necessarily going to lose their audience. I have no idea where this show aired in terms of network or location, but goddamn, whoever let this show do what it wanted? Thank you.
Also, fuck you. Because I’m so upset.
I mean, what do you say about this episode? It hurts? It’s painful? It’s the closest I’ve come to tears pouring down my face? It’s absolute evidence of the fact that Farscape sneaks up on you and then IT IS TOO LATE? It’s too late because then you care about these people, and it was such a long journey to this point, and then you’re sucked in and you can’t escape anymore and why did I do this to myself?
I’m still sticking to the assertion that no show I’ve watched for Mark Watches ever took me as long to truly enjoy as Farscape did. Looking back on season one, it was a rough journey. At times, I felt like the pace wandered, the characterization moved at a snail’s pace, and there was rarely a serialized arc aside from Crais going after Crichton. (REMEMBER WHEN CRAIS WAS THE VILLAIN oh my god just bury me here in this review.) On top of that, the pilot episode subverted so many norms of the genre, and then it felt like the show settled into stories that were too familiar to me. It was only as the show began to get more bold in its storytelling that it felt compelling and thrilling to me. I certainly enjoyed the characters a lot, and that’s one thing Farscape had going for it in its first season.
And then I was suddenly too attached and too excited and then season of death.
“Wait for the Wheel” doesn’t stray far from what’s now standard of this show, but the standard for Farscape is not at all the standard for the genre. As has been the case for the last fifteen episodes or so, the writers commit to a premise and take it to an unbearable conclusion, one whose history will matter in coming episodes. There is always a price to be paid for what these characters choose to do. It’s an escalation of tension and an escalation of risks and an escalation of stakes, and I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS SHOW KEEPS DOING THIS. (The only show I’ve seen that is able to compare in terms of escalation is probably Breaking Bad, which certainly takes the notion of “Can this get any worse?” as a challenge.)
So, let’s talk about “Wait for the Wheel,” which, for the most part, does put Zhaan at the center of the narrative before… we’ll get there. This episode wastes no time resolving the cliffhanger from the previous part, and OH MY GOD, NEEYALA WAS LYING THE WHOLE TIME. Which is unfortunate because I liked her a lot! But Christ, how did I not pick up on this? I knew that her crew was hiding something, but I also spent part of the last review discussing self-preservation and bias and didn’t apply those same goddamn concepts to Neeyala. It was right there! Her characterization here fits perfectly in line with the rest of the themes found in “Could’a, Would’a, Should’a,” since she’s got her own ethics to deal with. Her culture values the knowledge that they are collecting, so much so that all their families back home will be EXECUTED if they don’t succeed. And it’s these two realities that are at war with one another, and it’s why Neeyala reasons that sabotaging Moya is her best option.
It’s fascinating to me because Neeyala is the antagonist of this arc, but I wouldn’t say that she’s a villain, even in the final scenes when she’s attacking Jool and Crichton. Hell, she’s not even all that secretive about what she and her crew are doing once everyone figures out the whole invisibility thing. To her, it’s plain as day: her research must reach home because she cares about her family more than anything else. I think this episode does a fine job of painting a portrait of impossibility: both parties have a vested interest in surviving, they both have beings they love and want to save, and it is impossible for everyone to survive.
SEASON OF DEATH, Y’ALL.
So the urgency of this predicament, where death hangs over everyone, causes a whole lot of introspection among the characters. D’Argo reflects on his own role in the dissolution of his relationship with Chiana and Jothee, AND LORD, IT IS SO HEARTBREAKING. I think it’s perfectly fine for him to think about the things he may have done that influenced how those around him behaved, but it’s still really sad to see him blame himself for what Chiana and Jothee did. Like, can D’Argo just not cry in the future? It affects me too much. Anyway, Crichton is also forced to examine how willing he was to trust Neeyala and how badly that ended for him. Which sucks because DUDE. EARTH. It’s closer than it’s ever been! He’s not imagining that!
This is further explored by the brilliant sequences with Harvey, and I’m so glad the show has found a way for Wayne Pygram to be in so many episodes while Scorpius is off being diabolical somewhere else. Like I mentioned before, the show has committed to Harvey’s existence, and it’s such a cool thing to watch. Even if Harvey only appears for a scene or two an episode, his interactions matter. Here, Harvey is almost… an ally? I admit that’s a strange thing to consider, but Harvey has an interest in surviving as much as Crichton does. So he helps Crichton sort out his thoughts (while poking fun at said thoughts, I should note), all so that he survives. It makes me excited to think of how Harvey will be integrated in episodes in the future. He’s clearly asserted himself as an independent thing inside Crichton’s mind, so it’s not like he’s going anywhere. Will Crichton have to live with Harvey in his head for the rest of his life?
Jool is not exempt from this kind of introspection either, though she is much more vocal (literally so) about it than anyone else. Here, we learn that she was captured while on vacation. Lord, can you imagine waking up after 22 years and discovering all of THIS? Again, I sympathize with Jool, perhaps more than the show actually does, because this was a chaotic and terrifying experience for her. The rest of the crew? Yeah, they’re not as quick to feel bad for her, given that she’s boisterous and whiny. Stark in particular finds her infuriating, though it’s because he believes that he and the rest of the crew have suffered so much more than Jool has. While I won’t deny that these characters have had EXTREMELY MESSED UP LIVES WHILE ON MOYA, I’m interested to see how they all behave around Jool now that they have an idea of where she came from. Is she always going to come off to them as if she is conceited and believes herself to be superior to them?
But really, I need to talk about Zhaan. Goddamn it, y’all. What more evidence do we need of her importance to the ship than this episode? She is the one who so fully believes in Aeryn’s potential that she brought her back from death. She is the one who tells Aeryn never to underestimate herself. She is the one who counsels Rygel with honesty and kindness despite that Rygel is perpetually an asshole to practically everyone he encounters. She is the one who has been a constant source of reason and empathy and healing and brilliance for this crew, and by gods, she is Moya’s protector. She was tasked with protecting the ship, and what she does in this episode is all the proof we need that she was the best being for the job.
Y’all, even as Moya as dying, even as Neeyala plots to destroy the other ship, even as they all spin through a wormhole and face certain death, Zhaan still takes time to stop and prepare an antidote for Chiana. She puts the life of another being before her own even as she is dying. So when Crichton said that someone was going to have to stay with Neeyala’s ship in order to trigger the generator, it was obvious that Zhaan would do it. It was obvious and awful and heartbreaking, and then she’s talking to each of her friends about what they’ve given her and stop. Stop it. Please stop it. I didn’t care that I assumed she was going to die soon, and I didn’t care that “Season of Death” was a thing, because I didn’t want this.
Gods, her words to her companions were too much. Those little names she gave them. Selfless Aeryn, innocent Crichton…. no. NO. And even right as I worried that she’d left Crichton out of it, she comes to him in his mind, and he gets the most intimate experience with everyone as she fades out of existence. This is not a death where a character left the world screaming and kicking; Zhaan went to her death in peace and love, and it’s such a huge turn from who she was at the beginning of Farscape. I suppose thinking about that journey fucks me up, too, because there’s so much potential that could have been explored with her. Just because she completed a journey doesn’t mean there wasn’t another one to be had, but at the same time? I get it. She leaves Farscape on such a high note, and I do appreciate that. A lot. She mattered so much.
I also hate it and fuck you and I’m going to be extremely sad about this for a long time.
Just… where do they go from here? Are Neeyala’s people going to be tracking down Moya? Will Moya need time to heal? Is Crichton going to think twice about pursuing wormholes? Is Rygel going to be nice to people for a change? WHAT HAS THIS SHOW DONE TO ME?
The video for “Wait for the Wheel” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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