In the twelfth episode of the fourth season of Farscape, IT’S HALLOWEEN, THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR. Also: WOW, EVERYTHING HURTS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Farscape.Â
Trigger Warning: For nonconsensual drugging
Time travel and its implications and Crichton visiting himself and his family and the whole crew traveling to Earth and a Halloween episode??? ALL OF THIS IN ONE EPISODE? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO EARN SUCH A GIFT???
Earth… sort of
WHAT A RESOLUTION. The cliffhanger at the end of “Unrealized Reality” leads to something that’s been a huge part of this show’s narrative: Will John Crichton ever be able to return home? The show confirms this in the strangest, most unexpected way imaginable, and I love so much that this is how they do it. Crichton returning home was such a huge, emotional thing for the main character of this show that we, as the audience, couldn’t help but have a certain amount of anticipation for it. (I’m speaking in the collective “we” because it makes me feel better about not being prepared for this twist.)
Instead, Farscape sticks Crichton in space in just his suit, unable to contact anyone down on his home planet. Even when he’s still able to barely communicate with the Moya crew, it’s not like there’s an obvious route for the group to take. WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY DO WHEN CRICHTON REALIZES THAT IT’S NEARLY 20 YEARS IN THE PAST?
Well, this goddamn show decides to stick most of the cast on Earth in 1986 on Halloween, and it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.
Halloween
First of all, Halloween is the best holiday. IT’S THE BEST. So yes, I was biased in favor of this episode just because of that. But I’m fascinated by the way in which Farscape takes a trope like this – which is fairly common in science fiction and fantasy genre work – and then twists our own expectation of that. For the most part, the writers stick to a timeless technique: hide the non-human characters in Halloween. This is, without a doubt, entertaining all by itself, namely because the show takes this massive development for Crichton and instead features the Moya crew learning just how weird Earth customs are. And my god, the characterization is so consistent across the board here! RYGEL LEARNS WHAT A SUGAR HIGH IS. Chiana and D’Argo become convinced that the middle finger is a method of greeting other people. Chiana… has sex with Crichton? Oh my god, she’s Karen. Wait, how old is Crichton at this time? Is there some weird sexual thing here I’m not seeing?
It’s so much fun watching these characters stumble around and make a mess and THAT. MESS. MATTERS. There’s much shenaniganry throughout “Kansas,” and I think one of the most compelling things about the way this show operates is in committing to what they show us. A bunch of people dressed in bizarre Halloween costumes cannot just move into a  recently foreclosed house without attracting attention. Y’all, one of the most important characters in “Kansas” IS THE NOSY NEIGHBOR. She doesn’t need a name because we all know exactly who she is. And in this case, it’s entirely understandable why she’s so concerned about the house next to her. Her actions move the plot forward in incredibly significant ways! How else would the cops have showed up? How else would this plan to set Crichton’s life back on track have been messed up so spectacularly? Without that woman, the one cop who didn’t have his memory wiped by Noranti never would have been able to relate his story to anyone.
And goddamn it, I’m clinging to that as the only possible explanation for what we see at the end of “Kansas.” HOW ELSE IS THAT POSSIBLE?
Scorpius
HOLY SHIT EVERYONE. THERE IS TOO MUCH GOING ON IN THIS EPISODE. Not only does Grayza board Moya while searching for Crichton, but she leaves some thing on board that is going to hunt Crichton and Crichton only. This is some Alien-level shit, I swear. What is that thing???
As if that isn’t strange enough, Braca and Scorpius are reunited and what the fuck. Am I being too ridiculous if I assume that there’s not something kind of romantic about that kiss? Like, okay, I could accept that Scorpius is just happy to see Braca and pleased that Braca hasn’t betrayed him, but the way that Braca grips Scorpius… lord. LORD, THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. (Except it kind of didn’t. The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that Braca has always loved Scorpius. NEW HEADCANON.) I’m guessing that since Braca did not act very surprised that Scorpius was alive, this is the confirmation we needed that it was Braca who freed Scorpius from that grave. He’s been Scorpius’s spy this whole time, and now they’re both utterly opposed to what Grayza’s doing. Which is fascinating because it further demonstrates how complicated the political atmosphere is on this show. These two are now on their own side, and I imagine it’s only a matter of time before they’ll have to enlist Crichton and his friends to help them out. How long until this proposed peace treaty between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers falls apart?
THIS IS SO INTRIGUING.
Revisiting Home
Like a great deal of past Farscape episodes, “Kansas” does a fine job of balancing a ton of humor with SOUL-CRUSHING DESPAIR. I think it’s pretty amazing that in the second half of the final season of this show, we’re still able to learn new things about John Crichton. And since his mother had died before this whole adventure started, this is our chance to meet her. This is our chance to see Crichton in his home environment, to understand what it was like to grow up with his father, to grow up in the shadow of a man like that. The writers take this seriously, and I appreciate that. It’s not like this is an easy thing for anyone to go through.
Admittedly, the idea of someone interacting with their past self in order to set them on the right path is nothing new, but it’s all the emotional shit that is explored in “Kansas” that made this so rewarding to me. One aspect of that dynamic focused on the way that Crichton perceived his only family, 17 years into the future. It’s a lot easier for him to see certain problems: the way his father domineered everyone; the way his younger self was wrong about his sister; the fear that his mother lived with. These are all vital things for him to experience because he has to accept that future he’s going to create by returning to the past. He has to accept that he can’t change everything, despite the temptation. He can’t stop his mother’s death. (OH MY GOD, THAT QUIET LINE WHERE HE TELLS HER NOT TO IGNORE THE PAIN THE FIRST TIME SHE FEELS IT. STOP IT, FARSCAPE. STOP IT.) He can’t do anything but ensure that his father avoid boarding the Challenger so that he can remain behind and inspire his son to take up space flight.
And even that is still a bit of a mess, which is perfectly fine because let’s be real. This is the crew of Moya, who are big fans of being a bit of a mess. Their plan to make sure that Crichton’s father “saves” him from a fire is… well, it works! Sort of? I mean, it barely works, and in the end, D’Argo and Crichton end up having to pull young Crichton and his father from the fire, and even then? Crichton’s father ends up glimpsing the future version of himself. Was that what created the ending we get? Was it the cop? Was it something else I didn’t catch?
BECAUSE Y’ALL, HOW IS CRICHTON’S FATHER ON MOYA. HOW? HOW??? WHAT DID THEY DO??? WHY AM I OPPRESSED BY CLIFFHANGERS???
Honestly, though, this was such a fantastic episode. Shout out to Crichton and Aeryn being affectionate with one another with no catch to it. MORE OF THAT, PLEASE.
The video for “Kansas” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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