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Through various discussions about TV with my roommate I've been convincing her that she needs to watch Farscape. It didn't take much persuasion really, but she's only watching things that don't require any concentration while she's finishing up her thesis etc. So I've been just thinking about how great Farscape is without being able to share her new joy with the show.
So instead I've been re-watching it myself. I started while I was organizing my shit at my mother's place because she's got a set of the DVDs (my Mum is awesome) so I was half-watching episodes while I was packing everything (I've seen enough of Farscape before that I don't need that much concentration to watch it. And now that I'm home it's great for watching while I'm doing the wedding socks knitting.
How the Frell is this show so good? Some slightly incoherent thoughts:
- Whenever I watch it I weep for how good the female characters are. I mean everyone talks about Aeryn (and rightly so - because Aeryn is amazing), but Zhaan! And Chiana! And even Jool. All of them are complex, interesting, (sometimes annoying) fully fledged characters. And unlike most shows it's clear that they were not solely created to fill the "minority" quota, or brought in to be the other half of a relationship.
- I actually LOVE Crichton and Aeryn's relationship. This so rarely happens for me with canon relationships. I think it has to do with the above point. Crichton and Aeryn are Fully Themselves. Both of them exist fully outside of their relationship. Their relationship is wonderful and very satisfying because it's not the main point of either of their storylines or their lives. And it's beautiful.
- People come and go from Moya all the time - and it rarely coincides with the beginning and ending of a season. Which means that all of the many times when people almost (or actually) die mean something. There's always that danger - maybe they will actually die this time and they won't come back!
- Also I can totally believe how Crichton ended up being so embroiled in interstellar politics, even though he's just a random human no one's ever heard of.
- And I love the names of the episodes - especially the two- and three-parters which have a title for the whole set and then each episode has it's own. Example: from season 2 "Liars, Guns and Money Part I: A Not So Simple Plan", "Part II: With Friends Like These...", "Part III: Plan B". I'm also fond of the puns - "Home on the Remains" - and the pop culture references (which only Crichton would get) - "A Clockwork Nebari".
- And because I just watched it: I LOVE that there are two Crichtons for so much of season 3. And even though I know that there's still another one it still gets me every time I watch this episode when he dies. Because they never found out if there were an original between the two of them. And I love that nobody mentions that it's okay because there's still another Crichton - because it's not okay. He's still John. And it still sucks that he dies. And Aeryn had just figured out how to be happy with him! And they were SO cute and adorable. And he'd gotten the wormhole knowledge. And he'd gotten Harvey out of his head! And!
I admit I did have a moment of confusion because later Crichton has to go and get the wormhole knowledge unlocked and Harvey is still in his head and all that business - but that's because it's the OTHER Crichton. This one manages to solve everything but is also all self-sacrificing about saving the day and such (stupid radiation). But the other guy didn't get that chance.
It's sad and it's wonderful. And I love it, even though mostly I prefer escapist happy shows, because it has all the feelings and makes me have all the feelings in such a good way that feels so real.
God I love this show.
So instead I've been re-watching it myself. I started while I was organizing my shit at my mother's place because she's got a set of the DVDs (my Mum is awesome) so I was half-watching episodes while I was packing everything (I've seen enough of Farscape before that I don't need that much concentration to watch it. And now that I'm home it's great for watching while I'm doing the wedding socks knitting.
How the Frell is this show so good? Some slightly incoherent thoughts:
- Whenever I watch it I weep for how good the female characters are. I mean everyone talks about Aeryn (and rightly so - because Aeryn is amazing), but Zhaan! And Chiana! And even Jool. All of them are complex, interesting, (sometimes annoying) fully fledged characters. And unlike most shows it's clear that they were not solely created to fill the "minority" quota, or brought in to be the other half of a relationship.
- I actually LOVE Crichton and Aeryn's relationship. This so rarely happens for me with canon relationships. I think it has to do with the above point. Crichton and Aeryn are Fully Themselves. Both of them exist fully outside of their relationship. Their relationship is wonderful and very satisfying because it's not the main point of either of their storylines or their lives. And it's beautiful.
- People come and go from Moya all the time - and it rarely coincides with the beginning and ending of a season. Which means that all of the many times when people almost (or actually) die mean something. There's always that danger - maybe they will actually die this time and they won't come back!
- Also I can totally believe how Crichton ended up being so embroiled in interstellar politics, even though he's just a random human no one's ever heard of.
- And I love the names of the episodes - especially the two- and three-parters which have a title for the whole set and then each episode has it's own. Example: from season 2 "Liars, Guns and Money Part I: A Not So Simple Plan", "Part II: With Friends Like These...", "Part III: Plan B". I'm also fond of the puns - "Home on the Remains" - and the pop culture references (which only Crichton would get) - "A Clockwork Nebari".
- And because I just watched it: I LOVE that there are two Crichtons for so much of season 3. And even though I know that there's still another one it still gets me every time I watch this episode when he dies. Because they never found out if there were an original between the two of them. And I love that nobody mentions that it's okay because there's still another Crichton - because it's not okay. He's still John. And it still sucks that he dies. And Aeryn had just figured out how to be happy with him! And they were SO cute and adorable. And he'd gotten the wormhole knowledge. And he'd gotten Harvey out of his head! And!
I admit I did have a moment of confusion because later Crichton has to go and get the wormhole knowledge unlocked and Harvey is still in his head and all that business - but that's because it's the OTHER Crichton. This one manages to solve everything but is also all self-sacrificing about saving the day and such (stupid radiation). But the other guy didn't get that chance.
It's sad and it's wonderful. And I love it, even though mostly I prefer escapist happy shows, because it has all the feelings and makes me have all the feelings in such a good way that feels so real.
God I love this show.
