Farscape

[Harlowe]

I know this is an old show, but it never interested me while it was on and I just started watching it via Netflix (streaming). I nearly stopped watching the first season a few times, but once I got into it....I kind of like it even though it's cheesy and has space-Muppets.

I'm on the third season right now and it's probably one of the better ones - except I was bummed that Virginia Hey suddenly left (due to the blue make-up causing her liver to bleed and apparently she wanted to grow her hair and eyebrows again) only to be replaced by an annoying Man-in-the-Iron-Mask spaz and a quickly thawed-out crappy insta-character named Jool. I am glad I didn't watch it while it was on TV, the way the multiple-part episodes ended (along with the seasons) kind of sucked. In a good way I guess, very "oh no, what now".

Anyway, wondering if anyone else liked this series. I think "Harvey" (the Scorpius in Crichton's head) is my favorite character.

[Garrdor]

There's fine writing throughout seasons 1-3.

Don't bother with the 4th one. You'll ruin it for yourself.

Farscape is an amazing show with great characters and great old-fashioned puppeteering. The props are great, the makeup is great. Just about everything was great until they changed writers (4th season). That's how you make a scifi-show-of-the-year (x2) and turn it into a get-bumped-out-of-time-slot-by-starGAYte shitfest.

[Kliban Nimbledigits]

Farscape was canceled because, and I will quote it has much as I can:

"My husband watched the show and just couldn't understand it"

- Bonnie Hammer (Then President of SciFi Channel)

So they took all of Farscape's cash and put it into the Stargate clusterfuck of a series. Unfortunately Stargate: Universe is actually good.

[Harlowe]

Well that sucks about the 4th season, I'm about midway through 3. Was "The Peacekeeper Wars" any good?

I've never watched Stargate, because it just looks boring - but I did read about an episode in the 10th (last?) season where the actors that played Aeryn and Crichton are involved in show that parodies Farscape.

How the hell did Stargate last 10 seasons??? Am I missing out on something?

[Alluveal]

I really want to watch Farscape, but I heard they borked up the order of season 1. It's been sitting in my netflix queue until they "fix" the problem. However, you're saying you can get it on Netflix streaming? Hrrrmmmmmm........

[Harlowe]

Hmm, you know I didn't see any lack of continuity when I watched it on Netflix (you can see all of Season 1-3 streaming). Season 4 & the movie are still only avail via disc rental. I've been watching it mostly through my PS3 ever since Netflix released it's PS3 disc, now it seem to work just as well streaming as the 360.

You know, if in doubt, you could just look up what the order should be for the first season and play them in that order, since they list the names each episode. They just did a 10th anniversary box release in November that is supposed to be the best one (the A&E release). I heard the first DVD release was crap, maybe it had something to do with the order of them?

I definitely think you'd like this Lu. Hey it's even Garrdor approved.

[Garrdor]

Farscape is one of those shows that had the potential to achieve 'Classic' status. The premise and characters are unique (of course, John being the exception)

Scorpious is probably one of the best/most interesting villans of all time. It's a shame that he didn't have more to work with. If this show recieved a NBC 9-spot budget, I think it'd have at least a full feature film and an enduring franchise. I'd really like to see a reboot with similar characters. The more "annoying" characters they brought in the wake of Zhaan's death really grew on me by the end of the series. I didn't care much of Jool, though I thought Stark was a very very good character accomplishment. Of course, he's seizing and tweaking out every shot. It's pretty difficult to see the wise entity that lives behind the mask. It comes through in the later episodes of the series.

Another noteable character is Commander Crais. Classic bad-guy-turned-good. Some gripping dramatic performances that I'm not used to in a scifi (this guy has to be a stage actor, much like Pat Stewart). So, rambling aside - if you like character development, scifi doesn't get any more gratuitous than this. The episodes and situations the crew get in are pretty unique and interesting in itself, but the story literally takes a back-burner to the character's interactions. That's something I really like about space operas. Star Trek - Next Generation and DS9 are pretty close, but ST has a way of prioritizing the story/situations the characters are in. Farscape literally has a handfull of 'get to know the characters' episodes where nothing extremely dire happens at all.

If you're turned off by the cheese behind the show, I'd like to invite you to some classic space operas like Lost in Space or ST:TOS. It seems like that was part of the concept behind Farscape - a reversion back to the Space Opera

Funny that somebody starts a thread about this show. This is one of my secret obsessions (if you couldn't tell).

[Harlowe]

I kind of love that this is someone's secret obsession, because the more I watch Season 3, the more hooked I am (I watched like 4 episodses last night)... and bummed at the same time knowing that it's just about over and there isn't anything solid in the works for a feature film or continuation.

I know there has been talk about wanting to do something with the franchise - webisodes, a feature project etc. I saw the little snippet of an interview with Claudia Black & Ben Browder and she was pleading with (teasing) the Farscape creator (Rockne O'Bannon?) to do something soon so they wouldn't have to play elderly cameo's to the new young actors playing their part.

But the things you mentioned are exactly what I'm getting into (Crais is awesome I agree). It's the rich characters, great acting and the character development & interaction with one another that make this show worth watching. There are really some witty and cheesy moments and absolutely heart-breaking ones. The mix is enough to keep you from becoming frustrating by either extreme. The actors are wonderful, I have the feeling that many of them were stage actors. Even Browden shows great range for someone playing your typical Golden Boy Astronaut to begin with.

[Kliban Nimbledigits]

I have every episode on DVD an on nights where the is nothing on or it's a repeat day I just close my eyes and pick up a case and play whatever is on the disc.

On a humorous note. When we were watching The Matrix in the theater I just about stood up and went "Holy shit! That agent is Stark!" I think my g/f would be the only person to catch what I was talking about.

[Harlowe]

Gar,
I sadly couldn't stop myself - I bought the A&E boxed set super cheap,finished Season 3 and started watching Season 4. You were so, so, very right. I should have listened to you, but I got so hooked on the series, I had to.

It's as if their scripts this season were taken directly from really, really shitty fanfic written by 16 year old boys. I'll probably keep watching it, because it can't get any worse than the first 2-3 awful episodes....can it?

[Garrdor]

They eventually become unwatchable.

[Harlowe]

Worse than the first two?????? Wow, that's really a shame. I wonder why they didn't keep the same writers. The first three seasons were awesome.

I was embarrassed for the whole show when that alien transmits the message to their ship "I am blah blah I gave Aeryn a biological virus and will only give her the cure if she gives me the names of blah blah blah". I couldn't believe someone didn't tell them how retarded that sounded. Even the actor delivered the lines like he was reading off cue cards. Also, why do they constantly having Crichton smacking or wiggling his butt at aliens? wth.....

So, what about the movie wrapping things up?


Okay so NOW I understand this.....

"My husband watched the show and just couldn't understand it"

- Bonnie Hammer (Then President of SciFi Channel)

If he was watching the 4th Season, I can understand why he didn't understand it and why it was cancelled. The 4th season so far (about 3-4 episodes in) is just awful and sad, because the characters are great and the episodes prior to this were awesome.

It's absolutely worth watching this series - just do what Gar says and skip season 4.

[Harlowe]

Just to add - watched The Peacekeepers War movie and it was actually pretty decent. Though I could be judging it purely by the bar that was lowered during Season 4. The writing just seemed to be less "Farscape for Dummies".

[Kliban Nimbledigits]

Season 4 of Farscape fell under the same axe as Season 5 of Babylon 5.

"Well folks, this is the end. Been nice kno....wait. Your serious? We got funding for one more year? Holy shit, someone write us some episodes ASAP!"