Farscape
"Liars, Guns and Money Part 3 -- Plan B"

Airdate: December 18, 2000

The plan that Crichton came up with to rescue Jothee is now going to have to work to rescue our blue-eyed boy himself from Scorpy's grasp. The mercenaries aren't too hot on the idea, until it's pointed out to them that the depository is full of currency they can take to replace the funds they were promised in the first place. When Tal'yn turns up to aid his mother, Aeryn promises Crais anything if he will stay to help as well -- he, however, declines.

Meanwhile, planet-side, Scorpius is communicating with his neural clone to find out whether it has reached the wormhole information. If it has, he will remove the chip and grant John a painless death. John for his part, is just eager to get things over with.

Scorpius finds a new use for the hamster's exercise wheel and some christmas lights.

Then Scorpy's accomplice lets slip that the chip could be removed from John's brain without killing him, and all bets are off. Persuading her to free him and escape her own fate doesn't prove too hard, and Crichton is soon heading off to re-join his crewmates.

As usual however, things don't quite go to plan (if I were one of Moya's crew -- I'd give up planning, wouldn't' you?) and it looks very much like the bad guys will end up holding or killing all of the would-be rescuers/escapees, until Tal'yn shows up like the famous 7th Cavalry and saves the day.

Here we have another episode that pulls you in and won't let go. You feel a little like slapping Crichton out of his apathy at first, and then you want to slap him about to get him pay attention at the end. This implant is seriously starting to screw up our man in the UT now. I wonder just how much further over the edge the writers are going to take John?

The themes are now darker and much more adult than during the first season --which is a good thing. This is not a safe, falsely comforting vision of the universe, but a tour of life; warts and all. Farscape touches on some serious stuff, no matter how it's dressed up with animatronics and fancy effects.

Ben Browder goes into madness magnificently, and he is well accompanied on the trip by the rest of the cast and crew. There is no-one on this show coasting along and phoning in their work.

So, where do they go from here? Jothee is safe (On Moya? You think?) and Rygel has oodles of currency to croon over. The only flies in the ointment are: how do they get this chip out of John's head without Scorpy doing it, and how do they help Moya to heal? No doubt we'll find out in the next episode... or not, knowing the folks on this show!

-- Muriel 'Mogs' Moore

Farscape airs at 8pm GMT Sundays on Sci Fi in the UK and Fridays at 9pm EST on the Sci Fi Channel in the US.

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