Farscape
"Out Of Their Minds"

Airdate: July 7, 2000

Using the defense shield taken from the Zelbinion, our intrepid crew fends off an attack by the Halosians who have ignored Zhaan's attempts at peacemaking. As the shield is not at full strength, some of the energy seeps through and pulls a whammy on everyone aboard Moya. Sure it's a tired, old cliché, the characters of your favorite show are hit by some magical something and exchange bodies, but Farscape not only has the actors with the chops to pull it off, but uses this heavily overused sci fi custom to offer some curious (and amusing) insights into the crew dynamic.

John and Aeryn

Having two sets of switches revolve around just three characters definitely kept things from getting too convoluted, but it also allowed Moya's crew more time to understand and, in some cases, appreciate each other more. It was a powerful moment when D'Argo-as-Pilot and Pilot-as-Chiana spoke of the value of their memories. While Pilot has seen some amazing things, he envies the emotional resonance of D'Argo's experiences. Even Rygel, the slug, gets into the act. While I tend to consider Rygel nothing more than a nuisance, his comments about being ignored, and the genuinely hurt tone in which he utters them made me feel sorry for the little guy. Sure, he's beyond annoying most of the time, but in this case, and a few others, he has had some valuable insight into the matter at hand. He's even saved all of their butts a couple of times. Okay, so he's gotten them into trouble more often than that but...

Back on the Halosian ship, Zhaan finds a lead to Talyn's whereabouts and is later surprised to learn that, in this instance, Crais did not use the youngster as an offensive weapon. In fact, he and Talyn were merely defending themselves and withheld what would have been a death blow to the Halosians.

While Zhaan may have been spared the out-of-body thrill ride, she nonetheless reaffirmed the code of Moya's crew. Although out of danger herself, she valiantly argues and even schemes for the life of her shipmates. For a creature trying to rededicated herself to the principles of non-violence, it must have been utter desperation and undying loyalty that pushed her to suggest that the remaining Halosian crewmember overthrow her lord. She knew it meant murder, but the lives of her friends were in jeopardy. Her code deemed it necessary.

My favorite parts, of course, were the more... er... coarse moments of humor. Like Rygel-as-John trying to figure out how to operate the equipment needed to use the bathroom. Then there is John-as-Aeryn realizing that he has breasts. And then getting caught by Aeryn-as-Rygel and Chiana-as-D'Argo. I suppose that lays to rest any doubts we had as to how much of a normal guy John is, eh?

Yes, there was a lot of laughs in "Out Of Their Minds", but unlike the hurtful schism that the equally humorous "Crackers Don't Matter" created, this episode brought the crew closer together. Instead of the darker part of their psyches being revealed, this time they were allowed to walk in the shoes of their friends and crewmates. While it may not have fully healed the rift caused by the harsh words uttered in "Crackers" any episode that ends with Rygel genuinely expressing concern over an injured Zhaan has to mean a big step has been taken. Right?

Okay, so I lied. It didn't end there. The two sort-of-couples (Chiana/D'Argo and John/Aeryn) looked to be headed for some nookie. And they were very cute about it too.

There. I've regressed into full-fledged shipperdom. You happy now?

-- Linda M. Najera

Farscape airs at 9pm, Fridays on The Sci Fi Channel.

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