Farscape Appreciation Thread

[esoap524]

Yeah, it's crazy all of the different things that happen to the actors due to making the show. They're definitely things you don't think about while watching the final product of all that hard work.

In fact, I remember watching an interview with Wayne Pygram where he talked about being ill due to the layers of makeup and things as well. I can't remember during what time he said it was, I believe, it was early in s4 but I'm not 100% sure on that. He did say it was worse when they had to work outside.

I would imagine it wasn't always fun to be under all those layers. Especially for someone with a character like Virgina Hey. Actually, I remember Anthony Simcoe in an interview talking about a huge fan or something they lugged around because he would get rather hot under all the layers he had to wear, especially if they were doing a largely physical scene.

It's interesting to think about everything that actually goes on and what the actors go through just to bring bring the show to life for us.

I would imagine it's torture, really. I think on the first DVD there's a thing about the life cast they did of Anthony where he's pretty much encased in plaster with the exception of breathing holes. That would be horrible. And you're right about the fan. They also said he did a lot of scenes in his boxers and the D'Argo torso while they were rehearsing. Then there's the whole "D'Argoing up and D'Argoing down" meaning putting the suit on or taking it off.

You're right--Wayne got sick and ended up losing a lot of weight. Then, we he improved, I think he gained weight so the suit was tight but there weren't any modifications made.

I guess it just makes me appreciate the performances all the more.

[cshawzye]

I guess it just makes me appreciate the performances all the more.

I would totally agree. The show is spectacularly put together in all aspects. And thinking or learning about all of the things that the actors went through to bring the characters to the screen is astounding. It definitely adds to the respect I already have for all of them.

[iheartshep]

Now that you mention it, my copy of "Won't Get Fooled Again" was defective as well. I waited a long time to see it too, then was really disappointed when I got the bad copy.

There was an episode in season 4 called "Coup by Clam" (I believe) that absolutely cracked me up! I have to go watch that again.

IHS

[Thunderstorm]

BTW, regarding The Choice, I agree that so much of this episode is visual--Aeryn's expressions and demeanor, the flashbacks, the setting, her appearance. You really can't get at it without watching it. Farscape tend to be visual anyway but this is a very interior monologue type episode so it really needs to be seen vs read.

The visual really helped put forth the depressing atmosphere. I'm don't think reading a script would convey the same feeling.

Farscape directors and actors did one of the best jobs I've seen of conveying feelings thru a long look or cuts back and forth without anyone saying a word.

[Trek_Girl42]

Not much else...as I recall,

Spoiler:

he sits slumped against the wall staring at "Scorpius" which is actually the clone in his head (I was very confused about that the first time) Speaking of ep transcripts, here's the last actions/ lines:

He takes his gun, and with a yell, rams it into Graths toothy mouth as far down his throat as he can push it before rolling away. This pulse gun explodes, effectively blowing Graths head to flaming ruins. Even with his head off and an arm missing, the Scarran remains standing for a moment before going down with a thunderous crash. John sits, stunned - and suddenly he hears the muffled sound of gloved hands clapping. He looks up to see Scorpius/Harvey standing a few feet away form him)

John: (dazed) What happened? I feel like - I died.

Scorpius/Harvey: (casually) I had to stop your brain function for a few microts - to divert the Scarran. No harm done. I'll go back in your subconscious mind now.

John: Don't get too comfortable. I'm gonna get that chip out of my head.

Scorpius/Harvey: (pleasantly) There's no chip in your head John.

John: (he struggles to articulate) Yeah there is. You - told me - There's a, um- Mmm-men...

Scorpius/Harvey: You were saying?

John: (barely able to forcing the words out, as if he's been brain-damaged) Mm-Mental chip! Mmm-

Scorpius/Harvey: Ah - you were saying?

John: (he seems sleepy and confused) What am I saying? I'm...

Scorpius/Harvey: (satisfied) As it should be. I won't trouble you again. Until I need to. There's an exit to your left which will no doubt take you back to the surface of this commerce planet. I leave you to your shipmates John. But rest assured - I'll be with you always. Keeping you safe.

Very creepy! And prescient.

Is that what you were wondering about?

Ooh, thank you!!!!! I was so pissed when it cut off- it was such a good ep.



As for all the make-up woes, wow, these are some really dedicated actors to put up with all that, just goes to show how much they obviously cared about the show.

[esoap524]

The visual really helped put forth the depressing atmosphere. I'm don't think reading a script would convey the same feeling.

Farscape directors and actors did one of the best jobs I've seen of conveying feelings thru a long look or cuts back and forth without anyone saying a word.

it's really amazing. A lot of shows do a "cheat" these days by using music in the background. Don't get me wrong, I love that stuff but FS didn't have the luxury (so vidders do it for them). At any rate, I agree with that opinion. The tag of the last Look at the Princess is a prime example.

[angelfire east]

Wow I didn't know about the cast being ill so often. It does make sense that heavy makeup can really be harmful.

The visual really helped put forth the depressing atmosphere. I'm don't think reading a script would convey the same feeling.

having read the script first, it really didn't. Not in the least, a lot of the lines where lost on me because the way CB said them sad more then the action wrods themselves. She just blow me away in this episode.

Spoiler:

I really did wonder if Aeryn was thinking of killing herself a few times. Her line at the end "may if you have lived I could have been something more..." made me think of the the end of PKW that I saw, being with the other John will allow her to be something more.

I can't be the only one who wishs that Myoa!John could remember everything that happened with the otherJohn and the forgotten events of the Locklet. I can't picture Aeryn responing well to Moya!John when she sees him. She got competely back inside herself and is going to try to say away from love (since it's bought her so much pain) at least for a while. And how much is seeing him going to miss up her griving for the other john.

Rygel was really great in this episode, and was that hiting at Rygel being in love once upon a time...

[esoap524]

Wow I didn't know about the cast being ill so often. It does make sense that heavy makeup can really be harmful.



having read the script first, it really didn't. Not in the least, a lot of the lines where lost on me because the way CB said them sad more then the action wrods themselves. She just blow me away in this episode.

Spoiler:

I really did wonder if Aeryn was thinking of killing herself a few times. Her line at the end "may if you have lived I could have been something more..." made me think of the the end of PKW that I saw, being with the other John will allow her to be something more.

I can't be the only one who wishs that Myoa!John could remember everything that happened with the otherJohn and the forgotten events of the Locklet. I can't picture Aeryn responing well to Moya!John when she sees him. She got competely back inside herself and is going to try to say away from love (since it's bought her so much pain) at least for a while. And how much is seeing him going to miss up her griving for the other john.

Rygel was really great in this episode, and was that hiting at Rygel being in love once upon a time...

Have you seen "Fractures" yet? I-Yensch, You-Yensch? Dog With Two Bones?

Spoiler:

Those all deal with Aeryn's reaction.

There've been king size discussions about Aeryn's reaction to Moya John, and then his subsequent reactions to her in season 4. The story really does hinge on the emotion.

Rygel was awesome, wasn't he? And Claudia just laid it all out there in this episode which actually hurt to watch.

[cshawzye]

There've been king size discussions about Aeryn's reaction to Moya John, and then his subsequent reactions to her in season 4. The story really does hinge on the emotion.

The emotion is everything it seems. I'm only just into s4, next on my list to watch is A Perfect Murder, but the turmoil and emotions already raging between John and Aeryn is enough to make me want to cry (again!). In Natural Election in the exchange where Crichton says to Aeryn

Spoiler:

I would put my life... in your hands... but not my heart.

their faces just said it all. It was both breathtaking and heartbreaking all at the same time. It's actually making it difficult not to search around for some good spoilers just to make the tension go away.

[meredithchandler73]

Hi all. I haven't watched Farscape in a while now. I was a madwoman when I first watched the show over the summer - watched all 4 seasons and Peacekeeper Wars in a couple of months. (It would have gone faster if I had ordered all the DVDs at once instead of a couple of Starbust sets at a time!)

I haven't had a chance to watch Farscape for a while for two reasons: (1) I had to start watching SG-1 and I had a LOT of catching up to do to get to Claudia and Ben's appearances. (A total of 9 1/2 seasons of SG-1 - and I ended up becoming a Stargate fan in the process! So that was extra cool.) And (2) I've been trying to convert people into Farscape fans by loaning out my DVDs, so I don't have a lot of them all in my possession anyway! I've converted two people (woohoo!) and was unsuccessful with a third. It really bums me out because she is the one I was sure would have loved the show. Ah well.

I don't remember the last time I put my two cents in here, but just because it's on my mind (from reading here and in the Vala/Claudia thread):
--The Choice is one of the best episodes ever. Claudia Black is amazing in this episode.
--I think that the John Crichton/Aeryn Sun ship is the end-all and be-all of ship on television. IMHO, it just doesn't get any better than that.
--I've noticed other posts about what can be conveyed without words. Some of my favorite moments are wordless such as in Look at the Princess, Part 3: The Maltese Crichton

Spoiler:

End of the episode - when Aeryn shows John the vial, walks to him, hands it to him, he puts a drop on each of their tongues, they do the taste/kiss test, pull apart, she turns around, and the look on each of their faces. WOW!!!

And The Choice

Spoiler:

The scene this is a reversal of the kiss scene in A Human Reaction

.
--Ben Browder and Claudia Black are really great on commentaries. Even if you don't normally listen to them, try to catch the ones that they do - especially the ones they do together. FUN, FUN, FUN!


And on the note of DVDs, I cannot find my Starburst Edition 4.3 ANYWHERE and no one I've been loaning DVDs to has it either. I've been hoping it would turn up, but I'm probably going to break down and purchase another copy. I need to have the complete collection!!!

[esoap524]

The emotion is everything it seems. I'm only just into s4, next on my list to watch is A Perfect Murder, but the turmoil and emotions already raging between John and Aeryn is enough to make me want to cry (again!). In Natural Election in the exchange where Crichton says to Aeryn

Spoiler:

I would put my life... in your hands... but not my heart.

their faces just said it all. It was both breathtaking and heartbreaking all at the same time. It's actually making it difficult not to search around for some good spoilers just to make the tension go away.

Oh...that was scene was killer. I wanted to smack him upside the head (Aeryn-centric that I am) because I thought she had

Spoiler:

given him the straight story

Still, it hurt too watch and they were both brilliant in it, I thought. Aeryn's close to tears, near desperate

Spoiler:

"what's it gonna take?"

It's a new place for her to be but, I guess in the long run, it would probably put them on even footing. I guess...

The emotion definitely is everthing in this show, whether it's John and Aeryn, or the other characters. They're all definitely ruled by their emotions. Even Aeryn.

[esoap524]

I don't remember the last time I put my two cents in here, but just because it's on my mind (from reading here and in the Vala/Claudia thread):
--The Choice is one of the best episodes ever. Claudia Black is amazing in this episode.
--I think that the John Crichton/Aeryn Sun ship is the end-all and be-all of ship on television. IMHO, it just doesn't get any better than that.
--I've noticed other posts about what can be conveyed without words. Some of my favorite moments are wordless such as in Look at the Princess, Part 3: The Maltese Crichton

Spoiler:

End of the episode - when Aeryn shows John the vial, walks to him, hands it to him, he puts a drop on each of their tongues, they do the taste/kiss test, pull apart, she turns around, and the look on each of their faces. WOW!!!

And The Choice

Spoiler:

The scene this is a reversal of the kiss scene in A Human Reaction

.
--Ben Browder and Claudia Black are really great on commentaries. Even if you don't normally listen to them, try to catch the ones that they do - especially the ones they do together. FUN, FUN, FUN!

Yes, indeed on all 4 counts!

I'm not sure which is my favorite Ben and Claudia commentary--I like "Nerve" a lot because they make fun of some sci fi stuff like spnning fans, and Claudia does her Sigourney Weaver on GalaxyQuest imitation. But Ben's poking fun at her during "The Way We Weren't" and the way she ignores him made me laugh too and that's a serious commentary.

When you listen to the commentaries or even the interviews or con appearances, they talk a lot about the importance of the episode tags and how usually the emotion that might not have been central during the episode gets played out there. You mention one example--you also have The Way We Weren't, the beautiful D'Argo/Pilot DNA Mad Scientist tag, Different Destinations, The choice...The Locket...

I think every episode has some emotion laden tag that gives the actors an opportunity to emote, often times without words. It's great stuff. Very, very addictive. I have the whole collection too and have managed to convert a few friends, who then have gone on to convert a few more

Spread the fever!

[Thunderstorm]

Spoiler:

I can't be the only one who wishs that Myoa!John could remember everything that happened with the otherJohn and the forgotten events of the Locklet. I can't picture Aeryn responing well to Moya!John when she sees him. She got competely back inside herself and is going to try to say away from love (since it's bought her so much pain) at least for a while. And how much is seeing him going to miss up her griving for the other john.

Rygel was really great in this episode, and was that hiting at Rygel being in love once upon a time...

When you listen to the commentaries or even the interviews or con appearances, they talk a lot about the importance of the episode tags and how usually the emotion that might not have been central during the episode gets played out there. You mention one example--you also have The Way We Weren't, the beautiful D'Argo/Pilot DNA Mad Scientist tag, Different Destinations, The choice...The Locket...

I think every episode has some emotion laden tag that gives the actors an opportunity to emote, often times without words. It's great stuff. Very, very addictive. I have the whole collection too and have managed to convert a few friends, who then have gone on to convert a few more

The emotion only gets racked up more in the end of S3. If you have the Starburst edition of Dog with Two Bones (S3 finale) the hidden commentary with Ben, Claudia, and David Kemper about how the went over and over the coin flip scene and what leads up to it and after to really get that emotion right. That is a really charged scene and was a really great season ender. One episode that has a title that really describes the episode. Poor John.

[esoap524]

The emotion only gets racked up more in the end of S3. If you have the Starburst edition of Dog with Two Bones (S3 finale) the hidden commentary with Ben, Claudia, and David Kemper about how the went over and over the coin flip scene and what leads up to it and after to really get that emotion right. That is a really charged scene and was a really great season ender. One episode that has a title that really describes the episode. Poor John.

I hated that episode the first time I saw it, I think because it was so different from the prior two and, also, because

Spoiler:

I wanted John and Aeryn happy

...which is pretty stupid.

However, DWTB has become one of my favorites. Between the

Spoiler:

wedding and the coin toss,

I think it's the culmination of John's emotional season 3 journey, the one that has him

Spoiler:

torn between Earth-wormholes and Aeryn.

DWTB proves to John that he can't have everything he wants so he needs to decide if he wants what he already has.

As for Aeryn...I don't even know where to start. She's in such

Spoiler:

an emotional downward spiral that she can't see any option but out.

It's something I'd never expect in a "sci fi" show, and is yet exactly the reason why this show appealed to me.

I love the B/B commentary because they're funny AND informative; you find out how Farscape really was a collaborative venture from directors/actors/writers/producers/creature shop creators, etc.

[Falcon Horus]

I ended season 4 today, and now I'm waiting for the PKW to come in the mail (hopefully tomorrow).

The ending of season 4 seen through my eyes:

Spoiler:

TO BE FRELLIN' CONTINUED

What the frell?

Imagine if PKW had never been made...