Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Two Chrichtons: Cheesy ploy, or masterpiece?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    The Two Chrichtons: Cheesy ploy, or masterpiece?

    After getting the Definitive Farscape collection and watching through the complete run. I think I've come to a conclusion that's not shared by most scapers. I don't like Seasons 3 and 4 as much as one or two.

    For one thing, I don't think they ever really recovered from the loss of Zhaan. Jool and Norati never really filled her role.

    But what really got me about season 3 was the twinning thing: Doubling up Crichton. As far as I can see this was done just so they could split the cast between Moya and Talyn and still have the 'star' Browder appear in all the episodes. Which just seemed cheap to me. The main cast of Farscape are interesting enough that they can get by without Crichton for a few episodes.

    And the other annoying thing; When the Talyn!Crichton dies. His holo-message to Moya!Crichton plays rock-paper-sissors with him to prove they're still the same.

    If you're going to have two different Crichtons in two different circumstances, they should be different characters by the end of it. Indeed they seemed to be going this way, without Aeryn Moya!Crichton was maybe a bit grumpier and didn't get on well with the rest of the crew. But this affect really should have been a lot more pronounced IHMO.

    I'm sorry but that's just how I happen to feel. What do you think?
    Last edited by Crazedwraith; 23 October 2011, 04:48 AM.
    sigpic
    Banner By JME2

    #2
    I tend to agree, as I really enjoyed the first two seasons as well. My personal opinion has always been that sometimes in the show there was just way too much Crichton. The loss of Zhaan was also huge and the replacements, Jool, Noranti and Sikozu did not measure up.

    You have to look at it from the creator's perspective though. The show and main plot revolve around Crichton. Him not being there might take away from it. Though personally I think it would have worked without so much Crichton, I know what they were trying to do with having 2 of them. And for many fans, they succeeded.

    This doesn't take away too much from my enjoyment of the show though, as I really thought it was great.
    sigpic

    Comment


      #3
      For the most part, I thought the two Crichton storyline was pretty entertaining to watch. A little sad too in the end. You got to have our hero sacrifice himself in order to stop that weapon, without losing the character of Crichton for good.
      sigpic
      MS - "Boy, wow that's a great question!"
      "...phu...ah..."
      "Anyone know what SENTIENT means???"
      Sunday is my favorite day for two reasons - Football and The Walking Dead

      Comment


        #4
        I!also!like!to!have!mid!sentence!seizures


        The twinning thing was a stroke of genius. Unlike every other duplicate-character story done in science fiction, they didn't cop out and kill one of them off by the end of the episode. They played it out, and they played it out masterfully.
        "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

        Comment


          #5
          I agree with Digi. It was very well done. There was also character growth for both crichtons.

          Remember that when they first were seperated they played rock paper scissors over and over again and each time they did they doth drew the same. The time they spent away from eachother not only allowed themselves to grow as we saw one Crichton have to learn to trust Crais and such, but we also saw the rest of the crews affected by what each of them did. In the end we had the blow to aryan as she tried to cope with the death of the man she loved while at the same time having an identical man still alive.

          There are many examples throughout the season of similar things but it will take a rewatch to pick them all out. but you get the idea.

          Also love the final holo message where the crichtons play rock paper scissors one last time and the dead crichton already knows that the out come will be different this time.
          Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

          Comment


            #6
            I'm of two minds on this. It's obvious why it was done, but to be fair the show wouldn't be the same without Crichton, even if there are other great characters who could carry an episode or two without him, particularly Aeryn. That said, even if I knew all along that one of the Crichtons had to die before the crew reunited, it was so well written that I didn't mind. And when Aeryn met the other Crichton, well, her reaction was really believable and well written too.
            sigpic

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
              I!also!like!to!have!mid!sentence!seizures
              ??? Sorry about that. The descriptor!name punctuation is common enough in other places I post to distinguish in these kind of cases.

              The twinning thing was a stroke of genius. Unlike every other duplicate-character story done in science fiction, they didn't cop out and kill one of them off by the end of the episode. They played it out, and they played it out masterfully.
              Never watched much TNG then? Their duplicate episode 'Second Chance' ended with both character's more or less content and the duplicate off to serve on another starship officer. He also survived a guest appearance on DS9 as a Marquis though he was captured by Cardassians never to be referenced again...

              And no they didn't cop out with a death at the end of the season, just a death a dozen episodes later.

              Originally posted by P-90_177 View Post
              Also love the final holo message where the crichtons play rock paper scissors one last time and the dead crichton already knows that the out come will be different this time.
              No the outcome wasn't different thought. They both were sissors. That was the point of the scene. Dead Crichton was telling alive Crichton to go stop Scorpius' wormhole project and he knew he'd do it because they were the same person.
              Last edited by Crazedwraith; 23 October 2011, 04:49 AM. Reason: spelling of crichton
              sigpic
              Banner By JME2

              Comment


                #8
                Well.
                A-It's Crichton, not Chriton.
                B- Talyn-Crichton basically had the same ending as Moya-Crichton

                "TalynC died when he used the Wormhole weapon on Scarrans and died on a bed at a Leviathan with Stark helping him across."
                "MoyaC died when he used the Wormhole weapon on Scarrans and Sebaceans(and gave mercy) and lived on a bed at a Leviathan with a nice speech from Stark."
                "I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care... or why it should be necessary to prove it at all."

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by rushy View Post
                  Well.
                  A-It's Crichton, not Chriton.
                  I'd do the standard, 'that's what i put' joke. :-P But I can't edit the thread title so the unforgivable error will have to remain there and forever shame me...


                  B- Talyn-Crichton basically had the same ending as Moya-Crichton

                  "TalynC died when he used the Wormhole weapon on Scarrans and died on a bed at a Leviathan with Stark helping him across."
                  "MoyaC died when he used the Wormhole weapon on Scarrans and Sebaceans(and gave mercy) and lived on a bed at a Leviathan with a nice speech from Stark."
                  Um, interesting as that is. It doesn't seem to relate to what I was saying.
                  sigpic
                  Banner By JME2

                  Comment


                    #10
                    It's double the John Crichton. 'Nuff said.
                    Orphan Black: Join the Clone Club Dance Party!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I agree that it was never really the same without Zahn, and that Jool and Norati didn't do much to help that. But I think the 2 Chrichton plot was pulled off in a terrific way.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I think it was done extremely well, especially in terms of character development.
                        sigpic
                        http://annorasponderings.tumblr.com/
                        http://circumvented.tumblr.com/

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Heeeeeeeere's johnny!!!
                          "I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care... or why it should be necessary to prove it at all."

                          Comment


                            #14
                            While I can't say that I liked the episode where the 'duplication' happened, I definitely liked how they pulled off the two Crichtons arc.
                            I mean, from the start, it was obvious one was going to die/disappear, but how they did it, as well as the consequences (for the crew, esp. Aeryn and still-alive John), made it great.
                            sigpic

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Yeah, I absolutely agree with you.
                              sigpic

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X