The Two Chrichtons: Cheesy ploy, or masterpiece?

[Darkland]

I think the relationship itself was portrayed to the viewers that there was a connection there, but there are circumstances that prevented them from getting together. Such as their own need to get home to be with where they belonged, and their own emotional entrapment. It's the whole psychology behind John and Aeryn I am fascinated with. We have one ready to declare his love for her, and we have this new ex-peace keeper who had an affair with the other Crighten and couldn't seperate the two in her mind after Tayln-John died.

The final scene at the end when they let loose on everything is what I was hoping for - to finally have some realsm to the relationship.

[rushy]

Overall, the double Crichton story was masterpiece but the Crichton/Aeryn/Crichton B triangle after that was disaster.

[CrimsonGriff]

Overall, the double Crichton story was masterpiece but the Crichton/Aeryn/Crichton B triangle after that was disaster.

I respectfully disagree, I believe the love triangle created a complexity to the over all story line of Farscape and allowed the writers liberty to expand the story line down multiple paths. When Crichton A stays on Moya and Crichton B goes off with Aeryn on Talon, you see the conflict that Crichton A goes through, can he really get mad at himself, if given the same opportunity wouldn't he have done the same thing as Crichton B?

All in all, I enjoyed the divergence of the story lines between the Moya Crichton and the Talon Crichton that was first created by the duplication of Crichton. Anyway this is just my opinion.....

[Darkland]

I appreciate the complexity of Aeryn and John's relationship throughout the series. Have watched Natural Election when in the end John tells her:


John: Aeryn... I figure a relationship - the kind we're not having - is based on trust.

Aeryn: (her voice husky) I'm so sorry.

John: Yeah. Me too. (long pause) 'Cos you don't - trust me. So I don't know how to trust you.

Aeryn: I think I've earned your trust.

John: I would put my life - in your hands. But not my heart. (there's another long silence as they both struggle with their disappointment and loss at what to do about it. When Aeryn responds, her voice is tight with the effort to keep tears at bay)

Aeryn: So what's it gonna take? What do I have to do?

John: Just come back... When you have your story straight.


I think this is the point where he realized that Aeryn couldn't toy with his feelings. He loved her, and I don't doubt she loved him. At this point she had to make up her own mind whether she really wanted him or not. Clearly I don't think he believed her about the baby. (that's my interpretation). I'm thinking it's still T-John's baby.

He's basically done trying to chase after her at this point , so he's taken the hard road Aeryn had in the beginning. Her hot and cold feelings, especially with what happened in the hangar at the end of the season 3 finale, had to be sorted out.John didn't believe her at this point.

[rushy]

Two Crichtons: Cheesy ploy or masterpiece?

In my opinion, both.

[chrono trigger]

I personally loved the two crichton story and the show proved it could be bold as most other shows would have just resolved the story in one episode with no consequences. instead farscape made it have a much bigger impact on jon and aeryns life and gave the story a tragic conclusion.

[rushy]

One thing: it's impossible to "twin" the soul. There can only be one Crichton. Now, if either of them weren't clones, that would mean that the original, original Crichton is dead. Along with Chiana and D'Argo.

[Darkland]

Alot of fans seem to think that. That the original Chiana, D'argo and John are dead and we're left with the second copies. Like left overs. :/ I don't know. It does make sense. But they're equally the same so really the originals aren't dead because the fact that they are EXACT in every detail, does not mean they are clones. Just a double. Unless DNA tests prove otherwise.

[DXZ]

Well, I disagree strongly on one major point:

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

If they hadn't have gotten rid of Zhaan when they did, I would have stopped watching. "Goddess" this, "Goddess" that. All the time. Goddess religions are a major pet-peeve of mine though (If God exists, probably neither or both male/female, but if it had to be one, I'd greatly prefer it to be male). But seriously, I was about to stop watching because of that, it was really getting under my skin. Then she died. Problem solved.

[Mr.Sun]

When the cloning happened, my first instinct was dread because you knew a big change was coming and it threatened the blossoming relationship of Aeryn and John to the extent that one of the John's had to give or it would be an all-lose proposition.

Then I thought 'is this Farscape jumping the shark'. But it turned out to be a major building block for everything that followed it, so significant and you might even say it was the biggest turning point of the series.

To paraphrase what Claudia Black said in one of her interviews "It was a way to split the lead characters apart and have your cake and eat it too"

I would agree because without the John split, we wouldn't have had the sensational payoff of John and Aeryn together in the happiest times of the series (and for me the viewer!), nor a way to keep them apart and continuing their relationship arc (and the series) without potentially jumping a shark for real this time or upsetting the audience with a manufactured breakup (because we all know that they are perfect for each other and would never let anything happen to screw that up!).

In that way, I would say that the 2 Crichtons was a masterpiece!

And I would say that I understand the way Aeryn acted when she returned to Moya. An earlier poster said it best: She had just lost the love of her life and John dying was the same as if Crichton had died. I take that at face value and as a realistic character reaction to the writer's credit even though all I wanted was to see them cuddle and smooch more!

The cloning also set up a few other significant events: Aeryn getting pregnant (that's when it happened in my mind as disenfranchising as it is to surviving John, although I'm flexible on this), confronting their true feelings for each other in the hanger which to me was played out perfectly as that's how I get too when I really like someone (man, did they really know their sexually frustrated viewers!)..., followed by the coin flip which I would have never have done or would have allowed for Aeryn to be standing alone like that after she basically tells you to ask her to stay (what was John thinking!)...which leads into season 4; and the "I would trust you with my life but not my heart" return of favor, (another what in the world are you thinking John moment for me when she's standing right there pouring her heart out in front of you but I digress)...were all pivotal events stemming from the 2 Crichtons.

Just drawing a parallel here with the Crichton split, but all this talk makes me think of the episode with caveman John and advanced John and if it was an intended or accidental foreshadow to the ethics and consequences of cloning and how it may have effected our reaction, a loading of the springs so to speak, for the real dilemmas they/we were about to face with the actual cloning of John.