Lexx: I Worship His Shadow
October 30, 2018 7:56 AM - Season 1, Episode 1 - Subscribe
His Divine Shadow rules The Cluster with absolute power and an impenetrable bureaucracy, where even a minor infringement of the rules results in horrible punishment. This episodes opens with a futile attempt by the Brunen-G to stop His Divine Shadow.
2008 years after the destruction of Brunen-G, Security Guard Class-4 Stanley Tweedle sets off for work. Meanwhile a prisoner transport cruises through space carrying a former unit of the wife bank Zev, the cannibal Giggerota, and a wanted heretic Thodin of the Ostral-B pair. The Prisoner Transport arrives at the Cluster and requests permission to be docked. At the same time, another prisoner is being prepared by Divine Clerics for the transfer the essence of His Divine Shadow into this new host body.
Every plan made by both protagonists and antagonists goes sideways. Stan is punished for requesting the prisoner ship to provide the correct docking code. The prisoners break out and punishments are thwarted. The transfer of the divine essence is corrupted. Thodin's escape plan is foiled. His Divine Shadow's dead slave assassin Kai regains his memory and independence. And in the chaos Stanley H Tweedle gains the keys to the most destructive weapon in the universe.
Den of Geek: What Made Lexx Such a Great Cult Sci-fi Series
Fandom Wiki episode summary
2008 years after the destruction of Brunen-G, Security Guard Class-4 Stanley Tweedle sets off for work. Meanwhile a prisoner transport cruises through space carrying a former unit of the wife bank Zev, the cannibal Giggerota, and a wanted heretic Thodin of the Ostral-B pair. The Prisoner Transport arrives at the Cluster and requests permission to be docked. At the same time, another prisoner is being prepared by Divine Clerics for the transfer the essence of His Divine Shadow into this new host body.
Every plan made by both protagonists and antagonists goes sideways. Stan is punished for requesting the prisoner ship to provide the correct docking code. The prisoners break out and punishments are thwarted. The transfer of the divine essence is corrupted. Thodin's escape plan is foiled. His Divine Shadow's dead slave assassin Kai regains his memory and independence. And in the chaos Stanley H Tweedle gains the keys to the most destructive weapon in the universe.
Den of Geek: What Made Lexx Such a Great Cult Sci-fi Series
Fandom Wiki episode summary
Loved Lexx but catching it was hit or miss in reruns, wow went for four seasons, that's probably why some episodes made no sense missing context. Some of it may be a bit too, ahh, incorrect, to be fully palatable for some contemporary viewers, probably add libral trigger warnings. Googled a bit and one interview with the first Zev sounded like it was a good crew.
posted by sammyo at 5:03 PM on October 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 5:03 PM on October 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Spoiler:
Bug Bomb lost head.
(bug bomb is the coolest)
posted by sammyo at 8:05 PM on October 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Bug Bomb lost head.
(bug bomb is the coolest)
posted by sammyo at 8:05 PM on October 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
OMG! Lexx!
I loved this show, even if it was frustratingly hard to ever see it on a regular schedule (even when SciFi was running it.)
posted by Thorzdad at 5:42 AM on October 31, 2018
I loved this show, even if it was frustratingly hard to ever see it on a regular schedule (even when SciFi was running it.)
posted by Thorzdad at 5:42 AM on October 31, 2018
Lexx can be watched on Amazon Prime in the US and UK (not sure about other places, but it is not on Canadian Amazon Prime).
Wikipedia claims Amazon made the show available in Australia this year.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:49 AM on October 31, 2018
Wikipedia claims Amazon made the show available in Australia this year.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:49 AM on October 31, 2018
Every time someone tells me about this show, it always sounds so much better than it really was...
posted by Naberius at 6:34 AM on October 31, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 6:34 AM on October 31, 2018 [7 favorites]
This is more about the whole show than this episode so some spoilers:
I am conflicted about Lexx. I used to love it very very much. It’s very campy and fun. It has lots of very weird elements. It was so campy and fun! I love how by the end of the series, every single character every in the series had died at least once. The Fire and Water season was super interesting too.
But it also has some . . . problematic elements. The three major female characters are all literal man-eaters. The universe actually features a special place in hell for gay people. There are a bunch of rape threats (played for laughs when the victim is male). A lot of the queer coded characters have that aspect of their character played for laughs and/or evil (the cyborg rapist, Mantrid’s servant, the guys who tricked Stan, the Inquisitor, Puck and Oberon, and so many more). The episode with the feminists shows them as brainwashed terrorists led by a man who’s really just upset that his girlfriend dumped him. The episode where all the characters swap genders is pretty hard to watch too. I'm sure there are plenty of other painful episodes as well.
The last time I tried a re-watch, I ended up giving up. It was just too much. The show meant a lot to me as a kid though, so I think I almost owe the show one more try?
posted by Garm at 12:52 PM on October 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am conflicted about Lexx. I used to love it very very much. It’s very campy and fun. It has lots of very weird elements. It was so campy and fun! I love how by the end of the series, every single character every in the series had died at least once. The Fire and Water season was super interesting too.
But it also has some . . . problematic elements. The three major female characters are all literal man-eaters. The universe actually features a special place in hell for gay people. There are a bunch of rape threats (played for laughs when the victim is male). A lot of the queer coded characters have that aspect of their character played for laughs and/or evil (the cyborg rapist, Mantrid’s servant, the guys who tricked Stan, the Inquisitor, Puck and Oberon, and so many more). The episode with the feminists shows them as brainwashed terrorists led by a man who’s really just upset that his girlfriend dumped him. The episode where all the characters swap genders is pretty hard to watch too. I'm sure there are plenty of other painful episodes as well.
The last time I tried a re-watch, I ended up giving up. It was just too much. The show meant a lot to me as a kid though, so I think I almost owe the show one more try?
posted by Garm at 12:52 PM on October 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
We need more bizarre joint German-Canadian productions like Lexx.
posted by Marticus at 2:23 PM on October 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Marticus at 2:23 PM on October 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'll take "things that contributed to the sexual confusion of a teenaged jordemort" for $500, Alex. (Tim Curry is a common theme there, although that's not until next episode.) I love this show up until about season 3, and then that gets to be a such a drag that I've never made it through. Maybe I'll try to hang on this time, season 4 sounds pretty weird.
posted by jordemort at 2:48 PM on November 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jordemort at 2:48 PM on November 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've somehow seen an episode or two of Lexx over the years but never understood the history or anything. The genesis of Zev: She's first shown as a fat, white woman and called the ugliest woman ever. She then gets turned into a skinny woman who is now so beautiful that men will kill themselves for her. That's . . . is weird the right word?
posted by jojo and the benjamins at 11:40 AM on November 3, 2018
posted by jojo and the benjamins at 11:40 AM on November 3, 2018
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This is the first time I've rewatched Lexx since if first aired. I have to say that I was surprised at how well it aged, all things considering. Not that it is Great Television by any stretch, but while contemporary sci-fi series that took themselves much more seriously definitely show their age now, Lexx is still just Lexx. Just as campy and ridiculous as I remember.
I get the feeling that everyone involved in making this show was having a lot of fun.
posted by fimbulvetr at 8:03 AM on October 30, 2018 [1 favorite]