Farscape: Die Me, Dichotomy Rewatch
December 1, 2015 8:51 PM - Season 2, Episode 22 - Subscribe
The crew takes Moya and Crichton to an ice planet, hoping that both can be treated by a Diagnosan. Crichton's neural chip has taken control of his mind and body and will stop at nothing to survive, including harming Aeryn.[via]
I remember this episode as a real kick in the teeth. I miss Farscape too - its commitment to twisting the knife was admirable.
posted by mordax at 11:38 PM on December 1, 2015
posted by mordax at 11:38 PM on December 1, 2015
The thing that gets me every time is when Aeryn assumes the brace position just before she hits the ice. It's futile, she's going to die, but she's a soldier and she's trained, so she doesn't kick and scream, she covers and puts her head down. It's one of those character details that elevates the show above most others for me.
The way the episode ends is so, so fucked up. For people who don't know about the production history: because Farscape was only ever on a single-season deal from year to year, they never knew until fairly late in the production schedule if they were getting picked up for another season. As a result, they wrote every season as a self-contained entity and every season finale as a potential series finale.* So there is a universe in which they expected the show to end with Aeryn dead and Crichton strapped down to an operating table, alone, brain exposed, aphasic and screaming. That is so brutal.
* [spoilers for season 4 in case this is your first time through] At the end of the 3rd season, they got picked up for a 2-year continuation instead of a 1-year, which is part of why season 4 is so crazy and opaque; they expected to have a whole other season to resolve the questions and mysteries, so season 4 wasn't written to be as self-contained as the others.
posted by Errant at 11:07 AM on December 2, 2015
The way the episode ends is so, so fucked up. For people who don't know about the production history: because Farscape was only ever on a single-season deal from year to year, they never knew until fairly late in the production schedule if they were getting picked up for another season. As a result, they wrote every season as a self-contained entity and every season finale as a potential series finale.* So there is a universe in which they expected the show to end with Aeryn dead and Crichton strapped down to an operating table, alone, brain exposed, aphasic and screaming. That is so brutal.
* [spoilers for season 4 in case this is your first time through] At the end of the 3rd season, they got picked up for a 2-year continuation instead of a 1-year, which is part of why season 4 is so crazy and opaque; they expected to have a whole other season to resolve the questions and mysteries, so season 4 wasn't written to be as self-contained as the others.
posted by Errant at 11:07 AM on December 2, 2015
Worse ending ever. And by worse, I mean for the characters involved. For us, the viewers, WOWZA.
posted by Atreides at 4:42 PM on December 6, 2015
posted by Atreides at 4:42 PM on December 6, 2015
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Of course the big moment all of us 'shippers have been waiting for, and in true Farscape fashion, it's messed up! John and Aeryn finally say "I love you" to each other, but it's really Scorpius' neural clone saying those things. As the commentary for this episode points out, this is the first time Aeryn has said these words to anyone, and not only does John knock her unconscious, he doesn't even remember. Yes, the angst is just beginning! IMO, this show knows how to tap into the audience's emotions, not in a manipulative way, but because the story telling and characters are compelling and you really care about what is happening. I miss Farscape!
posted by cshenk at 9:14 PM on December 1, 2015 [1 favorite]