112 replies to this topic

[Fez]

After seeing this show recommended in a thread here a while back at time when I had run out of shows to watch I decided to check it out.  And now, after having seen all 4 seasons as well as the concluding miniseries, all I can say is: Why Was I Not Informed About This Show SOONER?!?  I loved it.  I wasn't too sure at first, but now I'm way into it; despite the occasional rocky episode (coup by clam, ugh).  I suppose actually I'm glad I didn't watch it when it was first on because I don't think I could've stood those merciless cliff-hangers that the seasons kept ending on (especially after #4 and not even knowing if there would be a mini-series).

Sometimes it relied a bit too much on bodily functions and sheer grossness to get humor, but overall I thought it was just a really smart, dramatic, sometimes hilarious, show.  The science really, really sucked, but I rather enjoyed the whole idea of 'screw the science, we're telling a story here'.  The only time it got really bad was during space battles, as well as the idea of a spacecraft sneaking up on another one.  Also I never could tell how big that section of the galaxy was since it seemed like everyone kept on running into each other without ever going very fast (and if they were going FTL, what the hell was special about starburst?)  But I just ignored that and enjoyed the show.  Also no religion and no real dues ex machina (except maybe Einstein, but he wasn't even necessary unless Season 5 was going to be getting really metaphysical, in which case I'm glad things got canceled).

It seems to get mentioned a lot in same breath as Babylon 5, but I found B5 to be incredibly boring and out-dated, I figure its because I missed its heyday as well.  I think Farscape has aged very nicely considering it ended 7 years ago.  I'm gonna say its because they used puppets instead of cgi for their special effects (which was very smart, that cgi Rgyel in the miniseries was an abomination) and puppet effects have a much longer shelf life than computer ones.

I'm assuming lots of people here have seen it, what did you all think?  And if you haven't I highly recommend it and at least keep watching until the Gammak Base episodes when I'm not sure its possible to not get hooked.

Any other great science fiction shows that I've missed?  I disliked Babylon 5 and hated BSG, though I did like Stargate Universe (also Angel and Buffy if those are 'sci fi')

[Thelonious]

I found it a bit too zany for my liking, although I like to watch the odd episode now and then.

How far did you get with Babylon 5 before you gave up on it? It picks up in quality after the first season.

[Fez]

Thelonious, on 03 February 2011 - 06:48 PM, said:

I found it a bit too zany for my liking, although I like to watch the odd episode now and then.

How far did you get with Babylon 5 before you gave up on it? It picks up in quality after the first season.

mid-season 2, so it was right in the 'good stuff' according to people, but it didn't just do it for me.

Farscape was a bit zany Season 1, but it really cut down later on; by the middle of season 3 most episodes were downright dark.

[Datepalm]

 Fuck yeah Farscape. 

[Talyn]

I loved it after I saw all of it.

Where I am they only showed the first season and I didn't think that there were any more for a long time. I always remembered it because the season ending really stuck with me. I eventually bought all the DVDs and the rest is history.  

[TannerSack]

Farscape was outstanding. It is not a science fiction series more like a science fantasy and totally unique. The characters were awesome and really fun. As much as I liked the show however it became way to serialized in it's storytelling. Early on there was something new and amusing every episode(like the original Star Trek)and you would get a litle insight into each characters story. About midway through the third season the writers became to absorbed in the whole PeaceKeeper Wars theme and you could no longer catch an episode here and there and just appreciate it on it's own.
It became like a weekly comic strip, stay tuned for the next installment of the PK war. Still was a great series after that but ultimatly I think that's why they started losing viewers and lost what was a great show.

Edited by TannerSack, 03 February 2011 - 08:00 PM.

[Lord of Oop North]

Datepalm, on 03 February 2011 - 07:21 PM, said:

 Fuck yeah Farscape. 

Word.

Farscape is fucking awesome. Out of Their Minds, where they all switch bodies, is absolutely hilarious.

[Talyn]

Lord of Oop North, on 03 February 2011 - 08:10 PM, said:

Word.

Farscape is fucking awesome. Out of Their Minds, where they all switch bodies, is absolutely hilarious.

I prefer Crckers Don't Matter and Won't Get Fooled Again, I have really watched a funnier episode on TV.

Here is a reasonably good article about Farscape's cancellation. Take from it what you will.

Edited by Talyn, 03 February 2011 - 10:15 PM.

[Jon AS]

Farscape was awesome. Despite the whimsical nature and general zanyness it took its characters to some extremely dark places.
I think what it has in common with Babylon 5 is that it can take the viewer quite a few episodes until they "get" the show (or until the writers did...), but if you stick with it it's a great experience.

TannerSack, on 03 February 2011 - 08:00 PM, said:

It is not a science fiction series more like a science fantasy

You just used two words that mean the same thing. It's the "science" bit you need to replace if you want to make a distinction, and really the term you are looking for is "space opera".

/nitpick

[felice]

It took me quite a few episodes to get hooked, but it was definitely worth it. Not everyone's cup of tea, though - I watched the first season again with my girlfriend recently, and unfortunately she really didn't get into it. Personally I found the worldbuilding a bit lacking (despite interstellar travel being routine, it mostly felt like a collection of isolated planets with no sense that they were part of a wider network of civilizations - pretty much the opposite of B5), and had trouble suspending disbelief on the navigation issue, but the characters and stories were fantastic.

[Durckad]

Talyn, on 03 February 2011 - 10:14 PM, said:

I prefer Crckers Don't Matter and Won't Get Fooled Again, I have really watched a funnier episode on TV.

Crackers Don't Matter is great and is when I really started to like the show (all of Season 2 is fantastic, IMO). I liked pretty much every episode from the last quarter of Season 1 and onwards, but Crackers Don't Matter was just fantastic.

[Talyn]

Dackad, on 04 February 2011 - 01:11 AM, said:

Crackers Don't Matter is great and is when I really started to like the show (all of Season 2 is fantastic, IMO). I liked pretty much every episode from the last quarter of Season 1 and onwards, but Crackers Don't Matter was just fantastic.

I remember reading somewhere, or hearing it perhaps on the episodes audio comemtary that the episode has been used in a film class as an almost perfect example of a mind f**k type of show.  

Another episode that I like for sherr zanyess is Revenging Angel. The other crazy episodes that they tried didn't really work for me. I also really like …Different Destinations but for very different reasons.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

My little sister does not really enjoy sci-fi shows. In her opinion, they are mostly fairly brainless. (I am not posting this to debate whether she is right or wrong in that assessment.) But as she has grown up seeing a number of the ones I have watched, she told me several months ago, that Farscape is one of the few sci-fi shows she genuinely respects and enjoys. (As an additional aside, I think that this is partially because of our mutual belief in the Muppet Rule: the entertainment quality of any media is greatly enhanced by the presence of muppets, or simply "Muppets make everything better.") The word my younger sister likely means nothing to most here, but for me to hear that from someone like her is a testament in my eyes to Farscape's greatness.

The show had outstanding characters. No one was entirely good. Practically all of the characters pursued their own selfish agendas while somehow surviving as a dysfunctional family. Even Crichton frequently put his own goals to return home and understand wormholes over the needs of the crew. Scorpius was one of the best well-crafted antagonists in sci-fi television. Meanwhile, aliens felt truly alien. The show is driven by this sense of alienation and insanity.

Best of the Crazy Episodes
* Crackers Don't Matter
* Revenging Angel
* Out of Their Minds (the skeksis homage was also nice)
* Scratch 'n' Sniff

In short, I think I'm going to go rewatch Farscape now.

[Gertrude]

I've been motivated to rewatch Farscape now. I don't recognize any of those episodes by title, but I'm sure I would if I saw them. My friends and I would get together to watch it in a tiny, tiny living room and then play poker. Good memories.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

DP,

Datepalm, on 03 February 2011 - 07:21 PM, said:

Fuck yeah Farscape.

Is there any SciFi TV that you and I disagree upon?  

I even got my TV hating wife to watch Farscape.  She liked the story between John and Aeryn.  

Actually I think the high point of the series hinged around two words, "Tayln... starburst!"  I think Craise and Talyn were to of the most unusual and interesting characters ever introduced in SciFi Television.  I also loved Scorpius.  It was wonderful to see a motivated, intelligent, sympathetic "villian" (I put that term in quotes because I'm not certain it really applies) who did things not out of a delight in evil but in a belief in the "greater good".

Edited by Ser Scot A Ellison, 04 February 2011 - 07:00 AM.

[red snow]

It's a great show. I rewatched the whole thing last year and I realised it was even better than i'd initially given it credit for. First season is mainly introduction but season 2 onwards are excellent and strike a near perfect balance between overall arc and stand-alone entertainment. It also had some of the best cliffhangers (season 2 being a highlight).
It's a shame the webisodes never turned up as at one stage it seemed the show may make a return, at least as a spin-off but it's fairly clear syfy hates sci-fi nowadays so i guess it will never happen. It's also a shame that O'bannon and co never managed to get their fantasy TV show with muppets off the ground either as that could have been really cool too (especially since Farscape had some strong fantasy elements to it). Maybe if AGOT, Camelot etc take off it could resurface?

[Jack Sparrow]

The first episode that comes to mind when I think of 'Farscape' is 'Crackers Don't Matter'.  That one makes me laugh.

[mormont]

You people are tempting me! I only just regretfully decided that I couldn't afford £60 for the complete series on DVD... now I'm struggling again...

[beniowa]

mormont, on 04 February 2011 - 07:55 AM, said:

You people are tempting me! I only just regretfully decided that I couldn't afford £60 for the complete series on DVD... now I'm struggling again...

*whispers subliminal messages* Buy it.  Buy it.

[Fez]

Crackers Don't Matter was hilarious, but I think the funniest the show ever got was some of the parts of 'John Quixote' (not to be confused with 'Jeremiah Crichton', one of the few episodes I really disliked); especially the bits with Princess Aeryn.  One noticeably unfunny, but really amazing and not supposed to be funny, episodes was the cartoon one.  For the first 15 minutes or so I thought maybe I was the one going insane since I kept repeating "what the hell is going on?".

I think my favorite thing about the show, besides having realistic characters with believable motivations, was that it almost always defied my expectations.  Like how they actually managed to get to Earth and it wasn't a dream or an alternate reality or ending with a memory wipe, they went there, changed everything, and left; I didn't think that would ever happen before the end of the show.  Or how the will they/won't phase of the John/Aeryn relationship lasted for a really short period of time; after the 'getting to know each other phase' it very quickly became 'they will, they just have to deal with everyone trying to kill them right now phase' and then 'they are, but we can't focus much on it because there's a war about to start/going on phase'.  Or how the main characters really did some terrible things at times for selfish reasons and there was never any 'oh but its all okay because it was part of a plan', it was 'they did something bad, deal with it.  They're fugitives, what do you expect?'  Like the time Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rgyel cut off one of Pilot's arms for a map.

Edited by Fez, 04 February 2011 - 10:04 AM.