TNMC
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Greetings Scapers!
Scorpius... quite possibly one of the coolest bastards ever committed to film. First introduced way back at the tail-end of Farscape's first season in "Nerve", he's constantly evolved, and become much more than simply an evil antagonist. This week, in what is sure to become a Farscape classic, we are treated to a glimpse into the dark past of the man who, quite simply, has made John Crichton's stay in the uncharted territories a living hell.
"Incubator"
Season III, Episode XI
Directed by Ian Watson
Written by Richard Manning
The episode starts off quite well -- a PK prowler returns from another test run through the wormhole, and yet again, the pilot has been liquefied. Believing that the missing piece to the puzzle is still locked away in the neural chip, Scorpius attaches it to his cooling-apparatus and sticks it in his own head, so that he can converse with the Crichton-equivalent of Harvey, who resulted from what Scorpy termed "neural spillover." Does that really make any sense? I'm not sure, but whatever. It's Farscape, not Star Trek.
Neural-chip John is unsure why Scorpy thinks that he should care about anything he has to say, so Scorpius shows him entire sequences from his past -- a recollection of pain and suffering, mostly from the hands of the Scarran captors of his upbringing. Scorpy tries to convince John that a war is coming, one that the Scarrans will certainly win if the PK's don't crack wormhole tech first. And while the PK's having easy access to Earth is a frightening prospect, they are not nearly as ruthless, or seemingly unstoppable as the Scarrans. Simply put, the PK's are by far the lesser of the two evils.
So first things first -- what does it all mean? Is Scorpy just some misunderstood guy, with good intentions? Is he just another product of a screwed-up childhood? Should we feel sympathetic for him? Even be on his side?
Hardly. Watching this episode, it's easy to forget that he's a cold-blooded killer whose done some pretty deplorable stuff. Sure, he's charismatic and convincing (credit that to Wayne Pygram's great performance) but he's still no saint. While the flashbacks make it seem like his actions are justified, remember this -- these memories are all from his point of view. I mean, how many villains really view themselves as such? To them, the ends always justify the means, and they're always in the right. So if Kirosawa taught us anything, it's to take perception with a grain of salt. Scorpy is trying to gain John's favor. Do you really think he'd make himself look anything but well-intentioned?
Perhaps Scorpius really only wants to prevent a Scarran onslaught. But do we really know? Definitely not. I have a feeling that Scorpy's real motivation may stay a secret for some time to come. It's funny -- for a time, I thought Farscape would shuffle villains in and out, with Crais first, and then Scorpy, and keep introducing new ones. I was fairly certain that Scorpy wouldn't even make it out of season II alive. But it now appears that Kemper, O'Bannon and Co. had grand plans for him all along. With Farscape's run (realistically) about half over, it seems he's here for the long run. And I think that's the wiser decision, because it gives the writers a chance to really flesh out a well-rounded villain that we not only love to hate, but understand, and possibly, just possibly empathize with. Though I still wouldn't hold your breath for an Anakin-like redemption when it's all said and done.
So with the Scorpy storyline comprising at least 2/3 of the episode, was the Moya side-story merely a tack-on? Not at all. In fact, I think this is the real story.
Linfer, the Relgarian scientist working for Scorpius, volunteers to take the next flight into the wormhole. Having solved the correct phase progression for safe wormhole travel, she uses the opportunity to defect and flee. She finds Moya, (rather easily, but I suppose this is explained by the fact that Moya was apparently near the other end of the wormhole -- meaning Moya-John was right.) and offers a trade -- the key to the technology that would enable them to all go home, in exchange for Moya. Relgarians are peaceful, and use leviathans to explore deep space -- something Moya and Pilot have longed to do. This of course sets off a debate between the crewmembers as to what should be done next. It becomes a moot point, however, when it is revealed that Linfer's solution was only a temporary one, as she is slowly liquefying after all. She leaves in the prowler, and commits suicide. But not before dropping morale levels on Moya to all-time lows...
Up til now, whenever they're not fighting for their lives, we've tended to think of life on Moya as a relatively good one for the crew. (I know I've found myself wishing I was there...but perhaps that's more related to my mundane existence here on Earth...but I digress...) After this episode, it's quite clear that they are not at all a happy little family. For perhaps the first time since "DNA Mad Scientist", we are strongly reminded of the fact that they all just want to go home. Even if it means never seeing each other again. Everybody thinks John is obsessive about wormholes. D'Argo even implies that he's responsible for Zhaan's death. And speaking of D'Argo, he and Chiana have seemingly drifted light-years apart. And Jool -- well, nobody seems to really care about Jool. Sad, but true. The real shocker, or perhaps not -- is that even Moya and Pilot would just assume ditch the bickering, troublesome crew to explore deep space. The future actually looks pretty dim for Moya's crew, as Crichton inquires why they're "fighting for the right to stay cooped up together." And when he asks D'Argo if he thinks they've "been on this boat way too long", D'Argo says that he thinks about it "constantly."
So where will it all lead? Well, if I've learned anything by now, it's that trying to guess is futile. Farscape is the most unpredictable sci fi show I've ever seen, and I just hope it continues to surprise and impress.
Oh yeah, did anybody think Nurse Froy was really hot?
Episode Rating: 9 out of 10
- your resident Farscape guru, Ultra Magnus
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