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Warning - major spoilers ahead - do not read if you have not yet seen this episode. Of course, if you're familiar with your Greek mythology, the writers already gave everything away…
Infinite Possibilites, Part 2: Icarus Abides
Season III, Episode XV
Directed by Ian Watson
Written by Carleton Eastlake
At some point in your youth, you no doubt heard the story of Daedalus and Icarus, the father and son who fled the city of Crete on wings of wax. Well, I guess you could say that in this case, it refers to Jack and John Crichton (Talyn John), who you might also say has been flying a little to close to the sun lately. (In hindsight, the otherwise mediocre Meltdown was a very sly bit of foreshadowing.)
Since day one in the uncharted territories, John's been trying to find a way back home. Way back in season one, Jack and the ancients embedded the necessary knowledge in his subconscious to get there. But since then, he's had a Scorpius clone residing in his psyche - at times completely taking over and controlling him, and nearly causing him to kill Aeryn Sun, the woman he came to love.
But things have been changing dramatically lately. First, between the events of Green Eyed Monster and Relativity, John won over Aeryn, completely this time, as they finally consummated their relationship. She's even hinted that she would like to go to Earth with him. And now, with Jack's help, John has flushed Harvey from his mind and simultaneously started to unlock the wormhole equations that everybody seems to be after these days.
Basically, if the writers were so inclined, or if they show's fan base were floundering, the saga could end here. John now possesses the ability to go home, and protect the Earth from anybody - Scarrans, PK's, whoever.
Needless to say, however, this is not the direction the series is taking. After Furlow double-crosses them and kills Jack, she steals the completed "displacement engine" that John completed, in an attempt to sell it to the Scarrans. John tracks her and forces a stand-off, but in the process accidentally opens the casing and engages the device. With the countdown initiated, Furlow flees and says, "Don't be a hero, John. Always be the one to walk away while the hero dies." As if we needed even more foreshadowing.
With the device emitting massive waves of radiation every few microts, John knows he has to time his move perfectly if he's to reseal the casing. Unfortunately, his timing is not perfect, and he gets blasted by a deadly amount. And the worst part is that he knows it. The look of frustration and exasperation on his face as he pounds his fists into sand conveyed so much - a man that was so close to having everything, but now has hours to live, at most.
Being the true hero that he is though, Crichton doesn't even tell Aeryn until he almost collapses later on. And with the Scarrans imminently close, it's time to put the doomsday weapon to use, and keep the technology out of their hands, and keep the ancients, and the galaxy safe.
Flying the module and creating a wormhole, Crichton does successfully destroy the dreadnought, and make it back to Talyn alive, but barely. Now mere minutes away from death, the crew take their turns
saying goodbye to him. Crais goes first, and it's obvious that over 2 ½ years, he has gone from hating John Crichton, to have much respect for him. He addresses him as "Commander", and assures him that he will look after the crew. Rygel also forces a laugh after John tells him that he may not have his things, and then tells him that it will be hard to not think about him. Stark and John also share a great nonverbal exchange as he eases John's suffering in his final moments. And of course,
it's after everybody besides Aeryn leaves the room that the really emotional stuff happens.
Aeryn Sun, a Peacekeeper commando all her life, taught not to love, who had her world turned upside down by this "strange human" and now, just after she's given her heart to him, and told him that she would most definitely follow him to Earth, loses him. If there was ever better acting on Farscape, I must've missed it, because Ben Browder and Claudia Black here are simply superb. You know, I thought Titanic was kinda sad. This really upset me. I mean, think back to exactly a year ago - John and Aeryn finally had that breakthrough at the end of the Look at the Princess three-parter…and now it ends like this.
Thankfully, it's never even addressed that there is still a John Crichton on Moya, because that would have totally drained the emotion out of the scene. As it is, Aeryn's sense of loss is extremely tangible, as she climbs underneath the covers and just holds him, crying, after he dies.
Yes, Farscape and the "Season of Death" will march on, and yes, there still is an "equal and original" Crichton on the loose. But that doesn't make this one's death any less legitimate, or devastating. Some of John's final words were "I'm proud of my life," that he loved Aeryn, and with her at his side, he's "never felt better."
John Crichton died a hero.
Episode Rating: 10 out of 10
-- Ultra Magnus
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