Farscape: S04E17: A Constellation of Doubt
After missing the last episode and reading the review on the BBC site http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/farscape I was expecting a fast paced action packed fight for the main part of the show (at the end of the last episode Aren and Draza had been kidnapped by the Scarrens).
This episode was very calm but far more chilling than any fight sequence could be.
The beginning of the episode as well as the recap of the previous events showed pictures of each of the aliens that went down to earth, accompanied by their full names spoken by a man. We then got a zoom out to show the man introducing his show Alien Visitation.
John is shown watching the show from some sort of screen on board Moya. We hear Chiana talking about how he had been watching it since Pilot intercepted the transmission.
Most of the episode is spent watching the show but it is interrupted by talking between the characters about the show and Katrazi. John he is sure he heard someone aboard the ship mention it and we see Aren talking about it during an interview saying that it is a secret military base. (I’m pretty sure that she wouldn’t have actually said and its just Johns mind)
Sickosu is talking to Sacrens trying to find Katrazi (she gives up about half way into the episode but doesn’t tell John till near the end)
The basic set up of Alien Visitation is that John’s nephew (the one with a video camera in Kanzas) has given out the footage to prove that the Aliens are nice and friendly. The show then plays parts of the tape and gets people to talk about it. (And rip it to pieces in the most part) They talk to psychiatrists, Catholics, Buddhists, military personnel and John’s sister.
A lot of it is centered on Aren (her closeness to John and the fact human and peacekeepers seem so alike) and Chiana.
I think the writers are almost making a social commentary through the aliens. Almost all of the aliens say that the infighting between the countries will leave them vulnerable to an attack. There are also some striking comments by the aliens,
When asked about all the religions she has seen and if they fight between each other Naranti says “religions are theological beliefs the don’t fight, religious worshipers on the other hand” (I don’t think that quote is exact but you get the meaning)
Chiana is dancing with Bobby (John’s nephew) and asks if he likes sex, he tells her has never had it, she asks how old he is and he tells her 13. “Why haven’t you had it?” its illegal at 13, ” but what about those little girls, the clothes?” there just trying to be like the magazines and TV.
“But someone sold them the clothes. That means someone wants them to have sex.” this of course results in the catholic saying that SHE is a bad influence
Back on Moya Sikosu tells John that no one has heard of Katrazi and to give up. John goes spare; claiming she knows where it is and wont let her leave the room. He then gets a flashback to the Sikosu/ Stark Cross from unrealised reality saying the word Katrazi (the flashback is induced by a clip of Sikosu singing while holding a steel baking tray, at that camera angle it is covering half her face 🙂 )
John apologises, the next time we see him he is talking to Scorpius, he asks him for help and offers him wormholes for Aren. This I’m sure is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen Crichton do the scariest point in the show
As I said at the beginning I was expecting a completely different episode and this completely blindsided me, I thought it was an excellent episode but was let down by the complete lack of any sense of danger until the last 10 seconds of the show.
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