Our Deconstructing Moya post on this episode from 2010 http://farscape.madeoffail.net/episodes/episode-1-01-premiere/
Fresh viewing: Still have some of the same issues. The characters are generic, the exposition is clunky, the music is inconsistent. But again, it's very much in line with typical tv pilots where they probably had studio notes and audience consideration to deal with, so kept things simple to ease the sell. And sell they do, as it's already a strikingly designed series, that gets its spin on Flash Gordon off and rolling, already sets up quite a varied and gorgeously realized world. In just one episode, we get Earth, the space battle, Moya, the Peacekeeprs, the alien planet. Entire arcs of allegiances play out and evolve. Even at the extended running time of 50m, it packs a lot in. While it hasn't fully played its hand at what this series will be - and how could they since from what I hear, they were often playing by ear and constantly re-inventing themselves along the way - the core of the story is there in the form of John and Aeryn. He's the hunky but lunky guy who defies tropes by always fumbling his cool, and instead of saving the day through action, as he doesn't even know how to hold these guns very well, he's going to do it with his brains and math. And Aeryn is the dedicated soldier suddenly faced with the harsh reality that the petty government she serves is ready and able to flip on her in an instant, who has no choice but to suddenly take up with the very escaped cons she was just going toe to toe with. Really, Ben Browder and Claudia Black continue to be amazing, they're instantly iconic right from the start, and why they didn't carry on to massive stardom is still something that boggles me.
Rygel is also his gloriously Rygel self. Zhaan, D'Argo, and Crais are well played, but still pretty by-the-numbers characters, and it's interesting seeing them set up angles which won't actually come to define them very much once the writers actually start digging in.
Review by noelctBlockedParent2022-03-18T03:59:57Z
Our Deconstructing Moya post on this episode from 2010
http://farscape.madeoffail.net/episodes/episode-1-01-premiere/
Fresh viewing: Still have some of the same issues. The characters are generic, the exposition is clunky, the music is inconsistent. But again, it's very much in line with typical tv pilots where they probably had studio notes and audience consideration to deal with, so kept things simple to ease the sell. And sell they do, as it's already a strikingly designed series, that gets its spin on Flash Gordon off and rolling, already sets up quite a varied and gorgeously realized world. In just one episode, we get Earth, the space battle, Moya, the Peacekeeprs, the alien planet. Entire arcs of allegiances play out and evolve. Even at the extended running time of 50m, it packs a lot in. While it hasn't fully played its hand at what this series will be - and how could they since from what I hear, they were often playing by ear and constantly re-inventing themselves along the way - the core of the story is there in the form of John and Aeryn. He's the hunky but lunky guy who defies tropes by always fumbling his cool, and instead of saving the day through action, as he doesn't even know how to hold these guns very well, he's going to do it with his brains and math. And Aeryn is the dedicated soldier suddenly faced with the harsh reality that the petty government she serves is ready and able to flip on her in an instant, who has no choice but to suddenly take up with the very escaped cons she was just going toe to toe with. Really, Ben Browder and Claudia Black continue to be amazing, they're instantly iconic right from the start, and why they didn't carry on to massive stardom is still something that boggles me.
Rygel is also his gloriously Rygel self. Zhaan, D'Argo, and Crais are well played, but still pretty by-the-numbers characters, and it's interesting seeing them set up angles which won't actually come to define them very much once the writers actually start digging in.