Farscape returns to an old fashioned bottle episode when Moya gets caught up in a deadly space plant. It smells like onion and it won't stop growing even as drama over Aeryn's baby unfolds within.
Season Four, Episode Six: Natural Election
And the title seemingly refers to a request from Pilot (Lani Tupu) at the end of the previous episode, that the crew finally pick a captain. Before the final election, they decide each person should serve temporarily, and we join our heroes while Dominar Rygel (Jonathan Hardy) is having his turn.
As a former ruler, you'd think he'd be a natural, but the poor little guy beats himself up when things go wrong on his watch. It really has been a long time since he had legions doing his bidding, I guess.
What goes wrong is a plant, one that seems to be getting bigger and finding new ways of clogging Moya's works. This doesn't stop chatter about pregnancy, though, and Aeryn (Claudia Black) makes the unwise decision to confide in Chiana (Gigi Edgley). The latter seems to think nothing of immediately telling D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) but she does seem a bit upset when the news spreads.
The news is that Aeryn isn't sure the father is John Crichton (Ben Browder), be it the current resident of Moya or the deceased twin from last season. There's an interesting bit of info about Sebacean biology, that Aeryn's body could have kept a conception in stasis since well before she met Crichton. Nonetheless, I found the drama about whether Crichton's the father a bit disappointingly typical compared to the usual, weirder Farscape fare. I also dislike Aeryn casually throwing away the tension about the Crichton copies by saying there's no longer any distinction in her mind between the two men. The plant plot therefore is much more interesting. I liked how it's Scorpius' (Wayne Pygram) coolant rods that save the day.
This isn't the best episode of the series, though it's not terribly bad. Maybe the best part to me is Sikozu (Raelee Hill) showing increasing eagerness to help Scorpius. I like how the show uses this to help distinguish her from Jool. And anyway, they'd make a cute couple.
. . .
Farscape is available now on Amazon Prime.
This entry is part of a series I'm writing on Farscape for the show's 20th anniversary. My previous reviews can be found here (episodes are in the order intended by the show's creators rather than the broadcast order):
Season One:
Episode 1: Pilot
Episode 2: I, E.T.
Episode 3: Exodus from Genesis
Episode 4: Throne for a Loss
Episode 5: Back and Back and Back to the Future
Episode 6: Thank God It's Friday Again
Episode 7: PK Tech Girl
Episode 8: That Old Black Magic
Episode 9: DNA Mad Scientist
Episode 10: They've Got a Secret
Episode 11: Till the Blood Runs Clear
Episode 12: Rhapsody in Blue
Episode 13: The Flax
Episode 14: Jeremiah Crichton
Episode 15: Durka Returns
Episode 16: A Human Reaction
Episode 17: Through the Looking Glass
Episode 18: A Bug's Life
Episode 19: Nerve
Episode 20: The Hidden Memory
Episode 21: Bone to be Wild
Episode 22: Family Ties
Season Two:
Episode 1: Mind the Baby
Episode 2: Vitas Mortis
Episode 3: Taking the Stone
Episode 4: Crackers Don't Matter
Episode 5: Picture If You Will
Episode 6: The Way We Weren't
Episode 7: Home on the Remains
Episode 8: Dream a Little Dream
Episode 9: Out of Their Minds
Episode 10: My Three Crichtons
Episode 11: Look at the Princess, Part I: A Kiss is But a Kiss
Episode 12: Look at the Princess, Part II: I Do, I Think
Episode 13: Look at the Princess, Part III: The Maltese Crichton
Episode 14: Beware of Dog
Episode 15: Won't Get Fooled Again
Episode 16: The Locket
Episode 17: The Ugly Truth
Episode 18: A Clockwork Nebari
Episode 19: Liars, Guns, and Money, Part I: A Not So Simple Plan
Episode 20: Liars, Guns, and Money, Part II: With Friends Like These . . .
Episode 21: Liars, Guns, and Money, Part III: Plan B
Episode 22: Die Me, Dichotomy
Season Three:
Episode 1: Season of Death
Episode 2: Suns and Lovers
Episode 3: Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part I: Would'a, Could'a, Should'a
Episode 4: Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part II: Wait for the Wheel
Episode 5: . . . Different Destinations
Episode 6: Eat Me
Episode 7: Thanks for Sharing
Episode 8: Green Eyed Monster
Episode 9: Losing Time
Episode 10: Relativity
Episode 11: Incubator
Episode 12: Meltdown
Episode 13: Scratch 'n Sniff
Episode 14: Infinite Possibilities, Part I: Daedalus Demands
Episode 15: Infinite Possibilities, Part II: Icarus Abides
Episode 16: Revenging Angel
Episode 17: The Choice
Episode 18: Fractures
Episode 19: I-Yensch, You-Yensch
Episode 20: Into the Lion's Den, Part I: Lambs to the Slaughter
Episode 21: Into the Lion's Den, Part II: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Episode 22: A Dog with Two Bones
Season Four
Episode 1: Crichton Kicks
Episode 2: What was Lost, Part I: Sacrifice
Episode 3: What was Lost, Part II: Resurrection
Episode 4: Lava's a Many Splendoured Thing
Episode 5: Promises
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