I bought Serenity and BSG 2.0 yesterday. There's some cross-promotional thing going on where I can get $10 back for buying both. (Also good if you buy season one of BSG with Serenity.)

x-post to Firefly

Oh man. Farscape.

So "A Bug's Life" was good. All right. Every sci-fi show needs an episode where people get possessed by something and everyone's suspicious of each other and you can do things without consequences. Unless you're Smallville, in which case you have three or four a season.

I'm rather enjoying the ability to watch this show mostly in a vacuum. I'm almost completely unspoiled except for, well, the death of a major character in The Peacekeeper Wars. And I don't have to deal with annoying fandom reactions. For instance, I wonder what the initial reaction to Chiana was. Because it seems weird to randomly introduce a new character to the team so late in the season. One thing I like, though, is that she's actually proving herself useful. She's got mad thievery skills. And she's hot.

I'm still not sure what to make of her, though. Her manner of speaking can be a little overdone and annoying, as can the very deliberately odd way she moves.

But back to the episode. The ending? Totally the kind of action-movie badassery I can get behind!! "Boom." Fucking sweet, Crichton.

And then...and then..."Nerve." Holy crap! Finally, the show is becoming as awesome as I had been led to believe! Continuity so up the ass it's frothing at the mouth.

First of all, the direct consequences of the previous episode drive the plot of this one. Sweet.

When Aeryn mentioned that she needed a genetic match, I thought it'd be amusing if the match was Gilina. I knew we'd see her again from Consuela's reaction before, and I thought I recognized the actress's name in the credits.

The ident card! Whose purpose I was so confused about at the end of "A Bug's Life"! A plot point in one episode was actually set up in the previous episode! I love that shit!

Another note: they finally got a director whose little tricks actually worked. I haven't been mentioning it, but the use of slo-mo on this show blows. But from the opening scene, with the quick cuts to close-ups of Aeryn's boxing fists, I knew this guy was trying to be cool in a good way. And I really liked the fast swooshy dissolves; it really added to the tension.

There you are, Gilina! All hacking into everything and saving the day. Aw. And getting Aeryn her nerve, how nice of you. Also, dudes: it's a pipette! Just like in the last episode, they're using fucking pipettes! It's real lab equipment! I've used those things! I mean, actual pipettes don't act like syringes, but that's obviously what the props are designed around!

The Aurora Chair! Memories! Clips from the whole season. And despite being Crichton's memories, they're actually...clips from the show, shown from the camera's perspective. Which is a necessary device, I know. And whooooa, the Ancients gave him subconscious wormhole technology?! That episode is suddenly three times better!

I love that the relationship between D'Argo and Aeryn is built almost entirely on the fact that they're both "warriors." And yet you have to assume there's the subtext of his being married to a Peacekeeper.

Moya! Now is NOT A GOOD TIME TO BE HAVING CONTRACTIONS.

To be continued!!

And I just watched "The Hidden Memory." Scorpius is great. Anyone who puts Crais in the Aurora Chair is fine by me. I'm not sure if he's supposed to be Sebacean, though. I like that they now have a villain more formidable than Crais, who becomes less and less menacing the more we see of him. I mean, he's got daddy issues. You can't be afraid of a guy with daddy issues.

Aaaand Gilina is cute but a wee bit annoying. Some friends of mine dubbed her PK Anders, and now I know why. Come on, girl. You spent a few hours with Crichton and had a hot makeout session. You are not in love with him. Geez. And your daring escape is no time for you to discuss whether he wants you or not. You were a sweet, deluded girl, and I'm sorry you had to die an inevitable death. Poor PK Dead Girl.

Moya has a boy! And...I have no idea how this works, or how it's going to work. Will they get to ride (continued...)

( continues...) around in him? Is he going to protect them with his crazy weapons? Or will he be a Peacekeeper ass and shoot them a lot when he gets hungry?

Oh: Aeryn kicks ass. Facing Crais the way she did and throwing in some gratuitous torture was awesome, and maybe now she'll stop complaining about not being able to go back to her precious Peacekeeper world.

I'm disappointed they didn't really follow up on the whole subconscious wormhole technology. I mean, I thought that was the whole point of the Chair, that they could pull that out of him. But I guess they kept focusing on whatever he was blocking because they assumed it was that. I do hope they come back to it. What I love about this whole plotline is it's so connected to the beginning. The story feels organic and natural and Crichton-specific. Things happen because of what happened before.

Almost done with the first season, and the second season is primed and ready to go. I'm all excited to see what happens next.

(People who will seek Crichton out and kill him, so far: Crais, Durka, Scorpius...)

I'm disappointed they didn't really follow up on the whole subconscious wormhole technology.

Heee. Oh, they will, fear not.

I gotta go home, so more comments later, but it's Gilina, actually, not Jolena. Glad you're having fun!

Heee. Oh, they will, fear not.

Oh, I don't doubt it.

I gotta go home, so more comments later, but it's Gilina, actually, not Jolena.

Thanks. I couldn't remember how it was spelled. And I await your further comments!

Man! I just realized Dad and I missed a disc. We haven't seen Through the Looking Glass and A Bug's life.

I guess we can finish watching Hidden Memory and go back.

PC it's so cool to see your reactions!

One of the things I've always liked about "A Bug's Life" is the way Crichton's first kill (2 kills, actually) is embedded in it, and they don't stop and talk about it, it's just there, and they keep going. Oh, and he puts the leathers on--and they never come off. Also, the way a couple of relatively small plot points -- Larraq's ID chip and Aeryn's injury -- become drivers for almost the entire remainder of the series.

I wonder what the initial reaction to Chiana was

Nutty would know better than me, but apparently she wasn't well received at first. She quickly became very popular, though. Some meta commentary on Gigi: the directors for the first dozen or so of her episodes never agreed on how she was supposed to speak or move, so her accent moves across the Pacific and then back a couple of times. Early in the 2nd season it settles down, though. I really do love Chiana, and Gigi's amazing at bringing her to life. One of the best elements of the show is the relationships between the characters, and I love the way Chiana and John work together.

Continuity so up the ass it's frothing at the mouth.

Bwah! And, ew. And yes: Farscape is the anti-Trek, and they remember everything. Throwaway lines will be revisited two seasons later.

I knew we'd see her again from Consuela's reaction before, and I thought I recognized the actress's name in the credits.

Ooops. Sorry I spoiled you.

shown from the camera's perspective. Which is a necessary device, I know.

Yeah, that's one of those things you can either try to fanwank to death, like the translator microbes, or just accept.

I love that the relationship between D'Argo and Aeryn is built almost entirely on the fact that they're both "warriors." And yet you have to assume there's the subtext of his being married to a Peacekeeper.

Well, technically, he married a Sebacean: LoLaan wasn't a soldier. One thing to keep in mind about Aeryn is the xenophobia she's been inculcated in for her entire life. So the fact that she is willing to work with D'Argo, much less treat him as an equal, is quite the progress.

Scorpius is great. Anyone who puts Crais in the Aurora Chair is fine by me. I'm not sure if he's supposed to be Sebacean, though.

It's not a huge spoiler to say that he's only part Sebacean: the other half of his heritage is a species you haven't met yet. This results in some complex biological issues, and the suit he wears is designed to deal with that. Given the Sebacean xenophobia, it's clear that Scorpius has to offer an awful lot to them in order to be accepted even in the limited way he is.

The story feels organic and natural and Crichton-specific. Things happen because of what happened before.

And this is why Farscape is My Show. Crichton isn't a guy with a Destiny or anything: he just got lucky. Or unlucky, depending on your point of view. And the other people he's with don't all get along, and they have conflicting agendas, and they don't do the right thing all the time, and they let their anger get away with them, and they steal things, and blow shit up. Also, Aeryn is pretty much in the same spot as he is: this isn't where she wanted to be, this isn't what she wants--but she's learning that she can handle it as well. The emotional and psychological characterization makes sense, even if the plots are handwavy and the science is insane.

One of the things I've always liked about "A Bug's Life" is the way Crichton's first kill (2 kills, actually) is embedded in it, and they don't stop and talk about it, it's just there, and they keep going.

Oh yeah, I meant to mention that! The fact that Crichton kind of, you know, killed someone.

Also, the way a couple of relatively small plot points -- Larraq's ID chip and Aeryn's injury -- become drivers for almost the entire remainder of the series.

Hmm.

One of the best elements of the show is the relationships between the characters

Yeah, definitely.

And yes: Farscape is the anti-Trek, and they remember everything. Throwaway lines will be revisited two seasons later.

Duuuude.

Ooops. Sorry I spoiled you.

It's okay. It was more of a confirmation after her, "MAYBE WE'LL MEET AGAIN!!!"

I'm loving reading about a new Farscape love. I was pretty much watching it in a vacuum for the first two seasons.

One thing I loved about it was the fact that Crichton started out, all Star Trekkie let's talk about this and ended up all blow every motherfucker away. And his plans are always shambolic.

I'm disappointed they didn't really follow up on the whole subconscious wormhole technology.

You'll find out why this is funny.

I'm jealous you have so much to look forward to!

I'm loving reading about a new Farscape love.

This. I'd forgotten how much fun it can be seeing someone watching a show you love for the first time and getting that newbie rush. Which reminds me, I've been meaning to get over to the Nilly Firefly site and re-read her essays...

I'm jealous you have so much to look forward to!

There is this too.

You'll find out why this is funny.

Soooo funny.