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#Post#: 14927--------------------------------------------------
Farscape
By: Neumatic Date: December 21, 2012, 8:58 pm
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HTML http://download-watch-farscape.edogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Farscape.jpg
Well, having finally watched the last remaining episodes and
finishing the three-hour capper miniseries "The Peacekeeper
Wars," I'm proud to say I finally finished the entire series.
Incredible.
The show was on Sci-Fi channel in the early 2000s (maybe 1999),
shot in Australia and co-produced by the Jim Henson Company, and
it's a sort-of update on Blake's Seven, centering around an
unlucky astronaut named John Crichton who falls through a
wormhole and comes out the other side in the middle of an
intergalactic prison escape. He finds himself aligned with a
ragtag group of fugitives escaping the facist Peackeepers in a
living leviathan spaceship called Moya.
Oh, and because it was Jim Henson Co, the aliens looked like
THIS
HTML http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/farscape/images/farscape_r1_c1.jpg
HTML http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/13700000/staleek-farscape-13719268-300-288.jpg
HTML http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070219193260/farscape/images/0/0c/Plonek1.jpg
HTML http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070306210009/farscape/images/f/fe/Ullom.jpg
HTML http://www.mudpusher.com/images/kabaa.jpg
And the draw was that they designed a new alien in just about
every episode, so they just went NUTS and, especially in the
first few seasons, the variety was astounding. Not only did no
other TV show look like it, no other movie looked like it... and
to be quite honest, outside of the Hellboy (Heckboy?) movies, I
don't really know of any SF/fantasy with this look to it. Which
is a darn rare thing.
And this is the true big bad of the series, Scorpius, a
half-Scarran half-Sebaccean Peacekeeper with dingy metal rods in
his head who's hunting Crichton to steal wormhole secrets out of
his bed.
HTML http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070124133910/farscape/images/3/35/Scorpius250.jpg
And beating Battlestar Galactica to the punch, there's a second
Scorpius called Harvey inside Crichton's brain who's got a
wicked sense of humour.
HTML http://www.rumramruf.com/tormentedspace/images/harvey_rabbit.jpg
HTML http://www.yourprops.com/movieprops/original/4e08a158c3dd6/Scorpius-and-Harvey-Costume-and.jpg
HTML http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dani.moure/promo/peacekeeperwar/pkwproep/pkwproep-017.jpg
Harvey is slowly driving Crichton insane, but honestly he was
well on the way beforehand, his brain just can't cope with
what's happening. Which works well for Ben Browder's brow and
the fact he plays crazy and agitated very well... and very
loudly. There's one season opener where he's on another
leviathan, an older dying one, and he's got a long bushman beard
and loudly singing the 1812 overture in the hallways with a
painted old DRD (these sort of bug/lice/robot things that fix
the ship).
I always thought that Rygel, being an actual hand-up-the-butt
puppet would be the first cast member to go (the cast does shift
around), yet he stays the whole time and is pretty darn
entertaining. I'm still waiting for him to have a cameo in one
of the muppet movies... he deserves it.
HTML http://www.allmystery.de/i/tXG9HYJ_farscape_rygel2.jpg
At the time, the only SF on TV was probably Star Trek, all clean
and shiny, this is dark, grungy, the characters pee and puke
(they puke a LOT), have surgery, open their heads up, it's not
graphic or gory... well, it kind of is, but it's real and
practical. And the sense of humour on the show is brilliant,
there's references everywhere and the episodes have titles like
"Eat Me" (about cannibals), "Out of Their Minds," and the
pregnancy trilogy is called "We're So Screwed."
And also unlike Star Trek, where the characters were guided by a
higher ideal and a mission and the thirst for knowledge (which I
do love), the Farscape characters are motivated by their basest
desires, need, desperation, and outlaw spirit. In a very early
episode they amputate Pilot's arm to sell to a scientist who
then stiffs them-- and never ask or apologize later, and I don't
think they learned anything from the experience. It's actually
rather shocking (and Pilot is my fave character in the show
probably, despite the fact he's a bug the size of a Volkswagon
Bug).
Something I love that the series does is not just manage to
imbue all these puppets with life, but also make you feel and
care for the Moya, despite it not emoting at all and only
communicating through Pilot ("Moya and I will not be part of
this," etc). It actually reminds me of how I felt for my old
dog Cosima, an old, sweet thing with a dead eye. There's a
particularly sad episode that I won't spoil, but the crew is
asked to kill another Leviathan and their first instinct (and
mine too) was "yes, of course, we love you so much we will do
that."
I'm sure you all have seen it, but if not, I had to throw in
something about it, I enjoyed it so darn much. It was a real
rebel of a show and I'm so glad Netflix put it up because the
DVDs were so darn expensive... ADV priced it like anime.
#Post#: 14929--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Chiprocks1 Date: December 21, 2012, 9:12 pm
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Heard of it, but never seen it. Is this series still on the air
or did it conclude a couple of years ago?
#Post#: 14930--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Neumatic Date: December 21, 2012, 9:15 pm
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Concluded a LONG time ago.
#Post#: 14931--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Chiprocks1 Date: December 21, 2012, 9:17 pm
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I kinda figured since I realized that I hadn't heard much of the
show in a while. Gonna move the thread to TV's Greatest Hits and
Misses
HTML http://pennycan.createaforum.com/tv's-greatest-hits-and-misses/<br
/>since it's out of production.
I intend to one day get around to checking out Farscape for
sure.
#Post#: 14933--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Neumatic Date: December 21, 2012, 9:25 pm
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Oh, definitely do. They're releasing the whole series on
Blu-Ray but since I'm sure it was edited on tape like every
other show in that day I have no idea what quality it'll
actually be in. Though I would so love more adventures in that
universe.
We were talking about the Stargate series, both Ben Browder and
Claudia Black from this show wound up as leads on that show...
almost by accident... and so in episode 200 one of the fantasy
sequences is Farscape, but with Browder playing crazy man Stark
instead of his own role, it was very cute but it makes no sense
unless you know the show. And even then...
Realizing now that I've only ever seen Browder play annoyed,
angry, or crazy... and he's not that guy in real life at all.
It's just what he brings to the screen (I am anxious to see what
he does with "Bad Kids Go To Hell.")
Oh, here are the DRDs... you can usually see one scuttling
around the floor or sometimes on a wall.
HTML http://[
HTML http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6efxmko471qi8asho1_500.jpg
#Post#: 14934--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Mac Date: December 22, 2012, 6:56 am
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I've heard of the show, but never saw it. Kinda wished I did
now. But as Chip knows I have a very hard time staying with
almost any show on a regular basis. I have to push hard to make
a point of watching when I comes on. Hell, I just finished
Walking Dead and American Horror Story last week.
The DVD series seems the way to go. Watching Archer series 1 & 2
as we speak. Zip right through them.
#Post#: 14935--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Mac Date: December 22, 2012, 6:58 am
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Ok, just found out my library has 4 seasons. Sound about right?
#Post#: 14936--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Chiprocks1 Date: December 22, 2012, 7:27 am
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[quote author=Mac link=topic=1592.msg14934#msg14934
date=1356181016]
Watching Archer series 1 & 2 as we speak. Zip right through
them.
[/quote]
I just put those on Hold at my Library this past week!!!!
#Post#: 14953--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Neumatic Date: December 22, 2012, 5:33 pm
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Don't know why I haven't watched Archer yet, even my sister
loves it and she's a hard sell on animation Plus it's got Jon
Benjamin who's awesome.
Yeah, Farscape has four seasons, and you do have to see them in
order for the show to make any sense.
#Post#: 14961--------------------------------------------------
Re: Farscape
By: Mac Date: December 22, 2012, 10:19 pm
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Will do... I'll take them in order.
Archer is the story, the characters, the quick witted jokes. The
animation is bold and unique... IMO.
Adult themes help it out as well ;D
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