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Farscape Season 1, Vol. 3 - Back and Back and Back to the Future/Thank God It's Friday, Again

Farscape Season 1, Vol. 3 - Back and Back and Back to the Future/Thank God It's Friday, Again

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two Good Episodes
Review: "Back and Back and Back to the Future" is an episode where Crichton is able to experience the future, then return back to the present when things go wrong (like he gets killed). As he corrects certain things, he is able to move forward in the present. The story of this episode has been seen before, but it is enjoyable all the same.

The second episode here is "Thank God It's Friday, Again". This episode takes place on a planet where every day is a work day, every night is a huge party with the promise that tomorrow is a rest day. However, when tomorrow becomes today, the cycle is repeated. The people are slaves to a plant which they cultivate. The plant works like a narcotic on most of the people. Some are able to resist and others with the help of a worm implanted in them can resist as well. Crichton is given such a worm and soon learns the secret of the plant and this planet. The plant is used by the Peacekeepers as it fuels their energy weapons and the planet is a giant storage facility for them.

If you've never seen Farscape, this is a well-written show and worth watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two Good Episodes
Review: "Back and Back and Back to the Future" is an episode where Crichton is able to experience the future, then return back to the present when things go wrong (like he gets killed). As he corrects certain things, he is able to move forward in the present. The story of this episode has been seen before, but it is enjoyable all the same.

The second episode here is "Thank God It's Friday, Again". This episode takes place on a planet where every day is a work day, every night is a huge party with the promise that tomorrow is a rest day. However, when tomorrow becomes today, the cycle is repeated. The people are slaves to a plant which they cultivate. The plant works like a narcotic on most of the people. Some are able to resist and others with the help of a worm implanted in them can resist as well. Crichton is given such a worm and soon learns the secret of the plant and this planet. The plant is used by the Peacekeepers as it fuels their energy weapons and the planet is a giant storage facility for them.

If you've never seen Farscape, this is a well-written show and worth watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: D'Argo's Time To Shine
Review: After finding himself [pulled through] through a wormhole and thrust into the depths of space that neither he nor any human before him had envisioned, Astronaut John Crichton finds himself confronted with Worlds beyond comprehension. In what seems like mere moments he finds himself aboard a living vessel named Moya with a group of escaped convicts trying desperately to outrun a race called the Peacekeepers and their leader whose brother Crichton accidentally caused to perish. In order to escape these forces, the crew of Moya are forced to head into the Uncharted Territories, knowing that they will be followed but that at least the pull of the Peacekeepers isn't a strong as it is elsewhere. Yes, space isn't what it seems.

In these two episodes from the first season, we find D'Argo, a creature from a warrior race with tendrils sprouting from both the top of his head and his chin, as our focal point.
In the first piece, "Back and Back and Back to the Future," the crew of Moya decide to rescue a couple of aliens from their ship that seems to be disintegrating. One of those on board, a female, seems to have some strange allure over both Crichton and D'Argo, putting D'Argo at odds with the human and jealous of what the other members of the crew think. Added to this is the fact that Crichton starts to have flashes of the future, and it seems that this future contains elements that don't seem to lead anywhere but demise.

To me, this episode was a worthwhile one that had some hidden portions within the plot and that played with the mind of the ever-maddening human as he tries to cope with the oddities of space. Its also interesting to see how he thinks he can change things like so many others would only to see that lead to an even worse fate over and over again, making him wonder if he's simply going mad, if things can be changed if he's not, and why he had to end up with such an unwelcome gift in the first place.

In the next episode, "Thank God Its Friday - Again," D'Argo finds himself possessed by something called Hyper Rage, making him aggressive toward any male he sees as a challenge to him, and Crichton finds himself hiding for three days until, at last, D'Argo decides to leave Moya and head for the planet Sykar. When the crew decides to go in search of him, they find him at peace within himself and the society he's found there, happy with the lifestyle of hard work and partying that this allows. Other problems soon begin to manifest as Rygel's bodily fluids become explosive for some reason and Zhaan seems to be overcome by whatever is influencing D'Argo.

This is also an episode I found rather enjoyable because a few things happen here that explain the ways that some societies fuel other ones, and the way that oppression can be elation depending on how its presented. It also places Crichton in some precarious situations when it comes to staying alive, and shows the duality of some of the crew and the bonds that begin to form between some of them; even the ex-Peacekeeper and the Pilot that once despised all their kind.

For anyone that hasn't looked into Farscape yet, I would suggest going back to the Premiere DVD, watching it, and allowing yourself be hooked by the storyline and the characters being developed therein. The dialogue is of the greatest of qualities and only gets better as the show progresses, the individuals that are chasing and the people fleeing are all interesting and the events of today create the rippling effects of tomorrow, plus there is a point to everything taking place. The creative team that developed it should be commended and recommended highly, at least in this viewer's book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wild Ride!
Review: Back & Back & Back to The Future-Moya rescues two Ilanic scientists from their disintegrating space craft, but their transport pod exposes Crichton to a mysterious force that jolts him back & forth in time.One of the pair the sensuous Matala, sets out to seduce & divert D'Argo. But Crichton realizes that his moments in the future have allowed him to glimpse what Matala is really like, & he tries to change his Actions in the present to avert a potential disaster. An episode worth seeing.Thank God It's Friday...Again-During an excursion to the planet Sykar, D'Argo finds a new life, Harvesting Tannot root just like the other drone inhabitants of the planet.The rest of the crew try to convince D'Argo to return to the ship. After all he is a wanted fugitive by the peacekeepers,Rygel ingests large quantities of Tannot, & he soon discovers an unwanted side effect...Meanwhile, Crichton works hard to free both D'Argo & Zhann from the effect of the root before the pretty Sykarian leader enslaves them all & takes over the ship....Great stories & Great effects. I enjoyed Thank God It's Friday....Again. It reminds me about the many religous cults in our own backyard. You'll also enjoy the video profile of Zhaan.A worthy effort. So Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wild Ride!
Review: Back & Back & Back to The Future-Moya rescues two Ilanic scientists from their disintegrating space craft, but their transport pod exposes Crichton to a mysterious force that jolts him back & forth in time.One of the pair the sensuous Matala, sets out to seduce & divert D'Argo. But Crichton realizes that his moments in the future have allowed him to glimpse what Matala is really like, & he tries to change his Actions in the present to avert a potential disaster. An episode worth seeing.Thank God It's Friday...Again-During an excursion to the planet Sykar, D'Argo finds a new life, Harvesting Tannot root just like the other drone inhabitants of the planet.The rest of the crew try to convince D'Argo to return to the ship. After all he is a wanted fugitive by the peacekeepers,Rygel ingests large quantities of Tannot, & he soon discovers an unwanted side effect...Meanwhile, Crichton works hard to free both D'Argo & Zhann from the effect of the root before the pretty Sykarian leader enslaves them all & takes over the ship....Great stories & Great effects. I enjoyed Thank God It's Friday....Again. It reminds me about the many religous cults in our own backyard. You'll also enjoy the video profile of Zhaan.A worthy effort. So Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two more great Farscape episodes!
Review: Back and Back and Back to the Future is one of the best early Farscape episodes. Crichton, due to a temporal fluke, is getting "flashforewards," which allow him experience the future, and it isn't pretty. Two visitors split the crew's loyalties, and of course have hidden agendas. In a future flash, Crichton sees what's going on, and tries to stop it, getting killed in the process! Luckily, he gets another shot or two in the present (and future) :-). Excellent Episode.

Thank God It's Friday, Again puts the crew on a planet where everybody's happy all the time, and they're coming to take me away ha ha! The planet's inhabitants are forced to farm (and eat) a strange plant with druggy qualities (although they do get to party on Fridays.) Nobody wants to leave this happy happy place, but somebody had better do something before they think happy happy thoughts forever! (And did I mention there's a conspiracy involved?...) Overall, a decent episode. Obviously, DVD is the ultimate way to watch Farscape. The effects and quality are incredible! Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two more great Farscape episodes!
Review: Back and Back and Back to the Future is one of the best early Farscape episodes. Crichton, due to a temporal fluke, is getting "flashforewards," which allow him experience the future, and it isn't pretty. Two visitors split the crew's loyalties, and of course have hidden agendas. In a future flash, Crichton sees what's going on, and tries to stop it, getting killed in the process! Luckily, he gets another shot or two in the present (and future) :-). Excellent Episode.

Thank God It's Friday, Again puts the crew on a planet where everybody's happy all the time, and they're coming to take me away ha ha! The planet's inhabitants are forced to farm (and eat) a strange plant with druggy qualities (although they do get to party on Fridays.) Nobody wants to leave this happy happy place, but somebody had better do something before they think happy happy thoughts forever! (And did I mention there's a conspiracy involved?...) Overall, a decent episode. Obviously, DVD is the ultimate way to watch Farscape. The effects and quality are incredible! Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Farscape DVDs Continue Solid Run
Review: For those who are fans of the FARSCAPE series, the release of the DVDs is a blessing of its own, even if my one complaint about them is that their release is very, very slow. However, the quality of the DVDs continues to be very high, and this more than makes up for the slowness of the release schedule.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" offers an episode in which the arrival of scientist Verell and his assistant, Matala, on Moya brings with it an intriguing mystery as Crichton suffers from 'time flashes' that lead to worse and worse results every time he changes the future. The story has an unusual, FARSCAPE twist to time travel, and the strength of the episode lies in the developing relationships between the various characters. The extra footage found in this episode sheds some light on a few things, and goes to show what North American television commercials deem as footage not worthy of airing, yet it has some importance to the episode. A commentary version of the episode by Ben Browder and director Rowan Woods makes for intereresting viewing, and sheds a lot of light on how episodic television is made.

The second episode, "Thank God It's Friday, Again", is one in which our heroes travel down to the planet Sykar to find D'Argo, who left the ship in a Luxan hyper rage some three days prior. What they find is a planet strangely at peace, D'Argo not wanting to return to Moya but happy to be harvesting tannot root from the ground, and a culture that seems to be living in a drug-induced blissfulness. Add to that Rygel's body fluids becoming explosive, and the story takes some interesting twists, with the neat revelation towards the end. This is a fine episode, that shows a softer side to at least three of the characters (D'Argo, Zhaan, and Aeryn), and has some interesting aspects of morality to it. The extra footage in this one has some good scenes but there's nothing here that makes this episode worth the wait for the DVD. On the other hand, the commentary version with Rockne S. O'Bannon and Anthony Simcoe is a delight to watch, and sheds a good deal of light into the thinking that went into the story and into some of the aspects of how Anth chose to play D'Argo in this episode and some of the other acting aspects of the story. Well worth the price of the DVD.

This DVD is a bit more of a mixed bag, but when one adds the profile on Zhaan and Virginia Hey (who is never seen out of makeup in the Profile section), it's a worthwhile addition to the collection of FARSCAPE DVDs to this point.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Farscape DVDs Continue Solid Run
Review: For those who are fans of the FARSCAPE series, the release of the DVDs is a blessing of its own, even if my one complaint about them is that their release is very, very slow. However, the quality of the DVDs continues to be very high, and this more than makes up for the slowness of the release schedule.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" offers an episode in which the arrival of scientist Verell and his assistant, Matala, on Moya brings with it an intriguing mystery as Crichton suffers from 'time flashes' that lead to worse and worse results every time he changes the future. The story has an unusual, FARSCAPE twist to time travel, and the strength of the episode lies in the developing relationships between the various characters. The extra footage found in this episode sheds some light on a few things, and goes to show what North American television commercials deem as footage not worthy of airing, yet it has some importance to the episode. A commentary version of the episode by Ben Browder and director Rowan Woods makes for intereresting viewing, and sheds a lot of light on how episodic television is made.

The second episode, "Thank God It's Friday, Again", is one in which our heroes travel down to the planet Sykar to find D'Argo, who left the ship in a Luxan hyper rage some three days prior. What they find is a planet strangely at peace, D'Argo not wanting to return to Moya but happy to be harvesting tannot root from the ground, and a culture that seems to be living in a drug-induced blissfulness. Add to that Rygel's body fluids becoming explosive, and the story takes some interesting twists, with the neat revelation towards the end. This is a fine episode, that shows a softer side to at least three of the characters (D'Argo, Zhaan, and Aeryn), and has some interesting aspects of morality to it. The extra footage in this one has some good scenes but there's nothing here that makes this episode worth the wait for the DVD. On the other hand, the commentary version with Rockne S. O'Bannon and Anthony Simcoe is a delight to watch, and sheds a good deal of light into the thinking that went into the story and into some of the aspects of how Anth chose to play D'Argo in this episode and some of the other acting aspects of the story. Well worth the price of the DVD.

This DVD is a bit more of a mixed bag, but when one adds the profile on Zhaan and Virginia Hey (who is never seen out of makeup in the Profile section), it's a worthwhile addition to the collection of FARSCAPE DVDs to this point.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Crichton saves the day not once, but twice
Review: I am a "Farscape" neophyte working their way through Season 1 and it seems clear to me that Volume 3 is where this science fiction series starts clicking as the characters start to emerge with some complexity and the stories fit this point in the saga. The common denominator here is that human John Crichton (Ben Browder) gets to save the day to the relief, if not the surprise, of his new crewmates.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" is, as the title suggests, a time travel tale in which Crichton becomes unstuck in time. The fun here is decoding when Crichton has flashed forward and when he is back in the present, and, of course, his attempts to convince the others that he is telling the truth and not gone insane. This is the best episode of the series so far, not only because there it is well thought out but also because there are some key moments regarding character interaction and revelation.

"Thank God It's Friday..Again" is too reminiscent of the "Star Trek" episode where Spock gets pollinated and is happy for a while to really be a standout episode. However, there is a standout performance by a guest star as the leader of the shiny happy people. Once again, the best parts of the episode have to do with the character interaction, particularly between Aeryn (Claudia Black) and Rygel (Jonathan Hardy) as well as Zhaan (Virginia Hey) and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe).

One of the things that is most commendable about "Farscape" is that these DVDs are extremely fan friendly. All of the episodes (so far) offer commentary tracks by a rotating pair of cast and crewmembers. This time around it is actor Browder and director Rowan Woods on "Back and Back and Back to the Future" and actor Simcoe and series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon on "Thank God It's Friday...Again." Having the tag team commentary works well and the talk is usually about the series and the characters overall as well as the individual characters.

There is also a video profile of a "Farscape" character on each disc and this time around it is the turn of Virginia Hey and Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, the most fascinating alien of the current media generation. Then there is the fact that there is deleted footage that was not broadcast in North America, which is meaningless to me because I do not know what it was I did not see the first time around when I did not see it in the first place.


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