Farscape — 4x02 — What Was Lost Part I: Sacrifice
Synopsis
Crichton, Chiana and Rygel are reunited with D'Argo and Jool at an archaeological site run by Jool's people, the Interions. The purpose of the dig is to find a missing probe that might reverse the planet's dangerous atmospheric conditions. Peacekeepers led by Grayza land and capture the crew, and Crichton finds himself unable to fight back, mysteriously compelled to do Grayza's bidding.
Filler rating: not filler
Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.
Remarkable scenes
- Alien to John: "Peacekeeper, drop your weapon." John: "That's a common mistake. I'm not a Peacekeeper."
- John stumbling on D'Argo, Jool, and the old woman.
- Grayza torturing Scorpius.
- Grayza manipulating Braca with some kind of pheromones.
- The old woman drugging Crichton again.
- D'Argo confronting Jool and asking her what she thinks of Luxans. Jool's reluctant response: "I think that you're unusual for a Luxan."
- Grayza capturing John and Chiana and dragging out a collared Scorpius walking on his hands and knees to amuse John.
- Grayza: "Do anything you want to him. Do anything at all." John: "No thanks. I don't think I can come up with anything better than that."
- Grayza using her pheromones on John.
- The old woman drugging John and making him leap to his presumed death.
Review
This rather strange episode ranges from incoherent, to fascinating, to profound at various times. The notion of yet another super weapon of mass destruction that must be kept out of the hands of the bad guys is obnoxious, but the plot finally beginning to seriously explore the idea that the most human-like races in the Farscape universe may have an actual genetic connection with humans is fascinating. Apparently the ancient Egyptians are somehow related to the Sebaceans and Interions.
Other nice details included Scorpius' clear fall from grace. The way Grayza controls him with those green corrupted cooling rods is a fantastic way to make this old nemesis seem more sympathetic. Grayza's preying on his weak spot. Couple that with Braca switching sides without hesitation and we've got the makings of a lovely predicament for Scorpy. Another minor detail I liked was that in John's visions the priests were singing the Farscape theme.
Finally, the old woman's character, while sometimes annoying, is rapidly starting to captivate me. She'd be more compelling if her actions didn't always seem so random, but for the most part she seems to work quite well as an unstable but probably good natured ally. I'm also continuing to enjoy Moya's lack of a presence. Even though we now know roughly where she is, it's still nice that it's taking a while for the crew to reassemble. Overall while the episode could have used a more solid narrative, it still comes off as a fairly strong piece.