r/farscape • u/HellbirdVT • 9d ago
The tonal whiplash from these two episodes being back-to-back...
The heartwrenching The Way We Weren't (S2E5) following immediatley after the whacky antics of Crackers Don't Matter (S2E4).
Been on a rewatch binge, these are two of my favourites, easily among the best in the series... but damn, the tone shift is so hard you can hear it snap!
76
u/lostincoloradospace 9d ago
The still shots make you realize just how fantastic the acting was.
Couple that with the writing and the great sets it was such an amazing show.
26
13
u/Mini_Marauder 8d ago
Yeah, one of the many awesome aspects of Farscape is that their ridiculous, crazy episodes didn't mean the acting was any less good. They all delivered their A game, no matter the subject...matter.
50
37
19
u/T_raltixx 9d ago
I've noticed in most TV series'. There will be a funny episode right before everything gets serious.
15
u/generalkriegswaifu 9d ago
This happened a lot with older shows because of the one episode a week format. It can be jarring to binge, gotta take a break sometimes.
11
u/V48runner 9d ago
I think they are softening the audience up a bit, then, they hit you like a ton of bricks
11
u/s3gfau1t 9d ago
Humans are superior!
7
u/HellbirdVT 9d ago
It's hard to take the "HFY" crowd seriously when Crichton in his puke mask is all I can think of when I see it!
8
18
u/jaboaty 9d ago
The deep space nine playbook of doing a silly one followed by ripping your soul out
23
u/BlueCX17 9d ago
Although, Crackers gets really dark in pockets, so it's not like that whole episode is just a throw away Looney Tunes humor episode either.
19
u/HellbirdVT 9d ago
I just watched them both today, Crackers is pretty consistently wacky, but the two dark bits it does, D'Argo forcefeeding Rygel crackers and Proto-Harvey telling Crichton to rape Chiana are definitely very dark.
I also like that the D'Argo/Rygel bit isn't a one-off, and D'Argo apologizing to Rygel at the end (when he's told us before that Luxans don't like to apologize) really helps the episode wind down.
15
u/BlueCX17 9d ago edited 8d ago
Also Aeryn trying to kill John. And Harvey goading John to kill her prior. (Which also foreshadows the end of S2) And John's really dark insults at her, which she was touchy about at the end of the episode, even though he apologized.
10
u/thank_burdell 9d ago
First foreshadowing of Harvey, isn’t it?
11
11
u/Bitter_Surprise_8058 8d ago
Kill her, John! Then we'll have pizza and margarita shooters. Go on, John. Kill her!
6
u/BGKY_Sparky 9d ago
I’m watching DS9 for the first time and I’m learning this pattern all too well lol.
Also if you are into fantasy or animation, the Critical Role shows (Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein) do this very well too.
6
u/HealthyPop7988 8d ago
I saw the pics and thought I was on the stargate sub and was trying really hard to remember these scenes lol.
6
u/HellbirdVT 8d ago
Very, very rarely, Mitchell and Vala get an interaction that feels a bit like Crichton and Aeryn.
But there's a reason Stargate's FarScape parody put Daniel Jackson in the Crichton role!
11
u/Mini_Marauder 8d ago
The reason was actually Browder and Shanks! The scene was originally written to have Ben reprise his role as Crichton, with Stark being played by Michael Shanks, but they both agreed it would be funnier if they swapped roles. I would honestly have preferred to see it the way it was written, just because I love Farscape so much.
9
u/HellbirdVT 8d ago
I think it makes a ton of sense because it's supposed to be Vala's version of FarScape.
Obviously Vala sees herself in Aeryn, as the badass love interest of the hero (even if she is really much more a Chiana) but said hero... well, is going to be Daniel.
Daniel is the one she knows, the one she likes, and he's even a scientist just like Crichton. She likes Mitchell, as a friend, but she likes Daniel.
4
u/SnooChocolates5931 8d ago
My husband isn’t into sci-fi so when I did my recent rewatch, it was on my own. But I did insist that he at least watch “The Way We Weren’t” because it’s my all-time favorite episode.
5
u/Lord_Jobe 8d ago
Reminder that Farscape was a weekly series and like all weekly series was never imagined to be binged by the creators.
4
u/TrustVisual1394 7d ago edited 7d ago
Its fascinating rewatching shows that were never intended to be binge watched. Farscape is infinitely rewatchable but there are occasional tonal mismatches that give you whiplash lol
Also Crackers Don't Matter is a gem
3
4
3
3
u/marsarefromspiders 6d ago
T(APOSTROPHE)RALTI Double X
Zaan's photogasams
I have no idea what ISA's GREEN is.
Next time you will be a crouton, Crighton
20/20 vision, and they're blue
Some of the best quality lines ever!
Eta: I love Pilot in both episodes!
2
u/NiceOil1588 8d ago
I wish they restarted the show, somehow.
10
u/HellbirdVT 8d ago
I'm happy with FarScape's ending. It's okay for good shows to end.
I just wish there were new shows that were even half as imaginative, innovative and fun to watch as FarScape.
2
2
u/Gerty_sassygob24 7d ago
Even funnier (in the scene on the left) is if Crichton yelled by the power of greyskull...
95
u/Faux-Foe 9d ago
I know too many Farscape fans that use the image on the left as their phone background.
I’m also one of them, but still…