If you haven't seen it yet, let me tell you something... don't. Don't bother. La Bomba III was a fine finale in itself, and it most certainly won't royally piss you off like Bad Timing will.
I'm just so beyond words right now... totally, completely...
</rant>
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I'm not so pissed at the writers, really, as at the SciFi Channel for having the utter callousness of putting that insincere "Thank You" placard up after the closing frame.
After four years of cultivating an audience for their television show, they're cutting it off with a big "screw you" message, telling us dedicated, long-time fans who have clearly shown an interest in repeatedly watching their channel, that they don't give a shit what we want.
You know, if they'd done everything in that episode except for the last minute with that out-of-nowhere attack, it would STILL have made an excellent finale. As it was, they've got that fucking "To Be Continued..." because SciFi decided to break their contract. (I know, I know; technically it's all legit, but you know what I mean.)
Posted by Krenim (Member # 22) on :
"Bad Timing" was such a great episode, for a season finale. Unfortunately, because the suits at Sci-Fi are such vile excuses for human beings that describing them would take more swearing than I have done in my entire life, it is the series finale. It's like TNG was cancelled after "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I."
Yes, I saw that abhorrent "Thank You" screen. Again, the words for how inappropriate it was would probably get me banned several times over.
I hope that the story will somehow be continued, but it's not looking good.
And to lighten things up a little... Didn't I ask really really really nicely for no Scorpy love scene? Didn't I? Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
It was badly done.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Heh. Yeah, I had to wince watching the Sikozu/Scorpy love scenes, even though we all could see this coming for the past 15 or 18 episodes...
There were plenty of things I loved about this episode. It's nice to see Captain Miklo "Smithers" Braca finally acting like a credible military commander. It's nice to see the "more things change, the more they stay the same" attitude shown -- Chiana telling John that sex will help clear his mind ("What, with you or with D'Argo?").
I loved the whole boat scene (excepting the last random attack, of course). I'd guessed the part about Aeryn's visit to the sickbay in "La Bomba," but it's nice to see something like that played out. And the touch of having D'Argo, Chi, and Ryg watching from the forward Command window was a great way to let us vicariously "experience" this culmination of four years with these people.
The "big goodbye" with Crichton returning to Earth (well, the Moon anyway) was a little surprising, but perfectly acted and nearly heartbreaking. Nice to see Kent McCord one more time -- even get a little closure between the two of them, and with Crichton's fears about Earth's domestic affairs, with a solid hint that Earth is actually starting to pull itself together with the UN Secretary General speaking for the entire planet and consolidating their space focus.
After his infrequent appearances in the past half-season, it was nice to get a major role for Pilot in this episode. I was expecting to see Moya herself go through the wormhole and do the job. But in the past four years Moya has done so much in various situations, and her fear in this case is perfectly understandable, and all the more touching. It was weird to see Pilot outside of his little den, but an incredibly brave thing to show how far he's willing to go for his friends -- and for people he doesn't even know, except through Crichton.
I didn't figure it out right away, but when I read the Sci-Fi teaser blurb last Friday night I put everything together immediately -- the Scarrans getting navigational data from Lo'la, Crichton's "dime a dozen" comment about the flowers, and the destruction of Katratzi.
The very concept of making Earth a Peacekeeper protectorate is shocking and out of the blue... but I have to wonder if it really would have been that bad of an idea. Consider that Moya's crew doesn't really have a very wide experience with the Peacekeepers -- the only commanding officers we've seen have been four nutcases: Crais, Durkha, Scorpius, and Grayza. Granted, the frequency of such highly-placed commanders with nutty agendas is not exactly encouraging; but at the same time we've seen a few times from Aeryn that the Peacekeeper organization as a whole seems to have a reasonably decent agenda, or at least an original purpose. Even Grayza, nutty and despicable as she was, was working for peace (according to her professions which may or may not be entirely believed). Under those circumstances, becoming a Peacekeeper protectorate would hardly be a bad deal in the interstellar perspective.
Of course, it's already obvious that Earth itself is not ready to join any interstellar community -- like earlier stories like Sagan's "Contact," it takes time for people to adjust to new views of the universe. I guess it would depend on just how much the Peacekeepers would have a visible presence on Earth itself.
An even bigger question is whether, despite Scorpy's claims, the Peacekeepers would really be interested in committing to a massive war that would be sparked by protecting a backwards, xenophobic, insignificant planet. Yes, even considering the Bird of Paradise flower.
I'll stop rambling now... Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Reading a few Farscape episodes today, I've read someone who's made a very interesting point that puts a whole new spin on the conclusion of the story and the production of the episode.
quote:1. David Kemper and Co. did not back down, they did not compromise in the final edit of this episode. They left in everything, including that shocker of an ending. If they had truly given up hope of getting a 5th season or some way to finish their story in the future, they could have re-edited the show to make a tidier ending.
Considering that we've known for more than six months that Sci-Fi is giving them the shaft, the producers had plenty of time to re-edit the conclusion and remove that last attack, leaving the show ending with that happy note of John and Aeryn and everyone else, victorious (for the most part) and ready to start a (hopefully) happy life in the Uncharted Territories. Instead of a shocking "To Be Continued," we could've gotten "And They All Lived Happily Ever After..."
We can only hope.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Actually, I'd think that the Peacekeepers would be more likely to destroy Earth, to keep the Scarrans from getting their hands on the flowers...
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: Actually, I'd think that the Peacekeepers would be more likely to destroy Earth, to keep the Scarrans from getting their hands on the flowers...
Like how? John destroyed the wormhole.
Well they certainly went out with a shock and a bang, I'll give them that. I'm hoping that Farscape will return - either a final season or via a movie.
They knew for six months? Bugger! I didn't know that. Maybe they could have done it better if they had that much time.
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
Now that I've had a chance to calm down...
Yes, this was indeed quite a good episode... and yeah, it did wrap a lot of stuff up...
I still can't get over the "Thank you" and the ending itself... Gods, that bugs me...
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Like how? John destroyed the wormhole.
No, no, assuming John had allied with the Peacekeepers, they'd seem more likely to destroy Earth than to divert forces defending it.
Posted by Warped1701 (Member # 40) on :
At seeing the ending I think my precise words were "What the frell?!?". It certainly does give it a lot of finality, which leads me to wonder just what in hell the writers would come up with if the go ahead came through for a mini-series or something.
I liked the episode, but I agree with MinutiaeMan in saying I think people would be a lot happier with an "And They Lived Happily Ever After".
As for now, though, I'll leave it as I think John Crichton would and say;
"That's all folks!"
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charles Capps: Now that I've had a chance to calm down...
Yes, this was indeed quite a good episode... and yeah, it did wrap a lot of stuff up...
I still can't get over the "Thank you" and the ending itself... Gods, that bugs me...
From the channel bringing you "Tremors:The Series".
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Oh god, don't remind me...
I watched the show for a second time this evening -- my parents were away last Friday through Monday so they hadn't seen it yet. Despite the awful ending, overall this episode was even better on its second viewing, in part because I knew what to expect and could sit and focus on all the great parts before the cliffhanger-but-not-cliffhanger ending.
-- The symbolism is so obvious I can't believe no one's mentioned it before (even I didn't realize it until my second viewing), but how about Crichton walking in his father's footsteps on the Moon?
-- Literally every character got a few minutes in the spotlight here -- from D'Argo and Rygel and Chiana down to Stark and Sikozu. And Pilot, who by plot necessity was left out of so much of the action lately this season, got a chance to do something really special. His role really drove home just how important he and Moya are as characters, not just props.
-- Anyone wonder why the Scarrans were talking the way they were? The Emperor -- the Emperor, mind you -- was talking about answering to "the Hierarchy." Assuming they weren't talking about those potato-head people from Voyager, that suggests that the Scarran threat is a whole lot bigger than we'd thought, and the Scarrans that John and the Peacekeepers have been fighting so far are only a small part of a greater Scarran organization of some part. Which would potentially make things a whole lot more interesting... had the series continued, of course.
-- Anyone else think that the writers were setting up War Minister Akhna to be the big villain for the now-nonexistent fifth season?
-- Scorpy was expecting John to double back and beg for help. He told Braca to have Noranti brought aboard his carrier when that happened. Why?
-- It was nice to see even Noranti losing patience with Stark. That guy is just frelling annoying... good actor though.
I'm going to stop now before I get the urge to say something nasty about the people at Sci-Fi... Posted by BJ_O (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by akb1979:
quote:Originally posted by Omega: Actually, I'd think that the Peacekeepers would be more likely to destroy Earth, to keep the Scarrans from getting their hands on the flowers...
Like how? John destroyed the wormhole.
Scorpius actually found Earth with a long range patrol in an earlier season (don't remember which episode). Even though he's not exactly trustworthy, he rarely (if ever)lied, and had no reason to lie to John about that. So if he could find Earth without wormholes and no help from John, I imagine the Scarrans would eventually find it as well.
B.J.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Well, yeah, but Scorpy also said that Earth was a sixty-cycle journey away, even with Starburst or hetch drives or whatever it is the Farscape ships use.
Sixty years away. Sound familiar?
I dunno... I think that "I'm in a distant part of the universe about this ship -- this living ship -- of escaped prisoners" sounds a lot more interesting than "We're alone. In an uncharted part of the galaxy..."
Anyway, there's no way any of the Peacekeepers would seriously consider giving Earth any attention if not for the wormholes.
The Scarrans, on the other hand, just might -- because of the flowers that they want. But that would still not give them a reliable power base for the part of the galaxy called the Uncharted Territories.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Scorpius actually found Earth with a long range patrol in an earlier season
IIRC, he found it by looking at the star patterns recorded from John's head by his neural chip, and comparing those to known star positions. Wasn't a random patrol, by any means.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Looks like I was right -- Minister Ahkna and Emperor Staleek were going to be the two major recurring villains for season five. I've enjoyed Ms. Buller's performances in all four (yes, four!) of her roles so far... having Ben Browder's wife play the primary villain opposite him would've been a great thing to see for a longer period of time. I got the feeling that the two actors were getting a kick out of their scenes. ("See ya later, sweetheart...")
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
It certainly does give it a lot of finality, which leads me to wonder just what in hell the writers would come up with if the go ahead came through for a mini-series or something. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)