Farscape #2: My Overall Impression
Thinking about all the elements that make this show so incredible is overwhelming. The writers created a timeline of events that keeps you engaged, laughing, and on edge; they managed to tie all four seasons together to map out some remarkable character development and sci-fi action.
I thought I would hit on a few things that I really liked about the show as a whole without spoiling anything! I love suspense and some thrills, con movies with twists, romances and comedy, and angst (I thrive on shows with angst), but this show has put new limits on how much of these things I can handle. This is a twisted show! The storylines are twisted, the villains are twisted, and the pain you go through is twisted. This show takes you to the breaking point, pushes a little bit further and then pulls back. I don’t say this to discourage you! This is what makes this show so great and so interesting. The writers were able to take a common storyline and twist it into something spectacular. You never know what to think when it comes to this show. Just when you think you have seen it all, they throw in a Wiley E Coyote inspired episode, and there is even an episode that reminds me of Super Mario! It may sound weird, but it totally works with where the storyline is going at that point in the show!
Character development is my favorite part to talk about and will be what most of the character entries will be about. Though the story of a show is important to me, if the characters don’t change, I become bored. This has happened with several shows. I think that writers often think too much about getting viewers interested in the story of a show, which works, but forget that what keeps the story moving are the characters. I think that all of the characters in this show develop over the course of their appearance.
On my first viewing, I was hesitant to continue because of the aliens. My previous experience with science fiction does include some alien/non-human characters (Star Trek’s Worf, Stargate’s Asgard, Star Wars’ C-3PO and R2-D2, BSG’s cylons); however, Farscape’s main cast has 5 aliens and 2 humans (I know Aeryn is a Sebacean, but she looks human) and 2 of those aliens are puppets! The writers and the Creature Shop did an amazing job, because after only a few episodes, I saw the character rather than the alien/puppet. It’s like when you see a well done SFX scene--you don’t see the special effects - you see the action. I would love to get more into this, but I will save it for the actual posts about them.
Basically....you really have to give this show a try! I really had to get passed the 2nd episode and I was hooked!
I will be following this post up with individual posts about the characters, but I would love to hear what other people thought of the show as a whole!