THIS SHOW!! I can't even begin to explain my love of this show and its impact on my life. I grew up on TNG, but I fell head over heels for Farscape. The stories, the characters and the very real mistakes and flaws in each of them still makes this show, this world, still one of my favorites of all time. FRELLING AMAZING! I'm halfway through the podcast and love it too! ❤️💙💜
As someone who has had loved ones who sufferred from various mental health issues i found the shows handling of John's mental health really cathartic. Not perfect but empathetic. Wayne Pygram is my mvp of the series with how he played both Scorpius and Harvey.
I found Farscape a few months after it came out and became obsessed. Went to all the conventions, wrote fan fic etc. Found my tribe as they say. Obv I agree with all your observations. It’s a unique show in every way. I’ll always love it.
I instantly fell in love with this show back in the early 2000's and from season 2 on up was my Friday night must watch after I'd get home from work. I own the DVD series collection and am thinking about getting the Blu-ray.
'Crackers don't matter' is a great recommendation, but I'd also recommend 'Through the looking glass' from season 1 as premium Farscape...! It's all good, imo!
I love Farscape so much. And Harvey has some amazing moments but one that always stuck with me was him and John at the drive-in theater at the end of Self Inflicted Wounds. I still tear up thinking about that scene.
I've tried twice to get into Farscape but it's never grabbed me. B5 was excellent though and I love it's early commitment to long form storytelling. It's a pity about the last season but that's down to studio interference.
Sooo looking forward to this. Also their _What the Frell_ podcast with Jessie Gender might well be the most entertaining podcast that has ever existed!
the other thing I love to do is especially when I'm introducing people to it, is to start them with a few good episodes of farscape mix it in with red dwarf and bounce back and forth because I honestly feel like both of those shows are in the same universe and the same type of humor
This show was my Friday night jam from around 2000 to 2003. My first episode was the second episode of the second season (the one with the elderly Luxan woman), maybe not the best place to start, but its strangeness and the fact that the Henson Company were involved were enough to keep me coming back. It was a real pleasure revisiting the show along with you and Jessie and I look forward to revisiting B5 with y'all's commentary as well.
Marvelous gush! Doctor Who has always been there for me and vice versa, and yet alongside of that, Farscape is my champion. I consider it a few bars better looking, better written, and with more heart than any of its numerous peers. Jon Crichton (with his infallible moral compass and Stone Cold Steve Austin- inspired nuances) is one of my all-time favourite protagonists. I consider Scorpy one of my all time favourite characters full stop. (I suspect an early Harvey influence may have come from certain scenes in An American Warewolf in London) and the show ultimately serves as one of my favourite examples of taking the ball, running with it, charging fearlessly into the unknown, and creating something far greater than the sum of its parts. Props to everyone involved in that show, and props to you and Jessie for keeping the torch lit on it! 🙂🙂
the show is literally one of my favorites of all time. finding it in reruns originally on Syfy back when I was in college and seeing some of the last bit of the last season live was just some of the best times I've ever had. that and the fact that it explored all of these concepts that were so foreign to a lot of people that I knew and was so relatable to me and a lot of ways it just was the perfect setup of sci-fi comedy and everything else
Farscape is my favorite show of all time of any genre. It is an incredible journey, a love story for the ages, and a great way to escape the everyday worries of life for a little while. Having watched the entire series (multiple times) I know how great and rewarding it is. But I have found the show a hard sell because for most of the first season the episodes are basically standalone... and despite some good ones (such as PK Tech Girl) they're nothing too out of the ordinary. Put another way, after telling someone how great the show is, the beginning episodes don't live up to the hype. They're good, but they're not superfantastic. Scorpius doesn't show up until episode 19. I think that on second viewing the early episodes are more enjoyable because you know what is up ahead. But if you're watching for the first time you may wonder why your friend bragged so much about the show. A lot of people just don't have enough patience to get to the main story arc. Also, it bothers me when people refer to Rygel and Pilot as merely puppets. NO! They're real flesh and blood characters. Can't you see that? The coin toss scene at the end of season 3 is just about the best five minutes of television ever. And it is completely earned. Okay, I've said enough. EDIT: By the way, I wrote the above before your recommendation of starting the series with Crackers Don't Matter. Not a bad idea for some would-be viewers.
Farscape is one of my all-time favorite shows. It took risks. It was weird. But it had heart and very strong writing and acting, and the creature effects (Jim HensonCreaure Shop) were very good, way beyond the "aliens with bumpy foreheads" trope. The aliens were truly alien. Can't say enough good things about the show. Oh sure, it had some things that didn't quite work or went a little far, but overall, wow. Absolutely recommend it. -- I loved the What the Free podcast you and Jessie Gender did. Very tangenty, but I usually liked that, and even if I didn't always agree, you both also brought up things I hadn't thought of that way. -- Note: The Farscape fandom was very active for a long time, and was, both online and in person, generally very friendly and accepting of not-so-straight folks. Heck, one forum fan came out and transitioned (ftm), but even before that, it was kinda apparent they had something going on. -- Go watch Farscape! (Fell, I miss the Terra Firma forum when it was active.)
When you mentioned a "test episode," I frelling KNEW it was going to be "Crackers Don't Matter." What a wonderfully bonkers episode from a wonderfully bonkers series.
I want to point something out: Harvey is a reference to the 1950s film of the same name. It's about a man who is best friends with a pooka who takes the shape of a 6' 3.5" rabbit. I have always loved that scene when Harvey and John are in the rabbit suits for the precise reason.
I remember I utterly loved Farscape at first, but I kinda lost track for a bit when I was at uni - missed a big chunk of the middle before I got back into it (so I had no idea why Crais was "suddenly" on the team). Still got Peacekeeper Wars on dvd.
I was (and am) obsessed with this show and I get so excited when someone else knows about it. Absolutely underrated. And yes, Crackers Don't Matter is fantastic.
I was a fan of the show from day one and would wait week-to-week for new episodes. The Muppets, the makeup artistry, the characters, they were all beautiful. I think the show suffered from a cable network that was constantly messing with its schedule and availability to people who had to wait for new episodes every week. I cannot describe my joy when you decided to have the podcast indexing the show and listened to every episode of What the Frell. Much like Battlestar Galactica later, you have to have mad respect for a show that puts new swear words in your vocabulary! I find myself saying what the frell way too frequently or quoting from episodes when I know no one around me has any context for what I'm saying!
@@johnsensebe3153 I think of Miss Piggy then I think of the episode with the female hynerian and I see no difference...and if my autocorrect wants to make it The Muppets when I type the puppets,I am not going to say it's wrong
@@rbai2884 The female Hynerian was just a spare Rygel with a different skin. The key is that Disney owns the Muppets, but definitely doesn't own any part of Farscape.
@@rbai2884 Well, they kind of are, anyway. Farscape is a big influence on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, to the extent that Ben Browder has a cameo in the second one.
Watching Farscape made me become obsessive with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis as well. We will see Ben Browder and Claudia Black there as well. Love 💘 all three shows!
I watched Farscape back when it was first around, and I've rewatched it a couple of times since then. I'd never really considered how unique Harvey is until you talked about it here. I'm a sucker for characters gradually losing it, though (which is why Macbeth was my favourite of the handful of Shakespeare plays we read in high school). Eventually I started to feel that not just Harvey but also the constant stress, danger, being hunted, frantically trying to cope with things he can't wrap his head around, was all just breaking Crichton. Maybe it's because I'm quite an anxious person, but I found the realisation that what he's going through is taking a toll very relatable. Ben Browder does well at playing someone walking the tightrope between inspired resourcefulness and unhinged chaos. One of the things I appreciated a lot more on a rewatch than I did the first time was the arc of the two Crichtons. The way it affects the relationship between Aeryn and John is really well done.
One of my favorite sci-fi shows reviewed by one of my favorite reviewers. You nailed everything about this show that was sooo gooood!!! Great descriptions of the characters. You didn’t go too far into John Critton, but you touched on him enough. You peeled back the layers and uniqueness of Harvey. I cared about this show and the characters through their storylines- pasts, siblings, children, etc. the concept of the universe and the wonderful use of the muppetry/puppetry. The ship’s need to find what was hers and the need to resolve their issues that played out was great!
Thank you for singing the praises of one of my favourite shows (a 3rd or 5th rewatch is on my list of things to do soon, just need to finish rewatching some other stuff). I'm glad I'm in an empty office while watching this, as I laughed quite audibly when you recommended "Crackers Don't Matter", as seconds before I'd jokingly said out loud that'd be the episode you'd recommend as a test. Harvey is certainly the best part of a fantastic show and I agree about several characters that got on my nerves initially and ended up enjoyable. I think one thing people don't address often enough is how fantastically the "2 Johns" situation was handled: at first, you expect the standard trope of one dying in that episode but they don't, and then the story that they tell afterward is so lovely and tragic, though I fear to say more without spoiling it. Also, "John Quixote" is a personal favourite episode that lets Claudia Black have a little fun, which is always nice.
I used to occasionally catch episodes back when it was broadcast (also LEXX). It was always intriguing. You have inspired me to seek it out again. Your description of the plot and characters is FABULOUS. Thank you!
Farscape has more and more become my favourite show. I'm doing a watch through now and buillding the Characters from S1:1 - S4:End and it is amazing fun to go through everything and just look at their character development, these moments when each one does something new and that becomes part of who they are. Wayne fucking Pygram. Thank you for being the gush of this show we all needed
Crackers Don't Matter is one of my all time favorite episodes. I re-watch it all the time. I laughed so hard when you mentioned that as the test episode.
I love this show so hard. It was one of the first sci-fi shows I saw where characterization was one of the more important aspects. One of my oldest friendships is because of this show and I met my husband at a FS convention :D
Love Farscape too :) Also worth noting it’s the closest thing to a proper Australian sci-fi series there is… which probably explains a lot of the weirdness and sense of humor;)
I love this frelling show. Your podcast is the best. You and Jesse do such a wonderful job of breaking down the episode that even if i haven’t seen the episode in a while I’m right there with you both.
A friend of mine got me into Farscape by having me watch "Crackers Don't Matter"! I totally agree it's a great hook and really does give a good flavor of the show.
By sheer coincidence, sitting here wearing my Harvey tshirt. Farscape is officially my desert island TV series, and I’m so happy when I see someone else who not only knows what this show is, but loves it too….
My mom used to watch this show and so I did by extension. I remembered most of it, including loving Scorpie. However, I had forgotten about Crais until you brought him up and omg, I don't know why but I hated that character and the feeling of hatred that I got when I remembered him was just wow. I had not thought about him in years and years, until today. My favorite character was Chiana btw. I loved her movements!
I love farscape. Watched it in 2005 I think. I loved Pilot so much… and Braca for some reason… It’s been a while since I think of rewatching the show with your podcast.
You literally made this episode for me, as I am an absolute Farscape STAN! I mean I watched it first run, and rewatched it. . .I'm afraid I honestly can't count the number anymore. "Crackers Don't Matter" huh? Okay, I see what you did there. That has the character interactions and absolute insanity this show represents. I'm still in love with Aeryn, And the villains you left out. The Scarrans. Move over Daleks. Take a damn seat Borgs. (Only for this post, the Borgs ROCK.) You want to meet a race of the most threatening creature in the universe? Meet the Scarrans. I would have went with suggesting the pilot episode though. It's probably one of the most perfect pilot unitl Breaking Bad hit the scene. However, let's chat about Rigel for a sec. Look up absolutely self-serving and duplicitous in the dictionary and you're going to see this weird looking frog like creature. Scream self-serving asshole into the universe and it will shout back "Yeah, we've met Rigel." When you first come upon him, you go "he's a puppet." By the end of the first season you're going to be all "would someone smack this guy already?" Farscape, what a hell of a show that literally came out of no where. (Note: I say this because Farscape was on of three shows at a time when the Science Fiction channel - and yes, once it was actually called the Science Fiction channel - was experimenting with doing it's own TV shows.) That's right kids, without Farscape you wouldn't have that Battlestar Galactica reboot everyone loved until the very last episode. Farscape is AWESOME? Right there with you.
I have never dared to listen to your podcast on this. My relationship to Farscape is too important to me to hear criticism of it and I fear your almighty brain and ability to dissect anything (and recognise that everything is flawed). Still, I listened to this! Your comment about how they sometimes do "stock" episodes with twists is how I sell it to others. Basically I say it's Star Trek but they always leave places worse than how they found them... And recommend "...Different Destinations" as an example. I think I ought to listen to the podcast after all. I am currently in a really low mental health state and so have turned to Farscape, one of my touchstones, to get me through this. I think for me, John's changes during the show give hope that pretty severe events can be absorbed and aren't necessarily a bad thing. He doesn't ever bounce back from what he goes through. He is never the same person as when he started. But it's not the end of the world. I wouldn't say that he ends up stronger than before or that he works out ways to cope with what happened... I would just say that it is what it is. Someone can go through a lot of bad stuff and it's not the end of them.
@@CouncilofGeeks I get that from this video! Thanks for posting this video because it has dispelled my misgivings with regards listening to the podcast.
The first episode I ever saw was Out of Their Minds, aka the body swap episode. That also worked pretty well as a show introduction because it's a stand alone episode and body swap is an easy concept to follow. I fell in love, ironically, with the wrong versions of each character.
Man, I love this show so much. Been so long since I watched it as a kid with my dad. Always remember that final episode of the Peacekeeper Wars, the conclusion of the whole show during Creighton's display of power to end it. The whole thing was seared into my mind and I just never forgot it.
Farscape is one of my all-time favorite shows. I was there from Day 1 to enjoy it. My favorite episodes include Out of Their Minds, Won't Get Fooled Again and The Choice(where Claudia should have won ever award ever) and many more! Rockne S. O'Bannon also created another favorite early 90s TV series of mine, seaQuest DSV and his more recent series Defiance was also pretty darn good.
... Yes, I love this show. My daughter was named after one of the characters. I look forward to the day when I can sit her down and watch it with her from start to finish.
I haven't seen it yet. It looks great. Harvey----with the bunny suit---sounds like the old Jimmy Stewart film. I am guessing they did that on purpose? I love when shows do subtle jokes like that.
Oh yes, it's a connection that's made explicit. When Crichton realizes Harvey is in his brain he debates between naming him Harvey or Clarence (the angel from It's a Wonderful Life).
There was a fair bit of crossover of course between the original SG1 fandom and Farscape, ofc, so Farscape has been on my tbw list forever. XD I appreciated this review. 💚
I love this show and I love the WhatTheFrell podcast and recommend it to Farscape fan, Vera & Jessie's banter is hilarious and their analyses are solid.
Thank you so much for this video! 💜 Farscape was one of my most favourite shows that I watched when I was young (Zhaan was probably one of the first queer crushes for me💙). I don't know how I had manager to miss your podcast about it with Jessie! But I'm going to binge it now.
I recently re-watched this show too, and it is just amazing! It's one of my all time favourite space western shows of the era. Now that you mention Rockne S. O'Bannon, I need to check out Defiance.
Farscape is probably my favorite TV show of all time, I'm so glad more people are bringing attention to it. I'm gonna go right now and start binging every episode of your What the Frell podcast, because I need more people talking about Farscape in my life!
I'm a Sci girl guy and when I found farscape I fell in love the most unique show. Characters who literally become a family and grow together they would do anything for one another . Ben and Claudia's chemistry i think is what makes the show the romance could have easily ruined the show but it was a slow burn. I love the episode where they force him to marry someone so that the princess could have kids the sweet moments with Creighton and his kids in hologram form were amazing. Farscape is in a class all its own.
I love Farscape. I was shipping John Crichton and Aeryn Sun so hard before I even knew what shipping was. It was such a different show from what I was used to. When it first came out, the TV channels in South Africa broadcasted only the 1st season of both Farscape and Andromeda and it took years before I was able to find it again. So I started with season 1 and followed that up with the mini-series "The Peacekeeper Wars". So whenever I re-watch Farscape (not a whole series re-watch) it is usually the beginning or the end of the show that I watch. P.S. I don't know if you have watched Babylon 5 before, if you haven't, you definitely should check it out. It is one of my all time favorite Sci-fi shows and some of the best storytelling I have come across. I re-watch the whole saga every few years, and unlike Farscape where I always re-watch the beginning and end, I always re-watch seasons 2-4 every year instead. Love your videos :D
I would say there's a DNA string from Blake's Seven, over the course of the show. BUT it is totally unique in so many ways it could never be called a 'rip off'!! I have to Strongly disagree about how Chiana moves! It's one of my favorite things! She's like part cat/part dancer. I liked the show before she joined, but was devoted afterward!
The UK has Doctor Who, the US has Star Trek, Canada has Stargate, and Australia has Farscape. Sure it was created and written by Americans, but the show is Australian through and through. And for that reason alone I would love it. The fact it's a bloody amazing show on top of that is just icing on the cake really. I utterly adore Farscape, watched it religiously when it first aired, got the DVDs, and have rewatched it several times since. Even got some of the post-show comics. If there was ever more Farscape I would be all over that so damn fast.
Another way to sell the show to new viewers is Guardians of the Galaxy. Farscape was one of the models for Gunn's GotG. John Crichton and Peter Quill have a fair number of personality similarities. The character dynamics among the crew are similar
It was the original intention for Farscape to showcase the Jim Henson creature workshop but they soon realised they had a really great concept and ran with it. The show is an utterly amazing ride. So glad you have discovered it. So much weirdness, fun, sadness and depth. Something that seems to be missing from a lot of TV shows and movies these days. I dont know if you'e seen any of the cast interviews but one of them is with Wayne Pygram who played Scorpius. He said he was moved when someone with a disability wrote to him and said how he had inspired him. Scorpius had worked against his own disability to rise through the ranks and become the person he was. Yes not a nice person but he had shown how his disability wasn't going to hold him back. This show is amazing on so many levels.
My sister always said what was unique to her about it was the characters start out really not liking each other. I just thought it was a lot of fun and as you say with a lot of interesting twists.
I'm glad Farscape is still getting new members of the audience. I was in high school when I fell in love with this show. I even participated in the Save Farscape campaign when it came out (I was a part of the "Crackers DO Matter" portion of the campaign). Finding a lot of people outside of the Internet who know about the show is really difficult. But even so, I'm glad that there's those who are still discovering the show. Rockne S. O'Bannon co-created another TV series for SyFy called Defiance (which was part of a transmedia experiment where there was a MMO that was released at the same time that took place in the same world as the show, and often had storylines and characters that crossed over between the two). Both Farscape and Defiance hold a place in my heart, along with Knight Rider (the 1980s show), among many others on a very short list.
It’s such a great show. So much creativity. It’s been really good to start rewatching it again prompted by your podcast (I’m a little behind though) as I hadn’t seen it since it ended 18 years ago.
I think it aired in Canada on Space right after it premiered on the Sci-Fi channel in 1999 and fell in love with it instantly. I’ve done at least two rewatches and remain amazed how great it was. Wayne Pygram should have won an Emmy for his performance. My favourite characters have always been Pilot and Aeryn.
You are new to me but when I saw that somebody was reviewing Who Loved Farscape I had to listen because I absolutely adored and loved Farscape it's quirky it's weird it's bizarre but so endearing in the characters are so interesting and you get so invested in these absolutely Bonkers storylines and yeah sometimes like you said it doesn't work but it's always it's never dull and how I loved it so thank you for taking the time to review Farscape love the show
I watched all of Farscape basically just after the 4th season aired and was devastated when I watched that episode. My father who had advised me to watch the show was quick to tell me of the many fan campaigns to try and revive it or get some kind of conclusion, and I was overjoyed when the mini series was announced. I have rewatched the series several times since and I love it. I had also started to listen to the podcast, but I fell behind, I don't exactly remember where. Probably towards the end of season 2, I need to take the time to continue listening to it. It was fun.
Fav show of all time. Watched it when it went to air in Australia in the late 90s. Someone once said "John Criton works because he weaponised his insanity"
The writing in the show is top notch. Take a character like Jool for example, who did not get a huge amount of screen time, but had such amazing development in the time that she did! PS I met Tammy Macintosh in Melbourne just randomly at a cafe. I said hello, (something I would normally never do) and she was sooooo lovely. And a bit shocked when I mentioned I knew her from Farscape. She was on a show called Wentworth at the time which was huge in Australia and normally got recognised from that so she was thrilled to have someone know her from her earlier work!
I remember watching it as a kid in the early 00s and this video makes me want to re-watch it (once I've finished with Malcolm in the Middle) DAE remember the ep where they got hit by some cosmic ray which caused them to swap bodies? As a kid years who was years pre transition it made me think about things 😬
That episode was fantastic! I love how they sorted everything out by wearing badges with the person’s face on them. Absolutely a great subversion of the scifi requisite body swap episode
Great video!! I fell in love with this show recently, watching reruns on a local network...been thru the series almost 3 times. My favorite episodes were the "Princess" trilogy when our hero gets turned into a statue. There is talk of a revival....so hope that happens!
I am only 23 years old, but my dad showed me this show during high school and I had an absolute blast with it! Its wacky and fun and yeah a result of its time, but something about it is ever so charming.
YESS I love Farscape!! Probably my favourite sci-fi show. I’m very obsessed with Crais in particular, and Scorpius is absolutely one of the best villains in sci-fi of all time.
A really good explanation of a pretty unique series . Farscape was made before the return of Dr Who and was much welcomed by British sci - fi enthusiasts . It's well worth watching and turns up on freeview channels from time to time . The costumes , make up and the animatronics really set the scenes and I much prefer them to the non stop use of CGI of today's stuff . You managed to explain it really well.
when you mentioned the test episode I immediately thought of "crackers don't matter"! seriously though, I'm so glad to see folks talking about Farscape! I watched the show in its initial US run on SciFi - I was 13 at the time so it became a really formative show for me. And it really is an incredible show! The casting, the chemistry between all the actors, the writing, the costuming, the set design, the practical effects 😍 I actually got a coworker watching Farscape and he loved it!
THIS SHOW!! I can't even begin to explain my love of this show and its impact on my life. I grew up on TNG, but I fell head over heels for Farscape. The stories, the characters and the very real mistakes and flaws in each of them still makes this show, this world, still one of my favorites of all time. FRELLING AMAZING! I'm halfway through the podcast and love it too! ❤️💙💜
One of my favourite characters was 1812.
Oh he was great!
If I ever get a Roomba I will paint it, glue a speaker to it, and name it 1812.
As someone who has had loved ones who sufferred from various mental health issues i found the shows handling of John's mental health really cathartic. Not perfect but empathetic.
Wayne Pygram is my mvp of the series with how he played both Scorpius and Harvey.
And even John's dad, briefly!
I have loved Farscape for a very long time.
I just discovered it and intend to have a frellling good time!
This is one of my all time favorite shows and it's great whenever I get to see someone talk about it. And that's why Council of Geeks is awesome.
I found Farscape a few months after it came out and became obsessed. Went to all the conventions, wrote fan fic etc. Found my tribe as they say. Obv I agree with all your observations. It’s a unique show in every way. I’ll always love it.
I instantly fell in love with this show back in the early 2000's and from season 2 on up was my Friday night must watch after I'd get home from work. I own the DVD series collection and am thinking about getting the Blu-ray.
'Crackers don't matter' is a great recommendation, but I'd also recommend 'Through the looking glass' from season 1 as premium Farscape...! It's all good, imo!
I love Farscape so much. And Harvey has some amazing moments but one that always stuck with me was him and John at the drive-in theater at the end of Self Inflicted Wounds. I still tear up thinking about that scene.
Several years ago, inspired by going through the Treks, I binged 90s & early 00s scifi, and Farscape along with B5 were two of the most memorable
I've tried twice to get into Farscape but it's never grabbed me. B5 was excellent though and I love it's early commitment to long form storytelling. It's a pity about the last season but that's down to studio interference.
Well funnily enough to be podcast feed has transitioned to a Babylon 5 podcast, because Jessie has seen it before but I haven’t.
Both were excellent! It is hard to top Babylon 5.
@@CouncilofGeeks As a B5 fan, I think I'll give that a listen. Cheers for the heads up about it.
@@CouncilofGeeks you're going to do babylon 5 as well 😍🔥 I need to find this podcast. B5 is my favourite scifi show ever!!!
I love Farscape! I haven't watched it in years though. I really need to binge it again. I adore Claudia Black! ❤
Sooo looking forward to this.
Also their _What the Frell_ podcast with Jessie Gender might well be the most entertaining podcast that has ever existed!
the other thing I love to do is especially when I'm introducing people to it, is to start them with a few good episodes of farscape mix it in with red dwarf and bounce back and forth because I honestly feel like both of those shows are in the same universe and the same type of humor
This show was my Friday night jam from around 2000 to 2003. My first episode was the second episode of the second season (the one with the elderly Luxan woman), maybe not the best place to start, but its strangeness and the fact that the Henson Company were involved were enough to keep me coming back. It was a real pleasure revisiting the show along with you and Jessie and I look forward to revisiting B5 with y'all's commentary as well.
Oooo thryre doing B5 next??? Yeeeee 😄
I started watching Farscape back in 1999. It is my absolute favorite television show of all time ever!
Marvelous gush! Doctor Who has always been there for me and vice versa, and yet alongside of that, Farscape is my champion. I consider it a few bars better looking, better written, and with more heart than any of its numerous peers. Jon Crichton (with his infallible moral compass and Stone Cold Steve Austin- inspired nuances) is one of my all-time favourite protagonists. I consider Scorpy one of my all time favourite characters full stop. (I suspect an early Harvey influence may have come from certain scenes in An American Warewolf in London) and the show ultimately serves as one of my favourite examples of taking the ball, running with it, charging fearlessly into the unknown, and creating something far greater than the sum of its parts. Props to everyone involved in that show, and props to you and Jessie for keeping the torch lit on it! 🙂🙂
the show is literally one of my favorites of all time. finding it in reruns originally on Syfy back when I was in college and seeing some of the last bit of the last season live was just some of the best times I've ever had. that and the fact that it explored all of these concepts that were so foreign to a lot of people that I knew and was so relatable to me and a lot of ways it just was the perfect setup of sci-fi comedy and everything else
Farscape is my favorite show of all time of any genre. It is an incredible journey, a love story for the ages, and a great way to escape the everyday worries of life for a little while. Having watched the entire series (multiple times) I know how great and rewarding it is. But I have found the show a hard sell because for most of the first season the episodes are basically standalone... and despite some good ones (such as PK Tech Girl) they're nothing too out of the ordinary. Put another way, after telling someone how great the show is, the beginning episodes don't live up to the hype. They're good, but they're not superfantastic. Scorpius doesn't show up until episode 19. I think that on second viewing the early episodes are more enjoyable because you know what is up ahead. But if you're watching for the first time you may wonder why your friend bragged so much about the show. A lot of people just don't have enough patience to get to the main story arc. Also, it bothers me when people refer to Rygel and Pilot as merely puppets. NO! They're real flesh and blood characters. Can't you see that? The coin toss scene at the end of season 3 is just about the best five minutes of television ever. And it is completely earned. Okay, I've said enough. EDIT: By the way, I wrote the above before your recommendation of starting the series with Crackers Don't Matter. Not a bad idea for some would-be viewers.
Farscape is one of my all-time favorite shows. It took risks. It was weird. But it had heart and very strong writing and acting, and the creature effects (Jim HensonCreaure Shop) were very good, way beyond the "aliens with bumpy foreheads" trope. The aliens were truly alien. Can't say enough good things about the show. Oh sure, it had some things that didn't quite work or went a little far, but overall, wow. Absolutely recommend it. -- I loved the What the Free podcast you and Jessie Gender did. Very tangenty, but I usually liked that, and even if I didn't always agree, you both also brought up things I hadn't thought of that way. -- Note: The Farscape fandom was very active for a long time, and was, both online and in person, generally very friendly and accepting of not-so-straight folks. Heck, one forum fan came out and transitioned (ftm), but even before that, it was kinda apparent they had something going on. -- Go watch Farscape! (Fell, I miss the Terra Firma forum when it was active.)
I caught this by accident shortly after the series started as a 6 episode marathon and fell in love immediately.
When you mentioned a "test episode," I frelling KNEW it was going to be "Crackers Don't Matter." What a wonderfully bonkers episode from a wonderfully bonkers series.
Humans are superior!
Where's my ice cream?
I love Farscape! I first watched the whole series in 2020.
Definitely one of my top 5 favorite shows. It's definitely one of the most unique shows out there and I loved everything about it.
”Humans are superior.”
I want to point something out: Harvey is a reference to the 1950s film of the same name. It's about a man who is best friends with a pooka who takes the shape of a 6' 3.5" rabbit. I have always loved that scene when Harvey and John are in the rabbit suits for the precise reason.
I remember I utterly loved Farscape at first, but I kinda lost track for a bit when I was at uni - missed a big chunk of the middle before I got back into it (so I had no idea why Crais was "suddenly" on the team). Still got Peacekeeper Wars on dvd.
I was (and am) obsessed with this show and I get so excited when someone else knows about it. Absolutely underrated. And yes, Crackers Don't Matter is fantastic.
Yep, had to put a "Who's your daddy" in there.
I was a fan of the show from day one and would wait week-to-week for new episodes. The Muppets, the makeup artistry, the characters, they were all beautiful. I think the show suffered from a cable network that was constantly messing with its schedule and availability to people who had to wait for new episodes every week. I cannot describe my joy when you decided to have the podcast indexing the show and listened to every episode of What the Frell. Much like Battlestar Galactica later, you have to have mad respect for a show that puts new swear words in your vocabulary! I find myself saying what the frell way too frequently or quoting from episodes when I know no one around me has any context for what I'm saying!
There are no Muppets on Farscape, save for a brief cameo in season four.
@@johnsensebe3153 I think of Miss Piggy then I think of the episode with the female hynerian and I see no difference...and if my autocorrect wants to make it The Muppets when I type the puppets,I am not going to say it's wrong
@@rbai2884 The female Hynerian was just a spare Rygel with a different skin. The key is that Disney owns the Muppets, but definitely doesn't own any part of Farscape.
@@johnsensebe3153 well thank God for that because they'd franchise it into 30 different movies until the market was saturated and everybody hated it.
@@rbai2884 Well, they kind of are, anyway. Farscape is a big influence on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, to the extent that Ben Browder has a cameo in the second one.
Used to be obsessed with this show as a teenager. Now 20 years later.. Watched it again. OBSESSED. ❤️
Watching Farscape made me become obsessive with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis as well. We will see Ben Browder and Claudia Black there as well. Love 💘 all three shows!
I watched Farscape back when it was first around, and I've rewatched it a couple of times since then. I'd never really considered how unique Harvey is until you talked about it here. I'm a sucker for characters gradually losing it, though (which is why Macbeth was my favourite of the handful of Shakespeare plays we read in high school).
Eventually I started to feel that not just Harvey but also the constant stress, danger, being hunted, frantically trying to cope with things he can't wrap his head around, was all just breaking Crichton. Maybe it's because I'm quite an anxious person, but I found the realisation that what he's going through is taking a toll very relatable. Ben Browder does well at playing someone walking the tightrope between inspired resourcefulness and unhinged chaos.
One of the things I appreciated a lot more on a rewatch than I did the first time was the arc of the two Crichtons. The way it affects the relationship between Aeryn and John is really well done.
One of my favorite sci-fi shows reviewed by one of my favorite reviewers. You nailed everything about this show that was sooo gooood!!! Great descriptions of the characters. You didn’t go too far into John Critton, but you touched on him enough. You peeled back the layers and uniqueness of Harvey. I cared about this show and the characters through their storylines- pasts, siblings, children, etc. the concept of the universe and the wonderful use of the muppetry/puppetry. The ship’s need to find what was hers and the need to resolve their issues that played out was great!
Thank you for singing the praises of one of my favourite shows (a 3rd or 5th rewatch is on my list of things to do soon, just need to finish rewatching some other stuff).
I'm glad I'm in an empty office while watching this, as I laughed quite audibly when you recommended "Crackers Don't Matter", as seconds before I'd jokingly said out loud that'd be the episode you'd recommend as a test.
Harvey is certainly the best part of a fantastic show and I agree about several characters that got on my nerves initially and ended up enjoyable.
I think one thing people don't address often enough is how fantastically the "2 Johns" situation was handled: at first, you expect the standard trope of one dying in that episode but they don't, and then the story that they tell afterward is so lovely and tragic, though I fear to say more without spoiling it.
Also, "John Quixote" is a personal favourite episode that lets Claudia Black have a little fun, which is always nice.
I used to occasionally catch episodes back when it was broadcast (also LEXX).
It was always intriguing.
You have inspired me to seek it out again. Your description of the plot and characters is FABULOUS. Thank you!
Farscape has more and more become my favourite show. I'm doing a watch through now and buillding the Characters from S1:1 - S4:End and it is amazing fun to go through everything and just look at their character development, these moments when each one does something new and that becomes part of who they are. Wayne fucking Pygram. Thank you for being the gush of this show we all needed
Crackers Don't Matter is one of my all time favorite episodes. I re-watch it all the time. I laughed so hard when you mentioned that as the test episode.
I love this show so hard. It was one of the first sci-fi shows I saw where characterization was one of the more important aspects. One of my oldest friendships is because of this show and I met my husband at a FS convention :D
Love Farscape too :) Also worth noting it’s the closest thing to a proper Australian sci-fi series there is… which probably explains a lot of the weirdness and sense of humor;)
farscape and stargate made up a very happy part of my childhood!
Farscape, Stargate, and BuffyVS on DVD made my college experience.
If you like Claudia Black and Ben Browder, they have a bit of a reunion in the later seasons of Stargate SG1.
I love this frelling show. Your podcast is the best. You and Jesse do such a wonderful job of breaking down the episode that even if i haven’t seen the episode in a while I’m right there with you both.
You can't really talk about Farscape without looking at Blakes 7. So many points of similarity and yet both utterly unique.
Absolutely love Farscape! Totally agree that even when it wasn't a favorite episode, there was always something that worked.
Loved this show. The most unique scifi you'll ever see
A friend of mine got me into Farscape by having me watch "Crackers Don't Matter"! I totally agree it's a great hook and really does give a good flavor of the show.
Agreeing with lots of others here - yes, totally love Farscape....
Farscape was such a fabulous series with so many cool characters and such a fun plot!
By sheer coincidence, sitting here wearing my Harvey tshirt. Farscape is officially my desert island TV series, and I’m so happy when I see someone else who not only knows what this show is, but loves it too….
My mom used to watch this show and so I did by extension. I remembered most of it, including loving Scorpie. However, I had forgotten about Crais until you brought him up and omg, I don't know why but I hated that character and the feeling of hatred that I got when I remembered him was just wow. I had not thought about him in years and years, until today. My favorite character was Chiana btw. I loved her movements!
I love farscape. Watched it in 2005 I think. I loved Pilot so much… and Braca for some reason…
It’s been a while since I think of rewatching the show with your podcast.
I have no idea why I am so fascinated by Braca but I really am.
Braca was my favourite. I have no defence.
You literally made this episode for me, as I am an absolute Farscape STAN! I mean I watched it first run, and rewatched it. . .I'm afraid I honestly can't count the number anymore. "Crackers Don't Matter" huh? Okay, I see what you did there. That has the character interactions and absolute insanity this show represents. I'm still in love with Aeryn, And the villains you left out. The Scarrans. Move over Daleks. Take a damn seat Borgs. (Only for this post, the Borgs ROCK.) You want to meet a race of the most threatening creature in the universe? Meet the Scarrans. I would have went with suggesting the pilot episode though. It's probably one of the most perfect pilot unitl Breaking Bad hit the scene. However, let's chat about Rigel for a sec. Look up absolutely self-serving and duplicitous in the dictionary and you're going to see this weird looking frog like creature. Scream self-serving asshole into the universe and it will shout back "Yeah, we've met Rigel." When you first come upon him, you go "he's a puppet." By the end of the first season you're going to be all "would someone smack this guy already?" Farscape, what a hell of a show that literally came out of no where. (Note: I say this because Farscape was on of three shows at a time when the Science Fiction channel - and yes, once it was actually called the Science Fiction channel - was experimenting with doing it's own TV shows.) That's right kids, without Farscape you wouldn't have that Battlestar Galactica reboot everyone loved until the very last episode. Farscape is AWESOME? Right there with you.
I have never dared to listen to your podcast on this. My relationship to Farscape is too important to me to hear criticism of it and I fear your almighty brain and ability to dissect anything (and recognise that everything is flawed). Still, I listened to this! Your comment about how they sometimes do "stock" episodes with twists is how I sell it to others. Basically I say it's Star Trek but they always leave places worse than how they found them... And recommend "...Different Destinations" as an example. I think I ought to listen to the podcast after all.
I am currently in a really low mental health state and so have turned to Farscape, one of my touchstones, to get me through this. I think for me, John's changes during the show give hope that pretty severe events can be absorbed and aren't necessarily a bad thing. He doesn't ever bounce back from what he goes through. He is never the same person as when he started. But it's not the end of the world. I wouldn't say that he ends up stronger than before or that he works out ways to cope with what happened... I would just say that it is what it is. Someone can go through a lot of bad stuff and it's not the end of them.
While I can’t say I’m never critical, I try to be fair and the overall vibe of the podcast is very positive on the part of myself and Jessie.
@@CouncilofGeeks I get that from this video! Thanks for posting this video because it has dispelled my misgivings with regards listening to the podcast.
The first episode I ever saw was Out of Their Minds, aka the body swap episode. That also worked pretty well as a show introduction because it's a stand alone episode and body swap is an easy concept to follow. I fell in love, ironically, with the wrong versions of each character.
Man, I love this show so much. Been so long since I watched it as a kid with my dad. Always remember that final episode of the Peacekeeper Wars, the conclusion of the whole show during Creighton's display of power to end it.
The whole thing was seared into my mind and I just never forgot it.
Farscape is one of my all-time favorite shows. I was there from Day 1 to enjoy it. My favorite episodes include Out of Their Minds, Won't Get Fooled Again and The Choice(where Claudia should have won ever award ever) and many more! Rockne S. O'Bannon also created another favorite early 90s TV series of mine, seaQuest DSV and his more recent series Defiance was also pretty darn good.
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Yes, I love this show. My daughter was named after one of the characters. I look forward to the day when I can sit her down and watch it with her from start to finish.
A bunch of my friends and I used to have Farscape rewatch parties, with really alcoholic punch and snacks, and a very good time.
I haven't seen it yet.
It looks great.
Harvey----with the bunny suit---sounds like the old Jimmy Stewart film. I am guessing they did that on purpose? I love when shows do subtle jokes like that.
Oh yes, it's a connection that's made explicit. When Crichton realizes Harvey is in his brain he debates between naming him Harvey or Clarence (the angel from It's a Wonderful Life).
There was a fair bit of crossover of course between the original SG1 fandom and Farscape, ofc, so Farscape has been on my tbw list forever. XD I appreciated this review. 💚
I love this show and I love the WhatTheFrell podcast and recommend it to Farscape fan, Vera & Jessie's banter is hilarious and their analyses are solid.
I really loved the podcast you and Jessie did. Started my own rewatch with my niece because of it.
Thank you so much for this video! 💜
Farscape was one of my most favourite shows that I watched when I was young (Zhaan was probably one of the first queer crushes for me💙). I don't know how I had manager to miss your podcast about it with Jessie! But I'm going to binge it now.
I recently re-watched this show too, and it is just amazing! It's one of my all time favourite space western shows of the era. Now that you mention Rockne S. O'Bannon, I need to check out Defiance.
Farscape is probably my favorite TV show of all time, I'm so glad more people are bringing attention to it. I'm gonna go right now and start binging every episode of your What the Frell podcast, because I need more people talking about Farscape in my life!
I love this show, I definitely have to track down the podcast.
It's nice to hear you talk about something you're passionate about.
I'm a Sci girl guy and when I found farscape I fell in love the most unique show. Characters who literally become a family and grow together they would do anything for one another . Ben and Claudia's chemistry i think is what makes the show the romance could have easily ruined the show but it was a slow burn. I love the episode where they force him to marry someone so that the princess could have kids the sweet moments with Creighton and his kids in hologram form were amazing. Farscape is in a class all its own.
I love Farscape. I was shipping John Crichton and Aeryn Sun so hard before I even knew what shipping was. It was such a different show from what I was used to. When it first came out, the TV channels in South Africa broadcasted only the 1st season of both Farscape and Andromeda and it took years before I was able to find it again. So I started with season 1 and followed that up with the mini-series "The Peacekeeper Wars". So whenever I re-watch Farscape (not a whole series re-watch) it is usually the beginning or the end of the show that I watch.
P.S. I don't know if you have watched Babylon 5 before, if you haven't, you definitely should check it out. It is one of my all time favorite Sci-fi shows and some of the best storytelling I have come across. I re-watch the whole saga every few years, and unlike Farscape where I always re-watch the beginning and end, I always re-watch seasons 2-4 every year instead.
Love your videos :D
I would say there's a DNA string from Blake's Seven, over the course of the show. BUT it is totally unique in so many ways it could never be called a 'rip off'!!
I have to Strongly disagree about how Chiana moves! It's one of my favorite things! She's like part cat/part dancer. I liked the show before she joined, but was devoted afterward!
The UK has Doctor Who, the US has Star Trek, Canada has Stargate, and Australia has Farscape. Sure it was created and written by Americans, but the show is Australian through and through. And for that reason alone I would love it. The fact it's a bloody amazing show on top of that is just icing on the cake really. I utterly adore Farscape, watched it religiously when it first aired, got the DVDs, and have rewatched it several times since. Even got some of the post-show comics.
If there was ever more Farscape I would be all over that so damn fast.
I love this show. More people need to be reminded of it. It reminds me of Lexx, but is more approachable.
Lexx is another classic in the bio-punk genre!
Currently on season 3 of my second viewing of this masterpiece of a show, so your timing is PERFECT. THIS SHOW FRELLS.
I never watched Peacekeeper Wars. I think I'll check that out now.
Another way to sell the show to new viewers is Guardians of the Galaxy. Farscape was one of the models for Gunn's GotG. John Crichton and Peter Quill have a fair number of personality similarities. The character dynamics among the crew are similar
It was the original intention for Farscape to showcase the Jim Henson creature workshop but they soon realised they had a really great concept and ran with it. The show is an utterly amazing ride. So glad you have discovered it. So much weirdness, fun, sadness and depth. Something that seems to be missing from a lot of TV shows and movies these days.
I dont know if you'e seen any of the cast interviews but one of them is with Wayne Pygram who played Scorpius. He said he was moved when someone with a disability wrote to him and said how he had inspired him. Scorpius had worked against his own disability to rise through the ranks and become the person he was. Yes not a nice person but he had shown how his disability wasn't going to hold him back. This show is amazing on so many levels.
farscape is criminally underappreciated!
My sister always said what was unique to her about it was the characters start out really not liking each other. I just thought it was a lot of fun and as you say with a lot of interesting twists.
I'm glad Farscape is still getting new members of the audience. I was in high school when I fell in love with this show. I even participated in the Save Farscape campaign when it came out (I was a part of the "Crackers DO Matter" portion of the campaign). Finding a lot of people outside of the Internet who know about the show is really difficult. But even so, I'm glad that there's those who are still discovering the show.
Rockne S. O'Bannon co-created another TV series for SyFy called Defiance (which was part of a transmedia experiment where there was a MMO that was released at the same time that took place in the same world as the show, and often had storylines and characters that crossed over between the two). Both Farscape and Defiance hold a place in my heart, along with Knight Rider (the 1980s show), among many others on a very short list.
I miss this show so much. This made me smile.
It’s such a great show. So much creativity.
It’s been really good to start rewatching it again prompted by your podcast (I’m a little behind though) as I hadn’t seen it since it ended 18 years ago.
Good to see you enjoying yourself! ❤
I think it aired in Canada on Space right after it premiered on the Sci-Fi channel in 1999 and fell in love with it instantly. I’ve done at least two rewatches and remain amazed how great it was. Wayne Pygram should have won an Emmy for his performance. My favourite characters have always been Pilot and Aeryn.
You are new to me but when I saw that somebody was reviewing Who Loved Farscape I had to listen because I absolutely adored and loved Farscape it's quirky it's weird it's bizarre but so endearing in the characters are so interesting and you get so invested in these absolutely Bonkers storylines and yeah sometimes like you said it doesn't work but it's always it's never dull and how I loved it so thank you for taking the time to review Farscape love the show
I watched all of Farscape basically just after the 4th season aired and was devastated when I watched that episode. My father who had advised me to watch the show was quick to tell me of the many fan campaigns to try and revive it or get some kind of conclusion, and I was overjoyed when the mini series was announced. I have rewatched the series several times since and I love it. I had also started to listen to the podcast, but I fell behind, I don't exactly remember where. Probably towards the end of season 2, I need to take the time to continue listening to it. It was fun.
Wow memories unlocked! I completely forgot about this show! I loved it so much.
Fav show of all time. Watched it when it went to air in Australia in the late 90s. Someone once said "John Criton works because he weaponised his insanity"
I love that show. I should really rewatch with the podcast. Love the earrings.
Omg using Crackers Don’t Matter as a test episode to throw people into blind is so unhinged 🤣
I recently started re-watching this with my boyfriend, who'd never seen it. It's nice to see other people remember this gem.
The writing in the show is top notch. Take a character like Jool for example, who did not get a huge amount of screen time, but had such amazing development in the time that she did! PS I met Tammy Macintosh in Melbourne just randomly at a cafe. I said hello, (something I would normally never do) and she was sooooo lovely. And a bit shocked when I mentioned I knew her from Farscape. She was on a show called Wentworth at the time which was huge in Australia and normally got recognised from that so she was thrilled to have someone know her from her earlier work!
I remember watching it as a kid in the early 00s and this video makes me want to re-watch it (once I've finished with Malcolm in the Middle)
DAE remember the ep where they got hit by some cosmic ray which caused them to swap bodies? As a kid years who was years pre transition it made me think about things 😬
That episode was fantastic! I love how they sorted everything out by wearing badges with the person’s face on them. Absolutely a great subversion of the scifi requisite body swap episode
Great video!! I fell in love with this show recently, watching reruns on a local network...been thru the series almost 3 times. My favorite episodes were the "Princess" trilogy when our hero gets turned into a statue. There is talk of a revival....so hope that happens!
I am only 23 years old, but my dad showed me this show during high school and I had an absolute blast with it! Its wacky and fun and yeah a result of its time, but something about it is ever so charming.
I loved this show when I watched it, and I need to go back to it. It's a fantastic show.
YESS I love Farscape!! Probably my favourite sci-fi show. I’m very obsessed with Crais in particular, and Scorpius is absolutely one of the best villains in sci-fi of all time.
Farscape is rad!
“I’m going to recommend a test episode…”
Me: Is it Crackers Don’t Matter?
“…Crackers Don’t Matter.”
A really good explanation of a pretty unique series . Farscape was made before the return of Dr Who and was much welcomed by British sci - fi enthusiasts . It's well worth watching and turns up on freeview channels from time to time .
The costumes , make up and the animatronics really set the scenes and I much prefer them to the non stop use of CGI of today's stuff . You managed to explain it really well.
when you mentioned the test episode I immediately thought of "crackers don't matter"!
seriously though, I'm so glad to see folks talking about Farscape! I watched the show in its initial US run on SciFi - I was 13 at the time so it became a really formative show for me. And it really is an incredible show! The casting, the chemistry between all the actors, the writing, the costuming, the set design, the practical effects 😍 I actually got a coworker watching Farscape and he loved it!
I remember when the show got cancelled early after they had renewed for more seasons and wrote letters to the network
You started to mention the stand alone episode for people to test out and my brain immediately thought "Crackers don't Matter?"
LoL! Awesome!