Customer Reviews

Farscape: The Complete Season 1

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Farscape is arguably the best SF ever produced for television. It takes a fairly common storyline of a group of travelers thrown together and being pursued by individual of near obsessive (and evil) qualities. This formula has gone bad before in several genres, western, SF, road movies etc. Here, an contemporary American astronaut is sucked through a wormhole into another side of the galaxy where he is immediately caught up in a "prison break" in space. What makes Farscape so successful is a mixture of qualities.

First the casting is excellent. Filmed in Australia, most of the characters (except the lead, John Crighton's) are from there giving it an "off" feel to American ears which contributes to it's alieness. Each of the character's is part colorful stereotype, has weaknesses and is extremely individual. The chemistry is fantastic, especially after the first two or three shows in the series. Especially notworthy is the chemistry between the love interests played by Claudia Black and Ben Browder (John Crighton).

Another plus is the writing. Non-stop action and story telling is the hallmark of this series. Little time is spent creating mood or atmosphere (that is done by the characters and background), everything advances the plot line. Additionally, most episodes are connected in that previous storylines are built upon and create a chronology of events for the later stories.

Farscape space is inhabited by aliens who pass gas, burp, have intimate relations, love, hate, get hungry and can be fairly dirty in their habits. Add to this the great cultural references made by Crighton, the viewer gets the feeling that this is a bit like what space would really be like. A far cry from the antiseptic cleanliness and "wonder" of the Star Trek franchise.
Lastly Farscape has a timeline in the sense that it's not an endless variety of adventures for no particular reason there is an actual endstate the writers and producers have in mind at the end of the series.

Let's hope that Sci Fi Channel has the good sense to let Farscape complete its last season and reverse its cancellation. Shows of this quality and with such a loyal fanbase are rare.

Farscape is the most imaginative, creative, and awe-inspiring program I have ever watched. With the use of only a handful of episodes, I have been able to get anyone hooked on this fantastic program. The creatures, costumes, sets, and locales featured in the show are examples of how film-quality production can be done on the small screen.

Farscape is the best show on television! It is the best thing that the Sci-Fi Channel has, has ever had, and probably ever will have! Farscape is better then the new Star Trek, "Enterprise," and the last two Star Wars films, combined. For some reason though, (they claim ratings and cost, but it's been the #1 show for them for four years, and advertisers love it), Sci-Fi Channel has just cancelled this wondrous program.

To all Farscape fans: We must support this program, and help bring back the show. You can go to savefarscape.com to find out what you can do, and make sure to support the show by buying these DVD's, the video game, t-shirts, posters, etc., to show your appreciation for the series, and to show Sci-Fi that Farscape is their greatest asset, and that it should remain on their programming schedule for years to come!

This is a great show. However, at $120 per season, it comes to a rather expensive $6.55 per hour of entertainment.

If you compare that to:

24 Hours: $2.33/hour
Alias: $3.18/hour
Westwing: $2.36/hour
Firefly: $3.11/hour
Six feet Under: $4.92/hour
Sopranos: $5.74/hour

and even movies like

Star Wars episode I: $6.32/hour
Star Wars episode II: $5.92/hour

Farscape's pricing is over the top. I'll wait until the prices come down before adding Farscape to my collection.

Hope this helps

Farscape is doing for TV, what the original Star Wars did for movies back in 1977. Only it has an advantage over the movie, it is not limited to the 3 hour time constraint movies have. Believe me, Farscape uses every second for plot development and adding a richness to the characters rarely seen in both movies and TV.

Like Star Wars, Farscape combines humor, action, & drama with state of the art F/X and creatures (two of which are regular characters). The characterizations are so strong you will forget that Zhann is blue, D'Argo has tentacles, & Rygel is a puppet. Farscape's tends to leave you with a feeling that you just peaked into the characters' lives, as opposed to have just watched a scripted TV show.

While watching this box set, you will notice there is something right about Farscape. Over the course of the season, the characters grow from distrustful individuals to a functional team/family of sorts. Don't get me wrong, everyone on board the living ship has their own agenda, and one betrays the group at the beginning of the last episode "Family Ties." Season 1 slowly builds momentum then kicks into overdrive with episode 18 "A Bug's Life." The last five episodes will be difficult not to watch in one sitting. Whatever the creative forces behind Farscape tried to do, they definitely accomplished it!

If you never have seen Farscape and are hesitant by the price of this box set, I suggest getting the Best of Season 1 set (type B000067IVT in the search box) first. It contains 6 amazing episodes which are a great introduction to the series...you can always lend it out to friends later. Once you've experienced these episodes, you'll need the rest of the season & can order this box set then. Also keep in mind, Farscape is known for its cliffhanger season finales, & season 1 began this tradition in an explosive way. So it would be a good idea to keep Season 2, Vol. 1 (type B000068TOM in the search box) ready to order in your shopping cart.

A fascinating universe with many races and plots centered around a human that happened be pulled away from Earth in a worm hole. He ends up in a new complex world of aliens. The world is very well put together with much creativity and flare for the unusual. At times (especially when you first start watching the show) it may appear silly or corny. However, the characters and the world they are in really grows on you. I am now approaching the very final two episodes of season one and feel a little bit sad to leave this little fictional universe. I am looking forward to the second season. It is a great show and if you love Sci-Fi I cannot see how you would not be drawn to this creative work. The only drawback with the series is that it is difficult to jump into (i.e. it is helpful to have followed the series). Even though many episodes are self-contained there are several story lines that connect the episodes. I personally first saw episodes from season 3 and was thoroughly confused. When I bought season one I got the opportunity to follow the buildup of the characters and the plot. I love this show and highly recommend it! FarScape deserves to get a fifth season on the Sci-Fi channel. You will not be disappointed by the FarScape universe.

5 star show...1 star price! Farscape was (and still is) one of the best written, acted, costumed, and "elaborately setted" SciFi TV shows to date (yes...better than Firefly & Babylon 5)! But $114 for season 1 and $134 each for seasons 2, 3, & 4!? Outrageous! Besides, I just bought all 22 episodes of season 1 via collection 1, 2, & 3 of the season 1 Starburst Editions for a total of only $56.97 (18.99 each)! Someone explain to me how putting them all in one box more doubles the value!?

If you don't know what Farscape's about, Amazon's plot synopsis will give you an idea much better than I could. Here's what makes Farscape Season 1 special:

- Irreverent humor. Farscape's unique among sci-fi shows in that its hero is himself a sci-fi fan. Seeing Ben Browder's John Crichton toss off references to Star Wars, Star Trek and other classic sci-fi tales is funny. Seeing his alien crewmates' puzzled reactions is even funnier.

- Unpredictability. Like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Farscape gleefully takes all the worn-out stereotypes of its genre and blows them to pieces. If you're used to sci-fi where the good guys never make mistakes, and you always know how the show will end well before the third act, get ready for something very different.

- An unconventional hero. In later seasons, tragic and fairly nasty experiences will lead John Crichton to adopt a draw-your-gun-first, ask-later viewpoint. In Season 1 he's still full of wonder and scientific curiosity, and he's prone to think his way out of a crisis rather than relying on firepower.

- An equally unusual crew dynamic. Later seasons see the crew getting along more or less harmoniously. Season 1 allows new viewers the genuine treat of watching a group of irritable and potentially dangerous protagonists forced to work together to save their own lives. Moya's crew members don't always like or trust one another, and it makes for satisfying and intriguing entertainment.

If you've ever wished that someone would apply Buffy's signature mix of humor, darkness and intelligence to space opera; if you've ever wondered what Star Trek would be like without that gigantic stick up its port nacelle; or if you're simply curious to see what the company that brought you The Muppet Show can do with science fiction... Farscape will thrill and entertain you tremendously.

ADV seems to have finally followed the plea of Farscape fans to release Farscape Box Sets, and in such short notice! This seems to be all 11 discs originally released one at a time packed into 6 page filled keep cases. The box itself seems to be very decorative to the Farscape scenes, covering one side with one of the most memorable scnene, the pod trwirling into the wormhole. Many believe they may a have put some new effort into the box set by releasing an 12th disc to fit the last case, but all is just speculation.

The discs will have the same stuff, down the the very menus, but the cases that they are stored in are being re-designed to fit the first season better. Hopefully the open side will be very presentable like the StarGate SG-1 box sets with un-cluttered spines like many ADV cases never seem to do. But as long as all the episodes are present and they are presented in all their glory, nobody should reject this set.

Hopefully Season two and three will follow shortly. Season three was undeniably the best season. Season three was pure story telling, and genius, creative ideas like the two Chrictons. Just time will tell weather or not we will ever see more soon.....

Farscape is one of the greatest science fiction television shows of all time. The writing is creative, fresh, original, and never fails to surprise you. The characters are classic, the acting excellent, and the special effects breathtaking. The set designs for the ship Moya are simply beautiful. And this show is funny! Gut-busting humor is mixed in with action, romance, and science fiction, to create a true work of art that will stand the test of time for years to come. No science fiction fan should be without this box set.

Farscape was not only the "Best Science-Fiction show on Television" (TV Guide), it is the best sci-fi series ever made as far as I'm concerned (and I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation). The character development in second to none, not only with the lead characters but with the excellent villains and supporting cast as well. It is an incredibly rich experience to watch Farscape, each episode is so packed with drama and action that a one hour show can often feel like a two or three episode arc.

Season One is an essential must have for anyone interested in the series. It starts of on a little bit of shaky footing, but things begin to pick up part way through the season. You need to give it a little patience, and I promise you it will pay off by the end of Season One and into the following years. You might want to skip some of the earlier episodes until you've gotten to know the show a bit, then come back to them to watch some of the character development.

Here's what I think are the best of the season:

"Premiere": The best place to start is here. This is a good episode and sets up all the characters and basic premise so you won't get lost.

"PK Tech Girl": Watch this next, not extremely overwhelming, but important for some later character development.

"DNA Mad Scientist": A good episode, cited by the actors as a favourite in season one. There is some good character development in this one.

"They've Got a Secret": There are some key plot developments for the future here and great character development for D'Argo.

"The Flax": This one is pretty fun. There is a very humerous twist at the end.

"Durka Returns": The introduction of a new character and some good stuff for Rygel and Aeryn. Also a villain who drops in for minute in Season 2.

"A Human Reaction": Not only one of the best episodes of Season One, it's one of the best episodes of Farscape ever.

"Through the Looking Glass": A very good episode. The reactions of the characters in the different environments are priceless.

"Nerve" & "The Hidden Memory": Here we go, now the show really comes into it's own with this two parter. You can't help but love Farscape after this. The reason is the introduction of a new villain. Scorpius will be a huge key to the show's future and is absolutely thrilling to watch. You don't have a Season 2 without Scorpius.

"Family Ties": This sets up a VERY climatic cliff-hanger. All I can say is, "To be continued...".

And don't forget, watch "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" on the Sci-Fi Channel, beginning October 17, 2004!