Customer Reviews

Farscape: The Complete Season 2

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, without a doubt. Even though fans of Trek, Babylon 5, and SG-1 might disagree, TV Guide says its the "...Best Science-Fiction series on TV..." Too bad it's not still on. Do you like intrigue, romance, passion, betrayal, technology without the techno-babble, wonderful characters and villians, impeccable editing and set design, and a story line that takes you from the highest highs to the lowest lows? Let's just put it this way. If you haven't watched Farscape you are missing out.

I love the second season. I think it has to be the best, because everything was at it's best. The acting, directing, the action, the romance, the speacial effects all became phenomenal. Here is my evaluation of each episode of Season 2.

Note: I am not like one of those Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fans giving my favorite show 5 star ratings for every second episode. The epsisodes here are truly fantastic. No offence Buffy fans but I find some of you to be easily impressed occasionally.

1. Mind the Baby-4/5
The first time I saw this episode I hated it. thoguht the plot moved too quickly and was vague at certain points (espeacially because it was supposed to be episode 2). I am sure others will feel this way, but after viewing this episode a few times I have found it to be solid entertainment.

2. Vitas Mortis-2/5
This episode has two incredible CGI sequences which bring it up to a two, but otherwise, I hate this episode. The mystical side of Farscape rarely appeals to me.

3. Taking the Stone-2/5
Another poor episode with mystical bits and annoying aliens.

4. Crackers Don't Matter-4/5
This one has a really poorly done alien, but also has some
hilarious quotes ("IT'S PUKE?!") as well as a great fire-fight between John and Aeryn. Very not bad.

5. The Way We Weren't-5/5
A great look into Peacekeeper life. I love the marching scene at the begining.

6. Picture if you Will-3/5
The return of an enemy. This episode has its weak bits but some very interesting parts as well.

7. Home on the Remains-3/5
This episode has some really gross parts (in a good way) but otherwise is just plain average.

8. Dream A Little Dream-3/5
This episode was supposed to be the premiere but instead it's told as a flash-back. Other then that, not much can be said.

9. Out of Their Minds-4/5
I have found this episode to be overrated. I don't find the humour all that great and the aliens are rather dodgey. Other then that this episode was rather intriguing.

10. My Three Crichtons-4/5
I great look at the evil in the human nature. A great episode.

11. Look At Princess Part 1: A Kiss is But a Kiss-5/5
This episode is the best of the three-parter. The fight scenes are pretty good, it has a very beautiful set, and it introduces the brutal Scarrans. The story here has a wonderful element of fantasy.

12. Look At Princess Part 2: I Do, I Think-4/5
This episode has some inconsistencies, but otherwise has great action and effects, a new gorgeous Peacekeeper guest star (They should really bring her back), and just like part 1, a fantastic story.

13. Look At Princess Part 3: The Maltese Crichton-4.5/5
Not as good as part 1, but has a very touching scene at the end where John says goodbye to his unborn child.

14. Beware of Dog-4/5
I love the plot in this episode. Entwined with such mystery and deception, and some great fire-fights, this episode is a work of art.

15. Won't Get Fooled Again-5/5
A hilarious episode where John goes insane as he tries to pull himself out of a ruse he is trapped in. Great plot twists and revelations, and a monster of an Alien make this episode one of the best.

16. The Locket-4/5
A great romantic developement between John and Aeryn which is totally lost at the end. You'll see what I mean.

17. The Ugly Truth-3/5
This episode gets a bit tiresome. The recurring recollections from different perspectives becomes a little redundant.

18. A Clockwork Nebari-4/5
The Nebari race is extremely fascinating, and I am annoyed that this plot was not further pursued. Nerri seemed like a great character for a recurring guest role. This episode also has some pretty funny parts, and a very grusome scene involving the surgical removal of eyeballs.

19. Liars Guns and Money Part 1: A Not So Simple Plan-5/5
A huge set and a great confrontation between Scorpious and Crichton.

20. Liars Guns and Money Part 2: With Friends Like These-4/5
This episode also has some inconsistencies, but is still quite good, with yet another terrifying cliffhanger.

21. Liars Guns and Money Part 3: Plan B-5/5
A huge battle scene and great directing and acting make this trilogy the best of the series. This episode precisely expresses the agony that John now suffers, which is brilliantly acted and directed. Ben Browder deserves an emmy!

22. Die Me, Dichotomy-5/5
I think this has to be the best episode of the series! It has an incredible dogfight with a heart-breaking outcome. I honestly get teary every time I watch this episode. This has everything that makes a masterpiece; adventure, tragedy, love, and loss.
Just like the previous episode, this is emmy award worthy, but then of course not everybody puts their faith in science fiction.

Farscape reallly took off in Season 2. It has everything: gut-plitting comedy ("Crackers Don't Matter" and "Out of Their Minds"), a grand Farscape-style fairy tale adventure ("Look at the Princess" Part I, II and III), an action-adventure heist caper ("Liars, Guns and Money" Part I, II and III), high drama ("The Way we Weren't", "My Three Crichtons") and just plain unclassifiable ("Won't Get Fooled Again"). Even the weaker episodes have a lot going for them and as Farscape fans know weaker is definitely a relative term.

Just be prepared to lose a lot of sleep because the cliff hangers are sadistically brutal! You will definitely find yourself saying, OK, just one more. The two three part stories are truly cinema quality and are worth the price of the box set alone.

One more cautionary note is if you are married and want to stay that way, hook your spouse if he/she isn't already. Ladies: if you husband thinks this is a "puppet show", just tell him there's lots of action and toilet humour. Guys: Tell your wife its a cross between Sex and the City and Titantic.

Could they be any slower releasing these box sets? Farscape is one of the best sci-fi series ever put to television, but you probably already know that since you are on this page. My only complaint is they are taking forever to release these sets. At the time of this post, B5 has already released season 3. Star Trek released the entire Next Generation series in less than a year, what could possibly take so long to release this set?

So many people are saying "finally they released a boxed set". In the forums it's "ADV told us they wouldn't release a box set, so I'll just buy the individuals".

Okay people... ADV wants to make money. They know all the hardcore fans of Farscape want the episodes, especially since the cancellation. So they released one volume at a time and everyone bought them. Now they release a box set hoping that the same people will buy it. Every movie company does this... can you say "highly anticipated DVD release of Lord of the Rings"? and then a month later the same movie with bonus footage... It's [something] that they pull all the time to make money.

I bought all of season one, one DVD at a time. Then the boxed set was released. I figure I spent about $200 for the individuals and then a nice compact boxed set is out for around $125. I decided to wait for the season 2 boxed set. Here it is... now please, everyone, save your money and WAIT for the season 3 boxed set. It WILL come out.

Farscape season 2 continues the fine tradition set in the first season. After finishing the season one cliffhanger when nearly everyone was left for dead the show continues with some very good and some excellent episodes in season 2.

About the boxed set

The set contains all 22 season two episodes divided in 5 sets of DVD's containing 4 or 5 episodes each. Some DVD's contain bonus features but these are merely comments and brief promotional videos and are a bit disappointing.
The DVD's have a nice layout but a bit annoying is a wormhole sequence which is played at absurdly loud sound level everytime you select an episode.
The set is nicely packaged but the quality of the package remains questionable since it is made out of paper. I own the season 1 and 2 and for now the package is not damaged but we will see about that when the show gets in the hands of some of my friends.

About the show

The story is about a pilot named John Chricton which during an experimental flight gets sucked in the wormhole and ends up on the other end of the galaxy. There he stumbles in the middle of a prison break and ends up with the escaped criminals on a living ship called Moya.
In the second season we see further development in character relations between the crew. Some fight and tensions as no one gets along all that well. We see some romances develop and some deals get broken. Nobody is completely without flaws but somehow they all pull together in tough spots and get through them.
My favorite episodes in second season are "The way we weren't" where we learn a little bit about Aeryn's and pilot's past and "Won't get fooled again" where Crichton wakes up on earth again. There is an excellent three part episode called "Liars, Guns and Money" when the crew of Moya decides to rob a bank to get enough money to buy D'argo's sun from slave traders.
The best episode must be "Die Me, Dichotomy" which is the last in the season but I won't spoil it for you.

Quality an conclusion

The picture quality is very good as the show is presented in 16:9 wide screen. The sound and special effect remain to be top notch. The creature and prosthetics keep getting better and more elaborate. If you loved the first season you'll love the second even more. The boxed set is much better than buying all the volumes separately.

Season One included scenes from the British release, scenes not shown in the US. I was looking forword to these extra scenes in the second season, and I was disappointed not to see them. There are only a few eposides with comentary, and there are no documentaries or behind the scenes interviews included. However, there are a few deleted scenes included. The DVD's also include actor biographies and character backstories for your reading enjoyment. Overall I was disappointed in the lack of extras. I, like most people buy DVD's not only for the show but for the extras. I would really enjoy seeing some outtakes and more on the actors and crews thoughts on the show. I guess I can always keep hoping, maybe Season 3 or 4 will have more extras.

It has been way too long for this DVD to be released. Hopefully ADV can pick up the pace for season three. But anyway....

Season two is probably my second favorite becuase of the awesome acting and special effects. This is the ONLY scifi show that can almost make you cry. Sorry Stargate SG-1...

Season two focused mainly on John trying to cope with the implant in his brain that allows his to communicate with a type of "nueral clone" of his arch enemy, Scorpius. The amount of pressure that John portays himself being put to is amazing. The final moment before he completely loses comtrol of himself is one of the best scenes in the entire series' run, and the season finale is nothing short of phenomenal.

This season also focused on John making serious friendships with the people he has been with the past year or so of his life. In the first season they thought of him as an outcast, but finally realized in season two that he is much more. He himself holds the key to one of the galaxies major sources of power -- and destruction -- wormholes. Something hidden inside of his brain that he finally doesn't get to until season four, just about when he becomes drunk with invicibilty becuase of it.

I would recommend this DVD to anyone interested in the show. If you like it, get season three (my favorite), then try seasons one and four to tie up all the loose ends from the beginning and end of the show.

It's about time those people at ADV Films got their act together and released season two all together. Am I the only one confused by all those volumes? This is the way it should be seen and bought. I have been watching the reruns of this show and I am now up to season 4. Looking back on Season two their are plenty of great high light episodes that come to mind. This is where Johns obsession with worm holes really starts to grow. It's also when he gets the scorpious chip put inside his head. This season has the best cliff hanger of the first three seasons, I have yet to see how season 4 ends.

It's interesting to note that "Dream a little dream" was the original first episode. But SciFi thought it did not address the issues of the cliff hanger of season 1 so instead it began with "Mind the Baby". This season starts off pretty rocky as "Dream a little dream" and "Taking the Stone" are pretty weak episodes. It always takes a few episodes for a farscape season to get warmed up. But once your in you are treated to such great episodes as;
"The Way, We weren't": Great background story on Pilot, Moya, and Aeryn,

"My Three Crichtons": Great acting by Ben Browder as he plays three versions of himself.

"The Locket":Seeing Aeryn and John grow old together brings a tear to my eye.

and "A Clockwork Nebari":I don't think TV has ever been so graphic. Great work by Henson and Co.

This season contains the worst three parter of the entire series, with the "Look at the Princess" trilogy and the best three parter of the series with the "Liars, Guns, and Money" trilogy.

The work done by The Jim Henson company must be seen to be believed, I am glad I at least caught the show now, better late than never, and I hope to see a movie sometime in the near future. It's a testament to what SciFi should be and really raises the bar for television.

The Cliff Hanger was brilliant, and the acting by the entire cast is superb. See how far the worm hole goes and do yourself a favor and watch this amazing show.

I am a huge FarScape fan and in gearing up for the mini-series that's going to tie up the story arc that the Sci-Fi channel left hanging after season 4, I was going to come and buy all 4 seasons of the show to refresh my memory.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the price tags (not to mention that season 3 and 4 aren't available in boxed sets yet).

It was just a TV show (regardless of how awesome it was), and you can still see repeats on Sci-Fi, granted it's not always at convenient times. It's definately not worth $130 a season, especially with what I'm hearing about the special features being lacking.

I bought the first DVD from the first season and color me unimpressed. I'm sure Amazon is pricing based on manufacturer's suggestion - but yeesh, ADV, cut the fans a break. Not all sci-fi fans/geeks have a multibillion dollar corporation that they started out of their garage!