Customer Reviews

Farscape Season 1, Vol. 2 - Exodus from Genesis / Throne for a Loss

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4 star:		(5)
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I hope everyone enjoyed the deleted scenes on the 1st Farscape DVD. The US version now begins to differ on the episode order. But to be fair I have the entire 1st season on the UK edition. Throne for a loss-gives Rygel a great comedy relief to Farscape. He really shines here. We get our 1st glimpse of a race called the Tavleks, who are battle scared renegades, whose real business is holding hostages for ransom-as Rygel soon discovers. A classic! Next is- Exodus from Genesis- While attempting to hide from Crais' scout ships Moya takes refuge behind a cloud of asteroid debris. The debris is,in fact, a swarm of Draks(alien life forms). Crichton discovers that these "space cockroaches" have invaded the ship, & have created replicas of him & the entire crew. Mean while,peacekeepers have boarded Moya, where they kill every Drak replicant they can find. But can they take the heat? These episodes are to be commended for some new sci-fi ideas that are not apparent in many sci-fi shows or movies.You will also enjoy the profile on Aeryn Sun & the original Jim Henson company Farscape Trailer. You'll soon see how STAR WARS would be if it could be a weekly TV series. This is as close as you can get. So enjoy it.

These two episodes, "Exodus from Genesis" and "Throne for a Loss" are both quite good. Both feature the great writing and fine acting that fans have come to expect from FARSCAPE. The real standout of these episodes, however, is the outstanding work by Henson Studios. FARSCAPE is the rare breed of science fiction series that dares to feature inhuman aliens. FARSCAPE regularly features strange creatures thanks to the amazing work of Henson's Creature Shop. These episodes feature some of their best work, the creepy crawly Drak that infest Moya in "Exodus from Genesis" and the giant mantis-like prisoner in "Throne for a Loss". It is a sign of the quality of their work that they strive to make the "guest" aliens as interesting as the series regular puppets/animatronics Pilot and Rygel. FARSCAPE is an excellent series that is quickly setting the standard for all other science fiction series that follow.

"Farscape" has developed into one of the best shows on television. Enjoyment of these early episodes is enhanced by the addition of deleted material and lively commentary. "Escape from Exodus" is an enjoyable story, but far from "Farscape" at its best. The tale of an infestation by space parasites is enlivened by entertaining character interaction, always one of this show's strengths. "Throne for a Loss," on the other hand, is terrific. Rygel, as despicably hilarious as ever, is kidnapped by the Tavleks, a race of warriors who rely on an addictive drug, administered through "power gauntlets," to heighten their power and aggression. To save Rygel, Aeryn, Crichton, and D'Argo all take their turns with the weapon, and the way in which it affects each of them provides interesting and amusing insights into their characters. The way in which Crichton resolves the conflict is perfect.

I really enjoyed these two episodes.I bought the first dvd and loved it esspecially the premeiere episode.Then I watched Throne for a loss this episode is great because the interactions with the characters D'argo,Crichton,and Aeryn are funny yet heart warming.I really do hope every single show goes on dvd.I have a become a Huge Farscape fan in such a short time.These shows are definetly worth watching more than once.You won't be disappointed.

As a Farscape 'fledgling' (always seem to get into shows in the second season) I'm enthralled with this series.

Exodus from Genesis explores the developing relationships between the ship's crew during a crisis on Moya. It painfully lets us experience how totally inept poor Crichton feels by being thrust into the alien universe in which he finds himself. Beatuiful acting on the part of Claudia and Virginia in many scenes, interspersed with some amusing segments in spite of the seriousness of the situations they encounter.

Throne for a Loss depicts Rigel at his best and worst. Gives a keen insight into his more sinister traits. I had no difficulty understanding why the crew were (a little) tempted to leave him planetside after his abduction.

The extras on the DVD were wonderful and the commentaries thoroughly enjoyable.

One of the strengths of good sf on television is that it takes the characters and basic elements of its "universe" and adds to and develops them. FARSCAPE is no exception to this rule, and does it quite wonderfully in this pair of episodes.

"Exodus From Genesis" is about a bug infestation on Moya, and the surprising truth of what is behind it. With a commentary track version of the episode by Brian Henson and Virginia Hey, the episode has some very good character interaction, and the extra footage on the disc presents some rather intriguing material for fans of Zhaan. Solid episode, good story, with some neat visual effects.

"Throne for a Loss" is an episode that deals with an attempt on Moya's crew to trade with beings called Tavleks that takes an unexpected turn when Rygel is kidnapped for ransom. Excellent sense of humour in this episode with some great lines from various cast members, and the extra footage here makes the episode worthwhile. However, when one adds the commentary track with Ben Browder and Claudia Black, one has an episode version that offers all kinds of insights into the episode and how it was made (among other subjects discussed by the two actors).

Overall, a marvellous DVD and well worth adding to any collection of sf discs - but even better that it's a FARSCAPE one!

Farscape has a ``human'' quality that some of the other, more established, television SF series lack. It's also fun to see a new series bloom to life -- the actors and productors are obviously having fun trying to make up the story and devlop characters as they go along.

The storyline is something out of Douglas Adams's ``A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' -- A bumbling human astronaut gets sucked in through a wormhole and ends up in a living spaceship, being manned by four different alien life forms -- all convicts. They have to try and get along and each try to find out what exactly each of them is searching for. The make-up, computer-generated and animation special effects alone are incredible.

My hat goes off to Henson & Co. for their eyepopping realization of what could only be imagination. The references to American pop culture just adds to the whole pot-pourri because it defines the confusion of ``An American Overseas.'' I especially found the Hyundai reference in the ``Genesis'' episode hilarious. Watch out for the pop quiz references including movies, arts, and sports (American football). The international cast -- ranging from Australian and U.K. accents -- also makes it quite believeable that the human astronaut, with his all-American-boy accent is totally lost in this part of the weird and wondering universe.

The DVD realease is fab in the fact that you get the commentaries from the producers and/or cast members for each of the episodes. My favourite was the one for ``Throne for a Loss'' in which the actors who play John and Aryn comment as if they're settled down with a tub of popcorn between and make silly jokes and half-serious comments -- You get a real feel for their camaraderie and how they must work together on the set.

My favourite character of the series so far is the 800-cycle-old blue priestess with plant DNA. She is one cool character, adequately spiced with an all-knowing but dangerous edge. As the series progresses, however, I have no doubt that Henson & Co. will be able to provide us with an array of characters for our viewing and contemplating pleasure. I can't wait. So sit back and enjoy.

I started watching the first season of "Farscape" on DVD without ever having seen the show on television (I knew it was the show with the blue skinned woman and that was about it). My assumption is that nobody is going to come to Volume 2 of Season 1 without having watched Volume 1. Consequently, I get to engage more in commentary than description for this review.

"Exodus from Genesis" is a story designed to have Crichton (Ben Browder) earn the respect of his crewmates. Moya is invaded by aliens who are able to assume the form of the crew. If that is not enough fun a squad of Peacekeepers boards the ship as well. Like the previous episode, "I, E.T.," this is another instance where "Farscape" is getting ahead of itself. Episode 3 is too soon to be doing a story where the actors play reproductions or possessed versions of their characters. We still have so much to learn about these characters, which means details like the problems Aeryn (Claudia Black) has with high temperatures is of more interest than how many copies of Crichton can show up in one room.

"Throne for a Loss" find Rygel kidnapped and held for ransom. Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) go off to rescue the floating puppet. Their efforts are compromised by the acquisition of a gauntlet, the weapon used by the bad guys. Unfortunately, the gauntlet tends to make its user a bit psychotic, as each of the trio of rescuers discovers. However, Crichton wants to rely on good old human honesty to save the day rather than alien technology. The most interesting part of this episode is back on Moya, when Zhaan (Virginia Hey) is trying to help their prisoner deal with the loss of his gauntlet and the addictive chemicals it provides its user. Of course Zhaan is the most fascinating character on the show and every new revelation about her becomes another piece of the puzzle.

One thing that is already clear to me by this second disc from the first season is that "Farscape" is extremely fan friendly when it comes to putting the episodes out on DVD. First, the episodes contain previously unbroadcast footage, which means all the stuff they cut to show "Farscape" on American television (apparently we have 3-4 minutes more commercials than the rest of the civilized world). Second, all of the episodes feature commentary by a pair of cast and crewmembers: Brian Henson and Virginia Hey on Episode 3 and Ben Browder and Claudia Black on Episode 4. I assume future DVDs will continue to mix and match these people in various combinations. Having two people engage in a conversation works well and all the participants tend to talk about not just the particular episode but also their characters and the series overall.

The first episode on this disc "Exodus from Genesis" is one of the those infestation episodes. While Moya trys to dodge detection from a Peacekeeper Marotor, a swarm of bugs get on Moya and start increasing the heat and creating clones of the crew. After some complications, the crew talks to the host of these creatures via Zhann and work out an agreement. The creatures can stay on until they complete their Genesis. However, this means that Moya will have to shut down her systems leaving her vulnerable to Peacekeepers. The heat from the ship causes the Peecekeepers to suffer and they leave and everything works out. In "Throne For A Loss" Rygel is captured by the Tavleks and he has a jem with him that is vital for Moya to escape. While Zhann works out her differences with a captured Tavlek, Aeryn, John and D'Argo go down to the planet with one of the Tavleks special weapons. An arm brace that injects a stimulant into that person. After some hard fighting and some nice rock music, a negotiation is astablished. The extras on the DVD are pretty much the same except for a screensaver which is obviously a DVD-Rom extra. The conceptual art desgins still remain my favorite however. There is a little easter egg in the extras menu. Highlight the commentary track for the first episode and press up. Your cursor should be on the sparkle. Press enter and you can see the DVD credits. Overall, these episodes are pretty above average for the series and play well later on in the story. A must have.

If you buy this DVD mainly just to watch the show, you won't be disappointed. The quality is excellent! However, you'll miss a lot if you don't look at the Extras on the disk. I particularly got from the Extras an understanding and appreciation for how Farscape has developed. For example, Brian Henson mentioned that the 3-D tactical display table arose out of a desire not to repeat the Star Trek viewscreen and that there were problems in achieving this special effect. This is stuff you can't get elsewhere! There's lots more intriguing info on this disk!