Moya's family is reunited, but losing Talyn to Captain Crais' control mars their escape from the Peacekeepers.
(Originally aired March 17, 2000)
Written by Richard Manning
Directed by Andrew Prowse
ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Lani Tupu -- Captain Bialar Crais
Wayne Pygram -- Scorpius
David Franklin -- Lt. Braca
WHAT HAPPENED
Moya has been trapped by a
Sheyang vessel. Rygel and Chiana are panicking, but Zhaan, seemingly deranged, keeps insisting that D'argo can save them.
The Sheyang vessel fires. The crew scream for D'Argo... (more
spoilers)
ANALYSIS
One way to interpret "Mind the Baby" is that writer Richard Manning has completely skipped over the biggest questions of the
season-ending cliffhanger.
Needless to say, this makes the premiere a little abrupt, but it makes sense -- the elements that get attention are more interesting than what gets skipped.
Happy together
Once
Aeryn finally picks D'Argo and Crichton up, the reunions are everything they ought to be. Each character has a unique way of reacting to their friends' return, whether it's with a joke, joyful tears or sudden throat spasms.
This joy and relief underscore that the connections acknowledged in "
Family Ties" have not been forgotten. Still, just because these interplanetary misfits are now family, they don't need to spend too much saccharine effort agreeing with one another.
Families fight just as hard as friends, and often for better reasons. Crichton, Aeryn and the rest are all such strong and different personalities that their solutions to problems almost always lead to conflict.
As a result, "Mind the Baby" offers plenty of arguments between the hugs. But the arguments are now less about each others' personal failings and more about what the next group decision should be.
That newfound group respect doesn't stop D'argo from knocking people out with his tongue, though.
Crichton: If you hurt either one of them, I'm going to hunt you down.Crais: You hunt me down. That would complete the symmetry nicely, wouldn't it?
So that's why he's a captain
Our heroes aren't the only characters whose roles are changing.
Over the last few episodes we've seen Captain Bialar Crais shattered by his
loss of power. Taking control of Talyn has reforged his personality.
The new Crais is significantly less predictable than the old one. We know he'll act in his own self-interest, but it's no longer clear what that is.
It'll be interesting to see what conclusions he draws from examining his own life.
In the meantime, his interactions with Talyn have displayed some valuable positive traits. He may be manipulative and unprincipled, but he is genuinely charismatic, and it is now much easier to understand why a crew -- or an impressionable young gunship -- would choose to follow him.
On the sidelines
The one character who doesn't get much out of this episode is Zhaan, whose subplot seems arbitrary and undeveloped.
It's easy to figure out why she would crack under the strain of losing half her companions. It's less clear why she treats Crichton and Aeryn as ghosts, why she apologizes to Crichton for something he knows nothing about, and why by the end of the episode she's decided that D'argo is real.
This subplot feels like busywork, intended to give Virginia Hey some screen time when her character couldn't really contribute to the main plot. Something's missing here.
Looking for what's not there
What's missing, in fact, may be an entire episode.
The initial schedule for season 2 claimed that the season opener would be an episode called "Re:Union", followed by "Mind the Baby."
There's no sign of "Re:Union" on the schedule now, but the possibility of its existence is supported by the Sci-Fi Channel's
listing of "Mind the Baby" as episode "10202" instead of "10201".
There are other troubling loose ends besides Zhaan's abortive subplot.
Aeryn suggests that she and Crichton have had a sexual encounter -- which could simply refer to their night in a hotel room in "Human Reaction" -- and the season 2 trailer shows Crichton in his spacesuit and apparently undergoing explosive decompression.
It's not unusual for science fiction shows to film an episode or two out of its airing order, usually so they have more time to prepare an especially ambitious special effects sequence. Is this what happened to "Re:Union"?
Or has an entire episode -- one that better explains Zhaan's catatonia and details how Aeryn rescued D'argo and Crichton -- somehow ended up on the cutting room floor?
WHAT WE LEARN
Chiana's superhuman jumping ability would leave Carl Lewis weeping.
Scorpius is cybernetically enhanced, with machinery and vials of liquid installed deep within his head.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
How quickly will Talyn mature?
Aeryn believes Crais can change for the better, but Crichton's skeptical. Who's right?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
Farscape takes some time off next weekend, then returns in full force with an all-new episode June 16. Be there for "Home on the Remains"!
What do you think? Send comments to the
author or editor.
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