An alien probe triplicates Crichton, then announces it must take one of the Crichtons back with it. Who stays and who goes?
(Originally aired July 14, 2000)
Written by Grant McAloon
Story by Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman, Jr.
Directed by Catherine Millar
[inset]
GUEST STARS
No guest stars this week, unless you count Ben Browder and Ben Browder as the two extra Crichtons.
WHAT HAPPENED
Aeryn is pulling several of Moya’s spare parts out of the Farscape One module and putting them into her Prowler. When Crichton objects, she points out that the – which actually has weapons and can defend Moya – is the more essential ship.
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Crichton changes his mind when Pilot reports that something is following Moya. As happens on a seemingly weekly basis, the ship is in peril again.
Zhaan can’t see whatever is pursuing them from the command center, but it seems to be made out of energy. Though Moya does her best to evade, a globe of energy catches up with and enters the ship.
It pauses to examine Zhaan, and moves on past Chiana and D’Argo. It makes beeping noises to itself as it cruises through the ship’s corridors.
When the globe finds Crichton in the maintenance bay, and begins to grow. Alarmed, Aeryn shoots it, but it quickly expands and covers Crichton.
Aeryn shoots it again with her the gun of her Prowler, but there’s no visible effect. The energy globe has become a cocoon. (spoilers)
ANALYSIS
"My Three Crichtons" is a fast-paced tale that takes the old "evil twin" story one step farther. Instead of the classic good-evil dualism, we see Crichton’s mind and morality stretched across three different possibilities.
Ultimately, the show takes the position that Crichton’s sensitivity rests in his primitive instincts, not his intellect. That’s a comforting moral, but it’s not completely convincing.
Modern humanity is capable of atrocities on a grand scale, but developing ethics beyond "take what I can get and feed my family" takes intellect. The "Noble Savage" is a myth that says more about our fears of intelligence than the true source of ethics.
Role reversals
Despite this, the episode is entertaining, especially because of the reversal of roles between Chiana and the Beast Crichton.
Chiana has usually been the "little sister" to Crichton’s responsible "older brother." Crichton’s beast version needs someone to take care of him, though, and Chiana steps right in.
Her compassion underlines a point made in "Dream a Little Dream": Chiana may be the "irresponsible kid" of the family, but she’s a lot more loving and reliable than she pretends to be.
"I am widening my perspective"
Crichton’s statement that widening his perspective is what defines him is both telling and true. Time after time, we’ve seen him solve problems and turn situations around by exploring new options.
He may get homesick or tired of alien food, but he’s an explorer at heart. It’s what makes him the natural leader of Moya’s crew and the perfect viewpoint character for the show.
Maybe that’s what makes him superior to his more evolved counterpart. High Crichton was so smart that he felt he knew everything, and it’s impossible to learn until you admit you don’t know.
WHAT WE LEARN
The night the Farscape project received funding, Crichton celebrated with his dad and his friends DK and Alex. He drank a bit too much expensive champagne and argued with DK.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
What happened to the Beast Crichton when he reached the other dimension?
NICE SHOOTIN’, TEX
Keep an eye on the cinematography and editing in this episode. Director Catherine Millar does an impressive job of presenting multiple Crichtons without resorting to the usually fake-looking technique of split-screen photography.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
"A Kiss Is Just a Kiss", but not when it makes Crichton the pawn of a beautiful princess. The beginning of a three-part Farscape extravaganza!
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