teylaminh: (Cabaret - Mein Herr)
[personal profile] teylaminh
Didn’t get around to posting this one last night as it was later than I thought.  Bloody Hagley Road traffic.  Anyway, some thoughts on ‘Scape and thereby definite spoilers, beneath the cut.



This is actually mainly thoughts more about the final part/s than the first, since this is really when it got interesting.  I’ll leave all the war stuff out until people can finally see it, and because I wasn’t paying that much attention except to randomly hurl obscenities at the War Minister/Empress.  So, character stuff follows.

John - after four years of being chased around the galaxy by various scaly bad guys, John finally got to shout at them about it and show them just what they were messing with.  Attaboy, Johnny.  Doesn’t it seem so gloriously ironic that this ‘inferior being’ knew more about life, the universe and everything when it came down to it than those that inhabited that particular bit of the universe?  And isn’t it even more ironic that he could control whether or not that universe got sucked into a steadily growing wormhole?  Well, I think so.  In particular, I loved the moment when he was shouting first at Scorpius – as well as forcing him to beg, knowing exactly what would happen – and then at Rygel, and then apologising to Aeryn straight afterwards in that resigned, defeated voice.  It only showed just how far he’d been pushed, just how far he’d come… and just how strong he could be, after all this time, when he had everything to try and save, even if ‘everything’, at that point, only equated to a mother and her child.

And throughout all of this he was taking control, protecting those he loves, being a good friend, taking care of people, just like he's always done... only this time it mattered so much more.  It makes you proud to be human.

And you know?  I honestly thought for a moment they wouldn’t make it… that they’d be sucked into that black hole and everything John was fighting for would be lost.  And even when they’d taken that fear away, I thought they’d honestly killed him off for good – but what a way to go, I say.  Saving the universe.  Good on yer, John.

Aeryn - wasn’t she fantastic in this?  I can’t think of a single moment I wasn’t wailing, laughing, or cheering for her.  I always knew she’d be out in the fray right up until the moment when the baby was practically popping out of her, and, well, I didn’t think I’d be that close to the truth.  Only Aeryn could give birth in a temple while its under siege.  And only a child of John and Aeryn would breach itself before its even born, then remain perfectly silent while there’s gunfire going off, and decide to burst into tears at the only time when they need to maintain the silence.  As even Aeryn seemed to notice: “Now you cry?!”  But then, when you consider who his parents are, it’s really hardly surprising...

All of her little comments about childbirth were hilarious.  “I don’t understand why any woman would go through this more than once”, indeed, and considering that Aeryn never even imagined she’d go through it at all, it’s an even stronger sentiment.  The entire section with Chiana acting as temporary midwife was fantastic, too, and I need to watch it again to remember the exact quote other than “You’re fired!”  And, I’m sorry, my favourite line is definitely “Shooting makes me feel better”, if only because of the way she said it, all maudlin and resigned.  Bless her.

At one point I honestly thought she was going to rip John’s head off his shoulders… and seriously, they had to get something in about it being all his fault.  It wouldn’t have been a pregnancy otherwise. :D

Two final things – that lovely moment when they reunited with D’Argo and she kissed him on the cheek, if only because it shows how far these two self-confessed warriors have come, and the way she fell so seamlessly into motherhood, albeit whilst carrying a pulse pistol.

I was going to make comment on the John/Aeryn-ness, but I think I’d be here forever.  However, I am very, very happy with the ending.  Definitely.  Even if the baby’s name was so far beyond cheesy it doesn’t bear thinking about.  Someone has to stop these guys reading fic...

D’Argo - oh, dude.  I’m in shock.  Not because of what they did to him, but because I never thought I’d cry over him.  And also because everything was finally going right in his world when… that happened, when he’d made up with Jothee and was practically marrying Chiana, and… dude.  Ow.  And to think, he’s survived torture and multiple experiences of floating in deep space and battles, and to be taken out by a frelling blade??  Dren.  I can’t believe it.  And I refuse to believe he’s really dead.  He can’t be.  Nobody ever really dies in Farscape.

Chiana - oh, God, Chiana.  The moment I burst into tears was the moment she finally confessed that she loved D’Argo, just because it was so desperate, as if the sheer thought of it could make him live.  And given that only minutes before she was trying to help deliver a baby, and commenting that she was practically one herself… it only goes to prove it.  For Chiana, it’s as if just wanting something is enough to make it happen, even after all this time.  Christ, poor Chi.

I did, however, get a mental flash of that scene from Gone With the Wind when the maid says “I don’t know nothing ‘bout birthin’ babies!”, which I’m sure was intentional. :D  It ain’t ‘Scape without a good dose of pop culture.

Stark - I think I love our Astro Boy.  If not for the fact that he finally did something useful, but for the fact that he was just fantastic throughout, especially his ‘wedding ceremony’ for John and Aeryn.  It just summed it all up – they didn’t need the big flowery dress or the hoo-hah.  They love each other, and that’s all there is to it.  Stark hit that right on the head.  Throughout the series 4 finale he pretty much embodied the fans' reactions as the episode progressed, being alternately a gibbering wreck and somewhat slightly calmer, and it was almost the same here - going from babbling and insane to lucid and collected in the space of a few minutes.

And for some reason, that tiny moment between him and Aeryn at John’s bedside was gorgeous, just the hand on her shoulder… and the fact that finally, he’s found some kind of lucidity within himself that he only seemed to have previously with Zhaan.

And talking of which, her presence was most painfully obvious throughout.  John and Aeryn trying to marry, the birth of the baby, Chiana’s pain at D’Argo’s death, convincing Pilot that John was doing the right thing, even the Eidelons (God knows how you spell that) and their peace-making effort.  But wherever Zhaan was needed, she was emulated by each and every one of the crew.  Stark was more sane than I’ve ever seen him and filling Zhaan’s role as ‘priest’ for John and Aeryn; Chiana was trying her damnedest to help Aeryn during childbirth as Zhaan would doubtless have done without a second thought; everyone will be there for Chi when she’s ready for them to be; Aeryn was the one who talked Pilot around.  See?  Nobody ever really dies in Farscape… :)

Scorpius - I can't really think of anything to say other than kudos for outing the Scarrens' spy (more on that later) and it's nice to see him reunited with Smithers Braca.  I think my favourite moment was probably when the peace treaty was signed, if only for the fact I've never seen him look quite that... happy before.  It was oddly symbolic, too, that he stood between the Scarren Emperor and a very pregnant Commandent Grayza, given his own upbringing.  Scorpius was born in violence from two incompatible races, his mother Sebacean  - the fact that Grayza is soon to be a mother herself just adds to the symbolism - and his father Scarren, and the conflict within himself became very real with the war... so maybe it's more than a ceasefire.  It's a personal peace, too.

And, wow, I never thought I'd get that deep about Scorpius.  When the bad guys redeem themselves, they really, really do.

Sikozu - oh, say what??  That was totally unexpected.  And... Jesus, I knew she'd betray him somehow, but I didn't think it'd be like that.  Though, honestly, Sikozu betraying all of them isn't that much of a surprise, since she never really built a rapport with any of them, mainly because of her alliance with Scorpius.  And all the time we thought it was Grunshlk, or however he's spelt, purely because he's a completely odious individual.  Still, after that conversation with Aeryn and the mention that she was 'meant to be' with Scorpius, she's got to be hurting just a little from his complete lack of forgiveness... though she should know better than to expect forgiveness, under the circumstances.  I'm partly feeling sorry for her, and partly not.

Luckily, I'm not that upset about the destruction of their relationship, because it'd gone from 'sweet' back to 'disturbing' again.  Still, it was nice while it lasted, and I think the lead-up to that first kiss was the best thing about it, because I never, in all my time watching this show, expected to 'ship for Scorpius.  And to find myself watching him falling in love - or as close as he seems to get, anyway - was just... lovely.

Rygel - oh, bless Rygel.  What with scouring the ocean floor for the crystals and protecting the baby and then getting post-natal depression, of all things... and then, when he even managed to rescue the ring... I just wanted to hug him.  The slug has a soul.  Who'd've thought?

Pilot and Moya - alas, Pilot didn't have much to do, but the two key scenes with him, especially the one between him and John, were beautiful.  Gotta love Moya's plunge into the water, too, reminding us once more that she's a sentient being.  And also, as always, the scenes with Pilot make us forget he's made of latex and plastic, and the thought that he is once more going to packed into a box is deeply saddening, almost as much as it was when the realisation first hit.  Pilot being packed up into a box was somehow more upsetting than anything else... and definitely did signal the very end of Farscape.

Harvey - our favourite pooka is finally no longer needed, which is somewhat sad.  We'd all grown quite fond of him, and I'd like to believe maybe John had, a bit, despite the circumstances.  At least this time Harvey's ending didn't provoke cries of "They killed Harvey, the bastards!", and the more I think back to it, the more poignant it seems...  RIP, Harvey.  May we never see the weirdess of John's brain again...

Grayza - it's interesting to notice that even an evil Peacekeeper Commandent will place her unborn child over a war, and that a Peacekeeper would prefer to bring up her child in peace, seeing as most PK children are bred to be warriors... very interesting, and refreshing.  I have this horrible niggling feeling that it might be John's, and I just can't shake it.  As usual, Farscape poses more questions than it answers.

That's all the characters I can think to mention, though I'm sure there are more things and more meanings to everything, and I'd be here all night if I were to try and analyse it more fully. I'll leave that to Eni when she sees it. :)  However, I will say this: every episode has a mantra, mostly variations on a theme.  And my mantra for this one was mostly this:  "It cannot end like this..."

And it didn't.  Bless you, DK and Rockne.  We don't need a movie, but if we get one, I'll be there on opening night.

So, now for today.  There was some random excitement when a car driving a speed hit a parked car, lost control, and ended up on its roof right outside our building.  Everyone in our office congregated in Liz's room to be nosy, and one of the TMs called the police.  There was some miscommunication along the lines when people were trying to figure out what had happened.

"What's happened?  There's a car on the roof??"

"No, there's a car on it's roof..."

Two fire engines and two police cars turned up, and then a bunch of firemen proceeded to stare at it and mutter a bit about how to right it again.  They reminded me inexplicably of men doing roadworks, actually, in that it seemed to take 4 of them to do the work and one to think about it.  I was about to head out to lunch at the time, but that was put slightly on hold while we waited for the emergency services to turn up.  Crappy response time, guys.  Seriously. :P  After that we got bored as the car had stopped smoking and there were no casualties, so I headed out:

"Would anyone like anything that isn't a fireman?"

By the time I'd walked back the car was right side up again and most of the officials had gone.  Well, it was exciting for a few minutes.

I tell ya, it's all go in Ladywood. :D

And now, a mini-rant:  I've realised one of the things that's really starting to annoy and sadden me about the POTO movie.  People who've never experienced the musical are going to see it and are enjoying it, mostly, which is good.  It's resulted in a new and terrifying breed of fangirls (not, you note, even 'phangirls'), but that was to be expected.  However, there are the people who would never consider seeing the stage show - people who don't like Lloyd Webber's musicals, in fact - but are seeing this out of morbid curiosity, and they're liking it.  But not because it's a good musical; not because the music touches their soul or the characters inspire emotion, but because the whole thing is so hammed up and overblown that it looks like a parody.  People are going and finding it hilarious because it's all so overdone.

This was meant to be a beautiful thing that complimented the story and the stage musical, not to mention the music and the characters.  Instead it has become a pantomime.  Yes, it's visually stunning in places - I still love that opening sequence as the Opéra transforms to its former glory.  Yes, it has some good home-grown talent in Simon Callow and Miranda Richardson, French accent aside... but Christine looks like she's stoned half the time, the Phantom is basically covering a shaving cut under the mask, Meg is a page three girl, and Raoul is teH uber-hero to the point of ridiculousness.  It's wrong.  And it just feels like a horrendously expensive practice run, like there's going to be another version that's better.  A version that's right.

Here endeth the rant.  Yeah, I'm whinging.  But... ugh, it's all I can do, and even if nobody else understands the importance of this movie, I do, and if I don't complain about it, nobody will.  Except lots of people are, so I'm not the only one whinging over nothing. :P

Wow, long post.  I shall go now.  I'll work on getting MHOTP! screencaps when people give me more to find.  Also, the MH interview I found last night keeps seeping into the periphery of my mind and making me snigger.  If I ever see Karl Beattie in the street, I shall slap him for emotional torment.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 09:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bizarre-imagery.livejournal.com
I refer you to my latest journal entry.

That Most Haunted interview has taken to lurking in the depths of my mind. As soon as I begin to switch off, It steps forward and causes me to burst into a grinning fit.

~ Slips into Ciaran mode ~

I'm sure you'll agree, the similarities are quite astounding.

Amusing entry, by the way. Particularly the observations you made about the firemen!

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 09:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teylaminh.livejournal.com
I read yours first, I admit. But it doesn't make it any less true. Of course, I could've lied and pretened I was psychic.

Particularly the observations you made about the firemen!

I work with middle-aged women. When they're not trying to convert the gay social workers, they're lusting after men in uniform. And to top that off, there's a picture of a half-naked Brad Pitt on a calendar behind me that belongs to Zoe; my calendar is a classy black and white Parisian photos one. :P

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bizarre-imagery.livejournal.com
In the interests of fun, we'll pretend you are psychic. ;)

When they're not trying to convert the gay social workers, they're lusting after men in uniform.

LOL! Help - I'm imagining a Most Haunted//Village People crossover!

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teylaminh.livejournal.com
O.O!! And I though the Little Shop/MH crossover was disturbing.

Who's the policeman? As if I didn't know...

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bizarre-imagery.livejournal.com
Policeman - Karl
Fireman - Matthew Smith
Construction Worker - David Bull

Were there five?

I'm thinking about this far too much, methinks!

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teylaminh.livejournal.com
There was a Native American. Derek? Or Sam? Not sure about the fifth one...

*random hysterics* Wow. The mental image just formed, of construction!David. As if the interview wasn't haunting me enough already...

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bizarre-imagery.livejournal.com
Okay - I've researched this now.

Construction Worker - David
Cop - Karl
Native American - Derek//Sam
Cowboy - Richard Felix
Biker - Phil.

:D

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teylaminh.livejournal.com
Oh, God. That needs a manip. Like now. May have to go on a screencap hunt for that one 'n' all.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bizarre-imagery.livejournal.com
LOL! We could be mentally scarred for life, you realise...

(no subject)

Date: 2005-01-27 10:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teylaminh.livejournal.com
Oh, I think I'm way beyond that point already. I am, after all, a Farscape fan... ;)

And, y'know, the Brannigans boogy was pretty disturbing.
Page generated Jul. 4th, 2025 12:19 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios