Your Reviews
Thanks for sending us your reviews of Farscape's season four opener. Here's the three we picked as the best from a very high quality pile. Remember, if you've got something to say about a Farscape episode - send us your review.
Paul Oswell
Crichton Kicks was a little disappointing after the incredible impact of the last three episodes of season three, but maybe that was to be expected.
There was some classic Farscape stuff in this episode. The sense of [offbeat] humour the 1812 DRD introduced was a blast, and John and Harvey on the beach was great, providing a great contrast and proving that Harvey has mastered that C3-P0 impression.
There was, however, a surreal sense of misplacement to this episode; it's as if we have stepped into a Twilight Zone-style mirror of the Farscape universe. Sikozu's motives and loyalties are questioned every few minutes and more unsettling still is the increasingly unfriendly and disoriented Chiana. On the flip-side, it is reassuring to see Rygel as his usual irritatingly charming self.
The action, particularly the final set piece of Crichton and Chianna on the rope, was well done and there was a genuine depth of feeling, especially for the dying Leviathan and its pilot. The characters were well drawn, with the exception of the rather disappointing baddies, who came across as rather generic one-dimensional plot devices.
The overall episode narrative seemed somewhat cursory, but a decent enough opening.
Helen from Scotland
Oh dear, David Kemper. A summer of anticipation ends in a damp squib of disappointment.
From the initial re-hash of Crichton's pained monologue with the ill- fitting grammar of "I've made enemies, powerful, dangerous..." to the final scene of Ben Browder throwing his arms back in Diva-esque fashion to the squeaks of a Bon-Tempi 1812 Overture, I felt Farscape has got so far up its own bottom that it can see its teeth.
We were welcomed by an older Ben Browder, a thinner Gigi Edgley and yet another leather-clad female to join Crichton's on-board harem. Sikozu was even cast in the Jool-mould of green eyes, red hair and built-up shoes.
Imagination, humour and the stretching of realism were qualities to be admired in Farscape for so long but my patience was irked by this script's cop-outs; a lack of any meaty re-union scenes between the main characters, bitter or otherwise, and the convenience of an old Leviathan who pops up to bring Crichton back where he started, avec beard.
Even John's lack of hangover symptoms was irritating. Story arcs have been suspended between seasons before but the continuity here smacks of laziness. It is not good enough to explain the Swiss-cheese nature of this episode by plot-twists alone.
It lacked the vital lures for a new Farscape audience; cohesive plot, character chemistry and good storyline. Even the previous subtlety of Ben Browder's acting was replaced with grandiose efforts of OTT madness. The weary Farscape virgin would have been up and channel-surfing by the 20 minute mark.
Farscape can do better than this. Crichton Kicks? Crichton stumbles.
Amy Tyndall
Those brilliant people consisting of DK and co. have done it again.
Crichton Kicks was a great opener for this season. Where some programmes tie up all the loose ends neatly in the first episode of a new series, Farscape doesn't. The fact that Crichton and the rest still have to meet up with all the other characters means that a lot of people will be tuning in for the next few weeks to see what happens.
At the begining of the episode, I thought that Crichton had finally cracked under the pressure. As the episode went on, however, the John Crichton we all know and love soon came bouncing back. I didn't really understand the point of this week's story, except for the fact that it was a good way to introduce new character Sikozu, and reunite us with Chiana and Rygel.
Crichton Kicks had the usual brilliant Crichtonisms, such as the whole 1812-thing, and a generally humourous side to things. It's already left us with a lot of questions: why have Chiana's powers suddenly increased? Why is Rygel looking all beaten-up? How's Crichton going to prioritise things now that the wormhole knowledge has been unlocked in his head?
So many questions, so many answers we need to know. But I have no doubt that this season of Farscape will deliver them, and more. Roll on episode two...
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