Suns and Lovers

Ratings
1.8 (US)
1.78 (UK)

Matt Newton................Jothee
Leanna Walsmann............Borlik
Thomas Holesgrove..........Moordil
Jessica Fallico............Alien Girl
Arthur Percival............Unspecified
David Lucas................Cryoman (uncredited)

Wassup?

"Very little pillaging"? Yeah, right...

During a trading stop at a station in disputed territory, the crew discovers that they're getting a reputation in the Uncharted Territories. Before they can enjoy it, however, the station takes a hit from a strange storm, leaving everyone up to their eyeballs in rescue efforts, while hunting a religious zealot. Jothee and Chiana's betrayal is exposed, driving D'Argo to the breaking point.

Backstory

Rygel has found a way to spy on other areas of the ship, using a portable clamshell viewer.

The crew is now rich; evidently they never had to render payment to Grunchlk.

Stark has great empathy with the servant class, believing them never to be adequately rewarded.

The gamma disturbance was powerful enough to destroy three of the station's five pods, leaving no survivors in those areas.

Moya has brought aboard a small, unmanned ship, but the crew is unable to penetrate its defensive screen.

The station is located near the twin suns of Qell. Two companion stations have already been destroyed: one by asteroids, and the other by fire. The Kampeks call this area the Sacred Stillness, believing it to be "where the great gods were born". Borlik claims that the station has been cursed, as "Gezma's revenge for buying and selling in his sacred stillness".

The Interion was part of an expedition looking for the Dimordis Tomb in the Berger Nebula. He and his companion got sick, but "Jool" found them. He has no memory of being placed into cryostasis.

The station was apparently used to families visiting; they maintained a nursery in the lower pod, where parents could leave their children while they shopped.

Even in space, you can still wind up trudging through sewers. The gamma disturbance destroyed the passageways between the bar and the lower pod, but portions of the station's infrastructure remained intact, allowing access via filtration vents and waste conduits.

Chiana considers Jothee capable of murder, accusing him of killing the Interion because he witnessed them having sex.

D'Argo's Luxan olfactory senses are sensitive enough to smell Chiana's scent on Jothee, even after he bathes twice.

Pilot is able to determine, via a residual storm graph, the path that a gamma disturbance has already followed.

Gamma storms can be attracted by flux broadcasts.

Kampeks are religious zealots; Borlick describes them as noble warriors, but Moordil claims they're insane. He claims he tried to bribe them (presumably, to be left alone) when the other two stations were destroyed.

The process that activates Borlik's bio-magnetic force, and keeps her stuck to a reactor coolant pipe, also causes her eye color to change from yellow to white.

Zhaan is developing open sores all over her skull, and deteriorating at a faster rate than Stark expected.

Union tattoos are Luxan symbols of courage, honor, and loyalty.

DRDs can be reconfigured to detect flux broadcasts.

The DRD John repaired with blue tape, back in the Premiere, has still not been permanently repaired. The crew apparently has nicknamed it "One-Eye".

Chiana may have deliberately sabotaged their relationship, but she has not ceased caring for D'Argo, and is distraught at D'Argo's suicidal actions.

A flux broadcast cannot carry into normal space from a vessel in starburst.

However Borlick manages to magnetize herself, she has some control over the process, and with effort is able to reconfigure it when needed.

Stark was able to locate some maps on the station, which he hopes will allow them to find a planet where Zhaan can heal.

The portable clamshell viewer is now common knowledge among the crew, not just a secret toy of Rygel's; D'Argo uses it to watch Jothee saying farewell to Chiana.

Chiana didn't want D'Argo's vision of marriage and a farm; knowing he would never take no for an answer, she chose to end the relationship by doing something he could never forgive.

Reactions

Questions

1. Does D'argo smell Jothee's scent on Chiana in the docking bay? He sniffs as she leaves.
2. When D'Argo uses one of the union tattoos on Jothee, it seems to self-activate -- how do they actually work? Are they reusable?
3. What were the pulse rechargers for? Were they providing power to Moya prior to the station's destruction, or were they just loose debris?
4. Exactly what does the inertial field do? It seems to let John and D'Argo walk around on the surface of Moya, but both of them easily float off, as well.
5. Even while suicidal, D'Argo thought to tether himself when going out to free Moya from the cables; why didn't John?

Observations

1. D'Argo's nose must have been too chilled in the previous episode to smell that Chi and Jothee had had sex in the galley, since apparently neither of them thought to bathe after such activities until Rygel commented on it in the passageway.
2. The defense shield (around the ship which Moya pulled in with the docking web) was a nice effect.
3. At one point, John tells Aeryn that she may have to "forget about the kid"; this seems at odds with his past sense of honor and ethics.
4. D'Argo smelt a burned out function cell in the cryochamber, rather than anything related to Jothee and Chiana's indiscretion. His realization of their betrayal was therefore far shrewder and more astute than might have been expected, given his fairly blind infatuation with Chiana.
5. Stark was able to find maps on the commerce station; yet, no one was talking about finding their way home. Perhaps the crew has finally resigned themselves to remaining together on Moya.

Bloopers

1. As Aeryn begins removing her vest, it appears that John has climbed out of the vent and is standing at the edge of it; the camera shot is framed by his legs. But when Aeryn falls through the floor a second later, we see that John was still in the vent.
2. When D'Argo is knocked unconscious and drifts off of Moya's surface on his tether, he moves in the opposite direction from the debris being blown past him.

Annotations

The title is a reference to SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence.

John: "Hey, yo, Heavy D!"

His nickname for D'Argo comes from the rap artist Heavy D.

In the bar, the manner in which John is lying back, while slowly unsnapping Wynonna from the holster, is reminiscent of Han Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina.

John: "Whoa, whoa. Where...where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off, there was no raping, very little pillaging, and Frau Blücher popped all the eyeballs."

A second reference (see "Liars, Guns and Money, Part Three: Plan B") to Natira as Cloris Leachman's character from YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

Aeryn: "Well, in Peacekeepers, it was common practice to, ah...reduce fluid levels."
John: "Fluid levels? Like, ah, what, like Valvoline? Like brake fluid?"

Valvoline is a brand of auto lubricants and other car care products.

Rygel: "I don't give a sisil's ass about a trapped girl."
John: "Yes, and that's what makes you a great humanitarian, Buckwheat, but we are not leaving. Scooby Doo time."

Buckwheat (as described in the annotations for "Family Ties") is one of the better-known of the Little Rascals.

Scooby Doo is the Great Dane from the 1969 cartoon series (and many incarnations since) SCOOBY DOO, WHERE ARE YOU?

John: "You sure One-Eye's workin' right?"
Stark: "It's working."
Borlik: "No, it's broken!"
John: "Give 'im the Scooby Doo snack, then. Where's the signal coming from?"

From the cartoon: Scooby Snack

Translator Microbe Report

Quotables

"Hey, man, have you tried one of these things? They're terrible, but once you get past the blue slime, underneath, pure aviation fuel."
- John Crichton

"Look what I got me and Chiana! They're union tattoos; they are burned into our skin."
"... Cool."
- Ka D'Argo, John Crichton

"Just buy me an intoxicant, that's all I need to recuperate."
- Zhaan

"So, what'd you buy?"
"Just some essentials."
"Would that be floss? Lipliner?"
"Weapons."
- John Crichton, Aeryn Sun

"...Are you Crichton?"
"No, he's not, and we don't know who this...Cretin...is."
"You know, I heard he destroyed a Peacekeeper Gammak Base, murdered an entire Nebari battalion, even laid waste to a Shadow Despository. The guy was a devil, he raped and pillaged, he popped eyeballs --"
"Whoa, whoa. Where, where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off, there was no raping, very little pillaging, and Frau Bleucher popped all the eyeballs."
- Borlik, Aeryn Sun, John Crichton

"Moordil, intoxicants for Crichton and his, his grunt!"
"I'm not his grunt."
"Yeah, so, you here to kill somebody? Can I help you?"
"No, no, no, my grunt does all my killing. I'm strictly R&R."
- Borlik, Aeryn Sun, John Crichton

"Just make sure he's okay. All right? Crichton wants to talk to him, he thinks he's, he thinks he's some kind of relative."
"Chiana, what if he heard us when we were...were..."
"Jothee, I gotta stablize the frelling hatch!"
- Chiana, Jothee

"Keep your lips shut."
"You do the same with your legs."
- Chiana, Rygel

"Well, in Peacekeepers, it was common practice to, uh, reduce fluid levels."
"Fluid levels, what, like Valvoline? Brake fluid?"
"Like sex. We can have sex if you want."
"Uh, you know what, now is not a good time. How about I, uh, check my diary and get back to you later in the week."
"It would relieve the tension."
"Is this for you or for me?"
"For both of us."
"You know what? I got two hands...I can alternate...I can release all the tension I want, and I don't need your charity."
"And I don't need your emotions...but we can have sex if you want."
- Aeryn Sun, John Crichton

"Something smells completely frelnik down here, so I suspect I found the waste conduit Moordil said we had to find."
"Look, just stay where you are; I'll go get some help and we'll get you out."
"No, I'm going to follow this down, see if it leads to the lower pod."
"No, stay where you are."
"Tell Moordil I'll comm him when I need directions."
"Dammit, you stubborn wench..."
- Aeryn Sun, John Crichton

"I don't give a sisil's ass about a trapped girl."
"Yes, and that's what makes you a great humanitarian, Buckwheat, but we are not leaving. Scooby Doo time."
- Rygel, John Crichton

"I will find you a planet, a planet with the right soil and moisture--"
"Calm youself, Stark, please. You're the expert here; you've witnessed more death than anyone else. So many dissatisfied souls dying before they felt ready..."
"Yes, I'm an expert on dying. I'm just not an expert on you dying."
- Stark, Zhaan

"You have betrayed me, with my own manin--"
"I'm not your manin."
"Obviously."
- D'Argo, Chiana

"You sure One-Eye's working right?"
"It's working."
"No, it's broken!"
"Give him the Scooby Doo snack, then. Where's the signal coming from?"
- John Crichton, Stark, Borlik

"Worm, are you ready to die in the cleansing apocalypse?"
"Worm? Are you ready to die in a cleansing ramming?"
- Borlik, Rygel

"Well, why don't you get Chiana and Jothee to do it, they like working together."
"D'Argo, they can't free the cable. They're not as strong as you are, they're not as brave, they're not as smart--"
"Oh look, don't, all right, just don't! They broke my heart, John."
"I know that. But if you don't go out of Moya and pull that cable off, we're all gonna die when that storm hits."
"Then we all die."
- D'Argo, John Crichton

"What the hell were you thinking?"
"Obviously, we weren't thinking."
"Obviously."
"We didn't think we'd get caught."
"Do you know what you did? You betrayed the one person on this ship who would have done anything for you. Both of you. He would have died for you."
- John Crichton, Chiana, Jothee

"See, I see your fear, worm...but the holy Gezma will embrace even you, if you repent!"
"Repent? We have less than an arn. I was a dominar; take me longer than that to repent!"
- Borlik, Rygel

"Hey, fridge magnet! I got something for you to feel!"
"What is that?"
"Oh, what's the matter? Is that your fear I see? You're not so psycho happy now."
- John Crichton, Borlik

"Pilot, why the hell did you let him go out?"
"He didn't ask for my permission."
"You could have stopped him!"
"I would shut up, and stop wasting time, Commander."
"You're telling the wrong person to shut up..."
- John Crichton, Pilot

"Frell me dead!"
- Aeryn Sun

"Aw, man, what are you doing? ... Hell ... I'm not going in without you, Dargo.
- John Crichton

"Commuter forecast on your travel day, storms expected just for you..."
- John Crichton

"You're too smart."
"Where are you going?"
"You win. We lose. You, you outsmarted us. But that door you're stuck to? It's detachable..."
"No!"
"Yes."
"No, you lie! No, you will still be purified; the holy Gezma's punishment will be brought down upon you!"
"Blah-blah blah-blah blah... Pilot, I'm clear. Detach the door, and suck this bitch out!"
"Lak-ma-ruka-be...lak-ma-ruka-be...lak-ma-ruka-be..."
[cackling laughter]
- John Crichton, Borlik, Pilot

"Been, uh, thinking about that thing we talked about, about charity, and uh, maybe--"
"Maybe you were right...we should do nothing."
"What about body fluids?"
"There'll be a backlog."
"Fluid levels? Backlog? Is there some kind of problem?"
"Shut up."
"Hmm? What did I say?"
[unison] "SHUT UP!"
- John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Rygel

"Tell my father -- if he'll let you -- that I'm sorry, and that one day I'll return and make it up to you both."
"I'll tell him."
- Jothee, Chiana

Comments from Cast & Crew

Anthony Simcoe, May 01, 2001

• ImaginaryHarvey: How do you think D'Argo should react if Jothee ever returns

  Anthony_Simcoe: Completely unpredictably [wink]
  Anthony_Simcoe: Whats more interesting is what will happen if Macton ever shows his head.

Farscape Wrap Day Extravaganza, July 26, 2001

• Moderator2: <stargatetravler> to <Moderator2>: Yo Gigi, what up? Looking forward to seeing you in Burbank again this year!! Out of the eps for S3 which one has been the hardest for you to do, which one the most fun, & which one your favorite?

  Gigi: Hmmmm........
  Gigi: the hardest ep of season three has probably been the cliffhanger.....
  Gigi: we got the script....after we shot about three days of it
  Gigi: So it is interesting...challenging and exciting...to try and figure out where your character is heading
  Gigi: My Fav.....the pleasure planet was funky to hang out on for a while...
  Gigi: always enjoy a good milking
  Gigi: Green eyed monster....is stunning.....
  Gigi: up there with my favs
  Gigi: The most fun
  Gigi: ......combinations of lotsa different eps....
  Gigi: BEing possessed...was good...and juicy....fun
  Gigi: Hate to admit it but play'n around with Jothee wasn't that bad either...heeehhhee.....Chi indulged though gi was fearful
  Gigi: :)

• Moderator2: <GutPageant> to <Moderator2>: Okay, what's the skinny on Aeryn & that tight PK braid--well-thought out symbolism? An intentional visual metaphor? No room in the budget for another hairdresser?

  SheldonWade: I'll be discussing Claudia's hair-style with her after lunch....