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Farscape Season 1, Vol. 3 - Back and Back and Back to the Future/Thank God It's Friday, Again

Farscape Season 1, Vol. 3 - Back and Back and Back to the Future/Thank God It's Friday, Again

List Price: $24.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Crichton saves the day not once, but twice
Review: I am a "Farscape" neophyte working their way through Season 1 and it seems clear to me that Volume 3 is where this science fiction series starts clicking as the characters start to emerge with some complexity and the stories fit this point in the saga. The common denominator here is that human John Crichton (Ben Browder) gets to save the day to the relief, if not the surprise, of his new crewmates.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" is, as the title suggests, a time travel tale in which Crichton becomes unstuck in time. The fun here is decoding when Crichton has flashed forward and when he is back in the present, and, of course, his attempts to convince the others that he is telling the truth and not gone insane. This is the best episode of the series so far, not only because there it is well thought out but also because there are some key moments regarding character interaction and revelation.

"Thank God It's Friday..Again" is too reminiscent of the "Star Trek" episode where Spock gets pollinated and is happy for a while to really be a standout episode. However, there is a standout performance by a guest star as the leader of the shiny happy people. Once again, the best parts of the episode have to do with the character interaction, particularly between Aeryn (Claudia Black) and Rygel (Jonathan Hardy) as well as Zhaan (Virginia Hey) and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe).

One of the things that is most commendable about "Farscape" is that these DVDs are extremely fan friendly. All of the episodes (so far) offer commentary tracks by a rotating pair of cast and crewmembers. This time around it is actor Browder and director Rowan Woods on "Back and Back and Back to the Future" and actor Simcoe and series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon on "Thank God It's Friday...Again." Having the tag team commentary works well and the talk is usually about the series and the characters overall as well as the individual characters.

There is also a video profile of a "Farscape" character on each disc and this time around it is the turn of Virginia Hey and Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, the most fascinating alien of the current media generation. Then there is the fact that there is deleted footage that was not broadcast in North America, which is meaningless to me because I do not know what it was I did not see the first time around when I did not see it in the first place.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Truly Amazing Fun!
Review: I really enjoyed this set my favorite on this dvd is ''Thank God it's Friday...Again''.The characters are developing who they are and they are close to in these episodes.Both are funny and the CGI is excellent!Farscape is truly an amazing show.If you have never seen it.Go for a ride with Crichton and the gang into the Uncharted Territorites you will pleased you did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You're missing something if you haven't seen Farscape!
Review: I'm writing this review for people who have never seen an episode of Farscape. People who have seen it before don't need any recommendations to know they want more!

This DVD continues to build on the outstanding storytelling begun in Farscape #1 and continued in Farscape #2. The first episode in this disk contains the best handling of a "time sense" plot that I have ever seen. Occasionally a plot element is silly, but this series consistently delivers the goods on edgy, unusual storylines. The ensemble cast, almost entirely made up of people you've never heard of, meshes wonderfully. They play well off each other and create a believable story about Moya, a living ship, and her crew.

This is a show that kids will enjoy too. While there is some adult humor, most of it is pretty low-key.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You're missing something if you haven't seen Farscape!
Review: I'm writing this review for people who have never seen an episode of Farscape. People who have seen it before don't need any recommendations to know they want more!

This DVD continues to build on the outstanding storytelling begun in Farscape #1 and continued in Farscape #2. The first episode in this disk contains the best handling of a "time sense" plot that I have ever seen. Occasionally a plot element is silly, but this series consistently delivers the goods on edgy, unusual storylines. The ensemble cast, almost entirely made up of people you've never heard of, meshes wonderfully. They play well off each other and create a believable story about Moya, a living ship, and her crew.

This is a show that kids will enjoy too. While there is some adult humor, most of it is pretty low-key.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great Show but DVD Release is TOO SLOW
Review: I've recently started watching the show on the sci-fi channel and instantly got hooked. The cast, characters and special effects is everything you could ever want in a weekly sci-fi epic. I bought the first two DVD released by ADV to catch up on the story since we're well into season 3 now. Then I found out that ADV is releasing only 2 episodes per month. I will have to wait approx. 7 more months to view season 1. >:-(

Then there is the cost of ($) per episode that discouraged me even further. I ended up buying Farscape region 2 DVD's from the UK for about ($) for the entire season 1 and I'm mid-way through season 2 now. :-) It’s a bit expensive but I did save ($) and the wait, well worth it.

I had to switch the region code on my DVD-rom drive on my computer so I can view it. NO BIG DEAL but do your homework if you go this route.

Hopefully ADV and Jim Henson Co. will get the hint and start thinking about the fans and not about maximizing profits on nickel and dime DVD sales. I wanted to view the entire season and I would have preferred it to be in region 1 coding. Oh, well I lost patience and ADV lost my money. Too bad for ADV.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: D'Argo takes center stage
Review: In "Back and Back...," Crichton (Ben Browder) and company rescue a scientist and his assistant from their imploding spacecraft. In the process, Crichton begins to suffer from time flashes wherein he experiences the future, thereby becoming aware that the mysterious assistant has a deadly secret. There is a lot of good characterization here and a tantalizing hint at D'Argo's (Anthony Simcoe) past. I like the way that so many Farscape episodes turn on Crichton's disarming manner of just leveling with other characters and telling them the truth rather than contriving unlikely deceptions to resolve plot points.

"Thank God..." is another good D'Argo episode. This time he has inexplicably decided to settle down and live as a field worker on an agrarian planet. Suspecting that something is not quite right, Crichton and the others investigate, finding that the planet has an unsettling connection to an old enemy.

I love this show. As good as these episodes are, there is much better to come.


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Farscape fun
Review: More fun from the early days of Farscape. In "Back and Back and Back to the Future," Crichton's flashforwards feel like "Groundhog Day" while D'Argo demonstrates that, once again, he thinks with his gonads (or whatever he has). In "Thank God It's Friday Again," Farscape demonstrates it can do Star Trek, only better. There's nothing more to recommend this tape than any of the others in the series so far -- and no less. Farscape fans will enjoy, newcomers will be a bit confused.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Farscape
Review: One of the best of Farscape. You will watch this over and over. New DVD's will come slowly but they will come.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exploring a Different Uncharted Territory
Review: The pilot episode of Farscape lets us know these stories take place in the Uncharted Territories. But starting with the episodes featured on this disc, we see that these uncharted territories include the souls of Moya and her crew.

"Back and Back and Back to the Future" pierces the gruff exterior of D'Argo as a mysterious femme fatale named Natala ensnares the warrior's heart. Unfortunately, Crichton starts having visions of himself with Natala which become progressively more disasterous. Not only do we start to see more of D'Argo's vulnerablility, but we're also treated to a well-designed, time-travelling head trip.

"Thank God It's Friday, Again" has D'Argo on an alien world, but after just three days the gang finds he has traded his soldier's weapons for a famer's tools. Though he seems blissfully content with his new life, things start to spiral out of control with Zhaan slipping into the same blind happiness as D'Argo, an apparent attempt on Rygel's life, Crichton's abduction by a rebel force, and the slow realization that this paradise is intimately linked to one of the galaxy's greatest threats. This is one of Farscape's best episodes, not only for it's wonderful visual appeal, but also for the way it expands our understanding of the characters. A wistful D'Argo confides in Zhaan that this experience echoes some of his long-held dreams. Aeryn reaches beyond her Peacekeeper-imposed blinders as she and Pilot must work together, not in military maneuvers, but in the more cerebral world of science as she struggles to find out what has happened to Rygel. And to top it all of, we have Angie Milliken's beautifully disturbing portrayal as the planet's ruler, Volmay. (Plus the infamous "She gives me a woody" line.)

Each episode offers a commentary: The first, featuring Ben Browder and director Rowan Woods, draws attention to the directorial choices made such as camera angles and set design. The second features Anthony Simcoe and series creator Rockne O'Bannon and gives a glimpse into the Australian influences on Farscape. The character profile features Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, which seems odd as these two episodes spend a lot of time on D'Argo, but you won't catch me complaining. The Delvian has always been a favorite of mine and it was interesting to hear Virginia Hey's take on the character she embodies. (And embodies is the word: during the interview she completely forgot she was wearing prosthetics at the time!) Zhaan's still gallery has some beautiful shots, though the posing in a few seem overly dramatic. The conceptual drawings are fascinating, though it would have been nice to have some captions. It took a while to realize that some of the aliens depicted were actually Tavleks featured in "Throne for a Loss" from the _previous_ disc.

As O'Bannon explains, each of the characters starts off as a standard sci-fi stereotype. The beauty of Farscape is that it then leaves those cliches behind, delving into these wonderfully realized characters.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Putting The Pieces Together Again and Again
Review: These two episodes, "Back and Back and Back to the Future" and "Thank God It's Friday, Again" are excellent episodes that demonstrate the many strengths of FARSCAPE. Both episodes feature great performances and effects and in each the writing is superb. The first episode takes the familiar science fiction premise of a character forced to repeat events and gives it a fresh new spin of desperation as Crichton tries to escape his predicament and save his friends. Browder's performance makes you feel his increasing frustration and makes the situation seem that much more intense.There are some other very subtle character nuances and revelations that bear careful watching, especially in the case of D'argo. Events are foreshadowed that will not become obvious til much later in the series. The second episode is an example of another classic FARSCAPE trick, taking a seemingly innocuous situation and twisting it into something strange and troublesome. In this episode, the crew finds that all is not as it appears to be on a pastoral paradise planet. The episode features some wonderful comedic moments thanks to Rygel's bodily functions and some terrifying and painful moments at Crichton's expense. But it is the actions and reactions of D'argo, Zhan and Aeryn that really bear watching. What they say and fail to say speaks volumes about their feelings and their futures. No one in this show is ever truly who they appear to be and these two episodes begin the process of unlocking these complex puzzles. Watch as an intricate puzzle is created before your eyes.


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