nanovivid

Last night, Bryan and I finished Farscape. We’ve been working our way through the series since last October. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m pretty sure Bryan has too. Prior to renting all the DVDs (thanks, Netflix!), I had only seen parts of season two and three, so it was great to see the whole story from the beginning.

My favorite aspect of Farscape has always been the characters, which are unusually deep and well-developed. Generally, the villains even have plausible backstories, motivations, and reasons for their actions (though there is some failure in that area when it comes to the Scarans). This development is the reason I love Scorpius, who is without a doubt one of the most complex and interesting villains on any show I’ve seen. There are plenty of other great characters as well, but Scorpius always stands out to me.

The other excellent facet of the show is the storytelling. They’re never afraid to take risks with the stories or characters, and there are times when it is amazingly, relentlessly dark, but in a good way (if that makes any sense). It’s one of those shows where if you drop in during the middle of the series, you’ll probably be a little lost due to all the history and backstory. In the end, it’s a little disappointing that Farsacpe got cancelled after season four and they had to tie everything up in a three-hour movie, but at least they did get to bring closure to the main story arc in a pretty big, dramatic, and satisfying way.

If you’re thinking about watching Farscape, definitely start at season one… and hang in there. The early episodes when they’re establishing the universe and the characters can occasionally be a bit difficult to get through. Then about three-quarters of the way through season one, the main story arc of the series really kicks in and gets the story moving. From there on out, it’s pretty incredible and easily one of the best series ever to appear on television, science fiction or otherwise.

♫ Norfolk & Western - A Gilded Age