Jacob's recap made me realize I need to watch this episode again, like, immediately.

I've just started watching Farscape and reading that recap was just...a powerful incentive to get the DVDs as fast as humanly possible.

Awesome, amazing job Jacob.

Jacob totally gets props and a million thanks for doing such a great recap.

His love for the show is evident, and, as a fan of his BSG recaps, when he loves a show, you can tell his admiration and respect for the work even when there's snark. Several lines from the recap made me laugh out loud, while others nearly took my breath away they were so spot on reverent and well done. As always, an awesome recap, Sir Jacob.

AHR is an awesome episode. I agree with Jacob that one of the best parts of the episode is Aeryn tasting the rain. She's so full of child like wonder, it's such a harsh contrast from Aeryn as she started out. And also, this episode marks the first of many false starts for her relationship with John.

Claudia Black and Ben Browder, as always, are amazing in this episode, which really is in many ways, the spring board for where the rest of the series goes, in terms of wormholes and ancients, etc. Other than the Crais arc, many of the episodes were stand alones and there was no through-line during the first season. Was there? It's been a long time since I watched S1 in ints entirety. I may have to pull out my DVDs soon.

When anyone else first watched this episode, how long did it take people to catch on to the fact that they weren't really on Earth? I mean, Jacob points out in the recap the little hints, which I totally picked up on the second time I watched it, but the first time I saw the episode, I don't think I realized what was going on until John started wigging out. And even then, I mean...he goes crazy fairly frequently.

This was the very first Farscape episode I ever watched. I missed a few minutes at the beginning. As great a show as it is, it's an awful choice for a first episode. Without the context delivered by having seen prior shows, it's almost an Outer Limits or Twilight Zone episode. Though at the same time, it sets the stage for the core character's transformation and the core relationship. It's almost a reward for having gotten this far in the season.

Is there DVD commentary on this?

Edit: was this really that long ago? Dang....

Jacob Rules!! His recap of Farscape's 'AHR' and the latest BSG one are works of art. Seriously. He gets the early stages of the Aeryn/John relationship so right.

This was money well spent, and for a good cause! Thanks, Jacob

On a side note, Claudia Black and Ben Browder are so frelling awesome in Farscape, that it literally pains me to see them together in episodes of 'Stargate' (a show I've watched maybe 4 times) but really, as Jacob points out, they are doing some great acting here, wish I could see that back in Stargate SG1

Responding to a comment made elsewhere (oh, the joy of finding things in a newly spawned forum!), I also saw the whole bass/trout thing as a way for Jack to test John. John's look of hurt when he said "it was a trout, dad" was his response to being tested one... more... time, that his own father didn't see him for who he was. But so what? Jacob's interpretation is interesting, coming as it does from his deeper involvement with the John/Jack dynamic than mine. A lot of what he sees is definitely there, at least by the time we get back to Earth later in the series. And he certainly read more into this ep than I did from a sheer storytelling point of view. It was strange to encounter a well known and well loved story and to discover that I missed so much. Bravo, in case it wasn't obvious.

I love Jacob's brain.

I remember when I first saw this episode. I came to the Farscape party late (beginning of season three late) and caught up with the early stuff on DVD. I liked the pretty people and the dialog and the fact that the audience was responsible for keeping up with the story. Nothing was going to be spoonfed to me. I had to know the pop-culture references and figure out the story as it went along, much like the characters were figuring things out as they happened. There was also the angst and subtext I do so love in my entertainment. It was fun seeing how all these characters first met and how their relationship had evolved. Did I mention the pretty? I can't stress the pretty enough.

Then I watched "A Human Reaction" and the game changed. I fell in love with Farscape.

Now, having already seen the later episodes I recognized what this episode meant in the context of the series. This episode is the true beginning: the beginning of THE huge arc, the beginning of John going crazy, the beginning of the promise of what this show could be. I saw every episode after this one in a new way. Jacob expressed it beautifully and in more detail in the recap, but I recognized that the person John had been was burned away in this episode. Watching John mourn that loss and seeing what grew in its place through the rest of the series was sometimes painfull to watch but impossible to turn away from.

ETA: The line in the recap that just killed me? "She tastes like rain". Commence girly weeping.

The Bass/Trout line works both ways. It's a dagger in John's heart as a test and as a forgotten detail by an inattentive father.

Amazing recap, possibly in spite of, or because of, references to Lacan. Also, I thought this line was really apt and a great summary of FS as a whole: "This whole show is a series of goodbyes.". Right after I read it I watched AHR, which really took me back to first watching it. Maybe I'll rewatch the Durka Returns to A Bug's Life sequence on my train ride today; those four eps are some of my favorites from the whole series.

Awesome! I love watching TV through Jacob's eyes. BSG is always a double-treat: ep & re-cap. And I far preferred the "Serenity" that Jacob saw, rather than the one I rented. *g*



Heehee! I love it when these funny asides crop up, only to be followed in the re-cap by two more crustacean references: in describing the Ancient, who knows the entire game throughout "A Human Reaction", and Jacob himself, through whose eyes we're seeing this game in the re-cap. The lowly crustacean is pretty damned clever.

Such a cool recap. I've never read anything by Jacob before as I don't watch the shows he usually recaps so it was good to find another writer on this site that I like! I am so glad he pointed out the Aeryn tasting the rain scene as one of the best things in the entire series as I've always thought that too.

I was thinking about whether I realised that they weren't actually on Earth in this episode the first time I watched it. And the answer is no - not until John went crazy at the end which is the sign of an excellent episode!

This recap is an absolute joy, painful as it is. Thank you so much Jacob. It's funny, I can't think of any other shows that actually evoke physical pain. Maybe "My So-Called Life." Why, oh why, don't the truly great shows last?

Oh, and the description of Rygel as a two-foot-tall and green Donald Trump--hee!

Break my heart and make me laugh in the same paragraph, why don't you? Great recap, Jacob.

You think so? I've always thought it would be just about the best episode to hook new viewers, aside from maybe Premiere; I don't think it particularly requires any more knowledge of the characters or story than can be gleaned from the episode itself.

It was the first one I saw too, and I was absolutely captivated. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the name of the show I'd just fallen in love with, and it took me a fair while before I managed to stumble on it again at pretty much the worst possible time; the next two episodes I saw were Vitas Mortis and Taking The Stone, so I fairly reasonably assumed that AHR had been a total fluke and didn't get back on board again until towards the end of Season 3.

I've been loving Jacob's BSG recaps, so I had high expectations of a recap of one of my favourite episodes of my favourite show, and he thoroughly exceeded them. I second the girly weeping at "She tastes like rain". Really hope we can get him on for more in future auctions, a Jacob recap of The Way We Weren't would be the best thing ever.

Absolutely spectacular recap. It was a treat to see the show revered for all the reasons that I love it by someone with a such a gift for putting things into words. The recap was as evocative and insightful as the episode itself, and it's going to stick with me for awhile. Bravo! Also, I appreciated the USA/UK DVD explanation, b/c the recap was a little different than what I saw, I think. Also, I need to catch up on BSG, if there are more recaps like this one out there.

It's great in that it reduces the storyline to the bare minimum - Crichton with Aeryn. But it barely addresses the basic nature of his situation - a man on a ship, a living ship, stranded God knows where in the universe, struggling to find a way home. It's not really a stand alone episode, as it depends on some knowledge of what has gone before.

This was just another brilliant recap in a stellar career of recapping from Jacob (who, if I'm not mistaken, is actually of the female persuasion). "AHR" is a great episode but the recap made it even greater. Nice work!

What I really like about this recap is Jacob's insight into how all the characters embody aspects of Crichton.

Chiana his childlike innocence (and his unerring ability to find trouble), Zhaan his faith, Moya his home, Pilot his compass, D'Argo his anger, Rygel his physical needs, and Aeryn his love. And how stripping away each one of his friends means that when he is tested he is alone - and he is reborn to be reunited with his friends, reunited with the various aspects of his being, but the core of him is different.

This particular insight has made me rethink some of the other Farscape episodes in Season One that are favourites of mine. I love the idea that Crichton is reborn here: It makes sense, because the next episode is "Through the Looking Glass" which is the crew affirming and strengthening their bond with this 'new' Crichton, and then "A Bugs Life" - where Crichton assumes the persona of PK Science Officer and finally kills a sentient being. Three sentient beings in fact.

Crichton killed Hassan, The Bug and Larraq. Hassan he wasn't really responsible for (that was The Bug), The Bug itself (and it had to be stopped) and finally Larraq - a PK Commando that Aeryn liked (I liked him too and not just for the eye candy). John deliberately killed a sentient being - for the first time - in "A Bugs Life".

Crichton also picked up a pulse pistol for the first time in this episode (significantly Larraq's) and held it like he actually knew how to use it. The last time he picked up a weapon he blew up Aeryn's pulse rifle in "Throne for a Loss".

Crichton is a very different person in "A Bugs Life" than he was in "Jeremiah Crichton" - and the key episode is (IMO since I read Jacob's recap) "A Human Reaction".

Neato.

I just wanted to pop in to say that this recap is precisely why I read TWoP. It was brilliant--just brilliant. I loved all the thought and careful analysis that went into it, and it made me appreciate the episode even more than I did when I first saw it. And also, it made me cry like a baby. Bravo, Jacob.

Amen.

Big lump in my throat when I read the recap. BIG lump.

But I am sure it was just my allergies or something. *sniff*

A wonderful, haunting episode and a recap that more than does it justice. Thanks, Jacob.

Somehow I missed reading this when it came out. Real life is bothersome that way. Awesome read and really wonderfully descriptive. AHR always breaks my heart a bit seeing John's hopes ebb and flow. Farscape does understated pain so well.

VM fans who attended the Austin Marsathon will be surprised to hear that.

Awesome recap Jacob. In fact, the recap made me finally decide to get Farscape. What a ride.

romantic idiot, that's awesome that you found the series through the recap! Jacob rocks!

Ahh...then I'm sorry about the confusion, kayaj2k, although yes, Jacob does rock.

I've always been a fan of Farscape and watched it whenever I could but due to the strange scheduling, managed to miss quite a few episodes and most of the last season. Plus I went to grad school before the PKW. His recap made me finally decide to get the entire series.

romantic idiot, have you read Jacob's Dr. Who recaps? Brilliant! When he talks about the nature of grace I just melt. I can't wait to read more if his insight into Farscape.

Rewatching the episode, I'm struck again by how wonderfully edited the final scene in the alien (hive? nest? chamber?) is done, particularily coming so soon after the horribly clunky "Jeremiah Crichton". It just flows together so beautifully, and excellently captures the entire sad haunting tone of both creatures' (John and the Aliens) dilemma.

I still have a few to rewatch in my season one catchup, but I think this is the best episode of that season.

I agree. I think this show is at its best when its mostly just the main crew members. And they are being screwed by others not intentional hero. In JC its very scifi and takes itself so seriously. And they go to the planet teach them their entire lifestyle is wrong, and go away with it a better place. That is NOT Farscape On Farscape all of the SciFi stuff, aliens who kidnap you and perform badly run experiments etc., are just there as a way to put pressure on the main characters. Put John and Aeryn in a cage make them think their friends are dead and see what happenes. It wasn't about the scene at the end with the hive it was about the scene with John and Aeryn. How in this episode they are closer than ever but also torn apart by mistrust on both sides. Something that will echo on from this point on.

the whole ancient thing was just a way to keep people chasing John. In my opinion, this episode is one of the best because it strips away all of the crazy alien atmosphere and forces us to look at what the show is really about. Real "human" emotion. People who care about each other but have a hard time with trust. And that is all of them not just Aeryn and John. Then they put them back in space but we never really forget that lesson. This isn't about Starburts, or levithans, or anything that resembles actual "science". Its about people.

Up until this point, there were great episodes but it was very episodic occasionally generic scifi.

In the recap for "Mind the Baby," Keckler mentions that the US airing of "A Human Reaction" wasn't quite as clear in showing that Crichton and Aeryn did it in this episode. How so? And does anyone know which edit is on the DVDs?

In the edit I have, they did it the night that John freed Aeryn from the compound (the night before we see Aeryn in that dress). I remember being unclear the first time if it was faux-Aeryn or real Aeryn, but on rewatch I'm pretty sure it is her.

In the US airing of "A Human Reaction" the morning-after scene is missing. We go from John and Aeryn kissing while a thunderstorm rages outside to a commercial, then to Aeryn trying on the dress.

The European and Canadian releases all had the morning after scene tucked in between there. In it, Aeryn's already awake and has dressed herself (in a man's suit) and is looking at maps trying to plan their excape route. John's still in bed apparently naked, and when he wakes up he tries to talk to Aeryn about "last night". She's already in pragmatic soldier mode and tells him it was "nice, but it's not really top priority right now" as she tries to talk to him about escape routes.

It was common practice in season 1 for the international airings to have a few minutes of extra stuff, since they need less time for commercials than in the US. And yes, the extra scenes are on the DVDs.

Actually Sci Fi edited out the whole morning-after_the_night_before scene for US audiences. Even tho that scene was edited out - I dunno how people could miss the direction that J/A were heading.

But some people either like things spelled out for them - or are looking for Sweet Valley High in space.

Yeah, I don't see how things could have been unclear just by taking out that one little scene--when you go from passionately kissing on the bed to the next morning and she's wearing his clothes, a lot of explanation isn't needed.

Maybe they needed to make it clear to viewers that the Aeryn who participated in John's Earth hallucination was in fact, the flesh-and-blood Aeryn and not a figment of the hallucination? Just a thought.

Even WITH that scene (which was on the internet WAY before DVDs came out) and the MTB exchange a lot of people still refused to believe it. I'll admit it took me two viewings to get that Aeryn was real (they just sort of slipped it in towards the end). But I never had any doubt what was going on. BAsically, a lot of people just didn't want that to be their first time. They wanted flowers and candles maybe a symphony. WHich just wouldn't be John and Aeryn. As you say, Sweet Valley High in space. Which would be awesome as a series in its on right, by the way! But it wasn't what Farscape was, Thank God.

More like Sunnydale High, I thought.

Except that Sunnydale High had actual sex. On occasion a lot of it.

Whaaaaaa? I watched every episode! I couldn't list all the sex but I know Buffy and Angel and Buffy and that loser and Buffy and Riley and Buffy and Spike. And Willow and Tara and Willow and Kennedy. (Did Willow and Oz?) And Xander and Anya ... And Joyce (Buffy's Mom) and Giles. (Twice!)

Lots of sex on Buffy. :)

Willow and Oz did, indeed! Also, Giles and Olivia, Xander and Faith, Faith and Riley, Faith and Robin...

Ahem.

Back to Farscape: I think the way the J/A sex was handled was just right--candles and symphonies would have been all out of sync with the show, and would have been very un-Aeryn. To have them get together in a moment of passion brought on by danger and despair makes much more sense.

I had no idea there was any kind of fan backlash about the lack of romance in their first sex scene.

Personally, I can't imagine John/Aeryn at this stage having any kind of romantic sex. Three episodes earlier they were trying to have a frantic quicky, but were interrupted. Aeryn has never known romance, and Crichton is, well, a guy (and while he is a relatively romantic one, it makes no sense that he would try to force it on Aeryn at this stage).

That said, the morning after scene would have been nice on initial viewing. I think when I first saw it I wasn't really sure, but figured it didn't really matter. Either way they had shared some sort of physical intimacy. Plus, I really enjoy the exchange with Crichton getting a "oh here we go ... damn, we're gonna have to have THAT talk" look, and instead getting blown off by Aeryn. Great interaction and character bits.

Just got my Starburst edition of this episode and watched with the CB/BB commentary on. Three things I thought of (not all of them commentary related):

1. In the very last shot of the ep, John is wearing his earth clothes. What happened to those? Shouldn't he have had jeans available from that point on? How come he never wore them again?

2. Crichton "visits" Earth, one way or another, every season.
a. Season 1: AHR - fake Earth
b. Season 2: WGFA - hallucinated Earth
c. Season 3: DWTB - hallucinated Earth (knowing, I think, it was a hallucination)
d. Season 4: K/TF/BT - real Earth

And in every instance, his friends from Moya are with him.

3. In the scene where Crichton looks into the men's room, there are three people there. According to BB in the commentary, they are, from left to right, Anthony Simcoe, Rowan Woods, and Ricky Eyres. CB reacted like she didn't know that and was very amazed. It isn't easy to tell, but if you pause and look hard, it certainly seems to be true.

Hmm... just a guess, but if he got the Earth clothes in the false reality the Ancients made, then wouldn't they have been artifically created as well? They probably would have ceased to exist when John left or when the Ancients switched off the false Earth.

But Ancient Jack says that everything there was a physical creation from John's memory. John really ate chocolate and I'm pretty sure those were real clothes. Artificially created but still real.

I think it is up to us to decide what happened to John's clothes. Not a big plot point - but it was a false earth and even if the Ancients left the clothes with Crichton (they might have wanted the energy back since they are kinda low on fuel) I don't think he would have wanted to keep them.

The truths Crichton faced during that experience must have left a bitter taste and I am not sure he would have wanted a physical reminder. Except the moments with Aeryn - and lets face it - presumably he wasn't wearing any clothes at that point. ;) (I know. Bad Firecracker. Bad BAD Firecracker. *snicker* )

The jeans suffered the same fate as the clothes he was wearing for most of season 1: When he put on the leather pants, the rest of his clothes burst into flame from the heat.

Actually if you watch season one carefully you can see Crichton's uniform gradually fraying and disintegrating on him. Mirroring the fraying and disintegration of his ideals and naiveté.

Until finally in "Jeremiah Crichton", when he cuts the legs off his pants - mirroring how he felt when Moya starburst away and left him behind - like his legs had been cut out from under him.

After JC Crichton wears very generic clothes - grey/blue t-shirt and blue (but not jeans) pants. (Durka Returns, A Human Reaction, Through the Looking Glass).

TTLG is the last episode where Crichton is still 'innocent' Crichton.

Then "A Bugs Life" where we see Crichton dressed for the first time in a Peackeeper Uniform. In leather and lookin' hot! And that is also the first time that Crichton deliberately kills a sentient being. Two of them. Three if you count Hassan (which I don't).

The costume people on Farscape were as dedicated to supporting and telling the story as any of the other creative powers on this show. And like everyone else - they never pressed the reset button.

P.S. Crichton always kept his flight suit tho - "I was a pilot, Aeryn. Astronaut. I was what I wanted to be. I ain't going to forget that and I can't accept this. "

Actually, he goes back on the pants to the generic dark blue/black non-leather pants in Bone to Be Wild, Family Ties, and Mind the Baby. Not that it matters. He's still wearing the Larraq pink and black leather coat. I was merely kind of surprised when I rewatched those episodes and realized that he doesn't actually wear the leather pants. I thought it was leather pants from A Bug's Life on (minus LatP and WGFA), but alas, it is not.

So what happened to Crichton's earth clothes? Or, more importantly, what happened to Aeryn's little floral dress?

*shakes head* Crichton is in complete PK Uniform right from "A Bugs Life" onward.

I think the leather pants that we all know and love come in later - but it is the full PK Commando Uniform from Nerve onward - and the PK Science Officer uniform in "A Bugs Life".

I was gonna go with with explanation number one, but explanation number two has the unmistakable ring of truth.

Yeah, and who can argue with the truth? *snicker*

No. He's not. The first pic is from Bone to be Wild and the second two are from Mind the Baby. In the third picture Crichton is very clearly wearing dark-colored, non-leather pants.

Larraq pants: they are clearly leather, with pink panel thingies.

Then, after Mind the Baby he dons the all black leather pants. I assume he didn't in Mind the Baby because there's no good reason for him to change his pants while stranded with D'Argo. But, then the next episode he gets the pants, the duster, and the leather vest.

Vitas Mortis and beyond.

Do you know what this means? It means I spend an INDECENT amount of time watching Ben Browder's ass.

EDIT: Found one from Family Ties. Notice he also doesn't have the right thigh holster (which he wore with the Larraq pants and later with the all black leather pants).

And lpl, I know. *Sigh* I know.

Sigh. I just watched this again, and listened to the commentary. I love this show!!! What a great episode! And how awesome is Jacob? Jacob, your commentaries tickle my brain! And you know what's also wonderful? It's that as Claudia and Ben explain in the commentary, some of the best lines of the episode were basically ad libbed. It was supposed to be sunny when they were filming (it's always sunny in Australia!). But no, it rained, so they told Claudia to have Aeryn make something of the fact that it's raining, and that's why she did the whole "taste the rain" bit. And that's why Crichton says his line "Earth... minus the sunshine" as he looks out the window when they're in the condo. The cinematography of that scene, the lighting on Crichton's face as he stares out at the harbor, was so beautiful... it would have played out differently if it had been sunny, as planned. Another interesting thing Ben said was that there was a final scene in which a bunch was made clear, like what happened to Aeryn in the last 5 minutes of the episode, but that didn't make it into the final cut, or the extras, unfortunately.