Farscape:S2 V2.4

Defying that very expectation is what made Farscape special. Yes, Beware of Dog isn't as earthshaking as the cliff hanger of the previous season (or even the three part episode set on "Royal World" as Crichton humorously calls it). It's meant to be Farscape's Trouble with Tribbles with a much darker, edgier tone. You'll either love or hate the tone of this fine episode as it indulges in a bit more humor than the average episode. Star Trek: TNG vet Naren Shanker's script plays with our perceptions of the characters. There's a witty line of dialog that references Aliens (having Chiana say it was an inspired touch. There's also a number of humorous visual references to E.T. and a tip of the hat to Joe Dante's Gremlins)

Won't Get Fooled Again is a marevlous episode that plays with both audience expectations, Crichton's previous experience with a simulation of a return trip home and the essence of the show's regular characters. It also reveals important information about why Scorpi keeps showing up in Crichton's wakeful "dreams". It's another way for Scorpi to be in the script, interacting with Crichton even in the setting of Moya. It's marvelously paced and Ben Browder gives a superb performance (as do all the actors playing against character "type")as a man losing his mind. Kudos to writer Richard Manning for pulling off an episode that, essentially, revisits theme from the previous season and Rowan Woods' surreal directorial touches (the red pumps on Crais is a marvelous touch).

The Locket focuses on the outcome of Crichton's infatuation with Aryn. It's a great "what if" episode that, again, defies expectations. It's a heartfelt episode that focuses on character and the various character's expectations of each other. Writer Justin Monjo's script and Ian Watson's direction are both top-notch.

The Ugly Truth could have been a routine episode. By dint of the performances, direction and writing it overcomes many of the limitations of the basic premise. The dialog by first time Farscape writers Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman, Jr. has some sparkling dialog and character moments. The opticals exceed expectations in what could have been a simple "bottle" episode.

This quartet of episodes are among the best the second season had to offer. The next boxset will focus on a strong trio of episodes that unfold what Scorpi really did to Crichton and the disasterous outcome of his shipmates attempt to save him.

The transfer is top notch with little or no analog or digital artifacts. While the entire series has looked really good, it's clear that ADV has hit their stride with the second season set. I did notice some analog artifacts on the previous set but it wasn't a huge distraction. There's no such problems that I can see here. The extras include deleted scenes, conceptual artwork, a biography of Anthony Simcoe as well as a backstory on D'Argo. There's also the first part of a text/visual driven look at the various alien species.

The sound is, for the most part, exceptional (except for some of the deleted scenes where it's clear that it came from a broadcast episode probably created for a foreign market with no stereo or 5.1 sound available).

While I did have problems with some of the science in some of the previous episodes (Crichton's escape in one episode was engineered by decompressing into space and using a gun to propel himself to another craft. While it's possible, the amount of time Crichton was in space could have killed him. He didn't look any worse for the wear. It's a nice little tribute to a similar scene in 2001 though).

That's it! Never written a review before...