Farscape: Season 1, Volume 5

"DNA Mad Scientist" features one of the best Henson creations of the series with Namtar, who is the title character of this episode. Basically, he is a fully realized alien species complete with backward knees (like the rear legs of dogs or horses).

The storyline is pretty straightforward. Namtar is collecting DNA from a variety of species and offeres the Moya crew a complete map of the galaxy in exchange for one of Pilot's arms. D'Argo, Rygel, & Zhaan go behind Aeryn & John's back to collect the arm (with Pilot screaming in agony, this is one of the most shocking scenes in Farscape history). With the DNA collected from the arm, Namtar then infects Aeryn and she begins to transform.

Although you can probably guess how it will turn out, there is an interesting surprise that's revealed at the end of the show about the origins of Namtar. The special effects are once again top notch, especially the scene with the map of the planets floating in Namtar's office. Overall, this is a fine episode and one of the better ones from the pre-Chiana days.

"They've Got A Secret" is simply the most boring episode of Farscape ever produced. Unfortunately, this episode cannot be ignored because it began two of the most important running plots in the series. The first one deals with D'Argo as he was accidentally cast out of Moya during the teaser. He is recovered, but his mind is drifting and we get to know something important about his past. His "secret" does manage to produce a tender scene with Zhaan, but that's about it.

Moya also has a "secret" and while it's revelation is somewhat interesting, the time it takes to get there may have you fast forwarding the DVD to get to that point. Basically, we have a twenty minute show stretched into fifty minutes with one long, pointless scene after another with the crew guessing as to what is wrong with D'Argo & Moya. I swear to the Lord above that one scene alone with John & Aeryn conversing about "what is going on", time itself comes to a stop.

I know that many 'scapers will disagree with me about my review of this episode. And all I can say is that I call 'em like I see 'em. This could've easily been a thirty minute show with room to spare and we wouldn't have missed a thing.

Ken

"They've Got a Secret" keeps us guessing as to who exactly they turns out to be in this episode, which has long-range implications for the series. In a previous episode we had been teased with the idea that D'Argo has not revealed the true reason that he was imprisoned by the Peacekeeper. Yes, we find out what his deep dark secret is in this episode--it proves to be very deep and very dark--and, no, you never would have seen this one coming. Certainly we see a different side of D'Argo in this episode, turning the blustering warrior into a much more sympathetic figure.

I am not surprised but Crichton, the only human character on "Farscape," turns out to be the least interesting one of the bunch. Part of the reason for this is that he is so busy saving the day in episode after episode that his character development consists of nothing more than making pop culture references and missing Earth. In this particular volume it is D'Argo who clearly grows the most as a character. Having lauded these DVDs for the tag-team commentary on the first three discs, I would add my voice to the chorus of those who are bitterly disappointed that the practice does not extend to the entire series. This DVD series started off setting the standards for being fan-friendly and now it is fairly pedestrian. Now we have the irony that just as the episodes were getting a lot better, we lose the commentary and insights from the cast and crew.

One of the things that FARSCAPE excels at is the story driven by character, and these two episodes have it. The disc begins with with "DNA Mad Scientist," one of my favourite episodes from the first season. With the possibility of finding a way home based on the help of scientist Nam'Tar, Moya's crew are willing to sacrifice a little bit of DNA from their eyes in what is obviously a highly unpleasant procedure. But when the demands for the starchart information the crew wants means one of Pilot's arms...well, let's just say the ruthlessness of some of the crew surprises the viewer. Things take on a more dangerous slant, when Nam'Tar injects some of Pilot's DNA into Aeryn Sun, and only John Crichton can make things right as the rest of Moya's crew are preoccupied by their own agendas and greed. A terrific story, with lots of really good character development, a few shocking bits along the way, some cool special effects, and a set of extra footage that makes the episode come more sharply into focus.

The second episode is "They've Got A Secret", in which apparent malfunctions on Moya and diversion of the ship's nutrients and energy flow threaten both Pilot and Moya's crew...but leads to a surprising development which will play a major part in the rest of the first season story arc, and leads into a morass of ramifications for the second season to deal with. Strong in characterisation and the element of suspense, this episode's extra footage provides some illumination on a couple of the characters and adds immeasurably to the story being told here. One of the best episodes of its kind in television science fiction, with a truly unique surprise that is not all that telegraphed.

As noted, there are no extras on this DVD, other than the extra footage per episode and the Profile on Rygel (and some of the folks behind-the-scenes on this annoying little Hynerian). I still get ticked off at the fact that ADV insists on putting their commercial advertising for other ADV products at the *beginning* of the DVDs, rather than as a menu feature, and that the last couple of FARSCAPE DVDs have had no real special features on them. On the other hand, the quality of the DVD and its two episodes with the extra footage doesn't quite make up for the lack of any additional features. The Rygel feature is entertaining in its own right, but there's nothing on the DVD besides the two episodes that makes it worth the price. The only reason I've given this episode three stars is for the quality of the episodes themselves and the fact that the extra footage in each one adds something to the shows in question.