Farscape, Vol. 1 (Full Screen)

"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.

Pilots are akward for any show since, in the span of an hour, they must introduce the main characters and their relationships to each other as well as create the environment in which they live. Science fiction pilots have the added burden of establishing where in the universe (and when in time) the stories occur, showing how technology has advanced (or in some cases retreated), sketching out new cultures and basically setting forth what are the new rules. "Pilot" does an admirable job all around. Not only do we become familiar with all six major characters (seven if you include Moya), but it also sets up the wonderful paradox that makes the series so compelling in the first season: namely that each character has his/her own agenda but they must work together to survive. This definitely ain't Star Trek. "I, E.T." is a neat bit of storytelling in that it turns a cliched story on its head: this time we are the invading aliens. Not a major story, but still enjoyable in the way it evokes a sense of wonder.

Both episodes feature commentaries and while they are both enlightening into the way Farscape first came into being, Claudia Black's and Anthony Simcoe's banter during I, E.T. is definitely the more fun of the two (would love to see them at a con!) Two featurettes are offered. First is a "behind-the-scenes" documentary, which acts more as a primer for the uninitiated than a behind the scenes, though there is a fascinating segment on the process used to make D'Argo's costume (Plus seeing Anthony out of make-up. Yikes!). The second featurette is less a "Video Profile" of John Crichton and more Ben Browder's persepective on the series as a whole, which is more interesting anyways. Of the two still galleries, I prefer the Conceptual Drawings which include some early ideas of Peacekeeper weapons and Pilot's den over the Crichton Gallery, as many of those pictures are either a) taken from the DVD covers, b) awash in a garish red light, or c) both. Any complaints I may have, though, are small and pale beside the strengths of the rest of the disc.