Farscape – The Complete Season 3 (Blu Ray) Blu Ray – Thomas Holesgrove, Linda Cropper

The entire third season of the popular sci-fi television show. In ‘Season of Death’ Crichton undergoes some dark days when he loses the reason to live. ‘Suns and Lovers’ sees the crew trapped at a trading station. ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds – Part 1’ has the Moya fuse with another small spacecraft after the two crash together. ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds – Part 2’ finds the crew battling to save Moya from some on-board saboteurs. ‘Different Destinations’ sees Crichton and the other crew members accidentally slip back in time, and then, in their efforts to return, risk changing the course of history. In ‘Eat Me’ Crichton and the crew run into some cannibalistic mutant scavengers. ‘Thanks For Sharing’ finds the crew getting mighty confused when they discover that there are two Crichtons walking around. ‘Green Eyed Monster’ sees Talyn disappear into the depths of a giant space creature. ‘Losing Time’ has Pilot possessed by an alien being and the crew experiencing bouts of lost time. ‘Relativity’ finds Areyn faced with a moral dilemma when she discovers that her mother leads the Peacekeeper squad in pursuit of Talyn. In ‘Incubator’ Crichton becomes involved in negotiations for some stolen wormhole technology. ‘Meltdown’ sees the ship come too close to a sun and release a fluid which causes the crew to act in unusual ways. ‘Scratch ‘n’ Sniff’ has the crew visit a pleasure world and fall victim to theft and substance abuse. ‘Infinite Possibilities Part 1: Daedalus Demands’ finds Crichton accused of sharing vital technological secrets with the Charrids. In ‘Infinite Possibilities Part 2: Icarus Abides’ the secrets of the wormhole technology stored in Crichton’s mind allow the construction of a displacement engine. ‘Revenging Angel’ has a clash between D’Argo and Crichton place Moya in danger of destruction. ‘The Choice’ sees Aeryn visit a planet of mystics as she searches for a way to deal with John’s death. ‘Fractures’ finds the reunion of Moya and Talyn’s crews interrupted by escaped convicts. In ‘I-Yensch, You-Yensch’ Rygel and D’Argo try to negotiate a truce with Scorpius. ‘Into the Lion’s Den 1: Lambs to the Slaughter’ has the crew steel their nerves and attempt to board the Command Carrier. ‘Into the Lions’s Den 2: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ sees Crichton try to persuade the crew to destroy the Carrier. Finally, ‘Dog With Two Bones’ finds Crichton torn between his feelings for Aeryn and his wish to return to Earth.

It’s clear right from the opening episodes of its third series that Farscape has finally developed into a grown-up show. There’s a new self-confidence and a new maturity here that’s entirely welcome after the often wildly erratic tone of the second series. The production design and high-quality effects work remain true to the show’s original quirky style, although both the look and the more adult-themed scripts have become progressively darker. Season 3 is the year when the Wormhole story arc takes precedence, as the interactions between John Crichton and his nemesis Scorpius become ever more complicated (involving various different clones, real or “neural”, of both antagonists). It’s also the year that some major characters die, new ones are introduced and Crichton (well, one version of him anyway) and Aeryn finally consummate their relationship. Moya’s crew endure a vertiginous emotional roller-coaster ride when powerful issues of love, loyalty and sacrifice loom large. They must also face their sternest challenge yet as the series’ biggest story arc reaches an explosive climax aboard Scorpius’ Command Carrier. Anyone who has not followed Farscape extremely closely from the very beginning of Series 1 will be utterly baffled by the convoluted plotting and complex character interactions. But for fans, this is the show’s most rewarding year. –Mark Walker