John Wayne Movie:
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| Movie Farscape Season 1, Vol. 2 - Exodus from Genesis / Throne for a Loss | |||||||||||||||||||||
Editorial Review: "Throne for a Loss": When a cargo negotiation with the bloodthirsty, money-hungry Tavleks turns into a kidnapping, Moya's crew must race against time and tempers to save the abducted Rygel. But a captured Tavlek is no even trade for a wealthy dominar. Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo have no choice but to use a dangerously addictive, adrenalin-pumping gauntlet stolen from the Tavleks to save their pompous companion and retrieve the crystal Rygel has stolen that is causing Moya's orbit to decay. Description of Farscape Season 1, Vol. 2 - Exodus from Genesis / Throne for a Loss: In "Throne for a Loss," the most action-packed and stylishly directed episode to date, a race of mercenary criminals called the Tavleks kidnap the imperious Rygel. Despite the temptation to leave the blustering coward behind, the crew hatches a (typically) half-cooked plan to storm the planet-side prison with the help of a dangerously addictive Tavlek power gauntlet. The adrenaline-pumping, laser-blasting weapon increases the aggressive natures of D'Argo and Aeryn to tyrannical levels but also leads to a quiet connection between the warriors as they recover from the drug's effects and compare notes on their human shipmate: "Just imagine, there's a whole race of Crichtons running around. Think how useless they must be." Each episode includes footage unseen in the U.S. broadcasts, and the DVD features a profile of Claudia Black's character Aeryn Sun as well as commentary on each episode. Director Brian Henson and costar Virginia Hey (Zhaan) discuss the process of defining and developing their characters in the early episodes on "Exodus from Genesis" and stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black exchange playful repartee for the energetic commentary on "Throne for a Loss." --Sean Axmaker Farscape Season 1, Vol. 2 - Exodus from Genesis / Throne for a Loss Reviews: "Exodus from Genesis" is a story designed to have Crichton (Ben Browder) earn the respect of his crewmates. Moya is invaded by aliens who are able to assume the form of the crew. If that is not enough fun a squad of Peacekeepers boards the ship as well. Like the previous episode, "I, E.T.," this is another instance where "Farscape" is getting ahead of itself. Episode 3 is too soon to be doing a story where the actors play reproductions or possessed versions of their characters. We still have so much to learn about these characters, which means details like the problems Aeryn (Claudia Black) has with high temperatures is of more interest than how many copies of Crichton can show up in one room. "Throne for a Loss" find Rygel kidnapped and held for ransom. Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) go off to rescue the floating puppet. Their efforts are compromised by the acquisition of a gauntlet, the weapon used by the bad guys. Unfortunately, the gauntlet tends to make its user a bit psychotic, as each of the trio of rescuers discovers. However, Crichton wants to rely on good old human honesty to save the day rather than alien technology. The most interesting part of this episode is back on Moya, when Zhaan (Virginia Hey) is trying to help their prisoner deal with the loss of his gauntlet and the addictive chemicals it provides its user. Of course Zhaan is the most fascinating character on the show and every new revelation about her becomes another piece of the puzzle. One thing that is already clear to me by this second disc from the first season is that "Farscape" is extremely fan friendly when it comes to putting the episodes out on DVD. First, the episodes contain previously unbroadcast footage, which means all the stuff they cut to show "Farscape" on American television (apparently we have 3-4 minutes more commercials than the rest of the civilized world). Second, all of the episodes feature commentary by a pair of cast and crewmembers: Brian Henson and Virginia Hey on Episode 3 and Ben Browder and Claudia Black on Episode 4. I assume future DVDs will continue to mix and match these people in various combinations. Having two people engage in a conversation works well and all the participants tend to talk about not just the particular episode but also their characters and the series overall. Exodus from Genesis explores the developing relationships between the ship's crew during a crisis on Moya. It painfully lets us experience how totally inept poor Crichton feels by being thrust into the alien universe in which he finds himself. Beatuiful acting on the part of Claudia and Virginia in many scenes, interspersed with some amusing segments in spite of the seriousness of the situations they encounter. Throne for a Loss depicts Rigel at his best and worst. Gives a keen insight into his more sinister traits. I had no difficulty understanding why the crew were (a little) tempted to leave him planetside after his abduction. The extras on the DVD were wonderful and the commentaries thoroughly enjoyable. "Exodus From Genesis" is about a bug infestation on Moya, and the surprising truth of what is behind it. With a commentary track version of the episode by Brian Henson and Virginia Hey, the episode has some very good character interaction, and the extra footage on the disc presents some rather intriguing material for fans of Zhaan. Solid episode, good story, with some neat visual effects. "Throne for a Loss" is an episode that deals with an attempt on Moya's crew to trade with beings called Tavleks that takes an unexpected turn when Rygel is kidnapped for ransom. Excellent sense of humour in this episode with some great lines from various cast members, and the extra footage here makes the episode worthwhile. However, when one adds the commentary track with Ben Browder and Claudia Black, one has an episode version that offers all kinds of insights into the episode and how it was made (among other subjects discussed by the two actors). Overall, a marvellous DVD and well worth adding to any collection of sf discs - but even better that it's a FARSCAPE one! | |||||||||||||||||||||