Farscape 3.3 [DVD] [1999]

By now it's clear that the third season of Farscape is the show's most exciting but also the most convoluted to date. The story so far: the crew has been divided across Moya and her troublesome offspring, Talyn; Crichton is literally divided into two; and Scorpius is sometimes real (but with a Crichton clone in his head) and sometimes the neural clone "Harvey" inside Crichton's head. Confused? Better follow events closely as multiple plot strands diverge and intertwine, characters from previous seasons pop up when you least expect them, and weird stuff generally keeps on happening.

The four episodes in this box set take the various story threads still further apart. "Incubator" has the real Scorpius showing his Crichton neural clone the tragic truth about his upbringing. Scarrans, it seems, are the real enemy after all. In "Meltdown", Talyn is captured by a Siren Sun and Stark becomes even more unhinged, while Chrichton and Aeryn just can't keep their hands off each other. "Scratch 'n' Sniff" provides some welcome comic relief with an episode shot like a kinky David Fincher pop video and co-starring Ben Browder's real-life wife as the incredibly annoying Raxil. Finally, the gripping and action-packed "Infinite Possibilities, Part 1: Daedalus Dreams" returns us to the season's primary story-arc: the search for wormhole technology and its potentially dire consequences. The cliffhanger ending will have you yelling at the TV for more.

On the DVD: only four episodes instead of the usual five, it's true, but every one is a corker. There are a handful of extras, including more "Info Pods", some deleted scenes and fact files to round out the set. --Mark Walker

Episodes:
3.11 Incubator: With his wormhole research stalling and his situation desperate, Scorpius inserts the original neurochip into his own brain. He hopes to make contact with the clone of John's personality that spilled into the chip when it was in Crichton's brain. When they meet, Scorpius shows the Crichton Clone his terrible, brutal upbringing at the hands of the Scarrans, hoping to persuade him to decode the wormhole equations. Meanwhile, a defecting Peacekeeper scientist offers the real Crichton the secret of wormhole travel in exchange for Moya.
3.12 Meltdown: Talyn draws dangerously close to a star, pulled by some mysterious force. Coinciding with this event is the appearance on board of two alien beings: the timid Sierjna and her captor Mu-Quillus. Crichton and the others learn that Mu-Quillus is responsible for the radiation pulses that are compelling Talyn to fly into the sun and that eighty-three leviathans have already died in this way. Stark makes a pact with Sierjan to free her spirit from Mu-Quillus and let her pass into the afterlife. However, Stark is acting of his own accord and his quest to save Sierjan puts the rest of the crew in dire peril.
3.13 Scratch 'n' Sniff: Crichton, D'Argo, Chiana and Jool alight on a pleasure planet, LoMo, for some rest and recreation. When Chiana and Jool go missing, Crichton and D'Argo are approached by Raxil, a wily alien with information on their whereabouts. Hoping for help retrieving her own mate, Raxil leads them to Fe'tor, a notorious Freslin maker: Freslin being a drug Fe'tor extracts from sentient beings, including his captives Chiana and Jool.
3.14 Infinite Possibilities, Part 1: Daedalus Demands: An Ancient -- again taking the form of Crichton's father Jack -- appears on Talyn and accuses Crichton of sharing wormhole stabilising technology with the Charrids, a vicious race who have formed an alliance with the Scarrans. Crichton realises that Furlow, the mechanic from Dam-Ba-Da depot who once repaired Crichton's module and had a mercenary interest in wormhole technology, is the real guilty party. With a Scarrab Dreadnought heading towards Dam-Ba-Da to collect Furlow's data, Jack must unlock the wormhole technology in Crichton's brain in order to build the ultimate weapon--but must first confront the evil Scorpius Clone in Crichton's mind.

DVD Special Features:
Deleted scenes
Stark Info-Pod (with Paul Goddard interview)
Chiana Info-Pod
Behind the Scenes Episode Facts
Original Sci-Fi Episode Trailers
Gallery of stills featuring concept artwork, character and prop photography

Picture format: 4:3
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1