"Farscape" Throne for a Loss (1999)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Pino Amenta

Writer:

Richard Manning (writer)

TV Series:

"Farscape" (1999)

Original Air Date:

9 April 1999 (Season 1, Episode 4)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Rygel is captured and held for ransom by some bounty hunters. Rygel "borrowed" a crystal from Moya, without the crystal Moya cannot maintain her orbit and will crash into the planet if it isn't returned shortly. |

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Space | Fugitive | Technology | Villain

Cast

Ben Browder	...	John Crichton
Claudia Black	...	Officer Aeryn Sun
Virginia Hey	...	Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan
Anthony Simcoe	...	Ka D'Argo
John Adam	...	Bekhesh
Jeremiah Dupre	...	Kyr (as Jeremiah Tickell)
Zoe Dimakis	...	Hontovek
Api Bavardra	...	Captain Nonk
Jonathan Hardy	...	Dominar Rygel XVI (voice)
Lani John Tupu	...	Capt. Bialar Crais (as Lani Tupu)
Tim Mieville	...	Jotheb (voice)

Trivia:

Originally, Crichton was still conscious after Aeryn punched him. But Ben Browder protested, saying there's no way his character would voluntarily get on the prowler with Aeryn, after she had assaulted him. So they rewrote it so that Crichton would be knocked out cold.

Quotes:

John Crichton: You shanghai my ass down here, and now you want me to lead? Give me one good reason.
Aeryn Sun: Lots of reasons. Land mines, fire snakes, razor grass, night vision snipers, Morlian death spiders...

A Lot of Fun

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Throne for a Loss" is a high-energy adventure episode which combines a genuine sense of excitement with dead-on humor and impressive special effects and makeup. Rygel is captured and held for ransom by a group of aggressive Tavleks, prompting the crew to attempt to rescue him and a crucial crystal that he was carrying. The Tavlek's falsely believe that Rygel is, in fact, an important Dominar with millions of subjects who will gladly pay a ransom for his release. Rygel spends much of the episode engaging in well-written conversations with another captured ruler, an alien named Jotheb, who is also a high-tech puppet. A conversation between two non-real characters would normally be unconvincing and even boring, but Farscape, as usual, manages to make the puppets seem completely alive.

The design of the Tavleks itself is a masterpiece of originality and high-tech makeup. The Tavleks are strong and ugly, and, interestingly, they have a metal plate growing on their faces. The Tavleks are driven to their violent lifestyles by a stimulant-injecting gauntlet, which is capable of firing out bolts of energy and increases the strength of the wearer. One of the Tavlek is captured near the beginning, and his gauntlet falls off of him when he is knocked unconscious.

Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo all wear the gauntlet at some point during the episode. The adrenaline makes the already aggressive D'Argo go a little crazy, forcing Crichton, Aeryn, and Pilot to knock him out. Aeryn then decides that she and Crichton need to go to the planet to rescue Rygel (or at least to get the crystal), but Crichton objects, forcing Aeryn, in a humorous scene, to knock him out, too. The rest of the main storyline of the episode is basically a series of fun action as Crichton, D'Argo (who returns later), and Aeryn go to rescue Rygel. The action scenes are very well done, especially during the escape from the Tavlek prison compound and in the climax, where Crichton takes on a group of Tavleks, including their leader, Bekhesh. The dialogue during the final conversation between Crichton and Bekhesh is priceless. The reasons that Crichton gives Bekhesh to give up Rygel are hilariously unconvincing ("He's very sick, and very contagious"), and the screenwriters added a nice touch by having Crichton finally get Bekhesh to release Rygel by simply telling the truth.

There are however, some clear problems with the logic behind the Tavlek's plot in general. Clearly, they specialize in capturing leaders and then convincing their subjects to pay a ransom for the leader's return. For starters, isn't it more than likely that a civilization would try to, say, rescue their ruler rather than pay the ransom? The Tavleks have practically no defense against any sort of rescue team, which is demonstrated by D'Argo and Crichton simply walking right into their camp. Surely the idea of rescuing a leader captured by the Tavleks did not originate with the tiny crew of Moya, who, with practically no plan at all infiltrate the entire Tavlek camp and later rescue Rygel. It is mentioned that the Tavlek's are planning on moving Rygel to a more secure place, but really, Crichton and D'ARgo made in through the camp so easily that it leads me to wonder how the Tavleks manage to avoid the rescue of every one of their prisoners.

The subplot, involving Zhaans treatment of the captured Tavlek is even better than the main storyline. The prisoner at first rebels against Zhaan, who turns out to be stronger than previously indicated. Zhaan tries to convince the young Tavlek to resist from using the addictive gauntlet, but the final result of the subplot is powerful and surprising. Despite Zhaan's attempts to help him, the young Tavlek ends up wearing the gauntlet once more - not what you'd expect from a television episode.

Despite some logical flaws, "Throne for a Loss" is a very good episode of Farscape. Rygel and Zhaan have excellent roles, and Bekhesh is a good villain. The pacing, dialogue, and interaction are a step above the previous episodes, although it doesn't end up amounting to much more than a lightweight, fun adventure. 3/4