Reviews

The early episodes of Space Precinct were very hit and miss but this one is a definite hit. While it suffers from many of the problems which affected the series (variable quality of acting and a little too neat resolution) it is also one of the more adult natured episode.

The plot is basically The Terminator done for television, but the story is compelling, and some of the action sequences are excellent. The assault on the precinct is very brutal (in the UK BBC 2 heavily edited it for it's 6 o'clock start time) and killing off most of the main characters.

The episode shows what it takes for the characters to break away from the usual heroics (Brogan beats up a suspect in custody and risks his marriage to capture the villain) and explore the darker side of their personalities.

This episode is also the first taste of the more adult tone the show would eventually have, unfortunately too late to save the show.

A great little film that speaks to those of us who have been told that you might not survive.

It is full of dark humour and crazy situations as the two guys go on a quest to go out with a bang (quite literally). It captures the mood as the most important things in life are brought into sharp relief (the relationships that you have with others, the desire to have sex is linked to this) and other things that people think are important fade into the background (money begins to lose its meaning, the stealing of the ambulance). The two girls become exactly what they want and need, caring, sympathetic and willing to accept the fact that they do not have any time left.

The film is not perfect, the women's roles are a little underwritten and some of the supporting cast are weak. In addition there are one or two poor edits and some contrived scenes but these are easily forgotten.

The film is about grabbing life by the scruff of the neck and finding what is important. It is about finding those who you truly care for and care for you.

Finally it is about not accepting your fate, but kick and scream to stay alive even when there does not seem to be any reason to go on.

Of all the hit and miss first season, this is the weakest episode. While it is okay this it has none of the series clever reworking of a sci-fi staple.

The characters stand still, as does the developing plot. Some of the effects are very poor and everything is rather predictable. While a riot of colour the indigenous people are very boring and stereotypical. The witch doctor is the obvious villain and the village chief just looks bored in a role where his character seems powerless.

In the mean time the female characters have very little to do on Moya

It is an obvious nod to the movie Jeremiah Johnson (a favourite of Ben Browder apparently) but just goes nowhere and is quickly forgotten.

This episode captures all of what made Due South the program it was. It takes a very serious situation (a group capture a train aiming to instigate a nuclear disaster) and make it a comedy.

It is also a step forward in the characterisations with Ray getting be the action hero, the underlying attraction between Benton and Thatcher bubbling up and the wonderful interplay between Fraiser's dead father and the ageing Frobisher.

The dialogue is quick, snappy and makes no attempt to cover up one of the most obvious "quirks" in the episode (Fraiser managing to return to the train), however this last point just adds to the charm.

Finally this episode is simply fun to watch. The humour is broad and quite clever at times, there is a genuine sense of threat from a psychopathic villain and all the actors are on top form.

Where to start, this episode is the most fun I have had watching television in a long time. It is just one giant flashback of Crichton's adventures on a nearby planet, which he is relaying to Pilot.

The basic plot (local crime lord kidnaps Chiana and Jool) sounds relatively uninspired but the show is so much more than that. This is an episode that provided final proof that this was one of the most daring and fun programs on television.

The edits are fast, dynamic and creative. The performances again are top notch. The scripting is witty and light. Crichton is in a t-shirt and stockings! D'Argo does the funky chicken! Gigi Edgely and Tammy MacIntosh get to show off their circus skills and the whole thing still holds together.

The only down side is that a casual viewer stumbling across it would have no idea what was happening, still it is well worth the effort and fans will enjoy it immensely.

This is one of the best episodes of the series with the audience thrown in to the deep end without any warning. The writers take the old "it was all a dream story" but rather than have the lead start to believe, he does not accept the situation and so the show takes on an increasingly darker undertones as Crichton is slowly driven insane.

The story is at times funny (Zan as a psychologist with a green card, Rigel in S&M gear, Crais as the cop), sexy (Aeryn and Chiana together, Aeryn's tongue), disturbing (Crichton's Oedipus reactions, his begging for mercy at the death of his mother), gory (the death of the Scarren) and leaves the audience with knowledge that the characters will not find out until much later in the season.

The most incredible thing is that the story is very similar (in principle) to the first season episode "A Human Reaction", but this is much better. All of the cast are on top form, able to play with their characters and show their respective strengths while still pushing the story forward.

This is the episode that showed Farscape had really grown up. It is a character study on Pilot, Aaron as a Peace Keeper and coming to terms with the decisions that the crew have made.

Aaron is shown to be a cold blooded killer who will sell out even those she loves to get her way. Pilot is given a full back story and suddenly changes from a simple deliverer of exposition to a full realised character who is also not as innocent as he would have seen.

The cast are on top form and Claudia Black and Ben Browder pull out all the stops as each has to re-evaluate their relationships.

Simply put this brings into sharp focus the different shades of grey that our "heros" are living in. They are not off on some galactic quest to save the universe, they are simply trying to get through to tomorrow and sometimes they do things that could be considered downright nasty.

This is one of the most important episodes with the ramifications for the remainder of the show are still being felt in the the later series.

We see Aaron taking on the role of pilot due to the the splicing of their DNA in a previous episode. The revelation of Da'go's past and, of course, the conception of Talyn.

This is also the episode when all of the actors really seem to be comfortable with characters and seem far more realistic (for a sci-fi show) in their respective responses.

While it does not show some of the insanity that later episodes would produce it is a solid and enjoyable episode.

One of the best episodes of any comedy series, but one that has an important message. The plot revolves around Blackadder's attempt to avoid going over the top in another doomed offensive. The performances are excellent with the whole cast raising the bar for the final episode and the story getting gradually darker until its logical conclusion.

Whilst the rest of the episode plays a little like Catch-22 (it is potentially lethal to go over the top but staying means that you will be executed) the end of the episode is what stays in the mind long after the field of poppies fade away.

It addresses some of the issues of the time, the foolishness of the reasons behind the war and how it came to pass (Baldrick's explanation is not the worst I have heard and I am a history graduate), the seeming attitude of the generals and the differences between what the war was and how people thought it was going to be.

The final few minutes of the show are the most important. The show had continually made fun of the predicaments which befell the troops, but at the last the tone becomes ultra serious, the fears of the characters coming to the fore. Captain Darling comments on the simple things he had hoped for in his life, George expresses his fear for the first time and Blackadder makes comments (which he does not believe) about dinner in Berlin.

While not funny this is important as it underlines the sacrifice that many young men, on all sides, made in a pointless and highly destructive war.