Why do you love Farscape and what draws you to watch the show?

[scaperbuddy]

When I try to get new people to watch the show they always ask me why do you love that show so much and why do you always watch it so much? So I was curious about how everyone else felt.

I love the characters and the storylines. The colorful costumes and special effects are wonderful. This show is fantastic! I could go on all day and night! Other people don't always understand my love for this show! But this show is so awsome! So tell me why you watch and love the show! No trolls please.

[JrMissToughChick]

Hmm? I was always a Scifi nerd but for some reason this show just had something that transends normal scifi nerdiness... weither it was the way these actors brought the charactors to life or the way thier relationships developed I don't know, Letterman list:

10. Well It's just the best frelling show ever Created Thanks Rockne

9. David Kemper is evil... just the way I like him ;)

8. Even the guest stars are great Actors , I know more talent ;)

7. The Vilans can be just as Cool as the Hero

6. Well yeah it's Science Fiction, but it’s not my fathers scifi. (It’s my mothers ;) )

5. Arcs and continuity

4. Relationships both romantic and platonic

3. Writing, and talent ;) (I know it's on twice)

2. Acting, and talent

and the #1 reason I love Farscape

1. Crichtonisms (pop culture rocks!)

[Chi27]

Well, damn, I think JMTC listed them already.

But to elaborate on it a little, it's an incredibly sexy show. From the leads down to the cinematography. It's a gorgeous show to watch. I also love it because the acting is consistently good by all the actors involved -- not just the leads. I've watched other shows where that isn't always the case.

Ben Browder and Claudia Black have amazing chemistry and they can make me feel the heat in those passionate J&A kisses. SOD kiss anyone. :D I haven't necessarily felt that while watching other TV shows or movies for that matter.

Aliens who look really alien. What surprised me and kept me watching is that no two alien species look alike or act alike. Farscape is unique, unlike other sci-fi shows where if you remove the design on their forehead, you have a human. BORING!

The writing on this show is consistently good and continuity is fantastic (that was my beef with X-Files...lack of continuity).

Now, for the #1 reason that this show keeps me hooked is John's butt or more to the point four words... BEN BROWDER IN LEATHER! ;)

[so-much-4-sanity]

To put my spin on things already said...

I love this show's willingness to take risks: the writers, the actors, the directors and the creature shop. By taking risks they are creating something unique and something unpredictable. I hate shows that are predictable and end the same each and every week. I like that this is using the imaginative universe of SciFi and doing something imaginative with it!

However, the show is not just about pushing boundaries for the sake of pushing boundaries. There is continuity in character development and the characters are why I watch the show...the rest is just superb eye candy. I like to know that when something dramatic happens to the character in one ep, it's going to be realized further on in the series.

I enjoy how the relationships are developed over time, not just friendships and romatic relationships but the conflicts and the deep resentments that don't get passed over. I love how at the center of the show is the J&A relationship and how it motivates all of these characters in different ways; additionally, it's a beautiful story and the writers and actors treat it with the respect deserving of these two different people who are distined for each other (it's not just sex and it's not just a plot device).

My opinion, for what it's worth...

[so-much-4-sanity]

Originally posted by Chi27
BEN BROWDER IN LEATHER! ;)

I'm going to get in hot water for this, but (no pun intended)...

...he gives Angel a run for his money...

(Be gentle)

[TvZ29]

What I like about Farscape is that it is a show that keeps you locked to your tv screen. I know that it is not real, but it is wonderful to escape your own world for a moment and to life the adventures of the crew on Moya. The show makes you feel like you are part of it and not just a viewer.

Furthermore, the way Ben Browder play Crichton. As a no nonsens kind of guy. And indeed the chemistry between John and Aeryn is great. Do they get each other or not. And I must say that Ben in leather look yammi.

It was terrible to see the last show, I was upset for days, well weeks actually.

I can not wait to see how the mini series turn out. I just hope that enough people watch it and that they will continue the story. :trans: And I hope that they can put John and Aeryn back to gether again.

[NYPinTA]

Best. Aliens. Ever.

[Chi27]

Originally posted by so-much-4-sanity
To put my spin on things already said...

I love this show's willingness to take risks: the writers, the actors, the directors and the creature shop. By taking risks they are creating something unique and something unpredictable. I hate shows that are predictable and end the same each and every week. I like that this is using the imaginative universe of SciFi and doing something imaginative with it!

Thank you. That is so true. A shining example is the way DMD was executed. Could anyone believe that he murdered Aeryn or that she couldn't get out of that seat. Yet the writers took the chance and it had us viewers hooked.

However, the show is not just about pushing boundaries for the sake of pushing boundaries. There is continuity in character development and the characters are why I watch the show...the rest is just superb eye candy. I like to know that when something dramatic happens to the character in one ep, it's going to be realized further on in the series.

Farscape is really big on character development... and not just the leads. They've really given me reason to care about all the characters.

I enjoy how the relationships are developed over time, not just friendships and romatic relationships but the conflicts and the deep resentments that don't get passed over. I love how at the center of the show is the J&A relationship and how it motivates all of these characters in different ways; additionally, it's a beautiful story and the writers and actors treat it with the respect deserving of these two different people who are distined for each other (it's not just sex and it's not just a plot device).

My opinion, for what it's worth...

Their relationship is definitely not about sex or a plot device. In fact, they relieved some of that sexual tension early on in AHR. Whoever said that putting the male/female leads together in the first season will kill a show doesn't know what they're talking about. At least when it's done right. Yet, after that, J&A's relationship continued to grow and evolve over these past seasonsWhoever said that putting the male/female leads together in the first season will kill a show doesn't know what they're talking about. At least when it's done right. Now that she's pregnant, even that feels right and doesn't feel contrived or just a plot device to keep viewers.

[Scaper_S]

- The creativity & continuity

- The aliens

- The villains, especially the Scarrens

- The chemistry

- The leather (Ben B, oh my!)

- The relationships

- The realism (how many other scifi shows have body fluids/vomit/people needing to pee?)

- Rygel, Pilot and all the other creature-shop masterpieces

- The way the hero can be hurt and cries. A lot.

- The unexpected that we have come to expect on Farscape (the cliffhangers, Grayza & her, er, weapons, the Kalish resistance)

- The neverending questions (who/what the frell is Noranti? What did Stark do when he was gone? What did Aeryn do when she was gone?)

- The strong female characters


I just can't get enough of it. I never get bored of Farscape and I doubt I ever will. And it's an inspiration - it's got me writing again. And then there's the Scaper family. We rock!

[so-much-4-sanity]

Originally posted by Scaper_S
- The neverending questions (who/what the frell is Noranti? What did Stark do when he was gone? What did Aeryn do when she was gone?)


Thank you for mentioning this. I love how the questions are handled, even when questions are answered, they end of asking more questions in turn. This I believe is part of the addictive nature of the show and boils down to frellin' good storytelling!

[ljenab]

Characters with divergent agendas (who always keep you guessing), an abhorrence for easy answers, a completely dedicated cast who submerge themselves in their roles, fearless writing . . . and, oh, yeah -- Aeryn's belly button.

[Trusting Illusion]

I'd have to say I watch Farscape mainly because it's different. There (to my knowledge) has never been a show like it, and probably never will be. It's just truely unique in it's presentation and delivery. I can't recall any other show that I've stuck with all the way, and regret not seeing a few eps here and there. Oh yeah, aslo the intellgent writting. I think that's it.

[witchdoctor]

What do I love about Farscape?

The continuity from episode to episode.

I love the fact that the Aeryn Sun from season one is not the same in seasons two, three or four. The other characters also change and are changed by what happens on the show.

I love the fact that it actually matters what order you watch the episodes in. Everything isn't set back to zero at the end of each episode. If a character got hurt by another in one episode, they are dealing with the consequences in subsequent episodes.

I love that some plot lines aren't neatly resolved at the end of an episode or even a season.

I love the visual richness of the costumes, sets and aliens.

I love that it took over my Friday nights and I had no choice but to be in front of the TV tuned to SciFi on Farscape Fridays.

I love that it can keep me coming back to an internet board like this long after its cancelled and no new episodes have aired. But there are still things to talk about. I love the wide ranging discussions on how some piece of tech works or the implications of some mamor or minor point in the plot. I love that there are people here that get off on talking about this stuff as much as I do.

Leathers. Claudia in leather. Scorpius' med techs in leather. Actually, Scorpius in leather, but in a different way than Aeryn. He is just one of the coolest villians ever.

I love the way Gigi Egli moves as Chiana. She just doesn't look like an alien with the make up, but she moves like something not quite human.

I love the cool (and sometimes nasty) muppets.

And though I grieved the departed crew members, I love that Farscape has the courage to permanently kill major cast members.

I love its hipness and the Crichtonisms.

[Diania]

I love how the characters develop the way they do. John was so innocent until he wound up in the UT. He would never hurt another living soul. Only four years later was he wearing leather, carrying a gun, and bombing a Scarren base. His transformation was the most amazing. Everyone else had their own metamorphosis to speak for.

Another thing I love is the acting, especially the insanity. Ben Browder and Paul Goddard are so good at being crazy. I love it. It is really quite inspiring.

Number three is the sets, the costumes, the special effects, etc. Can you say WOW? Henson's Creature Shop is truly amazing. Chiana, Zhaan, Dargo, Scorpius, Noranti, Jool....Their make up is wonderfully delightful.... and frightening at times.

There are so many things I love about the show, but these are the three main things I love about it.

[marandken]

What totally hooked me was that "this could actually happen to me"

Not in the psycho I'm crazy way, but that a regular human ends up in a very different and unpredictable place.

How would we react to all of this? We'll we'd sometimes look to Star Trek for some science background and we'd call our Mental as Anything teachers Mrs. Crabapple. We decide stuff with Rock/Paper/Scissors and call Buckwheat "Sparkey"

I LIVE for THIS!!

PS: Why can't I find the ep where John is dying and they end up HOLY FRELL in Looney Toons Cartoons? Is this always skipped during re-runs? What is this ep called?

Then, to top it all off, it's completely amazing and in a fantasy way; believable and as it's been said here, not wrapped up in a neat package during the last 15 minutes of the show. I don't think I've ever turned to my husband and discussed why something was illogical or isn't consistant with plot, physics, etc.

Best story in our house: the Boy always wanted to be an astronaut. Then, we started watching. After the first season, he said there was NO WAY he was going into space; too many scary things!! (He's too young to watch most things past season 1 because he's only 10). Hilarious

[fiona-maria]

SO many things have been said that I agree with, but I am still going to put in my .02 of 100%.*grin*

Character evolution; these are people (and it is SO clear even the "puppets" are people) who are growing and changing, the way sentient beings do as they live their lives, in response to decisions made and events occurring. That evolution keeps me very interested.

Script; intelligent, articulate, educated, and assumes my intelligence, and education. Boy, do I LIKE that assumption!*grin*

Beautiful; costumes, makeup, sets, people, scenery, just lovely.

Interactions; again, we go to the humanity of the "puppets," and the reality of the emotions, decisions, events and consequences being shown and how they affect people.

Complexity; multiple levels of (I have to put it into quotes because of the aliens) "human" exchanges, how it holds up a mirror to ourselves and shows us who we are from the outside.

Puppetry; extraordinary work. These ARE people, people we have learned to care about. My kids and I watched "A Human Reaction" last night, and when Rygel was lying there on the table, split open and his innnards showing, my kids got upset. They were shouting, "no! No! Not Rygel! They killed Rygel!" until I had to shush them and tell them to wait and see what happens. They were sobered by the outcome of the episode, and talked about how stupid human beings can be. They totally got how credible such a reaction would be, how likely.

Crichtonisms; I get how absurdist our Western culture is, with his refernces to this and that. And theoir presence gives me a continued enjoyment even after I have seen the episodes many times.

And last (for this post) but not least, John himself. I want a man like that, willing to throw away the world for love of me, willing to go to any lengths to give me what I need, willing to die for family. A peaceful man, who had to learn how to be a warrior in a very short time, and did so, so that by the end of the first season, he had made his choice, and the ship, and everyone on it, knew, that they were his and he was theirs.

And the leather ain't bloody bad, either.*sigh*

Fiona

[scaperbuddy]

You know I need to ask my acquaintance I mentioned on the thread I started entitled miniseries unbeliever why he watches the show and see what he says, and tell him what people said on this thread. I told him about this website and its great discussions but he didn't seem too interested. Shame on him!

[DRD1810]

What's not to love?

I learned to love science fiction because of Farscape. I have always been a writer and avid reader, but I stayed away from science fiction for some reason. A few years ago my then boyfriend (now husband and fellow Farscape-aholic) watched this weird show on the SciFi channel about an astronaut on a living ship who falls in love with an alien chick who looks human.... He slowly got me hooked....Initially, I was very into the romantic aspect and those were the only parts I watched (drove my husband nuts!!), but then I fell in love with the rest of it -- CGI, aliens, Rygel and Pilot, the writing...

I love the chemistry between all the actors, but specifically Mr. Browder and Ms. Black. When I first saw the show I thought they had to be romantically involved in real life because the chemistry was that good! I was watching a soap opera recently and the lack of chemistry between the actors made me realize how cool that part of Farscape is!

On a similar note, I love how everyone involved with the show is like a big family. I've never been to a con or anything, but I think it's really neat how they all get along so well and genuinely like each other, or so I've heard.

I also love that TPTB know we're still out here and still want more of the story!

I love Aeryn. She's my favorite character played by a human. I think she's an amazing character who is very complex and interesting. Claudia is amazing.

I also love Pilot. He's my favorite puppet character (Sorry Rygel!). The concept of Pilot and Moya is fascinating to me. I just love his laugh at the end of SAL....

[darius]

It doesn't suck

[Dangermousie]

delurks

What everybody else has said.

Farscape has to be the only show on TV that I've ever really watched. Usually, I don't have enough interest to wait between episodes, or remember a weekly time etc. But not Farscape.

Why?

1. Character and story arcs. In this way, it was more like a novel, a very rich, detailed, beautiful one. Characters developed and grew believably. They did not stay in stasis. Nor did they act "out of the blue" for no reason, completely messing up character motivations and behavior. Chrichton of Bad Timing is aeons away from Chrichton of the Premiere. But it is a realistic and believable development. And the stories...the stories! The complicated multilayered story arcs that went from season to season.

2. Smarts. The smartest show in TV. It never really talked down to the viewer. And what other show would have a whole episode devoted to quantum theory? And character smarts. Not in all the episodes, but in many, I couldn't figure out the mystery before the crew figured things out or outguess Chrichton or Scorpy. You often find the author saying character A is a genius/smarter-than-you. Very rarely do actions prove that view. And Farscape writers and actors managed the feat of not just saying that Chrighton or Scorpius are geniuses, they showed it.

3. And funnies. Farscape had some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen.

4. Characters. So complex, multilayered, fascinating. And never simple.

5. Strong women. Aeryn. Zhaan. Chiana. Sikozu. Noranti. Even Moya. It is rare. Usually, women either provide the eye-candy or are men in skirts. That was never the case on Farscape.

6. It could break my heart. Farscape showed that the world wasn't always safe or fair. And it made me care for the motley crew in the middle of it all. I sobbed like a baby watching DMD. Every time something bad happened, I felt for the characters. The characters have earned it, the writing was top-notch, the acting spot on.

7. The villains were actually smart. And the aliens were (often) truly alien.

8. I might be a sap (probably am), but Chrichton-Aeryn has to be one of the most passionate, beautiful, heartbreaking things I've ever seen or read.

9. The cliffhangers!!! My nails won't thank the writers.....

[jerseygirl]

LIke so many others, I kind of fell into it by accident. Within less than 2 eps I was hooked. I too struggle to explain to people why I am so obsessed with this show. I always end up by saying, "You just have to watch it and see.) So here's my list. I love Farscape because:

1) Because the writing is so frelling good. It's smart and funny and doesn't talk down, but at the same time it's not filled with ridiculous technobabble. It's sexy and stupid and adult. It's filled with huge emotions and overarching themes that take it way beyond the usual TV fare.

2) Because the characters are so frelling complex! They all have tics and quirks and imperfections, but we care about them all the same. Even the villains have more than 1 dimension to them. (Except for the Scarrans - so far anyway. Up till now, they're just the flat-out Baddies. But that too could change...)

3) Incredible makeup and special effects! FS has production value way WAY above what a syndicated TV series is supposed to have.

4) How could you not care about John and Aeryn? There is such intensity and ferocity to their feelings for each other, it's magnetic. You just know that if you happened to be somewhere out in the Uncharteds and J & A walked into the room, it would crackle with electricity.

Um...that about sums it up. My little contribution to the conversation.

Cheers.:)
jerseygirl