"Mental As Anything"

[Mike]

Early reviews from European/Internet viewers are calling this a 'flawed' episode. What do you think?

[Spiller]

just voted... 7... i'm sorry, this should have been a good episode.. but it just ... wasn't :|.

[Mike]

It looks like a pivotal episode for D'argo.

[Spiller]

yes, it was... but then D'argo isn't my favourite character, this ep just wasn't that enthralling.

[McC]

This was a very solid episode on all fronts. It delved into D'Argo's past and finally "resolved" the issue(s) between Lo'Laan, Macton, and himself. It's not often we see a character ep that specifically focuses on D'Argo, so this was nice to see. Additionally, the setting for the ep was quite interesting -- a school for mental discipline. This particularly piqued my interest, as I am looking into joining a martial arts school that focuses on mental discipline and such. We also got a bit of a glimpse at Scorpius and his motivations -- I doubt these will ever be perfectly clear ;) And the stuff with Crichton? How cool was that? :D I also loved the little bit between Crichton and Aeryn at the beginning, but I'm a sucker for that sort of thing ;)

On the whole, I'd say this rates an 8. It's a solid ep on all fronts, but didn't have any moments of real emotional entanglement for me, which really define a 9 or a 10 in my book.

And how cool does next week look? :eek:

[Guinan]

If Aryen DID get Crihton a TV for Christmas, what is he going to watch? :D

It was a good ep, but not as spectacular as previous eps. Of course, Terra Firma is a hard one to beat. :)
D'Argos character arch has pretty much come to and end now hasn't it? Too bad the series did, I would have liked to see what was in store for him next..... :(

[Captain Zefram Mann]

Originally posted by Guinan
If Aryen DID get Crihton a TV for Christmas, what is he going to watch? :D

Enterprise?

[Mike]

Guinan raises an interesting point. D'argo's story has wrapped up with this episode. Because of this, the 4th season really does feel like the final season, even though they never planned it that way.

The episode had me worried at the beginning. As Farscape tends to do, they start the story before they explain how they got there or why they are there. Farscape episodes hit the ground running, and it can be hard to follow unless you're prepared. In this episode, you don't fully understand the significance of their setting until half-way through. It is at this point that the episode came together, once Scorpius' intentions are revealed.

The episode is also peculiar in that it has two completely different stories played alongside each other. Crichton's Scaran training and D'argo's Lolan mystery. Most A and B type stories contrast each other by being told in different locations and involving a different set of characters. I think this lack of contrast and diversity made the episode a fairly dreary experience.

However, I thought D'argo's struggle was presented very effectively. Anytime filmmakers try to visualize surreal imagery, such as that of the subconcious, they tend to fall into the conventional techniques. But Farscape definately went beyond and charted its own path. Overall, I was transfixed as I watched D'argo struggle with the truth and the painful memories of Lolann.

But I must say, when D'argo first confronted Makton, it was terribly anticlimatic. There was so much build up for something that seemed nothing more than a brief shoving match.

Overall, a rough start led to a well told character story and I'm pleasently surprised. I give it a 7.

[Mike]

Originally posted by Captain Zefram Mann


Enterprise?

:D :tos: :laugh:

[Vertigo1]

Gotta love the erm....poll results. :D

http://vertigo1-2.freeyellow.com/3DGflip.gif

:laugh:

btw, I give it an 8.

[Lumikko]

I liked this one better than last week's episode. It was more Farscape original than old school sci-fi, and did a pretty good job of depicting "mindscapes" for lack of a better word. The Simpson's reference was pretty good, as was the Jedi Master one.

[Guinan]

Oh yeah.. that reminds me.....

(rummages around to find an ancient thread*

[Mike]

Stop it Guinan, you're stirring up the dust! :D

That's a mighty big poll result there Verti! :D

[Artemis]

Let's not forget Rygel's big scene, he showed more depth of character than he usually does. All those years of torture did make him stronger. farscape/rygel.gif

[Captain Zefram Mann]

Originally posted by Artemis
Let's not forget Rygel's big scene, he showed more depth of character than he usually does. All those years of torture did make him stronger. farscape/rygel.gif

If he ever does retake his throne, he'll probably end up being a much better leader than he was before.

[Krystal]

I enjoy this episode specially because it shows more about D'argo and all the situation about his wife death. It was interesting seeing him fighting his anger. Also enjoy John's dilemma in the episode. :D

Krystal :)

[Artemis]

I was wondering why John didn't just take part of that lovely jumpsuit they had to wear and hold up a section of it so that the next key that fell down would fall into the cloth instead of falling all the way through. He could have just tied it across the opening and gone to sleep (pass out from the heat) and when he woke up there would be at least one key in it. :confused:

[Captain Zefram Mann]

Originally posted by Artemis
I was wondering why John didn't just take part of that lovely jumpsuit they had to wear and hold up a section of it so that the next key that fell down would fall into the cloth instead of falling all the way through. He could have just tied it across the opening and gone to sleep (pass out from the heat) and when he woke up there would be at least one key in it. :confused:

Not likely. Remember how he sat there waiting for the key to drop all that time, and the second he looks away it drops? Could be just a coincidence, or someone making sure he went through with the final part of the test.

[Mike]

I was thinking the same thing, that he could just put his clothing over the floor. But Mann makes a very good point.

[McC]

Well, I'm late this week, but Thursday has passed, which means voting on the episode rating is officially closed! The results are below and also available at the usual place at The Official 3DG FarScape Forums Episode Ratings Guide (http://www.mcc3d.com/farscape).

"Mental As Anything" didn't break any records, but it was a fairly solid episode overall, garnering a 7.83. Slight drop in voters this week, now at 12 from last week's 14. The Median and Mode ratings for this episode were 8. The seasonal average to this point remains 7.86. The average number of voters for the season remains at 11.

Straight Stats
Overall Avg. Rating: 7.83
Number of Voters: 12
Current Ranking: 8
Season Avg. Rating: 7.86
Season Avg. Voters: 11

Enjoy! :)