Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It's What Comes Before "Terra Firma"
By Jacob Clifton | Season 4 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.09.2003
A Florida state trooper parks in the driveway where the crew is hiding; the trooper turns off the car and heads toward them. Inside, D'Argo's watching from the window: "Looks like an enforcer. He has a weapon." Aeryn enters wearing a ridiculous, yet awesome, outfit: a bared midriff surrounded by blue and purple flowers, bell-bottomed hip-huggers and bell sleeves. She looks like the Sock It To Me girl. She tosses him a blue football jersey. Rygel advices that Aeryn knows enough English to get them through this. "Plan doesn't work, we use force," says D'Argo, and goes to change. "It'll be fine," Aeryn sighs, and then gasps at the trooper's knock. She peeks out at him, then opens the door, closing it behind her. "Hello." He touches the brim of his hat: "Ma'am." She asks how she can help him, and he looks around at the house. "Well, this house was..." She nods, looking up at it as well. "Abandoned. By our uncle." She invites him in, and opens the door for him after an awkward moment. Rygel gasps at him from the couch as they enter; Noranti's wearing something around her head, like a sock or something, a dishtowel, and she's "reading" a menu, upside down. The door creaks ever so creepily as it closes.
The trooper starts to explain about the complaint he's received; D'Argo listens, from behind a doorway, wearing the jersey over his robes, holding the Qualta at attention. Aeryn nods again. "From the lady. Yes, I think she was scared." She reaches over the back of the couch and picks up Rygel: "She saw Kermit." She tosses him onto the floor. "We thought the batteries were dead, but...it's just a silly toy." Rygel lands on his back, mouth and eyes wide open. Noranti belches loudly; Aeryn tells "Grandma" to say excuse me (oh, right, third eye -- took me a sec), and she looks up. The trooper gets more suspicious. "Okay, where are you from?" D'Argo sneezes behind him, and sneezes again as Aeryn stalls, entering the room. The trooper turns and pulls his gun on him: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't move, pal!" Aeryn tries to explain -- aww -- that D'Argo's her brother. "It's Halloween, remember?" says Noranti, ever so helpfully. Aeryn smiles and nods, nervously. "He's dressed up," says Noranti. "In a mask." How's she know English? Aeryn assures him it's a mask indeed, and the trooper asks if D'Argo's not just a bit too old for Halloween costumes. D'Argo sternly informs him that he is not, the trooper keeps the gun on him. "No?" He shrugs, trying to think of his vocab; Aeryn closes her eyes, appalled. "Uh, bite...me?" The trooper orders him to take off the mask, now fully engaged.
Commercial. D'Argo heads toward the trooper, Qualta held high. Aeryn steps between them, promising it's just a toy sword, and as the trooper's telling her to bug off, Noranti blows some powder in the guy's face. He sinks to the floor in her arms. "There is no danger here," she whispers. "See D'Argo remove his mask. See the hooman you expect. Then go, and leave us alone." All right, Granny! He opens his eyes and sees D'Argo remove his face, revealing a young, quite tall black guy. "Is there a problem, Officer?" The trooper gets to his feet, still disoriented. "No problem. I'll just...go, man, and you guys just...you know, do your own thing." He goes to the door, Noranti wishes him a happy Halloween. Aeryn closes the door behind him with a friendly smile. Under a pizza box, on the floor, Rygel groans. "You bitch! I think you broke a rib." He groans again. Aeryn tells him to shut up and he gasps, insulted. "Well, we've done it now. I'll have to go and find Crichton." She and Captain D'Argo look at each other. There's a world of difference between taking orders from a PK Commandant and from the elected Captain. It's so small, but so neat.