Episode Report Card Keckler: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Inherit Rygel's Wind
By Keckler | Season 2 | Episode 8 | Aired on 06.22.2000
Let's bring out our witnesses. A forensic expert gets up and spouts about the time and cause of death, after which Rygel belligerently tries to cast doubt on his expertise by quibbling with the time of death. Chiana rips the microphone out of his hand and hisses, "You cannot lie." Rygel changes tacks, "Actually, my question goes to the cause of death -- would it shock you know that we have experts of our own [he's gathering steam now, and his voice gets louder] who are PREPARED TO TESTIFY --" Chiana clocks Rygel across the head. Rygel pauses to consider and finally says disappointedly, "Uh, no questions, your honor." I think Rygel as lawyer is the best part of this episode. Question: if the forensics dude is not a lawyer, does that make him a Utility?
Next, a Utility (?) prison guard testifies about how desperate Zhaan was to get out of prison. Well, that's just great. So, when a prisoner isn't desperate to escape from an alien prison to rejoin her friends and leave an alien planet, the prisoner would be less suspicious? Rygel slurs out an objection, but Chiana fields this one and asks the guard how Zhaan managed to escape while she was on duty. The guard explains there was a shift changeover. And then Rygel farts, so when Chiana's next pointed question comes out, her heliumed voice is robbed of all seriousness, and she completely loses her train of thought. She carps at Rygel for his ill-timed gassiness. Up in the Ja Rule gallery, Jiffy-Pop smiles serenely and smoothes down her Mylar suit. Rygel heliums back that he's nervous, "We're in court, so sue me."
Next, a cop testifies about getting to the scene of the crime after getting reports of Zhaan running around the city acting crazy. Okay, makeup query here: this guy is patting his face as he talks (as if he's sweating) and now most of his face has lost that pearly white sheen that makes the bartender a mime. Is it that they sweat the white? Because Ja Rule and Jiffy-Pop -- the most composed of everyone -- are definitely whitened. The cop goes on that he and his posse ran to a place where they "hoped" to intercept Zhaan and guess what? They found her! Standing over a dead body. A light starts to grow in Chiana's brain.
In the bar, which, on this planet is probably called "The Bar" (because: lawyers), Chiana's comming Pilot to ask for more time. Pilot says imperiously that Moya will give them until one more revolution of the planet. After that they're outta there with no promises to return. You know, I realize that Moya's in mommy mode here, but given how well the crew has taken care of her -- okay, well, they were the ones who got her pregnant, too -- and her needs, I'd hope she'd sort of not want Zhaan to be unjustly executed just because she's being impatient. I'm a bit irritated with both her and Pilot right now. Chiana responds that by that time tomorrow night, they'll either have Zhaan or they'll return to Moya without her. Pilot has the grace to look sad. I wonder if The Bar puts up signs around town that say, "Don't pass The Bar!" or "You've passed The Bar, come have a drink and a chocolate tort on us!"