Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Lewis Carroll Never Imagined This
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 17 | Aired on 09.09.1999
Crichton gigglingly returns to the normal dimension to find Zhaan leveling her gun at him. Surprisingly, she manages to hold her fire, and she tells him that Pilot is reporting full reverse power, so...half an arn has passed since he left Aeryn? Do I really care about timeline issues at this point? Crichton notes that Zhaan has her vestments on, and she says that she hasn't forsaken the priesthood in her soul. This smells like bullshit to me. I mean, when you do the things that Zhaan has done, laying down your robes has "You can't fire me, I quit!" written all over it. Zhaan's point, however, is that she thinks they may die soon, and given that the light is eating Moya faster than Rygel eats...well, anything, she's got a fair point here. They head to Command, where Pilot tells them that despite Moya's best efforts, they're still being dragged in. He suggests a long shot: "Moya could -- willingly -- lose the baby." Just the fact that he can even suggest that is heartbreaking on so many levels, and it's not made any less so even though I know the baby is going to be Talyn. Whatever else I may say about Zhaan, she gets some lasting credit for denying Pilot's suggestion as firmly as Crichton does. Pilot presses the issue, making the valid point that if they don't get out of the situation, the baby will die anyway, but Crichton stands firm, and really, who wouldn't? I mean, we all hope that we're good enough that we'd rather die than live under such a bargain, and I kind of love that it's the unity of Crichton and Zhaan that underscores that, although Crichton's a lot louder about it since, frankly, he's better. Anyway, the creature appears to take our minds off moral dilemmas for the moment, and Pilot begs them to shoot it, as "Moya is very scared." Not that I exactly blame you, but you don't seem like bravery incarnate either, Helmet Head. Zhaan's got the gun trained on the creature, but Crichton tells her not to shoot, and she heeds him. He observes that the creature has left seven slashes, and has a moment of realization as he breathes, "Prime numbers." If you're confused, you're in good company, as Zhaan's "The HELL?" expression could rival that of anyone else's in her dimension or any other. Once Crichton points out that all the scratches are grouped in prime numbers, she cottons on that the creature is trying to communicate. Crichton: "This isn't an attack, Zhaan. It's an invitation." So, Crichton, the next time I want to get close enough to someone to stab him, I should just hold up three fingers? I mean, not that I'm not willing to try.