Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Reality Bites
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 13 | Aired on 07.22.1999
Anyway, Rygel babbles a bit more, and then Crichton notices that Aeryn is wearing a pair of his Calvins. D'Argo doesn't seem interested in Crichton's underwear, and I may not be all that familiar with this show, but I think I'm aware enough to know that that's probably a surprise to a lot of people. D'Argo informs the sleepy gang that he was dreaming of the last night he spent with his wife before she was murdered. Crichton says that was his dream, and happily they don't drag out the obligatory "You dreamt about my wife?" joke for more than two seconds before Crichton clarifies that he dreamt of someone he cared about. He asks the girls if they woke up wet, basically, and Aeryn, amused, says she sleeps soundly, while Zhaan sniffs, "I am unimpressed by your masculine reveries." Looks like it's been a while since someone experienced the fourth sensation. Zhaan asks Pilot about the Leviathan, and is informed that there isn't another ship, but they are receiving a transmission from a nearby planet. The group looks at the monitor and sees a female Delvian with wavy bluish-white hair pop up and apologize for the deception, and explain there was no other way their signal could reach across the void. I'd complain that that makes no sense, but it's not like her word is going to prove to mean a whole lot anyway. She goes on that "[they]" so wanted to meet "Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan." Zhaan misses her opportunity to say "I haven't heard that name in a long time," but maybe she's not an Alec Guinness fan. She is weird, after all. Instead, she just stares at the monitor, not wholly pleased, as we head into the opening credits.
Establishing shot of Moya above the planet. On the surface, the female Delvian -- whose name we'll soon learn is "Pa'u Tahleen" -- is explaining that when they landed, their ship heated up the surface rock to the point where it became molten, and the bulk of it submerged, all by design. Zhaan explains that Tahleen is part of a missionary group as Aeryn appreciatively notes that the setup decreases the likelihood that the ship will be seen from space. Tahleen notes that it's instructive how different cultures view the same situation differently -- where Aeryn sees defense from attack, she sees solitude for piety. And where Tahleen sees gentle wisdom, I see irritating condescension. Fascinating! If you watch Aeryn as the two Delvians move away, though, she gives a dismissive shake of her head, making the entire exchange worthwhile. Zhaan asks, if they're so pious, what was up with the deception to bring them there, and Tahleen breezes that their isolation probably contributed to an error in judgment. Given later events, they must have been isolated an awfully long time. She suggests that they all chill out at the "Altar of Essence," which has sweet air, unlike the toxic surface. Crichton grouses, and somewhere nearby, we see a male Delvian with a metal rake watching them with a concerned expression on his face. I'd be concerned too if I thought I was going to have to clean up after this group.