Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Unacceptable Losses
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 22 | Aired on 01.27.2000
After the break, D'Argo is yelling at Aeryn and insisting that he be the one to undertake the mission. I guess maybe he figures if Scorpius doesn't take the bait, it'll be worth giving his life to destroy the Gammak base? Cut to Aeryn complaining to Zhaan that D'Argo told her she has to stay behind and deal with the baby. Woman's work is never done! Zhaan calmly says D'Argo is right, as Aeryn is the only one the baby trusts. After exposition that tells us Aeryn hasn't got a name for the baby yet (...might want to speed up the thought process there, hon) Aeryn hotly tells Zhaan that it's amazing she can be a priest -- to live in such a violent world and still keep her center is no mean feat. It is hard to live in a world where people cut off their shipmates' arms at the drop of a hat. (Hey, it's my last recap -- I had to get that in one more time.) Zhaan, however, says that the moment she committed murder, she sacrificed her right to exist; since then, she views every moment as a "generous but undeserved" gift. You'd think, then, that Zhaan would be the one to sacrifice her life to save another. I wonder how the writers missed their sole opportunity for that one? D'Argo bellows at Aeryn to bring more kronite, and Aeryn's so off her game that she complies without a word.
Oh, God, not another goodbye! Chiana finds Crichton and asks if he's really going to go with D'Argo. Crichton smiles that if he's in the transport, Scorpius will pursue it, because he wants Crichton. Chiana, her voice breaking: "Well, what if other people want you too?" Yes, what if, purely hypothetically and not applying any double meanings, other people want you too? Crichton, realizing that Chiana wants him that way, asks if what she's doing is "some weird alien send-off." Chiana says she doesn't know any other way to thank him for what he's doing, and I'm going to skip right over that lest I get extremely sad in yet another way. Crichton nicely turns Chiana down, but she grabs him and urgently tells him he saved her life, and he tells her to pass on the favor. If that sounds a lot better than "pay it forward," that's because it is. Chiana does manage to steal a kiss before Crichton takes off.
Braca comes to Scorpius and tells him that High Command has pronounced Crais "irrevocably contaminated," (is that worse than "irreversibly contaminated"?) and as such, Scorpius is in command. I'm glad to hear they're so on top of things. Braca goes on that they should be locating Moya at any moment, and Scorpius tells him in order to prevent the crew from committing "an act of desperation," they'll be attacking unannounced. It's going to be tough to launch a surprise attack from a ship that's bigger than Saturn, but like High Command said, Scorpius is calling the shots around here. And the shots are these: They're to cripple Moya to the point where she can no longer function; if the baby responds to their signals, it's to be taken into custody, otherwise, it's to be destroyed. Braca confirms that all Scorpius wants is Crichton, and Scorpius agrees that everyone else is dispensable.