We open on a cloud of steam, and then it dissipates to reveal Crichton and D'Argo. HoYay aficionados, make of that what you will. They're somewhere in Moya's bowels trying to fix some problem, and Crichton whiningly asks why these things are always his fault, prompting D'Argo grumpily to correct him that they're merely almost always his fault. I suppose that makes sense -- Aeryn's too competent to cause problems, Zhaan's too peaceful, and Rygel's too lazy. Good thing for Crichton that Chiana's going to be showing up soon. They succeed only in releasing a cloud of foul-smelling gas, and Crichton exposits that the "blockage" they're trying to fix is a by-product of Moya's pregnancy, while D'Argo blames Crichton for firing Farscape One's engines in the transport hangar. Crichton further exposits that that was the last of his fuel, so now he's completely dependent on Leviathan technology, and then, having had enough bickering, stomps off...
... only to run into Zhaan, who asks if anything's wrong. Crichton says he's fed up, and then they have an all-too-typical translator microbe mix-up, causing Crichton to snit, "It was vaguely -- vaguely amusing the first six billion times." Here's an expression that won't be hard to translate: Says you. Crichton proceeds to bite Zhaan's head off for no reason...
... and then, suited up, he's telling Aeryn that he's going for a drive. She tries to comprehend what he's on about, but understandably fails, given that they probably don't have an expression for "riding a wild hair" in Sebacean. Seriously, this behavior of Crichton's is underdeveloped and kind of preposterous fourteen episodes in, but I suppose we can cheat a bit and just add it in to the seventeen billion times in the series that he's completely out of his gourd. D'Argo yells that he needs Crichton, as "this backwash is building up too fast," but Crichton is unmoved, and we cut to him flying away.
On the bridge, Rygel's amusing himself with a game when D'Argo and Zhaan stride in. The former tells us that Moya is experiencing "an extreme increase in her amnexus systems," and Pilot explains that she thinks her fetus is at risk for some reason, and she's "decompensating." The crew recoils in horror as they realize that that means Moya is about to starburst. Zhaan frantically instructs Pilot to get Crichton back on board, but he tells her there's no time...
... and outside, Crichton is quite close to Moya when he sees the blue lines of starburst coming toward him. In a matter of seconds, he gets knocked away, and Moya is gone. He mutters, "I am a dead man." And he hasn't even met Scorpius yet. Credits.
Fade up on an idyllic-looking lake. The fact that Crichton is lounging shirtless on top of his ship does nothing to make it less so. He's grown a beard, so we're to assume some time has passed. If you're a Star Trek: TOS fan, I can only imagine the serenity of the surroundings brings to mind that God-awful episode "The Paradise Syndrome." Although it does make me giggle to think of Crichton chomping on the scenery and bellowing, "I AM KIROK!" Anyway, as we get closer, we observe that Crichton's beard is quite long but very neatly trimmed, and we also see that he's constructed a lean-to on the beach, and some sort of spear trap connected to a fishing line. He gets a bite, the spear launches into the water, and he wades out and triumphantly retrieves some sort of enormous crab-like creature. A pretty woman (the actress is from Hong Kong, for reference) appears and badly says she wasn't sure whom to bet on. He offers to share the catch with her, and is told that in her neck of the woods, "the offering of food by a man to a woman signals his fondness for her." Well, on the plus side, the ugly women don't have to number obesity on their list of problems.
Crichton is unfazed both by the custom and the woman's horrible acting, and upon asking what she has in her hand, is told it's a map of the skies. He's reluctant to take it, undoubtedly because he doesn't want to be reminded of his wealth of scientific and technical knowledge, particularly since all he can do with it at the moment is to decimate the local shellfish population. After some painfully pouty faces from "Lisala," though, he relents, looks at it, and tells her it's beautiful. She asks him to show her where his homeworld is, and he makes a grand show of a physical demonstration with a rock that translates roughly to "hell and gone from here." A big black (no idea if he's a Sex Cop) guy dressed in the same overly mauve garb as Lisala appears on the scene, and we are able to infer very quickly that he's her S.O., but she finds him wanting, especially compared to Crichton. I can't imagine where I've seen a similar plotline on a science-fiction show. (That would probably be more convincing if the reference to "The Paradise Syndrome" weren't still on my page.) Anyway, Lisala leaves in a huff, and the dude, "Rokon," gives Crichton shit for killing a baby giant enormous crab. He also gets jealous of the map, saying Lisala's never given him a gift like that before. Obviously there are things in the relationship that are failing to satisfy her. And between the rather aesthetically pleasing way he's built and what little we've learned about the local customs, I can only logically conclude that he's one shitty cook. Rokon tells Crichton he'll never go home, and Crichton gets that starry-eyed look on his face as he says he thinks he's okay with being there forever. Rokon isn't so thrilled about that prospect, but informs Crichton that some dude wants to see him, and that Crichton should arrive by high sun.
Moya. We quickly are able to infer that the crew has been searching all the inhabitable planets in the area, with no luck. Also, we know that Moya must restore her energy reserves after starburst, so it makes sense that Crichton would have disappeared before they could return. Look at me, explaining simple points of Farscape to you all. That's like me telling Sars that James Van Der Beek has bad hair and worse crying skills. Uncharacteristically, D'Argo is optimistic that the planet they're approaching fits with Crichton's last known trajectory, while Zhaan, quite as uncharacteristically, is ready to give up, given that they've already spent three months (a quarter of a cycle, if you prefer) searching. Interestingly, Zhaan blames Crichton for leaving during "a time of crisis," while D'Argo feels it's their fault for driving him to it, and calls Zhaan "cold." No, D'Argo, that's Aeryn. Pay attention. Zhaan says that while she still cares about "Crichton" (and again, interesting that in this state of mind she uncommonly refers to him by his surname), they're in danger of being discovered by the Peacekeepers, and besides, the only thing driving the search is "the guilt in your own hearts." D'Argo counters, "My hearts are private places. Stay out of them." I wonder if they altered D'Argo's anatomy just for the sake of that line. Regardless, hee. That was funny. Zhaan hopefully -- if misguidedly in my view -- solicits Aeryn's vote as the tiebreaker, but Aeryn votes to press on with the search, so Zhaan stomps off. When she's gone, Aeryn cautions D'Argo that "there will come a time when we may have to acknowledge that Crichton has met his destiny, and we are just not part of it." That's an awfully pretty way of putting it, considering that from their point of view of what could have happened to Crichton, a quick and painless death ranks as pretty desirable on the list. D'Argo guilt-trippily agrees.
Village, where everyone's doing just fine without technology. Crichton strides in with a local vest adorning his shorts and t-shirt. In the foreground of one shot, we see a rock outcropping that Will Be Important Later, and then Crichton is stepping into the village chief's hut and speaking some local expression of greeting. I could say something about this making no sense, given that it seems highly unlikely that the locals have translator microbes, but I was on the phone for an hour with Sprint this morning, so I'm already over my daily quota of beating my head against the wall. The chief, who clearly is fond of Crichton, kicks his guards out and invites Crichton to sit. Crichton warily notes that he's asking him to sit beside him, and his tone suggests that this command is code for the suggestion of something unbefitting a societal leader, unless said leader is Caligula. But no, it turns out that Crichton is reluctant because sitting beside the chief is a privilege he only affords to his best hunters, and Crichton doesn't wish to dishonor them. However, the chief wryly points out that refusing would dishonor him, so Crichton takes his place. The chief says they have much to discuss, starting with Lisala, who of course according to the conventions of television is his daughter, and who also happens to be giggling outside with a gaggle of girlfriends. "You see the way she comes alive when she looks at you?" Well, no, I don't see that, but a good casting director is probably hard to find this far out into space. Crichton tells the chief, "Kato-Re," that he only wants to be friends with Lisala, and he chose to build his home away from the village because he didn't want to interfere with their society. Kato-Re says that their traditions dictate that the female chooses her life mate. "It may be out of your hands, my dear Crichton." This guy may be supposed to be friendly, but he's coming off skeevy. I mean, there's manly bonding, but when it crosses into "Bone my daughter, PLEASE" territory, it's time to look at the nearest sundial and be all, "I didn't realize it was so late!"
Outside, Rokon is sourly observing Crichton's and Kato-Re's chumminess. He's with a woman we'll soon learn is his mother. We quickly find that she's some sort of power-hungry high priestess who wants Rokon to be the chief, and as such eggs him on to make sure that no one stands between his marriage to Lisala. He stomps off in a huff. For an episode about an idyllic society, that's been happening an awful lot.
Rygel and D'Argo have landed on the surface, although not smoothly, according to D'Argo's exposition that they lost power and Rygel's accompanying bitchery. Rygel's in his Thronesled, which I love and also covet, and D'Argo communicates their status to Pilot. However, the comm quickly loses power, followed closely by D'Argo's Qualta blade and, most amusingly, Rygel's Thronesled, which sends him tumbling to the ground in an amusingly twitchy heap. D'Argo stalks off, and Rygel tries his best to follow. Aw. Of course, Rygel being part of the away team is so contrived it defies belief, for a number of reasons, but someone must have been slipping me some Kool-Aid, because it doesn't really bother me.
On Moya, Zhaan and Aeryn are arguing over the best course of action. They exposit that D'Argo found Crichton's module, but Aeryn wants to gather more data so as to avoid whatever happened to D'Argo and Rygel, while Zhaan wants to investigate immediately in case the landing party is hurt. I'm sure Crichton will be just thrilled to know how quickly you were willing to speed off to rescue D'Argo and Rygel, sister. After Aeryn deduces the power drain by the absence of any energy signature from the landing module, they rather incongruously have an argument about Zhaan not being a priest anymore, something that Crichton just as oddly brought up in an earlier scene. Zhaan cautions Aeryn that she doesn't want to get into this area of discussion, and honey, we all saw (well, Aeryn didn't see it, but I'd wager she's heard about it by now) you kill your lover with your bare hands, so to speak, among other scary things in which you've been involved. We know you're mad, bad, and dangerous to know -- do we have to belabor the point? Anyway, the girls agree that they should attempt to discover what's behind the power drain.
Crichton is on his way back to his "home" when he's waylaid by Rokon and three other hunters. Crichton's attempts to assure Rokon that he has nothing to worry about fail, and he's about to die a nasty death when D'Argo shows up in a fury. Nothing like kicking the shit out of some misguided locals to assuage those old pangs of guilt. One of the hunters takes one look at D'Argo and goes running faster than Paramount ran away from Tom Cruise, and if that's indicative of the level of bravery among their ranks, it's not really any wonder that Kato-Re's hoping his daughter will opt for the alien stallion. The other three are driven off readily enough, with Rokon sustaining a nasty slash from D'Argo's blade, and then D'Argo kneels to a petulant Crichton and tells him, "You smell like dren. You look like dren." D'Argo, I know your sense of smell is overdeveloped, but I'm starting to think you might want to visit the ophthalmologist soon. Then again, that beard is pretty fugly. Crichton tells D'Argo to get away from him and stomps off, and I'd be surprised at seeing someone react this way to having his life saved if I hadn't watched this show before.
Back in the village, we get a pointless shot of people doing agrarian-society things, and then Lisala is cauterizing Rokon's wound as he tells her, her father, and his mother his account of what happened, describing a "man-creature with tentacles and tattoos all over his head." Yeah, I saw that guy on the ferry back from the Fire Island Pines last week. His name's Fred. The mother, "Neera," takes the opportunity to liken Crichton to a parasite, and there are a number of gross jokes I could make, but I'll move on to where Kato-Re tells Neera that their ancestors were space travelers as well, and Neera responds by basically calling Kato-Re his daughter's pimp. After a little male pearl-clutching, Lisala cuts in, "She knows nothing of my heart and less of my sleeping habits. She should only get some of her own." Listening to your line deliveries will certainly be a step in the right direction. The Cabinet meeting ends with Neera bitchily telling Kato-Re not to show weakness.
Rygel is snoring away when Crichton and D'Argo return, and Crichton snittily wakes him up and tells him he has to leave. Rygel: "This isn't the happy reunion I'd planned on." He actually sounds more hurt than sarcastic there. I'm a little concerned. Anyhow, Crichton's issue is that he believes Moya and crew abandoned him, which isn't all that logical, because why the hell would they be there now, but D'Argo sets him straight about what happened. Crichton is absolutely stunned when he realizes that they spent three months searching for him, given everything they have at stake. It's a beautiful moment, really. "You came back... to look for me." Rygel: "A lapse of some judgment I'll regret for the rest of my life." Ah, that's better. D'Argo brings up the "negative power vortex," which Rygel hasn't figured out yet despite having been unceremoniously dumped out of his Thronesled earlier, so he has to go on a whiny rant about all the things they'll be missing. He concludes with, "Sounds like paradise." Hey, he said it, not me. This time.
On Moya, Aeryn comes across Zhaan, who's chanting in her native tongue, seemingly in a trance. Aeryn tells her to wake up, and Zhaan opens her eyes and, irritatingly cheerily, says she wasn't asleep, but merely increasing her work efficiency with some sort of Delvian chant. I'd chew Zhaan out for being so Smurfy, but I suppose if anyone has a built-in excuse, it's her. I admit I'd still find it hard to suppress an eye-roll, but even though it's difficult in practice, I think we'd all agree that the best way to deal with such Smurfiness is not to acknowledge it. And that's exactly what Aeryn does, and God love her for it. Aeryn shows Zhaan a map that Pilot just produced, or a "topographic bioprint," as Zhaan calls it. Zhaan says it's a good start, but it's still too generalized, so they need to isolate the most highly developed organisms. Aeryn notes that that rules out the three they're looking for, which is brilliant, but it's Zhaan's offhand sigh of "Yes" that perfectly rounds off the snark. Hee. Aeryn advances the idea that they need to shield a power source, build it into a projectile, and send it to the planet. She charges Zhaan with finding the right spot: "You locate the target, and I'll hit it." These two work well enough together, it certainly seems to me. Of course, they'll probably work even better together once Aeryn realizes that all she needs to keep Zhaan in a good mood is to carry a powerful lamp around with her.
On the planet, Crichton is in the middle of relating what happened to him. D'Argo notes that Crichton thought he would be there the rest of his life, and Crichton says he still does. That's not putting a whole lot of faith in the remaining crew of Moya, but I suppose after Aeryn's bitchy comment, the karma needed some evening up. Crichton goes on that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be stuck on that planet, and somewhat belaboredly lists everything that's happened to him since the show started. He gets to, "I've had alien creatures in my face, up my nose, inside my brain, down my pants... " It took a while, but he's finally got my full attention. D'Argo looks turned on by the "down my pants" part, not that I blame him or am at all surprised, and Crichton says this is the first place he's found peace...
... which makes the ensuing cut to Rygel both subtle and hilarious. He's snoring away as Lisala approaches. Crichton and D'Argo pop up to greet her, and D'Argo tells her not to be afraid. Lisala is still wary, and asks why he attacked Rokon. D'Argo bites out that he was saving Crichton's life, and after Crichton gives him a "Thanks, big boy, but I'll take it from here" look, he stomps off. Lisala short-bussily asks why Rokon would want to hurt him, and upon hearing the answer, she kisses Crichton. The kiss is unreciprocated, but you have to take into account that D'Argo's still in sight. Lisala offers to take them to her father so Crichton can convince him that D'Argo isn't a threat...
... and then they're walking through the woods, where unbeknownst to them, Rokon and several of the hunters are surrounding them. They quickly use nets to capture D'Argo and Crichton, and Lisala pleads with Rokon to let them go, to no avail...
... and then they're back at the shore, where Lisala's entreaties are enough to wake Rygel. Seeing two of the hunters approaching his spot in Crichton's shelter, he wraps himself up in some sort of small sleeping-bag-looking thing. The hunters grab Crichton's stuff, including Rygel, and head back to join the rest of the party.
So it appears that the hunters acted with Kato-Re's knowledge and permission, as a tribunal is taking place at the village. Kato-Re charges Crichton and D'Argo with assault against his personal guard. Neera rails against Crichton and the "creature," causing D'Argo to give Crichton a "FUCKING humanoids" side-eye that's far more amusing than it has any right to be. Kato-Re says that assault against his guard is punishable by death, but taking into account that he believes them not to be "entirely" at fault, he commutes the sentence to ten cycles in some sort of labor camp. Neera bitches him out, he stands firm, but before we can really get into the power struggle, Rygel twitches and moans from within the bag. Kato-Re has a minion open it up, revealing Rygel's confused and fearful head. People start pointing in adulation, and it seems very true to Rygel's character that he clearly enjoys the attention despite having no idea what's going on and also being in a bag that, given what we know of his digestive system, probably is no longer the cleanest it's ever been. Crichton snarks, "So glad you could join us, Your Eminence." You'll be delivering the same line a little differently in about thirty seconds, Your Eminently Hot. All the locals get down on their knees and start chanting and prostrating themselves in Rygel's direction, and Crichton looks at the rocks that Will Now Be Important and sees that, from a certain angle, they look an awful lot like a Hynerian. That's rather quick on the uptake for Crichton, but maybe gingko biloba figures heavily in this planet's ecosystem. As even Neera reluctantly gets to her knees, Crichton voices the opinion that the people think Rygel's a god. Rygel: "No. Not a god, but... a sovereign." Hee. And props to Rygel's puppeteer, because his royal wave is pretty awesome.
So everything's hunky-dory now that the Dominar is in charge, as the Moya crew has taken over Kato-Re's royal hut or whatever. Rygel, offhandedly yet imperiously, explains that his empire consisted of tens of thousands of planets, and this must be one of them. D'Argo thinks that doesn't add up, as they're in the Uncharted Territories, and Crichton agrees. Some women come in to bathe Rygel, at which he's all too nauseatingly thrilled, and Crichton rides an eye-roll straight on out of there. Despite the fact that keeping Rygel clean is one of the most beneficial things I can think of for this society, I can't say I blame him.
Moya. Zhaan checks in with Aeryn, who says the projectile is almost complete, but the shielded power source is another matter -- she doesn't know enough of the necessary science to build it. "I can't believe this, but I need Crichton." I can not only believe it, I can also sanction it and empathize with it. Zhaan hands over a new map with good news -- it shows three distinct life forms that are different from the others. She then suggests that they use the projectile to point them in the right direction. They're both touchingly thrilled that their shipmates are alive, although Aeryn hides it a bit more than Zhaan. In other startling news, Crichton is good-looking, and Rygel farts a lot.
Sometime later, two local women are cooing and fawning over a thankfully-re-robed Rygel, when D'Argo arrives and cuts in with a rumbling "Excuse me, your Eminence." Hee. I could listen to Anthony Simcoe's voice all the livelong day. Once the girls are gone, Rygel bids D'Argo to enter, and D'Argo informs Rygel that the locals are preparing a celebration in his honor, which will mark the point at which he fulfills some prophecy. Rygel's all, who in the what now, but D'Argo can't tell him any more other than that the locals do indeed regard him as a savior rather than a ruler. Neera enters, and Rygel, seemingly on a semi-bluff, asks her for "the sacred text," which Neera helpfully identifies as "the Timbala." If Neera weren't already a skeptic, I'd think Rygel's overeager attitude of "Timbala! That's exactly what I meant! Yes! Timbala! WOOOO!" would be enough for her to look at him askance. She produces the book, and exposits that since it's written in "the ancient language," there are very few who can read it -- only priestains like her, "and, of course, you." She says she looks forward to officiating at the ceremony, and bails in a cloud of smiling disdain. D'Argo asks how Rygel knew about the text. Rygel, looking at the book: "Where were you brought up? Every religion's got one." He really is awesome this episode. He goes on that it's in ancient Hynerian, in which he was tutored as a child. D'Argo rightly notes that that doesn't mean he can read it now, but Rygel says he'll try. If you fail, don't worry about it, Rygel -- primitive cultures have never been known to take their faiths too seriously.
Crichton brings his stuff back to his lean-to and sees Lisala sitting on his ship. She's upset because she thinks he's immortal, just like she mistakenly thinks Rygel is, and now they can't have a future together. She goes on that at the ceremony, Rygel is supposed to "rise up and lead us to the light." That doesn't sound all that likely, but we do know he can fart helium, so at least he's got a fighting chance. Lisala complains that Rygel is going to take them off the planet whether they want to go or not, and if that's her attitude, you'd think she'd be a little more receptive to Crichton's ensuing attempt to set her straight. But no: "If he is the real Masata, he will rise up and lead us to the light. If he does not prove himself the true Masata tonight, he will suffer a torturous death beyond any other. And so will you!" She stomps off. I guess it's too late to offer to make dinner, Crichton.
Back in town, some pre-prophecy celebrations are depicted, happily for my fingers but not so much from the standpoint of drama, for far too long. D'Argo kneels down and asks if Rygel has anything they can use, and Rygel explains that the original settlers of the planet (the "Aquarans," or some such) were colonists sent out from the Hynerian Empire during the reign of Rygel the Tenth as part of a program to expand the reach of the monarchy, but they were abandoned. D'Argo refrains from commenting that he was more interested in anything they can use to their benefit. And the bad news keeps on coming, as Rygel tells him that the power drain is intentional -- there's a device in place causing it in an effort to make sure the settlers can never develop the ability to reach out to any other worlds. "They can't be anything other than the blind followers of the family of Rygel." Call the device nefarious if you must, but you have to admit that achieving the goal of blind loyalty to a Hynerian was likely to require great lengths. I do like the parallel between Crichton's "abandonment" and that of the Aquarans, though. Rygel goes on that the priestains made up the whole Masata thing, elevating his status up to god in order to make their position more important. D'Argo points out the obvious, that the Aquarans are preparing not for the return of their king, but of their savior. Rygel: "Then we are frelled." I wonder if they can get away with saying words like "frell" and "dren" on television in this part of the galaxy, or if they have to make up words to substitute for them, like "fuck" and "shit." But that would be kind of silly, wouldn't it?
The pre-show is still going on, and on, and on. Crichton returns to town and awkwardly and unnecessarily makes his way through the dancers, and then enters the royal hut or whatever. He tells them the news that they're screwed, which D'Argo already knows, but which Rygel for some reason now is trying to spin, saying that the whole "rising up into the light" thing is only a metaphor. Crichton is all, "NOT," and says that the people are out burning their possessions because they expect Rygel to part the heavens. Rygel moans that he can't do that, and unfortunately Neera is at the door and hears this, and shoots away with a satisfied smirk, ignoring Rygel's command for her to come back. He certainly picked a bad time to lose his delusions of grandeur.
Moya. Zhaan enters the bridge with the latest map, which shows that all three of their shipmates are very close to the vortex site. They launch the projectile, which reads as on target until it disappears into the vortex. They resign themselves to waiting. I just hope it doesn't take their shipmates three months to return, as that's when Zhaan starts to lose her patience.
On the surface, Neera, Lisala, and Kato-Re are having a little confab that can't bode well. Rygel emerges and makes a speech about being a united people and him rising up and leading them to the light. It's intended to be motivational, but the fact that the only response is a tepid birdcall probably indicates failure on that front. Nonetheless, Rygel presses on, but Neera loses patience and confronts him, and very soon the crowd is chanting, "False god!" It's not the prettiest scene, but I'd be willing to bet Rygel's been called worse. Rygel says he's not a god, which is the cue for the crowd to rush him. Crichton tries to protect Rygel, but D'Argo pulls him away, and the two of them escape...
... to the shore. Crichton's upset, but D'Argo rightly points out that they'll have a better chance of helping Rygel this way. Just then, the projectile lands in the water not ten feet from them, and if Aeryn's aim is that good from space, you can just add that to the very long list of reasons not to piss her off. Crichton retrieves the case and opens it to find the map that shows the vortex area.
Rygel's being marched through the town, hands tied, as he loudly tries to apologize for the wrongs of his empire and to explain his situation. I know they might still think he's a god, but given that it's Rygel, if they were going to tie him up I can't believe they didn't go the extra mile and gag him as well. Rygel's eyes widen in horror as he realizes that they're going to roast him, and not in the fun way, but then Crichton and D'Argo march back into the village and get everyone's attention. Crichton informs them of the device, and explains how it works while D'Argo repels an attack from Rokon. Crichton goes on that when their ancestors arrived at the planet, their ships functioned, and they left behind machines that functioned as well, until the device was activated. Crichton points the J'accuse! finger at Neera, saying the priestains have been lying to them for generations, an accusation that Rygel backs up. Neera exhorts Rokon to kill Crichton, and I don't know if it's past Kato-Re's nap time or what, but you'd think as the leader he might express his opinion here. Also, I'm surprised Neera isn't twirling a handlebar at this point, but maybe they thought a female actually sporting facial hair would bring some originality to this storyline, which I'm sensing is strictly off-limits. Neera = cliché = zzzzz. Anyway, Rokon does eventually attack Crichton, but when Crichton is down on the ground, he notices that the Hynerian-shaped rock has two carvings that look a lot like Muppet hands. So he runs and grabs Rygel (calling him "Sparky" in the process, which never fails to crack me up), carries him to the rock, and has him stick his hands in the holes. The rock splits open and sends a jet of blue light into the sky, and Rygel's Thronesled comes to life (presumably signaling the deactivation of the power-draining device) and flies over to him, and he sits down and rises up. It's preposterous but also hilarious, much like a lot of this episode, so I can live with it. The locals start chanting their Masata chant again, but Rygel tells them he's not a god -- just a sovereign. Neera, for her part, looks like she just swallowed a bee, and that's probably a best-case scenario for her if the Aquaran laws we've been exposed to so far are any indication. Crichton snarks to D'Argo, "The slug who would be king," as said slug goes back to doing the royal wave. Heh.
Sometime later, we see that the locals' machinery is working, and then Kato-Re says he wishes Rygel could stay there with them. I knew this guy wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this is taking things to a whole new level. Kato-Re then gives Rygel a gift of food, causing Rygel to make a series of hilarious faces of joy.
Elsewhere, Crichton is saying his goodbyes to Rokon and Lisala. Rokon exposits that his mother will "survive her displacement." That's more than I expected, frankly. Crichton tells Rokon to take care of Lisala, and normally I hate it when guys use that expression that makes the woman sound helpless, but Lisala bugs the shit out of me, especially given that, in front of her boyfriend, she subsequently invites Crichton to "stay and help [them] rebuild." So that's what the Aquarans are calling it these days. Crichton says he has to go, and D'Argo pipes up to give some more urgency to that idea, so Crichton leaves Rokon and Lisala. Lisala stares longingly after him, but given that he's wearing a sleeveless shirt, I can't imagine she can help herself. D'Argo asks Crichton, "Was it worth the trouble?" Crichton looks around, and asks, "What trouble?" This sounds like a man who didn't just write ten pages. D'Argo and Crichton head off, and we're done.