The Turning Point

Date: 3/23/2000

From: Dallascaper

There has been much discussion on this board about the strange behavior of John lately. Thought I might add one more theory to the mix. Going back to last season, I've tried to pinpoint the moment when John changed. I think it happened well before Scorpius and the aurora chair. Seems to me that Farscape's and John's big change -the turning point- occurred as John was standing in the doorway at the end of "A Human Reaction." Both the show and John haven't been the same since. I find John's mood in the last 10 minutes or so of AHR very telling. Even though John is relieved that he and his friends are safe, John seems disappointed -almost devastated- that his nightmare in space is not over. Perhaps John saw the worm hole as his last, best chance at getting back to Earth. Once John realized his return home was an illusion it finally "hit home" that he was not going back. The sadness in his eyes was the look of a man, at least for a time, broken.

Before that moment, John's obsession with returning to Earth was a major plot element of the show's rather upbeat story. There are at least a dozen scenes in the preceding 15 episodes of John saying or doing something about going home. Since AHR, I can think of only one scene where John says anything about returning to Earth. In FT, when John is taping the farewell message to his dad, John states that he's probably never coming home. John finally let go of Earth - not the dream of getting back, but the obsession.

John knows home is Moya and his family is her crew. He now wears alien clothing, seems more comfortable with alien technology and displays more aggressive behavior - like Aeryn and D'Argo. His pursuit by Scorpius has forced a hastened assimilation of alien tactics and ways of thinking - as a matter of survival. Perhaps John's strange behavior is just his way of dealing with events that seem beyond his control.

Farscape used to be a lighthearted show about a guy lost in space. It has become a dark, full-fledged space opera that is walking a tightrope between greatness on one side and spinning completely out of control on the other. I have confidence the show and John will find their way. I recall an interview with one of Farscape's producers comparing the show to a roller-coaster. Reflecting on what has transpired the last 23 episodes I can only guess we haven't seen the last turning point.

Long Live Farscape!

Dallascaper

p.s. Geoffrey the Giraffe says Hi!