| Farscape episode | |
|---|---|
| “Liars, Guns and Money - With Friends Like These...” | |
| |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 20 |
| Guest star(s) | Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Paul Goddard (Stark), Claudia Karvan (Natira), Nicholas Hope (Akkor), Matt Newton (Ka Jothee), David Franklin (Braca), John Adam (Bekhesh), Jeremy Sims (Rorf), Jo Kerrigan (Rorg), David Wheeler (Durka), Linal Haft (Zelkin), David Bowers (Kurz), Thomas Holesgrove (Teurac) |
| Writer(s) | Naren Shankar |
| Director | Catherine Millar |
| Production no. | 10219 |
| Original airdate | January 12, 2001 (US); December 11, 2000 (UK) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Liars, Guns and Money - A Not So Simple Plan" | "Liars, Guns and Money - Plan B" |
The successful robbery may have disastrous results for Moya. Meanwhile, the crew's plan for springing D'Argo's son sees the return of a few familiar faces.
Synopsis[]
Rygel and Chiana are drowning their sorrows after finding out that the slaves in the auctions are sold in lots of 10,000. They'll have to buy them all just to get Jothee, so they will have little money left. Ka D'Argo meanwhile is telling Aeryn Sun of his anxiousness at the thought of seeing his son after abandoning him when Moya comes within range of the Caton Mines to contact the slavers. However, the lot they want has been sold to a special buyer for triple the asking price: yes, it's Scorpius! He left a message for John Crichton. He has Ka D'Argo's son and Crichton must surrender himself or the boy dies!
Crichton asks Stark how Scorpius could have got the information and Stark says he thought he blocked Scorpius' attempt to trace the link from his console; they led him straight to Jothee. D'Argo blames Crichton for what happened and says he can't lose Jothee again, not like this. He leaves and sees a vision of Jothee in his quarters, who says he failed him again and he knows what he has to do. Chiana goes to comfort him and he says he was prepared to take Crichton by force and give him to Scorpius. He says that Jothee is blood and all he has left of his wife and asks why is that not enough.
At the Shadow Depository, Scorpius wants Jothee, but Akkor tells him that the slavers won't search the lot just for one slave. Natira considers things between them settled, but Scorpius doesn't, not until he gets Crichton. He orders Lt. Braca to bring Jothee to him at maximum speed and says Natira can have the other slaves.
Moya is suffering from metal fatigue all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Crichton has come up with a plan since he knows that Jothee is still in transit and since Scorpius doesn't have him they still have time. He tells the others what they need help to break in to the depository: a Vorcarian blood tracker, a Sheyang, a Tavlek gauntlet, and the Zenetan Pirates for the Flax. He says they can pay them to help using the money stolen from the Depository when suddenly Stark has a fit saying they're all dead... all the Banik slaves have been killed. Apparently, since he's a Stykera, he is attuned to the dead. But Crichton says Scorpius would not allow Jothee to die since he's too valuable and asks everyone has to trust him. Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo leave to approach. In his module, Crichton starts taunting Scorpius' neural clone who says that the task is almost complete. Crichton says now they're sharing, he knows how Scorpius thinks.
Jothee is on his way to Scorpius when Natira asks why Crichton is so important to him. Scorpius says he destroyed his Gammak Base, but she says that he wouldn't waste his revenge on anything but a Scarran.
Chiana goes to take a bit of their money, when Rygel sneaks up on her, clearly to do the same. They agree to 50-50 of a small portion, but when they look in the crates they find that all their money has gone! They hear the noise of tearing metal, when Chiana falls through the floor! She's approached by hundreds of creatures and uses a flame thrower to fend them off, however it is now obvious that the 'money' is alive...
Crichton arrives at his destination to find the Tavlek Bekhesh sitting on the floor praying. He's no longer wearing his gauntlet – he apparently doesn't practice violence anymore, but the gauntlet is exactly what Crichton wants.
Moya's suffering great pain and the creatures can't be repelled into space as they're unaffected by the vacuum. Chiana manages to bag a sample, whilst Rygel starts on Stark only for Zhaan to step in and say they're all in part to blame.
Aeryn approaches the Sheyang vessel, offering an opportunity for profit. D'Argo meanwhile rescues two Vorcarians, Rorf and Rorg. Rorg is now carrying a child. Rorg agrees to Rorf helping D'Argo since he saved their lives. Aeryn gets the Sheyang, Teurac, to join them in their attack on the depository, although since he's injured and can't produce big enough flames, but he says he can do better.
Jothee arrives at the depository, where Scorpius introduces himself. Jothee asks what he wants, and he replies that Jothee's father can give him something he wants very much.
Zhaan's tests reveal that the creatures explode at too high a temperature for Moya to handle, but there are over 2,000 on board that have to be killed. Scorpius contacts them, wanting to speak with D'Argo, but Zhaan speaks and accuses him of sabotaging Moya. Scorpius doesn't know what she's talking about, when Stark suddenly steps in and says that Scorpius can kill Jothee if he wants, he's not getting Crichton before cutting him off. Zhaan and Chiana are angered by his words but Stark says that Scorpius can't kill Jothee and they can't show him any sign of weakness. Power begins to fail on Moya and Pilot says if they don't kill the creatures soon, Moya may die.
Scorpius and Natira are getting down and dirty, when he brings up the fact she seems unconcerned by her loss of money and asks what she really put in his container. She says they are Karack metallites that lie dormant and look like ingots, but when they awake they eat through metal. She admits to having intended to kill him by having the metallites destroy his Maurauder, but Scorpius doesn't mind since the end result is in his favour. She says the Leviathan will die within days.
Crichton finds Bekhesh's gauntlet and so Bekhesh agrees to help for the money. Meanwhile, Zhaan has found a solution: they can flood Moya with adrexan vapor then ignite it – the flames will destroy the creatures. Pilot is reluctant to burn Moya, but it may be her last hope. Rygel leaves to barter with the Zenetans, whilst Pilot seals Moya and releases the vapour through the affected areas - more than a ninth of Moya. Zhaan still has several hours to find another solution, so gets back to work.
Rygel meets the Zenetans, only to find their commander was deposed by Durka! He attempts to bargain with Durka, but clearly not having changed he goes to kill Rygel, but Rygel's prepared and electrocutes Durka! The Zenetans are impressed and agree to help.
Zhaan is desperate to find some way to fight back against the creatures, however she is out of time as the vapor has been absorbed and Moya's primary systems will soon be in danger. Heading to Pilot's den, she tells him that she will share his and Moya's pain despite the possibility it may overwhelm her. Stark promises to stay by her side, and Pilot ignites the vapor. A firestorm surges through Moya's corridors as Pilot and Zhaan scream in agony, however it is only a fraction of the pain Moya herself is feeling.
Crichton returns with Bekhesh, only to find Moya on fire! Everyone is okay except Moya. Later Crichton and Aeryn walk through the burnt-out corridors, as Aeryn tells him that Moya can't starburst and Zhaan is weeping over Moya's pain. Crichton can't believe that their money did this damage, but Aeryn tells him it what happened is their fault... and now they have no money to pay the mercenaries so Scorpius will kill Jothee, but Crichton promises he won't. The mercenaries are arguing, until Rygel comes in with Durka's head and takes control.
D'Argo asks Aeryn where Crichton would've gone at a time like this and says he wants him confined to quarters. Aeryn reminds D'Argo that he's been trying to help. A transport pod returns and out steps Jothee! He and D'Argo hug in a moment of joy. D'Argo apologizes for what Jothee's been through, saying he never stopped thinking about him. Jothee says he never lost hope when D'Argo asks how he escaped from Scorpius. Jothee says he let him go. When Aeryn asks why, she and D'Argo just make a sudden, horrific realization.
We cut to Crichton who is approached by Scorpius at the Depository. He says that Scorpius wants the wormhole technology and he wants the chip out of his head, finally the rift between them is not so great and he should do what he has to do. He says he wins, to which Scorpius replies "As if there was ever any doubt..."
- To Be Continued...
Memorable quotes[]
- Harvey: It wasn't easy, there are vast regions of your brain that are filled with nothing but gibberish.
- John: That would be high school.
- Natira: He's not a Scarran. You wouldn't waste your hatred on anything else.
- Scorpius: This is why I can't have you around. You know me too well.
- Natira: Without me, you'd still be the same angry, hotheaded young creature I took in so many cycles ago.
- Scorpius: Without me, your head -- among other things -- would be a trophy on the wall of Peacekeeper Command.
- Natira: See? We were made for each other.
- Chiana: Our money's alive!
- Rygel: You realize what that means?
- Chiana: They're eating the ship!
- Rygel: Yes, but... we're poor.
- John: What about your great reformation?
- Bekhesh: It's easier to reform when you're rich.
- John: You want the wormhole technology? I want your implant out of my head. So, finally the rift between us is not so great. You do what you gotta do. You win.
- Scorpius: As if there was ever any doubt.
Background information[]
- The subtitle for this episode comes from the phrase "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
- Dave Elsey returned to the original concept drawings of Sheyang to create the character of Teurac. It helped that Thomas Holesgrove was playing the role, as he had become a "go to person" for Jim Henson's Creature Shop by this point. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
- David Wheeler did not learn of Durka's death until he found out they needed to make a cast for his character's decapitated head. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
- Although Scorpius' nurse appeared to have been killed in the previous episode's explosion, a throwaway line of dialogue here establishes that she survived.
- The title "Liars, Guns and Money," is likely a reference to the 1978 Warren Zevon song Lawers, Guns, and Money, in which the hapless main character has found himself a political refugee hiding from authorities in Honduras, begging his father to "...Send lawyers, guns, and money, [because] the shit has hit the fan."
Links and references[]
Starring[]
- Ben Browder as John Crichton
- Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun
- Virginia Hey as Zotoh Zhaan
- Anthony Simcoe as Ka D'Argo
- Gigi Edgley as Chiana
Guest stars[]
- Wayne Pygram as Scorpius
- Paul Goddard as Stark
- Claudia Karvan as Natira
- Jeremy Sims as Rorf
- Matt Newton as Jothee
- Nicholas Hope as Akkor
- David Franklin as Braca
Guest cast[]
- John Adam as Bekhesh
- David Wheeler as Durka
- Thomas Holesgrove as Teurac
- Jo Kerrigan as Rorg,
- Linal Haft as Zelkin
- David Bowers as Kurz
Puppeteers[]
Voice artists[]
- Jonathan Hardy as Rygel
- Lani Tupu as Pilot
- Phillip Hinton as Teurac the Sheyang
References[]
adrexan vapor; arn; Aurora Chair; Banik; Bennigan fire silk; Borinium ingot; Builder; Caton Mines; coolant rod; cycle; Delvian; Dominar; DRD; Farscape-1; Flax; floss; frek; frell; Gammak Base; gingivitis; Goddess of the Delvian Seek; Harvey; hezmana; high school; Human; Hynerian; Kalack gland; Karack metallite; Kcrackic; keshu; Khalaan; Kleenex; Leatherface; Leviathan; loomas; Luxan; marauder; metal fatigue; microt; Moya; Nebari; neurochip; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper High Command; power conduit; Scarran; Sebacean; sense filament; Shadow Depository; Sheyang; solar day; starburst; Stykera; Tal, Lo'Laan; Tavlek; Tavlek gauntlet; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; transport pod; Uncharted Territories; Vorcarian blood tracker; Winona; wormhole technology; Writ of Tarou; zeltec; Zenetan Pirate; Zenetan territory
External link[]
- Farscape World Synopsis by Dani Moure