MovieChat Forums > Farscape (1999) Discussion > Season 4... What happened??? Why the no...

Season 4... What happened??? Why the nosedive in quality?

posted 10 years ago by LauraJ1234
20 replies | jump to latest

I almost cried at the end of Season 3... Crichton torn between his addiction to wormhole technology and his love of Aeryn, ending up stranded, alone...

The story arc leading to that was so sad yet powerful and compelling, such a coherent narrative, multiple storylines coming together around Talyn, Scorpius, wormholes, Crichton and Aeryn, even Crais... It was so strong I couldn't even continue for a month after the end of S3, I was so moved.

But then S4 quickly 'gets the band back together', and they go off on a series of disjointed episodes which do virtually nothing to move the plot forward or add to character development. There seems to be no point, and we're back in the 'random plot' territory which just happens to feature the same characters and shows only brief references to their histories or relationships.

WTF? What happened? Right now I'm halfway through S4 on Netflix, and I keep wondering: why the nosedive in quality or writing, and why the lack of a story arc?

[–] RockinRickyRialto 10 years ago

You're probably at or close to the episode Unrealized Reality now, which actually forms sort of a three parter with the next two episodes, and definitely has important character moments and sets up things to come.

I guess it depends on your taste for quirky monster of the week episodes...I really enjoy a lot of them, like Lava's A Many Splendored Thing and I Shrink, Therefore I Am (what was with the puns that season?). Also, the writers had to set up the character of Sikozu and the fact that Scorpius was now on the ship, so maybe they figured the best way to do that was just to feature them in some self-contained adventures so we'd see how they'd react. Another possible reason why there are a lot of these one-off episodes is that the producers thought they could stretch the story arc out, since they've said that the deal with Sci Fi guaranteed them another season...or so they thought.

I will say that the season gets off to a weak start with the What Was Lost two parter, which just feels like a bunch of uninteresting exposition for new characters they had to get out of the way. My advice is to hang in there, because I think the end of season 4 actually is nearly as good as the best parts of season 3--I can't imagine how pissed I would have been if I was watching the show during its cancellation!

High fives and corporate anthems, nothing comes to mind.

[–] LauraJ1234 10 years ago

Thanks for the reply. I'm almost to Unrealized Reality. I would have hung in there either way, but it's nice to know it improves.

I had watched it sporadically when it first aired, but somewhere around early S3 I drifted away. I've seen a few on TV here and there, but now I'm making my way through n Netflix. I want to know how the series ends, despite the S5/movie issue.

And yes, 'monster of the week' never really worked for me.

Also... yesterday I binged, and saw John Quixote... it reminded me how much I miss the character of Zaan. She was a moral center of the show. Without her, the show seems to have drifted.

In many ways Farscape is a familiar 'Buck Rodgers in a world with marvels he never expected' theme, but simultaneously, the 'look and feel' of Farscape is unlike so much of what we've seen in other series. Symbiotic vessels, puppets as fully realized, unironic characters, all the characters having deep backstories and deep flaws which come out in every episode... it's a universe as chaotic and incomprehensible as our own daily life (ie the lives of the viewers), with forces far greater than us as we simply try to get by. Which is the real heart of the Buck Rodgers concept.

[–] RockinRickyRialto 10 years ago

"Well, it's a Jerry Springer kind of family. But for what it's worth, Zhaan, you're family." - Family Ties

Yes, Farscape really is something special.

High fives and corporate anthems, nothing comes to mind.

[–] lowriders95s10 10 years ago

After Unrealized Reality the season picks up quite a bit. Other than Twice Shy all the episodes hit it out of the park. The last four (the We're So Screwed trilogy and Bad Timing) are some of the best TV I have ever seen.

[–] AVickers 9 years ago

I can't imagine how pissed I would have been if I was watching the show during its cancellation!

I was watching it when it got cancelled - and yes, it was a real blow. You also have to realise that in 2003, there had been nothing even remotely similar to Farscape - and outside of a movie theatre nothing in the SF world to touch it on quality. Plus, it had been guaranteed at least 2 more years, which was great - we didn't have to end a series on a "will they all sod off and do their own thing" note. So the cancellation hit doubly hard.

[–] imzadi76 10 years ago

Trust us, after "Unrealized Reality" Farscape picks up and doesn't stop until the series ands with the mini series. I'm sure you are going to enjoy the end. But unlike me you will not have to suffer after the final scene of season 4 and can just keep watching Peacekeeper Wars.

[–] LauraJ1234 10 years ago

Thanks everyone for responding. I've binged a bit, right now I'm through Constellation of Doubt, and it has definitely gotten pretty solid again. Well thought out plots and character development, a clear arc to the storylines...

I'm already starting to feel sad that it'll be ending soon. I've been procrastinating on watching more episodes.

I just have to find Peacekeeper Wars online.

[–] lowriders95s10 10 years ago

Both parts are on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skLeHdxxH20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdgiPAiryKs

[–] saprater 8 years ago

But unlike me you will not have to suffer after the final scene of season 4 and can just keep watching Peacekeeper Wars.

Oh god, that was brutal, right? And for it to have ended how it did in Bad Timing. I think I basically stalked the Terra Firma forums looking for any scrap of info on whether or not the fans could bring it back. I was hoping for a series pickup but was thrilled to have gotten the mini-series. I always dvr everything I watch, but this was one of the few things I just put my entire life on hold to see. Still remember the goosebumps when I saw the opening shot.

[–] ow916 10 years ago

I got to s4 a week after you and was disappointed. Still am after I finished.

It did pick up a bit half way through, but it's still way, way, way too much Crichton and wormholes, and that group of former prisoners just disappeared from the story. Annoying, wacky, confrontational, noisy, provokative, shouting Crichton that is, that just happens always to be right of course, and that everyone and their mortal enemies follow blindly.

What happened to the Farscape universe after s3?

[–] saprater 10 years ago

It got a bit too dark for me. It was nice to see Crichton progress from the happy little everyguy astronaut to someone that fit more into the Uncharted Territories and the insanity contained within. However, I admit to being put off by a lot of the inner hallucinations and outer rantings.

Looking back at it years after my first viewing, it's still not my favorite season, but I understand it a bit more. Plus, there are a few "gems" in there that have me in stitches (Coup by Clam's drag scene and Don Quixote) or just impress the heck outta me (various parts of the We're So Screwed story arc, though there were some weak elements there as well).

Yeah. Season 4 was mostly misses, but I still watch them for the good bits.

1-3 were definitely my favorite seasons.

[–] DJDarkchill 10 years ago

The drop in quality was due to the network. Even though the show had a very solid viewer base, that figure wasn't rising... it was perceived to be because the story had become so convoluted and dense, new viewers could not get into it.

It's all about the money... more viewers mean more advertising revenue.

As a result, the show was ordered to reign it back somewhat... make it easier for new viewers by making some generic 'week by week' storylines. Unfortunately, it really had the opposite effect... the solid viewers were now annoyed, and the new viewers didn't come, and ratings actually dropped... hence the show was cancelled at the end of season 4.

It's a prime example of a quality show being destroyed by the money-men.

Of course, the cancellation caused an outcry by the solid fan-base, especially as it ends on such a cliffhanger, so we got the whole of season 5 crammed into a 4 hr mini-series... but it was better than nothing.

Have watched a lot of TV shows... Farscape is still the very best show I have ever had the pleasure to watch, by a long shot... hopefully with the rise in popularity of the show from new viewers on Netflix, the proposed film will get the finances... Kickstarter, anyone?

[–] LauraJ1234 10 years ago

Thanks for the context.

[–] lexyladyjax 8 years ago

DJDarkchill, what are you talking about? FARSCAPE was the number one series on the SciFi channel at the close of season Four. It was renewed for TWO SEASONS by SciFi! Then Skiffy was in position to be bought again so *AFTER* FARSCAPE was renewed for two seasons it was cancelled. It had nothing to do with the viewership and everything to do with SciFi going back on its word. Bonnie Hammer should die a slow painful death for that along with the nitwit who cancelled FIREFLY.

Seriously, if you don't know what happened, you shouldn't make it up. Some of us were around back then. We remember what happened. It's burned in our brains forever along with the unforgivable betrayal of SciFi who renewed and then cancelled. Don't ever do that. It's not fair.

Bored now.

[–] quitchy 10 years ago

I'm rewatching the show at the moment and will be interested to see if I feel the same. At the time when it first aired I found that I loved the experimentation they did in season 3, but that it was also very hit-and-miss and I wasn't a fan of splitting the cast. For me season 4 felt stronger because the cast was reunited and they used the stuff that worked and ditched the stuff that didn't.

[–] captkirk_459 10 years ago

I agree the Season 4 is not as good as the previous three. There are great episodes of the season. I love the episode when D'argo goes against Macton. Awesome episode. Alternate realities is a great episode. Love Terra Firma and Kansas. The Beacon is a good episode.I shrink Therefore I am is a good episode.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] powermetal 8 years ago

Nothing happened. The series grew and you didn't like it.