Farscape s01e06: Thank God It's Friday, Again

Series

Farscape^[1][2]

Season

1^[2]

Episode

6^[1][2]

Directed by

Rowan Woods^[2]

Written by

David Wilks^[2]

First aired (US)

23 April 1999^[2]

First aired (UK)

17 January 2000^[2]

Production code

#10106^[2]

Running time

48 minutes 17 seconds^[1]

What happens in "Thank God It's Friday, Again"?

On the planet's surface, Ka D'Argo and Zhaan take work alongside the locals and refuse to return to Moya, so John Crichton follows them to find out why.^[4] A member of a planetary resistance warns Crichton that the planet's food carries a parasitic worm that controls the population, and that the resistance will kill anyone it finds who is immune.^[4] Back aboard the ship, Rygel XVI is caught in an explosive blast in his own quarters, and it emerges that his body fluids have themselves become explosive; he is placed in cryogenic suspension while Aeryn Sun and Pilot try to find the cause before he dies.^[4]

The episode's promotional summary, written by the Farscape YouTube channel that uploaded it, frames the story the same way: after the crew visits a planet of happy workers, D'Argo and Zhaan start working and refuse to return to the ship, while Rygel's body fluids turn explosive and Aeryn and Pilot must learn why before he dies.^[1]

The episode runs two storylines side by side: on the planet, Crichton tries to pull D'Argo and Zhaan away from a workforce they have chosen to join, while aboard Moya, Aeryn and Pilot must stabilize a volatile Rygel in a confined space.^[4]

Memorable quotes

“this is my home now John I'm happy here I will not let you destroy that if necessary I will destroy you first”40:31

“this happy plant that you love so much it's used to kill they use it to imprison and to enslave food weapons it doesn't matter our planet is already dying”41:38

“you think when this planet is dead that somehow you're going to escape that you're going to outrun the peacekeepers”41:57

“tomorrow is a rest day a real rest day”43:34

In the episode

1:34 Arrival on the peaceful planet Crichton, D'Argo, and Rygel arrive on a sunlit world, and the crew encounters the easygoing native population.

3:04 Crichton nearly crushed by a hug An overjoyed D'Argo embraces Crichton so tightly that he fears for his life during the reunion.

4:10 D'Argo claims to be content D'Argo explains his absence, telling his friends he wants to stop fighting and enjoy a simple life among the workers.

5:30 Meeting the planet's leadership Crichton and Aeryn are introduced to V'Mey and the Dominar Raji, the rulers of the peaceful community.

7:35 An assassination attempt on Raji Aeryn and Crichton discover a severely burned Dominar Raji after an apparent bomb blast outside the city.

11:01 Rygel's fluids turn explosive Pilot reports that Dominar Raji's body fluids have turned volatile, and Aeryn works to keep the Hynerian from sweating.

13:36 D'Argo goes to work D'Argo heads off to the fields for the last day of the cycle, leaving Crichton and Aeryn behind to investigate.

15:40 Crichton is implanted with a worm A desperate stranger cornered in the street forces a small organism down Crichton's throat, warning him to eat it.

21:00 Meeting the resistance Tanger introduces Crichton to her father and explains how the implanted worm grants immunity to the planet's mind-altering food.

27:10 Aeryn solves the science puzzle With Pilot's help, Aeryn determines that the local food is causing Rygel's explosive reaction and sets up a treatment.

32:43 Crichton walks with his captors The disguised Peacekeepers escort a weakened Crichton across town, pressing him about his ship and its D'Argo.

39:30 D'Argo refuses to leave D'Argo, holding a weapon fueled by the local plant, declares he is home and threatens his friends to keep them from escaping.

44:03 Escape and reflection Crichton has the worm removed, the crew prepares to leave orbit, and D'Argo is left behind on the dying planet.

Air date, credits and where to watch

"Thank God It's Friday, Again" first aired in the United States on 23 April 1999, on the Sci-Fi Channel, as the sixth episode of Farscape's first season, and in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2000.^[2] It was directed by Rowan Woods and written by David Wilks.^[2] Farscape was created by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment for the Nine Network and the Sci-Fi Channel; its United States run began on 19 March 1999 as the anchor of the Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday block.^[3] The full episode can be watched here because the rights holder published it on its own YouTube channel on 18 August 2024; the upload runs about 48 minutes 17 seconds.^[1]