Farscape s01e12: Rhapsody in Blue

Series

Farscape^[2]

Season

1^[2]

Episode number

12^[2]

First aired (United States)

23 July 1999^[2]

First aired (United Kingdom)

13 March 2000^[2]

Running time

48 minutes 17 seconds^[1]

Published on YouTube

7 September 2024^[1]

Summary

The rights holder's description of its YouTube upload sums up the plot: the crew finds a colony of Delvians, and Zhaan is targeted by one of her own people.^[1]

What happens in "Rhapsody in Blue"?

The episode opens with John Crichton imagining his partner Alex telling him she is taking the Stanford job.^[4] Zhaan then explains to the crew that Moya initiated Starburst because she thought she heard the distress cry of another pregnant Leviathan.^[4] The Delvians welcome the crew to their temple on the new moon of Delvia, a temple to the goddess of spiritual renewal.^[4] Talene leads the colony, but Lurana describes him as already beyond redemption because of the madness called Pazuk.^[4] Chiana urges the crew to leave the planet, troubled by talk from Ka D'Argo, who claimed they had all had the same dream.^[4] Aeryn Sun is ordered out of the sanctuary for touching a root she was forbidden to touch.^[4] Later, Lurana accuses Talene of madness and jealousy and declares that she and Talene no longer share unity.^[4]

Crichton tells Zhaan that the Delvians prefer not to wander because they have no star charts or reference points back to Delvia.^[4] During a mind-meld, Crichton learns that the crime Zhaan was imprisoned for was killing the man she was having sex with.^[4] He also sees a vision of Alex, who tells him she joined the space program with him instead of going to Stanford.^[4]

0:00 Rhapsody in Blue The episode as published by the rights holder, from the start.

Memorable quotes

“put him back and make him as him”10:01

“the crime I was imprisoned for you you you killed the guy you were having sex with”15:40

“you wish to share Unity with me with you guys are always going on about how hot it is I thought I'd give it a go”39:32

In the episode

2:08 Pilot explains the starburst anomaly Pilot tells Rygel that Mya initiated an unplanned starburst after hearing a distress cry from a pregnant Leviathan.

3:32 A mysterious transmission lures Moya The crew intercepts a greeting from an unknown source and Crichton's recorded distress call, drawing them to a new moon.

4:48 The ship sinks beneath the moon Upon landing, the alien vessel heats the rock until molten and burrows below ground to hide from orbital observation.

6:32 Zhaan recognizes the temple's trick Zhaan confronts the high priest, accusing him of using the shared dreams to invade her mind and feed on bitterness.

8:03 The high priest begs for her secret Talen admits his followers are slipping into madness and pleads with Zhaan to share the secret of her recovered sanity.

9:31 Rygel attacked in the pool Rygel is found screaming in the water and Zhaan realizes his memory has been altered by the priests.

13:02 Aeryn expelled from the temple Talen orders Aeryn off the moon for carrying a weapon, and she departs in the transport pod.

14:35 Zhaan begins a Unity ritual Zhaan invites Crichton to join minds with her, warning that his capacity is low but pressing him to keep an open mind.

15:34 Zhaan reveals her past murder During the Unity, Zhaan shows Crichton her memory of killing her former spiritual counselor during the peacekeeper takeover.

19:33 Alex appears on the moon Crichton encounters a version of his girlfriend Alex in the orchard, though she insists she never took the Stanford job.

23:32 Peacekeepers board Moya D'Argo's son Jothee calls for help as unknown soldiers seize control of the living ship.

26:01 Zhaan's sanity breaks again Talen rips her dark impulses back during their Unity, leaving Zhaan trembling with red eyes and admitting she cannot start over.

40:30 Crichton enters Unity with Zhaan With Talen disabled, Crichton offers himself as Zhaan's new partner and the two minds merge into a single consciousness.

Air date, credits and where to watch

"Rhapsody in Blue" first aired in the United States on 23 July 1999 and in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2000.^[2] The rights holder published the full episode on the Farscape YouTube channel on 7 September 2024; the upload runs 2,897 seconds (48 minutes 17 seconds).^[1]