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Bad Timing (Farscape episode)
Encyclopedia
"Bad Timing" is the series finale
of the Australian-American television series Farscape
, written by David Kemper
and directed by Andrew Prowse.
The Moyans discover that the Scarrans have sent an attack vessel, commanded by Akhna's lover, to take over earth in order to gain access to the bird of paradise flowers that they need, now that John destroyed their mother plant on Katratzi in We're So Screwed Part III: La Bomba. The PKs offer to hold off the Scarrans, IF John, and by extension Earth, will form an alliance with the Peacekeepers. John says no, and speeds to the wormhole to intercept the Scarrans and figure out a way to stop them.
Harvey then argues with John in John's head, with both of them wearing fluffy pink and white rabbit suits. Harvey convinces John there's no way he can save earth without the help of the PKs, and he's about to concede and talk to them, when Chiana talks him out of it. He begins thinking, and each Moyan suggests to him a way to unblock his mind so he can come up with a plan. Ultimately, John formulates a way to collapse a wormhole, the down side of which is that he will have lost his route to earth. And if he fails, he will be trapped on Earth's side of the wormhole, on an earth being controlled by Scarrans. He decides to try, and Aeryn insists upon going with him—if he is trapped, she will be with him. He, Aeryn, and a temporarily disconnected Pilot take a shuttle to Earth's moon, where John makes an emotional farewell phone call to his father. Then, they successfully collapse the wormhole, and kill the Scarrans. Unfortunately, while Moya waits on the other side, she is attacked by the Scarrans, and is damaged. When John, Aeryn, and Pilot rejoin them, they travel to an unknown water world where Moya can rest and repair.
John and Aeryn row out a little ways from Moya in a dingy, and each tells the other they have something to say. Aeryn goes first telling John she has released the embryo from stasis and the baby is on the way. An ecstatic John then asks her to marry him, and she says yes. They kiss. Then, a flying vessel sees them and hits them with a ray that shatters them
into thousands of tiny crystalline balls that collapse into a heap in the boat and the ocean, with the wedding ring John had just placed on Aeryn's finger buried in the pile of shards. The watching Moyans scream. The story is continued in the 2004 mini-series, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
.
has stated that "Bad Timing" was meant to follow up on John Crichton's realization in "Dog with Two Bones" that he must choose between staying with Aeryn and returning to Earth by forcing him to make a definitive choice. John's scene with Noranti in his quarters and his scene with Aeryn in the docking bay were also meant to recall "Dog with Two Bones". The scene with John speaking into the tape recorder was a reference to "Family Ties".
The episode was originally to be titled "No Turning Back" but it was changed to "Bad Timing" after the series was canceled. Ben Browder stated that they realised the "Bad Timing" theme fit the episode well during filming and that it also referred to the untimely cancellation of Farscape as the fifth season was being set up.
The "Previously on Farscape" opening to the episode features four frames (1/2 second) from every previous episode of Farscape, in the viewing order preferred by the producers.
Ben Browder has stated that the cold open
from "Bad Timing" is his favorite opening scene from Farscape. David Kemper said that when he originally conceived Farscape with Rockne S. O'Bannon
, they wanted it to be Star Trek but with a focus on the mind and emotions. Kemper wanted to leave time travel
to his former colleagues Michael Piller
and Brannon Braga
. But director Andrew Prowse, influenced by Memento, challenged Kemper to utilize nonlinear
storytelling, leading him to write the cold open used in "Bad Timing".
Kent McCord
filmed his lines as Jack Crichton during the telephone conversation at the same time that "Kansas" and "Terra Firma" were being filmed, three months before Ben Browder's half of the conversation was filmed.
David Kemper stated that the crystal shattering sequence was originally going to serve as the finale to season three.
The final scenes in the boat were shot on location on the water near the studio.
Wayne Pygram
and Raelee Hill
improvised the sex scene
between Scorpius and Sikozu, including the use of S&M elements.
Critics, too, widely praised the episode.
IGN
bestowed an Editor's Choice Award on the episode and gave it a rating of 9 out of 10, offering particular praise for the ending. IGN's review noted, "Fans will feel like they have been kicked in the chest when the credits roll...The final shot in this episode shows why Farscape fans have stuck around for so long – the unexpected is commonplace and the results worth waiting for."
A BBC
reviewer called it "a worthy end to a wonderful series" but also noted that while most loose ends are tied up, "a few stray threads left an irritating sense of incompleteness" and that the ending prevented a happy sense of closure that the rest of the episode could have achieved. Nevertheless, the BBC reviewer praised the decision: "No compromise right to the end - how could we not have loved this programme?" and concluded, "Tense, emotional, and conclusive, Bad Timing had everything a finale needs, including a sense of finality."
The cliffhanger that ends the episode, as well as most remaining plot threads, would be finally resolved some 18 months after "Bad Timing" was broadcast when the two-part mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
aired on Sci-Fi.
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
of the Australian-American television series Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
, written by David Kemper
David Kemper (writer)
David Kemper is an American television writer and producer, best known for helping to create the science fiction/fantasy show Farscape. He was raised in Oak Park, Michigan, where he atteded Ferndale High School. At school he was a baseball player and demonstrated creativity...
and directed by Andrew Prowse.
Synopsis
As the episode opens, the Moyans are sending Scorpius to the PK Command Carrier that is now being led by Braca, as Grayza has been confined to quarters. They strap a nuclear bomb to his chest, with the provision that it will explode if the Command Carrier tries to follow Moya. Sikozu elects to go with Scorpius.The Moyans discover that the Scarrans have sent an attack vessel, commanded by Akhna's lover, to take over earth in order to gain access to the bird of paradise flowers that they need, now that John destroyed their mother plant on Katratzi in We're So Screwed Part III: La Bomba. The PKs offer to hold off the Scarrans, IF John, and by extension Earth, will form an alliance with the Peacekeepers. John says no, and speeds to the wormhole to intercept the Scarrans and figure out a way to stop them.
Harvey then argues with John in John's head, with both of them wearing fluffy pink and white rabbit suits. Harvey convinces John there's no way he can save earth without the help of the PKs, and he's about to concede and talk to them, when Chiana talks him out of it. He begins thinking, and each Moyan suggests to him a way to unblock his mind so he can come up with a plan. Ultimately, John formulates a way to collapse a wormhole, the down side of which is that he will have lost his route to earth. And if he fails, he will be trapped on Earth's side of the wormhole, on an earth being controlled by Scarrans. He decides to try, and Aeryn insists upon going with him—if he is trapped, she will be with him. He, Aeryn, and a temporarily disconnected Pilot take a shuttle to Earth's moon, where John makes an emotional farewell phone call to his father. Then, they successfully collapse the wormhole, and kill the Scarrans. Unfortunately, while Moya waits on the other side, she is attacked by the Scarrans, and is damaged. When John, Aeryn, and Pilot rejoin them, they travel to an unknown water world where Moya can rest and repair.
John and Aeryn row out a little ways from Moya in a dingy, and each tells the other they have something to say. Aeryn goes first telling John she has released the embryo from stasis and the baby is on the way. An ecstatic John then asks her to marry him, and she says yes. They kiss. Then, a flying vessel sees them and hits them with a ray that shatters them
into thousands of tiny crystalline balls that collapse into a heap in the boat and the ocean, with the wedding ring John had just placed on Aeryn's finger buried in the pile of shards. The watching Moyans scream. The story is continued in the 2004 mini-series, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is a television science fiction mini-series written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and David Kemper and directed by Brian Henson. Following the Farscape series' unexpected cancellation in September 2002, it aimed to wrap-up the season four cliffhanger and tie up some elements...
.
Production
David KemperDavid Kemper (writer)
David Kemper is an American television writer and producer, best known for helping to create the science fiction/fantasy show Farscape. He was raised in Oak Park, Michigan, where he atteded Ferndale High School. At school he was a baseball player and demonstrated creativity...
has stated that "Bad Timing" was meant to follow up on John Crichton's realization in "Dog with Two Bones" that he must choose between staying with Aeryn and returning to Earth by forcing him to make a definitive choice. John's scene with Noranti in his quarters and his scene with Aeryn in the docking bay were also meant to recall "Dog with Two Bones". The scene with John speaking into the tape recorder was a reference to "Family Ties".
The episode was originally to be titled "No Turning Back" but it was changed to "Bad Timing" after the series was canceled. Ben Browder stated that they realised the "Bad Timing" theme fit the episode well during filming and that it also referred to the untimely cancellation of Farscape as the fifth season was being set up.
The "Previously on Farscape" opening to the episode features four frames (1/2 second) from every previous episode of Farscape, in the viewing order preferred by the producers.
Ben Browder has stated that the cold open
Cold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
from "Bad Timing" is his favorite opening scene from Farscape. David Kemper said that when he originally conceived Farscape with Rockne S. O'Bannon
Rockne S. O'Bannon
Rockne S. O'Bannon is a television producer and writer. He is the creator of the science fiction movie Alien Nation, television shows seaQuest DSV, The Triangle and Farscape. He is married with one daughter and two sons - all three children adopted from Russia. He resides in California,...
, they wanted it to be Star Trek but with a focus on the mind and emotions. Kemper wanted to leave time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
to his former colleagues Michael Piller
Michael Piller
Michael Piller was an American television scriptwriter and producer, who was most famous for his contributions to the Star Trek franchise.-Early life and career:Piller was born in Port Chester, New York...
and Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga is an American television producer and screenwriter, currently working as showrunner and executive producer on Terra Nova...
. But director Andrew Prowse, influenced by Memento, challenged Kemper to utilize nonlinear
Nonlinear (arts)
Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order...
storytelling, leading him to write the cold open used in "Bad Timing".
Kent McCord
Kent McCord
Kent McCord is an American actor best known for his role as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12.- Biography :...
filmed his lines as Jack Crichton during the telephone conversation at the same time that "Kansas" and "Terra Firma" were being filmed, three months before Ben Browder's half of the conversation was filmed.
David Kemper stated that the crystal shattering sequence was originally going to serve as the finale to season three.
The final scenes in the boat were shot on location on the water near the studio.
Wayne Pygram
Wayne Pygram
Wayne Pigram , better known by his stage name Wayne Pygram, is an Australian actor, known for his role as Scorpius in the science fiction series Farscape and the miniseries that followed, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars .Pygram was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales and raised in Wagga Wagga,...
and Raelee Hill
Raelee Hill
Raelee Hill is an Australian actress best known for her roles in some of her country's most successful television series...
improvised the sex scene
Sex in film
Sex in film refers to the presentation in motion pictures of sexuality and sex acts, including love scenes. Sex scenes have been depicted in film since the silent era of cinematography. Many actors and actresses have exposed parts of their bodies or dressed and behaved in ways considered sexually...
between Scorpius and Sikozu, including the use of S&M elements.
Reception
"Bad Timing" received universal acclaim from fans, many of whom regard it as the best episode of the series.Critics, too, widely praised the episode.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
bestowed an Editor's Choice Award on the episode and gave it a rating of 9 out of 10, offering particular praise for the ending. IGN's review noted, "Fans will feel like they have been kicked in the chest when the credits roll...The final shot in this episode shows why Farscape fans have stuck around for so long – the unexpected is commonplace and the results worth waiting for."
A BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reviewer called it "a worthy end to a wonderful series" but also noted that while most loose ends are tied up, "a few stray threads left an irritating sense of incompleteness" and that the ending prevented a happy sense of closure that the rest of the episode could have achieved. Nevertheless, the BBC reviewer praised the decision: "No compromise right to the end - how could we not have loved this programme?" and concluded, "Tense, emotional, and conclusive, Bad Timing had everything a finale needs, including a sense of finality."
The cliffhanger that ends the episode, as well as most remaining plot threads, would be finally resolved some 18 months after "Bad Timing" was broadcast when the two-part mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is a television science fiction mini-series written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and David Kemper and directed by Brian Henson. Following the Farscape series' unexpected cancellation in September 2002, it aimed to wrap-up the season four cliffhanger and tie up some elements...
aired on Sci-Fi.
Guest stars
- Raelee HillRaelee HillRaelee Hill is an Australian actress best known for her roles in some of her country's most successful television series...
as Sikozu - Melissa JafferMelissa JafferMelissa Jaffer is an Australian actress who has made many appearances in television series, including Kings, Mother and Son, G. P., Brides of Christ, Grass Roots and All Saints...
as Noranti - Paul GoddardPaul Goddard (actor)Paul Goddard is an actor based in Australia.His best known roles are Agent Brown in the film The Matrix and Stark in the science fiction television series Farscape....
as Stark - David FranklinDavid Franklin (actor)David Franklin is an Australian actor best known to audiences for his role as Meeklo Braca in the science fiction TV series Farscape and as Brutus in Xena: Warrior Princess....
as Captain Braca - Duncan YoungDuncan YoungDuncan Young is an Australian actor.He is best known for his role in the science fiction television series Farscape in which he played the Scarran Emperor Staleek...
as Emperor Staleek - Francesca BullerFrancesca BullerFrancesca Buller is an English actress best known for her portrayal of various characters in the TV series Farscape, most notably that of War Minister Ahkna...
as War Minister Ahkna - John AdamJohn Adam (actor)John Adam is an Australian actor, appearing frequently on television. He is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Senior Constable Nick Buchanan in the Channel 7 crime/drama City Homicide.- Filmography :*Home and Away*A Country Practice...
as Pennoch - Kent McCordKent McCordKent McCord is an American actor best known for his role as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12.- Biography :...
as Jack Crichton