Only Aeryn and perhaps Sukozu should be able to speak English in this episode's source material, however, if you can forget/forgive this glaring error, their interactions with Bobby allow a human perspective to penetrate these alien creatures' ways, and how they relate to the target audience.
5 Reviews
Searching for Katratzi
Tweekums25 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
After the surprise at the end of the previous episode John and the crew are trying to find Aeryn; they have only one clue; the name Katratzi. John is convinced of two things; firstly it is the name of the secret base the Scarrens have taken Aeryn to and secondly that they have heard the word before. The others are adamant that they have not heard the name before and none of Sikozu's contacts in Scarran space has heard of it either. While the crew search for information John spends his time watching a recording of a television broadcast they have received some time after leaving Earth; it details what some people think of Moya's crew; largely based on video footage they allowed Crichton's cousin to take. This is quite disturbing as the commentator is keen to twist what we see to show them as a danger; both militarily and morally.
This is an interesting episode despite the fact that very little actually happens; at the end they are only slightly closer to finding Aeryn but still don't know anything about Katratzi; John just has an idea where he might find out. The way the people on the television show viewed Moya's crew was hardly surprising but it was interesting to see humanity depicted as small minded and paranoid yet also arrogant enough to consider itself morally superior; this can of course be seen as a metaphor for how we view different cultures here on Earth. There were some balancing views but it was clear that the dominant views were negative. When the end credits begin don't turn off as there more of the broadcast is shown over them.
This is an interesting episode despite the fact that very little actually happens; at the end they are only slightly closer to finding Aeryn but still don't know anything about Katratzi; John just has an idea where he might find out. The way the people on the television show viewed Moya's crew was hardly surprising but it was interesting to see humanity depicted as small minded and paranoid yet also arrogant enough to consider itself morally superior; this can of course be seen as a metaphor for how we view different cultures here on Earth. There were some balancing views but it was clear that the dominant views were negative. When the end credits begin don't turn off as there more of the broadcast is shown over them.
An interesting documentary about aliens
Slayzee3 July 2017
John ponders about the location of Katratzi, while watching a documentary about Moya's visit to Earth. This was not one of the best episodes, since there is not much going on, instead, we get an actually entertaining and pretty interesting documentary about aliens.
It feels really believable, and the reactions and observations that the different people being interviewed give, are fun to hear, some are mean and don't know what they are talking about, while others make sense and give a deeper retrospective of the aliens.
It was also fun to see more footage of them adapting to human customs, and it felt like if aliens would visit us one day, this is the kind of observatory documentary we would get.
It feels really believable, and the reactions and observations that the different people being interviewed give, are fun to hear, some are mean and don't know what they are talking about, while others make sense and give a deeper retrospective of the aliens.
It was also fun to see more footage of them adapting to human customs, and it felt like if aliens would visit us one day, this is the kind of observatory documentary we would get.
A heartfelt retrospection on both main characters of the series and humankind's collective psyche
matrix-baker1 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The spot-on execution of an emotionally manipulative interview, produced by a biased earthling for his sensation-hungry audience, is genuinely gripping to follow.
Not much else to add to it, beside the plot hole everyone mentions over here: the aliens speaking English on tape. To clear things first, the only human interacting with non-english speaking aliens in an interview was Crichton's nephew, who could've easily taken the translator "flu-shot" off-camera, so no technical error here. To myself, I immediately figured out that the VHS tape of the documentary they took on Moya either didn't contain English dub voice-over, with which the show must have been aired back on Earth or, if they captured the airing much later in space (which would explain some past tense retrospective sentences in it), said voice-over is simply omitted by Farscape episode director as an artistic license decision (to avoid jumbled mess of alien characters speaking gibberish and the english dubbing narrator cross-talking over each other, dispersing the melancholic tone of the scene in the process) - simply imagine any news report with a foreigner speak being dubbed over in English / local language of choice. And, of course, Moya residents hear all of it in their own locale with the help of translator microbes.
Not much else to add to it, beside the plot hole everyone mentions over here: the aliens speaking English on tape. To clear things first, the only human interacting with non-english speaking aliens in an interview was Crichton's nephew, who could've easily taken the translator "flu-shot" off-camera, so no technical error here. To myself, I immediately figured out that the VHS tape of the documentary they took on Moya either didn't contain English dub voice-over, with which the show must have been aired back on Earth or, if they captured the airing much later in space (which would explain some past tense retrospective sentences in it), said voice-over is simply omitted by Farscape episode director as an artistic license decision (to avoid jumbled mess of alien characters speaking gibberish and the english dubbing narrator cross-talking over each other, dispersing the melancholic tone of the scene in the process) - simply imagine any news report with a foreigner speak being dubbed over in English / local language of choice. And, of course, Moya residents hear all of it in their own locale with the help of translator microbes.
Fundamentally flawed
chicago_kab1 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Another episode that makes zero sense just to dig up the "documentary" trope.
The aliens don't speak English. A few had a weak vocabulary and spoke slowly when they tried.
How did Crighton get the final product when his nephew talks about the aliens in the past tense?
Why is Crighton wallowing in his misery? So out of character.
The expert interviews are clearly constructed by someone who did no research about expert interviews.
Basically a lot of filler to get to the next episode.
The aliens don't speak English. A few had a weak vocabulary and spoke slowly when they tried.
How did Crighton get the final product when his nephew talks about the aliens in the past tense?
Why is Crighton wallowing in his misery? So out of character.
The expert interviews are clearly constructed by someone who did no research about expert interviews.
Basically a lot of filler to get to the next episode.
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