So Virginia Hey is going to be at Anglicon this year, and I've never seen Farscape before. In fact, I have no clue what it's about, except that Henson is involved in making the aliens. So I got myself a copy and I'm watching the first season...
Farscape [1-01]: Premiere: So far, so good. The plotline makes me think of Blake's 7 meets Lost in Space with a Klingon added just for good measure. And while the show plays it straight, there is clearly a lot of humor and a sense of space opera silliness here. Not a bad start. I'm looking forward to seeing more. 
Farscape [1-02]: I, E.T.: This is a good exercise show, because I really want to see what happens next. I can't say that this is an incredibly imaginative show. There are so many standard science fiction elements that at times I find it predictable, but the characters make up for it. The entire concept of the show allows for enough variation on themes to keep it interesting. This episode was a standard "alien lands on planet on the verge of accepting the possibility of alien life" show, and it is nicely done. Particularly with respects to John, the main character, who is still adjusting to the fact that there are aliens as well. As I said, this is a very good exercise show.
Farscape [1-03]: Exodus from Genesis: Spot the science fiction cliche! This episode features aliens that live in space but need warmth to breed, so they get on board Moya, the living ship, and turn up the heat. While lots of the elements in this episode were standard, the way they all fit together was not. Although I wouldn't call the ending a twist, it was good.
Farscape [1-04]: Throne for a Loss: Rygel is remarkably annoying. The science fiction cliche in this one is "society hooked on addictive drugs", but it works because the story focuses on both sides and the result isn't nice and Star Trekky. Nicely done.
Just a quick summing of what I know about the cast so far...
- John Crichton - Human, lost in space, main character, played by Ben Browder
- Zhaan - The blue gal, priestess, played by Virginia Hey
- D'Argo - The Klingon wannabe, has an awesome "sword", played by Anthony Simcoe
- Rygel - Deposed Dominar, the little grey muppet, voiced by Jonathan Hardy
- Aeryn - A peacekeeper on the run, looks human but isn't, played by Claudia Black
- Moya - The ship, a living creature called a Leviathan
- Pilot - The crew's interface with Moya, he's permanently connected to the ship, voiced by Lani Tupu
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