I’m
still working my way through Farscape
on Netflix, so I haven’t talked about it yet.
For now, I’m holding off until I finish the series, but the latest
episode I watched, “Out of Their Minds,” is a big body-swap extravaganza just begging
to be talked about. Zhaan doesn’t get in
on the action, but the other six members of the ensemble switch consciousness
with each other, not once, but twice
in one episode. I always like seeing cast
members playing one another’s characters – here are my top five for the story.
Rygel in Crichton’s Body
Oh man,
this is a hoot. Ben Browder has Rygel’s
voice down pat, as well as his little
grunts and mumbles. It helps that the
writing gives him such terrific material, but Browder’s performance takes it
from funny to hysterical. And even
though Browder’s obviously not a puppet, his bearing and movements seem so Rygel. Looking at him, I always saw Rygel and not Crichton.
Crichton in Aeryn’s Body
Crichton-in-Aeryn
is an interesting one for me, because while both characters are confident,
take-charge types, they go about it in different ways, and it’s neat to see
Claudia Black differentiate between the two and capture Crichton’s particular
brand of commanding. Again, the voice is
spot-on, not just in manner but delivery.
Black really feels like
Crichton here, down to the smaller mannerisms (like chewing on his thumb.) Oh, and Crichton-in-Aeryn having to talk
Rygel-in-Crichton through the process of peeing with a human body is sensational.
Pilot in Chiana’s Body
So far,
my feelings toward Gigi Edgley are just so-so, but she does such a great job as
Pilot. The voice is very well-done, and
she really gets Pilot’s still, quiet gravity.
She’s… I don’t want to say “regal,” because that’s not it, but you can
tell she’s much larger, a higher form of being, when she plays Pilot. He’s operating at a more complicated level than
anyone else (which, by the way, makes the body-swap even harder on him,) and
Edgley captures that beautifully.
Rygel in Aeryn’s Body
Though
not quite as fun as Rygel-in-Crichton, this one’s still a stitch. Black gets lots of exasperated!Rygel to work
with, and she has his pompous irritation down to a tee. Her posture is excellent, too. Of everyone, I think Black does the best job
at cross-gender body-swapping. She’s
really effective at sounding/seeming male without it feeling over-the-top or
put-on.
Chiana in Pilot’s Body
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