Recap / Farscape S 02 E 15 Wont Get Fooled Again

Season 2, Episode 15:

Won't Get Fooled Again

Crichton finds himself in a strange copy of Earth, populated by the various people and races he's met in his travels living out ordinary lives — and not acting remotely like themselves — without anyone seeming to notice. As things get stranger and stranger, it becomes apparent that the only familiar face within this fantasy who might be able to help him is Scorpius.

When Crichton finally breaks free, he discovers that a Scarran is attempting to extract knowledge using a machine designed to Mind Rape the victim until their consciousness collapses and their memories can be examined at leisure. He defeats the Scarran with help from the imaginary Scorpius, who he is able to see in the real world, too. In the end, it is revealed that the imaginary Scorpius is a neural clone of the original, who resides within Crichton's mind thanks to a neural chip that Scorpius placed in Crichton's brain during the Aurora Chair interrogations, and it has spent the past year attempting to copy the wormhole knowledge. Once the threat of the Scarran is neutralised, the neural clone deletes Crichton's memory of their encounter in order to keep his presence secret.

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Tropes present in this episode include:

• A Lady on Each Arm: D'Argo turns up as Ace Pilot and ladies man Gary Ragel, who quickly puts his arms around a couple of Pretty Privates who are passing by.
• All Drummers Are Animals: Or Aliens, specifically Pilot and Scorpius.
• All Just a Dream: The episode opens with the launch of Farscape One in the premiere episode, then Crichton hits the electromagnetic wavefront and...wakes up in a hospital on Earth a week later. Unlike the usual version of this trope, Crichton doesn't believe it for a second given that he's already been fooled by a fake Earth.
• All Men Are Perverts: Lampshaded when Crichton finds himself handcuffed to a gurney as Zhaan, Chiana and Aeryn (dressed in Sexy Whatever Outfits) run their hands over him and offer to fulfil his fantasies.
  Zhaan: Admit it. You've had sexual thoughts about all of us, haven't you?
  Crichton: Not me...
  Chiana: Well come on! You're a male!
  Zhaan: It's just-the way-you-are-wired.
  Aeryn: (as she casually inserts a long sharp metal object through a dilator) Nothing to be ashamed of. Not when females are willing.
• And This Is for...: Rygel whips Crichton while complaining about him being The Nicknamer. "This is for calling me 'Sparky'. And this is for 'Fluffy'. And this is for 'Buckwheat'—whatever that means!"
• Ate His Gun: Crichton shoves a pulse pistol on the point of overload into the Scarran's mouth, as it's his only accessible vulnerable point. Cue Your Head Asplode.
• Black Comedy: Crichton gives Rygel-Logan a "Take That!" Kiss and throws him off the top level of a multi-story carpark, then remonstrates his father and DK for being aghast. Later Jack Crichton throws his son out the hospital window after complaining how useless he is.
• But You Were There, and You, and You: Only the neural clone of Scorpius has any connection to the "real" person.
• Call-Back:
  • Especially to Crichton's first encounter with the Ancients, although he also references Maldis, "Tahleen and her wacky bunch" and Sheeyangs. Additionally, Crichton remembers what happens when you let a Peacekeeper gun overcharge.
  • When Harvey explains what he is, Crichton realises that's why he couldn't kill Scorpius when he had the chance in "Look at the Princess".
• Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are: Crichton does this when calling on whatever hidden enemy is doing this to reveal themselves, segueing into the song from The Wizard of Oz.
• Camera Abuse: DK splatters the camera with blood after slitting his wrists.
• Comic Sutra + Sexy Whatever Outfit: Crichton is cuffed to a hospital gurney and the three main female characters (and Rygel in a gimp suit) appear and offer to fulfill his sexual fantasies.
  Zhaan: (dressed as a Dominatrix) I can wear a Freudian slip.
  Aeryn: (dressed in a Naughty Nurse Outfit) I'll find new places to take your temperature.
  Chiana: (dressed as a Sexy Schoolwoman) I can teach you... the left-handed Latvian Rodeo Torture!
• The Comically Serious: Half the episode's humor comes from everyone calling out Crichton for calling out how bizarre things are. When he points out to Kaminsky that she's blue, she asks if he has a problem with people of color. When John talks about Logan being a "two-foot green slug on a golf cart", his father is aghast that John would make fun of a man's disability, and when John brings up Gary's tentacles, DK can only shrug and say, "It's a choice."
• Closest Thing We Got: Crichton knows Dr. Kaminsky isn't a psychologist or the real Zhaan, but still uses her as a sounding board to try and make sense of what's happening because he's used to Zhaan's counsel.
• Continuity Nod: Crichton checks out the Ladies room and that a newspaper has the current date, the two things that tipped him off about the last fake Earth deception.
• Disability as an Excuse for Jerkassery: Crichton is told that Douglas Logan, the new boss of the Farscape project, is a "nasty piece of work". Thinking it's Scorpius, Crichton rushes off to meet him, only to find Rygel in a motorized chair instead of a throne sled. Rygel proceeds to demonstrate he can be just as unpleasant as a human project director as he was as Dominar.
• Downer Ending: Crichton has survived to fight another day, but Harvey erases Crichton's memory of his existence so he won't get the neural chip out of his head.
• Easily Forgiven: After Crichton savagely beats Officer Muldoon (Captain Crais) and steals his gun which he then uses to shoot all his friends (to no effect), he wakes up Strapped to an Operating Table with Muldoon standing over him, holding a small dog and reading out the List of Transgressions.
  Muldoon: I like your style hombre. But this is no laughing matter. Assault on a Police Officer! Theft of police property! Illegal possession of a firearm! 5 counts of attempted murder! That comes to... $29.40! Cash, check, or credit card?
• The End... Or Is It?: Harvey erases Crichton's knowledge of him and promises to always be there to keep him safe.
• Enemy Mine: Harvey-Scorpius has no intention of letting the Scarran find out about the wormhole information in John's head, so he tells John what's going on and how to deal with the threat.
• Evil Sounds Deep: When inviting Crichton to take part in a "Luxan bonding ritual", Gary Ragel speaks in a stereotypical Camp Gay voice until Crichton's "No. Just… No" Reaction, whereupon Gary switches to his deep D'Argo voice to reply menacingly, "Oh yes."
• Feet-First Introduction: D'Argo stepping out of his sports car wearing golf shoes, and Crais stepping out of his squad car in...pumps?
• Foreshadowing: Crichton complains about how hot it is. Turns out his body is reacting to the heat of the Scarran who's interrogating him.
• Freudian Couch: Crichton is shown lying on the couch when he decides to see Dr. Kaminsky for real, to hash out what might be happening to him.
• Gaslighting: Crichton believes that this is what's happening and even namedrops this trope.
• His Name Is...: Harvey is about to tell Crichton how to defeat the Scarran, when he has to vanish as the interrogator has returned. Fortunately, Crichton works it out himself.
• Hope Spot: When Aeryn busts into the nightclub and shoots the disco ball, seemingly freeing Crichton from what she claims was a holographic projection. But then she insists that it was Scorpius instead of the Scarrans that were holding John and wants to know what Scorpius wanted him for. Crichton realises he's still being interrogated and refuses to answer.
• Hospital Hottie: Aeryn as Dr. Bettina Fairchild. Even before things get really weird, she's quite the kinky minx, making out with Gary-D'Argo and Jessica-Chiana while off duty. Crichton likes her Wild Hair as well.
• Homoerotic Subtext: Which becomes text as things get wackier.
  • On being told to give an Ordered Apology to Rygel-Logan, Crichton snogs him instead. Then in the middle of Crichton's sex fantasy Rygel appears between his legs, wearing a gimp suit and brandishing a whip.
  • Jessica-Chiana is introduced nuzzling Aeryn's neck in the bar and exchanges a tongue-kiss with Zhaan during Crichton's sex fantasy.
  • Crichton finds himself at a Make-Out Point with a Camp Gay D'Argo, who suggests they do a "Luxan bonding ritual" involving chains, lutra oil, his Qualta Blade and Chiana...who wants to watch.
  • There's also Crais in red high-heeled shoes.
• Identical Stranger: Crichton sees Scorpius in a button-up shirt playing the drums, then goes to the bar and finds Scorpius there dressed in his black leather coolsuit. Crichton realises this out-of-place costume must means something and accuses him of being the Man Behind the Curtain. Later Crichton decides to seek out Scorpius, only to find himself talking to the drummer instead.
• Immune to Bullets:
  • Harvey tells Crichton that a Scarran's skin is so tough a pulse pistol will not penetrate it, which is why the Scarran hasn't even bothered to remove Wynona from Crichton's holster. The only solution is to Attack Its Weak Point.
  • When he really starts to lose it, Crichton snatches a Glock off Officer Muldoon and starts shooting his companions. The bullets shatter objects on the wall behind them while the intended targets don't even notice they've been shot.
• Improbable Hairstyle: After a head-on collision with a tanker truck, Crichton wakes up in hospital being treated by Dr. Fairchild, who has her hair in ridiculously large straightening rollers.
• Incest Subtext: Crichton's mother appears in lingerie asking him to define Oedipus Complex for her.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Crichton has no problem accepting Gary Ragel's invitation to have a beer. It's not the last time either.
• I Resemble That Remark!
  Crichton: Do you always answer a question with a question?
  Dr Kaminsky: Does that bother you?
• Kiss Me, I Am Virtual: Crichton is glad to find that Jessica-Chiana is an astronaut groupie. Unfortunately, Scorpius interrupts his attempt to take advantage of this.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Upon seeing him, Crichton notes that D.K. got to be included "this time" around. Despite being Crichton's best friend, D.K. did not appear in "A Human Reaction" or even get a mention, something that did not go unnoticed by fans at the time.
• Mind Screw: Invoked Trope as a torture device to make the contents of the mind easier to read.
• Mistaken for Racist: When Crichton snarks that psychologists on Earth aren't ever blue, Kaminsky asks if he has a problem with "People of Color". When Crichton clarifies that he meant she's an alien, she replies that's true...but she does have a green card.
• Mood Whiplash:
  • When Crichton first wakes up in hospital he appears to be buying that it's All Just a Dream, then he suddenly throws his father to the floor and screams in his face that he's a fake.
  • Even by Farscape standards, this episode has an extreme case, shifting from kinky sex jokes and slash fic parodies to Crichton being reduced to tears after being confronted with his memories of his dying mother, or DK with blood pouring from his wrists, shouting at Crichton for getting him fired and driving him crazy with his antics.
• Not Me This Time: Crichton figures out very early that he's not on Earth and instead tries to deduce who's doing this to him. He quickly finds Scorpius, who isn't claiming to be someone else, and figures he's the one doing it. He's wrong.
• My Card: The new project director already has his own business cards done up. Crichton is shown flicking through the cards and throwing them in Logan's face until he gets pissed. "Quit it with the cards!"
• Off the Rails: Crichton immediately works out that this "Earth" isn't real and makes little to no effort to play along. When things start getting really weird he dutifully lampshades it, while also wondering if he's just going mad.
  Crichton: This thing has gone completely off the rails...or maybe I have.
• Occam's Razor: Cited by Crichton when he finds himself being questioned by Zhaan and concludes that the Delvians are responsible for what's happening. However all the simple explanations he comes up with don't apply as things get crazier and crazier.
• Old Shame: When Leslie Crichton turns up, his son walks out on her as his real mother died years ago. However she turns up at the bar he goes to, now dying of cancer and begging her son to stay with her as she dies, implying this is something John Crichton feels guilty about.
• Playing Possum: Harvey fools the Scarran into stopping the interrogation by stopping Crichton's brainwave activity for a moment.
• Reading Your Rights: A screwy version from Officer Muldoon.
  Muldoon: FREEZE! You're under arrest! You have the right to the remains of a silent attorney! If you cannot afford one, TOUGH NOOGIES! You can make ONE phone call! I recommend Trixie, 976-Triple 5-LOVE. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you? Well do you, PUNK?
  Crichton: (completely confused) No...
  Muldoon: THEN I CAN'T ARREST YOU! (slams car door into Crichton's face)
• Reflective Eyes: When Crichton collapses in the bar, a reflection of Scorpius is shown in Crichton's eye to foreshadow The Reveal about the chip in his head.
• The Reveal: The reason Crichton has been having hallucinations of Scorpius is because he was injected with a neural chip holding a mental copy of Scorpius's personality, in the hope of getting hold of the wormhole information the Ancients hid in Crichton's subconscious.
• Sanity Slippage: The end goal of the Mind Rape; to leave Crichton's mind such a smashed mess that he can't withhold the information his interrogator wants. During a conversation with "Doctor Kaminsky" he wonders if it's already happened, and that the events of this episode are just his hallucinations after finally snapping from the stresses of life on Moya.
• Second-Face Smoke: Rygel turns up puffing on a big cigar like any human Corrupt Corporate Executive would. Crichton takes the cigar off him and starts blowing smoke back in Sparky's face.
• Shout-Out:
  • Crichton ponders whether to call the mental clone Clarence or Harvey. He decides on the latter.
  • The title to The Who song. The song gets a Shout Out during the episode as well: when Crichton meets Douglas Logan, he quips, "Meet the new boss! Not the same as the old boss!"
  • Lots of 'em to The Wizard of Oz.
  • When Crichton thinks he's worked out what Scorpius' play is, he muses, "The play...the play's the thing..." in reference to Hamlet.
  • The notorious scene with Crichton, the girls, and Rygel has an odd resemblance to the famously homoerotic scene in Dracula where Dracula "rescues" Harker from his vampire babes.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Crichton tells Gary-D'Argo that this is all an alien experiment to see how he reacts, so he's going to beat it by not reacting to anything. Then he reacts to the sight of Scorpius and Pilot playing the drums, and a Naughty by Night Aeryn-Fairchild who starts making out with Gary-D'Argo.
  • When Fairchild tells Crichton there's someone new to see him, Crichton has a Bring It reaction...until his Back from the Dead mother walks in. On a lighter note, one of the enemies he asks them to bring on is Captain Crais. Shortly after this, he meets the wacky Officer Muldoon.
• Title Drop: Crichton mutters "Won't get fooled again" when he goes to check out the Ladies room.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Literally nobody but Crichton mentions the various aliens on Earth.
• Villainous Rescue: Harvey ends up allowing Crichton to break out of it, but not for altruistic reasons, as the wormhole knowledge Scorpius wants can't be retrieved if Crichton's mind turns to mush. He also, of course, doesn't want the Scarrans to learn about and acquire that knowledge themselves.
• Wham Shot: First that Aeryn is one of the doctors holding Crichton down so he can be Strapped to an Operating Table. Once he's calmed down, Crichton figures she's being coerced or is just an illusion like everything else. Then he's told to see a psychiatrist and it turns out to be Zhaan...who still has her blue skin.
• Wondrous Ladies Room: One of the first things Crichton does to check this "Earth" is stick his head into the Ladies to make sure it's real this time. He finds a perfectly normal bathroom with a woman telling him to get out.
  Crichton: Sorry, thought it was co-ed.
  Woman: Co-ed? What planet are you from?
  Crichton: Not this one...
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Crichton thinks that the fake return to Earth is a trick to make him unthinkingly spill secrets. It's really just to Mind Rape him into compliance.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Crichton admits that he misses Moya and his strange-looking alien friends even on this fake Earth. Later his mother calls Crichton out on having become a callous killer in order to survive.