Season 2, Episode 20:
With Friends Like These
With their takings from the heist onboard, Moya heads to the slave auction at best speed, only for the crew to discover that Jothee's lot has been sold — to Scorpius. Thanks to his hack of Moya's computer during the heist, Scorpius discovered what the crew was after and beat them to the punch. Now he's willing to trade: Jothee for Crichton. What's more, Stark is able to "feel" it when the rest of the slave lot — almost 10,000 Baniks — are executed by Natira simply because Scorpius couldn't be bothered to find a use for them.
Crichton and Aeryn come up with a plan to rescue Jothee from the Shadow Depository, but to do so, they'll need to recruit several former enemies to help out. Crichton takes his module to find Bekhesh, the gauntlet-wearing Tavlek warrior, and convinces the now-pacifist to take up arms again. Aeryn finds the Sheyang pirate Teurac, who appears weak and sickly but claims he can do the job. D'Argo rescues Rorf and Rorg, the two Vorcarian blood trackers and now soon-to-be parents. As thanks for saving them and their child, they agree to be part of the plan. Finally, Rygel seeks out the Zenetan pirates in order to get their expertise, as well as the Flax, but discovers that his archenemy Durka has taken leadership of the pirates. Rygel tries to make the deal anyway, but when Durka tries a double-cross, he gets a knife in the gut for it. The second in command, Zelkin, agrees to the plan.
While this is happening, Moya begins to experience metal fatigue. Zhaan and Chiana realise that their currency from the heist is actually a kind of living creature that eats metal and breeds quickly; apparently, Natira added them to Scorpius' vault in an attempt to kill him before his transport could reach his Command Carrier. All attempts to destroy them are fruitless until Zhaan realises that intense fire would work — but to use fire in quantities necessary to destroy the creatures, it means flooding half of Moya's tiers with flammable gas and igniting it. Moya and Pilot reluctantly agree to the plan, and when Crichton, Aeryn, D'Argo and Rygel return, they find Moya crippled and covered with intense burns. Unable to Starburst and with no currency, it looks like the crew's plan is a bust. As they deal with the mercenaries, a transport pod arrives with Jothee onboard: Crichton has traded himself to Scorpius...
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Accidental Misnaming: Crichton is still having trouble not referring to the Tavleks as "Tavloids".
- Back for the Dead: Durka's return to the series ends with Rygel stabbing him to death.
- Badass Boast: Rygel's sudden appearance helps Chiana establish the pecking order among the mercenaries.Chiana: You're being paid to work together.
Rygel: That's right. [throw's Durka's severed head on the floor] And that's what we do to people who don't. - Batman Gambit: When the crew accuse Scorpius of sabotaging Moya with the metal-eating creatures, Stark intervenes—saying Jothee's life means nothing to him and cutting off the transmission. Stark then explains this had to be done, as Scorpius would attack them immediately if he knew of their situation and won't hurt Jothee because he still needs him.
- Bullying a Dragon: Rorf and Rorg were hired by the Peacekeepers to hunt down some deserters, but they gave it up after learning Rorg was expecting, which led to The Hunter Becomes the Hunted. D'Argo immediately guesses that the Vorcarians angered the Peacekeepers by keeping the payment, though Rorf insists they only kept half for doing half the work.
- Bus Crash: Commander Kraccic was murdered by Durka some time after he ran into Moya.
- Child by Rape: Natira describes Scoripus as such and assumes that Jothee is one, as well. Jothee says he's not and is clearly disturbed by the suggestion.
- Continuity Cavalcade: Mostly as an excuse to actually do something interesting with all those one-shot mercenary antagonists from the Early-Installment Weirdness.
- Decapitation Presentation: Rygel forces Bekhesh and Rorg to stop arguing by tossing Durka's decapitated head onto the ground and telling them that is what they do to people who don't act like professionals.
- Didn't See That Coming: Scorpius is a bit surprised to see Stark turn up.
- Going Down with the Ship: Aeryn finds Teurac alone and injured on a ship damaged in a recent attack. He says his crew abandoned ship and that, being the leader, he stayed behind to ensure that their evacuation pods would get away.
- The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: D'Argo finds Rorf and Rorg on the run from Peacekeepers.
- I Gave My Word: Scorpius honors his promise to hand over Jothee once he gets Crichton.
- I Have Your Wife: "I have Ka D'Argo's son. Surrender to me or the boy dies."
- I Owe You My Life: Rorg convinces Rorf to go help D'Argo get Jothee back as payback for protecting them and their children. She admits they could also use the currency from the heist.
- Killed Off for Real: Durka.
- Man Hug: D'Argo actually chokes Jothee doing this.
- My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Stark breaks down screaming in the middle of a discussion because he can sense that the 10,000 slaves bought by Scorpius have just been slaughtered.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Natira seems... creepily interested on if Jothee is a Child by Rape.
- Non-Human Humanoid Hybrid: Jothee, which is of some interest to a fellow hybrid.Scorpius: Your father abandoned you to a life of slavery. Is it his lineage you hate the most?
Jothee: My mother was murdered by her brother. Does that answer your question? - Off with His Head!: Durka
- Oh, Crap!: After Jothee says Scorpius simply let him go.Aeryn: [worried] Why?
[beat]
D'Argo: Oh, no. - "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Scorpius delivers his ultimatum to hand over Crichton, D'Argo hallucinates Jothee condemning him.Jothee: You're pathetic! You keep talking about how much I mean to you, how you'd do anything to get me back. But when it comes down to it, you fail me again, like you always do!
D'Argo: I did everything I could.
Jothee: Liar! You know what you have to do.
D'Argo: I can't.
Jothee: No, you won't. Who means more to you? - Sadistic Choice: D'Argo is told to choose between his son and his best friend.
- Shout-Out: Crichton refers to Harvey as "Leatherface.""Man that's Texas Chainsaw Massacre! That's a classic!"
- Something Else Also Rises: Scorpius and Natira's sex scene climaxes with the cooling apparatus popping out of the side of his head.
- Take Me Instead: Thinking D'Argo means to kill them, Rorf only asks that Rorg be spared, as she's pregnant. D'Argo responds by shooting the pursuing Peacekeepers.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: None of the mercenaries are exactly team players. Rorf despises Bekhesh for a Tavlek raid against the Vorcarians. Teurac also looks down on Tavleks for being petty criminals.
- What Measure Is a Mook?: Scorpius had to buy the entire lot of slaves (roughly 10,000) to get Jothee, as the Canton slavers refused to search that many for just one person. As none of the Baniks in the lot were like Stark (a Stykera), Scorpius saw no use for them. He let Natira have them, and they're all quickly dead.
