A head injury forces Crichton into a bizarre battle in his own head, whilst Moya's crew struggle to avert disaster.
Written by David Kemper
Directed by Andrew Prowse
Incensed at Crichton’s meddling with the small alien ship we’d all forgotten about, D’Argo rages at him, knocking him down with such force that Crichton hits his head and falls instantly into a coma. Inside Crichton’s head the fight is to choose between revenge and love, while outside the battle is to find out how to undo the meddling before the alien ship self-destructs and takes Moya with it.
And wasn’t it hilarious? With the same novelty as when The Simpsons did a 3D show or Bob Hoskins entered Toon Town, the chase inside Crichton’s head was a loving tribute to the Looney Tunes animations. Every gag you could think of, from Bugs Bunny homages to Crichton as Road Runner vs D’Argo as Wile E. Coyote, was done first as animation and then, startlingly, as live action too.
The attention to detail was gorgeous: D’Argo’s endless supply of bombs and pizzas to trap and kill the road-running Crichton came not from the usual Acme but from Ozme, a nod to the show’s Australian origins.
This idea could have failed or gone just a little too far but instead the cartoon escalated the story and the cutting back to the live action Moya was timed extremely well to maximise the plot in each half of the tale.
It would have taken a better story on the ship to really balance out the cartoon, but if we continue to take it on trust that we’ll learn where the alien ship came from, it was good yarn that gave Jool something to do.
Review by William Gallagher
