ast season, Crichton (Browder) and the gang successfully destroyed Scorpius' command carrier along with the wormhole technology it contained, only to go their separate ways. Unhappy at seeing his friends depart, Crichton took a ride in his own small ship, only to discover that Aeryn (Black) was pregnant
with his child just as a wormhole swallowed up Moya, stranding him in space.
The fourth season premiere, "Crichton Kicks," opens with a bearded Crichton sitting in his space module, nearly out of fuel. However, he isn't alone. Months have passed, and Crichton has been able to survive only because he took up residence on Elack, an old, dying Leviathan. Elack has few working
resources left and she's headed toward sacred burial space to die.
Crichton has continued his wormhole research and kept himself company with his vivid fantasies that incorporate the Scorpius (Pygram) clone and a pregnant Aeryn with Baywatch. However, his solitary existence is shattered when a female alien named Sikozu (Hill) crashes into the Leviathan
with a squad of Grudek mercenaries hot on her trail.
Sikozu explains to Crichton that she was hired to find a Leviathan so the Grudeks can harvest its neural tissue, which some cultures believe can advance higher brain functions when consumed. Unfortunately, she did her job too well, and she's become a liability to the mercenaries.
As the Grudeks send a vicious alien canine called a Brindz Hound after the pair, Sikozu and Crichton realize they must work together if they are going to survive and perhaps save Elack. Still, when the Hound takes a bite out of Crichton's leg and severs Sikozu's hand, they know they're in trouble.
However, a couple of old friends pop up, which allows Crichton to come up with a plan. Now, one thing's for sure—it will either get them killed or save their necks, but nothing will happen as expected.
Anything can—and does—happen
"Crichton Kicks" is one of those noisy, dark, frantic episodes of Farscape which seems to feed on Crichton's most insane moments. Viewers new to the series will find themselves lost, but fans will enjoy the frenetic pace, especially when Crichton pulls himself back from madness as only his unique character can. This is a show where anything can happen and it usually does.
"Crichton Kicks" features Farscape's standard excellent writing, special effects and acting. No other series takes viewers so far into its world, embracing its characters' imperfections as well as their exceptional qualities. This episode's baddies, the Grudeks, resemble Klingons with Russian accents, a similarity that doesn't go unnoticed by Crichton, considering his special ability to bring Earth's cultural references into Farscape's universe and have some fun with them.
Hill's Sikozu is introduced as a new character with some interesting abilities that include climbing walls and regenerating tissue. Redheaded, but not as annoying as Jool (Tammy Macintosh), Sikozu looks to be another strong original female character in a series that embraces them. Other new characters
introduced at the end of last season include the Old Woman (Melissa Jaffer) and new bad gal Commandant Mele-On Grayza (Rebecca Riggs). They don't figure into this episode, but they will as the season progresses.
While the episode is too dark and chaotic, and some of the dialogue is hard to distinguish, true fans won't be bothered by those pesky details. However, new viewers may want to start with the more user-friendly second and third episode two-parter, What Was Lost. Part 1: Sacrifice begins on the same night at 10 p.m. ET/PT in Farscape's new regular timeslot, with Part 2: Resurrection airing a week later.
One significant element of "Crichton Kicks" is the introduction of a new opening that signals the changes in Farscape's universe, but also narrows the official list of regulars to Browder, Black, Anthony Simcoe (D'Argo), Edgley and Pygram.
