Die Me, Dichotomy

Farscape episode
“Die Me, Dichotomy”
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 22
Guest star(s)	Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Lani Tupu (Captain Bialar Crais), Paul Goddard (Stark), Hugh Keays-Byrne (Grunchlk), Matt Newton (Ka Jothee), David Franklin (Braca), Thomas Holesgrove (Diagnosan Tocot)
Writer(s)	David Kemper
Director	Rowan Woods
Production no.	10222
Original airdate	January 26, 2001 (US); December 19, 2000 (UK)
Episode chronology
"Liars, Guns and Money - Plan B"	"Season of Death"

Crichton's slipping sanity becomes a danger for the crew and leads to the greatest tragedy of all.

Synopsis[]

Rygel goes to give Zhaan her spoils from the Shadow Depository when she suddenly lashes out at him because he's thinking about money when they burned Moya. He tells her that they're all taking a few bits and are using the rest to pay any fee to a healer, located by Crais and Talyn, to help Moya. She apologizes for misjudging him.

John Crichton sees visions of Scorpius in a mirror, and smashes it repeatedly with his fist. Aeryn Sun comes in to calm him down and reminds him that he must fight it. They're going to see if the surgeon can remove the chip and she tells him he must be strong, that there's no Scorpius here. He agrees, but we see him morph back and forth between himself and himself as Scorpius...

The Diagnosan and his assistant Grunchlk are assessing the damage to Moya and Grunchlk says that it looks good – they should be able to help. Aeryn asks how much it will cost and Grunchlk says 12,000 kretmas, which they say is outrageous. Grunchlk pushes the price up to 15,000. Chiana asks why the Diagnosan wears a mask and Grunchlk explains that he gets diseases through inhalation – any bacteria that gets into his nose and mouth simultaneously would kill him.

Rygel attempts to have a word with Crichton, but he hits Rygel in the face and again we see the image of Scorpius-Crichton. Ka D'Argo is talking to Ka Jothee and Aeryn tells Rygel she'll take care of Crichton. D'Argo wants Jothee to have his tenkas restored, but he mutilated himself because of his hatred for his father. Chiana comes to talk and D'Argo snaps before leaving upset. Grunchlk has again raised the price, now to 20,000, so Zhaan and Stark are forced to agree to it.

Crichton is reconfiguring a comm. outside Pilot's control; he says it's to eavesdrop on Crais. He says the Scorpius in his head is under house arrest. Aeryn wants him to stop, but he says that as long as he stays busy the Scorpius clone leaves him alone. Aeryn says the Diagnosan will look at him after Moya's healed and reminds him of the word "hope" which he brought to this ship. He says he'd be lost without her; she's worked her way into his heart. They both say, "I love you", when Scorpius-Crichton whacks her head against the wall, knocking her unconscious.

Crais is telling Talyn that Aeryn cannot be blackmailed – if she is to join them it'll have to be of her own volition. He says that if she joins them freely, they'll tell her the truth. Talyn detects a signal – a special pulse code known only by Peacekeeper captains and above.

Jothee goes to stop Crichton, who is sending the signal and tries to tongue-lash him, but Scorpius-Crichton catches his tongue and throws him against the wall. D'Argo enters and tongue-lashes him from behind.

Down on the planet, Stark and Crais come to support Crichton while the Diagnosan sees what he can do. He looks at Crichton's brain which is covered in black tendrils – the neural clone. Grunchlk says the doctor doesn't know what he can do – he doesn't think he can remove it without killing him. Meanwhile, D'Argo goes to help Stark numb Moya and again snaps at Chiana.

Aeryn and Crichton are looking at bodies stored by Tocot. Crichton asks if he said anything to piss her off, but she asks if he's serious. They're interrupted by Zhaan and Grunchlk who says he thinks he's found a match for Crichton. Zhaan says it's an abomination against nature; the specimens are alive. Grunchlk says that they're frozen a microt before death – none of them would survive restoration. Crichton asks if it's possible that they're near Earth, to which she replies that she doesn't know.

D'Argo and Stark are dopey from the anesthetic they used to numb Moya, while Chiana and Jothee are in Pilot's den. Jothee says that D'Argo wants to use his money to settle down and live on a farm, but he says that he wants to live loudly. Chiana says that she supposes he meant just him and Jothee when a high Pilot shows a DRD recording of D'Argo practicing his proposal to Chiana!

Rygel and Grunchlk are eating when Aeryn enters and asks how long it will be before they start Crichton's surgery. Grunchlk says it'll be about eight arns; the doctor wants to supervise the healing of Moya first. Rygel tells her to leave, as he talks to Grunchlk about securing passage off of Moya, since she won't be able to starburst for a while.

Crichton asks Zhaan to join with him in Unity so he can show her what he wants to say to his friends and family should he die. She goes to initiate unity, but Scorpius-Crichton grabs her, in a mental link, saying a twelfth level Pa'u could break the bond, but she's only a ten.

Meanwhile, Crais asks Aeryn what her next move is since Crichton could die here and the others are talking about what to do next. She says that he must have a suggestion. He says Talyn needs guidance and has chosen her, and that he agrees with that decision. Before she can answer, Talyn informs Crais that Crichton has left Moya in his module. Crichton tells Aeryn not to come after him, since he's not in control. Crais says that he's broadcasting their location to Scorpius and that he must be stopped. Aeryn thanks Crais for his offer, then goes after Crichton. Crais gets Talyn to block the transmission as best he can.

Aeryn addresses the chip in Crichton's head since he's clearly not in control. He says that she won't kill him because if she fires she'll miss. Zhaan is in pain on Moya, telling Stark that Crichton is gone; his body is filled with horrific evil. Crichton's taken his ship into the atmosphere where he has had more flight experience. D'Argo reminds Aeryn that Crichton has said he'd rather die than go to Scorpius, so she cannot hesitate. She asks why she would and he says because if their positions were reversed, he would.

Scorpius-Crichton loses her by flying through some sort of rock and when she comes out he appears flying above her. She tries to plead with Crichton, but Scorpius-Crichton says she doesn't realize the extent of Crichton's misery. She says that he must recognize she is the superior pilot, to which he agrees and she tells him to land. Scorpius-Crichton says he has no alternative and proceeds to attempt to land on top of her Prowler, smashing through it with the landing gears! She announces that she is under attack and is forced to eject. Her Prowler crashes and explodes, but the descent brakes on her ejection seat auto-ignite, so she initially appears to be out of danger.... Scorpius-Crichton informs her that she's not over land, but rather a frozen lake which she confirms.

Knowing that the jets from the descent brakes will weaken the ice, Crais implores her to get free however she can't as her harness was jammed by the module's tyre, has nothing to break it with, and can't divert her landing either. As Scorpius-Crichton starts to gloat, John takes control saying that she has to get out of the seat however Aeryn confirms she has no way to get free. She says all her options are depleted and she hopes that Crichton meant what he said in the neural cluster because she did. As the others on Moya listen on and Crichton watches in horror at what he has done, she descends into the lake, resurfacing only long enough to call Crichton's name before falling back under water where she drowns.

We cut to Aeryn's funeral, performed by Zhaan, as in turn the crew (with Crichton's arms restrained by handcuffs) pay their respects. D'Argo gives her his Qualta Blade and Rygel gives her his medallion, saying she is more worthy of it than he is and asks her to be at peace. Zhaan finishes her prayer as Crichton goes to her and asks D'Argo for his knife. Reluctantly, he hands it to him and Crichton leans over her, asking for her forgiveness and saying he loves her. He kisses her and cuts a lock of her hair, then says he's ready.

The Diagnosan tells Crichton he's not responsible for Aeryn's death, but Crichton says he is. Grunchlk explains that the doctor is going to cut the tendrils then remove the chip, but since they have no map of what functions are in what part of the human brain, the Diagnosan will probe his brain and Crichton must tell him what memories he wants to keep.

On Talyn, an upset Crais says he too would have liked to have shown Aeryn the information on the chip he has, as he thinks it would have made her the happiest soul among them. Zhaan is comforting Pilot when Stark tells her that everyone's moving on and asks what she will do. She says her concern is for Pilot and Moya now and Stark asks to share the future with her.

The surgery continues, with Crichton telling Tocot what memories to keep. He says to get rid of American politics, but to keep the memories of his dogs if possible. Meanwhile, Grunchlk tells Rygel that his ship will be here shortly. He says that it's too bad about Aeryn and Rygel in a humble tone says yes, but that's life. The doctor asks Crichton about the memories of Aeryn, but we don't hear his answer.

Jothee is apparently preparing to leave and saying goodbye to Chiana. As they're about to kiss, D'Argo comes in and says that they should stay close. Meanwhile, Tocot finds the wormhole memories as suddenly a horde of Peacekeepers storm the building! The doctor says that Crichton's speech is close to the implant so he'll have to take it out then attempt to restore Crichton's speech. He removes the chip and shows it to Crichton, who is now reduced to talking unintelligable gibberish.

We see Aeryn in one of the storage containers, when Lt. Braca sees Grunchlk hiding in one. Tocot is about to restore Crichton's speech, when Scorpius walks in to the operating room! He greets the doctor and says his cooling apparatus is as functional as the day Tocot installed it. Declaring Tocot's usefulness to be at an end, he then removes the doctor's mask and breathes on him causing the Diagnosan to fall to the ground motionless. He tells Crichton that there's so much to say, but so little capacity. He takes the chip and says he hopes all this work was worth it. He condemns Crichton... to live, so that his thirst for unfulfilled revenge will consume him. With that, he says goodbye and walks out leaving Crichton, with his brains exposed and unable to speak, screaming in agony...

To Be Continued...

Memorable quotes[]

Aeryn: There is no mirror. There is no Scorpius. Look. You must confront your fears with strength.

John: You're right, Aeryn. (John's face morphs into Scorpius) There's no Scorpius here. (Morphs back to John) There's only me. (Morphs back into Scorpius-John)

Scorpius-John:I would be... lost without you.

Aeryn: Then you will never be lost.

John: No matter what happens, you have worked your way into my heart.

Aeryn: And you've shown me that I have one.

John: (Takes Aeryn's face in his hands) I love you.

Aeryn: I love you, too.

(Just as they reach in to kiss, he throws Aeryn's head back against a wall, knocking her unconscious.)

Scorpius-John: You are so... my girl. (He licks her, nose to forehead)

Chiana: Pilot, you're high.

Pilot(clearly out of it): I am no higher than I've ever been. My position is fixed.

Scorpius-John: Hello, Delvian. Tenth Level Pa'u. Pity. A Twelfth could break this bond. Time to pray.

Scorpius-John: John Crichton to Scorpius. Limited flight capabilities due to the nature of this craft. Repeat. Request immediately extraction.

Aeryn: You just called yourself John Crichton. Are you really John anymore?

Scorpius-John: Ah. Little lady. How's the skull fracture?

Aeryn: Well, if I'm not addressing Crichton, then I address the neurochip in his head.

Scorpius-John: At your service.

Aeryn: You're in an unarmed vessel. I believe Scorpius's mandate is for Crichton to remain alive.

Scorpius-John: And I intend to see that he does.

Aeryn: Given no other choices, I will shoot you down.

Scorpius-John: Oh, I doubt it.

Aeryn: Make no mistake.

Scorpius-John: I believe you'll pull the trigger. I just don't believe you'll hit anything.

Scorpius-John: Ah, the radiant Miss Officer Sun. So sure. So confident in the void of space. Crichton was trained to fly in atmosphere... against gravity. Welcome to our world, baby

D'Argo: Aeryn, Crichton has often said he'd rather die than fall to Scorpius. If you get the opportunity, don't hesitate.

Aeryn: What makes you think I would?

D'Argo: Because if our positions were reversed... I would.

(After smashing the Module tire through Aeryn's cockpit)

Scorpius-John: Terribly sorry. Didn't see you there.

Aeryn: I hope you meant what you said in the neural cluster... I did.

Scorpius (About Tocot): What irony. Sensitivity to heal anything... but oneself.

Scorpius: Well, Crichton. So much to say and yet, such little capacity.

Scorpius: I condemn you John Crichton, to live. So that your thirst for unfullfilled revenge, will consume you!

Goodbye.

Background information[]

David Kemper knew the final image of the season at mid-year and worked backward to reach it. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
The makeup and performance of Scorpius-John were so good that producers couldn't tell the difference. Because of this, the makeup was made less accurate to keep the difference clear. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
Fiona Gentle's vocal performance for Tocot impressed the producers, so they asked her to repeat it for the final version of the episode. The brief for the voice was originally "a high-pitched harmonic warble, interposed with Kalahari bushman dialect." ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3, "Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v3.1)
The shot of Aeryn ejecting out of the Prowler was done overnight by one of the CG artists who knew that it was needed for the episode. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
Anthony Simcoe did his ADR work in Paris as he was on vacation there after the episode finished shooting. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
Rockne S. O'Bannon tried to push the envelope as far as possible and recalled, "Once again, it's a question of how much you can ladle on. How many threads can you leave untied and really make it a feast of mysteries?" ("Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
The producers knew that there would be a third season and set up the cliffhanger to be resolved early in that season. O'Bannon said "We pretty much knew, in terms of ratings and appear, that there would be a third season. We came from nobody knowing we existed to the fanbase starting to gel at the end of Season Two. The only thin that was always a variable was the financing for it. Farscape was a very expensive show, but that notwithstanding, you always assume that if something's working and is that successful, the money will be found." ("Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
Rowan Woods was nervous with his directing duties and spent a lot of time preparing saying, "I didn't know we could do it, until we got the script. I was a bit nervous about doing the boss' script for the first time. And with a Kemper script, you really have to be careful not to invent too much extraneous stuff. Monjo is a great writer, but he has a different style, and I tend to be more at one with Monjo. He bends, and I bend. You have to be careful with a really good Kemper script because if you go off the tracks, you go off at your own peril. The one thing I decided to do with that script was, in the four weeks beforehand, I just asked the guy stupid questions. And, as Kemper does, he gave me hour long answers!" ("Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.3)
The gibberish uttered by John after the surgery was not random utterances, but scripted. (DVD commentary)

Links and references[]

Starring[]

Guest stars[]

Guest cast[]

Thomas Holesgrove as Diagnosan Tocot
David Franklin as Braca

Puppeteers[]

Farscape episode
“Die Me, Dichotomy”

Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 22
Guest star(s)	Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Lani Tupu (Captain Bialar Crais), Paul Goddard (Stark), Hugh Keays-Byrne (Grunchlk), Matt Newton (Ka Jothee), David Franklin (Braca), Thomas Holesgrove (Diagnosan Tocot)
Writer(s)	David Kemper
Director	Rowan Woods
Production no.	10222
Original airdate	January 26, 2001 (US); December 19, 2000 (UK)
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"Liars, Guns and Money - Plan B"	"Season of Death"