Topic: QOTW #5: What is your favourite "shippy" moment from the series?

[Kurt Armbruster]

What is your favourite "shippy" moment from the regular series?

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Thank you, and we look forward to your answers!
Kurt

[sandymg]

Excellent question. Looking forward to hearing the newest podcast!

I’ve heard producer David Kemper say that Farscape is at heart a love story. It is in fact that emotional undercurrent that makes the show so addictive. Speaking of David Kemper my favorite shippy moment was penned by him with I believe substantial contribution by the show’s lead couple Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Let’s talk about the coin toss scene. The episode Dog with Two Bones culminated one of the strongest story arcs of the series -- the twinning of John and the subsequent realization of the relationship with Aeryn. We knew as we watched that Talyn John was doomed. By the time we saw The Choice we also knew that Aeryn would not simply move into the backup’s arms. And so, it all leads to the coin toss. Pitch perfect drama, tension, acting, pacing and excruciating honesty. Who didn’t flinch when Aeryn answers John’s question of what his kiss tasted like with, “yesterday.” They shove each other with so much buried pain it’s hard not to feel it as you are watching. Then the conclusion, leave it up to fate. Watching the coin dance into the air we see Aeryn’s eyes following its motion, paralleling the turns her life has taken. While John never takes his eyes from Aeryn. No surprise there.

Sandy, Port Chester, NY

[Kevin Bachelder]

Excellent question. Looking forward to hearing the newest podcast!

I’ve heard producer David Kemper say that Farscape is at heart a love story. It is in fact that emotional undercurrent that makes the show so addictive. Speaking of David Kemper my favorite shippy moment was penned by him with I believe substantial contribution by the show’s lead couple Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Let’s talk about the coin toss scene. The episode Dog with Two Bones culminated one of the strongest story arcs of the series -- the twinning of John and the subsequent realization of the relationship with Aeryn. We knew as we watched that Talyn John was doomed. By the time we saw The Choice we also knew that Aeryn would not simply move into the backup’s arms. And so, it all leads to the coin toss. Pitch perfect drama, tension, acting, pacing and excruciating honesty. Who didn’t flinch when Aeryn answers John’s question of what his kiss tasted like with, “yesterday.” They shove each other with so much buried pain it’s hard not to feel it as you are watching. Then the conclusion, leave it up to fate. Watching the coin dance into the air we see Aeryn’s eyes following its motion, paralleling the turns her life has taken. While John never takes his eyes from Aeryn. No surprise there.

Sandy, Port Chester, NY

Sandy,

Thanks very much for sharing your answer here on the forums and also on our voicemail.  It is so great to hear it in your own voice!


Thanks again,

Kevin

[phazedout]

It has to be Tlyn John's death seen, the Pain on Aeryn's face is just heart-wrenching.
I'll leave a longer Audio comment later.
Phaze
on the "tsrting his own podcast soon, watch this space for further details" ID

[Eirenne]

There are so many for me which surround mostly John and Aeryn (I am such a J/A shipper).  But one that stands out for me are several moments in A Human Reaction.  Probably because it was still a time of innocence for John and Aeryn.  Things had not become so complicated yet with Scorpius, the twinning of John etc...  I remember the scene where he tells her has to get going and asks if she is coming.  She says she can't.  As he says his goodbyes to everyone then sees Aeryn standing in the background, the look between the two of them was very emotional that no words could express what they were feeling.   Aeryn trying to keep her composure and not fall to pieces as you see her eyes fill with tears as he whispers good bye to her.  Then of course the the scene where they are sitting on the bed together in the safe house and John asks Aeryn if she was scared to leave with him when he left Moya and yes acknowledges that she was.  His sigh as he brings his head to her shoulder was just another tell tale moment between them as well as the gentle kiss they share, which meant more to me than what transpired after the kiss.  Granted it wasn't the first time they had shared a kiss, they did in "The Flax" but I think this episode was the first time that they recognized there was something more than attraction between the two of them.  It left an lasting impression on me.  Even now having  viewed the entire series this episode is still one of my absolute favorites.

[Nicola Wood]

That long look between Aeryn and John,followed by that inarticulate nod that Aeryn gives John as he climbs into his module is such a killer for me.   And you know that Aeryn didn't say goodbye because her throat was full of tears.

Love that scene.   Just a few seconds and no lines but ... wow.

[lascaper]

My all time favorite shippy J&A moment was at the end of Twice Shy when John told Aeryn that she's the key. 

Aeryn was furious because she'd found out that John was using drugs to protect himself from feeling his love for her.  Aeryn had been doing everything she could to make up for her past blunders, and the entire time John had been cheating.  Medicating himself.  I've never seen her so angry with him before.   

John gets Pilot to "test" the comms so he could talk to Aeryn without worrying about Scorpy listening to their conversation.  And he tells Aeryn what she's been dying to hear.  (Me too!!!    )  That Aeryn and the  baby are the key.  The answer.  Their welfare is the only thing in the universe that would make John give Scorpius the wormhole knowledge. 

As happy as she is (Me too!!!   ), Aeryn thinks the drugs have made John too paranoid of Scorpius.  That is until Scorpius asks Pilot about the comms.  John is sure he has to stay away from Aeryn to protect her and the baby.  Make Scorpius think John doesn't care so they'll be safe. 

It's a bad plan, but it's John's secret to keep.  So Aeryn (and I) will just have to be content with knowing that he loves her.

I love this scene   

[chi27]

This is a hard question to answer because there are so many.  But to choose one and only one, I'd have to say the scene in Terra Firma right before the skreeth made it's presence known.  Jack and Olivia want Aeryn to stay for their family Christmas Eve dinner, but she doesn't want to intrude or so she says.  Then John walks through the door wearing all black and looking gorgeous.  Aeryn's heart is breaking because she can't stand it any more that John won't give her an answer whether he wants her to stay not just on Earth, but with him.  The tears are threatening to fall as she practically begs him to give her a simple yes or no.  All that time, John avoids eye contact with her because he can hear the pain in her voice.  So just when he closes the distance between them, it looks like he's about to tell her to stay.  But before he could get the words out, the creature crashes the party.

I love this scene because it shows how far Aeryn has gone to make things right between she and John and to "get her story straight" as he told her to do some time previous.  Yet, her frustration seems to have hit an all time high because she keeps hitting brick walls as far as making headway in putting their relationship back on track.  As for John, I've always felt that this was the straw that broke as far as his willpower to stay away from her drugs or no drugs. 

[jagwriter78]

One of my favorite shippy scenes is still in season 1. Namely, the end of The Flax. I just love that smile on John's face when he asks Aeryn if she is the female of her species, and the naughty smirk she gives him as reply. Of course what makes the whole scene perfect is the moment after, when John looks back at her over his shoulder and Aeryn turns as well look at him. I know if both Ben and Claudia had planned to do this, it would have never worked as well as the simple act of fate that it was while shooting that scene. Aeryn's smile after that tells it all!

[Jarrak]

You want us to pick one "shippy" moment from the series, talk about setting an impossible task
Where to begin, perhaps a scene with John and Aeryn or maybe John and Gilina or even John and Zhaan. Then there is D'Argo and Chianna and a little Jothee thrown in and every other male Chianna met including John. Stark and Zhaan had something serious going on at the end and even Scorpy dabbled with Natira in his own way and lets not forget Sikozu. Granted they were not all sexual encounters but there was a strong emotional context and that's more than enough for a "shippy" moment

However I'm actually going to select something a little less obvious or then again perhaps it isn't.
How about the relationship generated by the symbiotic bond between Crais and Talyn and there combined affection for Aeryn and the subsequent love triangle with John?
It has it all, very strong emotion almost leading to murder, indecision by the one desired by the males (including Talyn) when given options which appeal and then the consequences of lies and deceit.

Crais expressed his and Talyns desire very simply with "This is a moment we have long waited for, Aeryn." and after she takes the step which potentially leaves John behind she utters "He is beyond beautiful!" and Crais once again simply replies "Welcome to our world, Officer Sun."

[aeryncrichton]

I am, obviously, a j/a shipper, and all my favorite shippy moments belong to them (and I've seen many of them mentioned by others here, too!).   

The two moments that immediately leap out as bits I played over and over and over and wore out videotapes are two of the most obvious, I suppose.  The first is the end of LATP3, not just the reactions to the kiss, but everything leading up to it.  Aeryn is terrified of taking this emotional step.  She's exercising, trying to work off her nervousness, and work up her nerve.  And it's John, the one who TALKS about feelings, who's, well, trying to talk.  And when he sees what she wants to do -- the compatibility test -- he goes completely quiet himself, as if any word or movement from him will cause her to lose her nerve and flee....  It just epitomizes their relationship at that point in time for me, Aeryn's fear, John's patience -- but both of them aware that this is a monumental step.

The second is at the end of of SoD, when Aeryn is standing, alone, contemplating her return from the dead, and John comes in to see her, the first time they've had to talk since he killed her.  She can't deny that she loves him, he can't deny he loves her, and that kiss is just blazing hot!  I love the way they continue to touch each other while Aeryn tries to explain about Zhaan, and why she can't allow them to act on their feelings.  (Such mixed signals poor John is getting!)  The sheer strength of their love, and how much they want each other, just blows me away!

(And if we want to get totally heartbreaking, I also adore TJohn's death, and the end of DWTB....)

aeryncrichton, Southern California

[jerseygirl]

My one favorite shippy moment from the WHOLE show? That's simply impossible! How about, my favorite one from each season?

Season 1: has to be at the end of The Flax. After John has ascertained that Aeryn is indeed the female of her species and he walks away, the smiles on both their faces speak volumes. As much as they tried to deny their moment in the transport pod, it's now obvious that they're both attracted to each other.

Season 2: in The Locket, when old John and old Aeryn are strolling through the woods, talking and laughing. We don't hear what they say but we don't need to. They're soulmates.

Season 3: oh, this is a toughie. For me, it's a tie between Meltdown (comic) and The Choice (tragic). In Meltdown, John and Aeryn can't keep their hands off each other and it's hysterical watching them try. In The Choice, when Aeryn talks to imaginary John, her grief and loss is almost unbearable.

Season 4: again a tie, this time between La Bomba and Bad Timing. In La Bomba, I love John and Aeryn's little tryst in the flower field. When they stand up and put themselves back together, it's priceless. In Bad Timing, there's a moment that I just love, and it says everything about their relationship and how much Aeryn has changed. When they're in extended starburst, Aeryn comes into the room while John is polishing his boots. He says he's going to fail. Aeryn sits down and smiles a little smile and says "I know you better than that". Such a little line, spoken so calmly but to me it was WOW!

[Eirenne]

Great choices.  And I agree with you. It's extremely hard to pick just one.

[Perseus]

One of my favourite and most moving moment is the whole rescue-of-Aeryn arc from "Bringing Home the Beacon" to "Fetal Attraction".

From the moment Aeryn is abducted there's no more lightness and wisecracking in John, he becomes much more focused and deadly serious. He's not the pure and perfect hero, he is ready to kill and he is ready to make a deal with the devil. He's been hiding the wormhole technology from Scorpius and the scarrans for three years, he resisted torture, his twin even died for that in "Icarus Abides". But at this point he cares only for one thing, he only wants one thing : to rescue Aeryn. But he needs Scorpius's help and he needs to know where is Katratzi. So he makes his choice, Aeryn for wormholes. Scorpius will get what he wants  and people will die on bizarro Moya to bring the information about the scarran base. He knows what he does is wrong but he's deadly determined to achieve his goal. At this point the universe doesn't matter, all that matters is Aeryn. She's his home and his universe and he will do what he has to do to save her.

Same thing for Aeryn, during her terrible ordeals she never gives up and keep relying on John to get her out of the scarrans claws.
When he finally retrieves her and bring her back to Moya she's helpless and panics. We've never seen Aeryn so physically and psycholocally vulnerable, she's like a damaged creature, so when John sets her on her bed she begs him to stay with her. It is powerfully emotional.

From that moment on, nothing will separate them anymore. Scorpius knows about them, the scrarrans know, actually everybody knows. They don't have to hide anymore, Aeryn has her story straight and john doesn't need to use drugs anymore. They are finally able to love each other and live as a couple.

Perseus.
France.

[Dan_242]

There are lots of good replies so I will be brief.  My favorite "shippy" moment is from "The Locket" when Crichton and Aeryn are talking and he asks her whos picture she is has in her locket, she says "The only true love of my life"..."Why don't you look for yourself" (Something like that), he says (thinking it was her late husband) "Why would I want to look at his ugly face anyway"?

That was an incredible moment!