FarscapeWeekly Farscape Tainted Lunch Coup by Clam episode review & analysis Ross Ruediger part 2

Tainted Lunch
A possibly too-in-depth look at "Coup by Clam"
Ross Ruediger ¤ 21 September 2002

Part 1: Pre-Ramble
Part 2: The Episode
Part 3: Conclusions and Final Thoughts

Part 2: The Episode

Moya needs some work done. The crew arrives on planet Khurtanan where said work can be performed, however, amongst Khurtanan’s many eccentricities is a widespread fear of an affliction known as “Space Madness”. This may be a reference to the classic Ren and Stimpy episode of the same name. Side note - that particular installment of the series ended with Stimpy pressing the “History Eraser Button”... the shape of Farscape things to come?

Before Moya can get her much-needed overhaul, the creepy, unsanitary, snot nosed Dr. Tumii (Barry Otto) must declare the crew unafflicted by the “transmissible celestial dementia”. Whilst each member undergoes a series of what appear to be rather painful tests, the rest share a meal of fresh Qatal Mollusks presumably supplied by Tumii.

It’s soon revealed by the dastardly Doctor that the mollusks are poisonous – but only when split amongst those who dine on them. The mechanics of this process involve bacteria that inhabit each clam. When the clams are split, the bacteria work to come back together – from the mutual stomachs of the digesters. Those who've shared the eats are mentally linked and succumb to symptoms that are strikingly similar to space madness, and eventually lead to death. Ahhhhh, but there’s a cure he adds, and he’ll be happy to administer it when each infected crewmember provides him with a quarter million in currency. Six crewmembers are affected and they’re linked in the following rather conveniently comical male/female combos: John/Sikozu, D’Argo/Noranti, and Rygel/Aeryn. (Chi wisely turned down the meal and it seems Scorpy wasn’t even invited to dine.) They dare not mention this little scam to the soon-to-be arriving mechanic as they won’t be believed and their maddening symptoms are worthy of being shot on sight. Tumii leaves Moya as the mechanic and an officer board. Screen capture of Tumii from Dallascaper's FarscapeFantasy.

Later, down on the planet, John, Aeryn, and D’Argo await further prognosis from Dr. Tumii. He discloses that he’s really only got enough cure (which requires more mollusk) to save a third of the infected – D’Argo and Noranti, due to the specific type they ingested. They’re to mix more Qatal with one another’s urine and then…down the hatch. D’Argo booms, ”No way! I am not drinking the old woman’s urine.” Tumii also reveals the infected pairs must “press bare flesh to bare flesh in order for the bacteria to migrate”. There’s an obvious moment here where D’Argo assumes the worst about what further indignities he’ll have to subject himself to with Noranti, but there’s also a far more subtly effective shippy moment involving Aeryn casting a jealous glare Crichton’s way with thoughts of Sikozu, John and doses of nudity on the brain. The paranoia is quickly dashed when Tumii says, “Hands will suffice.” Amongst this lunacy, Noranti finds a moment to “pleasure” herself onboard Moya, and of course D’Argo feels it, to great comic effect. After near orgasm (“She lost it…”), Big D heads back to Moya to check out the cure.

Pheeeewwwww…that was long-winded. One of the episode’s biggest faults is the amount of time devoted to exposition (the teaser, nearly all of Act I, and even some of Act II), however, most of it’s pretty necessary in order for the big jokes in “Coup” to come to a head. This would be less noticeable if the bulk of it didn’t come in the form of rambling verbal diarrhea from the mouth of Tumii. Even the crew tire of it eventually, and John threatens to cut his tongue out. We sympathasize and are grateful, as it’s around this point -- when Tumii finally shuts his craw -- that the tale shifts into high gear.

Back on Moya, Scorpius and Chiana keep watchful eyes on the visitors – the officer and mechanic respectively. Through these exchanges more is revealed about Khurtanan society. Scorpy and the officer, Mekken, wander through a corridor discussing the ship. “She is a female?” the newcomer asks in disbelief. “Oh yes…but wholly controlled by Pilot…a male, of course,” replies Nosferatu. “That’s not so bad,” Mekken retorts. The conversation turns to space madness, and Mekken states he recently lost three good men to the disease. “All male?” queries Scorpius. “That’s what makes it a real shame,” answers the officer lasciviously.

Chiana studies the young, androgynous mechanic as he works. In a quick move, she pulls the boy forward and rips open “his” coveralls, revealing breasts. There’s been much discussion of this scene, and many theories put forth as to whether or not the viewer was ever supposed to believe this character was a boy (none of them seemed terribly feasible to me). The revelation was not anticlimactic, as much as it was confusing. It’s difficult to figure out how the production team could drop the ball so obviously. The sexual politics of the planet are not revealed in full until after this scene - so it fails, at least on the first viewing. Had they been laid out more clearly beforehand, it might have been easier to accept - but as they weren’t until after this Crying Game moment, the scenario just simply doesn’t work. If you want to believe that the viewer, and perhaps Chiana, is supposed to know all along and you can find a way to rationalize it, then great…and more jirl power to you. The mechanic tells Chi “Women on my world aren’t allowed to do this sort of work” and “You can’t tell Mekken – he’ll kill me!” It’s also hard to swallow that Mekken, who seemed quite the letch, hadn’t inspected the “goods” up close – the mechanic was a very cute boy. On the other hand, maybe he was too cute of a boy. Mekken sure seemed to take a liking to Scorpy - possibly he was more drawn toward rough trade? Screen capture of the mechanic from Dallascaper's FarscapeFantasy.

Back on the planet, Tumii is shot by a female revolutionary, but survives. He tells John and Aeryn it’s this very group that hold the remainder of the mollusk cure – they use them at a nightclub when entertaining rich and powerful men, obviously for blackmail and the like. (Further exposition!) Sikozu and Rygel arrive and the girls decide to head out to the club to procure the clams. John and Rygel stay behind and baby-sit Tumii, whom John has tied down and gagged. An officer, Ho’Ock, arrives at the Doctor’s office – his “zergenbobs” (!) are acting up. Rygel plays doctor (“Dr. Rygel…Tumii’s at a colon convention.”) and offers up some “preventative bloodletting” to the man, which he wisely turns down before exiting. John asks the Hynerian what he’s doing. Rygel deviously replies, “I’m operating…”

Sikozu and Aeryn attempt to infiltrate the nightclub/brothel but are downed by a nightstick – back in the office, John and Rygel feel their pain. The girls awaken from their beating to see Selva, the head of the female resistance movement. In much the same way that the mechanic was obviously female, it appeared the very masculine Selva would end up being exposed as a male at the end of the episode – this never happens. Maybe this is the whole crux of the matter, and maybe, just maybe, the mechanic scenario was a set-up of sorts for the introduction of Selva and the hope was to “keep on trickin’”. Gender can be a tricky animal, especially in this day and age. If this was the goal, then it still seems a failure as it’s taking great leaps in logic just to make the supposition and give the benefit of the doubt. The same type of statement was made far more eloquently with the hermaphrodite Nebari back in last season’s “Fractures” and even further back in Season 1’s “The Flax”, with the character of Staanz. Farscape is one of the few dramatic sci-fi shows that can tackle such subjects seriously, and it’s a shame the situations here aren’t exploited to their full potential. Screen capture of Selva from Dallascaper's FarscapeFantasy.

Aeryn and Sikozu ask to buy some Qatal Mollusk, but are denied their request. In a private moment, it’s revealed between Selva and an underling that killing Aeryn and Sikozu will only cure the people they’re linked to – leaving them free to take revenge. (The logistics just get deeper and deeper as the story progresses.) The revolutionaries decide to keep the girls hostage so as to lure the ones they’re linked to, then they can all be disposed of at once.

Meanwhile in the Doctor’s office, Rygel unveils a plan. He and John will gain access to the nightclub, save the girls, and snag the mollusks – dressed as women. As I stated to alt.tv.farscape newsgroup regular Tim Weaver, who was more than nonplussed by the drag gag – John Crichton in a dress simply must be logged in the Farscape files under “Had to Happen Sooner or Later.” Given the politics of the planet, and all of the gender play we’ve seen thus far in “Coup”, this was predestined to be the episode to feature it. Taking a stab, I might even hazard a guess that “Coup” was written around this joke, as most of the events seem to build up to it.

On Moya, Mekken overhears Chiana and the mechanic discussing the treatment of women on Khurtanan. The game is up and he pulls out his weapon to kill the girl – but not before Scorpius quietly slinks down a ladder (in a very scorpion-like fashion) and deftly snaps the officer’s neck. Casually he orders the mechanic, “Resume your work.” Scorpius becoming the unsung hero of so many situations in Season 4 is one of the shows many current little victories. Never is he seen to do anything that’s out of character, and it’s always to ensure his own survival or, as we see later in this episode, part of his continued efforts to safeguard John Crichton.

Crichton in "Coup by Clam" Back in the nightclub, John is a near dead ringer for Six Feet Under’s Rachel Griffiths and one wonders how in Tormented Space Rygel is fooling anybody! Even if you find no humor in Crichton in a wig and dress, the cross-dressing routine does show to go how attractive an individual Ben Browder really is and how, conversely, the puppet of Rygel is ugly no matter what the production team does to it (although we all probably knew this as far back as “Fractures”). One of the great strengths of the gag lays in the fact that the previously seen officer Ho’Ock is really quite drawn to John wearing lipstick and eye shadow, and the viewer has little problem believing it. Screen capture of Crichton from "Coup by Clam", left, from Dallascaper's FarscapeFantasy; Rachel Griffiths, right, from The Rookie from IMdb.

The remaining events of “Coup by Clam” are, quite frankly, too rich for a simple scene-by-scene retelling, and I’m not even going to attempt it. There’s no way to do them justice and they’re best viewed, rather than read about. In the grand tradition of the very best Britcoms (ala Fawlty Towers), everything that’s been said, and all actions that have been executed have a purpose – and it all comes together splendidly in Act IV, which is the only act in “Coup” that’s virtually flawless. And Scorpius manages yet again to save the day.

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Part 1: Pre-Ramble
Part 3: Conclusions and Final Thoughts

Ross Ruediger is a Texas-based screenwriter and filmmaker. He can always be reached at lynchnut@hotmail.com