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» » Farscape Coup by Clam (1999–2003)

Short summary

The crew gets checked out by a doctor for Space madness, a condition that's common in the area they're traveling. He gives them some food after the exam, and after they've ingested the meal, tells them the meal will cause them to get linked with whomever they split the dish with. D'Argo/Noranti, Aeryn/Rygel, and Crichton/Sikozu. He'll cure them ... for a price.

Play 'spot the prop'. D'argo and Nuranti are exchanging urine for the cure and are drinking from odd, squarish glasses. Those are Coplin Jars used in histology labs to stain up to 5 microscope slides at a time. Coplin Jars have been around for about 100 years.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Rexfire
    Farscape's fourth and final season, though mostly an improvement over season 3, was pretty inconsistent. This episode, however, worked with the series major strengths - the acting talent, the willingness to push at the boundaries of sci-fi, and the intensity of the characters the series had developed over its four year run.

    Coup by Clam puts Moya's crew into a political rat's nest in the no-person's land of distorted space. They are attempting to trade repairs on a planet where women are wholly subjugated and have run afoul of a ruthless revolutionary organization of murderous women, a doctor who uses his secret knowledge of this organization to extort from patients whom he makes terminally ill and who only he can cure, and the local law enforcement. The role of mollusca in all of this is central and just a bit grotesque - no need to discuss it further.

    Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) has a couple of great scenes in this one, as does Ben Browder (Crichton). The only weak moment in this fast-paced and complicated episode is the epilogue - which seems very rushed, and is not produced with the show's usually high standards.
  • comment
    • Author: Gavirim
    Before the crew can get vital repairs they must undergo a medical examination to ensure that they aren't infected by space madness; while Doctor Tumii does the tests he leaves the others dining on a variety of clams he has provided. He doesn't tell them that the clams must not be shared or it will cause fatal food poisoning. This is caused by the bacteria in the clam having a type of telepathic link; it also means that those who share each clam will share each others feelings; so when D'Argo sneezes so does Naranti, when Sakozu gets stomach ache so does Crichton and when Rygel breaks wind so does Aeryn! Tumii then informs them that he is the only person to have the cure and if they don't pay him a substantial amount he will let them die. The cure is made from other clams of the same colour and Tumii only has one purple clam; this means he can cure D'Argo and Noranti but will have to get more clams to help the others. This will be a problem though as the only source of clams is a group of women fighting for equal treatment and they want to eliminate Tumii as he is a threat to their planned revolution. If Crichton, Aeryn, Rygel and Sakozu are to survive they will have to keep Tumii alive and get their hands on the required clams.

    This was an enjoyable episode with a good sense of danger as well as some good laughs... D'Argo's reaction to Noranti getting aroused was as hilarious as it was disturbing! Almost as funny was seeing Crichton dressed as a woman to infiltrate the rebel women's club... Anthony Simcoe and Ben Browder were great in these scenes! Tumii was a strange antagonist; his large nose made him look like a pantomime villain; although its length did make it easier for Rygel to bite! The women's rights subtext wasn't heavy handed and fitted well into the story without feeling as though the creators had a political message to push; the only possible fault with it was that the female mechanic who was meant to be disguised as a man did not look at all manly; she just looked like an attractive girl with short hair! Keeping spoilers to a minimum it was interesting to see Scorpius risk himself to help the others; perhaps he has given up his evil ways after all.
  • Episode complete credited cast:
    Ben Browder Ben Browder - John Crichton
    Claudia Black Claudia Black - Officer Aeryn Sun
    Anthony Simcoe Anthony Simcoe - Ka D'Argo
    Gigi Edgley Gigi Edgley - Chiana
    Wayne Pygram Wayne Pygram - Scorpius
    Raelee Hill Raelee Hill - Sikozu Svala Shanti Sugaysi Shanu
    Melissa Jaffer Melissa Jaffer - Utu-Noranti Pralatong
    Lani John Tupu Lani John Tupu - Captain Bialar Crais / Pilot (voice) (as Lani Tupu)
    Barry Otto Barry Otto - Dr. Tumii
    David Field David Field - Ho'Ock
    Sara Groen Sara Groen - Mujombre
    Jonathan Hardy Jonathan Hardy - Dominar Rygel XVI (voice)
    Kelly Butler Kelly Butler - Selva
    Christopher Mayer Christopher Mayer - Mekken (as Chris Mayer)
    Susan Prior Susan Prior - Kiryah
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