1.19 - Nerve
(The Hidden Memory - Part 1)

Aeryn is dying from a wound and John has to impersonate a Peacekeeper officer and enter a secret base to obtain a tissue sample to try and save her life. There, he encounters an old friend and a new enemy.

Do humans have some sort of ritual for occasions like these? - Aeryn Sun
Well, there's the handshake, followed by "good luck." - John Crichton
Good luck. How was that? - Aeryn Sun
Perfect. - John Crichton

I could get real fond of this place. The raslak is good... and strong. - Chiana
Is that how you like it? - Heskon
Mmm... Strong and hot. Makes the mouth tingle. Helps it go down smooth... and... slow... - Chiana

This is my side! That's your side. You stay on your side. My side, your side! My side, your side! My side, your side! - Stark

Danger, danger, Will Robinson. Beware of the chair. Beware of the chair. - John Crichton

Fetch, the Comfy Chair! - John Crichton

Aeryn is working out with a punching bag. John arrives and says they have been calling her to come to dinner but she hasn't responded. She replies that she isn't hungry. A few seconds later she throws up and collapses.

John rushes to help her and starts to call Zhaan but Aeryn asks him to take her to her Prowler instead. John is confused at first then realizes that she thinks she is dying and wants to die in space. He demands to know what is going on.

Aeryn tells him that the knife wound she received from Larraq has healed but it apparently severed her Paraphoral nerve, which doesn't regenerate. She needs a transplant from a compatible donor but since they are nowhere near any Sebacean colonies there is nothing they can do. She will die within two or three days.

John reminds her they are still near the secret Gammak base that Larraq and his team were trying to reach. He goes to Command to talk to the others.

John wants to try impersonating a Peacekeeper captain again to gain entry to the base and get a tissue transplant for Aeryn. D'Argo, Rygel and Zhaan all say the plan is too dangerous and if he is caught it will put all of them at risk. John points out that the only other choice is to let Aeryn die and asks if that is what the others want.
"No, John." says D'Argo. "I do not want Aeryn to die."
"Nor do I." says Zhaan.
John looks at them. "Well, you could have fooled me."

Later, John is in Aeryn's cabin and dressed in his Peacekeeper uniform. Aeryn does not want him to risk himself for her but he says he will not let her die. She accepts that he is going and asks if there is a human ritual for such situations, and he tells her the usual thing is a handshake and a "Good Luck".
Aeryn shakes his hand. "Good luck. How was that?"
John smiles. "Perfect."

Pilot reports that they have reached the proper coordinates and that the planet is a gas giant but that it has a large moon with an atmosphere orbiting on the opposite side. They will remain where they are so the gas giant will hide them from the moon.

John goes to Aeryn's Prowler and is met by Chiana. Chiana wants to go with him so she can start earning her keep on Moya. John tries to brush her off and she gives him the ident chip she stole from Larraq. John accepts that she would be able to help him and lets her go along.

The Prowler approaches what seems to be a ruined facility on the moon but several targeting systems lock on to them. A signal comes in demanding to know who they are and John bluffs them saying that they should not attack a superior officer without checking his ID. He is given permission to land at the base.

John is met by two Peacekeeper officers, Javio and Heskon. He tells them he is on a top secret mission and that he needs quarters for him and his personal servant. They check his ID and accept him as Larraq.

Chiana appears and John introduces her as his servant. Javio is a bit surprised at first but compliments John on his taste and invites them into the base.

We next see everyone in the officer's lounge. Chiana is at a table flirting with Heskon while John is at the bar talking with Javio. Javio keeps asking him about Chiana. They are interrupted when a person appears in the door of the lounge and Javio has to leave. John berates Chiana a bit for acting like a "trollop" but she says that the more attention they pay to her the less they pay to him.

Heskon leads them to their quarters but along the way they have to pass through another security checkpoint. John gives them Larraq's ident chip but they say this checkpoint also requires a genetic scan and he must put his hand in the scanner. He is reluctant and tries to bluff his way through but Heskon is insistant. John has no choice and puts his hands in the scanner.

To his and Chiana's surprise, he passes the scan. Heskon leaves them and they proceed along the corridor while trying to figure out what happened. Someone calls to them from a room and they enter to find Gilina, the Peacekeeper technician that John befriended when they encountered the Zelbinion.

Gilina tells John that she has been reassigned from Crais' command to this base where they are working on new weapon development. She saw John in the officer's lounge in his uniform and realized that he would not be able to pass the genetic scan. She then overrode the security program so he would pass.
"You did that? From here?" Chiana asks her. Gilina confirms that she did.
"Crichton." Chiana says seriously. "This is a very good friend."

Javio is talking with Scorpius, the person from the bar. Scorpius is upset that Javio's development of the "Aurora Chair" is not progressing as well as he would like. Javio says he is understaffed but Scorpius suggests that the program is mismanaged.

John explains their reason for being there to Gilina. She agrees to take the tissue sample to the medical unit to try to find a match for Aeryn. She suggests that John stay where he is in case someone on the base knows the real Larraq. She leaves. Chiana also tells John to stay while she goes back to the lounge to try to keep the security officers distracted.

Back on Moya, Rygel tries to sneak into Aeryn's quarters but she sees him and accuses him of wanting to see if she was dead so he could take her possessions. Rygel denies this, saying she has no possessions worth taking.

D'Argo arrives and says they need Rygel on Command in case they are detected and need a quick decision. His ego boosted, Rygel leaves, much to Aeryn's relief.
"Thank you." she says to D'Argo. "If a warrior cannot die in battle she can at least die alone."

D'Argo goes to talk to Zhaan and asks if there is anything they can do for Aeryn. Zhaan tells him that the Paraphoral nerve is responsible for toxin removal and that without it poisons will build up inside her body until it kills her. D'Argo asks if she has any way to filter out the poisons and she says she does not. D'Argo says that Moya does.

Back on the base, Chiana is flirting with Heskon. Heskon leaves when Javio arrives so Chiana starts flirting with him. He offers to hire her away from Larraq and she says she will consider his offer.

Gilina returns to John and says that the Peacekeepers have learned how to synthesize Paraphoral tissue and so she has the tissue Aeryn needs. John takes it and thanks her and she kisses him but is a bit taken aback when he does not return the kiss and says he has to leave immediately. She is somewhat upset and says that they are always saying goodbye to each other but John says he has to go and leaves.

John is walking down the corridor when Scorpius appears. Scorpius immediately announces John to be an impostor and the Peacekeepers jump on John. He is able to hide the tissue sample before he is captured.

We next see John strapped into an odd-looking chair with Scorpius looking on. John continues to claim to be Larraq but Scorpius says he knows better because John's energy signature is different from that of a Sebacean and accuses him of being a spy. Niem, who is running the Chair's console, does something and John writhes in pain as images appear on a viewscreen. Scorpius says that the images are from John's memory and Niem zaps him again. Several images of Moya appear and Scorpius recognizes it as the escaped prison transport.

Chiana returns to Gilina's room and Gilina tells her that John has been captured. She can't find where John is because they seem to know someone is helping him and they are blocking parts of the system. She disguises Chiana as a technician and they head out to look for John.

John is still in the Aurora Chair and Scorpius is continuing to search through his memories. He finds the memories of the times John has encountered Crais, both from when he first arrived and from when they were brought together by Maldis. Scorpius recognizes Crais and tells Javio to contact Crais and tell him they have John.

Scorpius continues with his investigation and now sees memories from when John encountered a wormhole which seemed to lead to Earth and he found himself in the experiment run by the Ancient disguised as his father. Scorpius tries to probe further but Niem says the Chair has encountered a neural block. Scorpius tells her to increase power and break through it.

More images appear and we see the Ancient, still appearing as Jack Crichton, telling John how to create a wormhole. Both Scorpius and John are amazed, Scorpius because John is interested in wormholes and John because he doesn't remember the Ancient giving him that information. In the image, the Ancient tells John that he will not be able to consciously remember the wormhole equations because he is not ready for them but that their presence in his mind will guide him in the correct direction.

John realizes that the purpose of the Gammak base is to learn how to create a wormhole. Scorpius is convinced that John has been sent to spy on him and orders the power on the Chair to be increased in order to find out who he is working for and to retrieve the wormhole equations he has.

Eventually they give up and drag John to a cell. The cell turns out to already contain a prisoner, Stark, who is angry because John has been in "his" chair. Stark tells John to stay on his side of the cell. John realizes that Stark is insane, probably the result of being in the Chair.
"Danger, Will Robinson." he says. "Beware of the chair... beware of the chair."

Back on Moya, D'Argo and Zhaan have Aeryn connected to Moya's systems. Aeryn is concerned that it will hurt Moya or the baby but Zhaan reminds her that Moya and the baby are so much larger than her that it will not affect them. The process stabilizes Aeryn and will keep her alive until John returns with the tissue.

D'Argo says that he does not want Aeryn to know that it was his idea to connect her to Moya because Aeryn wanted to die alone and, as a warrior, he should have respected her wishes.
"Despite her words," Zhaan tells him "she really didn't want to die."
D'Argo nods. "I don't even believe that she wants to die alone."

Down on the base, Scorpius has Stark in the Aurora Chair when Crais arrives. Crais demands that Scorpius turn John over to him but Scorpius refuses to do so until he has gotten the wormhole information from John.

Chiana and Gilina have climbed into an access shaft and managed to tap into the Peacekeeper's network. They locate John in his cell and are able to communicate with them. John tells Chiana where the tissue sample is and tells her to get back to Moya with it and not to worry about him. They start to argue when someone interrupts by entering the cell. John turns to find Crais.

Gilina is somewhat upset and asks Chiana why Aeryn is so important to John. Chiana tells her that Aeryn is just a shipmate and that John is in love with Gilina and that is the reason that he is staying behind. She says that after she saves Aeryn then all of them will come back and rescue John and they will take Gilina with them. Gilina says she will leave if John wants her to go with him.

Crais tells John that he has captured Moya and everyone on board and that he will let them go if John gives them the information they need. John asks if everyone on Moya is all right, specifically asking about Aeryn, and Crais tells him they are all in perfect health, which lets John know that he is lying. John tells them to "Fetch, the Comfy Chair!"

Gilina programs a blind spot into the base's sensors so that Chiana will be able to get away in the Prowler undetected. She says she will create a diversion and gives Chiana 500 microts.

John is brought to the Aurora Chair with Crais. Stark is already in the Chair but he is taken out and John put in his place. Niem activates the chair.

Chiana gets the tissue sample and heads for the hanger bay. Gilina is still in the access shaft and activates an emergency alarm indicating that there is a reactor leak. Chiana gets to the Prowler but Javio is there too. She tries to bluff her way past him and when that fails tries to flirt with him. That fails too and he shoots at her, severing a fuel line. She grabs the fuel line and points it at him. The fuel ignites and Javio is burned to death.

Later, Chiana is on Moya and Aeryn is given the tissue sample. She asks if this means she won't die and D'Argo tells her "As you once said to me, 'You will die. But not today.'"

Aeryn asks to see John and they tell her she can see him later. She tells Chiana that she makes a worse Peacekeeper than John then takes D'Argo's hand and thanks him.

Back on the Gammak base, Heskon is talking to Scorpius. They know the false alarm was triggered by someone and they are trying to find out who caused it.
Scorpius looks at John. "Crichton will tell us."

Niem activates the Chair and John starts screaming.

When John is in the Chair we see brief images from almost every episode this season.

The crew learned of the Gammak base, Aeryn was stabbed and Chiana stole Larraq's ID card in A Bug's Life.

Gilina and John met in PK Tech Girl.

John first encountered Crais in Premiere and they met again in That Old Black Magic.

Wormholes have appeared in Premiere, Till the Blood Runs Clear and A Human Reaction.

The Ancients, who placed the wormhole knowledge in John' mind, appeared in A Human Reaction but we did not see them giving him the wormhole information in that episode.

Aeryn specifically says she does not want to die alone in The Flax.

Aeryn told D'Argo "You will die. But not today." in Throne For a Loss.

How fast do Sebaceans heal? At the end of A Bug's Life Moya was 20 arns away from the Gammak base and John tells Aeryn they are heading away from it as fast as they can. In this episode, Aeryn's wound has healed completely (except for the Paraphoral nerve) but the Gammak base is still only 20 arns away. Did Aeryn heal really fast, have they been flying around in circles or is this a continuity glitch?

What is the actual purpose of the Gammak base? Scorpius seems to be developing the Aurora Chair and researching wormholes. Are these the only two projects or are there several other projects also underway on the base?

Why did the Ancients implant the wormhole knowledge in John's mind? Why did they hide the fact that they did?

Who is Stark? Why is Scorpius interrogating him in the Aurora Chair?

Assuming he gets out of this, what will John do now that he is in the middle of a John/Aeryn/Gilina triangle? Will Gilina leave with him? How will Aeryn react if she does?

In Nerve, things start off bad and only get worse. At the beginning of the episode we learn that Aeryn is dying. By the end, we have saved Aeryn but John is captured and things aren't looking too good for Gilina either.

An old enemy is reintroduced in this episode in the form of Crais. He has apparently gone completely rogue in his search for John but comes quickly enough when he learns where he is.

We also get a new enemy in Scorpius. He certainly looks the part of the villain and may be even more frightening of an opponent than Crais. Whereas Crais is emotional and has let his brother's death drive him over the edge, Scorpius is almost coldly calculating. He is much more in control of himself and the situation than Crais ever was. He is almost unemotional in his dealings with John, and that makes him even more frightening somehow.

There is some good character development in this episode. First is the relationship between Aeryn and John. He is willing to risk his life to save hers and even tells Chiana to leave without him in order to get the tissue sample to her. Actually, the entire crew is now in this position as they rightly point out that the plan endangers all of them but they take the risk in order to try and save Aeryn's life.

Chiana especially shows development here. She is no longer wanting to jump ship at the first possible opportunity. Instead, she wants to be a part of the crew, to join the family that has formed here. She seems to want to belong.

This should not be surprising. We know from Durka Returns that she is an outcast from her own people. Like almost everyone else here, she can't go home again. Which makes her "family" here more important.

Back in the Premiere episode the phrase "everyone gets to be their own kind of hero" was introduced. I haven't been talking about this theme much but it has been evident in many of the episodes this season. Even Rygel has had his moments of being a hero. Well, Chiana gets her chance in this episode. She helps John, defeats Javio and gets the tissue sample back to Aeryn. This was her hero opportunity and she did well by it.

Chiana also has some interesting interactions with Gilina. Gilina has gone far out on a limb for John here, based on her feelings for him from the time they met in PK Tech Girl. Of course, she does not realize that things have changed since then and doesn't know what has developed between John and Aeryn. She begins to suspect, but Chiana defuses the situation by assuring her that John loves her. Chiana has read the situation and has figured out what is happening. In fact, she probably knows more than John does. Her lie helps them, but at what cost? Gilina has put herself on the line for John and things may get very ugly when she finds out the truth.

A couple of other observations. The relationship between Aeryn and D'Argo has certainly changed. Early this season, he could have cared less if she lived or died. Now, he is the one who figures out how to keep her alive until the sample can be retrieved and he is the one who watches over her. His respect for her has grown to the point where she is a fellow warrior, not a former enemy.

It is also interesting to note that, at the end, no one of the crew will tell Aeryn that John is captured, only that she can see him later. Apparently everyone on Moya has come to realize how important Aeryn is to John and how important John is to Aeryn. This is something that Aeryn has almost not even admitted to herself but it looks as if she has finally started to. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to John when he returns, especially if he brings Gilina with him.

Assuming John does manage to return. This is the first half of a two-parter and has ended on a cliffhanger. And it's not even the end of the season yet!

Hang on. You haven't seen anything yet.