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By Jonathan Klotz
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Farscape it may be known as the “puppet show,” but it contains some of the best writing of any science fiction series, between John Crichton’s organic growth and Aeryn Black’s relationship with the ability to turn up even the strangest stories in cerebral storytelling. This is the only reason there is Farscape did as well as Harvey, a version of the villainous Scorpius that exists only in Crichton’s head, a gimmicky character who became a fan favorite despite the obvious limitations.
Invisible Frenemy John Crichton
First appeared in “Crackers Don’t Matter,” the fourth episode of Farscape Season 2, it was assumed that Scorpius’ hallucination was part of T’raltixx’s mental manipulations, but then Scorpius would appear again and again in moments of great stress. The hallucination even began to urge Crichton to follow certain actions, in particular not to kill the real Scorpius, before he finally revealed himself inside a human mind. The hallucination was the result of a neural chip implanted by Scorpius while torturing Crichton; ironically, the Scorpius clone revealed the truth during another torture session by another alien which he helped Crichton defeat.
Crichton called the hallucination Scorpius living in his head Harvey, named after James Stewart’s classic about the invisible rabbit. From then on, Harvey would appear several times in each season, sometimes as a visible hallucination that was neither of the other Farscape characters could see as he didn’t really exist, and at other times, within Crichton’s mind, where he offered helpful advice like Jiminy Cricket in thin leather.
A Genius Way To Keep Scorpius Engaged
There are writers of Farscape making the choice to have Scorpius’ neural implant be a version of Scorpius as a way to keep the villain involved without his evil plans regularly failing. This way, they could keep Wayne Pygram involved, explore different parts of Crichton as reflected by Scorpius, and maintain a sense of danger around the real villain. Harvey may have started out as a mental clone of Scorpius, but he eventually became his own character.
Harvey would appear to Crichton in Hawaiian shirts and at a moment that showcased Pygram’s talent, even played the drums like Ringo Starr. These unbeaten appearances made fans and Crichton begin to consider Harvey more of an ally than an enemy, and in fact, he was, but only in the same way that the real Scorpius was: to further his own goals. Indeed, by the time Farscape ends, Harvey was able to achieve his goals and the reason he was programmed in the first place, but in keeping with the spirit of the series, it wasn’t exactly how he intended to return in season 2.
Farscape is the only sci-fi series that I can think of that took what could have been a one-off gimmick for an episode and managed to turn Harvey into a lasting part of the show’s legacy. Stargate SG-1 turned a gimmicky episode into one of the show’s best, but they never included Apophis appearing in a hazmat suit or discussing how Easter is celebrated. Farscape manages to do a lot with very little, thanks to smart writing and a talented cast, with Wayne Pygram’s seamless Harvey as the best example of what a little creativity and a willingness to throw out the rule book can do get you
