Farscape plays the wise-guy, but isn't as funny as it thinks it is in this silly tale of moluscular mayhem.

From the moment Doctor Snot stuck his probe up John's nose, Coup by Clam had pinned its colours to the mast as another funny Farscape, but was too much of a muddle to carry it off.

There are some great moments, like D'Argo's unwitting insight into what it means to be a woman, and John dolled up like a reject from the Medieval Babes, but they're not enough to carry a whole episode.

The basic premise of the sensation-linking clams was daft and unconvincing, and the B-story of female emancipation was definitely B (or even C) rate. Far too much was left unexplained by the overly hurried plot, from why the women�s libbers should be quite so hostile, to why Scorpy was given the freedom of Moya.

Worst of all is the fact this episode looked and felt cheap, especially the scenes in the women's lib movement's private club. Not only could you see the small gaggle of extras desperately shuffled back and forth trying to make the dowdy set look crowded, but the music was exactly the same in every scene. The molluscs themselves clearly contained jelly - probably the lowest quality effect ever seen on the show.

D'Argo's moment aside, this episode gives the impression of having been written for a bet - someone had money riding on whether they could get Ben Browder into a dress. It's the only explanation for how Farscape could turn out such a lightweight piece of tinselly fluff.

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