My Three Crichtons
Teleplay by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr
Directed by Catherine Millar

DID YOU NOTICE?

The episode title is a reasonably obscure reference to a US sitcom called 'My Three Sons'. Whilst unknown on our shores this was a hit show, running from 1960 to 1972 with around 350 episodes. Aside from the title, though, there's no other real similarity.

To emphasise how super-evolved the new brainy Crichton was his first speeches were peppered with condescending "I understand" phrases. These vanished once the point was made, as was the caveman Crichton's inability to form words whenever he needed to say anything.

So whose blood was on Moya's floor? Or rather, as we know it belonged to Crichton, which Crichton did it come from? Once the blood had provided the relevant clue it was never referred to again and none of the three appeared to have been cut.

Production values seemed to suffer a little for this installment. The first effects scene of Moya's floor cracking apart was telegraphed by a drop in picture quality. The shot was blatantly framed so that Crichton and D'Argo were out of the way of the area being animated.

As there were many scenes with two Crichtons talking, as many as possible were filmed via conversations taking place over a communications link. This meant our Crichton could be in one part of Moya and the brainy Crichton in another. This clever device minimised the time-consuming and expensive effects shots of the two or three of them together.

Continuity crisis! Zhaan seemed to teleport from the bay where the sphere was to her little lab when she first tested the blood.

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