I have two thoughts about this episode. One: it was dreadful; and Two: it was fantastic. On the first viewing, the whole thing seemed a bit pointless, an attempt at humor that didn’t quite come off as funny. The second time I watched, on the whole it still didn’t seem very funny, although parts of it were hilarious. This time I didn’t think it was supposed to be a comedy so much as a convoluted path through John’s mind and memories as filtered through Stark’s feelings about him. 

This little trip through Crichton’s psyche rocked in the same way that Won’t Get Fooled Again rocked. There’s plenty of stuff inside his head that I’d rather not know about, but it sure gave a lot of insight into what makes John tick.  

In his vision of himself, he’s the hero saving the world, beginning with the lovely princess (Aeryn) held captive by the ugly ogre (Crais). He liberates the princess from her captivity (a.k.a. Aeryn from the Peacekeepers) but then realizes that there’s a greater goal to be achieved: saving the universe (represented by Zhaan) from the bad guys (represented by the male Delvian). He can’t do both, he needs to make a choice between what he wants and what he must do. 

Twice during the game he believes he can have Aeryn: once as Printheth Thcarlett O’Hara and once as the “real” Aeryn on the fake Moya. Each time he realizes that isn’t what would win the game for him. The first time, even though he was tempted to have a “really good time” with Scarlett, he knew he had to seek the other princess and rescue her. The second time, he knew it was too easy; something was wrong - that the game was still going on. 

Nearly all of the game’s villains were beaten by women – Chiana floored D'Argo with a lollipop, she stabbed Harvey, she threw a knife into the ogre’s neck making him weak enough for John to kill. Chiana also distracted Rygel Knight and the Mr. Zhaan that Crichton could run them over with the hippy-mobile. Fake Aeryn rescued John from Scorpius, but then she wanted him to forget about his quest and run away with her. The lesson he learned is “Stay away from the women, John.” 

In Crichton’s real life, Noranti gives him a bit of the laka that saved him from Grayza a couple of episodes back. In talking to her, he comes to realize that Aeryn clouds his thinking and he needs to stay away from her until he gets his wormholes (deciphered at the price of a whole lot of his own blood) straightened out.