Harvey (Farscape)
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| Farscape character | |
 |
|
| Harvey | |
|---|---|
| Title | None |
| Homeworld | None |
| Race | Neural Clone |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Peacekeepers; John Crichton |
| Portrayer | Wayne Pygram |
Harvey is a fictional character on the science fiction television show Farscape. He is a neural clone of Scorpius and exists solely in the head of John Crichton. He is played by Wayne Pygram.
Harvey is the result of a neural chip that was placed into Crichton’s brain by Scorpius during John’s time in the Aurora Chair.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] The clone
Crichton’s first sign of the clone’s presence comes months after escaping Scorpius’ Gammak base. Under the influence of the malevolent alien T’raltixx, Crichton hallucinates an image of Scorpius. This image encourages John to do a number of harmful things to Moya’s other crewmembers. After T’raltixx has been killed, the image disappears, causing Crichton to believe that the Scorpius he saw was only the result of T’raltixx’s mind-altering activities. It is possible that T’raltixx’s power had caused the clone to reveal himself earlier than he had intended and that he was as affected by T’raltixx as the rest of Moya’s crew, but this is speculation.
The clone’s influence would later be felt by Crichton on two occasions on the Royal Planet, the capital of the Breakaway Colonies. In the first instance, he encourages Crichton to escape an orbiting ship that is breaking apart and in the latter case he prevents Crichton from killing Scorpius. Crichton also feels a sense of foreboding and helplessness in the face of certain menacing Scorpius-related feelings, which is one reason why he decides to stay on the Royal Planet. Crichton would later receive more signs of the clone while dealing with a parasite problem on Moya--he sees visions of Scorpius repeatedly. Unaware of the chip’s presence, Crichton begins to suspect that his stressful life, combined with his torture at Scorpius' hands, is beginning to drive him crazy.
The clone finally reveals himself to Crichton when John is imprisoned and tortured via a virtual reality machine by a Scarran, who is trying to break down Crichton's mental defenses. The clone reveals the truth to Crichton and helps to save him from the Scarran. The two talk, and Crichton gives the clone the moniker “Harvey”, after the invisible rabbit in the classic film of the same name starring James Stewart. He also contemplates but then decides against giving him the name Clarence, though. Clarence is the angel in It's a Wonderful Life who saves the life of the main character, also played by James Stewart, and then shows him an unrealized reality of what life would have been like had he never been born. This highlights the ambiguous nature of Harvey, who repeatedly saves Crichton's life over the course of his presence in Crichton's mind. For example, he helps Crichton to overcome Nebari mind-cleansing. After their encounter with the Scarran, Harvey again hides in Crichton's subconscious and Crichton has no conscious memory of their conversation.
When Crichton next encounters Scorpius face-to-face, he attempts to kill him by sabotaging his inter-cranial cooling unit. Harvey attempts to prevent Crichton from doing this, but Crichton manages to finish the job and escape Scorpius with great effort and assistance from Aeryn. When it is revealed that Scorpius is holding D'Argo’s son, Jothee, Crichton decides to turn himself over to Scorpius in exchange for Jothee's freedom, though there is also the implication that Crichton has been compelled by Harvey to turn himself over to Scorpius. Crichton’s companions then stage a rescue. By this point, however, Harvey has such control over Crichton that he repeatedly tries to return to Scorpius. Moya and her crew escape and find a planet with a Diagnosan, an alien renowned for its medical abilities, who eventually agrees to both heal Moya, who has been severely burned, and remove the chip from Crichton’s head. Before he could do this, however, Harvey takes control of Crichton’s mind and body, sends a signal to Scorpius, and escapes in John’s Farscape One module. Aeryn Sun pursues in her Prowler, but Harvey manages to cripple her ship, forcing her to eject over the frozen lake below, where she dies. Crichton, distraught over losing Aeryn, manages to overcome the clone’s control temporarily.
The Diagnosan is later able to remove the chip from Crichton’s brain. This does not have the intended effect, however, of removing Harvey from Crichton’s head: he remains behind in Crichton's mind in an event described as a "neural bleed"; Scorpius' chip, in his head for so long, has eventually been partially absorbed into Crichton's own psyche. Angry that he is still alive after his purpose has been fulfilled, and doomed to forever be trapped in Crichton's head, Harvey tries to get John to kill himself. Stark manages to convince Crichton, however, that the clone is weak without the chip to power him. In his head, Crichton physically pummels Harvey, tossing him into a dumpster and reestablishing dominance over his mind. Harvey now has to accept that he is stuck in Crichton’s head and that he no longer has the power that he once enjoyed. With few exceptions, this "neural clone" is then unable to gain any physical or mental control over Crichton, but he does often make suggestions both helpful and malignant.
[edit] After the chip
Over the next few months, Harvey and Crichton have an uneasy relationship. Harvey, imbued with Scorpius' survival instincts, has reconsidered his situation and decides that he enjoys living in Crichton's head and therefore needs Crichton to stay alive. Harvey pops up from time to time to offer his opinions or advice on whatever situation Crichton happens to be in. When Crichton is twinned by Kaarvok, Harvey is also twinned, with one Harvey in each head. It is unknown whether Harvey is aware of this or not.
The Harvey inside the head of Talyn’s John soon faces the end of his life when John returns to Dam-Ba-Da. An Ancient in the form of Jack Crichton offers to remove Harvey from John’s brain forever. Harvey resists, temporarily taking control of Crichton again. In reality, what John and Jack have done is now killing Harvey: in revenge, Harvey attempts to take Crichton with him before he died by convincing Aeryn to kill him. Fortunately, "Jack" stops Aeryn and Harvey dies, freeing Crichton.
The other Harvey, meanwhile, continues to aid the other John, even meeting D’Argo at one point. After Crichton almost dies, he and Harvey reach an understanding and Harvey makes the ultimate decision to stand by Crichton in any situation. This agreement will be beneficial for Crichton in the coming months as Harvey helps Crichton accomplish his mission on Scorpius’ Command Carrier, gives Crichton access to memories he would not have seen otherwise, and generally gives him advice that will help both of them stay alive.
Later, when Crichton returns to Moya to find both Aeryn and Scorpius there waiting for him, a panicked Harvey suggests John kill Scorpius “without hesitation.” As a show of good faith, Scorpius offers to remove Harvey from Crichton’s head. Despite the fact that this Crichton and Harvey have grown much closer than the other Crichton had to his Harvey, something that even borders on friendship, John recognizes that Harvey doesn’t belong in his mind. Harvey resists, but Scorpius seizes John and seemingly removes Harvey; but in fact he reprograms Harvey to go dormant and to make Crichton only believe that he is gone.
[edit] Harvey 2.0
Months later, after Crichton has abandoned Scorpius after he has been captured by the Scarrans, the “new and improved” Harvey reemerges. He claims that he is completely loyal to Scorpius, has all of John’s wormhole knowledge, and has transmitted the information to Scorpius. Not wanting the wormhole information to fall into Scarran hands, Crichton is forced to go back and rescue Scorpius. After doing so, Scorpius informs Crichton that he did not have that knowledge; Harvey had lied to gain Cricthon's assistance, because Harvey had been programmed to re-emerge if Crichton betrayed Scorpius.
After escaping the Scarrans as well as the Peacekeepers, Harvey tries to convince Crichton to return to Scorpius, hoping to convince him that Scorpius is Earth’s only hope against the Scarrans: John eventually refuses.
Soon after, John is crystallized into innumerable pieces by Eidelons, and Harvey with him. While in their crystallized state, Scorpius believes that Crichton is dead, apparently having some way, via Harvey, of discerning Crichton's existence. During that time, Scorpius helps to instigate a war between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers. About 60 days after having been crystallized, though, John and Harvey are reconstituted, and Scorpius senses that John is alive. Scorpius seeks Crichton out in hopes that he will help the Peacekeepers to construct a wormhole weapon to be used against the Scarrans. Harvey continually urged Crichton to do what Scorpius has asked. After Crichton has the wormhole weapon knowledge unlocked by Einstein the Ancient, Harvey is excited, knowing that his ultimate purpose will soon be realized. Crichton soon constructs, uses, and destroys the weapon, a process that almost takes his life, and that results in the Ancients removing the wormhole weapon knowledge from his mind. With this done, Harvey’s purpose is fulfilled and his self-termination program activates. His final conversation with John takes place in a memory that mirrors one of the final scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. As Harvey lays dying, he wishes John goodbye and thanks him for the memories before he finally disappears forever.
[edit] Description
[edit] Purpose and abilities
Harvey’s purpose is three-fold: he is to unlock the wormhole knowledge stored somewhere in Crichton’s brain, protect Crichton’s life until Scorpius manages to retrieve the chip, and prevent Crichton from hurting or killing Scorpius. Harvey also has the ability to stop Crichton’s brain functions for a short time, making him appear dead. He can control Crichton’s memory and nervous system when the chip is in place, which he uses to hide his presence from Crichton. Eventually, the chip becomes strong enough to completely dominate Crichton’s mind and body.
Even after the chip is removed, Harvey is able to exert limited control over Crichton on two occasions, both times when he is in danger of being removed from Crichton's head--once on Dam-Ba-Da when Ancient Jack is killing him, and once on Moya when he senses that the real Scorpius is a threat to him. Harvey can also change Crichton's body chemistry, fooling Scorpius' ability to tell when Crichton is lying to him.
After Scorpius reprograms him, Harvey has some type of mental link to Scorpius that allows Scorpius to track Crichton down after John is revived from his crystallization by the Eidelons.
Harvey contains much of Scorpius’ knowledge and intellect. For example, he has information on the Peacekeeper’s research on time travel. He also has access to Crichton’s mind and memories, both remembered and repressed: it is Harvey who shows Crichton Noranti's subliminal message about Aeryn's secret in “Dog With Two Bones".
[edit] Personality
Early in his life, Harvey is very much a clone of Scorpius: he walks, talks, and looks identical to Scorpius. He helps John when it suits him but his ultimate loyalty is to Scorpius. Following the removal of the chip and Crichton’s retaking of his mind, Harvey’s personality begins to change as Crichton’s mind, memories, and personality begin to influence him. He becomes more open to John’s ideas and views, begins to understand human concepts, takes pleasure in the things Crichton's memories expose him to, and even starts to care about Crichton. He continues to share some of Scorpius’ personality, however, including his belief in the power of revenge and a lack of compassion for others if it does not suit his own needs.
He often appears in different outfits or settings that fit whatever situation Crichton happens to be in at that time--a black and white World War II movie, a police interrogation room, a Hawaiian shirt, or as Nosferatu the vampire when he returns from the "dead". With so much time spent in Crichton’s head, it’s possible that he knows and understands the human better than anyone else on Moya’s crew ever could or would.
[edit] Behind the scenes
According to the show’s executive producer David Kemper, the idea for Harvey came from a necessity to have the character of Scorpius more visible during the show. As the show’s main villain, he needed to be a constant and viable threat. After seeing a hallucinated Scorpius interact with Crichton in the second season’s fourth episode, “Crackers Don’t Matter”, they came up with the idea of putting Scorpius inside of John’s head. The clone’s presence was hinted at in the second and third episodes of the “Look at the Princess” trilogy as well as in “Beware of Dog” before his presence was revealed to Crichton in the season’s 15th episode, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
