Well, apart from a rather slow build up to the main thrust of the story, not enough time to fully explore the sighs and scope of the concept, and coming rather too quickly to an end, this was one of the more interesting episodes.
The basic idea isn't exactly new (what ever is?), but it was dealt with in an amusing and quirky way. I appreciated the time delay between the virus being absorbed and its effects being felt (leading the non-spoiled viewer to wonder what was going to happen) - and I was particularly impressed by the acting. All too often this kind of sex-change portrayal is cringe-makingly camp and completely over the top. In Love Grows, all the characters were believable, especially the men (I'd expect Xev to be particularly aggressive, given her Cluster Lizard heritage, but the depiction of Lorca was a delight - a delicate balance between hard-bitten belligerence and an understanding of how Stan must feel! Wonderful stuff.....)
But the guys! Stan sweet and almost shy, and as ineffective as a woman as he is as a man. Always reactive, always being told what to do. And he slipped suspiciously quickly into an acceptance of being female, which makes me even more certain that there's a very sensitive and perceptive person under the brash exterior. I only hope he got some pleasure out of his experience (see below**).
And to see the vain captain and his slob of a navigator as timid little maidens was actually rather funny - the phrase 'poetic justice' comes to mind. They struck me as rather superficial characters as males, and nothing much changed when they changed sex (let's face it, they were never really in much danger. The two of them together would have been a match for either Xev or Lorca, if they'd worked together). Perhaps it just goes to show that the 'he-man' macho act is mostly purely for show. (At least, I hope it is. Personally I find it at best extremely funny, and at worse rather pathetic!) We can hope that they'll be a little more sensitive in their dealings with women in future - though I won't hold my breath.
Where did Xev's nail-file bone come from?
I was intrigued by Kai's comment that Stan 'is not' a virgin. It sounded to me as though that meant 'no longer' a virgin. Stan's sex-change was as much a temporary aberration as Xev's, so if she is still a virgin, surely Stan is as well - assuming of course that he was one before the change took effect (which wouldn't surprise me, given his lack of success with women). Maybe I'm missing something, but this doesn't make much sense.....
If this were any other series but Lexx, I'd be tempted to speculate on how the crew's relationships would be changed and evolved after this experience. However, since character development doesn't seem terribly important, we probably won't see much change, which would be a pity, given how much scope there is for exploration.....
I rather liked the little scene with the captain waxing lyrical with Xev - and then shaking his head as if to ask what had come over him! I assume this was the first sign of the virus taking effect....
I also assume that the mysterious male figure at the end was the transformed Lyekka, and that the Stripper's crew will never be found, because she's eaten them. (Well, that means the Lexx' crew are safe for a while longer. Perhaps we'll see Lyekka again in the next episode.)
No comments about Kai: I've said it all before......
The ending was a bit of a cop-out - or should I say an anti-climax?.....
The very end was perhaps the first time irony has been used in the series. I hope it isn't the last.
