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DEFIANCE |
Joshua Nolan - Grant Bowler Amanda Rosewater - Julie Benz Irisa Nyira - Stephanie Leonidas Rafe McCawley - Graham Greene Datak Tarr - Tony Curran Stahma Tarr - Jaime Murray OTHER DEFIANCE SEASONS Defiance OTHER ALIENS AMONGST US SHOWS Alien Nation Roswell Dark Skies Invasion 
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The Opposite Of HallelujahDefiance is in the hands of an oppressive regime. Nolan is still searching for his missing adopted alien daughter. The ex-mayor is now running her sister's brothel and hoping for her return. Datak is in prison and his scheming wife is making a bid to take over the family business against the gender traditions of her race. DEFIANCE is back for a second season and the political background is far more complicated than was previously the case. This episode is about catching up with where everyone is, most specifically with [the mayor] working her way back into a position of power with the occupying forces whilst [Datak's wife] does the same in her husband's criminal empire and Nolan finding his lost daughter. The setups for the season's plot arcs are therefore put in place, but the episode itself in unsatisfying in that it is merely a bridging into the new season. TopIn My Secret LifeNolan and Irisa arrive back in Defiance and she is immediately arrested for violent behaviour. In order to secure her release, Nolan must learn who is planting deadly bombs in the town. This episode re-establishes Nolan in his lawkeeper role, but further defines the new political context. Datak Tarr's escape attempt is devious, but there's someone even more devious in town. Irisa's love life is more complicated than it used to be. Jaime Murray is still the most interesting character as the scheming would-be head of the Tarr clan, but her seemingly innocent and pliant, but really devious and vicious act is in danger of becoming tediously repetitive. The storyline isn't all that interesting, but since it has the sole purpose of getting Nolan his job back, it can perhaps be forgiven that. Perhaps. TopThe Cord And the AxIrisa fights back against the killer instinct possessing her. Amanda fails to fight against her drug addiction and Stahma fights back against her son's rebellious streak. This is a filler episode that sets up storylines without moving any of them further forward by any great amount. The way in which Amanda is being manipulated by the new power in the town is nicely done, but the mumbo jumbo behind Irisa's killer instinct remains obscure and whilst it drives the narrative, such as it is, it doesn't drive it very far or very fast. The effort's being put into character and we can't complain about that, but the loss of momentum is a little worrying. TopBeasts Of BurdenAn attack on the new Earth Alliance leader in Defiance places Rafe in a difficult position and Datak Tarr takes steps to regain control of his family. The power struggles within the Tarr family are now officially the most interesting thing that is happening in DEFIANCE. Admittedly, the opening attack sequence is nicely done and nicely nasty, but the subsequent investigation storyline is dull and predictable. Rafe's final solution to the problem is inevitable, though at least has the courage of its convictions. The Tarr family saga, however, twists and turns like a twisty turny thing that's high on twisty turny juice. By comparison, Amanda's drug-fuelled descent is horribly uninteresting. Even so, this is a 'problem of the week' episode that moves the main storylines along not very much. DEFIANCE likes to think that its characters are at least as interesting as the plot, but unfortunately that has not been case recently. TopPut The Damage OnAmanda is attacked by a stalker, but are things quite as clear cut as they seem? Datak Tarr takes a different tack and manages to get a toehold in his own household. Rafe tries to settle into his new surroundings. People are hallucinating things from the past, making them think that they are crazy and causing them to reassess their past. Not exactly the most original idea in a science fiction series, but then DEFIANCE has never been high on the originality scale. Taking old ideas and giving them a new setting to run their predictable course is what the show is about and that's precisely what happens here. The reason why people are hallucinating is more interesting than the hallucination plot line and there are other things going on that are more interesting and fun. Rafe settling in to the Tarr household and finding himself sharing a bath with a barely-clad Stahma is great fun and the duplicitous Doctor is proving to be consistently the most interesting character in the whole show. It is great to see that she is starting to get more of a storyline of her own. DEFIANCE remains a show that entertains sufficiently whilst it is on, but you wouldn't miss it if it wasn't. Top |
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