Hello Defiance fans.
Hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I am liking where this series is going. I like that it is not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to showing different relationships and the pros and cons of both.
This episode had elements of The Matrix and time travel and Fringe and all the good things that make sci fi television worth watching.
I am looking forward to next week’s episode. Things are getting a bit direr for our town of misfits, we shall see how things finally come to head.
Now…on with the show….
I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times:
The one thing I do like about this show is that the writers always add music as part of the story, in either the opening sequence, like this episode or the ending (or sometimes both).
It always adds to the story and still gives it the modern, relatable feel to the viewer. I feel that even though the show is set many decades in the future that we can still enjoy the modern feel of it.
The comment Tommy (Dewshane Williams) makes to Nolan (Grant Bowler) about two points off the star board bow is funny. I love that Nolan scolds him for saying “stop reading Moby Dick” to which Tommy counters “it’s enriching”. This kind of banter is what I like about these characters. Not only between Nolan and Tommy but anytime characters get into those kind of verbal jabs.
As Nolan and Tommy try and find the arc fall, Tommy starts mentioning Moby Dick again and spouts off about what the main character Ishmael says about God and that free will is a delusion.
Nolan’s complete lack of interest is noted and when he asks him if Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas) gave him that book, Tommy of course answers yes.
Nolan, being the protective father that he is, calls Tommy on the fact that he and Irisa have been spending a lot of time together. I like that you are seeing the softer side of Nolan when it comes to his daughter. He is fierce in his protection of her, but yet he would do almost anything for her.
Nolan’s warning to Tommy is met with a no, but as he presses Tommy is fully aware of what Nolan is asking. The God questions that Tommy is asking will get answered according to Nolan if Tommy hurts Irisa. I cracked up at that line!
The interesting thing about the arc is that everyone fully expected it to be from another planet. Instead it is not. It has a lot of equipment and markings from Earth. Curiosity get the best of Nolan and he finds some space uniforms, one of a Russian and one with the name G. McClintock (Brian J. Smith).
From what we learn later on this McClintock was a national hero in the Space program. That he was lost in space…or so they thought. The scene that reminded me most of The Matrix was when Tommy and Nolan found some people in their hyper sleep chambers that had malfunctioned.
They hear some noises and look over top see something or should I say someone moving. What transpires is right out of The Matrix and the rebirth process that Neo (Keanu Reeves) goes through. The rebirth of McClintock comes with a price as we will see later in the episode.
I like that McClintock is looking upon the world with new eyes, that his home world that he knew and loved no longer exists. It almost makes you think about how you would react to being woken up after a long sleep and the world around you has drastically changed. It would be definitely frightening for me and confusing. I feel bad for McClintock, the last thing he remembers is being in his shuttle powering down and it being 2013…poor guy, he has no idea what he dropped himself into. What happens to him also reminds me of three other movies that I will mention now. Fire in the Sky, The Astronaut’s Wife and Moon, all three movies play a significant part in this episode for me. I will point out each one as it unfolds.
When Gordon is being examined by Doc Yewll (Trenna Keating) that scene is when I thought of the movie Fire in the Sky. Even though that movie is about alien abduction, it is the last fifteen minutes that scared the living bleep out of me, I still talk about that movie. In Fire, D.B. Sweeney goes through a similar scenario (although a lot creepier and scarier) that Gordon does. Having Doc Yewll examine him triggers those memories that have been suppressed for a long time. We get to see what he sees and it is by no means a friendly probing by your neighborhood aliens. Fire’s scene has stayed with me ever since I watched that movie. I have told countless people about it and know that it is and probably will be the creepiest most frightening thing I have ever seen. I digress, sorry, I just like to talk about that movie, even though it completely creeps me out.
When Gordon touches Yewll’s skin and his comment of “it’s softer than I imagined” is countered by a brilliantly hilarious answer “Easy tiger, I’m too old for you” again another great line by the writer Clark Perry in this episode. Trenna delivers it beautifully, instead of perhaps flirting back at him, she politely, albeit a bit sternly, puts his hand back where it belongs. Trenna did this well, it made it seem that she is in no mood to play with this man nor does she have any desire to do anything more than her job. It is a well done scene and Trenna is great!
When Nolan and Amanda (Julie Benz) are talking about the fact that McClintock is alive instead of dead because they saw the space station blew up, it reminded me of another movie. Not quite the same premise again, but in Astronaut’s Wife, Johnny Depp’s character Spencer Armacost loses contact with NASA after an explosion in space. Even though the lost contact was two minutes, it’s what happened in that two minutes that makes me think of the upcoming scenes that McClintock will yet experience in Defiance. I will come back to that later.
I hope that you will go and rent the movies I have mentioned, it will give you a better understanding of what I am talking about regarding this episode. I will try and give you the gist, but they are complicated stories and to go in depth would take days.
Gordon’s reactions to Yewll’s eye examiner (whatever that thing is) is great. At first he sees his wife Grace and then what happened to him. His reaction is justified, his sense memory is recalling it not only mentally but physically. It is in this scene where I think things start to go off the rails with him, slowly, but eventually it comes undone completely.
I like the next scene, it is one that was telltale for me regarding Datak (Tony Curran) and his character (both meanings). When Datak doesn’t get what he wants, he is understandably upset, his ego is bruised, his authority questioned and his money wasted. The reasons that Kenya (Mia Kirshner) gives him is definitely not what he wants to hear. I like that we the viewer know the REAL reason behind her excuse to him. I like that when Kenya offers Tirra (Brittany Allen) to Datak instead that he proceeds to list all her faults and imperfections, making his point of wanting the best even greater. His ego does get a bit more bruised when she turns him down and for a man like Datak, his ego is one of the most crucial things that defines him. It is that ego that makes him who he is, it’s what makes people fear him and his wife love/fear him at the same time. Men of his power in any culture are always hiding behind their egos. When those egos get challenged or deflated, that is when the men get scared and that is a fate worse than death.
I have a feeling that we will see more interactions with Kenya and Stahma in future episodes. I hope the writers don’t let that fall by the wayside. It is a crucial part of what makes Stahma the woman she is. I mentioned this in a previous post that she is powerful in her own right, that she can be just as diabolical as her husband. It is also nice, though, to see Stahma being a woman as well, taking care of her “needs” and wants and not having any qualms about it. The secrecy is another issue, but I am sure that will be solved soon enough.
I feel a bit bad for Gordon, because he is trying to be normal, but his body and mind are letting him be anything but. The scene in McCawley’s (Graham Greene) house is when things really start to get ugly. It is again when it reminds me of the movies I mentioned. I like the normalcy they try and give to him while he is staying with Rafe. I like how Brian is in this scene, like he is home and he never left. His description of the moon walk is nice, he sums it up beautifully. I laughed out loud when I heard who played him in the movie about his life, Robert Pattinson. I am so not a fan of Twilight in any way shape or form. If I go down that road, there will be no turning back, so believe me I will quit while I am ahead.
I find it interesting that there is a mention of the lack of amendments or rights that have been obsolete in Defiance now. When Amanda says she pleads the fifth at the teasing of Nolan and his remark about Robert Pattinson’s poster on her wall, Rafe says he misses the fifth. It is very scary to think that the rights and freedoms that we have now and the ones that have been fought for and bled for no longer apply. That tyranny and unlawful acts are widely accepted is something I hope to never see in my lifetime. I also find it interesting that that particular part of the scene is played in the background as if it were a footnote almost and not something to dwell on. I have a feeling that the fifth as well as other rights and freedoms will be mentioned again and again in the episodes to come.
Jaime Murray…what can I say but wow. She is not only stunning, but brave to be in such skimpy costumes on the show. I applaud her for braving it and doing it well, she is a goddess and it shows. When we first see her it is in her bath with her eyes closed, anybody wanna bet what she was thinking/daydreaming about? I bet it’s not Datak. When Datak does enter she is caught and is a bit embarrassed and then Datak informs her about his encounter with Kenya. When he says that she refused him Stahma’s response if sheer perfection “I can’t imagine what she was thinking”, oh Stahma you silly Castithan. She knows full well who Kenya was thinking of when she refused Datak. I like that Kenya did that, I like that she is loyal and dare I say maybe even falling in love with Stahma. Even though she risked a lot by refusing Datak, she leads with her heart and her heart is temporarily taken by another Tarr. I maybe reading too much into it, but I hope to see more of Kenya and Stahma together.
Stahma’s seduction of Datak has an ulterior motive and she does it well. She knows how his ego has been bruised and she needs to remedy the situation before he decides to take vengeance on Kenya. Her motives also are for her own selfish reasons, she likes the power she holds over her oblivious husband and the power she holds over Kenya. I mentioned this in a previous post as well that Stahma has her own agenda and will stop at nothing to see that it is satisfied. She is a very clever woman, one that I am looking forward to seeing more from.
Poor Gordon! All those voices in his head makes him go a bit berserk. The voices made me do it is a legitimate excuse in this case, as we watch the effects that hyper sleep and god knows what else happened to him take over. I am sure that he thinks his sanity is slipping, that he is not himself anymore and really hasn’t been since he woke up from that long slumber. This reminds me of the movie Moon with Sam Rockwell, where being in space for a prolonged period of time makes you go a bit crazy. It is a great movie, it makes you feel the isolation and vastness of space simultaneously. I highly recommend that movie, again, please see it and you will understand what I am talking about.
It is too bad that Gordon has become this thing. That this hero and normal guy has turned into something not of this earth. It is scary to see him choke Amanda and have a vice like grip on her, thank goodness for Nolan and Rafe. It is unfortunate that Gordon now has to be in lock up, but it is probably for the best, everyone’s safety. He is definitely remorseful, he apologizes numerous times to Amanda and makes me think that he was never like this at all. He would never raise a hand to a woman let alone strangle her. Something made him do it, something triggered his memories.
Connor (Gale Harold) charging into the infirmary to check on Amanda is fun. Bowler is great as he prevents him from trying to fawn all over Amanda. I am really starting to like Bowler and what he is doing with Nolan. I like how the writers are writing his character, he is truly a sheriff, one from the old west. He reminds me of how those men in their day had to be tough but fair, fearless but human and compassionate and stubborn all wrapped up in a tough exterior.
The title of this episode becomes clearer not just with Gordon but with Irisa as well. Nolan’s apology falls upon deaf and defiant ears when retelling her about his hand in Sukar’s death. She points out that Gordon feels like he doesn’t belong here and she can relate. It must be tough to be pulled in two different directions as Irisa is. She has an innate desire to be loyal to her people and tribe, but she also has the same desire about Nolan and their life. I am looking forward to seeing how her inner struggle will play out in the next episodes.
I have to freak out a bit here! When Gordon starts reciting words in that strange language and bashes his body and head against the wall of the prison cell, thing get a bit volatile. But what really got me was when Nolan slapped him back into reality and you saw his blood AND IT WAS SILVER!!! That made me think of another sci-fi brilliant show that is no longer in the air, but had a HUGE impact on my life and writing career. That show you ask? Fringe…the shape shifters had silver blood (mercury to be more precise), which meant that they looked and acted human, but weren’t. I am sure I am not the only one that noticed this and was pleasantly happy to see Fringe referenced. I don’t know if Clark Perry did that as an homage to Fringe or just because, whatever the reason I am grateful!
Ooops! I guess no one told Gordon or the rest of the group that he isn’t human at all. I think it was dishonest of Doc Yewll to keep this information a secret, especially after you see Nolan’s reaction to him finding out that he might be endogen. It’s nice to know that some things never change. That corruption, deceit, greed and power never grow old and still are practiced in galaxies and on planets far away. His memories are not his, again I cannot help but think of Fringe…if you are a fan of Fringe you know what I mean by this and who I mean about this.
Stahma and Kenya’s scene is brief but again it shows Stahma’s method to her madness, so to speak. When she tells Kenya that she needs to be smarter in her business and “affairs” (pardon the pun), it reminds me of the Marquise de Merteuil from Dangerous Liaisons. The Marquise said that she needed to be a “virtuoso of deceit” playing both ends and coming out on top…it was win or die for her and I feel that with Stahma it is the same. As a matter of fact I can see many similarities between those two characters.
Gordon going berserk again is sad, but a necessary measure in order to do what he needs to do. He needs to find out of what Yewll told him is true, is he really some prototype? That must be so scary to think that you are who you are and then be told you are most definitely not. Your identity get stripped from you and you become a number in a study or on a chart.
Rafe and Gordon at Lake Nothing is a great scene. Ever the wise man, Graham Greene always extolls great advice and he does it very well. That is one of the many reasons I like this actor. He is never afraid to speak his mind, whether it be good bad or ugly it is always honest and with the wonderful grace and skill that Graham brings to his characters. He is the shaman, the mentor, the wisdom that always speaks to our hearts and our heads at the same time. His courage as he tells Gordon is what got him through his darkest days, it is what still gets him through. Such a beautiful scene, lots of life and lessons learned…bravo Graham, you made me believe.
The ending is interesting, such a contrast in terms. On one hand you have Amanda fighting to keep peace and order in Defiance, just as Connor wants to take it and her away from Defiance at any cost as he reminds her of that. Earth Republic will stop at nothing until they get what they want, consequences be damned. The other hand is the beautiful scene of Gordon finding his wife again, his Grace, his sanity. It is a perfect ending, his life back and never again will he let it go. It gives us all hope that if we hold on long enough we just might find what we are looking for.
Well, Defiance fans, I hope you enjoyed this episode and this review. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time…
I hope you enjoyed my Defiance report from San Diego Comic-Con 2013?
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. And thanks to Kenn for video embedding and additional images for my final SDCC 2013 report. I will be back in the future with more on our series review sites for Dracula, Almost Human and next June for Defiance!
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Until next time,
Regards,