Defiance - SyFy TV Show & Trion's MMO video game (SPOILERS)

So, anyone else looking forward to Defiance on SyFy? Or playing the game?

At first I was a bit skeptical of Defiance, but the more I've learned about it the more excited I'm getting. I got the video game, and have been having a blast with it. It's cool that the show and the video game will cross over with each other. Already the game is acting as a prequel to the show. You actually get to play a mission with the two leads before they drive off into the pilot. The first 15 minutes of the pilot was on a disc in the Unlimited Edition of the game I got (and is also available online: http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2634770 ) and I really liked what I saw. It certainly is stretching its budget, but I think it's pretty on par with Doctor Who, at least. It premieres April 15.

The team behind it includes Rockne S. Obannon (Farscape, SeaQuest) and writers from Battlestar Galactica, Deep Space Nine and more. The soundtrack for the show and game is by Bear Mcreery of BSG and Walking Dead.

Tony Curran (Van Gogh from Doctor Who) plays a character, and Stephanie Leonidas is Irisa. She starred in one of my favorite films, Mirrormask. So... crossing my fingers this is good!

I won't be playing the game, but will definitely check out the show.

But then you can't change the world! LOL.

Hey all - the pilot episode is now available to view for free on Amazon - 2 days ahead of the official premiere!

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Preview/dp/B00C0OWP02/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365892401&sr=1-1&keywords=defiance

Did anyone else give this a go? I thought it was a lot of fun. Room to grow and improve things, but overall I was very pleased and am looking forward to a new episode Monday!

It was ok, though I'm annoyed that it postponed the Lost Girl season finale for a week.

The aggressive media push on this show makes me skittish of it. SyFy's investing a lot of money simply on the advertising for the show which makes me come to one of two conclusions:

1) They're desperate to generate a "hit show" after strangling all their other IPs out of existence.

2) The show itself has no future. Just a ill defined concept much like Battlestar Galactica and will ultimately turn out to be a pointless affair that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

I don't think BSG was an ill-defined concept. The concept was pretty clear. Yes, the writers took it in a direction right towards the end that was probably a mistake. I didn't care for it. But that can happen with any show. Although there are some BSG writers on this show, I don't think I'd worry too much about it. Largely it's a different team. Sci-fi (or Syfy now- sigh) didn't have any say in that, so it's not like another Syfy show will do the same or is more likely to do that.

They are desperate to establish another quality IP. But at least they seem to know that will take an investment. I have to hand it to them, they put together a very talented team for Defiance and put a lot of money into it for both the game and the show. We know a full series will be shown because season 1 is in the can. I think it's kind of relaxing enjoying a new genre show that's not on Fox or something where you don't know if it'll make it past five episodes.

I very much enjoyed the second episode, "Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go." The pace might have felt a bit slow after the breathless introduction of everything in the pilot, but I thought that helped. With the characters introduced, we were able to focus on just a few this time.

I'm actually not sure which plot line was the A and with was the B plot line had about equal screen time. But let's call the Casti ritual plot line A. For that one, I liked some of the questions is posed about different groups trying to live together. Where is the line between preserving traditions and respecting other cultures and holding the whole group to certain standards and laws? Now, the show sort of gave themselves an easy out here. It's too bad that they didn't let the Casti ritual have more merit and thus make the moral quandary more gray. By making the ritual a torture, I feel like we're a bit too easily put on Irisa, Nolan, Amanda and Tommy's side. It doesn't help that Datak is sort of the villain here. I did think they made a pretty good show of explaining the Casti was of looking at things, though, even if the audience sympathies are pretty clear.

As for the B-plot of chasing Ben into Old St. Louis, it provided some nice visuals, to be sure. But even more I liked the chance for Nolan to bond with Rafe McCawley. I didn't think much of Rafe or most of the McCawley's, to be honest, but I thought they acquitted themselves well here, especially Rafe. I really came to like him more, and be more impressed with the performance overall. I did think it was a bit dumb of Nolan not to realize what Ben would do (how does an Indogene have a name like Ben, btw... wonder what his story is...) after McCawley decided not to kill him. But I was intrigued about the hints of what Rafe did to his wife, and the fact that his beloved son really wasn't so pristine clean... and wanted to get away from him.

It's hard to deny that both story lines didn't have quite the climax I might have hoped for. But I was still entertained and enjoyed getting to know these characters more. I am very intrigued by what happened to Irisa to make her hate chains and get her those scars. Maybe that's why she was glad Nolan killed her parents?[/spoiler] One other note - definite improvements on the production standpoint. Alac's (and pretty much all the Castithan hair) looked much better, for one. And, weirdly, the town felt much more "real" to me this time. It seemed a bit more lived in than in the pilot.

Enjoyed Episode 3 - "The Devil In the Dark"

Sort of funny they actually used that title, considering what a famous episode of Star Trek it is. Their solution to the threat was less friendly than in that episode, though. The thing about this episode was that it has a lot of things that usually irritate me about sci-fi shows, but managed to not irritate me so much here.

The Irathients feel a bit too Klingon, to me. And their rituals and mysticism play a bit too much into that here. I usually get annoyed by episodes about visions and rituals and whatever, but this actually worked pretty well for me. Perhaps because it was partly rooted in some drama for Nolan and Irisa concerning Nolan's lack of understanding of Irath beliefs and abilities. Being a worldly man, Nolan doesn't believe they are truly visions, and that makes for some good tension between them. I like that he's pretty jealous of top hat Irath. Speaking of Top Hat Irath, who knew he had that body under there?!?! Sheesh.

I thought Rynn was very sympathetic here. Targeting Christy and the rest of the town? Not great, but I think most would undersand her desire for revenge. Speaking of Christy, I enjoyed how she was trying to fight off the hellbug while Alac was cowering on the ground. Interesting that she was willing to play along with the ruse when Stahma said Alac protected Christy, when it was really the other way around. Anything to get him on her dad's good side, I suppose.

I did have to laugh a bit when Datak told everyone to get upstairs! At first, this didn't make much sense to me. Christy is the only one who has to wash herself and burn her clothes. But then it occurred to me that the Castithan families apparently always bathe together! So was he expecting them all to bundle into the shower, even if they didn't need one? LOL. Were they surprised when they got up there and there was just a small shower and tub? Was Stahma confused that there were no scanty bikinis made of beads to slip into. LOL. I know they just wanted to get the Tarr's out of the room, but I wish this was the reason Datak made them all go upstairs.

I'm sure there will be complaint about the Hellbugs, but as a Doctor Who fan, I though the SFX were very on par with Who. I thought they were well done, and as someone who plays the game it was a lot of fun to see them in the show.

I liking the series a little better now that they're not trying to cram everyhting in like the pilot.
I really don't think you need to hide your analyses as spoilers.

LOL - I know, just trying to be nice.

EDIT: Added spoilers to the title, so that should be fair warning.

Thought episode 4 was great. I'm beginning to like all the characters more and more. The flashbacks to Kenya and Amanda's childhoold showed some budget strain, I thought. But nothing too bothersome. The rest was very well done. I really like how complex the relationships within the town are. It doesn't make it easy of anyone, which is great. I really enjoyed Nolan and Datak's stroll through town where Datak tries to school him, and his immediate uncovering of Datak's scheme to paint himself as a hero was pretty great. As was Datak's complete willingness to admit to it. It was also nice to get to know Amanda and Kenya better. Still not sure what to make of Kenya. She can be a bit on the grating side at times, but the times when she lowers her fun-loving "act" you see a real human being in there. Everyone seems to be settling into their roles nicely here. I am still not sure the guy who plays Quentin is a very good actor, but he does well enough. Also intrigued by what secrets are in mine 07! They do need to stop ending every episode with a song though.

It was cool that Kenya realized she was in a simulation & killed the chemist by herself before the rescue party arrived.
The Tars are great as usual.
The council really should've told the mayor & sheriff about the arms deal.
Why do people waste time attacking Ulysses anywhere that isn't the butt?
Quentin is acted pretty bad.

It was renewed for a second season! Wahooo!

Episode 105 - The Serpent's Egg:

Great episode for Irisa, I thought. For one thing, it showed that she's more than willing to go there when she's angry enough. Of course, the guy HAD to actually be the guy. I didn't think the show was actually going to let it be unclear or make it NOT him. We have seen this sort of story before, of course, but it was enjoyable. It was good to see Tommy back her up and get a few good licks in himself and add a few more shades to his character with his admission that he might have a similar back story. When he and Irisa so go at it, I was actually a bit surprised. I kind of thought he and Irisa were portrayed as being around 16-17. I don't remember the last time teenage sex was portrayed that way on TV, with pretty much the same level of nudity and passion that an adult sex scene would have. Maybe I misread it and they are supposed to be older? Didn't bother me either way, just surprised.

As for the other story, it was refreshing to open the world up a bit and do some traveling, though we didn't get too far. The idea of the traveling coach and the supplies added a lot of realism to the world, I thought. Interesting that Alac has a Raider Radio station! With an eclectic selection of music. I wouldn't say how everything went down was totally unpredictable. I liked the Amanda/Nolan moments, though I still have a hard time understanding a mayor leaving her town for such a lengthy trip. I really like Rynn. It's hard not to root for her, in some ways, and I'm glad she ended up free at the end. I did think it was perhaps a bit silly of Amanda and Nolan not to consider that the E-Rep Ambassador wasn't worth an escort to prison, too. But it'll be interesting to see where that leads.

Only minuses: No Datak or Stahma. I do miss them. And where the heck is Doc Yewll??! She's been barely a part of the series. I hope they rectify that soon.

Episode 106 - Brothers in Arms

Lots of great stuff in this episode.

• Pol Madis was a great "insane weapon maker of the week" - I liked that he was kind of shambly and unkempt and insane. Also, it was interesting seeing someone get the drop on Datak Tarr. I like that Tarr (like Nolan) is no fool, but at the same time he can still screw up.

• "Uncle" Eddie. Great actor in a role that could have easily been a total cliche. But the final reveal of his role in Irisa and Nolan's escape made everything he did in the episode make sense.

• Gale Harold! Haven't seen him in a long time. Great chemistry with Amanda. Hope he comes back. I assume he'll survive Eddie's escape.

•¤Whoa, Quentin! He's either going insane or the Artifact is directing him. But doing in Birch was pretty brutal. I would have thought he'd have reported it, but I'm guessing Luke (or the Artifact posting as Luke) didn't want him too. Where is all this going? And what does it have to do with a quake in the 1800s? This is great as it instantly makes Quentin more interesting and deepens the overall mystery.

•¤Mayor Nikki overplaying her hand and Rafe knowing she is dangerous felt like an abrupt swerve to the left for the character. I thought she was supposed to be pretty well hidden? And if Rafe knows she's dangerous, why hasn't he put together that she hightailed it out of Defiance right before the Volge attack?

• Doc Yewll! Great lines as always. Hints at a more prominent role (I hope!) or at least an episode where she's the main star.

• Nolan solving the Madis issue made sense, and it was a great moment. The layers revealed about him and his "No Man" nickname is a great development for him.

Sadly a break next week with Memorial Day, but maybe I can get some more time in the game that way.

Also, ratings update. After a dip in the demo, it's back up to a .8. Overall viewers are down a bit, but not unexpected leading into the summer. I suspect some of those viewers are just DVRing and waiting to watch later, like myself.

E01: 2.70 1.0
E02: 2.40 0.8
E03: 2.30 0.8
E04: 2.15 0.8
E05: 1.98 0.6
E06: 1.95 0.8

Episode 1X07 - Goodbye, Blue Sky

I thought this was actually not the strongest entry of the series. I liked the focus on Irisa and the widening of the divide between her and Nolan. It gives her some interesting character notes to play, but I do look forward to the day she gets to develop more relationships. The resurrection by nanites struck me as a bit silly, though. How do nanites protect against being dissolved by acid? I thought the Nikki/Rafe confrontation was pretty great. I liked how Nikki tricked him. I am still a bit annoyed that Rafe suddenly knew Nikki was no good a few episodes back when we'd previously been led to believe that she'd pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. I enjoyed the Stahma/Kenya stuff because it actually has repercussions for the characters and wasn't just about showing two women in bed or something. The show's too smart for that.

Episode 1X08 - I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

The story felt a bit familiar, though I can't remember where I'd seen it before. But the basic idea was well executed. I thought the final scene with the astronaut and his wife was well-handled. It does make you wonder where they go from there, though. I liked Rafe's emotional adoption of the astronaut, though I feel bad for Quentin that a stranger seems to get more instantaneous affection that he does! LOL. It was great to have Gale Harold around. I hope he keeps coming back around. He is great with Amanda and fleshes out that character a ton. I thought we got a lot of great insight into her, and she's not as boring as some try to paint her. Glad the Stahma/Kenya stuff was picked up again. But I am kind of surprised at how stupid Kenya was playing it. I'd not want to cross Datak. As Stahma said, she needs to start playing smarter.

I liked the razor rain episode, especially the guy who taunted the storm in armor.
The plague was surprising boring, but the Pilar backstory & Datak "It doesn't fit my narrative" Tarr were cool.

1 x 09 - "If I Ever Leave This World Alive"

I found this a pretty intense episode. A lot of great scheming by Datak. But I'm really sorry to see Conner go. I actually think he was great for Amanda's character, but at least he gave us some more insight into her before he was gone. I just would have liked to see more occasional sparring with Nolan.

The internment of the Iraths was pretty powerful stuff, though I thought the resolution was too sudden with seemingly little in the way of repercussions. Even with Nolan and Irisa.

Nikki now has her hands on the golden pretzel of doom! It was interesting to hear what happened to Rafe's wife, and that Rafe and Nikki had an affair. Nikki could be lying about that, but actually it would FINALLY make sense of why Rafe knew Nikki was a bad apple if they had that much history together.

I hope Doc Yewll doesn't align with Nikki too long. I don't want her to end up dead or something. She's too good a character! I did think it was a bit odd that Kenya wasn't in this episode, since her sister was dying! I'm all for focusing on certain characters, but there are times when the omission of certain characters really stand out.

That giant HB belt buckle was gorram hillarious.

LOL - but he did seem the type to wear it.

Episode 1x10 "The Bride Wore Black"

Man, it's in episodes like these where all the character build-up in previous episodes really starts to pay off. These are fully three dimensional beings whose lives I'm invested in now. I really love the interplay between the various cast members.

I thought the show established the character of Hunter Bell well, and gave everyone a legitimate reason to hate him, want him dead and also lie right to Nolan's face. We also got a good window into quite a few of the characters at the same time. We got to see a little of Tommy before he was the deputy, a little of Kenya's pain, and I really do think Amanda would kill for Kenya.

I also enjoyed the interactions between Stahma and Datak here. It's a pleasure to watch Stahma work. And the rare break in her demeanor to Datak was excellent. That she supports Alac and Christy's wedding even after Rafe undermines their plans was genuinely touching. I really do believe she isn't just plotting for the mine here. When she is talking about Alac seeing beauty in the "pink skins" she's clearly talking about the beauty she's found in Kenya, too. Speaking of Rafe, he had quite a few great moments. I love that no one on this show is stupid. Rafe figured out the Tar's plans, and he's having none of it. I also liked his line "Does this skin look pink to you?"

Tommy and Irisa were a pleasure to watch as well. When Irisa showed up at the wedding - it was a great moment. First of all, it was interesting to see Irathient formal wear. And she still had her knives!

But the best moment had to be Doc Yewll's. One of my favorites from the start, her scene with Nikky had to be one of the most satisfying of the entire series so far. Ding dong, I say! Also, I love that the show can surprise so much. Just when you think a plot is going one way, they are more than willing to zag.

1x11 "Past is Prologue"

After last week's shocking death of the person who we thought might be the main antagonist of the show, the big question I think a lot of us were asking was "where do we go from here?" I mean, it's not like there's no other plot lines, but the golden pretzel of doom seemed to be the key to the season arc, at least. Was Doc Yewll putting it away at the end of the episode?

The answer is, to the latter question - of course not! But we don't really know where it's going still. I guess we'll find out in the finale. The writer's very clearly did not want to tell us much about this plot this week. We have no idea what Yewll's motivations might be (as she didn't want to mess with the artifact before) or what she thought she'd accomplish.

And that's okay, because the mayoral race took the stage, a bit, this week. And it was far more interesting than you'd think it'd be. The Tarr's setting up of Nolan was masterfully orchestrated. The fact that the Kenya/Stahma plot might have been part of this long game (I think... do you think Stahma told Datak everything?) should not have been surprising, but it was. I honestly thought this was a genuine character development. And there's part of me that thinks that there was a lot of truth to their relationship, even if Stahma's ultimate goal was to further Datak's goal. Her talk with Kenya was a real revelation for the character and a reminder that the Casti have a truly "alien" mindset, which is incredibly interesting. I don't think their horrible manipulation of their son would cause them to lose a wink of sleep either. He's just expected to fall in line to further the family's goals.

Poor Kenya, if someone does bit it next week I think she's the most likely candidate. But, the show has had a way of surprising. Just because Kenya might seem one of the more disposable characters at this point (and really give Amanda something to hate Datak for) doesn't mean she'll die. Or anyone will. The preview said someone will meet their fate, but that could be a reference to whatever is happening to Irisa.

Speaking of Irisa, I'm looking forward to her getting out of this plot line. I don't hate the vision thing, but I think she's such an interesting character I want other stuff for her to play.

The Nolan/Amanda scenes were really sweet. Amanda's at her best interacting with Nolan, I think. They play off each other so well. Her fierce loyalty is one of her defining characteristics, but Nolan quite firmly sets her straight, and he's totally right. Of course, then he goes and beats up Datak before heading out of town, which shows a little lack of tact. But darn, it was satisfying. The show likes to remind us that, though he talks a big game, Datak is more bark than bite if he doesn't have a good to work for him (or, I suspect, Stahma to tell him what to do.) And to me this makes him a more interesting character, not a weaker one.

Man, I love this show! Only one more episode to go, but I really do think it's gone from an enjoyable show to a truly interesting and well-done one. It's not always perfect, but I feel like with each episode it only gets more layered and intriguing. I hope they can keep this up for the finale and season 2!

1 x 12 - "Everything is Broken"

The first season is sent off with an episode that highlights the good and bad things about Defiance.

Spoiler:

All in all, I thought the episode seemed a bit disjointed, but I liked where it moved the pieces and look forward to next season. I was a bit sad there was some so-so effects right at the end, but I'm able to overlook that. It wasn't quite the slam-dunk I was hoping for, but it certainly didn't make the nearly 12 month wait(!) until next season any easier. Really, June 2014? Aggggh!

Anyone watching this season? Overall I'd say it's much stronger than the first.